PM/WRA Notice of Funding Opportunity Guidelines

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

These guidelines are meant to provide guidance and assistance to organizations in preparing and submitting proposals for new grants, cooperative agreements and amendments for the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA). These instructions are not exclusive nor are they inclusive of what is required. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will provide additional instructions or particular requirements for that specific opportunity.

PM/WRA Mission

To reduce the harmful worldwide effects of at-risk, illicitly proliferated, and indiscriminately used conventional weapons of war.

Background

PM/WRA administers the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) foreign assistance program to reduce the harmful worldwide effects of at-risk, illicitly-proliferated, and indiscriminately-used conventional weapons of war.

PM/WRA Goals and Objectives

1. Enhance regional security by reducing at-risk, illicitly proliferated, or indiscriminately used conventional weapons of war.
   1. Secure stockpiles of surplus, obsolete, or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons of war.
   2. Destroy stockpiles of surplus, obsolete, or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons of war.
2. Increase civilian security by protecting lives and property.
   1. Reduce the risk of accidental detonation at military depots.
   2. Clear mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).
   3. Return of land and infrastructure to productive use.
   4. Assist the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of survivors of accidents involving mines and other ERW.
   5. Educate the public about the risk of mines and other ERW.
   6. Enhance host nations’ CWD program capacity.
3. Promote U.S. foreign policy interests.
   1. Demonstrate support for friends and allies.
   2. Enhance public awareness of benefits of CWD.
   3. Integrate gender mainstreaming into CWD programs.

Format

• The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for an effective evaluation. The proposal should provide convincing rationale to address how the grantee intends to fulfill the specific Objectives. Applicants shall assume that PM/WRA has no prior knowledge of their facilities, approach, and experience. PM/WRA will base its evaluation on the information presented in the applicant’s proposal, and, in the case of past performance, from responses to questions and other sources. If information required for proposal evaluation is not found in the section or part designated for its presentation, it will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal.
• Each part shall be written, to the greatest extent possible, so that its contents may be evaluated with a minimum of cross-referencing to other parts of the proposal.
• The proposal shall be valid for a period of not less than 180 days from the submission date. Each applicant shall make a clear statement that the proposal is valid until this date in the cover letter accompanying its proposal.
• An electronic copy of the proposal shall be uploaded onto GrantSolutions.gov in the notes section and labelled appropriately.

Organization/Number of Copies/Page Limits

The proposal shall consist of two parts numbered: Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal. The contents of the parts shall be as defined below.

1. The maximum page limit for a proposal is fifteen (15) pages, plus a line-item budget and an additional fifteen (15) pages for optional annexes/appendices.

• A 12-page (maximum) narrative proposal, which may include a cover page and table of contents
• A 3-page (maximum) budget narrative
• A detailed line-item budget (this can be in Microsoft Excel or PDF format as a separate attachment)
• Optional: Up to fifteen (15) pages of annexes/appendices including organizational work charts, letters of recommendation, or letters of accreditation, among others

Proposal Presentation

Elaborate brochures or documentation, detailed artwork, or other embellishments are unnecessary.

Pages and Font

Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches or A4 but consistent throughout. The type shall be no less than 12points, font style: Times New Roman. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by part, and by section and subsection within each part, identifying the applicant and date of submission. Page limits shall be treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal. When both sides of a sheet display printed material, it shall be counted as 2 pages.

Indexing

Each part shall contain a more detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that part. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections. Cover pages, tables of contents, tab indices that contain no information other than section identification, cross reference indexing and glossaries are excluded from the total page count.

WRITING THE PROPOSAL

The Basic Components of a Proposal

1. Project Narrative

1. Executive Summary
2. Problem Statement
3. Rationale
4. Organizational Capacity
5. Personnel List
6. Project Goals and Objectives
7. Key Strategies
8. Project Sustainability and Long-Term Planning
1. Evaluation
10. Risk Assessments

2. Budget Narrative
3. Detailed Line Item Budget
4. SF-424, SF-424a, SF-424b
5. SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activity
6. Latest A-133 Audit (If Applicable)
7. NICRA Agreement (If Applicable)
8. PM/WRA Principles Affidavit Statement
9. Representation by Organization Regarding a Delinquent Tax Liability or Felony Criminal Conviction Form

The following will provide an overview of these components.

1. Project Narrative

1. Executive Summary

• This section serves as the initial impression of the proposal and should be brief, no longer than two or three paragraphs.
• Prepare this section after developing the proposal, in order to encompass all key summary points necessary to communicate the objectives of the proposal.
• The immediate outcomes and long-term impacts of the project should highlight theproject goals and objectives into the PM/WRA mission.
• Consider including:

• Who is involved?
• How will you achieve this?
• How many people will be positively affected by your project?
• Who is collaborating with you?
• What makes your organization capable of performing this successfully?

2. Problem Statement

• Provide a clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the core issues.
• Conduct a formal and informal needs assessment in the target or service area.
• Explain the organization’s goals, philosophy, track record with other grantors, and success stories.
• Consider including:

• Statistics to set the stage of the problem in the region (i.e. how many people are affected and by what)
• Social and economic impacts on the local community
• Who has worked on this issue in the past?
• How effective have they been?
• What does the local government do to combat these issues?
• Which other NGOs have focused on these issues in the region?

3. Rationale

• What will this project accomplish as a whole?
• How does this complement past does projects (especially any PM/WRA funded projects)?

4. Organizational Capacity

• Illustrate the relationship between the home government and other funded projects in the region.
• How is your organization more qualified than others to execute this project in this region?
• List any other funding sources in the region.

5. Key Personnel List

• A detailed list of involved personnel may be inserted to include brief biographies and CVs of board members and key staff members.
• This can also be depicted by a staffing structure chart located in an annex.

6. Project Goal and Objectives

• The project goal and objectives section should elaborate onthe goals and objectives listed in the executive summary section.
• If an activity occurs within a country for its national mine action program, it must address one or more mine action performance goals contained in that country plan.
• Consider describing what the implications of this goal are on the community (include how many people will be reached, how many square feet will be cleared, etc.)

7. Key Strategies

• Describe your plan to achieve your goals.
• Include with whom you will collaborate (if anyone).
• Include each input—activities to occur along with the related resources and staff needed to operate the project.
• Include each throughput—a flow chart of the organizational features of the projects, describing how parts interrelate, where personnel will be needed, and what they are expected to do; also, include facilities, transportation, and support services required
• Include each output—what will be achieved by all of the inputs and throughputs.
• Include anticipated risks, including regional hazards, weather challenges, conflict, etc.
• Use appendices to provide details, supplementary data, references, and information requiring in-depth analysis because they provide immediate access to details if/when clarification is required.

8. Project Sustainability and Long-Term Planning

• Include what will happen when the grant period is over.
• Describe how the organization will continue to support the community.
• If any, describe the foundation that will be laid for further progress.

9. Evaluation

• The evaluation should be divided into two sections: product evaluation and process evaluation.
• Product evaluation addresses results that can be attributed to the project as well as the extent to which the project has satisfied its desired objectives.
• Process evaluation addresses how the project was conducted, in terms of consistency with the stated plan of action and the effectiveness of the various activities within the plan.
• Evaluation strategies should be explored carefully before submission of the application, because convincing evaluations require the collection of appropriate data before and during program operations and if the evaluation and design cannot be prepared at the outset, then a critical review of the program design may be advisable.

10. Risk Assessment

• Identify the possible risks that may complicate, hinder or halt the activities proposed in the narrative.
• Explain how your organization will address the identified risks if they occur.

2. Budget Narrative

1. Personnel Cost

• National Staff: Include the total cost of wages for all of the local employees and a breakdown of hours for each employee/employee type.
• International Staff: Include the total cost of wages for all international employees and a breakdown of hours for each employee/employee type.

2. Fringe Benefits

• Expat Travel: Include a breakdown of international travel for staff leave flights and how much money is allocated to this during the grant period.
• Insurance: Include the insurance offered/provided to all employees.

3. Domestic Travel

• Include the cost of staff travelling in country by road (not by organization’s vehicles) or by air and describe common instances of this type of travel.

4. International Travel

• Include a general description highlighting the planned trips of each personnel and possible reasons for required travel, such as internal audits, program support etc.

5. Equipment

• Include all equipment purchases the organization intends to make with PM/WRA funding.
• Equipment is any item with an original purchase value greater than $5,000 per unit and a useful life greater than one year.

6. Supplies

• Include all supplies purchases the organization intends to make with PM/WRA funding.
• Supplies are any items with an original purchase value less than $5,000 per unit.
• This may include food and water, medical supplies, fuel, vehicle maintenance, office equipment, body armor etc.

7. Construction

• Include all construction-related purchases the organization intends to make with PM/WRA funding.

8. Other Direct Costs

• Training Costs
• Insurance for Operations
• Audit Costs
• Professional Costs
• Currency transaction/adjustment fee (0.5% is allowable)
• Equipment Repair and Maintenance

3. Detailed Line Item Budget

The below line item budget provides an example of how budgets should be organized and formatted

			Unit Cost				Requested Federal/ PMWRA Funds		Cost-Share by Applicant		Program Total
			Unit	Number	Amount	Rate
A		Personnel	months		salary (monthly)	% effort
A.1		US-Based personnel
A.1.1		e.g., Project Manager					0.00		0.00		0.00
A.1.2		e.g., Project Officer, etc.					0.00		0.00		0.00
A.2		Field Personnel (US and non-US, specify)									0.00
A.2.1		e.g., Project Manager					0.00		0.00		0.00
A.2.2		e.g., Project Officer, etc.					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Personnel							0.00		0.00		0.00
B		Fringe Benefits
B.1		US-Based Personnel Fringe Benefits					0.00		0.00		0.00
B.2		Field Personnel Fringe Benefits (if applicable)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Fringe Benefits							0.00		0.00		0.00
C		Travel	# people	# trips	cost per person	# days
C.1		International Travel
C.1		International airfare (from country/city…to country/city, RT )					0.00		0.00		0.00
C.1.1		Per diem (Country/City) *					0.00		0.00		0.00	*For per diem, indicate the number
C.2		Domestic Travel										of days and cost per person per day
C.2.1		Airfare					0.00		0.00		0.00
C.2.2		Ground Transport					0.00		0.00		0.00
C.2.3		Per diem, if applicable					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Travel							0.00		0.00		0.00
D		Equipment (> $5,000 per unit )		# units	unit cost
D.1		(description, e.g., generators)					0.00		0.00		0.00
D.2		(description)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Equipment							0.00		0.00		0.00
E		Supplies (< $5,000 per unit & solely program related)		# units	unit cost							must be program-specific
E.1		(description)					0.00		0.00		0.00
E.1.1		(description)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Supplies							0.00		0.00		0.00
F		Contractual (Consultant fees, etc. )
F.1.1		Individual Consultant/title					0.00		0.00		0.00
F.1.2		Travel: Airfare (from/to, /RT), if applicable					0.00		0.00		0.00
F.1.3		Per diem (Country/City)					0.00		0.00		0.00
F.1.4		Contractual Sub-recipient (Name ) submit separate budget using the same format)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Contractual							0.00		0.00		0.00
G		Contruction
G.1		(description)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Construction							0.00		0.00		0.00
H		Other Direct Costs
H.1		Specify (list and itemize other program-related costs)					0.00		0.00		0.00
H.1.1		Specify (list and itemize other program-related costs)					0.00		0.00		0.00
H.1.2		Specify (list and itemize other program-related costs)					0.00		0.00		0.00
Subtotal Other Direct Costs							0.00		0.00		0.00
I		Total Direct Costs					0.00		0.00		0.00
J		Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC)					0.00		0.00		0.00
K		Indirect Costs (NICRA %) if applicable					0.00		0.00		0.00
L		Total Project Cost					0.00		0.00		0.00

4. SF-424, SF-424a, SF-424b

• 424

The SF-424 Form must be completed online through Grants.gov, or the application will not be reviewed. Instructions for completing the SF-424 Form are as follows:

1. Type of Submission: Application
2. Type of Application: New
3. Date Received: Leave blank; this will automatically be assigned.
4. Applicant Identifier: Leave blank.
5a. Federal Entity Identifier: Leave blank.
5b. Federal Award Identifier: Leave blank.
6. Date Received by State: Leave blank; this will automatically be assigned.
7. State Application Identified: Leave blank; this will automatically be assigned.
8a. Legal Name: Enter the legal name of the applicant organization.
8b. Employer/U.S. Taxpayer ID Number: Non-U.S. organizations may enter 44-4444444 only if they do not have a U.S. Taxpayer ID.
8c. Organizational DUNS: Enter the 9-digit DUNS number of the applicant organization. If the organization does not have a DUNS number, you may apply for one on the following website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform .
8d. Address: Enter the address of the applicant organization.
8e. Organizational Unit: Enter the name of the primary organizational unit (and department/division, if applicable) that will undertake the assistance activity.
8f. Name and Contact Information of Person to be Contacted on Matters Involving this Application: Enter the name, title, and contact information of the person to be contacted on matters involving this application.
9. Type of Applicant 1: Select an applicant type/type of organization.
10. Name of Federal Agency: Enter “Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.”
11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: Enter “19.800.”
12. Funding Opportunity Number: GO will enter info.
13. Competition Identification Number: Leave blank; this will automatically be assigned.
14. Areas Affected by Project (Cities, Countries, States, etc.): In alphabetical order, list the country/countries where project activities will take place. For projects that will take place in more than one region, enter “Global.”
15. Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: Enter the title of the proposed project, and delete pre-entered wording, if necessary.
16. Congressional Districts Of: Leave blank.
17. Proposed Project Start Date / End Date: Enter a projected start and end date for the project.
18. Estimated Funding: Enter the amount requested from PM/WRA for the project under “Federal,” and enter any cost-share in the appropriate row (B-E). Otherwise, enter 0.00 in lines that do not apply.
19. Is Application Subject to Review by State Under Executive Order 12372 Process? Select “C: Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”
20. Is the Applicant Delinquent on any Federal Debt? Select the appropriate box. If you answer “yes,” you will be required to provide an explanation.
21. Authorized Representative: Enter the name, title, contact information, and signature of the organization’s representative who is authorized to sign.

• 424A

This is the budget summary. Fill out all applicable fields on Section A and Section B.

• 424B

Read the SF-424B Form, and enter the name and title of the applicant organization’s authorized certifying official.

5. SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activity
6. Most Recent Audit (If Applicable)

Provide a copy of the applicant organization’s most recent single audit, preferably from within the last one (1) year. *U.S. non-federal entities must provide a copy of the SF-SAC coversheet.

1. The recipient’s proposal should include the cost of an audit that:

• Complies with the requirements of 2 CFR 200 Subpart F-Audit Requirements;
• A non-Federal entity (U.S. and foreign) that expends $750,000 or more during the non-Federal entity’s fiscal year in Federal awards must have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200 subpart F. The audit costs shall be identified by 2 CFR 200.425;
• Foreign Public Entities (including Public International Organizations) may choose to submit audits as part of the pre-award process, but it is not required.

7. NICRA Agreement (If Applicable)

Indicate in this section of the budget whether or not your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). If so, please list the NICRA rate and apply it only to the MTDC. If your organization does not have a NICRA, please note that the maximum allowable indirect rate is ten (10) percent of the MTDC.

8. PM/WRA Principles Affidavit Statement

The following Principles Affidavit Statement document should be signed, scanned, and submitted with each application package. (see below)

AFFIDAVIT STATEMENT

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM.gov)
PRINCIPALS CERTIFICATION for PM/WRA RECIPIENTS

I confirm that all principals of (Name of Company/Organization) have been searched through the System for Award Management, SAM.gov, which can be accessed through the following link: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ 

A “principal”/official is defined as:

1. An officer, director, owner, partner, principal investigator, or other person with management or supervisory responsibilities related to a covered transaction; or
2. A consultant or other person, whether or not employed by the participant or paid with Federal funds, who—
   1. Occupies a technical or professional position capable of substantially influencing the development or outcome of an activity required to perform the covered transaction.
   2. Is in a position to influence or control the use of those funds; or,
   3. Is in a position to handle Federal funds;

The signatory is responsible for checking the SAM.gov list and ensuring that their organization’s “principals”/officials are not on the list.

According to 2CFR180.303, organizations receiving U.S. government funding are prohibited from entering into a covered transaction with OFAC-listed listed Specially Designated Nationals or other persons listed in SAM.gov. If it is determined that the above statements are not accurate, I agree that the tenderer may be found in noncompliance with 2CFR180.303 and barred from entering into a subaward or subcontract with PM/WRA funds.

Further, I acknowledge that any falsified statement pertaining to the above listed information is a violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 1001 and is punishable by fine and or imprisonment of up to five years.

Name and Surname: __________________________

Duly authorized to sign this tender:

Signature: __________________________

Place and date: __________________________

Stamp of the Company/Organization (if applicable):

9. Representation by Organization Regarding a Delinquent Tax Liability or Felony Criminal Conviction Form

The following document should be signed, scanned, and submitted with each application package. (see below)

Representation by Organization Regarding a Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Criminal Conviction

The following provision shall be included in all Requests for Assistance.

(For more information, contact the Office of the Procurement Executive, Federal Assistance Division (A/OPE/FA)).

Begin Provision

REPRESENTATION BY ORGANIZATION REGARDING A DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY CRIMINAL CONVICTION (xx 2014)

(b) In accordance with section 7073 of Division K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76) none of the funds made available by that Act may be used to enter into an assistance award with any organization that –

(1) Was “convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency has direct knowledge of the conviction, unless the agency has considered, in accordance with its procedures, that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government”; or

(2) Has any “unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency has direct knowledge of the unpaid tax liability, unless the Federal agency has considered, in accordance with its procedures, that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government”.

For the purposes of Section 7073, it is the Department of State’s policy that no award may be made to any organization covered by (1) or (2) above, unless the Procurement Executive has made a written determination that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(c) Applicant represents that –

(1) It is [ ] is not [ ] an organization that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

(2) It is [ ] is not [ ] an organization that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability.

End Provision

Name _________________________ Date _________________________

 

Signature _________________________