WCSFP-FOA-PN-FINAL.pdf

Funding Opportunity Announcement No. R15AS00001

Pacific Northwest Region

Water Conservation Field Services Program

Grant Program for FY 2015

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

I. Program and Objective of Funding Opportunity Announcement

1. Background

2. Water Conservation Field Services Program

3. WCFSP Financial Assistance Authority

4. Objective of Funding Opportunity Announcement

II. Award Information

1. Anticipated Funding

2. Cost-Share Requirement

3. Award Instrument

4. Anticipated Award Date

5. Activity Completion Date

6. Other Award Requirements

III. Determination of Eligibility

IV. Instruction for Submission of Application

1. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirement

3. What to Submit in an Application Package

4. Required Application Format

5. Application Delivery Methods

6. Application Due Date

7. Retention/Disposition of Applications

V. Evaluation and Selection Process

VI. Agency Contacts

VII. General Provisions

VIII. Example Budget Narrative

IX. Administrative Boundaries of the Pacific Northwest Region

Overview

Federal Agency Name: Department of the Interior - Bureau of Reclamation

Funding Opportunity Title: Pacific Northwest Region - Water Conservation Field Services Program Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015

Announcement Type: Initial Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: R15AS00001

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.530

Applicability of Executive Order 12372: Not Applicable

Application Due Date and Method of Submittal: (See FOA, Sec.IV.5 & 6 )

Applications will be accepted through 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, February 15, 2015. Applications must be submitted by one of the following methods only:

● Electronic Submittal via Grants.gov; or

● Hard-Copy Submittal

Under no circumstance will an application be accepted by e-mail or facsimile.

Geographic Area Of Consideration:

(See FOA, Sec. l)

Activity must be located in the Pacific Northwest Region and have a defined relationship to an authorized Bureau of Reclamation Project

Eligible Recipients:

(See FOA, Sec. lII)

Irrigation and water districts, tribal water authorities, State governmental entities with water delivery authority with a defined relationship to one of the authorized Reclamation Project(s) located within the Pacific Northwest Region

Required Non-Federal Cost Share:

(See FOA, Sec. lI.2) 50 percent or more of total activity costs must be met with non-federal funds

Additional Requirements for Application Submittal:

(See FOA, Sec. lV.1 & 2)

The Applicant must:

● Provide a Duns & Bradstreet (DUNS) number on their application.

● Applicants should be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to submittal of an application. SAM registration can take several weeks to complete. Please allow enough time to complete the necessary registration steps prior to the application due date. Instructions for registering for SAM are located at <www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM>.

Amount of Funding Available for Each Award: (See FOA, Sec. lI)

Reclamation will limit each grant award to no more than $25,000 in federal funding, and no more than one award to each applicant.

In no instance will activities that solely demonstrate innovative technologies or water conservation education and training activities be funded in FY 2015. Any awards are subject to a determination by Reclamation that FY 2015 appropriations are available and that awards can be made consistent with all program requirements.

I. Program and Objective of Funding Opportunity Announcement

1. Background The Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region, (Reclamation) is requesting applications to fund activities in support of its Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP), in Federal fiscal year (FY) 2015 (October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015).

To be eligible for a financial assistance grant under this FOA, the proposed activity must have a defined relationship to one, or more, of the following Reclamation Projects authorized by Congress and constructed by Reclamation:

South-Eastern Idaho South-Western Idaho Eastern Oregon Minidoka Project Boise Project Burnt River Project Little Wood River Project Mann Creek Project Vale Project Palisades Project Baker Project Michaud Flats Project Owyhee Project

North Central Washington South Central Washington Southwest Oregon Columbia Basin Project Yakima Project Rogue River Project

Central Oregon _ North Central Oregon Northwest Oregon Crooked River Project Umatilla Project Tualatin Project Deschutes Project

See Section IX of this FOA for a map of the Pacific Northwest Region boundary.

2. Water Conservation Field Services Program The mission of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.

Reclamation has a major responsibility, in partnership with water users, States, and other interested parties, to help improve water resource and the efficiency of water use in the western United States. After more than 100 years, Reclamation's primary role has evolved from one of water resource development to one of water resource management. More efficient water use is a key component of Reclamation's water resource management strategy.

Reclamation established its Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) in 1996. The WCFSP is administered in accordance with the authority of Reclamation Act of 1902 (32 Stat.

388) amended and supplemented, and the Reclamation Reform Act (RRA) of 1982 (96 Stat.

1268; 43 U.S.C. 390jj). The WCFSP is designed to fulfill Reclamation’s water conservation-related obligation as outlined in Section 210 of the RRA, directing the Secretary to encourage water conservation on Reclamation Projects, assist water districts to develop and implement effective water conservation plans, complement and support State and other local conservation program efforts, and generally foster improved water management on a regional, statewide and watershed basis. Areas of emphasis include:

● Water Management Planning

● Implementation of Conservation Measures

Reclamation recognizes that no single entity acting independently can meet the challenge of improving the efficiency of water use and management.

3. WCFSP Financial Assistance Authority This FOA is issued under the authority of Section 9504(a) of the Secure Water Act, Subtitle F of Title IX of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, Public Law 111-11 (42 United States Code 10364).

4. Objective of Funding Opportunity Announcement The objective of this FOA is to invite eligible applicants to leverage their money and resources by cost-sharing with Reclamation on activities that will either:

1. Promote the preparation or revision of written water management and conservation plans that will lead to subsequent implementation of conveyance, measurement, or operational improvements which will conserve water, increase water use efficiency, or enhance operational efficiency; or

2. Implement activities identified in approved and written water management and/or conservation plans.

Examples of activities eligible for financial assistance include, but are not limited to:

Water Management Planning

● Development or updating of written water management and conservation plans that are modeled after plans described in, “Achieving Efficient Water Management: A Guidebook for Preparing Agricultural Water Conservation Plans, Second Edition (Guidebook).

Water Measurement and Accounting

● Implementation of water measurement improvements identified in a district’s Water

Conservation Plan, including installing measurement structures or electronic flow measurement devices.

● Implementation of computerized accounting systems to account for water conveyed through distribution systems to individual water users.

Operational Water Management Measures

● Implementation of canal automation projects to increase conveyance efficiencies and the flexibility of water deliveries.

● Installation of automatic recording and data transmission systems to make hydrologic, diversion, and/or flow data available immediately and continuously at a central or remote location to help minimize system waste.

Facilities Related Water Management Measures

● Installation of canal linings or pressurized pipelines which reduce conveyance losses.

● Pump efficiency evaluations of district and private pumps in cooperation with local utilities to evaluate both energy and water use efficiency.

● Construction of activities to capture and reuse operational spills in conjunction with regulatory storage in the conveyance system.

● Construction of additional checks and associated modifications to turnouts or siphons to allow lower water levels to be maintained in distribution systems during periods of reduced demand and as a result, reducing seepage and operational spills.

Activities that are considered normal Operations, Maintenance, and Replacement (OM&R) are not eligible for financial assistance under this FOA. OM&R is described as system improvements that, for the most part, replace or repair existing infrastructure or function without substantially providing increased efficiency or effectiveness of water distribution over the expected life of the improvement.

Examples of ineligible OM&R activities include:

● Replacing malfunctioning components of an existing facility with the same components.

● Improving an existing facility to operate as originally designed

● An activity that is performed on a recurring basis even if that period is extended (i.e., 10-year interval)

● Sealing expansion joints of concrete lining because the original sealer or the water stops have failed

● Replacing broken meters with new meters of the same type

● Replacing leaky pipes or repairing deteriorated canal structures

Limited funding for the WCFSP requires a process that systematically evaluates the merits of applications to assure that funds are directed to the activities that best meet the WCFSP objectives listed above. Eligible applications will be evaluated through a competitive, ranking process that will be rated using the criteria with sub-criteria elements set forth in Section IV.4.e of this FOA.

II. Award Information

1. Anticipated Funding The proposed budget for Reclamation’s WCFSP in FY 2015 includes up to $300,000 for grants in the Pacific Northwest region; however, the final amount of funding available for grant awards will be determined once final FY 2015 appropriations have been made by Congress. Any awards are subject to a determination by Reclamation that FY 2015 appropriations are available and that awards can be made consistent with all program requirements.

Multiple applications for funding may be submitted for consideration; however, Reclamation will limit each award to no more than $25,000 in Federal funding, and no more than $25,000 in Federal funding will be awarded to any one applicant under this FOA.

In no instance will activities that solely demonstrate innovative technologies or water conservation education and training activities be funded in FY 2015.

2. Cost-Share Requirement The federal share (Reclamation’s share in addition to any other sources of federal funding) of any proposed activity shall not exceed 50 percent of the total activity costs. At least 50 percent of the cost of the activity will be paid for with non-federal funding secured by the applicant. All cost-share contributions must meet the criteria listed in the uniform administrative requirements and cost principles established by Office of Management and Budget.

Cost-share may be made through cash or in-kind contributions from the applicant or third party partners. In-kind contributions constitute the value of noncash contributions that benefit a federally assisted activity. These contributions may be in the form of real property, equipment, supplies and other expendable property, as well as the value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the activity or program. The cost or value of in-kind contributions that have been or will be relied on to satisfy a cost-sharing or matching requirement for another Federal financial assistance agreement, a Federal procurement contract, or any other award of Federal funds may not be relied on to satisfy the cost-share requirement for a WCFSP grant issued under this FOA.

Pre-award costs are those incurred prior to the effective date of the Federal award directly pursuant to the negotiation and in anticipation of the Federal award where such costs are necessary for efficient and timely performance of the scope of work. Pre-award costs that have been incurred prior to the date of award may be submitted for consideration as an allowable reimbursable expense or as part of the non-federal cost-share requirement. For example, such costs might include design or construction plans and environmental compliance costs directly supporting the proposed activity. In no case will pre-award costs incurred prior to October 1, 2014, be considered for reimbursement for cost-share purposes. Reclamation will review the proposed pre-award costs to determine if they are allowable in accordance with authorizing legislation and applicable cost principles.

3. Award Instrument Reclamation may provide coordination and program guidance when it is in the best interest of the Government. Substantial involvement is not anticipated on the part of Reclamation; therefore, it is expected all awards as of a result of this FOA will be a grant instrument. However, if substantial involvement is necessary during the performance of the award, Reclamation reserves the right to award a cooperative agreement instrument.

4. Anticipated Award Date Reclamation expects to contact potential award recipients and unsuccessful applicants in March 2015 or slightly later if necessary, based on the enactment of FY 2015 appropriations. Within 6 weeks after notice has been given, Reclamation expects to begin awarding financial assistance agreements to applicants that successfully pass all pre-award reviews and administrative requirements. Awards will continue through September 15, 2015, or until all selected activities have been awarded.

5. Activity Completion Date It is recommended activities be completed within 24 months from the award date. Applications with proposed completions dates exceeding 24 months will be considered if it can be demonstrated that there will be measurable on-the-ground accomplishments each year.

Subsequent modifications related to time extensions for any awards as of a result of this FOA may be entered into without future competition; however, are conditioned upon successful activity performance.

6. Other Award Requirements Awards as of a result of this FOA will stipulate the following requirements:

1. In accordance with Section 9504(a)(3)(B) of Public Law 111-11, grants and cooperative agreements under this authority will not be awarded for an improvement to conserve irrigation water unless the applicant agrees to both of the following conditions:

● Not to use any associated water savings to increase the total irrigated acreage of the eligible applicant; and

● Not to otherwise increase the consumptive use of water in the operation of the eligible applicant, as determined pursuant to the law of the State in which the operation of the eligible applicant is located.

2. Applicants shall adhere to Federal, State, Territorial, and local laws, regulations, and codes, as applicable, and shall obtain all required approvals and permits. Applicants shall also coordinate and obtain approvals from site owners and operators.

3. If the activities funded through an agreement awarded under this FOA result in a modification to a portion of a federally owned facility that is integral to the existing operations of that facility, the Federal government shall continue to hold title to the facility and the improvements thereto. Title to improvements that are not integral to existing water delivery operations shall reside with the project sponsor.

4. The non-Federal share of the cost of operating and maintaining any infrastructure improvement funded through the award shall be 100 percent.

5. Liability

IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), the United States shall not be liable for monetary damages of any kind for any injury arising out of an act, omission, or occurrence that arises in relation to any facility created or improved under the award, the title of which is not held by the United States.

TORT CLAIMS ACT.—Nothing in this section increases the liability of the United States beyond that provided in chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’).

III. Determination of Eligibility

Each application received as of a result of this FOA will be screened first for eligibility to ensure:

● The applicant is located within the Pacific Northwest Region and is a:

o Irrigation or Water District; or o Water authority of Federally recognized tribes; or o Entity created under State or Territorial law with water management authority, which may include: 1) water user associations; 2) water conservancy districts;

3) canal, ditch, or reservoir companies; or o State governmental entities with water management authority (e.g., state agencies, departments, boards, etc.), and other entities with water delivery authority with a defined relationship to one of the authorized Reclamation Project(s) located within the Pacific Northwest Region

● The proposed activity has a defined relationship to at least one of the Reclamation’s authorized Projects outlined in Section I of this FOA. For the purposes of this FOA, a Reclamation Project is defined as a specific Reclamation water project that was authorized by Congress and constructed by Reclamation. This includes everything within the Project service area (i.e., project features and facilities, project service area, watershed, water systems or water supplies affected by a specific Reclamation Project).

● At least 50 percent of the cost of the activity will be paid with non-federal funding secured by the applicant.

● The proposed activity meets the objectives of the WCFSP as described in this FOA.

Those not eligible for grant funding under this FOA include the following:

● Federal governmental entities

● Institutions of higher education

● Individuals

IV. Instruction for Submission of Application

1. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirement Applicants must provide a D&B DUNS number on their application. If you do not have a DUNS number, one may be obtained at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number Request Line at 1-866-705-5711, or by going to the DUNS Government Contractor and Grantee website at: <http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform>.

2. System for Award Management Registration Applicants should be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to submittal of an application. SAM registration can take several weeks to complete. Please allow enough time to complete the necessary registration steps prior to the application due date.

Instructions for registering for SAM are located at <www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM>. Entities must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times while they have an active Federal award or an application under consideration.

3. What to Submit in an Application Package http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

WHAT TO SUBMIT REQUIRED FORM OR FORMAT

Application for Federal Assistance Standard Form SF-424. See Sec. IV.4.a

Budget Information Standard Form SF 424A or Standard Form 424C, as applicable. See Sec. IV.4.b

Assurances

Standard Form SF-424B or Standard Form 424D, as applicable. See Sec. IV.4.c

Detailed Activity Narrative See Sec.IV.4.d

Response to Criteria/Sub-Criteria Elements (Note: Response to the Criteria/Sub-Criteria can be Combined With the Detailed Activity Narrative)

See Sec.IV.4.e

Detailed Budget Narrative See Sec. IV.4.f

Environmental/Regulatory Compliance Information, as Applicable

See Sec. IV.4.g

Funding Information See Sec IV.4.h

Indirect Cost Information, as Applicable See Sec. IV.4.i

4. Required Application Format

a. Application for Federal Assistance – The application cover page shall consist of a fully completed SF 424 - Application for Federal Assistance. This form must be signed by a person legally authorized to commit the entity to perform the activity. This form is available online at <grants.gov> under the “Forms” tab.

b. Budget Information

● For Non-Construction activities, submit an SF-424A, Budget Information – Non- Construction Programs.

● For Construction activities, submit an SF-424C, Budget Information – Construction Programs.

● For activities comprised of both construction and non-construction aspects, submit the SF-424C, Budget Information – Construction Programs only.

c. Assurances

● For Non-Construction activities, submit an SF-424B, Assurances – Non-Construction

Programs.

● For Construction activities, submit an SF-424D, Assurances – Construction Programs.

● If your activity is comprised of both construction and non-construction aspects, submit the

SF-424D, Assurances – Construction Programs only.

The form must be signed by a person legally authorized to commit the entity to perform the activity. These forms are available online at <grants.gov> under the “Forms” tab.

d. Detailed Activity Narrative This is a very important part of the application and should provide a clear picture of the scope of the activity and how it is to be accomplished. The detailed activity narrative should:

● Discuss background and location of your organization, relationship to applicable Reclamation Project; identify activity, and why financial assistance is needed. Describe the desired outcome of the proposed activity.

● Describe – in detail –the work to be carried out. Break out the proposed activity tasks and discuss the approach and evaluation techniques that will be used to accomplish the proposed activity. This discussion should be in sufficient detail to permit a comprehensive evaluation of the application and its outcome. If applicable, include engineering plans, designs and analyses as an appendix of the application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have engineering plans, designs and analyses certified by a registered professional engineer.

● Identify a milestone schedule which shows the anticipated start and end dates of all major tasks. An example of a milestone schedule is listed here:

Task

May– Jun

Jul Aug

Sep- Oct

Nov- Dec

Jan- Feb

Mar- Apr

May- Jun

Jul- Aug

Sep- Oct

Regulatory Compliance xxxx

Phase I Planning & Procurement xxxx

Phase I (4-3 Lateral) Construction xxxx

Phase I Testing & Site Restoration

Phase II Planning & Procurement xxxx

Phase II (5-7 Lateral) Construction xxxx

Phase II Testing & Site Restoration xxxx

● Identify benefit outcome of the proposed activity. Describe how the project will achieve the benefit(s) and provide numerical estimates, where applicable. The following are examples of benefits that, at a minimum, should be considered and addressed:

➢ Reduces leaks and seepage - Estimated acre-feet per year.

➢ Reduces system spills – Estimated acre-feet per year

➢ Makes more water available for other uses – Estimated acre-feet per year

➢ Reduces operation costs – Estimated savings per year in dollars

➢ Reduces energy costs - Estimated savings per year in dollars

➢ Improve crop yield – Estimated percent per year

➢ Reduces on-farm costs - Estimated savings per year in dollars

➢ Reduces per capita use - Estimated reduction in gallons per capita per day per year

➢ Improves water supply/delivery reliability – Describe increased water transmission efficiency

➢ Reduces erosion – Describe benefits

➢ Improves water quality – Describe benefits

➢ Enhances aquatic/riparian habitat – Describe benefits

➢ Protects/assists endangered species efforts – Describe benefits

● Explain how performance of the proposed activity or improvements will be measured or evaluated upon completion of the activity.

● Provide sufficient detail supporting how benefit estimates were determined, including calculations.

e. Criteria With Sub-Criteria Elements Applicants must describe how the proposed activity will meet the objectives of the Water Conservation Field Services Program by addressing one of the following criteria elements:

(1) Criteria A - Water Management Planning

(2) Criteria B - Implementation of Water Conservation Measures

To do this, applicants must address the sub-criteria elements associated with the applicable criteria element. DO NOT attempt to address the sub-criteria elements for both Criteria A & B. If your proposed activity has aspects of both emphasis areas, you must choose which one is the better fit. Applications will be evaluated against the established sub-criteria. For each sub-criteria, the application will receive points up to a maximum, depending upon how well the application addresses the sub-criteria element. Response to the sub-criteria elements may be included in the Detailed

Activity Narrative.

(1) Criteria A - Water Management Planning (Please Address Sub-Criteria Nos. 1-5 Only) Total Available Ranking Points: 100. Points are awarded based on how well the proposed activity will promote the preparation of written water management and conservation plans goals of the Water Conservation Field Services Program.

Sub-Criteria No. 1 - Association with Reclamation Project Water Supplies Up to 40 points will be awarded if the proposed activity is in a basin with connections to a Reclamation Project or activity. No points will be awarded for activities without connection to a Reclamation Project or Reclamation activity. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● How is the proposed activity connected to a Reclamation Project?

● Does your entity receive Reclamation Project water?

● Is the proposed activity on Reclamation Project lands or involve Reclamation facilities?

● Is the proposed activity in the same basin as a Reclamation Project or activity?

● How will the proposed activity improve water availability in a basin where Reclamation is located?

Sub-Criteria No. 2 - Extent to which Federal Funding Would Promote Completion of an Activity That Might Otherwise be Delayed or Postponed Up to 20 points will be awarded for a proposed activity that demonstrates financial need in order to get the activity accomplished. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Has the proposed activity been delayed or postponed due to past funding constraints? If so, for how long?

● If this is a newly proposed activity and if funds were not awarded, would that cause the completion of the activity to be delayed or postponed? If so, for how long?

● Explain why funds awarded under this FOA would help to accomplish the proposed activity.

● What is the extent of need for federal funds in order to complete the proposed activity?

● Would the proposed activity be accomplished at some point in the future without federal funding assistance?

Sub-Criteria No. 3 - Reasonableness of Costs Up to 25 points may be awarded when the costs associated with the proposed activity are reasonable, and the ratio of benefits to these is substantial.

Sub-Criteria No. 4 - Amount and Sources of Non-Federal Funding (i.e. Cost-share) Up to 5 points may be awarded to proposals that provide non-Federal funding in excess of 50 percent of the project costs, and there are additional non-Federal contributors.

Sub-Criteria No. 5 - Other Criteria Up to 10 points will be awarded for a proposed activity that is intended to update an existing water conservation plan or to develop new plans for entities delivering water to over 2000 acres or for entities with over 2000 acre-feet of Reclamation Project water.

Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Is an existing water conservation plan being updated?

● Does the recipient deliver water to over 2000 acres?

● Does the recipient have over 2000 acre-feet of Reclamation Project water?

(2) Criteria Element B - Implementation of Efficiency Measures (Please Address Sub- Criteria Nos. 1-10 Only) Total Available Ranking Points: 95 points. Points are awarded based on how well the proposed activity will meet the overall implementation or efficiency measure goals of the Water Conservation Field Services Program.

Sub-Criteria No. 1 - Association with Reclamation Project Water Supplies Up to 10 points will be awarded if the proposed activity is in a basin with connections to a Reclamation Project or activity. No points will be awarded for proposed activities without connection to a Reclamation Project or Reclamation activity. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● How is the proposed activity connected to a Reclamation Project?

● Does the applicant receive Reclamation Project water?

● Is the proposed activity on Reclamation Project lands or involve Reclamation facilities?

● Is the proposed activity in the same basin as a Reclamation Project or activity?

● How will the proposed activity improve water availability in a basin where a Reclamation Project is located?

Sub-Criteria No. 2 - Extent to Which Water Management Plan is Complete and Updated Up to 10 points will be awarded for applicants with a complete and updated water management plan. Please consider the following question when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Is there a current Water Conservation Plan, as required under the Reclamation Reform Act, and if so, has the plan been updated within the past 5 years?

Sub-Criteria No. 3 - Reasonableness of Costs Up to 5 points may be awarded when the costs associated with the proposed activity are reasonable, and the ratio of benefits to these is substantial.

Sub-Criteria No. 4 - Extent to Which the Proposed Activity is Expected to Improve Water Use Efficiencies Up to 30 points will be awarded for a proposed activity that is expected to improve water use efficiencies. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● How will the proposed activity directly improve water use efficiencies?

● How will the proposed activity directly or indirectly improve water supply reliability?

● How will the proposed activity reduce diversions or reduce irrigation return flows?

● How will the proposed activity prevent conveyance losses from operational spills, seepage and evaporation?

● If the proposed activity will reduce conveyance losses, provide an estimate of the anticipated annual water savings.

Sub-Criteria No. 5 - Extent to which Federal Funding Would Promote Completion of An Activity That Might Otherwise be Delayed or Postponed Up to 5 points will be awarded for a proposed activity that demonstrates financial need in order to get the activity accomplished. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Has the proposed activity been delayed or postponed due to past funding constraints? If so, for how long?

● If this is a newly proposed activity and if funds were not awarded, would that cause the completion of the activity to be delayed or postponed? If so, for how long?

● Explain why funds awarded under this FOA would help you to accomplish the proposed activity.

● What is the extent of need for Federal funds in order for you to complete the proposed activity?

● Would the proposed activity be accomplished at some point in the future without Federal funding assistance?

Sub-Criteria No. 6 - Amount and Sources of Non-Federal Funding (i.e. Cost-Share) Up to 5 points may be awarded to proposals that provide non-Federal funding in excess of 50 percent of the project costs, and there are additional non-Federal contributors.

Sub-Criteria No. 7 - Likelihood That any Environmental and Cultural Resources Issues Associated with the Application can be Addressed at Low Cost and in a Timely Manner Up to 5 points will be awarded where environmental and cultural resource issues can be addressed at a low cost and in a timely manner for the proposed activity. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Will the proposed activity impact the surrounding environment (i.e. soil [dust], air, water [quality and quantity], animal habitat, etc.)? If so, please explain the impacts and any steps that could be taken to minimize the impacts.

● Are you aware of any endangered or threatened species in the proposed activity area?

● Are there wetlands inside the proposed activity boundaries? If so, please estimate how many acres of wetlands there are, and describe any impact your activity will have on the wetlands.

● If the proposed activity will affect individual features of an irrigation system (e.g., headgates, canals or flumes), state when those features were constructed and describe the nature and timing of any extensive alterations or modifications to those features. Include any significant earlier modifications.

● Are any buildings, structures, or features in the project areas that are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places? Your local Reclamation office can assist you in answering this question if you do not know the answer.

● Are there any known archeological sites in the proposed activity area? Your local Reclamation office can assist you in answering this question if you do not know the answer.

● Explain the likelihood that environmental and cultural issues associated with the proposed activities can be addressed in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Sub-Criteria No. 8 - Extent to Which Application Demonstrates a Sound Implementation Strategy Up to 5 points will be awarded for activity proposals that demonstrate a sound implementation strategy. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Does the activity proposal provide a schedule clearly indicating schedule to completion?

● Does the activity proposal outline any potential causes for delays or cost overruns?

Sub-Criteria No. 9 - The Applicant’s Strategy for Monitoring Performance and Reporting and Disseminating Results Up to 5 points will be awarded for activity proposals that indicate anticipated benefits, both quantitative and quantitative, and where the applicant has identified how activity benefits may be monitored following completion.

Sub-Criteria No. 10 - Ancillary Benefits Up to 15 points will be awarded for a proposed activity that indicates additional natural resource or energy conservation benefits. Please consider the following questions when addressing this sub-criteria element:

● Does the proposed activity help to improve water quality by reducing soil erosion or reducing the quantity of poor-quality irrigation return flows to drains and streams?

● Does the proposed activity help to improve fish and wildlife habitat, by helping to improve in-stream flows, reducing water temperatures, or improving in-stream water quality?

● Does the proposed activity help to improve any wetland habitat through enhanced water quantity or quality?

● Does the proposed activity directly or indirectly benefit any non-ESA listed fish and wildlife or State-listed species?

● Does the proposed activity help improve energy efficiency or provide energy savings?

● Does the proposed activity help to improve recreation conditions or opportunities?

● Can conserved water from the proposed activity be placed in a water bank for enhancing stream flows, hydropower, irrigation or other uses?

f. Detailed Budget Narrative – The detailed budget narrative must include comprehensive information for all costs associated with the proposed activity. Supporting documentation which substantiates the costs, and the method used to determine costs will be required prior to an award. You may include the supporting documentation with your budget narrative in the application or hold onto it until requested by Reclamation. Costs which are not supported appropriately prior to award will be disallowed.

An example format for a budget narrative may be found in Section VIII of this FOA. Please consider the following when completing the detailed budget narrative:

Salary/Wage:

● List the position description(s) for each employee that will be working on the project (i.e.

Engineer, Laborer, Crew Supervisor, Program Manager, etc.).

● List the amount of time each employee will be working. This can be a number of hours, days, weeks, percentage of a year, etc.

● List the wages paid for each employee. This can be an hourly rate, daily rate, annual salary, etc. Note: the rate should not include fringe or other indirect rates (see below for separate line items for these costs).

● Provide supporting documentation for each of the budgeted rates for each employee. This can be payroll records identifying the job position and associated rate. No employee personal information please. For planning purposes, if you expect to hire personnel to complete work; but don’t yet have existing position description(s) or wages determined you may consider using the position/wage information found online at <http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm> to help estimate with these costs.

Fringe Benefits:

● Identify the fringe benefit rate or dollar amount for each employee with labor costs listed in the budget.

● Identify the factors that make up the fringe benefit rate and the percentage/amount of each factor.

● Provide documentation supporting the fringe benefit rate from qualified individual from your organization.

Equipment Description:

● List the kind of equipment that will be used on the project (type, model, size, etc.).

● List the amount of time each type of equipment will be working. This can be in number of hours, days, weeks, percentage of a year, etc.

● List the rate for each piece of equipment listed. This can be an hourly, daily, annual, etc. to correspond to the measure of the time.

● Identify if the equipment is owned or rented. Reimbursement for use of owned equipment must be based upon the actual cost to the recipient for the operation and use of the equipment. Do not use rental rates as a means for reimbursement rate for owned equipment. If ownership rates are not available, Corp of Engineer recommended rates should be used. These rates can be found at <http://www.publications.usace.army.mil/USACEPublications/EngineerPamphlets.aspx?ud t_43545_param_page=11>.

● Is there standby time included in the budget? If so, standby costs need to be identified and standby rates supported in the same manner. No operating costs are allowed for standby.

Material and Supplies:

● List and describe items are being purchased.

● List the quantity of each item needed.

● List the unit cost of the item(s).

● Provide backup support of each item unit cost (i.e. invoice from previous purchase, cost estimate, website search, phone quote details, model from which costs were derived from, etc.).

Travel/Mileage:

● Include destination, number of people traveling, length of stay.

● List costs including airfare (basis for rate used), per diem, lodging, and miscellaneous travel expenses.

● For local travel/mileage, include number of miles to be traveled and rate of compensation.

Subcontracts:

● List all activities and costs associated with subcontract needed to complete the work.

● Provide support documentation (such as contract bid or quote) for the subcontract costs, and discuss how you determined the subcontract costs to be fair and reasonable.

Environmental and Regulatory Compliance:

● List costs associated with environmental and/or regulatory compliance activities. Discuss what costs have been included, why they are needed, and how the costs were determined fair and reasonable.

See Section IV.4.g of this FOA for more information regarding environmental and regulatory compliance.

Indirect Costs:

See Section IV.4.i of this FOA for more information on what an indirect cost is, and what is needed in order to include indirect costs as part of a cost element in the budget.

Other:

Other direct costs are anything that is not already identified above, but is a cost necessary for the activity. It can include costs such as meeting room rental rates, advertising, and internet fees or telecommunication cost (not already included in indirect costs), permit fees, etc. For these types of costs describe what is needed, list the quantity needed, and the unit cost.

Provide backup support.

Contingency:

There at two types of contingency costs: (1) one that is reasonably certain to occur, and there is a verifiable basis for the calculated amount. For this type, provide support that gives the government an assurance that additional costs, equivalent to the contingency, will be incurred due to unforeseen circumstance and events. An example of how this might be done is by an analysis of other similar jobs in the past and the costs incurred, over and above the estimate, due to unforeseen costs. The supporting documentation must be comprehensive enough to provide the needed assurance additional costs will be incurred due to unforeseen circumstances; and (2) one for which the probability of occurrence is unknown, and there is no verifiable basis for the cost. Contingency costs for the second type listed is expressly unallowable.

g. Environmental and Regulatory Compliance – Recipients of financial assistance awards are required to comply with all applicable state, Federal, and local environmental, cultural, and paleontological resource protection laws and regulations. These may include, but are not limited to, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including the Council on Environmental Quality and Department of the Interior regulations implementing NEPA, the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office, the Endangered Species Act, and could require consultation with potentially affected Tribes.

Reclamation is the lead Federal agency for NEPA compliance. As the lead agency, Reclamation is responsible for determining the appropriate level of NEPA compliance, which could be a categorical exclusions checklist, environmental assessment, or environmental impact statement.

However, an activity sponsor (or their contractor) can provide much of the necessary information and data analyses to aid this process.

Applicants should state in their applications whether any permits or approvals are required, and explain the applicant’s plan for obtaining such permits or approvals. Environmental and regulatory compliance costs should be outlined in the detailed budget narrative.

As applicable, the Recipient must comply with all requirements to acquire real property interests and easements in the name of the United States as applicable to the activity, in compliance with Department of the Justice real property standards. Reclamation is responsible for determining a cost estimate for said activity. The applicant should include these costs as part of the budget narrative.

Your local Reclamation office can assist you with determining an estimated costs for meeting the required compliances listed above, as needed.

h. Funding (Cost-Share) Information – Applicants must be able to fund 50 percent or more of the proposed activity costs with non-federal funds and provide documentation showing the sources of non-federal funding (ie. Board approval). If funding is being provided by other than the applicant, the applicant shall submit letters of commitment from these additional sources. See Section Vlll of this FOA for an example of how to display funding information within a budget narrative.

i. Indirect Cost Information – Indirect costs that will be incurred during the development or construction of an activity, which will not otherwise be recovered, may be included as part of the applicant’s activity budget. Indirect costs are those: (1) incurred for a common or joint purpose benefiting more than one cost objective; and (2) not readily assignable to any one cost objective.

If the applicant proposes indirect costs in the budget, then the applicant must either: (1) supply a copy of a current federally negotiated cost rate agreement (ICRA); or (2) provide supporting documentation for a “proposed” rate which may be included as a temporary rate within the award.

The supporting documentation should be a recent recommendation by a qualified certified public accountant (CPA) which shows the computational basis for the indirect expense pool and corresponding allocation base for each rate, and after award the recipient must coordinate review and approval of a indirect cost rate with the Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center (ASD/IBC), Department of the Interior within 9 months of award in accordance with the applicable OMB Cost Principles. Information on “Preparing and Submitting Indirect Cost Proposals” is available online from the Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Indirect Cost Section, at <http://www.doi.gov/ibc/services/indirect_cost_services/ICS_Services.cfm>.

If an entity wants to include an indirect cost rate in the budget but has never received a negotiated ICRA and/or does not have a proposed rate for temporary use, please contact a Reclamation administrative contact listed in Section lV of this FOA.

5. Application Delivery Methods Under no circumstance will applications be accepted by e-mail or facsimile. Applications must be submitted by one of the following methods only:

● Electronic Submittal via Grants.gov- Grants.gov is used to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. In order to electronically submit an application, the applicant must complete the Grants.gov registration process. The registration process can take approximately two weeks to be completed; therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines. An application can be submitted online via Grants.gov after receipt of e-authentication credentials. Reclamation encourages applicants to submit their applications electronically through Grants.gov; however, electronic submittal of an application is not required. Applicant resource documents and a full set of instructions for registering with Grants.gov and submitting applications online are available at <grants.gov> under the “Applicants” tab. Applicants have sometimes experienced significant delays when attempting to submit applications through Grants.gov. If you plan to submit your application through Grants.gov, you are encouraged to submit your application several days prior to the application deadline.

If you are properly registered and encounter problems with the Grants.gov application submission process, you must contact the Grants.gov Help desk to obtain a “Case Number.” This Case Number will provide evidence of your attempt to submit an application prior to the submission deadline.

● Hard-Copy Submittal – Applications may be submitted by paper hard-copy. All originals of the paper hard-copy applications should be hand delivered or mailed to:

Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Regional Office Attn: Ms. Melinda Ritacco, Mail Code: PN-3713 1150 N. Curtis Road, Suite 100 Boise, Idaho, 83706-1234

It is the discretion of the applicant in the method of application delivery chosen. The chosen method of delivery will not impact or determine award or non-award. There is no requirement to submit by more than one means. However, if an applicant wishes to submit a paper hard-copy as a back-up to the electronic submission, both will be accepted. If the submissions differ, the latter one received prior to the funding period closing date will prevail unless the applicant specifies otherwise. Regardless of the submittal method used, applicants are responsible for ensuring their applications are accepted and received by Reclamation by the established application due date.

6. Application Due Date Applications will be accepted through 4:00 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, February 15, 2015.

Any application received after this date will not be considered in the evaluation and selection process unless the application is received before awards are made, and it is determined by Reclamation that the late receipt was due to mishandling by the Government or by the Grants.gov application system.

Please note that any application submitted to Reclamation under this FOA may be subjected to a Freedom of Information Act request (5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended by Public Law 110-175), and as a result may be made publically available (following consultation with the applicant with redactions as needed).

7. Retention/Disposition of Applications Applications submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned to the applicant. Instead, they will be retained by Reclamation for official record purposes until they are no longer deemed necessary. At that point, they will be disposed of in a discretionary manner.

V. Evaluation and Selection Process

Reclamation reserves the right to reject any and all applications which do not meet the requirements or are determined to be outside the scope of this FOA. The evaluation and application selection process will be comprised of the following three levels:

1. First Level Screening (Administrative Review) Applications received will be screened to ensure (1) eligibility requirements as stated in

Section III have been met; (2) the application contains the properly executed required Standard Forms and narratives; and (3) the application addresses the applicable criteria/sub-criteria elements as discussed in Section IV.4.e of this FOA.

2. Second Level Evaluation (Technical Review) Applications that meet the first level screening review will be sent for technical review by an Application Review Committee (ARC). The ARC is made up of experts in relevant disciplines with knowledge of the WCFSP objectives.