EERE eXCHANGE: FAQs

Question 1: I am having trouble finding or opening the FOA. Can you help?
Answer 1: The correct link to the Funding Opportunity Exchange is 'https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov.' From there scroll down to ‘DE-FOA-0000953’ and click. The link to the FOA Document is found under the heading ‘FOA Documents’ Clicking the link below the heading will open (dependent on local internet policy) the FOA as an Adobe PDF file.

Question 2: Are utilities eligible to bid? (We are utility consultants.)
Answer 2:

As listed in section III, A, 2 Eligibility Information:

“For-profit entities, educational institutions, and nonprofits that are incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States are eligible to apply for funding as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient.”

Question 3: I participated in this afternoon’s webinar: Strategies to Increase Residential Building Energy Code Compliance Rates and Measure Results, and my understanding is that a 501 (c) (3) organization is not eligible for this funding program. Could you please verify whether this is correct,
Answer 3:

As listed in section III, A, 2 Eligibility Information (footnote 12):

“Nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995, are not eligible to apply for funding.”

Question 4: Will the slides for this webinar be available afterward?
Answer 4:

The slides are available at the Funding Opportunity Exchange 'https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov'. From there scroll down to ‘DE-FOA-0000953’ and click. The link to the FOA Slides is found under the heading ‘FOA Documents’

Question 5: Q: Will the revised methodology be available for review and comment prior to use?
Answer 5:

The methodology is currently under development. EERE expects it to be available for public review late this summer, with the final version published in the fall, prior to the start of the awards.

Question 6: Seeing as how the whole study is supposed to be completed over 3 years or 36 months, does this mean that the compliance studies are assumed to take 6 months each?
Answer 6:

Yes, for purposes of the FOA responses we are assuming the compliance studies will take approximately six months each.

Question 7: Are we supposed to include the Compliance studies in the Technical Volume of the Application?
Answer 7: Simply state in the Technical Volume of the application that you will follow the methodology that DOE will develop.

Question 8: Funding is to educate homeowners and test their residences, provide them with test results at no cost to them is that correct?
Answer 8:

The FOA does not say anything specific about how the funding should be used. The FOA seeks proposals describing how to increase residential energy code compliance rates.

Question 9: Once tested and the results requires $30K to $60K in repairs to reduce energy consumption will there be a program to assist the homeowner?
Answer 9: DOE has no plans to offer a program like this.

Question 10: What requirements will the testers need to have for your program?
Answer 10: Eligibility information is listed in Section III of the FOA.

Question 11: What requirements will the contractor need to meet your standards?
Answer 11: Eligibility information is listed in Section III of the FOA.

Question 12: Is it possible that the timeline could be changed to allow more time for preparation of applications?
Answer 12: Typically there are no extensions granted to the dates published in the Funding Opportunity unless there are extenuating circumstances and there is a benefit of doing so to both the Government and to the majority of potential applicants.

Question 13: Has DOE considered this issue and the implications for sample sizes and compliance study costs? Is the nominal cost of $140K to establish consistency across proposals, or will bidders have the flexibility to propose compliance study scopes that are more consistent with the measurements being required by the FOA?
Answer 13: The $140k in the FOA was to establish consistency across proposals and should be adhered to in responses. DOE may be change this figure after contracts are awarded based on the final methodology.

Question 14: Under the cooperative agreements anticipated in this FOA, are prime recipients or subrecipients able to receive fee or profit on labor costs or other cost elements of the project?
Answer 14:

10 CFR 600, § 600.318, provides:

“(a) Grants and cooperative agreements may not provide for the payment of fee or profit to recipients or subrecipients, except for awards made pursuant to the Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer Research programs.”

Question 15: Does the state’s code have to be at a minimum level (i.e. 2009 IECC)?
Answer 15:

The FOA is intended to demonstrate potential improvement regardless of starting point.

Question 16: What model code will the EERE Measurement Methodology be based on? If a state has adopted a model code with weakening amendments (e.g. no duct leakage testing, lower insulation levels), will the implementers be able to adjust the EERE Measurement Methodology to take those amendments into account when calculating the compliance baseline?
Answer 16: It will be state-specific. The intent of the FOA is to measure improvement from the pre-FOA state to the post-FOA state. DOE understands that states will have varying codes in place. The methodology will need to be able to account for all of them.

Question 17: If a state is currently in the process of updating their code, what is the latest date of anticipated adoption (e.g. 3/1/15) adopted in a state that would still allow a state to apply for this FOA?
Answer 17: There is no fixed date but both the date and the likelihood of adoption will be considered by DOE when reviewing the proposals.

Question 18: If a state has adopted more efficient code than the 2009 IECC (such as the 2012 or 2015 IECC), is compliance baseline measured to the current code or the 2009 IECC?
Answer 18: Compliance will be measured to the current code whatever it may be.

Question 19: In the “Measuring State Compliance Document,” the Single Family Residential portion has subgroups: new construction single family detached, new construction single family attached, single family renovation detached, single family renovation attached. Which of these subgroups will this FOA be focused on?
Answer 19: New construction single family detached. We may include two-family dwellings as well but that would be the maximum.

Question 20: I have missed the webinar, is it possible to view a recording of that?
Answer 20:

The webinar which was originally conducted 23 April 2014 may be viewed at: http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/webinar-residential-energy-code-compliance

Question 21: Does the Certifications and Assurances For Use With SF 424 form need to be submitted in addition to the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance form? If so, what file format should it be saved in and under what convention for the title?
Answer 21:

As listed in the DE-FOA-0000953 section IV. , C.,

“Complete all required fields in accordance with the instructions on the form. The list of certifications and assurances in Field 21 can be found at http://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/financial-assistance/financial-assistance-forms, under Certifications and Assurances.” and “Full Applications must conform to the following requirements: … (PDF, unless stated otherwise)”

Question 22: Does the post-program study need to be completed by month 36, or does the post-study only have to be contracted for by month 36?
Answer 22:

As listed in DE-FOA-000953 Section II, A., 2. “EERE anticipates making awards that will run up to 36 months in length.”

Additionally 10 CFR 600.128 provides:

“Where a funding period is specified, a recipient may charge to the award only allowable costs resulting from obligations incurred during the funding period and any pre-award costs authorized by DOE.”

Question 23: Rural compliance is a significant problem for most states. Would a strictly rural initiative be discouraged (i.e. a rural only baseline study, a rural focused program and a rural only post-study)?
Answer 23: We would discourage a strictly rural initiative because we want the compliance methodology to measure change at a state-wide level.

Question 24: Would a study in a state where the vast majority of single family residential construction (say +75%) occurs in counties that have adopted a more stringent code than the rest of the state be discouraged even if those codes remain stable during the study period?
Answer 24: This would be acceptable but the baseline code for measuring compliance would be the stricter one that the majority of homes were built under.

Question 25: On page 19, the FOA state “Each Full Application should be limited to a single concept or technology. Unrelated concepts and technologies should not be consolidated in a single Full Application.” Does this mean that an integrated approach, say combining an outreach program with a training program, is discouraged?
Answer 25: Integrated approaches are strongly encouraged. Only concepts and technologies that are unrelated to the scope of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) should be excluded.

Question 26: If a project is proposed for multiple states, are separate pre- and post-program compliance studies required for each state, or is a single pre- and post-program compliance study that covers both states allowed?
Answer 26: Each state will have to have separate pre- and post-compliance studies.

Question 27: In a multiple state project, what will the minimum sample number be for the pre- and post- program compliance studies (44 overall, 44 in each state)? How and when will this be determined?
Answer 27:

In multi-state proposals each state will still have to have its own compliance study. The minimum sample number for a state will be determined along with the compliance methodology, meaning not for several months.

Question 28: Could this program be done on a small scale (a single person), or does it require numerous participants?
Answer 28:

As listed in the FOA, section III, A, 2 Eligibility Information:

“U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for funding as a Prime Recipient or Subrecipient.”

Question 29: Would anyone in your agency be able to work directly with me to assist with whatever I need in order to participate?
Answer 29:

As listed in the FOA, section VI, C, 10:

“EERE has substantial involvement in work performed under Awards made following this FOA. EERE does not limit its involvement to the administrative requirements of the Award. Instead, EERE has substantial involvement in the direction and redirection of the technical aspects of the project as a whole.”

Question 30: If multiple states are submitted in one application, is the total award for that application limited to $500k-1.5 million? Or is each state in the application allowed to apply for $500k-1.5 million (with the application potentially exceeding $1.5 million)?
Answer 30:

As listed in section II., A., 1.:

“EERE anticipates making approximately 4-12 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $500,000 and $1,500,000.” Therefore, the maximum amount for any award is $1,500,000.

Question 31: If a project is proposed to cover two (or more) states, would DOE consider funding the proposed project in just one of them? If so, where in the proposal should we address this option (e.g., to clarify the difference in budget for a one vs. two-state option)?
Answer 31:

As listed in Section IV.C.4:
“Prime Recipients must complete each tab of the Budget Justification Workbook for the project as a whole, including all work to be performed by the Prime Recipient and its Subrecipients and Contractors”.

And Section VIII.C
“EERE reserves the right, without qualification, to reject any or all applications received in response to this FOA and to select any application, in whole or in part, as a basis for negotiation and/or award.”

Question 32: With reference to section III.B.6 Cost Share Payment, we note that cost share should be incremental and contributed at the negotiated ratio over the life of the award. Does this mean that cost share must be contributed for the compliance study periods? Or is it sufficient to contribute cost share just during the ~24 months of the education/training/outreach program?
Answer 32:

As listed in Section III.B.i: (Unless Section III.B.ii applies)
The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects (i.e., the sum of the Government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project)

Awardees must provide the required “Cost Share” amount as a percentage of the total project costs in each invoice period for the duration of the project period.

Question 33: Can the compliance studies be funded in part or in whole by cost share, or must those be paid directly out of DOE award funds?
Answer 33: As listed in section III.B.3:
Project Teams may provide cost share in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Cash contributions may be provided by the Prime Recipient or Subrecipients. Allowable in-kind contributions include, but are not limited to: personnel costs, indirect costs, facilities and administrative costs, rental value of buildings or equipment, and the value of a service, other resource, or third party in-kind contribution.

Question 34: Is this FOA aimed at projects that would assess statewide compliance rates and measurement of results (in our case the entire state of Texas)? Or, would the Dallas-Fort Worth region, which encompasses 6.9 Million people, 16 counties, over 200 local governments, and is larger than 9 states in area be a potential candidate for application of the EERE methodology and assessment of compliance rates?
Answer 34: As listedin the FOA, Section VIII.C
“EERE reserves the right, without qualification, to reject any or all applications received in response to this FOA and to select any application, in whole or in part, as a basis for negotiation and/or award.”

Question 35: Are specific program partners / team members / implementers expected to be identified in the Application? Will not naming specific partners / team members / implementers be a competitive disadvantage? The solicitation rules and procedures in many states makes identifying specific partners / team members / implementers difficult, if not impossible, for many state applicants.
Answer 35:

As listed in 10 CFR 600 § 600.15
“ Information contained in applications shall be used only for evaluation purposes unless such information is generally available to the public or is already the property of the Government. The Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905, prohibits the unauthorized disclosure by Federal employees of trade secret and confidential business information”

Additionally, the identification of participants is required by 10 CFR 600 § 600.113:
Recipients shall comply with the nonprocurement debarment and suspension common rule implementing E.O.'s 12549 and 12689, “Debarment and Suspension,” 2 CFR 180 and 901. This common rule restricts subawards and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities.

Question 36: For multi-state proposals, should we create two separate Technical Volumes, as each state will have a different strategy and associated tasks?
Answer 36: As listed in the FOA, Section IV.C.2:
"Save the Technical Volume in a single PDF file using the following convention for the title: “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_TechnicalVolume”."

Question 37: The FOA states the Technical Volume is to be submitted as a PDF, while the Workplan (part of the Technical Volume) is to be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Will the Workplan be submitted as a separate file? If so, what should the file name for the Workplan be?
Answer 37:

As listed in the FOA, Section IV.C.2:
Except where otherwise specified, the Technical Volume must be submitted in Adobe PDF format.
Additionally, the table in FOA section IV.C.1 cites: "(EXCEPTION: The Workplan component of the Technical Volume should be submitted in Microsoft Word Format)."

Question 38: In Section IV.C.1, the FOA states the Budget Justification is in Microsoft Excel format. In Section IV.C.4, it says “Save the Budget Justification Workbook in a single PDF file.” Should it be submitted as an Excel file or a PDF?
Answer 38: Excel format is preferred, but PDF is also acceptable. As listed in the FOA, save the Budget Justification Workbook in a single file using the following convention for the title “ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_Budget_Justification”.

Question 39: With reference to section III.F, can the same education/training/outreach model be used in multiple proposals? (i.e., one proposal for state X, and a second proposal using the same model for state Y)
Answer 39:

As stated in the FOA Executive Summary, “Applicants may submit more than one application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project.” The same model proposed in separate applications for different states would not be considered scientifically unique for more than one of the multiple applications from the same applicant.

Applicants may propose to apply the same model across one or multiple states in a single application. As FOA Section I.B. “Technical Areas of Interest” states, “FOA applicants may include more than one state in their applications. EERE understands that proposed activities and approaches may vary from state to state within a single application to reflect differences that exist in different locations.” Inherent in this statement is the understanding that proposed activities and approaches may be the same from state to state. After selection of applications for negotiations for award, DOE reserves the right to negotiate with recipients to adjust the scope of work and states covered in the final award agreement.

Question 40: The FOA states that applicants will "measure the pre-program compliance rate using an EERE-developed methodology that provides state-wide results with 90/10 statistical reliability." Can you clarify the terms that will be used in determining this state-wide reliability? Specifically, we need to know the basis of the reliability measure (housing starts by climate zone, population by climate zone, whether federal or state level climate zones are used, etc). This will affect team organization and partnerships.
Answer 40: The methodology has not yet been developed so specifics are not available. The fundamental intent of the methodology is to statistically represent all single-family new construction throughout the state.

Question 41: To what extent should the application address controls for selection bias and externalities? These are not listed among the specific criteria requested, but would play a major role in California, as we have significant variation in residential construction types and a large number of existing educational offerings related to energy codes.
Answer 41: Please clarify. The question implies that you are considering creating a specific cohort that would then receive “treatment” through FOA funds. The FOA mentions many different potential target audiences and approaches so more information is needed to know how to reply.

Question 42: Page 6 of the FOA provides details of the candidate state characteristics. These criteria suggest that DOE has considered which states have conditions considered ideal for the project goals. If so, can you provide any information relative to how California ranks in your consideration?
Answer 42: Page 6 lists circumstances to “consider” as DOE believes they are most likely to support successful outcomes. They are not requirements and no analysis or state-by-state rankings were done to determine this list.

Question 43: EERE-159 states that sub-recipients over $100,000 must complete separate forms and that forms must be included in the proposal. Yet, the FOA, on page 29, states that this will only be necessary for sub-recipients over $250,000 or 25% of the work effort, whichever is less. Can you clarify which threshold is correct? For example, on a $700,000 award, would a subrecipient of $150,000 (21.42%) need to complete a separate EERE-159?
Answer 43: The separate forms for sub-recipients are only requirements for sub-recipients over $250,000 or 25% of the work effort, whichever is less. The comment in the EERE 159 form is in error.

Question 44: On page 12 of the FOA, the EERE Cost Share Reduction is referenced for domestic institutions of higher education, domestic nonprofit entities, FFRDCs, or U.S. State, local, or tribal government entities. Per the FOA, to qualify for the reduction, the Prime Recipient must perform more than 50% of the project work, as measured by the Total Project Cost. To meet the definition of “perform more than 50% of the project work”, can a Prime Recipient appropriately include all direct costs other than contractual in the calculation of percentage based on total project costs? For example, if a domestic nonprofit prime recipient has non-contractual direct costs including personnel, fringe, travel, equipment, supplies, and other direct costs of $550,000 on a project with a Total Project Cost of $1,000,000, does that count toward the requirement of “performing more than 50% of project work” such that the organization would qualify for the reduced cost share?
Answer 44:

All allowable, allocable and reasonable Other Direct Costs required to accomplish the tasks of the project contribute to the recipient performance of the project. Direct costs must not be included in the indirect costs (for which the indirect rate is being applied for this project). Examples are: equipment costs less than $5000, meetings within the scope of work, printing costs, etc. which can be directly charged to the project and are not duplicated in indirect costs (overhead costs).

Question 45: Do you anticipate that evaluation services will have a substantial role in the design and implementation of the project such that they will be considered a sub-recipient and require advance DOE approval once standards are released and the award is made, or will DOE consider the compliance studies provider to be a vendor? This obviously impacts both procurement time and effort and indirect cost treatment, and having DOE clarification on this point would result in all applicants treating these compliance studies the same way and will allow a fair comparison between applications.
Answer 45: The code compliance methodology being developed will focus solely on determining whether code requirements have been met in homes. It will therefore be independent of program activity and not require coordination with evaluators. Process evaluation of education and outreach activities to provide feedback to contractors during the implementation phase of the contracts should be included in proposals as deemed appropriate by proposers.

Question 46: Is it acceptable to budget the $280,000 for the code compliance studies, describe a general workplan for the studies, and describe the process by which the code compliance evaluation contractor will be selected at a later date?
Answer 46: It is acceptable to acceptable to budget the $280,000 for the code compliance studies, describe a general work plan for the studies, and describe the process by which the code compliance evaluation contractor will be selected at a later date.
The $280,000 for an unnamed vendor to perform compliance studies would not be available until such time as that vendor is identified and approved by the Contracting Officer.

Question 47: Are states where there is no statewide code such as Mississippi going to be able to be included in this FOA? If so what code would they be tested against?
Answer 47: Proposals may be submitted for states where there is no statewide code. The compliance baseline would be determined through an analysis of the coverage and stringency of the existing codes in the state.

Question 48: The FOA states that the Technical Volume must be in PDF format, but the Workplan (which is part of the Technical Volume) must be in Microsoft Word. This indicates that bidders would need to upload 2 documents under the Technical Volume, which is currently not possible.
Answer 48: You may submit the Work Plan as a Microsoft Word document in the 'Additional Files' field of the 'Upload and and Submit' Tab.

Question 49: For the purpose of determining whether we meet the threshold for reduced cost share requirement, are vendor costs allowable to be included as the prime “performing more than 50% of the project work”? What is the difference (if any) between a subrecipient and a vendor?
Answer 49:

A matching or cost sharing requirement may be satisfied by either or both of the following: (1) Allowable costs incurred by the grantee, subgrantee or a cost-type contractor under the assistance agreement. This includes allowable costs borne by non-Federal grants or by others cash donations from non-Federal third parties. (2) The value of third party in-kind contributions applicable to the period to which the cost sharing or matching requirements applies.

A “Vendor” typically provides an off-the-shelf product or service and can charge a profit or fee under the applicable procurement procedures where a “Sub-recipient” has a vested interest in the Project and cannot charge a profit or fee. The award Terms and Conditions are flowed-down to all sub-recipients based on organizational type. Both entity types are allowed to provide cash or in-kind cost-share as detailed above.

Question 50: Is there a terms and conditions document that will need to be signed and if so where can we find this document? Are these terms open for negotiation and if so should exceptions be include in the response?
Answer 50: Terms and Conditions for awards are available and negotiable after recipients are selected for award negotiations.

Question 51: Is the DOE requiring that the pre and post evaluations cover the same code cycle? (i.e., if the first baseline study covers the 2009 IECC, can the second baseline be done after a change to the 2012 IECC with training done to support the shift from 2009 to 2012?).
Answer 51: Evlauations are not required to be in the same code cycle.

Question 52: What is the approved Fringe Benefit rate and Indirect cost rate for this project
Answer 52: If an approved Federal Rate Agreement exists with a Federal Cognizant agency, those rates will be utilized. If a Federal rate for either the Fringe or Indirect rate does not exist, a provisional rate will be negotiated with DOE after an applicant is selected for an award.

Question 53: Regarding the mandatory “control number” that must be used on all submitted documents, how is this control number issued and at what point is this control number issued?
Answer 53:

As listed in the Executive Summary of the FOA:
"The Users’ Guide for Applying to the Department of Energy EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements is found at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx."

In this document, on page 9, this stage of the application process is outlined with:
"At this stage the applicant will be assigned a control number to be used as reference for the duration of the specific FOA application process. Click to complete the registration process."

In this particular FOA, Concept Papers are not required. As such the button on the ‘General’ tab will read "Create Full Application". This is the same point in the process as listed in the manual referenced above.

Question 54: In FAQ 6, you state that the applications should assume that the compliance studies will take approximately six months each. Does this include data collection only or data collection plus development and finalization of the compliance study report?
Answer 54: The six months is assumed to include all aspects of the study.

Question 55: Will the DOE obtain the rights to any final work product(s) produced by the grant recipient as a result of this project? I.e., if a recipient produces a series of training videos as result of the grant, would the DOE then have the rights to those videos?
Answer 55: As Listed in the FOA section VI.C.12, "The standard DOE financial assistance intellectual property provisions applicable to the various types of recipients are located at http://energy.gov/gc/standard-intellectual-property-ip-provisions-financial-assistance-awards."

Question 56: Does the cost share need to come directly from an award recipient, sub-recipient, or vendor, or can it come from a supporting partner?
Answer 56:

Cost share may come from other third parties, but is still subject to the limitations as listed in the FOA section III.B

Question 57: Is form SF-LLL required to be submitted (as indicated on FOA page 20), or submitted only if “any non-Federal funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence” federal employees (per FOA page 30)? If SF-LLL is required to be submitted, how do you declare that no lobbying activity has occurred or is planned?
Answer 57: If the applicant certifies under the Certifications and Assurances section of the SF424 application that No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid by or on behalf of the undersigned to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of a federal contract, the making of a federal grant, the making of a federal loan, the entering into of a cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of a federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, then completion of the SF-LLL Lobbying Activity form is not required.

Question 58: As a state agency, we submit support letters to a name of individual and address. Can you please send me the information to complete the support letter?
Answer 58: All application documents should be submitted by the applicants as listed in section IV of the FOA.

Question 59: 1) Per the FOA and FAQ #46, we are not identifying a Compliance Study Contractor in our proposal. While the total amount budgeted ($280k) is over the $250k threshold for subaward budget justifications, we are not in a position to complete a budget justification for the Compliance Study Contractor, and would plan to do so after one is selected through an RFP process. Is this acceptable? 2) On page 20 of the FOA document, the table seems to indicate that the Budget Justification file should be submitted in Excel format. On page 28, the FOA says to submit the Budget Justification as a single PDF file. Can you please clarify which is the correct format? Also, the FOA states to submit the subaward budget justification as a PDF document (page 29). Can you please confirm if this is correct or if the subaward budget justification should be submitted as an Excel file?
Answer 59:

1) Yes, if the applicant is selected for award negotiations, the separate detailed EERE 159 Budget Justification may be submitted for the chosen subcontractor after selection and before award negotiations are completed.

1) It is preferred that applicants submit the EERE 159 Budget Justification file in Excel format, but PDF is also acceptable. If selected for award negotiations, applicants will be required to submit the Budget Justification in Excel format.

Question 60: The FOA #0000953 States that there is a 15 pg limit on the Technical Volume. 2 pages are committed to the Cover Sheet and Table of Contents leaving 13 pages for narrative. Guidance states to commit approximately: 10% to Project Overview - 1.3 pgs 25% to Technical Description, Innovation and Impact - 3.25 pgs 15% to Technical Qualifications And Resources - 1.95 pages 50% (in a separate Word File) to Workplan - 7.5 pgs The Gantt Chart and Milestone Summary Table in the required font currently require 3 pages of space on their own. Do those items count towards the 7.5 page limit in the Workplan or are they counted as Appendix items that do not apply to the Workplan narrative limit?
Answer 60: Yes, the Project Schedule (Gantt Chart or similar) and Milestone Summary Table items count toward the total Technical Volume 15-page limit. Per FOA Section IV.C.2. "Technical Volume," the Technical Volume to the Full Application may not be more than 15 pages, including the cover page, table of contents, and all citations, charts, graphs, maps, photos, or other graphics, and must include all of the information in the table in that section, including the Workplan which includes the Project Schedule (Gantt Chart or similar) and Milestone Summary Table. The applicant should consider the weighting of each of the evaluation criteria (see Section V.A.2 of the FOA) when preparing the Technical Volume.

Question 61: On the budget justification form EERE-159, there is no line for cost share on the Instructions and Summary tab. When costs are inputted into the Cost Share tab, they do not show up on the Instructions and Summary tab. Consequently, the Total Costs (column E) do not include cost share amounts. Is there another way cost share should be shown, on the Instructions and Summary tab, and not just simply on the Cost Share tab? Are cost share amounts supposed to be included in the Total Costs (column E) on the Instructions and Summary tab?
Answer 61: The amounts presented on tabs a - i of the Budget Justification must include both Federal (DOE), and Non-Federal (applicant cost share) portions, thereby reflecting total project costs proposed for each cost category (Personnel, Fringe, etc.) and populating the Summary sheet with the total project costs. Applicant cost share detail should be shown on the Cost Share tab following the instructions at the top of the sheet; this detail does not feed into the Summary sheet, since the total project costs should already be reflected there.

Question 62: I searched the DE-FOA-0000953 PDF for a preferred/required format for letters of commitment for 3rd party cost sharing. I did not see any guidance, so I am e-mailing to seek such guidance. I also see numerous references to a control number, but haven’t been able to identify where that is located. Please advise.
Answer 62:

There is no required format for any applicable 3rd party cost share commitment letters, but ideally they should be on the organization's letterhead, signed by an authorized representative, and clearly state the form, amount, and period of the cost share commitment.

At the "General" tab registration stage in EERE Exchange, the applicant will be assigned a control number by Exchange to be used as reference on all application documents submitted for the duration of the specific FOA application process. The Users’ Guide for Applying to the Department of Energy EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements is found at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx.

EERE will not review or consider submissions submitted through means other than EERE Exchange, submissions submitted after the May 21, 2014 5:00 PM ET deadline, and incomplete submissions. Applicants are responsible for meeting each submission deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Full Applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline. Under normal conditions (i.e., at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline), Applicants should allow at least 1 hour to submit a Full Application or Reply to Reviewer Comments.

Question 63: I am finalizing my submission for DE-FOA-0000953 and it isn’t clear which version of the SF-424 I should be using. Is it possible to send me a link directly to the correct form?
Answer 63: In EERE Exchange, see "Required Application Documents" under the FOA for the required Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 form.

Question 64: The Disclosure of Lobbying Activities SF-LLL is listed as a required document. Is it required for everyone or only those who have lobbying activities to disclose? I don’t see a place on the form to say “Not Applicable.”
Answer 64: Read FOA Section IV.C.10. "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities" for information on when the SF-LLL form is required to be submitted. It is not required for all applicants.

Question 65: We have submitted our application. Can you confirm you have received it?
Answer 65: Successful submittal of a Full Application will be specified in EERE Exchange on the "Upload and Submit" tab for the FOA. Reference the "My Submissions" tab for the FOA to reference the status of an application.

Question 66: Are there ever any extensions granted on FOAs, or requests for more information based on what was submitted? I was able to submit everything required except Parts 1 and 3 of my Technical Volume.
Answer 66: Per FOA Section IV.A. "Application Process," EERE will not review or consider submissions submitted through means other than EERE Exchange, submissions submitted after the applicable deadline, and incomplete submissions. Individual extensions will not be granted.

Frequently Asked Questions