[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 27, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30380-30381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11719]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No: 080411556-8593-01]
Construction Grant Program Notice of Availability of Funds
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United
States Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds; Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
United States Department of Commerce (DoC), is soliciting grant
proposals for construction of research science buildings. Grant funding
is available to institutions of higher education and non-profit
organizations on a competitive basis.
DATES: Proposals must be received no later than 3 p.m. Eastern Time,
Monday, July 21, 2008. Review, selection, and grant award processing is
expected to be completed by the end of September 2008.
ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to NIST as follows:
Paper submission: Send to National Institute of Standards and
Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4701, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4701.
Electronic submission: http://www.grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Lambis via e-mail at
[email protected] or telephone (301) 975-4447.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional Information. The Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-161) (the ``Act'') appropriated
``$30,080,000 * * * for a competitive construction grant program for
research buildings'' to NIST. Additional information on the program was
provided in an explanatory statement that under Section 4 of the Act
has the same effect as a Conference Report: ``The research buildings
should span all the applicable sciences, as they relate to the
Department of Commerce. These grants shall be awarded to colleges,
universities, and other non-profit science research organizations on a
competitive basis.'' 153 Congressional Record H15790 (Dec. 17, 2007).
The Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for this request for
proposals is available at http://www.grants.gov.
Statutory Authority. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L.
110-161).
CFDA. 11.615 Construction Grant Program.
Program Description. The goals and objectives of the program are to
provide competitively awarded grant funds for research science
buildings through the construction of new buildings or expansion of
existing buildings. For purposes of this program, ``research science
building'' means a building or facility whose purpose is to conduct
scientific research, including laboratories, test facilities,
measurement facilities, and/or observatories.
Funding Availability. Approximately $29 million is available for
construction of research science buildings. We expect to issue awards
with Federal shares in the $10 million-$15 million range.
Eligibility Criteria: Institutions of higher education and non-
profit organizations are eligible to apply for awards under this
Program.
Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation criteria that will be used in
evaluating proposals are as follows:
1. Scientific and technical merit of the proposed use and need for
Federal funding (50 percent).
(Addresses the science and technology activities the building/
facility will support and why the research infrastructure is needed to
meet those science and technology activities; the building's/facility's
targeted impact on the science and technology knowledge and
infrastructure base; and the need for Federal funding, due to a lack of
alternative funding sources.)
2. The quality of the design of the research science building (25
percent).
(Addresses the quality of design information for the building/
facility to establish that the design of the building/facility has the
ability to meet the safety, physical, environmental and experimental/
operational requirements of the science and technology activities the
building/facility is expected to support.);
3. Adequacy of the detailed Project Execution Plan (PEP) for
construction of the research science building (25 percent). The PEP
must address:
a. Project Scope and Requirements
(Addresses the type of Work/task Breakdown Structure (WBS) approach
and the work/task elements used to organize and define the total scope
of the project by tasks; the descriptions of each work/task breakdown
element; the organization and documentation of the task components in a
way that aggregates the subtasks into unified task descriptions; and
enables their use throughout project management life-cycle to identify
and monitor project progress, as well as link tasks to budget and
schedule plans.);
b. Adequacy of the Proposed Project Schedule and Budget (Although
cost sharing is not required it is encouraged for a proposal to be
competitive and will be considered as a selection factor.)
(Addresses the task schedule and budget descriptions associated
with the Work/task Breakdown Structure being utilized. Addresses the
sources and levels of cost sharing if proposed.);
c. Capability to Manage the Project; and
(Addresses the approach for project management tracking and
control, from kick-off through close-out, which may consist of: tools
and techniques (manual and automated systems) used to gather, integrate
and disseminate the outputs of project management processes during the
life of the award; an analysis of risks and how they may be mitigated;
and cost control mechanisms. Addresses the management plan for
direction and implementation of the project, including capability
descriptions of the performing organizations and associated key
personnel.); and
d. Financial Commitments to Implement the PEP.
(Addresses the current and any pending commitments required for the
building/facility to be established and become fully operational, by
the organizational name/contact that has the fiduciary authority over
the funds).
Selection Factors. The Selecting Official shall recommend proposals
for award based upon the Evaluation Board's rank order of the proposals
and the following selecting factors:
1. Degree to which project complements DoC science and technology
program priorities (see Program Priorities below), including the amount
and quality of experience that the institution that will use the
facility has had with novel research.
2. Experience promoting national impacts through research outcomes,
training, cooperation with Federal programs, opportunities for visiting
researchers.
3. Assuring a balance/distribution among the program priorities
(see Program Priorities below).
4. Availability of funds.
5. Credibility of plans to transition to operational status (i.e.,
staffing and equipping the building, and operational readiness).
[[Page 30381]]
6. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded by DoC or
other Federal agencies.
7. Degree to which the applicant is proposing cost share. (A
minimum of 25% would be viewed favorably; 50% even more favorably.)
8. Adequacy of information needed to assess compliance with and to
make a determination under the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended.
9. Applicant's prior Federal award performance.
Program Priorities: All applicable fields of science that relate
directly to the programs of DoC's three science organizations: NIST,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Specifically, these include science related to measurements, oceans or
atmosphere, or telecommunications. More information about those
programs can be found on the agencies' Web sites (http://www.nist.gov,
http://www.noaa.gov, and http://www.ntia.doc.gov).
Selection Process. An initial administrative review will be
conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of
the proposal. Responsive and complete proposals will be considered
further. Proposals that are nonresponsive and/or incomplete will be
eliminated. Each of the remaining proposals will receive three
independent reviews, which will include three written evaluations and
scores, based on the evaluation criteria. No consensus advice will be
given. The individual proposal evaluations and scores will be
considered by an Evaluation Board (a committee made up of four Federal
employees), and this Board will present ranking and funding
recommendations based on the evaluation criteria to a Selecting
Official for further consideration. In making final selections, the
Selecting Official (Chief Facilities Management Officer, NIST) will
select funding recipients based upon the Evaluation Board's rank order
of the proposals and the selection factors. The selection of proposals
by the Selecting Official is final. NIST reserves the right to
negotiate the cost and scope of the proposed work with the applicants
that have been selected to receive awards. This may include requesting
that the applicant delete from the scope of work a particular task that
is deemed by NIST to be inappropriate for support against the
evaluation criteria or selection factors. NIST also reserves the right
to reject a proposal where information is uncovered that raises a
reasonable doubt as to the responsibility of the applicant. The final
approval of selected proposals and award of grants will be made by the
NIST Grants Officer. The award decision of the NIST Grants Officer is
final.
Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs). Proposals under this program are not subject to Executive
Order 12372.
Administrative Procedure Act and Regulatory Flexibility Act. Prior
notice and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other
law, for rules relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits or
contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)). Because prior notice and an opportunity
for public comment are not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any
other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (5 U.S.C. et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory
flexibility analysis is not required and has not been prepared.
E.O. 13132 (Federalism). This notice does not contain policies with
Federalism implications as defined in Executive Order 13132.
E.O. 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review). This notice is not a
significant regulatory action under Sections 3(f)(3) and 3(f)(4) of
Executive Order 12866, as it does not materially alter the budgetary
impact of a grant program and does not raise novel policy issues. This
notice is not an ``economically significant'' regulatory action under
Section 3(f)(1) of the Executive Order, as it does not have an effect
on the economy of $100 million or more in any one year, and it does not
have a material adverse effect on the economy, a sector of the economy,
productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or
safety, or State, local, or tribal governments or communities.
Paperwork Reduction Act. Notwithstanding any other provision of the
law, no person is required to, nor shall any person be subject to
penalty for failure to, comply with a collection of information,
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA),
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. This document contains
collection-of-information requirements subject to the PRA. The use of
Standard Forms 424, 424C, 424D, and LLL; and CD-346 have been approved
by OMB under the respective control numbers 4040-0004, 4040-0008, 4040-
0009, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Department of
Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements, which are contained in the Federal Register Notice of
February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696-01), are applicable to this solicitation.
Dated: May 20, 2008.
Richard F. Kayser,
Chief Scientist.
[FR Doc. E8-11719 Filed 5-23-08; 8:45 am]
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