FY15 Discretionary Funding Opportunity: Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) Program |
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Matthew J. Welbes
Federal Transit Administration
September 24, 2015
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 185 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57656-57661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24231]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
FY15 Discretionary Funding Opportunity: Low or No Emission
Vehicle Deployment Program (LoNo) Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and for Request for
Proposals (RFP).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the
availability of $22.5 million of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 funds for the
deployment of low or no emission transit buses. Of that amount, a
minimum of $3.0 million is available for supporting facilities and
related equipment. If additional funding is appropriated for this
program in FY 2016, 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 November 23, 2015. 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 Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review
F. Federal Award Administration
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
A. Program Description
The Low and No Emission Vehicle Deployment (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.
B. Federal Award Information
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, 2015
(FY 2015 Appropriations) Public Law 113-235, December 16, 2014, has
made available $22.5 million in FY 2015 to carry out the LoNo Program.
Of that amount, a minimum of $3.0 million is available for supporting
facilities and related equipment. Given that projects must be
competitively selected pursuant
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to 49 U.S.C. 5312(d)(5)(E), if additional funding is appropriated for
this program in FY 2016, 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 2015
funding.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
The FTA will consider projects from eligible applicants located in
eligible areas, as defined in 49 U.S.C 5312(d). Eligible areas are
limited to non-attainment and maintenance areas. Specifically, an
eligible area is defined as an area that is:
(i) 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
(ii) A maintenance area, as defined in section 5303, for ozone or
carbon monoxide.
Eligible applicants and recipients under this program are limited
to designated recipients in eligible areas over 200,000 in population
and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) for eligible areas under
200,000 in population. State DOTs must apply for and administer the
proposal and if selected, subsequent grant, for projects located in
eligible areas under 200,000 in population.
For more information about Designated Recipients, please see FTA
Circular 9030.1E, ``Urbanized Area Formula Program: Program Guidance
and Application Instructions'', January 16, 2014, Chapter II, which can
be found on FTA's Web site in its Law Library. For information about
non-attainment and maintenance areas, please visit the Environmental
Protection Administration's Greenbook, at http://www.epa.gov/airquality/greenbook/.
Eligible applicants may apply on behalf of eligible subrecipients,
to include other public transportation providers, tribes, and a project
team member identified in the proposal and deemed a ``Key Party'' by
FTA. Project teams may include consultants, manufacturers, vendors,
systems integrators and facilities providers. Tribes and other FTA
direct recipients should work with State DOTs or eligible designated
recipients in their area to apply on their behalf.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
The FTA has determined that all eligible expenses under this
program are attributable to compliance 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 limited to 80 percent for the cost of
equipment and facilities not attributable to compliance with the Clean
Air Act. 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.
3. Eligible Projects
The following projects are eligible for funding, in accordance with
section 5312(d)(5)(A)(ii):
(i) Acquiring or leasing low or no emission transit buses;
(ii) Constructing or leasing facilities and related equipment for
low or no emission transit buses;
(iii) Constructing new public transportation facilities to
accommodate low or no emission transit buses; or,
(iv) Rehabilitating or improving existing public transportation
facilities to accommodate low or no emission transit buses.
4. Eligible Vehicles
Proposals for bus acquisitions should result in the deployment of
at least five (5) new transit buses per location. Proposals for
supporting facilities should support at least five (5) buses. Buses
must be largely identical. 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 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.
All 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 FTA will only evaluate proposals for
production transit buses that have either completed testing or will be
tested prior to deployment. The LoNo Program is not a platform for the
development of prototypes.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package
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 http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/13077.html. The Supplemental Form provides
guidance and a consistent format for proposers to respond to the
criteria outlined in this NOFA.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
(i) Proposal Submission
A complete proposal submission consists of a minimum of two forms:
The SF424 Mandatory Form and the Supplemental Form. 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 and use standard fonts, font sizing,
and at least one-inch margins so the information can easily be read by
the reviewers.
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
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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.
The 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. The 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.
(ii) Application Content
The SF424 Mandatory Form and the Supplemental Form will prompt
applicants for the required information, including:
a. Applicant name;
b. 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);
c. Key contact information (including contact name, address, email
address, phone and fax number;
d. Description of services provided by the agency, including areas
served;
e. Congressional district(s) where the deployment will take place;
f. A list of project team organizational members, by organization
name and address;
g. A Letter of Commitment from each organizational member of the
project team;
h. A description of the technical, legal and financial capacity of
the applicant and partners to carry out the proposed project;
i. A description of the project and how it meets the program
purpose, including any related projects funded under other sources;
j. A description of the transit bus model(s) proposed, including
propulsion type, operating ranges, recharging/refueling requirements,
and whether it qualifies as a zero-emission bus under this notice;
k. A listing of all greenhouse gas and criteria pollutants that may
be emitted by the bus;
l. A description of required support facilities and infrastructure
in existence, being procured through other programs, and being proposed
through this program;
m. A description of the applicant's commitment to deploying a zero-
emission or low emission fleet and how this project contributes to the
agency's future plans.
n. A project management plan;
o. 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)). For projects
that propose to use LoNo Program funds solely for the incremental
costs, the applicants' budget should detail the other sources of
funding supporting the bus procurement. Budgets must also identify the
amount that is specifically being requested for facilities and
equipment;
p. If the project can be scaled, a scaling plan;
q. A project schedule outlining steps through completion, including
significant milestones; and
r. The proposed deployment location(s).
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
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
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obtained in Step (3) using the following link: applicant_profile.jsp.
4. Submission Dates and Times
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through
GRANTS.GOV by November 23, 2015. Mail and fax submissions will not be
accepted.
5. Funding Restrictions
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.
6. Other Submission Requirements
If possible, FTA asks that proposals for bus projects be scalable
upwards in increments of 1 or 2 transit buses so FTA can allocate all
available funding under the LoNo Program, including FY 2016 funds if
these become available and FTA elects to apply them to proposals
received under this announcement. To help FTA allocate program funding,
applicants are encouraged to identify how the proposed budgets are
scalable. In addition, the FTA must allocate a minimum of $3.0 million
for supporting facilities and related equipment. Therefore, applicants
are encouraged to include a facilities and related equipment component
to their proposal with a scalable budget for facilities and equipment.
This will enable FTA to ensure the $3.0 million minimum can be met with
a given portfolio of selected projects. Applicants should use the
separate budget section on the Supplemental Form to itemize any portion
of the proposed project that is specifically for related facilities and
equipment.
All proposals should describe how the proposed project fits with
long term goals of creating and deploying a zero-emission bus fleet.
E. Application Review
1. Selection Criteria
The FTA will use the following primary selection criteria when
evaluating competing projects eligible under this program:
i. Bus Model
The bus model is a priority consideration of the LoNo program. The
proposed bus model must receive at least a ``Recommended'' rating for a
proposal to be recommended for funding.
a. The proposed bus model will be evaluated on the extent to which
it has been successfully demonstrated in revenue service but is not yet
widely deployed in transit agency fleets (meeting the purpose of the
program) and the quality of the supporting evidence. Note that a bus
model's transit revenue service demonstration need not take place in
the United States. The FTA prefers bus models that have been
successfully demonstrated in the United States, but the documented
demands of the transit service and the quality of documentation of the
bus model's performance is more important than whether the
demonstration took place in the United States.
b. To meet the requirements of section 5312(d)(5)(F), priority
consideration will be given to projects that support bus models with
the greatest reduction in energy consumption and harmful emissions,
including direct carbon emissions, when compared to other buses. A
zero-emission bus project, for example, will receive priority
consideration over a project that proposes buses that produce some
level of emissions.
c. The proposed bus model will be evaluated by the status of its
FTA Bus Testing report; if bus testing is not complete, proposals will
be evaluated by the demonstrated commitment to complete transit bus
testing prior to bus delivery.
d. The proposed bus model will be evaluated by whether there is
sufficient documentation that it meets Buy-America domestic content
requirements.
e. Zero-emission bus technology, while ready for wider deployment,
is still developing in many respects. It is important that proposed bus
models advance bus technology that will contribute to the further
commercialization of zero-emission buses. Therefore proposed bus models
will be evaluated by the extent to which they advance technology that
can lead to better or less costly zero-emission buses.
Note: If no bus acquisition is being proposed (such as in a
proposal for facilities and equipment only) all four Bus Model
criteria (a-d) must still be addressed, describing the bus model
that the proposed facilities and equipment would support.
ii. Project Effectiveness
The following four criteria address the likelihood the proposal
will be effective in meeting critical considerations of the LoNo
program:
a. The likelihood the project will result in, or support, the
successful deployment of at least five largely-identical qualified
transit buses operating in a single geographic location.
b. The 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 builds on past or current
Federally-funded research efforts.
iii. Transit Agency and Community Commitment
Overcoming the challenges of deploying new technology requires
leadership and commitment. The 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 agencies who are already industry leaders should emphasize and
demonstrate their commitment to supporting and deploying the cleanest
and most energy efficient buses available.
a. Proposals will be evaluated by the extent to which they
demonstrate the transit agency's and the community's ongoing and long-
term commitment to the deployment of a zero-emission bus fleet.
b. Transit agencies should highlight their technical capacity and
commitment for applying the resources necessary for success, including
how they will train the agency's workforce to support clean bus
technology. In this regard, proposals will be evaluated by the extent
to which they demonstrate the transit agency's consideration of, and
commitment to, workforce development and training in support of zero-
emission technology.
c. In order to maximize LoNo Program impact, FTA seeks to build on
existing transit bus procurements, where possible. Therefore, the
selection process will prioritize 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. Therefore proposals will be
evaluated by the extent to which they offer a method to use program
funds to cover only the incremental cost of the proposed bus model or
facility over the cost of a transit bus or facility of a more widely
deployed propulsion system.
iv. Safety
Safety considerations are critical in the deployment of new
technology, to ensure public and worker safety and to protect public
and private investment. Therefore proposals will be evaluated
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by the extent to which they demonstrate an understanding of, and make
accommodation for, the safety considerations of the proposed bus
technology.
v. Technical Capacity
To reduce project risk, the following criteria will assist FTA to
determine the technical capacity of the project team:
a. The extent to which the proposal identifies by name a
comprehensive project team, including transit agencies, bus
manufacturers, and facilities providers, as well as systems
integrators, and project management consultants.
The FTA encourages the use of experienced project management
consultants on project teams especially if the transit agency 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
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.
b. 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.
vi. Project Management
The applicant must demonstrate the capacity to carry out the
project through a project management plan that shows:
a. The applicant is in a fundable status for the FTA grant award;
b. A viable project approach, budget, and schedule;
c. There are no outstanding legal, technical, or financial issues
with the applicant that would make this a high-risk project;
d. The source(s) of local share and that the funds are available
for prompt project implementation if selected; and,
e. 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.
2. Review and Selection Process
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. The FTA
may also request additional documentation or information to be
considered during the evaluation process. 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. To better evaluate technologies in a variety
of conditions and locales, FTA may select a portfolio of geographically
diverse projects.
F. Federal Award Administration
1. Federal Award Notice
Subsequent to an announcement by the FTA Administrator of the final
project selections posted on the FTA Web site, FTA will publish a list
of the selected projects, including Federal dollar amounts and
recipients. Project recipients should contact their FTA Regional
Offices for information about setting up grant agreements with FTA.
2. Award Administration
Successful proposals will be awarded through FTA's Transit Award
Management System (TrAMS) as either 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 appropriate FTA Regional
Office in consultation with the FTA Research Office will manage project
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
TrAMS, they do not need to be resubmitted.
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.
The FTA considers the competitive nature of LoNo Program proposal
selection to constitute adequate competition for the purpose of
satisfying third-party contracting requirements applicable to the
procurement of proposed transit bus models by selected applicants. The
FTA makes this determination with respect to the funding provided
through this NOFA and any other Federal funds that may be involved in
the selected LoNo bus acquisition proposal.
Further, FTA reserves the right to name any or all proposed project
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.
3. Administrative and National Policy 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. Additionally, under the LoNo Program FTA may, at its
discretion, consider exceptions to assist in the commercialization of
zero-emission bus technology, such as modifying spare ratio or useful
life requirements. The FTA will not consider any requests for bus
testing waivers.
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. The FTA will not consider any
Buy America waivers under the LoNo Program.
4. Reporting
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, unaltered vehicle performance
and maintenance
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data, meeting with FTA evaluators or FTA's evaluation representative 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.
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
For further information concerning this notice please contact the
(LoNo) Program staff via email at sean.ricketson@dot.gov, or call Sean
Ricketson at 202-366-6678. A TDD is available for individuals who are
deaf or hard of hearing at 1-800-877-8339. In addition, DOT will post
answers to questions and requests for clarifications on DOT's Web site
at www.fta.dot.gov. To ensure applicants receive accurate information
about eligibility or the program, the applicant is encouraged to
contact DOT directly, rather than through intermediaries or third
parties, with questions. DOT staff may also conduct briefings on the
LoNo program discretionary grants selection and award process upon
request.
H. Other Information
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.
Matthew J. Welbes,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-24231 Filed 9-23-15; 8:45 am]
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