2025-04-02 FY25 DCIP NOFO Draft (0704-0607)

Funding Details: Program funding of $xxx million is available and will expire if not obligated prior to the close of business on September 30, 2025. No award may exceed $20 million or be less than $250,000. Requests for funding that are less than $250,000 or more than $20 million will not be scored and will be removed from consideration.

Key Dates: The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will hold 2 pre-proposal webinars on <insert times and dates>. Details regarding the webinar can be found here <insert link>.

Complete proposals must be submitted to the funding opportunity number on Grants.gov by 5pm PDT on <insert date>. Proposals will be initially screened to ensure eligibility and completeness.

Complete and eligible proposals will be evaluated against the criteria in <insert section>. A final proposal ranking will be provided to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment), or the Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment), for approval. Once approved by the Assistant Secretary of Defense, the listing will be provided to the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, to invite a formal grant application on or about <insert date>.

All grant agreements must be issued and countersigned prior to <insert date>, to ensure the appropriated funds are obligated no later than September 30, 2025.

Executive Summary: This Notice of Funding Opportunity announces available funding from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program to assist state and local governments, and not-for-profit, member-owned utilities, in addressing deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation. For purposes of the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, “Community Infrastructure” includes projects related to transportation; schools; hospitals; police, fire, or emergency response, or other community support facilities; and utility projects (e.g., water, wastewater, telecommunications, electric and natural gas facilities). The facility or project itself must be owned by a state or local government, or a not-for-profit, member-owned utility. The facility addressed in the application must not be located on a military installation unless it is on property under the jurisdiction of a military department that is also subject to a real estate agreement (including a lease or an easement) held by an eligible community.

No award under this program may exceed $20 million or be less than $250,000. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will determine the final amount of each award based on the recommendation of a Defense Community Infrastructure Program Review Panel, the availability of appropriations, and the provisions of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. Part 200) in the review of an invited grant application, including consideration of the reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of the proposed funding.

Defense Community Infrastructure Program grants may supplement funds available under federal programs administered by agencies other than the Department of Defense. Additionally, subject to statutory authority, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may transfer funds to another federal agency for that agency’s award to state or local governments. School construction or renovation projects for a facility listed in the April 2019 “Secretary of Defense 2018 Public Schools on Military Installations Prioritized List” are not eligible.

Agency contact information: Please access the Defense Community Infrastructure Program link on the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation homepage (https://OLDCC.gov/defense-community-infrastructure-program-dcip) for general information about both the Defense Community Infrastructure Program and the proposal solicitation period. Requests for further information or for help with problems related to this program should be directed to: Jennifer Hirsch, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, 2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 520, Arlington, VA 22202–3711. Office: (703)
409-8719. Email: [email protected].

Interested parties may sign up for email updates about the Defense Community Infrastructure Program at this web address: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDODOLDCC/signup/14050

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible Applicants

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may award grants under this Notice to state and local governments and not-for-profit member-owned utility services. “State” and “local governments” are defined in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 200.1 (2 C.F.R. § 200.1). The guidance in 2 C.F.R. § 200.332 prescribes how entities eligible to receive funding under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program may act as pass-through entities. Proposals must be submitted on behalf of any proposed sub-recipient. Any proposals submitted by a sub-recipient will not be considered.

Local Cost Sharing

Grant recipients must agree to contribute not less than thirty percent (30%) of the total funding required for the community infrastructure project as a local cost share. For example, if the total project cost is $10 million, the required local cost share is $3 million for a $7 million Defense Community Infrastructure Program award. A proposal that does not commit to this required cost sharing, and is not subject to an exception below, will be deemed ineligible and removed from further consideration.

There are two exceptions to the local cost sharing requirement:

Local cost share funding contributions are not required for proposed community infrastructure projects located in rural areas, defined as a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of not more than 100,000 inhabitants. Where applicable, proposers must: 1) state explicitly in their proposal that the proposed project is located entirely in a rural area; 2) identify the city, town or unincorporated area by zip code in which the project is located as well as its population; and 3) state that the proposer is not required to provide a local cost share contribution. The absence of a local cost share contribution for a rural area in no way adversely impacts the competitiveness of the proposal.

Local cost share contributions are not required for proposed community infrastructure projects that are determined to be advantageous for reasons of national security. In such instances, the proposer must assert in their proposal the basis for this reduction or waiver of the required cost share and include a signed statement from the cognizant Military Department Secretary (i.e., Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, or Secretary of the Air Force) attesting to the national security need/importance of the proposed project. The absence of a local cost share contribution for a project that is determined to be advantageous for reasons of national security in no way adversely impacts the competitiveness or scoring of the proposal.

Cost sharing is not scored in the consideration of a proposal, and proposers not otherwise required to provide a local cost share are encouraged to not do so.

If a recipient intends to use both Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funding and funding from another U.S. Federal Government agency for the same project, the local cost share contribution for the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation grant may not be used to satisfy a funding contribution required by the other federal agency. Additionally, the ability to use other federal funds as a local cost share contribution for this program must be approved by the relevant Grantor and will be governed by the relevant authority and appropriation of those funds.

Any proposal relying on contributions sourced from other federal funds that have not been awarded through a counter-signed financial award pre-dating the proposal submission will not be considered. All proposals including the participation of other federal funds as a funding source must include with the proposal a copy of a counter-signed funding agreement with the awarding federal agency.

Eligible Projects

Eligible community infrastructure projects are any complete and usable transportation project; community support facility (e.g., school, hospital, police, fire, emergency response, or other community support facility); and utility infrastructure project (e.g., water, wastewater, telecommunications, electric, gas, or other utility infrastructure (with necessary cyber safeguards)) that:

are on land located off of a military installation or on property under the jurisdiction of a Secretary of a military department that is subject to a real estate agreement allowing the project or facility to be located on military property (including a lease or easement);
support a military installation;
are owned by a state, local government, or a not-for-profit, member-owned utility service;
are supported by the installation commander representing the installation benefitting from the proposed project;
are where ground-disturbing work has not yet commenced; and,
are construction-ready so that the project can be completed within five (5) years of grant award.

Projects that involve the installation of equipment on an existing building or structure (e.g., security cameras or purchase of communication equipment and their installation) and do not require ground disturbance are not eligible “hard construction or renovation” projects as described under Section 2., paragraph D. (Section 2.D.) of this Notice.

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(1), the term “military installation” means a base, camp, post, station, yard, center, homeport facility for any ship, or other activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, including any leased facility, which is located within any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or Guam. It does not include any facility used primarily for civil works, rivers and harbors projects, or flood control projects, but it does include a military facility owned and operated by a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or Guam, even though the facility is not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, if the Secretary of Defense determines that the military facility is subject to significant use for training by the armed forces.

To be eligible, projects that will contribute to the training of cadets enrolled in an independent Reserve Officer Training Corps program at a covered educational institution must meet the requirements listed above. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(6), the term “covered educational institution” means a college or university that also meets each of the following criteria:

is a part B Institution, as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. § 1061);
is an 1890 Institution, as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. § 7601);
is not affiliated with a consortium; and,
is located at least 40 miles from a major military installation.

The location of the proposed infrastructure project contributing to the training of such cadets does not have to be on the campus of the covered educational institution.

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2391(d)(3), the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will consider the information provided in the report on strategic seaports required by section 3515 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92; 133 Stat. 1985) when evaluating projects pursuant to the selection criteria provided in 10 U.S.C. § 2391(d)(1)(B). There are eighteen (18) strategic seaports: Port of Anchorage (AK), Port of Arthur (TX), Port of Beaumont (TX), Port of Charleston (SC), Port of Corpus Christi (TX), Port of Everett (WA), Port of Guam (GU), Port of Gulfport (MS), Port of Jacksonville (FL), Port of Long Beach (CA), Port of Morehead City (NC), Port of Oakland (CA), Port of Philadelphia (PA), Port of San Diego (CA), Port of Savannah (GA), Port of Tacoma (WA), Port of Virginia (VA), and Port of Wilmington (NC).

Proposed stormwater management projects involving retrofitting a defense access road to reduce stormwater runoff and ponding or standing water that includes the combination of stormwater runoff and water levels resulting from extreme weather conditions shall be given priority over other proposed stormwater projects, in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2815a(c).

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(4)(c), when considering military family quality of life pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2391(d)(1)(B)(iv), the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will consider the impact of the community infrastructure on alleviating installation commuter workforce issues and the benefit of schools or other local infrastructure located off of a military installation that will support members of the armed forces and their dependents residing in the community.

Eligible Costs

Eligible costs include only hard construction and renovation costs, defined as those costs directly associated with construction project administration, inspection, construction, utilities, and contingency costs required to undertake a construction project, as well as costs of capital equipment affixed to real property with a depreciable life of not less than seven (7) years.

Soft costs, including those for grant project management, planning, design, permitting are not eligible costs for Defense Community Infrastructure Program funding. Project management, planning (excluding costs for environmental planning), design, and permitting are eligible as a source for local cost share contribution funds.

Construction contingency costs are limited to no more than fifteen percent (15%) of the proposed project. Site or land acquisition, whether with Defense Community Infrastructure Program award funds, local cost share contributions, or some combination thereof, is not an eligible activity. The appraised value of owned real estate that is contributed to a project may be an eligible source for local cost share, if accepted by the Grantor. The costs to acquire leases or easements may be funded through local cost share contributions. The appraised value of owned real estate is an eligible source for local cost share. Proposals that identify ineligible costs, including site acquisition and soft costs, that are proposed to be paid with Defense Community Infrastructure Program award funds, will be deemed ineligible and removed from further consideration.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Purpose

Section 2391(d) of Title 10, United States Code, authorizes the Secretary of Defense to “make grants, conclude cooperative agreements, and supplement funds available under federal programs administered by agencies other than the Department of Defense to assist State governments, local governments, and not-for-profit, member-owned utility services to address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation.” The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, provided $X million for grants under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program.

Funding Priorities

10 U.S.C. § 2391(d)(1)(B) directs the Secretary to establish criteria for the selection of community infrastructure projects to receive assistance in the following order of priority:

Projects that will enhance military value at a military installation, taking into account the four military value criteria provided below in this section;
Projects that will contribute to the training of cadets enrolled in an independent program at a covered educational institution;
Projects that will enhance military installation resilience, as defined in the statute; and,
Projects that will enhance military family quality of life at an installation, taking into consideration the factors described below in this section.

All proposed projects must be construction-ready, include ground-disturbing activity, and result in a stand-alone project that produces complete and usable facilities, improvements to existing facilities, or that completes a distinct, definable phase of a larger project that will be completed during the period of performance of the grant agreement. For a project to be viable, the applicant and subsequent Grantee must demonstrate throughout the term of the award that project activity can be completed so all awarded funds can be disbursed no later than June 30, 2030.

Proposers are also encouraged to highlight how/whether the proposed project may be “defense-related critical infrastructure,” or a non-Department of Defense networked infrastructure asset or facility essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and operations, provided these assertions are validated through an installation’s letter of support. This includes projects that support systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, where impairment of such systems and/or assets would have a debilitating impact on mission readiness.

Program Goals and Objectives

The Defense Community Infrastructure Program is a competitive grant program designed to address deficiencies in community infrastructure that can support a military installation’s readiness and lethality by investing in relationships and collaborations between local installations and states, communities, and non-profit owners of critical infrastructure assets essential for the delivery of critical Defense missions. This program benefits and supports the readiness and lethality of our military installations as well as our service members and their families and the defense communities they live and work in.

APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

Each interested respondent must submit a complete proposal through Grants.gov. A complete proposal includes:

Standard Form 424 (Grants.gov form)
Summary of Proposer and Eligibility
Summary of Project Enhancement
Summary of Community-Installation Need [includes the installation letter of support]
Summary of Construction Readiness
Attachments [at the discretion of proposers to demonstrate construction readiness]

Sections B. through E. listed above may not exceed twenty-one (21) pages (single-sided, single-spaced with 1-inch margins, 11-point Times New Roman font). The unsigned Standard Form 424, the letter of support from the installation commander, documents showing that the project is construction-ready (maps, drawings, and attachments), and documentation showing evidence of the availability of any other participating federal funding do not count against this twenty-one (21) page limit.

The requirements for each of these sections are described below. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation provides optional resources for submitters to use at their discretion for several of these sections. Information on those resources and where to access them is described in this Notice in Section 5., Submission Requirements and Deadlines.

A. Standard Form 424

A Standard Form 424 is required to submit a proposal via Grants.gov. Please refer to the instructions provided with the Grants.gov Notice of Funding Opportunity on how to complete the Standard Form 424. If inaccurate information is entered into Box 18 (Estimated Funding), the proposal will still be considered for funding.

B. Summary of Proposer and Eligibility

The Summary of Proposer and Eligibility section provides information necessary to determine eligibility under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program and may not exceed two (2) pages in length. Content for this section should only include the following:

Proposing Entity Name & Contact Information. Please identify:
1. Submitting entity name;
2. Primary point of contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and organization address; and,
3. The organization’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as obtained from SAM.gov.

****Note: entity name must match UEI registration in SAM.gov.****

Project Name. Name the proposal as follows: city/county project location, project type, benefitting installation, ZIP+4 code (e.g., Johnson County Sewer Infrastructure Improvement Project for Fort Blue 44122-5555).

Proposed Project Location. Using latitude and longitude coordinates (e.g., 38°51'12.9"N 77°02'56.1"W), identify the approximate location for the proposed project.

Project Type. Select one of the following eligible project types: transportation project (e.g. roadway, runway, bridge) ; community support facility (e.g., school, hospital, police, fire, emergency response, or other community support facility); or utility infrastructure project (e.g., water, wastewater, telecommunications, electric, gas, or other utility infrastructure).

Benefitting Installation. Please identify the primary military installation to benefit from the proposed project.

Enhancement Submission Type. Indicate the enhancement benefitting a military installation (select only one): enhances military value, contributes to training of cadets at an independent program at a covered educational institution, enhances installation resilience, or enhances military family quality of life.

Defense-Related Critical Infrastructure. Indicate whether the submitted proposal includes defense-related critical infrastructure, which DoD defines as a non-Department of Defense networked infrastructure asset or facility essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and operations. Note: This should only be indicated if the installation commander letter of support affirms the proposed project is defense-related critical infrastructure.

Status of Local Cost Share Contributions. Indicate only one of the following possible statuses for local cost share funding:
1. The proposal includes the required at least thirty percent (30%) local cost share and/or another (non-Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation) federal grant source project cost contribution;
2. The proposal does not include a non-federal project cost contribution due to the rural location of the project;
3. The proposal does not include a local cost share contribution but the project is advantageous for reasons of national security; or,
4. The proposal includes a local cost share and/or another (non-Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation) federal grant source project cost contribution even though one is not required due to either the project being in a rural area or by being advantageous for reasons of national security.

For projects that include local cost share and/or another (non-Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation) federal grant source cost contributions, indicate (more than one can apply):
1. All proposed local cost share project contributions are currently available and funds are under the control of the proposer;
2. All proposed local cost share project contributions are not currently under the control of the proposer but will be available for use on the project in time to meet the proposed construction start date;
3. Proposed local cost share project cost contributions include funding from another (non-Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation) federal grant source that has already been awarded (i.e., financial agreement signed as of the date of this proposal); and/or,
4. Proposed local cost share project cost contribution will be used to pay for costs listed in the project budget that are unallowable, such as design, planning, environmental, indirect, and other soft costs.

Each proposal shall include evidence of the intended Grantee’s ability and authority to manage grants; for example, a summary of past federal funding received, the existence of project staff with federal grant management experience that will manage the project, etc.

Each proposal shall identify that the Grants.gov Submitting Official is authorized by the proposer to submit a proposal and subsequently apply for assistance.

C. Summary of Project Enhancement

The Summary of Project Enhancement section provides information necessary to assess the characteristics of the proposed project against the prioritization of enhancements below.

10 U.S.C. § 2391(d)(1)(B) directs the Secretary to establish criteria for the selection of community infrastructure projects to receive assistance based on the prioritization of military value, the training of cadets at covered educational institutions, installation resilience, and military quality of life.

If relevant, proposals including projects that are defense-related critical infrastructure and/or a strategic seaport will also be considered.

The Summary of Project Enhancements may not exceed two (2) pages in length. Content for this section should only include the following:

A description how/if the proposed project enhances “Military Value.”

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance each of the following four (4) military value criteria as provided in section 3002 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107), and as published in 69 Federal Register 6948 (February 12, 2004). Specifically, each proposal should answer the following questions:

How will the proposed project enhance the current and future mission capabilities and the impact on operational readiness of the Department of Defense’s total force, including impact on joint warfighting, training and readiness?
How will the proposed project affect the availability and condition of land, facilities and associated airspace (including training areas suitable for maneuver by ground, naval, or air forces throughout a diversity of climate terrain areas and staging areas for use of the Armed Forces in homeland defense missions) [for Department of Defense locations]?
How will the proposed project affect the ability to accommodate contingency, mobilization, and future total force requirements [for Department of Defense locations] to support operations and training?
How will the proposed project affect the cost of operations and [are there] manpower implications?

A description how/if the project will enhance cadet training at “covered educational institutions.”

Proposals supporting the training of cadets must describe: (1) how the infrastructure project will contribute to the training of cadets enrolled in an independent program at a “covered educational institution,” and (2) the resulting impact to the benefitting installation, identifying in the proposal the specific covered educational institution. Proposals must describe how the project serves a covered educational institution as described in Section 2.C.

A description how/if the project will enhance Installation Resilience.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance military installation resilience. As defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(e)(8), the term “military installation resilience” means, “the capability of a military installation to avoid, prepare for, minimize the effect of, adapt to, and recover from extreme weather events, or from anticipated or unanticipated changes in environmental conditions, that do, or have the potential to, adversely affect the military installation or essential transportation, logistical, or other necessary resources outside of the military installation that are necessary in order to maintain, improve, or rapidly reestablish installation mission assurance and mission-essential functions.” Using language from that definition, proposals should describe how/if the proposed project impacts military installation resilience.

A description how/if the project will enhance military quality of life.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance military quality of life. Proposals must detail how the proposed project alleviates installation commuter workforce issues and benefits schools or other local infrastructure located off of a military installation that will support members of the armed forces and their dependents residing in the community, as required under 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(4)(C).

A description how/if the project includes “defense-related critical infrastructure.”

If the proposed project is defense-related critical infrastructure, proposers should describe the impact of the project on prevention, remediation, or mitigation of risks resulting from vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure assets, both on the installation and outside of the installation. The proposal should capture a holistic assessment demonstrating how the assets or facilities are essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and operations and provide mutual benefit to the military installation and the community, and be validated through an installation’s letter of support.

A description how/if the project supports strategic seaports.

Proposals supporting a strategic seaport must identify: (1) the proposed project is listed in the report on strategic seaports in provided to Congress response to Section 3515 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92; 133 Stat. 1985); and (2) the strategic seaport where the proposed project is located. For proposals that include project locations on one of the listed strategic seaports, please work with the benefitting local installation commander to confirm whether the proposed project is listed in the aforementioned report.

D. Summary of Community-Installation Need

Proposer should provide information about the proposed project, the community need, and the installation need. This Summary section may not exceed three (3) pages in length. A support letter from the benefitting installation commander must be included as part of this section; however, the length of that letter does not count towards the three (3) page maximum length for this section. Content for this section should only include the following:

A description of the proposed project.

The project description must include the following pieces of information:

A general description of the project;
Major scope elements (e.g., site work, utility upgrades, horizontal construction, mechanical systems installation, etc.);
Engineering information that demonstrates the technical feasibility of the construction project, and that the final project will be complete and usable; and,
The parties participating in successfully achieving the goals of the project, to include contemplated grant sub-recipients as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.1.

A narrative describing the community-installation need.

The community need narrative must include:

Detail on how the completed project will address a specific deficiency in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation;
A summary of the installation need for the proposed community infrastructure project, and how the absence of the proposed community infrastructure project degrades military value at the military installation, the training of cadets enrolled in an independent Reserve Officer Training Corps program at a covered educational institution and resulting impact to the benefitting installation, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life at the military installation;
A list of the likely beneficiaries of the project including an assessment of the population of military service members (or, if applicable, cadets enrolled in an independent program at a covered educational institution) and/or their families will benefit (e.g., 0-100% of the population); and,
A letter of support from an installation commander of a benefitting installation. If multiple installations are to benefit from a project, one letter of support is sufficient as long as the letter is signed by all benefitting installations.

Guidance For Installation Commander Support Letters

Failure to include a signed letter from a benefitting installation commander (or senior military service leader authorized to represent the Military Department for the purposes of this letter of support) will result in the removal of a proposal from consideration under the competition. An installation commander’s signature on a letter of support is not prohibited under the Joint Ethics Regulations or Federal ethics regulations provided that the letter complies with and contains only the following information:

Proposers must ensure that the installation commander is aware of, and the letter reflects support for, the scope of the entire project, including operational benefits or impacts. The letter of support must detail:
1. Information about the existing conditions at the local installation that the proposed community infrastructure project will address;
2. An assessment of impact to the local installation, should the proposed project not proceed; and,
3. A description of the criticality of the proposed project to the installation’s mission and/or operations.

The letter of support must detail the installation commander’s willingness to support the community’s or covered educational institution’s execution of the project, including assisting the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation with any technical review and execution of required compliance documentation for the proposed project, to include the National Environmental Policy Act.

If the proposed project represents defense-related critical infrastructure, the letter of support must affirm or validate the presence of such infrastructure.

In instances where a waiver from identifying a local project cost share contribution source is being requested due to national security needs/importance, the installation commander letter of support should include information on the status of the request within the respective Military Department.

In instances where multiple projects are proposed to benefit an installation (whether the projects are proposed by one or multiple proposers), the letter of support must prioritize the projects.

Guidance on National Security Wavier

Proposers seeking a national security wavier must initiate this request in advance with their local installation. The request for the waiver should be raised by the installation commander to the cognizant Military Department Secretary attesting to the national security need/importance of the proposed project. While the request is being processed, the installation should notify the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

E. Summary of Construction Readiness

Proposers must provide evidence that the proposed project can commence (i.e., break ground) quickly enough to ensure that the project can be completed within five (5) years of a grant award date when the funds for this competition will expire. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will determine the viability of a project based on the evidence provided. This Summary section may not exceed fourteen (14) pages in length. The Summary of Construction Readiness section must contain the information for the following six (6) scored characteristics of construction readiness:

Status of planning and design of the proposed project.

Proposals must provide detail on the status of design and planning required to proceed with ground-disturbing construction.

Budget and funding sources.

All submissions must include a project budget section that identifies the information below. Unless a criterion does not apply, budgets that fail to include these categories will be down-scored.

Proposals must provide a reasonable, allowable, and allocable project budget that demonstrates an understanding of eligible costs. Costs identified in this project budget must be broken out by major cost elements for project administration, inspection, construction, utilities, and contingency costs. This project budget must also identify the total cost for the proposed project, identifying which costs would be contributed by other sources of funding (e.g., other federal matching funds, cash on hand, in-kind contributions, etc.).

If soft costs (i.e., costs that are not direct construction costs) are required for grant management, planning, design, and execution are identified as part of the project budget, they must be funded as part of the local cost share portion of the project.

Please note:

i. All costs included in project budgets must have been incurred after August 13, 2018, the date of enactment of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.

If the proposed project is part (i.e., a phase) of a larger project, detail must be provided on the status of all funding to complete the total project.

An overview of all funding sources, including local cost share contribution source funding, that demonstrates a firm commitment and unconditioned availability (including any eligibility of federal funds to be counted as the funding contribution) to complete the project is required.

If a local project cost contribution is required (or included as part of the proposed budget even if not required) for a community infrastructure project, a selected Grantee must show that local project cost contribution funding is liquid and readily available to the project prior to receiving grant disbursements from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The proposal itself must therefore include evidence that the necessary local cost share funding will be available to execute the project prior to disbursement of Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funds.

Proposals relying on debt financing for any portion of their project must demonstrate how any Federal Interest that is created through the proposed project will be preserved through any subsequent refinancing, foreclosure, or other actions that may change the purpose, life, and/or benefactors of the enhancement that was the basis for the Federal Interest.

If necessary, documentation demonstrating that the requested grant funds do not supplant other available federal funds, such as those through Defense Access Roads, Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, the Economic Development Administration Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance, etc. If other federal funding is required to execute the project, the proposer must include a copy of a counter-signed funding agreement with the awarding federal agency.

The proposing entity must also state its capability to secure a surety bond (e.g., a bid guarantee, performance bond, payment bond, etc.) prior to the commencement of construction activity as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.326.

Acknowledgement that any cost overruns will be the obligation of the proposer.

Proposed project schedule from September 2025.

A detailed project development schedule must be included that explains the project execution strategy. The project schedule must identify milestones such as final permitting and compliance (including any necessary National Environmental Policy Act requirements), long lead time permits and approvals, design and contracting, site control, start of construction, and end of construction. The proposer must demonstrate that the project can commence quickly enough to ensure that the project can be completed no later than five (5) years following the obligation of federal funds.

Review of environmental requirements.

Proposals must include the status of any known federal and state/local requirements (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act 42, U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347 ) and a detailed plan for completing them. If awarded a grant, the Grantee will need to work with the installation to prepare environmental analysis and documentation. Construction and ground disturbance may not begin for a grant project until the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation determines that the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental documentation is complete and is of sufficient quality to inform a reliable conclusion about the potential environmental impacts of the project. If environmental review was already completed by another agency or the associated military installation for the proposed project, this documentation must be of sufficient quality for the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to adopt or otherwise use it for its independent determination under applicable laws.

If awarded a grant, the Grantee may also be required to comply with other environmental laws with requirements that support but are independent of the National Environmental Policy Act process, including but not limited to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Status of permitting approvals.

Proposals must include details on required federal and state/local permits including status and timeline to obtain such permits. If applicable, proposers must identify whether the proposed project is subject to inclusion in state, regional, metropolitan, or local approval regimes, or a certification from another agency (e.g., Metropolitan Planning Organization) of the inclusion of the project in any such planning document. The proposer must demonstrate that conformance with applicable state, regional, and/or local planning requirements is attainable within a reasonable timeline of grant award, list all necessary permitting, and the schedule for obtaining such permits. Specific mention of long lead-time permits to include federal organizations and/or those requiring multi-agency consideration or approval (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency) must be presented in the proposal within the context of the project development schedule. Failure to identify all necessary permits with a schedule in submitted proposals will result in down-scoring during the proposal review period and potential project cancellation should the project be awarded and it determined that information was knowingly withheld.

Status of site control.

Proposals must provide details on the status of site control for the life of the investment, specifically legal documentation such as easements, lease agreements, deeds, or the necessary progress to ensure construction commences quickly enough to ensure that the project can be completed within five (5) years of a grant award date when the funds for this competition will expire

Please note: site or land acquisition, whether with Defense Community Infrastructure Program award funds, local cost share contributions, or some combination thereof, is not an eligible activity. The appraised value of owned real estate that is contributed to a project may be an eligible source for local cost share, if accepted by the Grantor. The costs to acquire leases or easements may be funded through local cost share contributions.

F. Attachments

Attachments should be included in compliance with the overall application page limit as set forth at the start of this section. Such attachments may include maps, drawings, environmental compliance documents, or other evidence that demonstrates how a proposal will start construction within a reasonable timeframe and be complete within five (5) years.

SUBMISSION REQUIRMENTS AND DEADLINES

Proposal Resources

Submitters may access at their discretion from the following web link resources to develop proposals and the requirements described in Section 4 of this Notice: https://oldcc.gov/defense-community-infrastructure-program-dcip. Resources are provided for the following sections:

Summary of Proposer and Eligibility
Summary of Community-Installation Need
Summary of Construction Readiness
Budget Worksheet (for use as part of the Summary of Construction-Readiness)

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

All proposers are required to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting a proposal, provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or a proposal/application under consideration by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in accordance with the requirements at 2 CFR Part 25. For entities not currently registered with SAM, please be advised to allow two (2) to three (3) weeks to complete the registration process required to submit proposals or apply for funding opportunities. First-time entities applying for Federal funding must register at SAM.gov.

Submission Instructions and Deadlines

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will accept electronic submissions through Grants.gov for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program through 5 p.m. PDT on <insert date>. Incomplete proposals will not be scored and will be removed from further consideration. Paper submissions will not be accepted.

In the event of problems with submissions through Grants.gov, submitters may access support from this web link: https://grants.gov/support or by calling 1-800-518-4726 (U.S.).

Intergovernmental Review

This program is covered under Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” to foster intergovernmental partnership and strengthen Federalism by relying on state and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The Order allows each state to designate an entity to perform this function. The official list of those entities is available at: https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SPOC-list-as-of-August-2024.pdf. Applicants located in states that provide a designated entity should contact the listed point of contact for their state for more information on complying with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372. States that do not provide a designated entity have chosen not to participate in the intergovernmental review process. Applicants located in states without a designated entity may submit the proposal directly via Grants.gov.

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Proposal Screening and Scoring

All proposals submitted through Grants.gov by the Proposal Deadline (date) will undergo a process of screening, scoring, and ranking.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation first screens all proposals received by the Proposal Deadline for completeness, eligibility, and responsiveness to this Notice. Proposals will not be referred to or scored by the Defense Community Infrastructure Program Review Panel for the following reasons:

Ineligible proposer
Ineligible project type
Ineligible costs (e.g., a proposal identifies use of federal funds for soft costs, or the amount requested for award is less than $250,000 or more than $20 million)
No letter of support from the benefitting installation(s)
An unsigned letter of support from a benefitting installation
Incomplete project budget (e.g., proposal does not break down the budget into the required categories as defined in this Notice and/or detail about the source of the local cost share, if required, is not provided)
Insufficient local cost share (i.e., a 30% local cost share is not included or the proposer does not identify qualification for a local cost share waiver)

All complete, eligible proposals will be scored using the criteria identified in the Scoring Review Criteria section of this Notice.

Proposals submitted that include defense-related critical infrastructure will undergo validation by a designee from the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance (the Mission Assurance office).

Scoring Review Criteria

All complete, eligible proposals will be scored against the following three (3) scoring criteria. The total points possible for each proposal is one hundred (100) points.

Criteria 1 – Enhancement (50 points)

Criteria 1 reviews the strength of the proposal’s content provided in the Summary of Project Enhancement section.

Proposals that describe community infrastructure projects that enhance military value at a military installation will be prioritized over all other proposals.

Proposals that identify the prioritization category as military value within the Summary of Proposer and Eligibility will be evaluated first based on the substantive explanation of how the proposed project enhances military value based on the four (4) military value criteria in Section 4.C.1.

Proposals that do not identify the military value prioritization category within the Summary of Proposer and Eligibility nor specify how the proposed project enhances military value by demonstrating the project meets three (3) of the four (4) military value criteria will be evaluated against the remaining priorities, based on how well the project contributes to the training of cadets at a covered educational institution (if applicable), enhances installation resilience, or addresses military family quality of life, as described above in Sections 4.C.2. – 4.C.4.

Scoring Breakdown:

First Priority: Projects that will enhance military value. (40 - 45 points)
1. Assessment of project as defense-related critical infrastructure by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance. (+ 5 points)

Second Priority: Projects that will contribute to the training of cadets enrolled in an independent program at a covered educational institution. (34 - 39 points)

Third Priority: Projects that will enhance installation resilience. (28 - 33 points)

Fourth Priority: Projects that will enhance military family quality of life. (22 - 27 points)

Criteria 2 – Community-Installation Need (20 points)

Criteria 2 reviews the strength of the proposal’s content provided in the Summary of Community-Installation Need section. All proposals will be scored based on how strongly they evidence the need of the proposed project.

Scoring Breakdown

For the content submitted evidencing the strength of the proposed project’s design and technical approach, identified parties, and engineering, up to five (5) points may be assigned towards the proposal’s total score.
For the content submitted evidencing the strength of the community-installation need, based on the community need narrative and the installation commander support letter, up to fifteen (15) points may be assigned towards the proposal’s total score.

Criteria 3 – Construction Readiness (30 points)

Criteria 3 reviews the strength of the proposal’s content provided in the Summary of Construction Readiness section. All proposals will be scored based on how strongly they evidence the construction readiness of the proposed project against each of the six (6) characteristics of construction readiness.

Scoring Breakdown

For the content submitting the strength of the proposed project’s construction readiness, a total of five (5) points may be assigned for each of the six (6) characteristics of construction readiness, up to a total of thirty (30) points towards the proposal’s total score.

Ranking and Selection Process

After all eligible proposals are scored, a final proposal ranking based on those scores will be provided to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment) for approval. Once approved, the listing will be provided to the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, to invite a formal grant application consistent with the ranked proposals on or about August x, 2025, and award funding for successfully submitted formal grant applications on or about September x, 2025.

To receive an award, an eligible respondent must submit both a successful proposal and an acceptable grant application.

In the event the program’s limited funding precludes an award sufficient to support the next project in order of ranking, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will invite the applicant with the next highest scoring project that can be supported with funds that remain. In the event a respondent is unable to submit a grant application, or it is determined the invited respondent’s grant application materially differs from the proposal that was considered by the Defense Community Infrastructure Program Review Panel, another respondent may be invited to submit a grant application based upon their competitive ranking.

Grant applicants (Grantees) will need to accept the terms and conditions of these awards prior to or about September x, 2025, so the funds can be obligated prior to close of business on September 30, 2025.

Risk Review

For federal awards that exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000), the federal agency must review and consider any information about the applicant that is available in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov or at SAM.gov/fapiis (see 41 U.S.C. § 2313).

An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM.gov and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered.

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance with/under other federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.206.

AWARD NOTICES

An invitation to apply for a grant is not an authorization to begin performance on the project and proposers must wait until the grant award is fully executed to begin the project. Pre-award costs may be allowed under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program but beginning performance prior to grant award is at the Proposer’s own risk.

In the event a grant is awarded, the successful applicant (Grantee) will receive a notice of award in the form of a grant agreement, signed by the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (Grantor), on behalf of the Department of Defense. The grant agreement will be transmitted electronically. Grants must be awarded and the Grantee must accept the terms and condition of an award prior to or on September xx, 2025, so the funds can be obligated prior to close of business on September 30, 2025. Once obligated, all grant awards must complete construction with a Period of Performance end date no later than June 30, 2030, to ensure funding is available. Grantees will need to ensure federal fund drawdowns are proportional to the local cost share contribution portion for the total approved project budget.

Unsuccessful proposers will be notified via email of the results of their submission on or about August X, 2025.

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

This award will be subject to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Grant Awards Terms and Conditions, Effective September 10, 2024, and National Policy Requirements that are part of the Grants Management Manual and available at: https://oldcc.gov/news-resources#tab-resources.

A Grantee receiving funds under this opportunity and any consultant or pass-thru entity operating under the terms of a grant shall comply with all Federal, State, and local laws applicable to its activities. These include:

2 C.F.R. Part 184, Buy America Preferences for Infrastructure Projects
32 C.F.R. Part 28, New Restrictions on Lobbying
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 USC §§ 4321-4347)
National Historic Preservation Act
The Build America, Buy America Act (Public Law 117-58)
Section 1055 of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 118-159) (Prohibition on use of funds for EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology)

Pursuant to the Build America, Buy America Act:

Recipients of an award of Federal financial assistance from a program for infrastructure are hereby notified that none of the funds provided under this award may be used for a project for infrastructure unless:
- All iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States.
  - Specifically, all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States.
- All manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States.
  - Specifically, the manufactured product was manufactured in the United States; and the cost of the components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent (55%) of the total cost of all components of the manufactured product, unless another standard for determining the minimum amount of domestic content of the manufactured product has been established under applicable law or regulation.
- All construction materials are manufactured in the United States.
- Specifically, all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States.
The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project.

Reporting Performance

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation requires performance reports in intervals no less frequent than annual nor more frequent than quarterly except in unusual circumstances, for example, where more frequent reporting is necessary for effective monitoring or could significantly affect deliverables. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s notice of award will include a schedule to identify reporting type, frequency, and due dates. All performance reports will be submitted electronically. The following provides the required criteria for construction grant performance reports:

The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will rely upon on-site inspections and certified percentage of completion data to monitor progress under awards and sub-awards for construction. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may require additional performance reports when considered necessary. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation retains the right to make site visits as warranted.
Significant Developments. Events may occur between the scheduled performance reporting dates that have significant impact upon the supported activity. In such cases, the Grantee must inform the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation as soon as the following types of conditions become known:
- Problems, delays, or adverse conditions which will materially impair the ability to meet the objective of the Federal award, especially the agreed upon Project Development Schedule. This disclosure must include a statement of the action taken, or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation. Non-compliance with the Project Development Schedule is grounds for termination of the grant award within ninety (90) days of that Project Development Schedule date resulting in the non-compliance.
- Favorable developments which enable meeting time schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost than anticipated or producing more or different beneficial results than originally planned.

The final performance report will be due one hundred twenty (120) calendar days after the period of performance end date. The final performance report must contain a summary of activities for the entire grant period. All required deliverables should be submitted with the final performance report. If a justified request is submitted by a Grantee, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may extend the due date for any performance report.

Awards including improvements to real property or acquisition of personal property will be subject to terms and conditions detailing Federal Interest requirements.

Federal funds obligated through these grant awards will not be disbursed until liquidity of the Grantee’s approved local cost share is evidenced where applicable and then disbursements will be in proportion to the proportion of Federal funds to the local cost share for the project; adequate performance bond for construction activity is posted; all signed sub-recipient agreements for any sub-recipient activity are provided; and site control is evidenced commensurate with the life of the improvements arising from the project.

Disbursements will only be approved if accompanied by a narrative of not more than 1,000 characters presenting the activities being reimbursed by the disbursement.

Evidence submitted by the Grantee demonstrating completion of the project is also required. Examples of such evidence include occupancy permits, state highway permits, multi-agency permits, operational licenses and permits, titles, etc.

Financial Reporting

The Grantee will submit an Office of Management and Budget Standard Form 425, “Federal Financial Report,” electronically to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. Submission due dates will be provided in the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s notice of award. Interim financial reports are required annually. The final financial report is due one hundred twenty (120) days after the period of performance end date. Grantees will need to ensure their drawdown of federal grant funds is proportional to the contribution share of the project total cost, ensuring contribution funds are expended proportional to the percentage of contribution funding in the project.

D. Other Reporting

The Grantee must comply with the following reporting requirements and promptly notify the government in accordance with the following regulations:

OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Government-Wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement) (2 C.F.R. §§ 180.335 and 180.350)

Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information (2 C.F.R. § 170.105(c))

Reporting Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance (Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. Part 200)

OTHER INFORMATION

The public information collections outlined herein are approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Control Number 0704-0607. Further details on the public burden of each of the information collections associated with this Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found in the notice below.

OMB Control Number: 0704-0607

OMB Expiration Date: 05/31/2025

AGENCY DISCLOSURE NOTICE

The public reporting burden for this collection of information, OMB 0704-0607, is estimated to average fifteen (15) hours (Grant Proposal), three (3) hours (Grant Application), and two (2) hours (Post-Award Reporting) 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.

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