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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to AFFECT2022Approp@hq.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FAC name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FAC 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-0002700 - ASSISTING FEDERAL FACILITIES WITH ENERGY CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES (AFFECT) 2022"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
["General Q&A",null,"Other","What is the purpose of a Federal Agency Representative registering in FEDConnect? Is this required to apply or receive funds? Is getting registered in FEDConnect required before the FAC application deadline?","Per Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, FedConnect is where all award documents and award modifications will be posted.  While this registration is not required in order to submit your application, it will need to be completed as soon as possible if selected for award negotiations."]
["General Q&A",null,"Technical Topics","Can [a DOE National Laboratory] help [Federal agency] site staff develop an NOO that will be included as part of an AFFECT grant application?","Eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicants as described in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, are permitted to coordinate the development of application content, information, and documentation as required for submission with DOE National Laboratory, ESCO or Utility, or Contractor Partners as per their preference.\n\nThe application must be submitted by the Eligible Applicant Federal agency."]
["General Q&A",null,"Technical Topics","Is a Federal agency eligible to submit an application under the AFFECT FOA where the work will be performed on Federal property housing a National Laboratory?","For a project limited to a Lab complex on Federally-owned land to be eligible under an application submitted by a Federal agency, other requirements must be met – particularly the requirement that the Federal agency pays the utility bills; receives the benefits of the reduced utility bills; contracts with and pays the ESCO; and contains a Measurement and Verification (M&V) Plan that tracks actual project savings; such that the Federal agency’s guaranteed utility bill savings exceed the ESCO payments for each year of the contract.  This arrangement should be demonstrated in the application, e.g., in instances where actual utility bill payments are sent by the Lab to the utility, demonstrating via a Lab budget line item that the Federal agency is ultimately the source of utility bill payments, and therefore the beneficiary of utility bill savings."]
["General Q&A",null,"Application Content/Format","Regarding the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance, how should the following fields be filled out:\n\na) In Box 8a, Legal Name?\n\nb) For Boxes 8b and 8c, do an EIN/TN and UEI...what are they, or where do I find them?\n\nc) For Box 8d, is there a particular building...I should use,...or is a generic...address acceptable?\n\nd) Box 9?\n\ne) Box 10?\n\nf) Box 18 funding?","Applicants are instructed to complete the yellowed- and red-outlined boxes in submission of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form only, and can disregard other, grayed-out boxes.\n\na) Applicants may utilize the name of the Federal agency applying for box 8a. Legal Name.\n\nb) Applicants are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM), completing any necessary registrations, in order for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant.\n\nc) Applicants are free utilize a relevant address for the Federal agency applying, including the proposed project site, site developing the application, or Agency Headquarters.\n\nd) 'X: Other' - U.S. Government, Federal Agency\n\ne) U.S. Department of Energy.\n\nf) Box 18A. Federal - include only the DOE share requested in the application. Box 18B. Applicant - include the total Cost Leverage amount.\n\nIf selected for award, DOE may seek additional clarification or revisions to this form, as necessary."]
["General Q&A",null,"Application Content/Format","Where can I find the slides [presented during the Informational Webinar] for the Federal Agency Call DE-FOA-0002700 [on Thursday, 12/15/2022]? [I]f not available, where can I find [the information and documentation discussed, such as the AFFECT Application Form FY22] and guidance for the data needed in it?","The slides presented during the Informational Webinar on Thursday, 12/15/2022 describing the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations Federal Agency Call (DE-FOA-0002700), along with the FAC document, webinar recording, and all other required application forms and templates such as the AFFECT Application Form FY22 will be posted to EERE eXCHANGE."]
[1,"2022-12-19","Technical Topics","What are the requirements when the funds need to be executed/obligated?","Per Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC states that FEMP anticipates releasing grant funding to recipient agencies within 24 months of grant award, following the recipient agency’s completion and submission of the Final Deliverables."]
[2,"2022-12-20","Eligibility","Would a request for a consultant to assess the potential for a micro- grid design qualify? If so under which category?","Section 1.C. Topic Areas (pp. 2-5) describes the types and characteristics of eligible ECMs. Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs (p. 6) states that AFFECT grant funding may be spent on any of the equipment and/or technical assistance and other services related to the planning, development, or implementation of an eligible project.\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination."]
[3,"2022-12-28","Technical Topics","If a federal entity has multiple phases of a performance contract slated for award within the near future and each of these might be eligible under separate Topic Areas (1 and 2), can they apply for both of these Topic Areas through the same grant opportunity or is each applicant restricted to a single application under this grant iteration? Also, if they may submit multiple applications, would it be possible for one applicant to be awarded 2 grants, one each for Topic Area 1 and 2?","Applicants may submit more than one application to this FAC, provided that each application describes a separate, distinct project. Therefore, an Applicant cannot submit a single application for consideration under multiple Topic Areas, but a single Applicant may submit more than one application as long as each application represents different projects.\n\nWhile there exists some overlap related to the eligibility of load management Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) under Topic Areas 1, 2, and 3, the Applicant should select the one Topic Area that most closely reflect the need for which grant funds are being requested.\n\nPlease reference Section III.A. Eligible Applicants for additional information.\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination."]
[4,"2022-12-29","Eligibility","Would...a US Air Force Europe (USAFE) installation situated in the United Kingdom be eligible to apply for this grant?","The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information."]
[5,"2023-01-03","Technical Topics","Can [we] submit more than one project proposal for funding under the 2022 AFFECT cycle. Is this allowed?","Applicants may submit more than one application to this FAC, provided that each application describes a separate, distinct project. Therefore, an Applicant cannot submit a single application for consideration under multiple Topic Areas, but a single Applicant may submit more than one application as long as each application represents different projects.\n\nWhile there exists some overlap related to the eligibility of load management Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) under Topic Areas 1, 2, and 3, the Applicant should select the one Topic Area that most closely reflect the need for which grant funds are being requested.\n\nPlease reference Section III.A. Eligible Applicants for additional information.\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination."]
[6,"2023-01-03","Eligibility","We are located outside of the United States and all facilities are owned by the United States [federal agency]. Are we eligible to apply for AFFECT 2022?\n\nAccess to the installation is controlled by [federal agency], although land is not owned by US. The land is used by U.S. government under Status of Forces Agreement with [a Foreign government].","The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information."]
[7,"2023-01-04","Eligibility","I am writing to inquire if [federal agency] installations are eligible to apply for the AFFECT grant?","The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information."]
[8,"2023-01-04","Technical Topics","a) May I submit an application based on internal engineering calculations (Cost and Savings), before engaging an ESCO?\n\nb) Are agencies required to partially fund the project when a grant is awarded? If so what is the minimum % cost the agency would be required to fund?\n\nc) May an AFFECT grant be used to upgrade leased facilities occupied by a Federal Agency?\n\nd) If using an AFFECT Grant for funding, may the government agency choose a lump sum payment to the ESCO at project completion, rather than paying over multiple years.","a) Section 1.C. Topic Areas (pp. 2-5) states that projects submitted for consideration under Topic Area 1 must be under development or capable of modification as of the date this Federal Agency Call (FAC) is issued, and at risk of not being implemented as initially scoped in the Preliminary Assessment (PA) or Investment Grade Audit (IGA), because of changing monetary conditions (e.g., increased interest rates) and/or economic conditions (e.g., increased equipment costs related to inflation or supply chain problems). Topic Area 1 applications must include two scenarios modeled via the eProject Builder calculating data upload template (https://eprojectbuilder.lbl.gov/login). The first scenario must illustrate the project that is financeable under the reduced scope of work as compared to the PA or IGA and without an AFFECT grant. The second scenario must illustrate a financeable project that has an increased scope of work and includes additional energy conservation measures (ECMs) supported by an AFFECT grant. These requirements are described further in Section IV.B.vi. eProject Builder (ePB) Calculating Template (Topic Area 1 Only). These requirements indicate the ESCO should be engaged with the project.\n\nProjects under Topic Areas 2 and 3 need not be under development at the time the FAC is issued, and therefore the ESCO may not yet be engaged. If the ESCO is not yet engaged, the application should include the best available indication of the project’s impacts, along with a note indicating the basis and source of the projected impacts (e.g., internal engineering estimates).\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination.\n\nb) There is not a required minimum cost share, however Cost Leverage considerations and requirements are described in Section II.B. Cost Leverage and Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria, stating that in accordance with the factors established in 42 U.S.C. 8256(b)(3)(C) and (D), cost leverage refers to the amount of funding committed to the project by the agency requesting financial assistance and the extent that a proposal leverages financing from other non-federal sources (e.g., private financing used in a performance contract, incentives from utilities and/or state/local government, etc.). Projects with greater cost leverage will be scored higher during the comprehensive merit review of the Technical Review Criteria.\n\nc) The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information.\n\nd) Per Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC states that FEMP anticipates releasing grant funding to recipient agencies within 24 months of grant award, following the recipient agency’s completion and submission of the Final Deliverables, and that funding disbursements will occur consistent with the timetables developed during award negotiations as described in more detail as per Topic Area in Sections II.D.i., II.D.ii., and II.D.iii."]
[9,"2023-01-05","Eligibility","Does a project funded under an ESPC which has been awarded by the [federal] agency and is now in construction phase qualify for the AFFECT funding opportunity?","A project that was previously funded under an ESPC, which has been awarded by the [federal] agency, can qualify for the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC under Topic Areas 1 and 2 provided that the project is eligible for funding modification to the existing awards to the ESCO or utility. Prior to submitting an application for such a project, the agency is advised to consult its Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to verify whether a modification is feasible, e.g., within the scope and time frame of the original award.\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination."]
[10,"2023-01-05","Eligibility","a) Are locations outside the continental United States candidates for this grant?\n\nb) For the SAMS number for a UESC or ESPC, can it be a Federal site's individual SAMS number or should it be the Contracting Office’s SAMS number?","a) The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information.\n\nb) Applicants are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM), completing any necessary registrations, in order for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant, and therefore should be the federal agency's site's UEI and SAM information, not the Contracting Office's."]
[11,"2023-01-06","Eligibility","[An] ESPC project has just been awarded and is in construction however the client is considering performing a contract modification to include additional Green Proving Ground and GEB technologies based on economics. Would this be considered as a Topic 1 or Topic 2 category?","A project that was previously funded under an ESPC, which has been awarded by the [federal] agency, can qualify for the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC under Topic Areas 1 and 2 provided that the project is eligible for funding modification to the existing awards to the ESCO or utility. Prior to submitting an application for such a project, the agency is advised to consult its Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to verify whether a modification is feasible, e.g., within the scope and time frame of the original award.\n\nFEMP however cannot provide feedback on the appropriateness of, or suggest a Topic Area for, any individual application through the Questions and Answer process. Applicants must solely determine the appropriateness and select the Topic Area for which they'd like their individual application reviewed. At a minimum, Applicants should review Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest, and Section III. Eligibility Information, in making this determination."]
[12,"2023-01-09","Registration Requirements","I will be submitting (2) separate projects for AFFECT funding opportunity; will I need to register (2) separate accounts in the EERE Exchange system?","Per Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions, including registration and account creation in EERE eXCHANGE, which is only required a single time, regardless of the number of applications submitted to any open EERE funding opportunities that are currently listed on EERE eXCHANGE."]
[13,"2023-01-13","Application Content/Format","Which type of SAM.gov registration “purpose” is needed for AFFECT 2022: Intra-Governmental Transaction or Federal Assistance Awards?","Applicants to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC can select the \"Intra-Governmental Transaction\" as the purpose for their SAM registration."]
[14,"2023-01-13","Technical Topics","a) For Criterion 2 of the [Technical Review Criteria], is the technical review normalizing the energy/cost savings in any way?\n\nb) Is the previous history of agencies with AFFECT Grants viewed as a positive or a negative in terms of selection factors?","a) No, as stated in Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria (p.16) applications will be evaluated against the Technical Review that reflect the statutory requirements of 42 U.S.C. 8256(b) in alignment with the \nAFFECT Application Form questions.\n\nb) Program Policy Factors (PPFs), as listed in Section V.C. Other Selection Factors (pp. 16-17) are additional points of consideration available to the Selection Official in addition to the Technical Review Criteria, including the previous history of Agencies or sub-Agencies receiving an AFFECT award. In determining whether to apply the referenced Program Policy Factor, the Selection Official may consider whether an Agency or sub-Agency receiving an earlier AFFECT award had an exceptionally positive negotiation/project outcome, which would be considered as a positive factor; or an exceptionally negative negotiation/project outcome, which would be considered as a negative factor."]
[15,"2023-01-17","Application Content/Format","How do I register for funding for batteries to support solar?","Applicants to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC must register and submit application materials through EERE eXCHANGE. Interested Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the full FAC in detail, ensuring that they are at a minimum eligible to apply, can complete and submit an application's content requirements, and are submitting an application of interest that is in alignment with programmatic priorities, policy considerations, topic areas, and technical review criteria."]
[16,"2023-01-18","Technical Topics","I need money for an assessment for a Utility Privatization contract. This assessment would be used to field contractors for the UP contract. How would I go about doing this using the FAC award? Based on the FAC..., [i]t states it can be used for equipment, technical assistance, and other services that are related to the planning, development, or implementation of the proposed project.","When considering submission of an application, eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the full FAC in detail, especially, but not limited to Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, and Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest. Please also note that Topic Areas 1 and 2 must involve ESPC, ENABLE, or UESC projects."]
[17,"2023-01-19","Application Content/Format","I want to learn more about the application process for submitting project proposals for this funding stream. Please advise.","Interested Applicants to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC can, in addition to the FAC document itself, review and consider additional information about the funding opportunity posted to EERE eXCHANGE including an Informational Webinar recording and corresponding Webinar slides, as well as a Questions and Answers spreadsheet. "]
[18,"2023-01-24","Technical Topics","In filling out the application for the AFFECT Grant we came across some issues regarding...the table in Section 2.1 [of the AFFECT Application Form FY22 posted on EERE eXCHANGE]. There is no natural gas supply to our site.  Current and future waste processing operations use diesel fuel to produce steam for process heat, and fleet vehicles use gasoline.  The proposal...involves electrification of some of these processes and equipment, which will cause an increase, not a decrease, in site energy use, but electricity is abundant and affordable, and 96% 24/7 CFE due to our nearby hydro and nuclear sources direct from BPA.  Compared to the cost of fossil fuel, there is a significant savings.\n\nIn our draft proposal, we plan to modify the table to capture total fossil fuel use reductions in the natural gas column, changing the header to indicate fossil fuel reduction and adding a note below the table to clarify.  We do not plan to show electricity increases, as these are included in cost delta estimates and are a very small fraction of the site’s current and future forecast electrical load.\n\nIs that the correct approach for this situation and will that be acceptable to the proposal review team? ","Applicants to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC are strongly encouraged to complete and submit the required AFFECT Application Form FY22 posted to EERE eXCHANGE to the fullest extent practicable for their application submission while being responsive to the project scoping questions and data requests therein. Within the application, the proposed project's description should include relevant information such as anticipated cost savings and GHG impacts, etc.\n\nPer Section IV.A. Submit materials through EERE exchange, Agencies may not change or modify any questions on the AFFECT Application Form.\n\nTherefore the proposal suggested in not acceptable, however, as outlined above, please plan to provide as much information, detail, and explanation to the fullest extent possible, based on a given project's unique characteristics."]
[19,"2023-01-24","Technical Topics","[T]he [AFFECT] Application Form [FY22], Questions 2.1 and 4.1 ask for Electricity reduction, Water reduction, GHG reduction, etc. for the Project with and without the AFFECT ECMs.\n\nFor a facility that would have no project (no ECMs) without AFFECT funding, should applicants fill in the row without AFFECT ECMs with the current facility electricity use, water use, GHGs, etc. (i.e. the “baseline”)?  Or is that row the reduction from the current baseline at that location, which, with no ECMs, would be zero?  If it is only the reduction, should applicants describe the baseline amounts that would put the reduction amount in context in some other part of the Application?","To the extent possible, eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicants should include \"baseline\" data and information as it relates to the rows labeled \"Project w/o AFFECT ECMs\" in Tables 2.1 and 4.1, in Sections 2. Energy and Cost Savings and 4. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations respectively, when completing and submitting the required AFFECT Application Form FY22 that is posted to EERE eXCHANGE."]
[20,"2023-01-27","Application Content/Format","We’re working on our FEMP AFFECT grant application, and we need to register in SAM.gov to apply. We don’t have anyone currently registered...haven’t really done before...told it takes up to 3 months to register.  \n\nWe’ll start the process, but in case we don’t get there by the 24 Feb. application submittal goal date, is anyone in your organization a current SAM user who could interface with SAM on our behalf?","Per Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, SAM registration is one of those required, one-time actions, whose registration must be updated annually. While SAM registration is not explicitly required in order to submit an application, it will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, halting the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[21,"2023-01-27","Technical Topics","Clarification is requested regarding the approving authority [required to satisfy the Letter of Endorsement, Section IV.B.iv.). The [AFFECT 2022 Appropriations] FAC states “...site’s leadership or the applicant’s headquarter official responsible for sustainability, energy management, or procurement...”, [which] seems...[to] offer the flexibility to approve at the site or HQ levels. The FAC goes on to say “...the application has the support of central agency officials...”, which suggests HQ approval is required for the [Letter of Endorsement]. Please clarify level of agency approval required.","An AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicant's Letter of Endorsement can originate from the federal site's leadership or the Applicant's headquarter official responsible for sustainability, energy management or procurement; both are acceptable, as long as the Letter of Endorsement acknowledges that the application has the support of central agency officials, as described in Section IV.B.iv. Letter of Endorsement."]
[22,"2023-01-27","Technical Topics","a) ...Topic Area #2 and Topic Area #3 include EVSE as eligible energy conversation measures (ECMs). Topic Area #1 does not call out EVSE as eligible under that topic area, however the description of Topic Area #1 best fits this project (a project under development facing reductions in scope). The FAC indicates that ECMs for Topic Area #1 should align with Executive Order 14057, which does include “transitioning to a zero-emission fleet” and specifically “deploying zero-emission vehicle refueling infrastructure”. As a result, could you confirm if the installation of EVSE is an eligible ECM under Topic Area #1?\n\nb) [T]he language for Topic Area #2 and #3 indicates that to be eligible, the EVSE must provide managed charging solutions (controls when vehicles are charged or allows for bidirectional charging). Is that also the case for eligibility of EVSE under Topic Area #1?","a) Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) that provides managed charging solutions (controls when vehicles are charged or allows for bidirectional charging) is an eligible ECM under Topic Area 1, as described in more detail in Section I.C.i. Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions.\n\nb) Yes, the requirement that Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) provide managed charging solutions (controls when vehicles are charged or allows for bidirectional charging) to be considered an eligible ECM, as described in Section I.C.ii. Topic Area 2: Load Management Projects (Energy Performance Contracts) and Section I.C.iii. Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms), also applies to EVSE as an ECM under Section I.C.i. Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions.\n\nAdditional information regarding EVSE as an eligible ECM can be found in the Federal Energy Savings Performance Contracts: Frequently Asked Questions on the Scope of 42 U.S.C. 8287 et seq., especially as it relates to saving and managing building energy and loads, as opposed to mobility energy and loads."]
[23,"2023-01-30","Technical Topics","[A]n energy savings project that is not currently [working with] an ESCO, nor [completed] a preliminary [assessment] on this project by an ESCO…[w]ould a general energy savings project...be considered for the [AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC]?","Yes, if an interested AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicant meets the requirements as described in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, as well as all other application form, content, and submission requirements as described in the FAC, eligible Applicants can submit applications that described general energy savings projects (i.e. not leveraging an ESPC, ENABLE, or UESC) as outlined in Section I.C.iii. Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms). Alternatively, eligible Applicants are able to submit applications describing projects that are underway, i.e. have at least issued a Notice of Opportunity (NOO) or a Letter of Interest (LOI) or a Sources Sought Request for Proposal (RFP), even if an Energy Service Company (ESCO) or Utility has not yet been selected, as outlined in Section I.C.i. Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions."]
[24,"2023-02-01","Eligibility","Is a project at a National Laboratory eligible if the federal agency (Department of Energy) owns the facility including the buildings and equipment; the federal agency will own the equipment to be installed in the project; another entity owns the land; and the federal agency leases the land?  The lease agreement states that the laboratory is \"a facility owned by the Government on land leased from\" the other entity.  Note that the federal agency pays the utility bills and will receive the benefits of reduced utility bills.","Yes, the project as described would be eligible (i.e. federally-owned facility located on leased land) for submission under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC. As with National Laboratory complexes operating on federally-owned land, the same requirements apply as outlined in footer reference no. 7 in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, for a project being implemented for a National Laboratory complex..., the following \nrequirements apply: (a) the AFFECT application must be submitted by a federal agency; (b) the federal agency must pay the utility bills, receive the benefits of the reduced utility bills and, in the case of an energy performance contract, pay the ESCO/utility; and (c) contain a measurement and verification plan that tracks actual project savings such that the federal agency’s guaranteed utility bill savings exceed the ESCO/utility payments for each year of the contract."]
[25,"2023-02-06","Application Content/Format","[A]n Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS) [federal] site that would [like] to submit for an AFFECT [application], but they don’t have an Unique Entry identifier (UEI) at the garrison level to get registered in SAM. [How should the OCONUS site proceed]?","The OCONUS federal site should register via SAM.gov (whether needing reactivation assistance or assistance registering for the first time, federal site POCs should scroll down to the Customer Service, Contact section on the SAM homepage to connect with a SAM representative subject-matter-expert, who’ll be able to guide federal site POCs through the process of reactivating / establishing their SAM account and receiving an associated UEI number.\n\nPer Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, SAM registration is one of those required, one-time actions, whose registration must be updated annually. While SAM registration is not explicitly required in order to submit an application, it will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, halting the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[26,"2023-02-06","Technical Topics","We are considering submitting a project under the 3rd Topic Area...instructions say that the agency must submit an awarded contract in order to trigger the funding and that the funding would be released within 24 months. For the agency to submit an awarded contract, that agency would need to have funds in hand. [A]ssume that [t]his is a reimbursement plan?","Per Section II.D.iii. Topic Area 3 Deliverable the recipient agency's AFFECT grant funding will be released upon the submission of an awarded contract for the acquisition of one or more eligible ECMs, as identified in Section I.C.iii. Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms). Additionally, for Topic Area 3, FEMP reserves the right to terminate the selected AFFECT grant award if the \nrecipient agency has not issued a solicitation within 12 months of the grant award to acquire one or more eligible ECMs.\n\nMore generally, and regardless of Topic Area pursued in an eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicant's application submission, FEMP anticipates releasing grant funding to recipient agencies within 24 months of grant award, following the recipient agency’s completion and submission of the Final Deliverables as outlined in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution."]
[27,"2023-02-07","Eligibility","We are applying to the AFFECT grant as the Contractor...on behalf of our client,...and need a bit of clarification in order to advise our client.  [The Contractor] has signed up for access to SAM.gov, EERE Exchange, and FedConnect. Does [the] client also need to have access to these sites? And, would you please confirm whether [the Contractor] will be able to submit on behalf of [the client], or is it necessary for [the client] to submit the application directly?","Per the guidance provided in Section III. Eligibility Information and Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, as well as the additional requirements outlined footer reference no. 7, Only U.S. federal agencies (including sub-agencies) are eligible to apply for funding under this FAC. While eligible  Applicants are permitted to coordinate the development of application content, information, and documentation as required for submission with National Laboratory, ESCO or Utility, or Contractor Partners as per their preference, the application itself, however, must be submitted by the eligible Applicant federal agency.\n\nPer Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, FedConnect is where all award documents and award modifications will be posted. Registration and account creation in EERE eXCHANGE is also required, which is only required a single time, regardless of the number of applications submitted to any open EERE funding opportunities that are currently listed on EERE eXCHANGE. SAM registration is also required, and must be updated annually. While FedConnect and SAM registration are not explicitly required in order to submit an application (EERE eXCHANGE is), they will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, as they will impede the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[28,"2023-02-07","Application Content/Format","When completing the SF-424, Box 19, is AFFECT grant program subject to EO 12372?","No, it is not. Please choose response c. Program is not covered by E.O. 12372. when completing the required SF424 form.\n\nPlease find additional guidance and information regarding this required form in Section IV.B.iii. SF-424: Application for Federal Assistance."]
[29,"2023-02-07","Cost Sharing","Can this grant fund 100% of a project?","Eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicants are technically not required to meet a minimum cost sharing, or cost leveraging, threshold.\n\nHowever, as outlined and described in Section II.B. Cost Leverage and Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria, as well as requested for additional information in the required AFFECT Application Form FY22, questions  3.1 – 3.2 in Section 3, those applications that include projects with greater cost leverage will be scored higher during the comprehensive merit review of the Technical Review Criteria.\n\nIn accordance with the factors established in 42 U.S.C. 8256(b)(3)(C) and (D), cost leverage refers to the amount of funding committed to the project by the agency requesting financial assistance and the extent that a proposal leverages financing from other non-federal sources (e.g., private financing used in a performance contract, incentives from utilities and/or state/local government, etc.). FEMP will also consider the amount of funding committed to the project by the applicant agency’s appropriations."]
[30,"2023-02-08","Eligibility","Section II. C. [Eligible Project Costs]...states, “AFFECT grant funding may be spent on any of the equipment and/or technical assistance and other services related to the planning, development, or implementation of an eligible project.” Would a feasibility study be eligible for an AFFECT grant if the study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of a prospective energy resiliency project, and the extent of potential project scope?","Yes, as indicated in Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs, AFFECT grant funding may be spent on any of the equipment and/or technical assistance and other services related to the planning, development, or implementation of an eligible project.\n\nA feasibility study is only eligible for AFFECT grant funding should that study then engender the implementation of an energy savings project. Eligible Applicants must submit an application(s) under the Topic Areas described in Section I.C. Topic Areas and that align with the deliverable requirements outlined in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution.\n\nIf unable to submit one or more of the Final Deliverables described in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution, and in keeping with the timelines described therein, FEMP reserves the right to terminate the selected AFFECT grant award, and the agency will not be eligible for recipient of AFFECT grant funding. In other words, a feasibility study in and of itself, is not a sufficient deliverable for the receipt of AFFECT grant funding."]
[31,"2023-02-08","Application Content/Format","Is there a method to submit images or graphics within the application that help describe/enhance the project we are requesting funds for? Can we add images to the quad chart slide?","Eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations Applicants are free to include images or graphics as determined to be supportive / illustrative of their application submission, however eligible Applicants must follow all guidance and requirements as described in Section IV.A. Submit materials through EERE exchange, specifically ensuring that each submission must not exceed the specified maximum page or word limit, including cover page, charts, graphs, maps, and photographs when printed using the formatting requirements set forth above and single spaced. If an applicant exceeds the maximum page/word limits, FEMP will review only the authorized number of pages/words and disregard any additional pages/words.\n\nAs well as ensuring awareness of the maximum file size that can be uploaded to the EERE Exchange website, which is 10MB. Files in excess of 10MB cannot be uploaded. If a file exceeds 10MB but is still within the maximum page limit specified in the FAC, it must be broken into parts and denoted to that effect."]
[32,"2023-02-08","Other","[With federal agency] sites [having the ability to] submit directly to the [EERE eXCHANGE] portal...[other site or headquarter] federal agency POC[s] [don't] have direct access to the submissions in the portal once they have been submitted. [Are other site or headquarter federal agency POCs eligible to] get...a list of sites that have submitted? [I]nternal process[es] set up where the sites SHOULD be letting [headquarters] know they are submitting, but no way for [headquarters] to [confirm federal agency] submissions [otherwise].","Unfortunately due to the confidential nature of open solicitation / competition process, FEMP is not able to provide federal agencies with a list of federal sites that may have submitted an application for consideration under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC. Additionally, as described in Section VIII.I. Retention of Submissions, FEMP expects to retain copies of all applications. No submissions will be returned. By applying to FEMP for funding, Applicants consent to FEMP’s retention of their submissions."]
[33,"2023-02-09","Application Content/Format","I am working on the [required] SF-424 [Application for Federal Assistance] submittal and [I am unsure how to respond to Box 11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number and Box 13. Competition Identification Number.","Neither of these Boxes (11. or 13.) require a response (i.e. please leave blank) when completing the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance form as found on EERE eXCHANGE, and submitted as part of the application of an eligible Applicant to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC."]
[34,"2023-02-09","Eligibility","We are a government owned and government operated (GOGO) organization as opposed to government owned and contractor operated (GOCO), like the National Labs.  In that organizational model, we aren’t supported like the labs by a large M&O contractor.  We manage the operations for our Federally owned facilities.\n\nWe are asking that in the next AFFECT application, that consideration be given to direct funded projects, which would be the best resource for our numerous facilities, to immediately implement energy generation, be a public facing installation of...the agency’s commitment to executing the directions set-forth by the EO and Secretary of Energy.\n\nFurther, our assets are smaller facilities by Washington DC and National Lab standards, with our largest owned facility only being 120,000 square feet and the second largest at 54,000 square feet.  For relatively small AFFECT funding opportunities, we can yield high returns on the investment.","Per the guidance provided in Section III. Eligibility Information and Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, as well as the additional requirements outlined footer reference no. 7, Only U.S. federal agencies (including sub-agencies) are eligible to apply for funding under this FAC. However, eligible  Applicants are permitted to coordinate the development of application content, information, and documentation as required for submission with National Laboratory, ESCO or Utility, or Contractor Partners as per their preference, the application itself, however, must be submitted by the eligible Applicant federal agency.\n\nIf an interested AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicant meets the requirements as described in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, as well as all other application form, content, and submission requirements as described in the FAC, eligible Applicants can submit applications that described general energy savings projects (i.e. not leveraging an ESPC, ENABLE, or UESC) as outlined in Section I.C.iii. Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms).\n\nAdditionally, as noted in Section II.B. Cost Leverage, in accordance with the factors established in 42 U.S.C. 8256(b)(3)(C) and (D), cost leverage refers to the amount of funding committed to the project by the agency\nrequesting financial assistance and the extent that a proposal leverages financing from other non-federal sources (e.g., private financing used in a performance contract, incentives from utilities and/or state/local government, etc.). These factors, coupled with energy performance contracts (ESPC, ENABLE, UESC), are highly effective in helping federal agencies achieve the requirements set out in Executive Orders (E.O.) 14057, 14008, and EA2020, as detailed in Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations."]
[35,"2023-02-14","Application Content/Format","Do UEI numbers have to be installation specific?  E.g. should [separate bases or stations] have separate UEIs?  \n\nThere doesn’t appear to be a UEI for most...individual installations when using the search feature. Should we be generating new UEIs through SAM.gov?","All eligible applicants are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM). Please complete any necessary registrations to obtain a valid UEI and active SAM account registration for each eligible applicant's individual federal agency site, which is required for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant."]
[36,"2023-02-15","Application Content/Format","Many of the projects preparing to submit their applications are having particular trouble identifying their UEI numbers and/or registering their site on SAM.gov. The answer to question 25 in the FAC Q&A was useful in providing instructions to work with SAM customer service to achieve reactivation, but my follow on question is what if the SAM.gov registration is not completed when the application is due? \n\n[T]he answers to questions 20 and 25 make it appear to not be required until award...“Per Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, SAM registration is one of those required, one-time actions, whose registration must be updated annually. While SAM registration is not explicitly required in order to submit an application, it will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, halting the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed.”","As outlined in the Answer to Question no. 25, \"Per Section VI.B.i. Registration Requirements the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC requires Applicants to complete several one-time actions. For Applicants selected for a grant under this FAC, SAM registration is one of those required, one-time actions, whose registration must be updated annually. While SAM registration is not explicitly required in order to submit an application, it will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, halting the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed.\"\n\nMeaning that an eligible applicant can still submit an application(s) to the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC for the submission deadline, even if the finalization of their SAM registration is still in process."]
[37,"2023-02-15","Application Content/Format","Can you please clarify the path that a military base has to take to procure this UEI? Specifically, what does the UEI have to be for (can we use a general Department...UEI, a region level UEI, or does it have to be installation specific)? Why do we need to submit a UEI, and [w]hat will you use it for with our application?","All eligible applicants, including the Department of Defense, are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM). Please complete any necessary registrations to obtain a valid UEI and active SAM account registration for each eligible applicant's individual federal agency site, which is required for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant. These registrations will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, as they will halt the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[38,"2023-02-16","Technical Topics","Our agency is working with an ESCO to develop an ESPC project that will include some energy infrastructure upgrades using funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As leveraging is encouraged, are there any restrictions on using AFFECT funds to expand the scope of what we are able to accomplish with IRA funds and energy savings in the ESPC? ","No, there are no restrictions for eligible applicants submitting projects for consideration that may also be intending to utilize funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), however this funding support is considered government funding (not leveraged private financing). Please see additional information on leveraging as described in Section II.B. Cost Leverage and Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria, noting that in accordance with the factors established in 42 U.S.C. 8256(b)(3)(C) and (D), cost leverage refers to the amount of funding committed to the project by the agency requesting financial assistance and the extent that a proposal leverages financing from other non-federal sources (e.g., private financing used in a performance contract, incentives from utilities and/or state/local government, etc.).\n\nAlso, please note that eligible applicants may submit more than one application to this FAC, provided that each application describes a separate, distinct project as outlined in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants. This also means that any project selected under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC that completes the requirements and submits the deliverables as detailed in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution and receives AFFECT grant funding cannot then be submitted for consideration under a BIL-supported AFFECT grant award cycle, i.e. the same project is not eligible for receipt of AFFECT grant award funding under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC and then any future BIL-supported AFFECT grant award funding. "]
[39,"2023-02-16","Technical Topics","Following up...from 2/6. Could you please respond?\n\nWe are considering submitting a project under the 3rd Topic Area...instructions say that the agency must submit an awarded contract in order to trigger the funding and that the funding would be released within 24 months. For the agency to submit an awarded contract, that agency would need to have funds in hand. [A]ssume that [t]his is a reimbursement plan?","An answer was provided to this question in line 34, Question No. 26.\n\nPer Section II.D.iii. Topic Area 3 Deliverable the recipient agency's AFFECT grant funding will be released upon the submission of an awarded contract for the acquisition of one or more eligible ECMs, as identified in Section I.C.iii. Topic Area 3: Load Management Projects (Other Procurement Mechanisms). Additionally, for Topic Area 3, FEMP reserves the right to terminate the selected AFFECT grant award if the \nrecipient agency has not issued a solicitation within 12 months of the grant award to acquire one or more eligible ECMs.\n\nMore generally, and regardless of Topic Area pursued in an eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicant's application submission, FEMP anticipates releasing grant funding to recipient agencies within 24 months of grant award, following the recipient agency’s completion and submission of the Final Deliverables as outlined in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution."]
[40,"2023-02-17","Application Content/Format","a) Due to the fact that the [Department of Defense] is part of the federal government, must they register for a UEI number?\n\nb) If they do need to, how can they complete their SAM.gov registration when they don't meet all the requirements to register?\n\nc) If the UEI number is ultimately required, may we check the \"N/A\" box for the UEI number requirement for the proposal while we find a way to register?","a) All eligible applicants, including the Department of Defense, are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM).\n\nb) Please complete any necessary registrations to obtain a valid UEI and active SAM account registration for each eligible applicant's individual federal agency site, which is required for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant. Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) also provides that if entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - \nValidating your Entity.\n\nC) Yes, selecting \"N/A\" is initially acceptable if needing to submit an eligible application by the deadline. However, these validations and registrations are required, and will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, as they will halt the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[41,"2023-02-21","Eligibility","Is a Federal agency eligible to submit an application under the AFFECT F[AC] where the work will be performed outside of the United States?","The AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC is not limited to domestic facilities only, meaning projects may be eligible for consideration, application submission, and funding under this FAC, that are implemented at any facility, whether located in the U.S. (i.e., CONUS), its territories, or internationally (i.e., OCONUS), that meet the definition of “federal building” as of 42 U.S.C. § 8259(6), which includes buildings, structures, or facilities owned or leased by the federal government and which consume energy.\n\nPlease reference Section III. Eligibility Information for additional information."]
[42,"2023-02-21","Application Content/Format","I am having issues tracking down an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) for [an eligible Federal agency]. Is there a work around for this information?  Is this a required field in part 8 b and c of the SF-424 since we are a federal entity?","All eligible applicants are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM).\n\nPlease complete any necessary registrations to obtain a valid UEI and active SAM account registration for each eligible applicant's individual federal agency site, which is required for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant. Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) also provides that if entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - \nValidating your Entity.\n\nUEI validations and SAM registrations are required, and if unable to input onto the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance, will need to be completed as soon as possible if the application is selected for award negotiations, as they will halt the receipt of any eligible AFFECT grant award funds until so completed."]
[43,"2023-02-21","Technical Topics","The [Department of Defense, DoD] plans to submit an application for a battery storage ECM intended to augment resiliency in the developing ESPC as Topic Area 1...We do understand that eProject Builder (ePB) is a requirement of the DOE ESPC IDIQ contract however, DoD has not been using it due to the risk and vulnerability of openly providing sensitive operational information and other cybersecurity concerns. As the AFFECT Grant is very important to the success of this project, can the ePB requirement be waived? ","Eligible applicants can review information on ePB application requirements in Section I.C.i. Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions and Section IV.B.vi. eProject Builder (ePB) Calculating Template (Topic Area 1 Only). For the application, eligible applicants under Topic Area 1 are required to complete and submit two versions of the ePB Calculating Template for both Scenario 1 Project Without AFFECT Grant and Scenario 2 Project With AFFECT Grant.\n\nDOE understands DoD’s concern with the online database storage of data in eProject Builder (ePB). DOE is in conversation with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to work through this issue. DOE anticipated this concern for the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC, and has not required eligible applicants to use the eProject Builder online database to upload and store data for this FAC. As noted above, eligible applicants can review ePB requirements and instructions in in Section I.C.i. Topic Area 1: Projects Under Development Facing Reductions in Scope Due to Adverse Changes in Fiscal/Economic Conditions and Section IV.B.vi. eProject Builder (ePB) Calculating Template (Topic Area 1 Only), which state that eligible applicants must provide the electronic calculation spreadsheet used by ePB, and submit it electronically through EERE eXCHANGE alongside the other required FAC documents, thus avoiding the use of the ePB online database altogether, and addressing DoD’s concerns.\n\nDifferent than the application requirements for eligible applicants, additional information on reporting requirements and utilization of the ePB Tool can be reviewed in Section VI.B.vii. Reporting, which indicates that certain information may be submitted via ePB. If not reported via ePB, agencies must then submit project information to FEMP annually, through a different method determined by the applicant and found to be mutually acceptable to the applicant and FEMP.\n\nUltimately, Reporting requirements are identified on the Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist, attached to the award agreement."]
[44,"2023-02-21","Eligibility","Can [defense, i.e. DoD and / or DOE] contractor managed and operated sites utilize the [AFFECT] grant? It seems that there have been [AFFECT] grants / awards to DoD [and DOE] sites in the past.  Any insight?","Per the guidance provided in Section III. Eligibility Information and Section III.A. Eligible Applicants, as well as the additional requirements outlined footer reference no. 7, Only U.S. federal agencies (including sub-agencies) are eligible to apply for funding under this FAC. Eligible Applicants are permitted to coordinate the development of application content, information, and documentation as required for submission with National Laboratory, ESCO or Utility, or Contractor Partners as per their preference, the application itself, however, must be submitted by the eligible Applicant federal agency.\n\nThis means that eligible applicants under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC include any DoD or DOE contractor managed and operated sites, may submit an application through their federal contracting officer, program, and/or site office as long as the submitting federal agency applicant is responsible for the associated assets covered by the grant and utility bills are paid by agency such that savings are accrued by the federal agency. Moreover, it must be within the contracting limits of the federal agency and the management and operating contactor’s agreement."]
[45,"2023-02-22","Technical Topics","I have been reviewing the...grant and our understanding that federal agencies who win a grant would not have to reimburse/repay it. Is this correct? If not, could you please advise me on where it explains that the money received must be reimbursed?","That is correct; funds provided to selected, eligible applicants under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC are grant funds that are not required to be reimbursed. Additional details about total, estimated amount of funds available, as well as estimated individual grant amounts, can be found in Section II.A. Estimated Funding."]
[46,"2023-02-22","Application Content/Format","a) To confirm, we as a federal agency, need to register in SAM.gov to obtain a U[EI]? Is it possible that our agency has an existing U[EI] I need to track down or should I create a new and unique ID for this application? \n\nb) Can you offer any additional input on what types of project are more appropriate for topic area 1 vs. topic area 2?","a) All eligible applicants, i.e. federal agencies, are required to provide UEI information as described in Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM).\n\nIt is possible that your federal agency has one or more valid UEIs or active SAM registrations, however, please complete any necessary registrations to obtain a valid UEI and active SAM account registration for each eligible applicant's individual federal agency site, which is required for DOE to make an award to a selected Applicant.\n\nAs needed, Section IV.D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) also provides that if entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - \nValidating your Entity.\n\nb) Unfortunately additional specific information cannot be provided on projects that are more or less appropriate for Topic Area 1 as compared to Topic Area 2. However, generally, Topic Area 1 is for energy performance contract projects that are already under development with an ESCO or utility, but not yet awarded, as opposed to Topic Area 2, which if for energy performance contract projects that are just beginning, i.e. have not yet issued a Notice of Opportunity (NOO) or Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) for an ESPC or ENABLE project, or a  Letter of Interest (LOI) or Sources Sought Request for Proposal (RFP), Notice to Proceed (NTP) to IGA, and project Proposal for a UESC project.\n\nAlso generally, when considering submission of an application, all eligible AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the full FAC in detail, especially, but not limited to Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations, Section I.C. Topic Areas, and Section I.D. Applications Specifically Not of Interest. Please also note that Topic Areas 1 and 2 must involve ESPC, ENABLE, or UESC projects."]
[47,"2023-02-23","Application Content/Format","We see in the instructions that we need a Control Number from EERE [eXCHANGE] to place on all of our forms and documents, and that it is issued after an applicant begins the application process. I have created an account in EERE [eXCHANGE] and found where to begin the application.\n\nWe are confused about how exactly to get this Control Number...I see in the beginning application that, after we fill out the provided form, there is a button on the bottom of the page that states “Create Full Application”. We want to insure that this is the correct step to RECEIVE our Control Number, as we can not submit our documents without it.","Yes, after creating an account, please proceed by selecting \"Create Full Application\" in EERE eXCHANGE in order to receive your application Control Number.\n\nEligible applicants can review additional details on obtaining a Control Number and other application content and requirements as outlined in Section IV. Application and Submission Information."]
[48,"2023-02-24","Technical Topics","a) How will projects be prioritized for funding requests? How will the leverage ratio be prioritized in selecting projects? Will projects asking for a lower dollar amount be prioritized over projects requesting more money?\n\nb) Will projects that are awarded funds for this first AFFECT funds phase be excluded from applying for more funds when the expected additional Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) money comes in?","a) Unfortunately due to the confidential nature of open solicitation / competition process, FEMP is not able to provide additional information on how applications will be prioritized or ranked beyond the programmatic interests that are described in Section I.B. Programmatic Priorities and Policy Considerations,  the review criteria included in Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria, and the process as recapped in Section V.D. Evaluation and Selection Process. All eligible applicants are encouraged to submit an application that describes how the AFFECT grant award funds will have a meaningful impact on the project in alignment with the priorities and criteria included in the FAC.\n\nb) No, there are no restrictions for eligible applicants submitting projects for consideration that may also be intending to utilize funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), however this funding support is considered government funding (not leveraged private financing). Please see additional information on leveraging as described in Section II.B. Cost Leverage and Section V.A. Technical Review Criteria, noting that in accordance with the factors established in 42 U.S.C. 8256(b)(3)(C) and (D), cost leverage refers to the amount of funding committed to the project by the agency requesting financial assistance and the extent that a proposal leverages financing from other non-federal sources (e.g., private financing used in a performance contract, incentives from utilities and/or state/local government, etc.).\n\nAlso, please note that eligible applicants may submit more than one application to this FAC, provided that each application describes a separate, distinct project as outlined in Section III.A. Eligible Applicants. This also means that any project selected under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC that completes the requirements and submits the deliverables as detailed in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution and receives AFFECT grant funding cannot then be submitted for consideration under a BIL-supported AFFECT grant award cycle, i.e. the same project is not eligible for receipt of AFFECT grant award funding under the AFFECT 2022 Appropriations FAC and then any future BIL-supported AFFECT grant award funding. "]
[49,"2023-02-27","Application Content/Format","[W]e are not sure how to find the eProject Builder Calculating [Data] Templates to complete as required for Topic Area 1?","Please find the hyperlink for the eProject Builder (ePB) Calculating Data Templates as required for Topic Area 1 located in the table in Section IV.B.i. Application Content Requirements, as well as here:  https://eprojectbuilder.lbl.gov/help.\n\nOnce you select the hyperlink, you will select the Data Templates drop-down in the second row of the table on the left (eProject Builder table, not eProject eXpress table), and then select the first button for Calculating Template 3.0 (not the second button for Non-Calculating Template 3.0)."]
[50,"2023-02-27","Technical Topics","We have a need to conduct an Installation Energy & Water Plan (IEWP) study to identify and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy technology projects. Would AFFECT approve an application for an IEWP study?","Yes, as indicated in Section II.C. Eligible Project Costs, AFFECT grant funding may be spent on any of the equipment and/or technical assistance and other services related to the planning, development, or implementation of an eligible project.\n\nHowever, as similarly described and answered in line 38 / Question No. 30, an IEWP study is only eligible for AFFECT grant funding should that study then engender the implementation of an energy savings project. Eligible Applicants must submit an application(s) under the Topic Areas described in Section I.C. Topic Areas and that align with the deliverable requirements outlined in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution.\n\nIf unable to submit one or more of the Final Deliverables described in Section II.D. Deliverables and Timeline for Funding Distribution, and in keeping with the timelines described therein, FEMP reserves the right to terminate the selected AFFECT grant award, and the agency will not be eligible for recipient of AFFECT grant funding. In other words, an IEWP study in and of itself, is not a sufficient deliverable for the receipt of AFFECT grant funding."]

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