Item M3I'- R4
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: June 11. 2014 Division: County Administrator
Bulk Item: X No Department: County Administrator
Staff Contact /Phone #: Rhonda Haag, 453-8774
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to apply to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant.
This grant is has four (4) regional priorities, including investigation of alternative approaches to restoring water
quality in Florida Keys Canals. If awarded it will fund two to three proposals at Fifty Thousand ($50,000) to
One Hundred Thousand ($100,000). This grant is appropriate to assist the County in its Canal Restoration
Demonstration Project.
ITEM BACKGROUND: The announcement of the grant came out on May 22, 2014, 2 days before the June
agenda deadline Therefore we have attached the Announcement not the application, which is being drafted. The
application deadline is June 27, 2014. The grant does not require matching fimds; however points will be
awarded for voluntary cost sharing. The Sustainability Department has advised that funding is available from the
amount allotted for demonstration canals to devote some cost sharing. The timing of the announcement was too
short to complete an application for the June agenda and place it on this agenda, however, if the County is
chosen the BOCC will have the opportunity to vote to agree to the grant or not at that time.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
1. 12-11-13: Approval to advertise an RFQ for the design and permitting of the canal demo projects.
2. 02-19-14: Approval to negotiate a contract for the design and permitting of the canal demo projects.
3. 5-21-14: Approval of contract with AMEC to design the demonstration Canals.
BOCC Actions related to other related Canal Items:
1.03-21-12: Approval and authorization of a Grant from FDEP to fund Phase I of the Canal Management
Master Plan and also authorized execution of a task order with AMEC under the on -call professional
engineering services contract to develop Phase 1.
2. 06-20-12: Approval of the grant application submitted to EPA, which requested $100,000 in grant funds and
specified a $10,000 match of in -kind services.
3. 09-19-12: Approval of a $ 100,000 EPA grant that funded Phase 2 of the Canal Master Plan.
4.11-20-12: Approval of a Task Order with AMEC Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc. under the on -call
professional engineering services contract to develop Ph. 2 of a county -wide Canal Improvements Master Plan.
5.02-20-13: Approval of a FDEP Grant S0640 providing $ 100,000 of funding of work to perform bathymetric
surveys and also approved a $100,000 Task Order with AMEC to perform the bathymetric work.
6.03-20-13: Approval of $5 million for the canal restoration demonstration projects.
7.05-15-13: Approval of a $37,725 contract with AMEC to select the demonstration projects, as a result of a
request for quotes.
8. 08- 21-13: Provided direction on the selection process for use in selecting the top 15 canal restoration projects
and the final 5 demonstration projects.
9. 09-17-13: Approval of a time extension to the AMEC contract for selection of the demo projects.
10.10-16-13: Approval of the top 15 canals, selection of 6 canals for the demonstration projects, and a 90 day
limitation on the homeowner approval period.
11. 12-11-13: Approval of the 7 1h demonstration canal.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: Not applicable
01 DI 9 D i'll I
COST TO COUNTY:.Negligible SOURCE OF FUNDS: 0
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes X No AMOUNT PER MONTH Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty OMB/Purchasing _ Risk Management
DOCUMENTATION: Included X Not Required
DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM No. CAD#
-iiliiiilliiii�ilillill�ililill IN! 1111111 1, ill,, 11111111111 1111111111111111111: 1111111111111 ig�il 11�111111111
I I 1 11 11 1 Al I I I ...
ms=zff��
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assis-rance (CFDA) Number. 66.436 WatcrQualityand
Watershed Management: Surveys, Studies, and Investigations; Grants and Cooperative
Agreements; Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act
VI41111 111MOT", I
L�11 9 rersnw:
VI. Award Administration Information
VII. Agency Contact
SectioriL Funding Opportunity Description
A. Funding Topics.
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was created with the signing of Public
Law 10 1-605, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act of 1990. Included
in the Sanctuary are 2,900 square nautical miles of nearshore waters extending from Biscayne
Bay to the Dry Tortugas. Recognizing the critical role of water quality in maintaining Sanctuary
resources, Congress directed the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida, in
cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to develop a
Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) for the Sanctuary - the first of its kind in the nation.
The Act directs the WQPP to develop corrective actions and compliance schedules to address
point and nonpoint sources of pollution to maintain the chemical, physical and biological
integrity of the Sanctuary. This includes restoration and maintenance of a balance, indigenous
population of corals, shellfish, fish and wildlife, and recreational activities in and on the water.
In addition to corrective actions, the 1990 Act requires public participation developing and
implementing the program.
In 1998, The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) was established by Executive Order
#13089 to lead U.S. efforts to restore and protect coral reef ecosystems. In October 2002, the
USCRTF implemented a National Action Plan to conserve coral refs. The Local Action
Strategy for coral reef conservation and management in southeast Florida was finalized in 2004
and includes the following focus areas. land -based sources of pollution; fishing, diving and other
uses-, maritime industry and coastal construction impacts; and awareness and appreciation.
This funding opportunity is for Special Studies/Research and Public Education/Outreach for the
South Florida Geographic Initiative including the Water Quality Protection Program for the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative.
Examples of eligible Special Studies/Research program activities include: identifying and
understanding cause/effect relationships of pollutants, transport pathways and biological
communities of the Sanctuary; developing effective remediation techniques for aquatic
resources; addressing specific management questions and concenis; development of predictive
models and monitoring tools; and overall improvement of our understanding of South Florida
ecosystems. Examples of eligible Public Education and Outreach projects include: increasing
public awareness regarding residential canal remediation; impacts of non -point source pollution;
increasing awareness of South Florida aquatic resources; distribution of Best Management
Practicesliterature; and solicitation of public participation to assist with implementation of
FKNMS Water Quality and Protection Program corrective actions. The PROMS Water Quality
Protection Program has identified five individual topics below as priority areas for FY 14
funding. Applicants must address one or more of these areas to be considered eligible.
I
Region 4 Priority Areas
a Public Education and Outreach — W.14
Increase awareness and involvement of the general public and government officials to implement
Water Quality Protection Program corrective actions, residential canal restoration, homeowners
education, program activities and projects designed to protect, maintain and restore the water
quality and natural resources of the Florida Keys Ecosystem.
® Improve Water Quality in Residential Canals — W. 10
Investigate alternative approaches to restoring water quality in Florida Keys Canals
0 Investigate the Effects of Mosquito Control on Non -Targeted Organisms— W.18
Assess the effects of mosquito control pesticides on non -target organisms within the FKNMS to
provide resource managers with mosquito management recommendations and strategies
protective of aquatic resources while providing for public health, safety and comfort.
0 Restoration Techniques — W.23
Develop new approaches and evaluate the effects of sponge restoration on water quality and
ecosystem function.
Prepare a scientific report describing potential effects of endocrine disruptors on
the Florida Keys aquatic ecosystem — W.23
Prepare a report for the FKNMS that reviews and evaluates the scientific literature identifying
endocrine disruptors that may present a threat to corals, fish, sponges, urchins, mollusks and
other aquatic organisms within the Florida Keys, describes the source, availability and inventory
of endocrine disruptors; legal authorities to address endocrine disruptor, and identifies regional
management strategies and techniques to minimize negative impacts to the environment
associated with use of endocrine disruptors.
For more information on these and additional priority areas eligible for consideration, please
refer to.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Water Quality Protection Program Report to Congress,
September 2013, Appendix I-
lum'. ocean. floridamarinc-oreAknins wurni-oroducis-worin rKNMS1'u2013icnnia1`o201Iepaqu2
0201309.Rdf
FKNMS Comprehensive Science Plan at:
h
!WL' lloridafqys.,noaa, ov rese qurch lan.,pdf
B. Linkage of Projects to EPAs Strategic Plan and Anticipated Outputs
1. Linkage to Strategic Plan
The special studies included in this announcement of the federal funding opportunity support
EPA's 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, Goal., "Protecting America's raters" found at
and the FYI 4 National Water Program Guidance Strategies to Protect and Restore the Health of
Communities and Large Aquatic - South Florida Ecosystem found at
Y-2014-Notioiial-Water-Pnii-iraiii:
Guidancc.cfm
2. Outputs/Outcomes
In compliance with EPA Order 5700.7 on environmental results, EPA -funded projects must
address outputs and/or outcomes and how these will be tracked and measured. Outputs refer to
activities and work products that contribute to producing environmental outcomes. Outputs may
be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the funding period. Outcomes refer
to the results, effects. or consequences that will occur from carrying out activities. Outcomes are
always quantitative, Examples of outputs for projects include:
Evaluation of the effectiveness of efforts to reduce or eliminate sources of pollution and
to evaluate progress toward achieving and maintaining water quality and protecting and
restoring coral reef habitat and other living resources -
Characterization of sources and causes of water quality impaincient within a watershed
that will allow the development of managernent/actiontrectoration plan(s)-
Preparation and timely delivery of quarterly and draft1final project reports that document
results of the special study project,
Examples of expected outcomes that may occur because of the technical/scientific information
generated by the special studies projects associated with this announcement include:
Increase knowledge of managers and elected officials concerning negative impacts of
pollutants on water quality and living biological resources, which should lead to the
development and implementation of action plans that will reduce pollutant loading and
result in the conservation of natural resources.
0 Maintenance and/or improvement of water quality.
0 Maintenance of health of seagrass beds.
0 Restoration and or maintenance of coral reef habitat.
Is Reduce pollutant loading to inland, nearshore and coastal waters,
in
C. Funding Authority
EPA Region 4 will award the funds associated with this announcement under the authority of
Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act, which authorizes federal assistance agreements for
conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations,
experiments, training. demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent,
prevention, reduction and elimination of pollution -
Section It, Award Information
A. Total Amount Expected to be Awarded
EPA Region 4 anticipates receiving approximately $190,000 in FY 14 to fund two to three
proposals at $50.000 - S 100,000 submitted to address R4 Priority Are and Special
Studies'Research and Public Education/Outreach activities described in Section I of this
announcement. The total amount of funding and awards that will be made and this
announcement depends on funding availability, the quality of proposals received, and other
applicable considerations. Unless pre -award costs are specifically approved by EPA, recipients
should not incur project costs, including nonfederal match, until they receive an award offer from
EPA.
B. Anticipated Start and End Dates
Federal assistance agreements for the special studies projects expect to be awarded on or about
September 30, 2014. However, special studies may cover one or two years and therefore, the
project and budget periods may end on September 30, 2015, or September 30, 2016.
C. Type of Assistance
Selected proposals submitted under this announcement will be funded via federal assistance
agreements in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement. For most projects associated with
the WQPP for the FKNMS, a cooperative agreement is the preferred funding mechanism. The
principal purpose of the federal and non-federal relationship established by a cooperative
agreement is the transfer of money to the recipient to accomplish a "public Purpose" of support
or stimulation; in addition, there will be substantial involvement between EPA R4, the PROMS
hater" uality Protection Program and the recipient during performance of the activity with
coordination and collaboration to achieve the goals under this program. The successful applicant
will be expected to participate and present project updates at the PROMS Water Quality
Protection Program meetings as required.
EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no awards under this announcement or
make fewer than expected, In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund
proposaWapplications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA
decides to partially fund a proposal application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice
any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal/application, or portion thereof, was
evaluated and selected for award; therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and
selection process -
Section Ill. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Assistance under this program is generally available to States, territories, Indian Tribes, and
possessions of the U.S. (including the District of Columbia); public and private universities and
colleges; hospitals; laboratories; and other public or private nonprofit institutions and
individuals. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code
that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
are not eligible to apply,
B. Cost Sharing or Match
No matching funds are required under this competition. Although cost sharing/matching is not
required as a condition of eligibility under this competition, under Section V of this
announcement EPA will evaluate proposals based on a leveraging criterion.
Leveraging is generally when an applicant proposes to provide its own additional
fiands.+ resources or those from third party sources to support or complement the project they are
awarded under the competition which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds awarded. Any
leveraged funds -'resources, and their source, must be identified in the proposal (See Section IV of
the announcement)- Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.
—Voluntary cost share is a form, of leveraging. Voluntary cost sharing is when an applicant
volumarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project
when a cost share is not required. Applicants who propose to use a voluntary cost share must
include the costs or contributions for the voluntary cost share in the project budget on the SF-
424. If an applicant proposes a voluntary cost share, the following apply:
• A voluntary cost share is subject to the match provisions in the grant regulations (40 CFR
3013 or 40 CFR 31.24, as applicable).
• A voluntary cost share may only be met with eligible and allowable costs.
• The recipient may not use other sources of federal funds to meet a voluntary cost share
unless the statute authorizing the other federal funding provides that the federal funds
may be used to meet a cost share requirement on a federal grant.
• ne recipient is legally obligated to meet any proposed voluntary cost share that is
included in the approved project budget. If the proposed voluntary cost share does not
materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the
award and or take other appropriate action as authorized by 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31 as
applicable.
6
—Other leveraged funding/resources that are not identified as a voluntary cost share. This form of
leveraging may be met by funding from another federal grant, from an applicant's own resources,
or resources from other third party sources. This form of leveraging should not be included in
the budget and the costs need not be eligible and allowable project costs under the EPA
assistance agreement. While this form of leveraging should not be included in the budget, the
grant workplan should include a statement indicating that the applicant is expected to produce
the proposed leveraging consistent with the moos of the announcement and the applicant's
proposal. If applicants propose to provide this form of leveraging, EPA expects them to make the
effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their proposals. If the proposed leveraging
does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the
award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31 as applicable.
C. Threshold Criteria
Proposals from eligible applicants must meet these requirements or else they will be rejected.
Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold
eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility deterniffiation.
Proposals must address one or more of the Priority Are listed in Section 1.
Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and
requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.
However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the proposal,
pages in cams of the page limitation will not be reviewed.
Proposals must be received by the EPA or received through as
specified in Section IV oft is announcement. on or before the submission deadline
published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for ensuring
that their proposal reaches the designated person office specified in Section IV of the
announcement by the submission deadline.
Proposals received afler the submission deadline will be considered late and returned to
the sender without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate
that it was late due to EPA mishandling. For hard copy submissions, where Section IV
requires proposal receipt by a specific person/office by the submission deadline, receipt
by an agency mailroom is not sufficient. Applicants should confirm receipt of their
proposal with his. Morgan Jackson (See Section VII of this announcement) as soon as
possible after the submission deadi ine—fid lure to do so may result in your proposal not
being reviewed.
Applicants may submit multiple proposals under this announcement but each one must be
for a different project. If an applicant submits than one proposal for the same project EPA
will review the first one received and any additional proposals will be deemed ineligible-
7
Section IV. Proposal and Submission Information
ENE=
In order to simplify the review process, obtain the maximum degree of comparison, and provide
a fair and equitable evaluation of proposals, reviewers will rely on the content of the full
proposal for evaluation purposes, Therefore, it is important that all full proposals are complete
and adhere to the standard former that is described in detail in Section Vill. For completeness of
the grant application, please refer to the Proposal Check -List, Attachment A. The original
application along with one copy should be submitted. Each proposal must consist of the
following components-
1. Proposal Cover Page (see Attachment B for example), and a one page project
proposal summary.
If Application for Federal Assistance Standard Form 424 (SF424)
Complete the form. There are no attachments- Please be sure to include the organization
fax number and e-mail address in Block 5 of the Standard Fonn SF424. Please note that
the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS)
number must be included on the SF-424- Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at
no cost by calling the toll -free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 -
Ill. Budget Information for Non -Construction Programs .- Standard Form 424A (Sr424A)
Complete the fiom. There are no attachments. The total amount of federal funding
requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(c) and on line 6(k) of SF-
424A. If indirect costs are included, the amount of indirect costs should be entered on
line 66). The indirect cost rate (i_c-, a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and
fringe benefits), and the amount should also be indicated an line 22. In Section B:
Budget Categories column (1) should be filled out for federal funds, column (2) should
be filled out for non-federal cost-share/match, and column (5) should be filled out for
total project cost (combined federal funds and non-fedcral cost share/match).
IV. Proposal Workplan (16 page maximum double spaced)
Prepare the proposal workplan in accordance with the instructions below in Section IV.A,
Proposal Workplan, of the announcement. The workplan should be readable in PDF or
ME Word and consolidated into a single file. Please remember that there is a page limit
for the work -plan.
All required documents, including the budget sheet should be attached at the beginning of
the proposal.
Proposal Workplan
The proposal workplan, must be no more than sixteen (16) double-spaced 8.5 a I I inch
pages (a page is one side of paper) (except for documents specifically excluded from the
page limit as -noted below). Pages should be consecutively numbered for case of reading.
It is recommended that applicants use a standard 12-point type with I -inch margins and
that applicants format their workplan as described below for ease of reading. Applicants
are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in
selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal workplan. Additional pages
beyond the 16 page limit will not be reviewed. If a single-spaced proposal workplan is
submitted, it will only be reviewed up to the equivalent of the 16 page double-spaced
page limit for proposal workplans [eight (8) single-spaced pages is the equivalent of
the 16-page double-spaced proposal workplan page limit; any single-spaced pages in
excess of 8 will not be reviewedl. The budget information, as described below, must be
included within the I 6-page limit not in the supporting materials or appendix. Any
supporting materials (such as support letters from partners and annotated resumes) that
the applicant chooses to provide are not included in the 16-page limit for the proposal
workplan and should be submitted as attachments.
Full proposals that do not substantially comply with the criteria above may be returned
unrevicowd.
"a Work -plan must include the information below in paragraphs a-j.
a. Introduction
1. S.ituati,ou,Nee lare dPrevious Efforts - Discuss notable gaps in knowledge or
capabilities, why the proposed project should be performed, review significant work by
yourself or by others in the proposed area of interest (include reference citations).
2. Qh1S11jXg(g - State what is to be studied, measured, observed, or developed, and the
anticipated results. State hypotheses that the proposed special study is designed to test.
3. Describe how the anticipated results relate
to the goals/objectives of the FKNMS Water Quality Protection Program or the
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative, the expected benefits, and their utility -
Is. Methods and Approach
1. R11StRq2g_hLA11i2L1#& - Divide the proposed effian into a meaningful set of
tasks that must be performed to accomplish the objective(s) and describe each task- State
the tasks in the same order as the hypotheses they are designed to test. Experimental
design must bed cribed with statistical tests, if applicable, for hypotheses proposed.
2® Envirimme - State and explain any possible impact that your project will
have on the environment, including the type and duration of such changes. List in as
much detail as possible the number of samples and species needed for your study.
Document the need for sampling and objectively discuss potential impacts.
3. Future Efforts - If there are future efforts that should be performed in order for your
project to be meaningful, or of major significance, please describe briefly the type,
9
extent, and timing of those efforts. Is this a multi -year project? If possible, the individual
parts (i.e., each year's effort) should stand alone.
c. Project Management
1. Administration - Describe the administrative responsibilities and authority of the
Principal Investigator.
2. Roles/Assignments and Particigation Time - Describe the team composition
(including names and affiliations of key individuals) and the assignments of team
members to major tasks- Provide specific estimates of the time (in hours, days, etc-, not
percent) that each member will work on the project -
it. Support Requirements and Conditions
1. C 22pSration From then AaOr nizations - If a clearance or permifts) from any
_
government agency is required for execution of the project please provide the name of the
agency, the method of obtaining the clearance or permit, and the time required or state
°Orxme".
2. Date or C:Rjjj_qAccess, - If access is required to data or facilities held by another
organization, please identify the data or facility, the nature and type of access required,
the methods of obtaining such access, and the effect of being denied access or state
("nond".
a. Results/Outputs and Deliverables
Two types of reports are required from principal investigators.
1. Bi-Annual gVarts - The principal investigator shall provide bi-annual progress
reports to the Project Officer on May 30h and November 30s' of each year. These reports
will consist of updates on progress toward work objectives, justification, approach,
results to date, any problems encountered, actions taken to resolve problems, discussion
of remaining tasks, and expenditures to date.
2. Final_Re-part - Principal investigators shall prepare a draft final report summarizing
the objectives, methods, approach, results, and significance of the study. The draft final
report will be reviewed by the Project Officer and returned with comments, The principal
investigator will address the comments and submit the final report with revisions. The
final report will be due within six months of the completion of the project.
3. Deliverable Items and Schedule - Describe what items of data are to be delivered.
State the format in which data will be presented. Provide a schedule for all deliverables.
Under a cooperative agreement with EPA and the FKNMS, the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Research Institute (FWRI) have developed a data management plan and data
10
management system for the monitoring and research programs in the FKNIVIS, Each
grant recipient for special studies will work with FWRI to define data entry formats and
data QA:'QC protocols, and resolve data management conventions and issues. All original
and ancillary data produced under the Special Studies Program will be generated,
processed, stored, and archived in a manner that provides detailed documentation of the
procedures used at all stages of data collection, reduction, processing, analysis, and
storage.
4. Environmental Results — Outcomes and _Putputs
1. Outputs, Outcomes and Results
Outputs (project products)- List the outputs expected to be produced through the
completion of the proposed project;
Outcomes (project objectives) - List the outcomes oft e project to be
accomplished as a result of the project outputs-,
Link to EPA Strategic Plan - Describe how project products (outputs) and
objectives (outcomes) support EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2, Protecting Anterica's
11"ater, Protect Human Health, and Objective 2, Protect and Restore II- t r°,she
and Aquatic Ecoslistenis found at
ndex.cfni#2014) and
National Water Program Guidance Strategies to Protect and Restore Health of
Communities and Large Aquatic - South Florida Ecosystem found at
Y-2014-National -Water-
Pro - arn-Guidance.cmi)
TjgLkit,twat puts and Outcomes - Describe your approach for measuring and
tracking your progress toward achieving the expected project outputs) and
project outcome(s).
Environmental Results -Applicants will be evaluated based on their plan and
approach for measuring their progress towards achieving the expected project
Outcomes and outputs including those identified in Section 1. B. 2b in this
announcement.
f. Literature Cited
References used in the proposal narrative.
g. Budget Summary
Provide a detailed budget narrative describing funding for personnel, fringe
benefits, travel expenses, equipment, supplies, contractual if applicable and other
expenses.
General Information - - Region 4 anticipates funding two to three Special Studies
proposals in the $50,000 - $100,000 range until the $180,000 in anticipated funding is
awarded for fiscal year 2014. Region Special Studies Program is viewed as long-term and
additional dollars may be available to support additional special projects in future fiscal
years, Applicants with accepted proposals will be eligible to receive funds from EPA via
federal assistance agreements.
Specific budget information must be submitted in tabular form and summarized on
Standard Form 424A. Applicants can download individual grant application forms,
including Standard Forrns (SF) 424 and SF 424A, from EPA's Office of Grants and
Debarment website at: to ' wwo,.epa® Fov
IELY wwo,.epaAC— oul[A ") ,at afaplicaation,him. If you cannot
access the electronic forms, contact the person listed in Section III of this announcement
and a paper application kit will be mailed upon request.
It. Biographies and Quatifications,
Provide a brief biography for each team member that highlights education, experience,
and publications related to the proposed project. Curficulum vitae must not exceed three
Pugs each.
1. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance
Submit a list of federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include
Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size,
scope and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the
last five years (no more than 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe
(I) whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those
agreements and (ii) your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those
agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress
towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not,
explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the
agreements. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider
the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information
from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current prior grantors
(e.g,, to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do
not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please
indicate this in the proposal and you will receive a neutral score for these factors (a
neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do
not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.
In addition, provide information on your organizational experience and plan for timely
and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project, and your staff
expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to
successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.
MUSE=
Applicants should demonstrate (i) how they will coordinate the use of EPA funding with
other Federal and/or non Federal sources of funds to leverage additional resources to
carry out the proposed project(s) and/or flit that EPA funding will complement activities
12
relevant to the proposed projects) carried out by the applicant with other sources of
funds or resources. Leveraged funding or other resources need not be for eligible and
allowable project costs under the EPA assistance agreement unless the Applicant
proposes to provide a voluntary cost share or match. If EPA accepts an offer for a
voluntary cost share/match/participation, applicants must meet their
matching/sharing/partici pat ion commitment as a condition of receiving EPA funding.
Applicants may use their own funds or other resources for voluntary match/cost
share/participation if the standards at 40 CFR 30.23 or 40 CFR 31.248 as applicable, are
met. Only eligible and allowable costs may be used for voluntary match lest
shares/participation. Other Federal grants may not be used as voluntary matches or cost
shares without specific statutory authority (e.g. HUD's Community Development Block
Grants). Any form of proposed leveraging that is evaluated under a section V ranking
criteria must be included in the proposal and the proposal must describe how the
applicant will obtain the leveraged resources and what role EPA funding will play in the
overall project.
k. Appendices D; pages maximum not included on the workplan 16 page limit) are
recommended
Short appendices, not to exceed three total pages, may be used to provide technical
backup material to the text, details of computation. and other pertinent information.
Techniques or methodologies, if critical to the successful completion of the research,
should be discussed in detail within the proposal text (twclvc-page limit). Do not attach
copies of anyjoumal articles or other proposals to your submittal.
NOTE: Proposals that do not follow the required format may be returned not reviewed.
B. Proposal Submission
Applicants have the following options to submit their proposals: 1) Hard copy by express
delivery service to the specified EPA contact below, or 2) electronically through grants.gov.
Proposals will not be accepted via fax or standard I` class mail delivery by U.S. Postal Service -
All proposals must be prepared, and include the information, as described above and in
Attachment A)
I. and Copy Submission of Proposal
Proposals must be signed by an official representing the applicant's institution or employer. As
stated above, five copies (if submitted by hard copy) of the proposal package must be received
by the EPA Region 4 contact listed no later than 5:00 P.M., EDT, on June 27,2014. Please
send each of the proposal copies to the appropriate individual listed below.
13
Hard
Ms. Jennifer Shadle
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water Protection Division IS"' Floor
Wetlands, Coastal and Ocean Branch
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
Phone: (404) 562-9436
and Copy Proposal Subutission Deadtine
All hard copies of proposal packages must be received by p1s. Jennifer Shadle by 5.00
P.M., EDT, on June 27, 2014.
2. Electronic Submission of Proposal
The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your
institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal
assistance. For more inficn-nation on the registration requirements that must be completed in
order to submit an application through grants.gov, go to InVL. %% ww. grant,;. -o% and click on
"Applicants" on the top of the page and then go to the "Get Registered" link on the page. If your
organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to
designate an Authorized Organization Representative (AGE) and ask that individual to begin the
registration process as soon as possible. Please note that the registration process also requires
that your organization have a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for
Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more.
Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this
opportunity through grant&gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well
in advance of the submission deadline. Registration on marts. ova SAM.gov, and DUNS
number assignment is FREE.
To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go
to fit to- - Ls - eov and click on "Applicants" on the top of the page and then "Apply for
Grants" from the dropdown menu and [lien follow the instructions accordingly. Please note.. To
apply through grants.gov, you must use Adobe Reader software and download the compatible
Adobe Reader version. For more info nnation about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to
download the free software, please visithqp,--- _w%%w - �,rants� �-ov-- woh. �,ants �.,,u
s�uwt �atibititv.hyol
You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for
the opportunity chin . owwxrams.jo%. Go to Ij9RL'wwo-_Sjrjntv. ov and then click on
"Search Grants" at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA-R4-
WPD-2014-SFL, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.436), in the
appropriate field and click the Search button. Alternatively, you may be able to access the
14
application package by clicking on the Application Package button at the top right of the
synopsis page for the announcement on hit -� _www-Lrantr;-&o-, - To find the synopsis page, go
2—
tolAlp- _%% wor.grants.go% and click -Browse Agencies" in the middle of the page and then go to
"Environmental Protection Agency" to find the EPA funding opportunities.
Proposal Submission Deadline: Your organization's AO R must submit your complete
application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov fj(lp. VA I t rcin!5-gm, no Is er
than I 1:59PM EDT on June 27, 2014. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your
application process and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.
Please submit all of the application materials described below using the grants.gov application
package that you downloaded using the instructions above. For additional instructions on
completing and submitting the electronic application package, click on the "Show Instructions"
tab that is accessible within the application package itself.
Application Materials
The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:
Mandatory Documents:
I . Proposal Cover Page (see Attachment B for example), and a one page project proposal
summary (use Other Attachments form)
2. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
3. Budget Information for Non -Construction Programs (SF-424A)
4. Narrative Proposal (Project Narrative Attachment Form) -prepared as described in Section
M A. IV of this announcement
Optional Documents:
5. Appendices (Other Attachments form)
Applications submitted through grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically.
If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30
days of the application deadline, please contact (404) 562- 9436. Failure to do so may result in
your application not being reviewed,
C. Additional Provis How
Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation,
including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and
subawards under grants, and proposal assistance and communications, can be found at
-isiotri-lum, These, and the other provisions
that can be found at the website link, arc important, and applicants must review them when
preparing proposals for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions
electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this
solicitation to obtain the provisions.
15
Section V. Proposal Review Information
Only eligible entities whose proposal(s) meet the threshold criteria in Section IH and Section IV
of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation criterion set forth below.
Each proposal will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible,
A. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated by reviewers using the following criteria:
Rationale - how well the proposed project addresses one or more oft e Priority Areas
listed in Section 1 (15 points).
Scientific Merit -Floe well the project advances the state of science and knowledge
within the South Florida marine ecosystems to assist the management decision making
process. Components of the scientific merit review includes. background of the project,
statement of the purpose, significance of the study, research question and design$
methodology, project assumptions1imitations and anticipated findings (15 points).
Feasibility -ability of the project to be successfully completed within the time frames
discussed in this announcement and other relevant constraints (15 points).
Environmental Results: Outputs, Outcomes and Tracking proposals will be evaluated
based on how well the proposal demonstrates the following: (15 points).
o Description of outputs (products) expected to be achieved by this project.
Description of outcomes (objectives) expected to be achieved by this project.
Extent to which the applicant demonstrates that their proposed project's
objectives/outcomcs are related to both the EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2, Protecting
Anierica's $false, Protect Himian Health; and Protect arid Restore 11'atersheds
arid Aquatic Ecosystems found at
ndcx.cfin#2014 I and
The National Water Program Guidance Strategies to Protect and Restore the
Health of Communities and Large Aquatic - South Florida Ecosystem found at
FY-2014- Nat in na I -Water-
Pmaram-Guidance.-fm
Relevance to Resource Management - degree to which the proposals' approach to
addressing one of the Priority Areas produces resultsmutputs that can be applied to
identifying and solving problems within the South Florida ecosystem (10 points)
16
Its Past Performance Criteria
111Eoints f3.75per subcriteria))
Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to successfully
complete and manage the proposed project taking into account the applicant's:
(i) past perfirntiance in successfully completing and managing the assistance
agreements identified in response to Section IV of the announcement,
(ii) history of meeting the reporting requirements under the assistance agreements
identified in response to Section IV of the announcement including whether
the applicant submitted acceptable final technical reports under those
agreements and the extent to which the applicant adequately and timely
reported on their progress towards achieving the expected outputs and
outcornes under those agreements and if such progress was not being made
whether the applicant adequately reported why not,
(iii) organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the
objectives of the proposed project, and
(iv) staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to
obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.
Note: In evaluating applicants under items i and ii oft is criterion, the Agency
will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider
relevant information from other sources including agency files and priorcurrent
grantors (e.g,, to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the
applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past
reporting information, please indicate this in the proposal and you will receive a
neutral score for these subinctors (items i and ii above -a neutral score is half of
the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any
response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.
Budget - whether the proposed budget is reasonable and adequate to carry out proposed
project IS points).
Expenditure of Awarded Grant Funds applications will be evaluated based on approach.
procedures, and controls for ensuring the awarded grant funds will be expended in a
timely and efficient manner (5 points)
Leveraging under this criteria, applicants will be evaluated based on the extent they
demonstrate (i) how they will coordinate the use of EPA funding with other federal
and. or non-federal sources of funds to leverage additional resources to carry out the
proposed project(s) and/or (h) that EPA funding will compliment activities relevant to the
proposed project(s) carried out by the applicant with other sources of funds or resources -
Applicants may use their own funds or other resources for a voluntary match or cost
share if the standards at 40 CFR 30.23 or 40 CFR 31.24, as applicable, are met. Only
eligible and allowable costs may be used for matches or cost shares. Other Federal grants
may not be used as matches or cost shares without specific statutory authority (eg.
M
HUD's Community Development Block Grants). Any form of proposed leveraging that is
evaluated under a Section V ranking criteria must be included in the proposal and the
proposal must describe how the applicant will obtain the leveraged resources and what
role EPA funding will play in the overall project. If the Florida Legislature appropriates
funds, FDEP may provide as grant under its own authority to a recipient for the funding
for the water quality monitoring project that would be counted as leveraging (5 points).
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals will first be evaluated against the threshold factors listed in Section III by the panel
chair. Only those proposals which meet all of the threshold factors will be considered eligible
and evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed above. The eligible proposals will be given to a
panel of EPA staff where each proposal will be reviewed and given a numerical score and will be
rank -ordered according to final numerical score obtained by consensus of individual reviewers.
Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the Approving Of based on this
rankin&
Final funding decisions will be made by the Approving Official based on the rankings and
preliminary recommendations of the EPA evaluation team. In making the final funding
decisions, the Approving Official may also consider programmatic priorities. It is intended that
federal assistance agreements will be awarded during the fourth quarter of FY 2014 with project
and budget periods to begin on the first day of FY 2015 (October 1, 2014) or as soon as possible
thereafter.
Section V1. Award Administration Information
A. Application for Federal Assistance
If a proposal is selected for funding, it is expected that the applicant will be contacted by EPA
Region 4 staff around July 18, 2014, and required to submit a final application package to
Region 4 no later than around July 25, 2015.
B. Award Notice
Award Notification. EPA anticipates notification to successful applicants will be made via
telephone or electronic or postal mail around July 18, 2014The notification will be sent to the
original signer of the proposal or the project contact listed in the proposal. This notification,
which informs the applicant that its proposal has been selected and is being recommended for
award, is not an authorization to begin work. The official notification of an award will be made
by the Regional GMO. Applicants are cautioned that only a grants officer is authorized to bind
the Government to the expenditure of funds; selection does not guarantee an award will be made.
For example, statutory authorization, funding or other issues discovered during the award
process may affect the ability of EPA to make an award to an applicant.fbe award notice,
signed by an EPA grants officer, is the authorizing document and will be provided through
electronic or postal mail. The successful applicant may need to prepare and submit additional
documents and forms (e.g., work plan), which must be approved by EPA, before the grant can
is
officially be awarded. The time between notification of selection and award of a grant can take
up to 90 days or longer.
C. Intergovernmental Reviews
The funds associated with this announcement require Executive Order (E.O.) 12372,
Intergovemmental Review of Federal Programs", review. E.O. 12372 structures the federal
government's system of consultation with state and local governments on its decisions involving
grunts, other forms of financial assistance, and direct development- Under F.D. 12372, states, in
consultation with their local governments, design their own review processes and select the
federal financial assistance and direct development activities they wish to review. If selected for
funding, the recipient of the federal assistance agreement will be required to send a copy of their
application and proposal to the appropriate State Cleadriphouse Office for an intergovernmental
review.
D. Additional Provisions tion.
Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation,
including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, copyrights, disputes, and
administrative capability, can be found at
isions.hu-n. 'Mesa, and the other provisions
that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when
preparing proposals for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions
electronically at the weirshe above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this
solicitation to obtain the provisions
E. Reporting Relluirements
111-annual reporting will be required for special studies. The federal assistance agreement
recipient shall provide quarterly reports to the EPA project officer. The reports shall consist of
updates on progress toward work objectives, justification, approach, resul ts to date, any problems
encountered, actions taken to resolve problems, discussion of remaining tasks, and expenditures
to date, Bi-annual reports will be due May 30" and November 3Wh of each year,
Recipients of federal assistance agreements will be required to submit a draft final report that
summarizes the objectives, methods, approach, results, and significance of each project or study.
The draft final report will be reviewed by the EPA project officer and returned with comments -
The recipient of the federal assistance agreement will address the comments and submit a final
report to the EPA project officer with revisions- The final report will be due within 90 days of
the project period end date.
F. Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Recipients of federal assistance agreements will be required to develop and submit a Quality
Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) to the EPA project officer. Approval of the QAPP is required
before work can begin or any data can be collected. Through the plan, the recipient explicitly
go
commits to incorporating procedures that will reduce and maintain random and systematic errors
within specified tolerable limits. In addition, the recipient of a federal assistance agreement will
document quality control procedures and evaluate the quality of the data being produced. Plans
should include or refer to a description of safety, training and equipment maintenance. Data
quality objectives will be developed to ensure the utility of data for the applications. The QA
will be prepared according to the former prescribed in "EPA requirements for Quality Assurance
Project Plans for Environmental Data Operations, EPA OA/R-5".Tile recipient should develop
the QAPP in close coordination with the EPA Region 4 QA/QC Officer and the EPA project
officer. If requested, EPA will provide a QAPP on file with Region 4 to assist recipients with
preparation of their QAPPs.
G. Data Management
Under cooperative agreements with EPA Region 4 and NOAA/FKNMS, the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) manage a data management plan and data management
system for the monitoring and special studies programs associated with the FKNMS. Each
recipient of a federal assistance agreement for monitoring and special studies projects will work,
with the designated data management entity to define data entry conventions and issues. All
original and ancillary data produced under the monitoring and special studies programs will be
generated, processed, stored and archived in a manner that provides detailed documentation of
the procedures used during all stages of data collection, reduction. processing, analysis, and
Storage.
H. Publications
Recipients of federal assistance agreements for special studies are expected to submit
manuscripts on the funded projects to appropriate scientific journals within one year of the
completion of the final report. Recipients of federal assistance agreements for monitoring
projects are expected to submit manuscripts to appropriate scientific journals at an appropriate
time during and/or after the completion of the project. The appropriate time for submission of
manuscripts will be negotiated with the EPA project officer. Authors are expected to cite
support from the specific sponsor of their project or study in all publications resulting wholly or
partially from sponsored activities. For example, an appropriate acknowledgment would be as
follows:
"This project study was funded by a federal assistance agreement from the U.S,
Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to assistance Number-.
Reprints of any abstract. article or other publication that result from this sponsored projectAtudy
should be sent to the EPA project officer.
1. Public Relations
Official press releases an the special studies projects may be prepared by EPA Region 4 and/or
FKNMS staff to be used by all recipients of federal assistance agreements for distribution to the
news media. Principal investigators are not prohibited from discussing their projects with news
20
media; however, principal investigators should notify their EPA project officer of any contacts
with the news media regarding special studies projects funded via federal assistance agreements.
Section V11. Agency Contact
If you have any questions concerning this announcement of opportunity for federal funding and
proposals, please contact is. Jennifer Shadle at (404) 562-9436, email at
shad I e.jenm fer@epa.gov.
ATTACHMENT A
=' -, t P—' c 4%, 4, 1
1. Proposal Checklist
2. Proposal Cover Page along with one page summary
3. Application for Federal Assistance — Standard Form 424 (SF424)
4. Budget Information for Non -Construction Programs — Standard Form
424A (Sf424A)
5. Proposal Workplgn (16 page double spaced maximum)
6. Literature Cited
7. Budget Summary
9. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance
10. Leveraging
—11. Appendices
77
ATTACHMENT 8
PROPOSAL COVER PAGE
A proposal submitted for projects in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary or
Southeast Florida:
REBUM
Principal Inv estigntor(s):
Date Submitted: Proposed Start
Date -
ENDORSEMENTS:
Submitted by: Approved by:
Principal Investigator Institutional Representative
E=
HKEEM
W=
HIMMM
Title Title
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Address Address
Phone Fax Phone Fax
23
For Administrative Detail, Please Contact:
EM
Phone Fax E-mail
24