FY13 Discretionary Funding Opportunity: Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) Program |
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Peter Rogoff
Federal Transit Administration
January 9, 2014
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1668-1672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00134]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
FY13 Discretionary Funding Opportunity: Low or No Emission
Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice for Request for Proposals (RFP).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the
availability of $24.9 million of Fiscal Year 2013 funds for the
deployment of low or no emission transit buses. Of that amount, $21.6
million is available for buses and $3.3 million is available for
supporting facilities and related equipment. If additional funding is
appropriated for this program in FY 2014, FTA may, at its discretion,
also make those funds available under this announcement.
DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the
GRANTS.GOV ``APPLY'' function by March 10, 2014. Prospective applicants
should initiate the process by registering on the GRANTS.GOV Web site
promptly to ensure completion of the application process before the
submission deadline. Instructions for applying can be found on FTA's
Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/13077.html and in the
``FIND'' module of GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax submissions will not be
accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Ricketson, FTA Office of Research
Demonstration and Innovation, 202-366-6678 or sean.ricketson@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
A. Program Authority
B. Program Purpose
C. Eligible Areas
D. Eligible Recipients and Applicants
E. Eligible Subrecipients
F. Eligible Projects
G. Eligible Vehicles
H. Cost Sharing
I. Project Requirements and Considerations
J. How To Apply
K. Application Content
L. Proposal Evaluation Criteria
M. Review and Selection
N. Award Information
Appendix--Registering in GRANTS.GOV
A. Program Authority
The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21),
Public Law 112-141, July 6, 2012, amended 49 U.S.C. 5312 to add a new
paragraph (d)(5) authorizing FTA to make grants to finance eligible
projects under the ``Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program''
(LoNo Program).
The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013,
(also referred to as the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013)
Public Law 113-6, March 26, 2013, has made available $24.9 million in
FY 2013 (after sequestration) to carry out the LoNo Program. Of that
amount, $21.6 million is available for buses and $3.3 million is
available for supporting facilities and related equipment. Given that
projects must be competitively selected pursuant to 49 U.S.C.
5312(d)(5)(E), if additional funding is appropriated for this program
in FY 2014, FTA may, at its discretion, apply those funds to either
scale up selections made under this announcement, or to fund
meritorious proposals that were not selected for lack of FY 2013
funding.
B. Program Purpose
The LoNo Program provides funding for transit agencies for capital
acquisitions and leases of zero emission and low-emission transit
buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required
supporting facilities such as recharging, refueling, and maintenance
facilities.
The main purpose of the LoNo Program is to deploy the cleanest and
most energy efficient U.S.-made transit buses that have been largely
proven in testing and demonstrations but are not yet widely deployed in
transit fleets. The LoNo Program is a capital program focused on
deploying new production vehicles that are market-ready or near market-
ready. It is not a program for designing and developing prototypes. The
program gives priority consideration to the deployment of buses with
the lowest energy consumption and least harmful emissions, including
direct carbon emissions.
C. Eligible Areas
An Eligible Area is defined under section 5312(d)(5)(A)(i) as an
area that is:
1. Designated as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide
under section 107(d) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7407(d)); or
2. A maintenance area, as defined in section 5303, for ozone or
carbon monoxide.
D. Eligible Recipients and Applicants
Eligible Recipients and Applicants are:
1. A recipient for an eligible area and designated, in accordance
with the planning process under section 5303 and 5304, by a Governor of
a State, responsible local officials, and publicly owned operators of
public transportation, to receive and apportion amounts under section
5336 to urbanized areas of 200,000 or more in population; or
2. A State, for an urbanized area in which an ``eligible area'' as
defined under section 5312(d)(5)(A)(i) is located that also has a
population under 200,000 individuals, as determined by the Bureau of
the Census.
E. Eligible Subrecipients
Eligible subrecipients are:
1. Public Transportation Providers
2. A project team member identified in the proposal and deemed a
``Key Party'' by FTA, including consultants, manufacturers, vendors,
systems integrators and facilities providers.
F. Eligible Projects
The following projects are eligible for funding, in accordance with
section 5312(d)(5)(A)(ii):
1. Acquiring or leasing low or no emission transit buses;
2. Constructing or leasing facilities and related equipment for low
or no emission transit buses;
3. Constructing new public transportation facilities to accommodate
low or no emission transit buses; or,
4. Rehabilitating or improving existing public transportation
facilities to accommodate low or no emission transit buses.
G. Eligible Vehicles
To be eligible, vehicles must be production transit buses used to
provide public transportation and meet either the zero emission bus, or
the low emission bus definition below.
For the purposes of this solicitation, a zero-emission transit bus
is defined as
[[Page 1669]]
a bus that produces no direct carbon emissions and no particulate
matter emissions under any and all possible operational modes and
conditions. A hydrogen fuel-cell bus qualifies as a zero-emission bus.
A battery-electric bus qualifies as a zero-emission transit bus. A zero
emission bus and a no emission bus are the same.
For the purposes of this solicitation, a low emission bus is
defined as any transit bus that is powered by an engine that produces
lower non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and oxides of nitrogen
(NOX) than are legally permitted under EPA's engine
standards at 49 CFR part 86.
H. Cost Sharing
FTA has determined that all eligible expenses under this program
are attributable for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act.
Therefore under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 5323(i) the Federal
Government's participation in the costs of leasing or acquiring a
transit bus financed under the LoNo Program is limited to 85 percent of
the total transit bus cost. The proposer may seek a lower Federal
contribution.
Further, the Federal Government's participation in the cost of
leasing or acquiring transit bus related equipment and facilities under
the LoNo Program is limited to 90 percent of the net project cost of
the equipment or facilities attributable to compliance with the Clean
Air Act. The Federal Share is 90 percent for these itemized items and
80 percent for the remainder. Again, the proposer may seek a lower
Federal contribution.
Therefore, at a minimum, the proposer must provide at least 15
percent of the cost of all transit bus acquisitions and 10 percent of
the cost for all related equipment and facilities.
I. Project Requirements and Considerations
1. Priority Consideration
To meet the requirements of section 5312(d)(5)(F), as amended by
MAP-21, priority consideration will be given to projects that have the
greatest reduction in energy consumption and harmful emissions,
including direct carbon emissions, when compared to standard buses or
other low or no emission buses. A zero-emission bus project, for
example, will receive priority consideration over a project that
proposes buses that produce some level of emissions.
2. Minimum Project Size
Proposals should result in the deployment of at least five (5) new
transit buses per location. Buses must be largely identical. If
possible, FTA asks that proposals be scalable upwards in increments of
1 or 2 transit buses so FTA can allocate all available funding under
the LoNo Program, including FY 2014 funds if these become available and
FTA elects to apply them to proposals received under this announcement.
3. Incremental Costs
The LoNo Program has limited funds. In order to maximize LoNo
Program impact, FTA seeks to build on existing transit bus
procurements, where possible. The LoNo Program strongly encourages
proposals that leverage other funds such that LoNo Program funds are
used to cover only the incremental cost of procuring the proposed
transit bus model above that of a more conventional higher-emission
transit bus.
4. Leadership and Commitment
Deploying new technology presents challenges that require
leadership and commitment to overcome. FTA seeks both prospective and
existing operators of clean technology buses who can demonstrate the
technical capacity and commitment required for sustained successful
deployments. Transit operators who are already industry leaders should
reiterate their commitment to supporting and deploying the cleanest and
most energy efficient buses available. Transit agencies new to clean
bus technology should highlight their technical capacity and commitment
for applying the resources necessary for success. All proposals should
describe how the proposed project fits with long term goals of creating
and deploying a zero-emission bus fleet.
5. Project Teams
FTA prefers proposals that identify project teams, including
transit agencies/operators, bus manufacturers, and facilities
providers, as well as systems integrators and project management
consultants, if any. FTA considers the competitive nature of proposal
selection to constitute adequate competition for the purpose of
satisfying third party contracting requirements. This approach will
enable FTA to select a portfolio of projects that can be implemented
with the greatest chance of success in the best interest of the Federal
Government.
Further, FTA reserves the right to name any or all proposed team
members as a ``Key Party'' and to make any award conditional upon the
participation of the ``Key Party.'' A ``Key Party'' is essential to the
project as approved by FTA and, is, therefore, eligible for a
noncompetitive award by the project sponsor to provide the goods or
services described in the proposal. Participation by members of the
``Key Party'' on a selected project may not later be substituted
without FTA's approval.
FTA encourages the use of experienced project management
consultants on project teams especially if the transit operator
involved lacks experience with the technology being proposed. In the
event that an applicant or transit agency has a pending procurement or
an open procurement for the same type of transit bus that qualifies
under this NOFA and the agency wishes to expand the procurement through
the LoNo Program, FTA recognizes that identifying all project team
members could either contradict or delay the procurement process.
Therefore, identifying all project team members is not required.
Applicants in this or similar situations are strongly encouraged to
apply and in such case the lack of identified team members will not be
penalized by FTA. Instead, the applicant should cite the procurement as
evidence of ongoing interest and commitment. This clarification applies
to procurements of vehicles that qualify under this NOFA.
6. Bus Testing
Transit buses proposed for deployment under the LoNo Program must
complete current FTA bus testing for production transit buses pursuant
to 49 U.S.C. 5318. The LoNo Program is not a platform for the
development of prototypes.
7. Buy America
All transit buses and related infrastructure and facilities under
the LoNo Program must be Buy-America compliant pursuant to 49 U.S.C.
5323(j) and its implementing regulations. FTA will not consider any Buy
America waivers under the LoNo Program.
8. Domestic Content
To maximize the benefit to domestic manufacturing, FTA seeks
proposals that exceed domestic content requirements for the proposed
vehicles. If the proposal builds on an existing procurement, the
proposer may indicate whether the procurement competition rewards
domestic content levels that exceed minimum Buy America requirements.
9. Documented Success
FTA seeks transit bus models that have documented successful
performance in transit revenue service.
[[Page 1670]]
10. FTA Project Administration
Successful proposals will be awarded through the FTA Transportation
Electronic Award and Management (TEAM) System as Cooperative Agreements
or Grant Agreements, at FTA's discretion. Proposals that expand
existing procurements will likely be handled consistently with the
agreement supporting the existing procurement. The FTA Research Office,
in consultation with the appropriate FTA Regional Office, will manage
project agreements.
11. FTA Program and Project Evaluation Activity
The legislation that created the LoNo Program requires FTA to
evaluate all projects in the program. Therefore, the applicant must
agree to participate and cooperate with FTA project evaluation
activity. Evaluation activity that FTA expects applicants to perform
includes collecting and providing raw vehicle and maintenance data,
meeting with FTA evaluators on a quarterly basis, and providing
evaluators access to the project site and to project team members, when
requested by FTA. The FTA Research Office is sensitive to the
importance of proprietary information and has a successful record of
accommodating those concerns.
12. Eligible Expenses Prior to Award
Funds under this NOFA cannot be used to reimburse projects for
otherwise eligible expenses incurred prior to FTA award of a Grant
Agreement or Cooperative Agreement unless FTA has issued a ``Letter of
No Prejudice'' for the project before the expenses are incurred.
13. Grant Requirements
Except as otherwise provided in this NOFA, grants or cooperative
agreements are subject to the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5307 as
described in the latest FTA Circular 9030.1 for the Urbanized Area
Formula Program.
J. How To Apply
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through
GRANTS.GOV by March 10, 2014. Mail and fax submissions will not be
accepted. A complete proposal submission will consist of at least two
files: (1) The SF424 Mandatory form (downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) and
(2) the Applicant and Proposal Profile supplemental form for LoNo
funding (Supplemental Form) found on GRANTS.GOV and the FTA Web site by
clicking (or copying and pasting) the LoNo Program link at
www.fta.dot.gov/grants/XXXXX.html [Supplemental Form is still being
developed--link will be provided]. The Supplemental Form provides
guidance and a consistent format for proposers to respond to the
criteria outlined in this NOFA. Once completed, the Supplemental Form
must be placed in the attachments section of the SF424 Mandatory Form.
Proposers must use the Supplemental Form designated for the LoNo
Program and attach it to the submission in GRANTS.GOV to successfully
complete the application process. A proposal submission may contain
additional supporting documentation as attachments. If an applicant
elects to attach an additional proposal narrative, it must not exceed
10 numbered pages. Submissions must be presentable. The use of non-
standard fonts, font sizing, and less than one-inch margins for the
inclusion of extra information will create a perception of poor
judgment.
Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the
applicant should receive three email messages from GRANTS.GOV: (1)
Confirmation of successful transmission to GRANTS.GOV, (2) confirmation
of successful validation by GRANTS.GOV, and (3) confirmation of
successful validation by FTA. If confirmations of successful validation
are not received or a notice of failed validation or incomplete
materials is received, the applicant must address the reason for the
failed validation, as described in the email notice, and resubmit
before the submission deadline. If making a resubmission for any
reason, include all original attachments regardless of which
attachments were updated and check the box on the supplemental form
indicating this is a resubmission.
FTA urges proposers to submit applications at least 72 hours prior
to the due date to allow time to receive the validation messages and to
correct any problems that may have caused a rejection notification. FTA
will not accept submissions after the stated deadline. GRANTS.GOV
scheduled maintenance and outage times are announced on the GRANTS.GOV
Web site. Deadlines will not be extended due to scheduled Web site
maintenance.
Proposers are encouraged to begin the process of registration on
the GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of the submission deadline.
Registration is a multi-step process, which may take several weeks to
complete before an application can be submitted. Registered proposers
may still be required to take steps to keep their registration up to
date before submissions can be made successfully: (1) Registration in
the System for Award Management (SAM) is renewed annually; and, (2)
persons making submissions on behalf of the Authorized Organization
Representative (AOR) must be authorized in GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to
make submissions. Instructions on the GRANTS.GOV registration process
are provided in the Appendix.
Applicants that submit multiple projects in one proposal must be
sure to clearly define each project by completing a separate
Supplemental Form for each project.
Information such as proposer name, Federal amount requested, local
match amount, description of areas served, etc. may be requested in
varying degrees of detail on both the SF424 form and Supplemental Form.
Proposers must fill in all fields unless stated otherwise on the forms.
The Supplemental Form template supports pasting copied text from other
documents; applicants should verify that pasted text is fully captured
on the Supplemental Form and has not been truncated by the character
limits built into the form. Proposers should use both the ``Check
Package for Errors'' and the ``Validate Form'' validation buttons on
both forms to check all required fields on the forms, and ensure that
the federal and local amounts specified are consistent.
K. Application Content
The SF424 Mandatory Form and the Supplemental Form will prompt
applicants for the required information, including:
1. Applicant name;
2. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
number if available. (Note: If selected, applicant will be required to
provide DUNS number prior to award);
3. Key contact information (including contact name, address, email
address, phone and fax number;
4. Description of services provided by the agency, including areas
served;
5. Congressional district(s) where the deployment will take place;
6. A list of project team organizational members, by organization
name and address;
7. A Letter of Commitment from each organizational member of the
project team;
8. A description of the technical, legal and financial capacity of
the applicant and partners to carry out the proposed project;
9. A description of the project and how it meets the program
purpose, including any related projects funded under other sources;
10. A description of the transit bus model(s) proposed, including
propulsion type, operating ranges, recharging/refueling requirements,
and
[[Page 1671]]
whether it qualifies as a zero-emission bus under this notice;
11. A description of all greenhouse gas and criteria pollutants
that may be emitted by the bus;
12. A description of required support facilities and infrastructure
in existence, being procured through other programs, and being proposed
through this program;
13. A project management plan;
14. A line-item budget. The budget should be at least for the
minimum 5 bus deployment and show the source of funds (requested under
this NOFA, local share, other Federal (identify source));
15. If the project can be scaled, a scaling plan;
16. A project schedule outlining steps through completion,
including significant milestones; and
17. The proposed deployment location(s).
L. Proposal Evaluation Criteria
1. General Evaluation Criteria
FTA desires a portfolio of projects that will deploy a significant
number of the cleanest, most energy efficient transit buses. Buses that
have been successfully demonstrated in revenue service but are not yet
in wide use in U.S. transit agency fleets have the best chance for
selection. Minor modifications or upgrades of earlier successful models
are acceptable. FTA seeks to further reduce risk by selecting projects
that include agencies or partners or teams with experience working with
new bus technology. Transit agencies lacking experience should
demonstrate its technical capacity to successfully deploy new clean bus
technology. To maximize program impact, FTA seeks projects that
leverage other sources of funding.
2. Project Evaluation Criteria
(a) The likelihood the project will result in the successful
deployment of at least five largely-identical qualified transit buses
operating in a single geographic location;
(b) The amount of projected emissions of the proposed transit bus
model, including greenhouse gas and Criteria (EPA-regulated) emissions;
(c) The extent to which the proposal leverages or expands a fleet
of zero-emission transit buses;
(d) The extent to which the proposal demonstrates an ongoing and
long-term commitment to the deployment of a zero-emission bus fleet;
(e) The extent to which the proposal identifies and demonstrates
the technical capacity and commitment of agencies, partners or teams
with expertise in the sustained successful deployment of similar
projects or propulsion technologies;
(f) The extent to which the proposed project is scalable upwards in
increments of 1 or 2 transit buses.
(g) The extent to which the proposal offers a method to use program
funds to cover only the incremental cost of the proposed bus model over
the cost of a transit bus with a more conventional propulsion system;
(h) The extent to which the proposal identifies project teams,
including transit agencies/operators, bus manufacturers, and facilities
providers, as well as systems integrators, and project management
consultants.
(i) The extent to which the proposal builds on past or current
Federally-funded research efforts;
(j) The extent to which the proposal presents transit bus
technology with existing documentation of successful revenue operation
in a transit system;
(k) The FTA Bus Testing report for the proposed transit buses; if
transit bus testing is not complete, the demonstrated commitment to
complete transit bus testing prior to bus delivery and acceptance;
(l) The extent to which the proposal builds upon existing
investments in charging or fueling infrastructure;
(m) The effectiveness of the project in achieving impacts on
general FTA objectives including:
i. Safety
ii. Fuel economy and energy efficiency
iii. Adequate driving range (especially for buses that may have
limited range, such as battery-electric).
(n) National Applicability. The applicant should demonstrate the
national applicability of the project, including whether the project
could be replicated by other transit agencies regionally or nationally.
(o) Domestic Content. The extent to which the buses proposed for
acquisition exceed Buy-America domestic content requirements.
(p) Project Management. The applicant must demonstrate the capacity
to carry out the project through a project management plan that shows:
i. The applicant is in a fundable status for the FTA grant award;
ii. The applicant's project team has the technical capacity to
carry out the project,
iii. A viable project approach, budget, and schedule;
iv. The applicant has the ability and commitment to collect
information and document the results of the project as part of an FTA
project evaluation effort;
v. There are no outstanding legal, technical, or financial issues
with the applicant that would make this a high-risk project; and,
vi. The source(s) of local share and that the funds are available
for prompt project implementation if selected.
M. Review and Selection
A technical evaluation committee comprised of FTA staff and
representatives of other collaborative government agencies will review
project proposals against the described evaluation criteria. The
technical evaluation committee reserves the right to evaluate proposals
it receives and to seek clarification from any proposer about any
statement that is made in a proposal that FTA finds ambiguous. FTA may
also request additional documentation or information to be considered
during the evaluation process. To provide the ability to evaluate
technologies in a wide variety of conditions and locales, FTA may
select projects to ensure geographic diversity among demonstrations
under this NOFA.
After the evaluation of all eligible proposals, the technical
evaluation committee will provide project recommendations to the FTA
Administrator. The FTA Administrator will determine the final list of
project selections, and the amount of funding for each project.
N. Award Information
To enhance the value of the portfolio of the projects to be
implemented, FTA reserves the right to request an adjustment of the
project scope and budget of any proposal selected for funding. Such
adjustments shall not constitute a material alteration of any aspect of
the proposal that influenced the proposal evaluation or decision to
fund the project.
If an application proposes a specific party(ies) to provide unique
or innovative goods or services on a project, FTA reserves the right to
name such party as a key party and to make any award conditional upon
the participation of the key party. A key party is essential to the
project as approved by FTA and is therefore eligible for a
noncompetitive award by the project sponsor to provide the goods or
services described in the application. A key party's participation on a
selected project may not be substituted without FTA's approval.
After FTA selects the successful proposals, successful applicants
will apply for and FTA will award funding through FTA's current TEAM
System. FTA's Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation (TRI),
in consultation with the appropriate FTA
[[Page 1672]]
Regional Office, will manage Project Grant Agreements and Cooperative
Agreements.
Applicants must sign and submit current Certifications and
Assurances before FTA may award funding under a Cooperative Agreement
or Grant Agreement for a competitively selected project. If the
applicant has already submitted the annual Certifications and
Assurances for the fiscal year in which the award will be made in FTA's
current TEAM System, they do not need to be resubmitted. The applicant
assures that it will comply with all applicable Federal statutes,
regulations, executive orders, FTA Circulars, and other Federal
administrative requirements in carrying out any project supported by
the FTA agreement. The applicant acknowledges that it is under a
continuing obligation to comply with the terms and conditions of the
agreement executed with FTA for its project. The applicant understands
that Federal laws, regulations, policies, and administrative practices
might be modified from time to time and may affect the implementation
of the project. The applicant agrees that the most recent Federal
requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA issues a written
determination otherwise.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.
Appendix A--Registering in System for Award Management (SAM) and
GRANTS.GOV
Registration in Brief
Registration can take as little as 3-5 business days, but since
there could be unexpected steps or delays (for example, if you need
to obtain an Employer Identification Number), FTA recommends
allowing ample time, up to several weeks, for completion of all
steps.
Step 1: Obtain DUNS Number
Same day. If requested by phone (1-866-705-5711) DUNS is
provided immediately. If your organization does not have one, you
will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet Web site at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform to obtain the number. *Information for
Foreign Registrants. *Webform requests take 1-2 business days.
Step 2: Register With SAM
Three to five business days or up to two weeks. If you already
have a TIN, your SAM registration will take 3-5 business days to
process. If you are applying for an EIN please allow up to two
weeks. Ensure that your organization is registered with the System
for Award Management (SAM). If your organization is not, an
authorizing official of your organization must register.
Step 3: Username & Password
Same day. Complete your AOR (Authorized Organization
Representative) profile on Grants.gov and create your username and
password. You will need to use your organization's DUNS Number to
complete this step. https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/OrcRegister.
Step 4: AOR Authorization
*Same day. The E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) at your
organization must login to Grants.gov to confirm you as an
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Please note that there
can be more than one AOR for your organization. In some cases the E-
Biz POC is also the AOR for an organization. *Time depends on
responsiveness of your E-Biz POC.
Step 5: Track AOR Status
At any time, you can track your AOR status by logging in with
your username and password. Login as an Applicant (enter your
username & password you obtained in Step 3) using the following
link: applicant--profile.jsp.
[FR Doc. 2014-00134 Filed 1-8-14; 8:45 am]
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