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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to CBIFOA2015@ee.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA-0001168 - Advancing Solutions to Improve the Energy Efficiency of U.S. Commercial Buildings"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2014-10-23","Application Content/Format","Will DOE please clarify the deadline for submission of concept papers?  The e-mail announcement says both November 17 and November 22.","Please see the date table on the first page of the FOA document.  The Submission Deadline for Concept Papers is November 22, 2014 at 5:00 pm ET.  "]
[2,"2014-10-23","Technical Topics","Would Solar panels-to-hydrogen electrolysis-to-hydrogen storage-to-hydrogen fuel cell electricity systems qualify for consideration under this FOA? ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant."]
[3,"2014-10-23","Technical Topics","Can applicants submit a plan to use small rooftop wind turbines for building\nelectricity as part of this proposal?\n","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant."]
[4,"2014-10-24","Eligibility","Are Army Garrisons eligible for consideration under this FOA? ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. "]
[5,"2014-10-24","Eligibility","Can Federal Agencies apply to this FOA? ","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. Federal Agencies are eligible to receive funding as a Subrecipient.  Federal Agencies may not be Prime Applicants."]
[6,"2014-10-24","Eligibility","Is a grocery store or grocery store chain eligible for this FOA?  ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. "]
[7,"2014-10-24","Eligibility","Are state and public buildings included in the definition of \"commercial buildings\" (e.g., state, school district, institutes of higher education, city, county, other municipalities)?","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. For the purposes of this FOA, state and public buildings are included in the definition of \"commercial buildings\" and eligible for application under this FOA subject to the FOA sections mentioned above. "]
[8,"2014-10-24","Eligibility","Does the Applicant constitute a person or does this mean the Institution/Organization may submit only one concept paper? Can you please clarify this to determine whether an Applicant Organization needs to conduct an internal competition to select an application to represent the Prime Applicant/Organization?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart F. LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW.  Applicants may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application for consideration under this FOA.  "]
[9,"2014-10-27","Webinar","I am trying to register for the Informational Webinar for this FOA which is today.  The registration link freezes up when I try to enter my country.  Please advise .","Please register for the Information Webinar today at the following link https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/211243008.  If you have further difficulty, please contact your organization's IT group or Citrix GoToMeeting support at the following link http://support.citrixonline.com/GoToMeeting/."]
[10,"2014-10-27","Webinar","Are the presentation slides available to view somewhere? ","The presentation slides and video recording of the webinar are now available here: http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/funding-opportunity-webinar-advancing-solutions-improve-energy-efficiency.  A PDF version of the slide deck is available for viewing by interested parties in the FOA Document Section in eere-exchange.energy.gov. "]
[11,"2014-10-27","Application Content/Format","If a single company has multiple distinct projects that are separate (e.g. one working on retrofitting hospitals, and another working with developers of strip malls) is an applicant required to try and put all that into a single submission, or should those be submitted as two separate projects?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart F. LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW.  Applicants may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application for consideration under this FOA.  "]
[12,"2014-10-27","Application Content/Format","Do all partners need to register for the FOA or only the prime applicant?","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION for information pertaining to the application process.  Only the Prime Applicant needs to register in EERE-Exchange and submit a Concept Paper and Full Application Package. "]
[13,"2014-10-27","Cost Sharing","Could you provide a precise definition of Independent Research and Development Funds?  If a startup company (no previous government contracting) uses non-government funds to integrate an existing product with DOE tools & resources is that an allowable cost-share contribution?  ","Per the FOA, “Project Teams may not use independent research and development (IR&D) funds to meet their cost share obligations.” However, to answer your question, IR&D funds are defined as R&D initiated and conducted by contractors independent of government control and without direct government funding. IR&D includes: (1) basic research, (2) applied research, (3) development, and (4) systems and other concept formulation studies. IR&D does not include R&D performed under grants or contracts from the Government. So, an example would be a company that is doing research on a topic that is independent of the research being funded by a grant or cooperative agreement.  For more information on IR&D, see the Federal Acquisition Regulations: FAR 31.205-18 Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs."]
[14,"2014-10-27","Eligibility","Could a non-permanent resident PI be associated with an application if the prime applicant is a domestic entity like a University? ","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION. \"Foreign entities may receive funding as a subrecipient.\" "]
[15,"2014-10-27","Application Content/Format","How do Applicants apply for this FOA? ","Please access the Funding Opportunity Announcement at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.  Select the FOA of interest and view the full text FOA document for application requirements, content, and submission information. "]
[16,"2014-10-28","Cost Sharing","A federal agency is extending a lease for an existing laboratory for an additional 10 years and plans to upgrade the facility including any advanced energy efficiency equipment.  The owner, a university, has no money to cover the cost so the agency will have two types of expenses associated with the project: 1) in-house architectural and engineering FTEs and a contract management FTE over 2-years and 2) appropriated building and facility dollars to pay for the lab’s enhancement.  Are either of these “funds” in-part  or in-total suitable for the 50% match?     ","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION subpart B. COST SHARING for information pertaining to cost share types and allowability."]
[17,"2014-10-28","Application Content/Format","Are low-flow/no-flow plumbing fixtures a topic of interest for this particular funding opportunity?","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Plumbing is not a topic of interest for this Funding Opportunity Announcement.  Please continue to look for FOA opportunities at Grants.gov and EERE-Exchange.energy.gov."]
[18,"2014-10-28","Application Content/Format","What is the CFDA # for this FOA? ","Please see the cover page of the FOA document for the CFDA# associated with this Funding Opportunity Announcement. "]
[19,"2014-10-28","Application Content/Format","Are affordable housing complexes/multi-family housing complexes considered “commercial buildings?\" If yes, is the whole complex considered one building, or are each building within the complex considered an individual building?  ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Multifamily housing complexes may be considered commercial buildings for the purposes of this FOA.  Single family homes, however, do not qualify. Each multitenant building is considered an individual building for the purposes of this FOA.  "]
[20,"2014-10-29","Application Content/Format","Can additional partners/vendors be added to the Budget Justification if they are not included in the budget breakdown in the Concept Paper submission?","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION for information pertaining to the application process.  Budget Information is not required at the time of a Concept Paper submission.  "]
[21,"2014-10-29","Application Content/Format","Can DOE directly send interested parties information on incentives or grants? ","Please see FOA Section VII. QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS for additional information.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with Applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process.\""]
[22,"2014-10-30","Eligibility","Would fiberglass producing factories qualify for this opportunity?  ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Please See FOA Section III. ELIGIBLITY INFORMATION Subpart G. QUESTIONS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY.  \"EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant.\""]
[23,"2014-10-30","Eligibility","The FOA states that Federal Agencies can receive funding as a subrecipient.  What are the roles and responsibilities of Federal Agencies if they are subrecipients? ","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. Federal Agencies are eligible to receive funding as a Subrecipient.  The roles and responsibilities of a subrecipient are to be negotiated between the Prime Applicant and any proposed Subrecipient. . "]
[24,"2014-10-30","Application Content/Format","It is clear from the FOA that DOE is seeking deployment of DOE’s resources, tools and solutions through existing or new programs. Is there also interest in proposals that include non-DOE tools that would supplement or enhance existing DOE tools?","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subpart A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND for information pertaining to the deployment of DOE resources, tools, and solutions.  DOE is interested in the application of the identified resources, tools, and solutions as well as any non-DOE tools/proposals which would supplement or enhance the existing DOE resources. "]
[25,"2014-10-31","Technical Topics","I cannot find the list of DOE tools, resources, solutions that are to be used as a basis for the submittal.  Where are the tools, resources, and solutions that DOE is interested in? ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subpart A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND for information pertaining to the deployment of DOE resources, tools, and solutions. "]
[26,"2014-11-01","Application Content/Format","I am interested in the  DE-FOA-0001168 program and would like to know if you could send me a link to the application for this program.","Please access the Funding Opportunity Announcement at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.  Select the FOA of interest and view the full text FOA document for application requirements, content, and submission information. "]
[27,"2014-11-03","Application Content/Format","1. Is the intent to impact as many buildings as possible but then prove that similar investments and work will be completed over the committed time frame to impact 100 buildings?  Or, would it be that one measure would need to be implemented over 100 buildings (resulting in about $10k in funding per location)?  \n2. We typically have a go/no go situation when our region and partners apply for energy capital and utility incentives through our documented process-typically 30 days before beginning work.  Is that an acceptable process, and would we be assured of receiving an answer about the federal funding in a similar timeframe (30 days or less)?\n3. Would leveraging the Advanced Energy Design Guide as well as other Better Buildings Alliance Program tools: specifications, RTU challenge, Implementation Model (like the one with NSTAR) qualify as leveraging DOE tools?\n4. Do you have insight into the target audience/market for this FOA? \n5.       Can you possibly provide a rough verbal description of the cost sharing allowed for “for profit” organizations? (10 CFR 600.313, we just want to make sure we are viable candidates)\n6.       a.  How would you see the contract officer involvement in the day to day operations of the work?\nb.       Once we clear the “go/no-go” stage with a green light, can you advise from experience or colleagues the level of paper work and what is the length of time for processing applications for cost share payments? Is it envisioned that we can simply provide “typical” commercial close out documentation, like we do for an investor owned utility, and then EERE would process and release funding (for whatever the agreed upon ratio was in place)?\n","1. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired applications under this FOA. \n\n2. Please see FOA Section VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION Subpart C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS for additional information pertaining to the DOE's activity in awards generated from this Funding Opportunity Announcement.\n\n3. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subpart A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND for information pertaining to the deployment of DOE resources, tools, and solutions. \n\n4. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired applications/target audiences under this FOA. \n\n5. Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart B. COST SHARING regarding cost share allowability and other requirements. \n\n6. Please see FOA Section VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION Subpart C. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS for additional information pertaining to the DOE's activity in awards generated from this Funding Opportunity Announcement."]
[28,"2014-11-03","Eligibility","Are individuals eligible to apply on their own behalf? ","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for additional information regarding entities eligible for this FOA. "]
[29,"2014-11-04","Application Content/Format","Can DOE speak on the phone with interested parties regarding information on incentives or grants? ","Please see FOA Section VII. QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS for additional information.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with Applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process.\""]
[30,"2014-11-04","Technical Topics","1. If we are not the lead on one of the submissions but a partner, do we have the right to submit our own concept paper and full application as another submission? \n2. For the Implementation Models, developed by the Better Buildings Challenge, if we plan to utilize this as a resource to incorporate into our project, do we need to use one of the implementation models developed exactly by a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge or can we develop our own implementation model that has similar goals in line with the Better Buildings Challenge? \n","1. Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart F. LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW.  Applicants may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application for consideration under this FOA. Partners on applications with different Prime Applicants may submit their own Concept Paper so long as the concept and proposed project are not the same. \n\n2. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired applications under this FOA. Applications should use DOE developed models and DOE recommends using implementation models developed by partners in the Better Buildings Challenge."]
[31,"2014-11-04","Eligibility","Are buildings associated with commercial farms  (e.g. dairy farms, poultry houses, greenhouses, etc.) included under the definition/scope of a “commercial building?”","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired applications under this FOA.  Commercial Farm Buildings are included under the scope of a \"commercial building\" for the purposes of this FOA."]
[32,"2014-11-05","Application Content/Format","Does the Department of Energy  participate in the \"Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership\" program, and if so, will it give weight to this designation when scoring a community’s proposal for DE-FOA-0001168?","DOE has not participated in the \"Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership\" program.  Please see FOA Section V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION regarding review criterion for concept paper and full application submission to this FOA.  Involvement in the \"Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership\" program does not improve an applicant's chances of being selected for an award.  Please see FOA Section V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION Subpart C. OTHER SELECTION FACTORS for Program Policy Factors that may be applied to full application at the discretion of the Selection Official. "]
[33,"2014-11-06","Application Content/Format","For a proposed joint project with another organization, may only one organization apply as the prime recipient? Will other entities be listed either as a partner and/or sub-recipient?  Is a partner considered an equal participant, while a sub-recipient is more like a contractor that is only given a specific task of the project?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart F. LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW.  Prime Applicants may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application for consideration under this FOA. Partners are not considered to be equal participants as DOE only has privity of contract with the Prime Recipient.  The designation of Partner vs. Subrecipient is to be made by the Prime Applicant and the relationship/roles/performance of these entities is between the Prime Applicant and the Partner or Subrecipient. "]
[34,"2014-11-06","Application Content/Format","When will the application be posted for DE-FOA-0001168?","The Funding Opportunity Announcement is published at EERE-Exchange.energy.gov.  Please visit EERE-Exchange.energy.gov to view the full Funding Opportunity Announcement and FOA documents.  "]
[35,"2014-11-06","Cost Sharing","Does this mean that an agency’s indirect costs are not funded as part of the cooperative agreement but can be used as in-kind match?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION subpart B. COST SHARING for information pertaining to cost share types and allowability.  Federal Funds may be used for a Recipient's Indirect Costs as long as they are Reasonable, Allocable, and Allowable under the 10 CFR 600.30 and 2 CFR 200 Regulations. "]
[36,"2014-11-07","Application Content/Format","Does this mean that the project we are applying for has to include a minimum of 100 buildings? Or, does the work that we would do in our project need to have the capability to replicated by others outside our health system which may total at least 100 buildings?","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  "]
[37,"2014-11-07","Cost Sharing","1. If an Applicant has already completed reviews on their portfolio to identify potential Facility Improvement measures that have substantial energy efficiency savings associated with the measures. Would the money already spent on this analysis portion of the process count towards the 50% cost-share requirement?\n2. The funding announcement will be in early May 2015, would the Applicant be required to hold onto their financial portion of the cost-share until the announcement is made – or would the Applicant be able to spend their financial portion between January 2015 and May 2015 , to complete some of the proposed projects?\n","1. and 2. Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION Subpart I. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS part 2. Pre-Award Costs for additional information on pre-award costs and incurred expenses.  Expenses incurred in advance of the signature of the Selection Official are not allowable as cost share. "]
[38,"2014-11-07","Application Content/Format","It seems that DE-FOA-0001168 is largely geared towards retrofit or construction projects that use existing DOE resources/tools to improve the energy efficiency of the project.  However, will DOE consider funding programs designed to generate, rather than implement, energy efficiency projects?  ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies and applications under this FOA.  The intent of this FOA is to use existing DOE resources and tools for construction/retrofit. "]
[39,"2014-11-10","Application Content/Format","We have a question regarding the 100 building minimum requirement.  Does this mean that the proposal must include field demonstrations of the technology in a minimum of 100 buildings or does the 100 building limit refer to a minimum potential market size? ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired impact under this FOA.  \n\n\"The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (See Section III.D of the FOA): \n\n• Applications that fall outside the technical parameters specified in the FOA, including:\no Proposals that do not meet the 100 building threshold for consideration\""]
[40,"2014-11-12","Application Content/Format","We were wondering if non-residential buildings can be interpreted as \"Commercial Buildings\" for the purpose of this FOA.\nWould University buildings, hospitals then count as buildings? \n","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies and applications under this FOA.  University buildings and hospitals are commercial buildings for the purposes of this Funding Opportunity Announcement. "]
[41,"2014-11-17","Application Content/Format","I see a 2-page limit for the project summary, then additional optional information (charts, team qualifications) with a 3-page limit.  Is that 3 pages total, including the 2-pager, or 3 additional pages?","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart C. CONTENT AND FORM OF THE CONCEPT PAPER for additional information regarding Concept Paper Requirements.  The Project Description is a required document with a maximum of 2 pages in length.  The Addendum may be submitted to supplement the Project Description and has a maximum page length of 3 page.  The maximum amount of pages is 5 if the Applicant submits a 2 page Project Description and 3 page Addendum."]
[42,"2014-11-17","Registration Requirements","How do Applicants obtain a Control Number?  ","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart A. APPLICATION PROCESS for information pertaining to the issuance of Control Numbers for Application Submissions. Interested parties can also reference the User Registration Manual and Applicant User Guide in EERE-EXCHANGE by visiting the Manuals page at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx."]
[43,"2014-11-18","Cost Sharing","Is it to up to $1M over the three year period, or up to $1M each year for a three year period?","Please see FOA section II. AWARD INFORMATION subparts A.1. ESTIMATED FUNDING and A.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE for additional information pertaining to the anticipated Federal financial contribution and anticipated period of performance of awards from this solicitation.  The funding is a fixed amount over the life of the proposed project. "]
[44,"2014-11-18","Application Content/Format","As the concept paper deadline is November 22nd, would it be possible to arrange for a short phone call before then to discuss some of our questions about this Funding Opportunity?","Please see FOA Section VII. QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS for additional information.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with Applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process as described below. Specifically, questions regarding the content of this FOA must be submitted to: CBIFOA2015@ee.doe.gov not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date.\""]
[45,"2014-11-19","Application Content/Format","I was wondering if concept papers or full applications are made public anywhere? ","Please see FOA Section VIII. OTHER INFORMATION subpart E. TREATMENT OF APPLICATION INFORMATION for additional information pertaining to confidential application information and how to mark confidential or privileged information in applications."]
[46,"2014-11-19","Application Content/Format","Can the project title and abstract can be modified during the concept paper submission process?","Please see the Applicant User Guide under Manuals at EERE-Exchange https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx for questions pertaining to the EERE-Exchange system.  Project Titles and Abstracts can be modified during the Concept Paper Submission process. "]
[47,"2014-11-20","Application Content/Format","Must all of the tabs be completed (financial, primarily) when submitting the Concept Paper in response to the above Funding Opportunity Announcement?  Could someone please call me at the below listed number?","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart C. CONTENT AND FORM OF THE CONCEPT PAPER for concept paper requirements and content. Please also see FOA Section V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION subpart A.1. Concept Papers for review criteria by which concept papers will be evaluated.  \n\nPlease see FOA Section VII. QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS for additional information.  \"Upon the issuance of a FOA, EERE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with Applicants regarding the FOA except through the established question and answer process as described below. Specifically, questions regarding the content of this FOA must be submitted to: CBIFOA2015@ee.doe.gov not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date.\""]
[48,"2014-11-21","Due Dates","When will DOE provide feedback to Concept Paper Submissions by Applicants? ","Please see FOA Section VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION subpart B.2. Concept Paper Notifications for additional detail regarding DOE responses to Concept Papers.  "]
[49,"2014-11-21","Application Content/Format","What organization type is appropriate for including local government within the Project Team list?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBLITY INFORMATION subpart A.2. Domestic Entities for information pertaining to local governments. "]
[50,"2014-11-23","Due Dates","Can interested parties submit a full application if they missed the Concept Paper Deadline? ","Applicants were required to submit a Concept Paper by 5:00pm ET the due date, November 22, 2014, to be eligible to submit a Full Application. "]
[51,"Various","Application Reviews","Will DOE be providing comments to applicants regarding discouraged, encouraged, and non-compliant concept papers? ","Yes, DOE will provide comments to the applicants.  There was a malfunction with EERE-Exchange.  System administrators and DOE personnel are working to resolve this issue.  "]
[52,"2014-12-09","Cost Sharing","Are incentives provided to a building owner for a building improved as part of the DOE-funded effort an allowable cost share contribution?"]
[53,"2014-12-10","Application Content/Format","A)     Can you clarify the threshold level at which subawardees are required to submit a separate budget justification EERE 159? The FOA states that the EERE 159 form must be provided for each subawardee that is expected to perform work estimated to be more than $250,000 or 25 percent of the total work effort. The EERE 159 form states that each sub-recipient with estimated costs of $100,000 or more must complete the form.\n\nB)      Are subawardees required to submit the EERE justification form if their costs exceed the specified threshold level of the total budget? Or of the per year budget? \n","A) The threshold level at which subawardees are required to submit a separate budget justification, EERE 159, is $250,000.  \n\nB) Subawardees are required to submit a budget justification, EERE 159, if their total budget is equal to or greater than $250,000."]
[54,"2014-12-12","Application Content/Format","In FOA Section IV.D.2, the added page limits for each section exceed the page limit for the Technical Volume (12 pp). Project Overview =1; Description, Innovation and Impact =3; Workplan=6; Qualifications and Resources =2; FOA Specific Requirements= 2. In addition, the cover page and Table of Contents could add 1-2 pages. Please advise.","The page limits associated with the various sections of the Technical Volume are the maximum pages allowable for those sections.  Applicants are advised to adjust as necessary to keep the total page limit of 12 for the Technical Volume. "]
[55,"2014-12-12","Application Content/Format","A) What are the federal reporting requirements for awards from this FOA?\n\nB) Does DOE have a preference regarding how applicants calculate the indirect cost rate?  \n\nC) Is the Federal Funding going to be reimbursable or will it be an advance?  \n\nD) Also, what is the CFDA # for the grant?","A) Please see Foa Section VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION subpart C.13. Reporting for information pertaining to the Reporting on awards generated from this Funding Opportunity Announcement and the Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist. \n\nB) Supplemental Indirect Cost Rate information will be requested upon selection for negotiation of an award.  Please see the Indirects tab on the Budget Justification, EERE 159, for additional information pertaining to Rate Agreements and their application.\n\nC) Federal funding may be reimbursable or in advance depending on additional information provided by selectees upon negotiation of an award. \n\nD) Please see the first page of the FOA document for the CFDA Number associated with this Funding Opportunity Announcement. "]
[56,"2014-12-15","Application Content/Format","• Are we allowed to increase the funding from what we asked for in our concept paper, when we submit the full application? \n• Are we allowed to switch the roles of Lead Organization and Partner Organization, when we submit the full application so that the partner organization will take the lead and the lead organization will be in the partner role?  \n","• Applicants are allowed to adjust the budget for proposed projects during the submission of Full Applications. \n\n• Applicants are not allowed to switch the roles of Lead Organization and Partner Organization.  Applicantions will be considered non-compliant since the Partner Organization did not submit an eligible concept paper. \n\n"]
[57,"2014-12-15","Application Content/Format","Are we allowed to use money from this grant to fund development on an add-on module on our existing environmental management tool that will be used for the proposed project? ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies and applications under this FOA.  The intent of this FOA is to use existing DOE resources and tools for construction/retrofit. "]
[58,"2014-12-15","Application Content/Format","We submitted a concept paper and under review comments it stated “Non-compliant.” Can we still submit a full application deadline?","Please see FOA section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart A. APPLICATION PROCESS for information pertaining to compliance and full application submissions.  Only applicants who have submitted an eligible compliant Concept Paper will be eligible to submit a Full Application."]
[59,"2014-12-15","Due Dates","In the FOA document, it mentions that “applicants will have approximately 30 days from receipt of the Concept Paper Encourage/Discourage notification to prepare and submit a Full Application. Is this rule for just 30 days or is it 30 business days? Would it be ok to just submit the Full Application before the deadline or do we have to stick to the 30 day rule? ","The Applicant will have 30 calendar days to submit a full application.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Concept Papers and Full Applications at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline. "]
[60,"2014-12-15","Application Content/Format","1. Is DOE planning or able to release any information on the number of concept papers submitted, as well as the number that were \"Encouraged\"?\n2. Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our partnering companies listed in the Concept Paper cannot fulfill their commitment. Is it acceptable to modify or include additional partners in the Full Application?\n3. To response to the Concept Paper reviewer comments, we plan are considering modifying the proposed scope of the project, however, the underlying concept remains the same. Is it acceptable to increase the cost share amount disclosed in the Concept Paper submission when submitting the Full Application?\n","1. DOE will not release any information regarding the number of concept papers submitted or the number of concept papers that were encouraged. \n\n2. Applicants can add/remove/update partnerships and other contractual arrangements in between the concept paper and full application submission date.  \n\n3. Applicants may adjust total project value and other cost estimates when submitting full applications to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. "]
[61,"2014-12-16","Application Content/Format","Can we receive an extra week extension from the 30 calendar day submission requirement to submit our full application? ","Please see the first page of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.  The Full Application Submission deadline is 5:00pm ET on January 20, 2015.  "]
[62,"2014-12-17","Application Content/Format","•         Based on the requirements of the FOA, the maximum length of the technical volume is 12 pages. However, the breakdown of each section, starting on page 20 equates to more than 12 pages to include a section titled “FOA Requirements”. What is the allowed length of the technical volume?\n•         Can utility incentives count towards cost share requirements?\n","1) The page limits associated with the various sections of the Technical Volume are the maximum pages allowable for those sections.  Applicants are advised to adjust as necessary to keep the total page limit of 12 for the Technical Volume. \n\n2) Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION subpart B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for information pertaining to incentives. "]
[63,"2014-12-17","Eligibility","Will DOE provide comments to Applicants with non-compliant Concept Papers?","Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION  Subpart C. COMPLIANCE CRITERIA. \"Concept Papers and Full Applications must meet all Compliance criteria  listed below or they will be considered noncompliant. EERE will not review or consider noncompliant submissions, including Concept Papers, Full Applications, and Replies to Reviewer Comments that were:  submitted through means other than EERE Exchange; submitted after the applicable deadline; and/or submitted incomplete.\""]
[64,"2014-12-19","Application Content/Format","For the summary slide of the Full Application, the FOA document mentions that for the single PowerPoint slide summarizing the proposed project a template is provided via EERE Exchange.  Where is this template located on the website? ","A template for the Summary Slide has been uploaded to EERE-Exchange.  This template is not OMB Approved and Applicants are not required to use the template.  It is provided to the applicant for suggested formatting, language, and content. "]
[65,"2014-12-19","Technical Topics","1. Is DOE interested in proposals to deploy \"existing commercial products\" through an innovative and unique new program, as opposed to only seeking proposals for applications of emergent, non-commercial-scale technologies? Can DOE confirm whether an innovative \"product\" could consist of an innovative application/use/deployment of a proven technology?\n2. Is the deployment of a technology that underwent a successful demonstration through the DoD's ESTCP considered an existing resource, tool, or solution as defined in this FOA (pg. 4, resource #7)?\n3. Can DOE provide a list of \"unique and innovative\" factors that are sought through this FOA?\n","1. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for information pertaining to proposals and the intended purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement. \n\n2. Completed technology demonstration resources created through ESTCP is a DOE-produced resource of particular interest. \n\n3. Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION subpart A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND for the purpose of this FOA. "]
[66,"2014-12-22","Technical Topics","We are trying to get a list of the Better Buildings Challenge Implementation models from the website listed in DE-FOA-0001168, however the website has not been working for over a week. Could DOE please provide Applicants with a list of these implementation models? ","Please see the first page of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.  The Full Application Submission deadline is 5:00pm ET on January 20, 2015.  "]
[67,"2014-12-22","Application Reviews","1)      How many submissions were received?\n2)      How many of those submission were “Encouraged”\n","DOE will not disclose how many submissions were received and how many of the submissions were encouraged. "]
[68,"2014-12-30","Application Content/Format","Does DOE have a template for the Summary Slide required with Full Applications?","A template for the Summary Slide has been uploaded to EERE-Exchange.  This template is not OMB Approved and Applicants are not required to use the template.  It is provided to the applicant for suggested formatting, language, and content. "]
[69,"2014-12-30","Registration Requirements","• Can an existing Partner organization (i.e. a Partner identified in the Concept Paper submission), or a NEW organization (i.e. a Partner not identified in the Concept Paper submission) be designated as the Lead (Prime) organization in the Full Application? "]
[70,"2014-12-30","Application Content/Format","Can we include multi-family buildings in our proposal?  ","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for additional detail regarding the desired technologies under this FOA.  Multifamily housing complexes may be considered commercial buildings for the purposes of this FOA.  Single family homes, however, do not qualify. Each multitenant building is considered an individual building for the purposes of this FOA.  "]
[71,"2014-12-30","Application Content/Format","Please clarify if the 1 page limit for resumes is one 8.5 x 11 page front and back or one digital page.","The page limit for Resumes is one 8.5 by 11 page, front only.  Multi-page resumes are not allowed. "]
[72,"2014-12-31","Application Content/Format","As our subawardee is preparing their budget, they are assuming they are doing the work with regular margins (cost plus, instead of actual costs with no profit).  It seems that this is not allowed for the prime applicant –  do the same requirements apply to the subawardee? ","Per 10CFR600.318 Fee and Profit, \"(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.\n\n(b) A recipient or subrecipient may pay a fee or profit to a contractor providing goods or services under a contract.\"\n"]
[73,"2015-01-04","Application Content/Format","First I understand from the FAQs that the threshold for separate Form 159 submission from a sub-recipient is $250,000, not $100,000 as stated on the Form 159 instructions. But I would appreciate some clarity on what information must be included about the sub-recipient in the Prime Recipient's Form 159 in the event that the sub-recipient is also submitting their own Form 159.\n\nFrom my reading of the instructions, the Prime Recipient must fill out a Form 159, with detailed breakdown of its own individual labor and costs, and then list the sub-recipient portion of costs under the \"f. Contractual\" tab. And then separately, the sub-recipient fills out a separate Form 159 with it's own detailed breakdown of individual labor and costs. Is this correct? Am I interpreting correctly that on the Prime Recipient Form 159, the \"a. Personnel\" tab does not includes the labor performed by the sub-recipient - rather, that cost is listed as a lump-sum on the \"f. Contractual tab\"?\n","Subrecipients with total budget amounts in excess of $250,000 are required to submit an EERE 159 Budget Justification.  The Subrecipients will detail proposed expenses accordingly using the cost categories within the form.  \n\nThe Prime Recipient will capture the Subrecipients budget under Contractual and an individual line item.  Prime Recipients should not capture contractual costs in any other cost category other than Contractual. "]
[74,"2015-01-06","Application Content/Format","Do we have to follow the implementation models and their process exactly, or can we combine the implementations models and form a hybrid to be used in our project? \n\nMany of the implementation models from the Better Buildings Challenge developed a tool in excel that is publicly available or a scorecard or some sort of green lease language. Does it count as a DOE resource if we use these tools in excel, scorecards and green lease languages from the implementation models in our proposed project? \n","Adaptation and combination of Implementation models is anticipated and expected. "]
[75,"2015-01-08","Application Content/Format","I'm writing to ask if there would be consideration for a project of one building such as a shopping mall.\nIs there an application for applying to this grant?\n","Please see FOA Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION subparts A. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTEREST for information pertaining to proposals and the intended purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement.  Each multitenant building is considered an individual building for the purposes of this FOA.  "]
[76,"2015-01-09","Application Content/Format","Is the Cover Page required to be a stand-alone page or may it be less than one-page and integrated into the technical volume?\n\nIs a Table of Contents required?\n","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart A. APPLICATION PROCESS for content and form requirements for Full Application Submissions to this FOA. "]
[77,"2015-01-09","Application Content/Format","What is the difference between a Subawardee and a Subrecipient? Are they the same? \n-          Is it correct to assume that the different between a Partner and Subrecipient is that a Partner does not receive DOE funding, and a Subrecipient does? \n-          Can you confirm that both Partners and Subrecipients are a part of the Project Team?\n-          Can a Partner contribute in-kind labor to the cost share without receiving DOE funding?\n","1. A Subawardee and A Subrecipient are the same.  There is no distinction between the two.\n\n2. There is no distinction between a Partner and a Subrecipient.  Partner organizations would be considered Subrecipients if they have a vested interest in the outcome of the project. Partner organizations receiving Federal Funding would be considered Subrecipients.\n\n3.  Partners and Subrecipients are part of the Project Team. \n\n4. Partners can contribute in-kind cost share. "]
[78,"2015-01-11","Application Content/Format","Is cost share required by task, or for the overall project?\nCan sub-recipients receive funds directly if they have their own budget justification?\n","Please see FOA section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Subpart B. COST SHARING for additional information regarding cost share.  \"The recipient cost share must be at least 50% of the total allowable costs for demonstration projects (i.e., the sum of the Government share, including Federally Funded Research and Development Center costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-Federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. \""]
[79,"2015-01-12","Application Content/Format","The FOA specifies the overall page limit of the Technical Volume as 12 pages, then it breaks down each section of the Technical Volume with specific page limits of their own. From what I can tell, the numbers don’t add up: Project Overview (1 pg.); Description, Innovation, and Impact (3 pgs.); Workplan (6 pgs.); Qualifications and Resources (2 pgs.); and FOA-Specific Requirements (2 pgs.). Is it acceptable to present the FOA-Specific Requirements in a separate document, so the overall page limit of the Technical Volume isn’t exceeded? Or, how else can I adhere to the page limits while still addressing each of the required sections?","The page limits associated with the various sections of the Technical Volume are the maximum pages allowable for those sections.  Applicants are advised to adjust as necessary to keep the total page limit of 12 for the Technical Volume. "]
[80,"2015-01-13","Application Content/Format","1. SF-424 asks for a Competition Identification Number, but I’ve been unable to find one attributed to this FOA. Please provide, or confirm there is not one required for the SF-424\n2. Could you please provide a definition/clarification of what types of project partners would be considered “Subawardee” vs. a “vendor” or “contractor”?  \nAND SPECIFICALLY \n3. We will consider contracting a project management contractor (PMC) to provide project management services relevant to this program. The PMC will be identified through a competitive bid process at a future date, and may likely perform 25% of the effort and be paid a minimum of $250,000 for their services.\na. Would they be considered a “Subawardee”\nb. If so, would we submit a budget justification for this yet-unknown entity?\n","1. The Competition Identification Number field on the SF-424 is not a required field.  Please fill Field 12 with the information pertaining to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. \n\n2. Please refer to 2 CFR 200 regarding the definition of a Subawardee, Subrecipient, Vendor, and Contractor. \n\n3. Please use the information in 2 CFR 200 to make your own determination. EERE will not make a determination for potential applicants."]
[81,"2015-01-13","Application Content/Format","1) Should an organization be considered a Project Team Member if they are contributing cost share for in-kind work towards project goals but not receiving federal grant funds? \n\n2) A partner in the Healthcare industry has committed to providing significant cost share for in-kind work due to the fact that they very much want to participate as part of the project team but do not have the administrative capacity or experience to manage federal sub-awards.  Can their proposed cost share be reviewed by EERE / BTO in advance of submitting a Full Application?\n\n3) Page 20 of the FOA states that \"The Technical Volume to the Full Application may not be more than 12 pages” yet the chart of listing Sections and Page Limits totals to 11 pages.  Does this mean that the allocation of pages per section is at the discretion of the applicant?\n","1 and 2. Please see FOA Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION subpart G. QUESTIONS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY, \"EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant.\"\n\n3. The page limits associated with the various sections of the Technical Volume are the maximum pages allowable for those sections.  Applicants are advised to adjust as necessary to keep the total page limit of 12 for the Technical Volume. "]
[82,"2015-01-14","Application Content/Format","1)      What sort of documents are allowed to be in the appendices aside from resumes and letters of support? Are we permitted to include an org chart?\n2)      We were having some confusion between two items in the workplan section. The scope summary asks for an approach on how to achieve the objectives while the work breakdown structure asks for task descriptions and timing. The approach to achieve the goals/objectives and tasks in the work breakdown structure seem as though they are asking for the same things between the sections. \n","1) Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart A. APPLICATION PROCESS for content and form requirements for Full Application Submissions to this FOA. \n\n2) Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart D.2. Technical Volume for detail pertaining to the Workplan.  The Scope Summary is a high level description of overall work proposed.  The Work Breakdown Structure is a detailed description of overall work proposed including tasks and the timing of tasks. "]
[83,"2015-01-15","Application Content/Format","There is a requirement limiting the Workplan section to 6 pages, but requires a complete list of each task and subtask, with milestones and go/no go.   \n\nCan I add additional detail in Appendices, or can we get the 6 page limit relaxed?\n","Please see FOA Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart D.2. Technical Volume for detail pertaining to the Workplan.  The Page Limit for the workplan is 6 pages in pdf format. "]

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["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]