Defense Community Infrastructure Program Grant Proposal

THE FOLLOWING OUTLINE IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE DRAFT DEFENSE COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NOTICE

OMB Control Number: 0704-0607

OMB Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Agency Disclosure Notice

The public reporting burden for this collection of information, 0704-0607, is estimated to average 15 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or burden reduction suggestions to the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, at [email protected]. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposal and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

Proposals must be submitted electronically as described in Section D., paragraph 4.

2. Content and Form of Proposal Submission

Each interested respondent must submit a complete proposal through Grants.gov not later than the Proposal Deadline date (see Section D., paragraph 4). Grants.gov requires all proposers to complete the Standard Form 424. Please refer to the instructions provided with the Grants.gov Final Federal Funding Opportunity on how to complete the Standard Form 424.

A proposal may not exceed 20 pages (single-sided, single-spaced with 1-inch margins, 11 point Times New Roman font, and including all maps, drawings and attachments—excepting the Standard Form 424, the independent cost estimate to validate the proposed project budget, and documents evidencing the project is construction-ready, the pages for which do not count towards this 20-page total) and shall include the following information:

1. Point of Contact: Name, phone number, e-mail address, and organization address of the respondent’s primary point of contact;

2. Installation Need: A summary of the installation need, including which enhancement the proposal primarily addresses—military value, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life—and how the installation need degrades military value, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life at the local installation. Please refer to Section E., paragraph 2. for how military value will be considered in the scoring of all proposals. Information on this need must also include an assessment of the likely beneficiaries from the project, and specifically an assessment of the extent to which the total installation population of military service members and/or their families will benefit (e.g., 0-100% of the population). Proposers are also encouraged to highlight how / whether the project proposed supports broader efforts towards minimizing potential interruptions to the mission, including energy resiliency, and other efforts to better sustain the local mission;

3. Installation Endorsement: A letter of endorsement from the Commander of the local installation that includes (i) the existing conditions at the local installation to be impacted by development of the proposed project (and the extent to which the proposed project enhances the existing conditions), (ii) assessment of impact to the local installation should the proposed project not proceed, and (iii) a comparison of how those existing conditions rank against other military value, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life infrastructure issues impacting the local installation. Local installation endorsement letters, among other information, should indicate the installation’s willingness to support the local community’s execution of the project (including the possible technical review of required National Environmental Policy Act environmental planning documents for the proposed project);

4. Project Description: A description of the proposed Defense Community Infrastructure Program project, including an explanation how the project addresses the installation need;

5. Project Engineering Information: A demonstration of the technical feasibility of the construction project;

6. Project Parties: Identification of other parties involved in the project to include contemplated grant sub-recipients as defined by 2 C.F.R. 200.1;

7. Grant Funds and other Sources of Funds: An overview and commitment of all funding sources, including non-federal match source funding identified, requested under this notice, financial commitments for other Federal and non-Federal funds needed to complete the project (including any eligibility of Federal funds to be counted as the non-Federal share), documentation confirming the availability of committed funding (prior to confirmation of a grant award) and demonstrating that the requested funds do not supplant other available funds, and acknowledgement any cost overruns will be the obligation of the proposer. Proposing entity must also state its capability to obtain a surety bond as backstop ensuring successful completion of the project should cost overruns occur or other unforeseen financial impacts;

8. Uses of Construction Project Funds: The uses of project funding, including a total project cost estimate with major cost elements broken out for project administration, inspection, construction, utilities, and contingency costs. Soft planning costs required for the planning, design and execution of the proposed project are allowable as a source for non-federal match. However, all costs must have been incurred after the enactment of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, August 13, 2018. All proposals shall include an independent cost estimate to validate the proposed project budget as well as and an explanation why a proposed project is not otherwise eligible for consideration under any existing Federal program (e.g., Defense Access Roads Program, Federal Transportation formula funding, etc.);

9. Project Development Schedule: A sufficiently detailed project schedule, including discussion of the project execution strategy as well as identification of milestones such as final permitting and compliance (if required), design and contracting, land acquisition and site control (if needed), start of construction and end of construction, demonstrating that the project can commence within 12 months upon receipt of a grant and that the grant funds will be spent steadily and expeditiously once the project commences, and completed no later than 5 years following the obligation of Federal funds;

10. Environmental Approvals: Indicate the status (e.g., receipt or reasonably anticipated receipt) of all environmental approvals necessary for the construction project to proceed to construction on the timeline specified in Section D., paragraph 2.I., Project Development Schedule, including all Federal, State, and local requirements, and completion of an appropriate environmental impact analysis in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (required);

11. State and Local Planning: If applicable, the inclusion of the construction project in the relevant State, metropolitan, and local planning documents, or a certification from the appropriate agency (e.g., Metropolitan Planning Organization) that the project will be included in the relevant planning document. The proposer should demonstrate that conformance with state and local planning requirements is attainable within 12 months of grant award;

12. Grants Management: Evidence of the intended recipient’s ability and authority to manage grants;

13. Submitting Official: Documentation that the Submitting Official is authorized by the proposer to submit a proposal and subsequently apply for assistance;

14. National Security Waiver Attestation (if appropriate): In instances where a waiver from local match is being requested due to national security needs/importance, a signed statement from the cognizant Military Department Secretary attesting to the national security need/importance of the proposed project; and

15. Attachments: In compliance with the overall application page limit (notwithstanding the length of the independent cost estimate to validate the proposed project budget and documents evidencing the project is construction-ready).

Proposals must be complete upon submission and proposals deemed to be incomplete will not be reviewed. To the extent practicable and subject to the page count restrictions of the proposal, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation encourages respondents to provide data and evidence of all project merits in a form that is publicly available or verifiable. At a minimum, for the purposes of Section E., paragraph 1., criteria d), respondents should include written affirmation that the proposed project meets the construction-ready standards identified in the proposal section.