Development and Maintenance of the Compliance Assistance
                        Center Platform
                          August 2009
                        Office of Compliance
             Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
                 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
               1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC 2221-A)
                       Washington, D.C. 20460
         http://www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/centers/index.html

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AGENCY:            ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE:               Development and Maintenance of the Compliance Assistance Center Platform

ACTION:             Request for Initial Proposals (RFIP)

RFP NUMBER:        EPA-OECA-OC-09-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO:  66.305 - Compliance Assistance Support for
Services to the Regulated Community and Other Assistance Providers

    DATES:   The closing date and time for receipt of initial proposal submissions, regardless of mode of submission, is
    October 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). All hard copies of initial proposal packages must be
    received by Tracy Back by October 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m., EST. Electronic submissions must be addressed to
    back.tracy@epa.gov and include the "Compliance Assistance Center Platform Submission" - [name of applicant] in
    the subject line and be received by October 1,  2009, 4:00 p.m.  EST in order to be considered for funding. Initial
    proposals received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding.

    Only eligible entities whose initial proposal(s) meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be
    invited to submit a final proposal. Final applications and forms will be requested from the eligible entity whose final
    proposal is successfully evaluated and preliminarily recommended for this award. The successful entity will be
    provided with  instructions and a due date forsubmittal of the final application packagez

    SUMMARY:  This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals to continue the development and
    maintenance of the Compliance Assistance Center Platform (Center Platform). The Center Platform includes a suite of
    comprehensive web-based tools necessary to create full-featured Compliance Assistance Centers.

    FUNDING/AWARDS: The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $1,250,000. EPA
    anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds and the
    quality of proposals received.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

I.      Funding Opportunity Description
II.      Award Information
III.     Eligibility Information
IV.     Proposal and Submission Information
V.      Proposal Review Information
VI.     Award Administration Information
VII.    Agency Contacts

I.      FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

       A.     Background

              The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic
       institutions, environmental groups and other federal and state agencies to establish Compliance Assistance
       Centers (Centers). The Centers provide comprehensive, easy to understand  compliance information targeted
       specifically to industry sectors or geographic areas. In 1996, four Centers opened for business.  The popularity of
       these Centers led to the opening of 12 more Centers.  Businesses, local governments, and assistance providers
       are  using  the centers. In FY 2008 the Centers were visited over 2,220,000 times by their target audiences and the
       public. These visits included over 7 million  requests for web pages and targeted compliance documents.


              In October 2001, EPA received  a congressional earmark to "to facilitate industrial input into EPA's
       compliance assistance clearinghouse and to expand the scope of compliance assistance centers".  In response to

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the congressional earmark, EPA partnered with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to
develop the Center Platform from which new sector-specific or topical Centers can be "launched".  The Center
Platform includes a suite of comprehensive web-based tools necessary to create full-featured Centers.  Funding a
single organization to efficiently create and manage the web-mechanics of a Center and to develop compliance
assistance tools that all Centers can use has reduced the financial barrier to creating new Centers. EPA views the
Center Platform as an opportunity to build upon the existing Centers programs to increase efficiencies and deliver
assistance to more sectors.
B.     Scope of Work

       The ultimate goal of the Center Platform is to help industry comply with environmental regulations. The
Center Platform is partnering with a broad range of trade and professional organizations and government agencies
to create compliance assistance resources for a variety of sectors. To date, the following four Centers have been
created and launched via Center Platform resources: Border Center (www. bo rd e rce nte r. o rg):  Environmental
Compliance for Automotive Recyclers (www.ecarcenter.org'): Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center
(www.cicacenter.org'): and the Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (www.herccenter.org').  In developing
new Centers, the Center Platform must work intensively with its partners to  identify specific customer needs,
customize tools, and workout the distribution of responsibilities.

       In addition to the Centers developed on the Center Platform, several other Centers developed by other
organizations have migrated to the Center Platform, including the Local Government Environmental Assistance
Network (www.lgean.org) and the Transportation Environmental Resource Center.  The Center Platform also
develops tools and resources that are available to other Centers and assistance providers. Most notably, the
Center Platform has created and maintains a suite of state-specific resource locators
(www.envcap.org/statetools/index.cfm').  The state resource locators are offered for a wide range of topics to help
find important environmental compliance information specific to individual states. Visit www.envcap.org to learn
more about the Center Platform

For the project funded under this RFIP, the Center Platform grantee must:

•      Work with content experts and target audiences to continue enhancements and maintenance of the
       following Centers: Border Center; Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center; Environmental
       Compliance for Automotive Recyclers; Healthcare Environmental Resource Center; Local Government
       Environmental Assistance Network; National Metal Finishing Resource Center; Paints and  Coatings
       Resource Center; and the Food Processing Environmental Assistance Center (to be launched in Fall
       2009).

•      Support the "re-development" of the Transportation Environmental Resource Center (TERC). TERC has
       not been funded for several years; much of the existing content has since  become out-dated and/or
       irrelevant. The grantee must work intensively with its partners to identify specific customer needs,
       customize tools,  and workout the distribution of responsibilities to reestablish TERC as a reliable
       environmental assistance resource for the transportation sector.  (A separate grant will be awarded to
       support TERC content development and sector expertise.)

•      Maintain existing state resource locators and develop additional new state resource locators and other
       tools to help the regulated community better understand and comply with applicable state environmental
       regulations

•      Support the development of new Centers and work intensively with industry partners to identify specific
       customer needs, customize tools, and workout the distribution of responsibilities.  Depending on the
       availability of funds, EPA anticipates the development of 2-5 new Centers  during the proposed 5 year
       project period.

•      Use stakeholder communication channels to obtain feedback on Center Platform resources and
       promote/disseminate environmental assistance information on a timely basis to the various stakeholders.

•      Develop innovative and cost efficient mechanisms allowing state regulatory agencies and other providers
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       to share and/or contribute to Center Platform resources.

•      With input from the regulated community and EPA, develop a minimum of 10 sector-specific entry pages
       providing quick assess to existing environmental assistance content.  The sector entry pages will serve as
       portals to relevant information developed by the Centers and other organizations as appropriate (e.g.
       EPA).  Individual sector entry pages will use navigation structures specific to the sector thereby providing
       easy access to relevant environmental content.  EPA's Retail Industry Portal
       (http://www.epa.gov/retailindustry/) and the National Center for Manufacturing Science's portal for Ports
       (http://sp.envcap.org/) are examples of the types of sector entry pages to be developed by the grantee.

 •     Maintain and enhance the Centers' Web portal at http://www.assistancecenters.net/. The Centers' Web
       portal supports Centers outreach and  drives traffic to individual Centers. Center events, highlights and
       accomplishments are announced at the Centers' Web portal.  Web 2.0 tools should be considered to
       enhance the Center Web portal's effectiveness.


C.     EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs

1.      Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan: proposals must support Goal 5 of EPA's 2006-2011 Strategic Plan,
       Compliance and Environmental Stewardship: Objective 5.1, achieve environmental protection through
       improved compliance. Specifically, proposed activities will enable regulated entities to better understand
       and meet their environmental regulatory obligations, improve environmental processes and reduce
       pollution.

       Outputs.  The term "output" means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product
       related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by
       a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must  be measurable during an assistance
       agreement funding period.

       Potential outputs from the Center Platform include:
           •   Number of user sessions
           •   Number of listserv subscribers
           •   Number of page views

           Progress reports and a final report will also be a required output,  as specified  in Section VI(C) of this
           announcement, "Reporting Requirement."

       Outcomes.  The term "outcome" means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out
       an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective.
       Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must be
       quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

           Expected outcomes from the Center Platform include, but are not limited to the following:
           •   Increased understanding of environmental regulations
           •   Improved environmental practices as a result of Center Platform use
           •   Reduced, treated,  or eliminated pollution as a result of Center Platform use


D.     Supplementary Information.

       Clean Air Act Section 103(b)(3) allows for grants to nonprofit organizations to conduct research,
       investigations, experiments, demonstration projects, surveys, and studies related to the causes, effects,
       extent, prevention and control of air pollution.  The Clean Water Act Section 105 allows for grants to non
       profit organizations to conduct and promote the coordination of research, investigations, experiments,
       training, demonstration projects, surveys, public education programs  and studies relating to the prevention
       of emissions to water ways.  The Solid Waste Disposal Act Section 8001 (a) allows for grants to non profit
       organizations to conduct and promote the coordination of research, investigations, experiments, training,

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               demonstration projects, surveys, public education programs and studies relating to solid waste (e.g.,
               health and welfare effects of exposure to materials present in solid waste and methods to eliminate such
               effects). The project will involve the identification and minimization of pollution sources from the regulated
               entity activities to the air,  water and land. The project encourages and provides technical services and
               information on the prevention and control of air pollution and makes such information available to industry
               and EPA's state partners. The project also accelerates efforts to refine and achieve practical application
               of waste management techniques for the discharge of pollutants by developing and providing information
               for industry on how to comply with laws and regulations. Lastly, this project provides information about the
               reduction of wastes, identification of solid waste, and methods to improve performance and compliance to
               industry, public authorities and entities that train other environmental assistance providers.


II.      AWARD INFORMATION

       A.      What is the amount of funding available?

               The total estimated funding expected to be available for the award under this competitive opportunity is
               approximately $1,250,000.  This amount is subject to the availability of funds and quality of evaluated
               proposals.


       B.      How many agreements  will EPA award in this competition?

               EPA anticipates the award of one cooperative agreement under this announcement, subject to the
               availability of funds and quality of evaluated proposals. EPA reserves the right to make additional awards
               under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding  becomes available after the
               original selection.  Any additional selection  for award will be made no  later than six months from the date
               of the original selection.

               EPA also reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no awards.

       C.      What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?
               The estimated project period for the award  resulting from this solicitation will begin in May 2010.
               Proposed project periods may be up to five years.

       D.      Funding Type

               The funding for the selected project will be  in  the form of a cooperative agreement. Cooperative
               agreements permit substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicant in
               the performance of the work supported. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and  conditions relating
               to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial Federal involvement
               for this project will be:

               •  close monitoring of the successful applicant's performance to verify the results proposed by the
                  applicant;
               •  collaboration during performance of the scope of work;
               •  in  accordance with 40 CFR 31.36(g), review of proposed procurement;
               •  approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by
                  the award recipient);
               •  review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the
                  content of reports rests with the recipient).

III.     ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

       A.      Eligible Entities

               In accordance with CFDA 66.305, proposals will be accepted from nonprofit organizations, state, tribal and
               local governments. Colleges, universities, and community colleges are eligible to apply.
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       Non-profit organization, as defined by OMB Circular A-122, located at 2 CFR Part 230, means any
       corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization which: (1) is operated primarily for
       scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized
       primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations. For
       this purpose, the term "non-profit organization" excludes (i) colleges and universities; (ii) hospitals; (iii)
       state, local, and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; and (iv) those non-profit organizations
       which are excluded from coverage of this part in accordance with § 230.20(c)

       Non-profit 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 Matching

       There are no statutory or regulatory match requirements.

C.     Threshold Eligibility Criteria:

       Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria in order to be considered for award. Only eligible entities whose
       proposal(s) meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be invited to submit a final
       proposal. Only final proposals from eligible entities (see Section III.A above) that meet all threshold
       eligibility criteria will be evaluated  against the ranking factors in Section V of this announcement.
       Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be
       notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

       1.      Applicant demonstrates a previous working relationship(s) with experts and national organizations
               devoted to environmental compliance.

       2.      Applicant demonstrates an understanding of the environmental needs of regulated entities.

       3.      Applicant and/or partnering organization demonstrates familiarity with federal, state and local
               environmental regulations and experience in developing tools (e.g., training, plain-language
               guides, fact-sheets, Agency contact locators, etc) to improve the audiences' understanding of their
               regulatory obligations.

       4.      Applicant demonstrates previous experience in developing and maintaining web-based services.

       5.      Applicant demonstrates that it has an indirect cost rate that has been approved or is pending
               approval by a federal agency or has a cost allocation system that meets the requirements in the
               applicable OMB Circular.

       6.      Regarding initial proposal submissions:
               a.   Proposals must be formatted for 8 112" x 11" paper using no smaller than 11 point font with 1"
                   margins. A page equals one side of paper. Hard copy submissions should be submitted on
                   recycled paper and should  be double-sided to reduce waste. The proposal cannot exceed a
                   maximum of 10 single-spaced typewritten pages; a double sided page is considered two
                   pages.

               b.   Proposals must be received by the EPA as specified in Section  IV of this announcement on or
                   before the proposal 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.

               c.   Submissions received 'after 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 or e-mailed 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

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                         Tracy Back (back.tracy@epa.gov or 202.564.7076) as soon as possible after the submission
                         deadline—failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

                     d.  Hard copy submissions will only be accepted via an express delivery service.  EPA will not
                         accept submissions submitted via fax or standard 1st Class Mail delivery by U.S. Postal
                         Service.


IV.     PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

       A.     How to Obtain Proposal Package

              Applicants can download individual grant proposal/application forms from EPA's Office of Grants and
              Debarment website at: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/how to  apply.htm.

              To obtain a hard copy of materials, please send an email or written  request to the Agency contact listed in
              Section VII of this announcement.

       B.     Mode of 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 email to the specified EPA contact below.
              Proposals will not be accepted via fax or standard 1st class mail delivery by U.S. Postal Service. All
              proposals must be prepared, and include the information, as described below in Section IV.C "Content of
              Proposal Submission" regardless of mode of transmission.

              1. Hard Copy Submission

              Please provide one original of the submission and four copies-no binders or spiral binding-to:

                             Hard Copy via Express Delivery (FedEx. UPS. DHL. USPS. etc.)

                             U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                            ATTN:  Tracy Back (Mail Code: 2224A)
                             Office of Compliance / AR South room 7033b
                             1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
                            Washington, DC 20004
                             Phone: 202.564.7076


              2. E-mail Submission
              E-mail submissions must be submitted to back.tracy@epa.gov and  be received by the submission
              deadline stated in Section IV.G of this announcement. Please note that if you choose to submit your
              materials via e-mail, you are accepting all risks attendant to e-mail submission including server delays and
              transmission difficulties. E-mail submissions exceeding 15MB will experience transmission delays which
              will affect when they are received by the Agency. For these size submissions, applicants should submit
              their application materials via hardcopy or else they may be received late and not considered for funding.
              Applicants submitting their application materials through e-mail should confirm receipt of the materials with
              Tracy Back as soon as possible after submission. Electronic submissions should use "Center Platform
              Submission" in the subject line.

       C.     Content of Final Proposal Submission

              Only those applicants that meet all of the threshold eligibility criteria will be invited to submit a final
              proposal.  All final proposals must be formatted for 8 1/2" x 11" paper using no smaller than 11  point font
              with 1" margins. A page equals one side of paper. Hard  copy submissions should be submitted on
              recycled paper and should be double-sided to reduce waste. The final proposal package must include all
              of the following materials:

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•   Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance
    Complete the form (available at http://www.epa.gov/oqd/forms/forms.htm There are no attachments.
    Please be sure to include organization fax number and email address in Block 5 of the Standard Form
    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.

•   Standard Form (SF) 424A , Budget Information
    Complete the form (available at http://www.epa.gov/oqd/forms/forms.htm There are no attachments.
    The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(e) and
    on line 6(k) of SF-424A, the amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j). The indirect cost
    rate (i.e., a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and fringe benefits), and the amount should
    also be indicated on line 22.

•   Narrative Proposal
    The document should be readable in PDF for Windows and consolidated into a single file and be
    prepared as stated below.

    The Narrative Proposal (including sections  1-3 below) cannot exceed a maximum of 20 single-spaced
    typewritten pages, including the Summary Page. Pages in excess of 20 will not be considered.
    Supporting materials, such as resumes and letters of support, can be submitted as attachments and
    are not included in the 20-page limit; a double sided  page  is considered two pages.


       1. Summary Page

       a.     Project Title
       b.     Applicant Information.  Include applicant (organization) name, address, contact person,
              phone number, fax and e-mail address.
       c.     Funding Requested. Specify the amount you  are requesting from EPA.
       d      Total Project Cost.  Specify total cost of the project. Identify funding from other sources,
              including cost share or in-kind resources.
       e.     Project period. Provide beginning and ending dates.

       2. Narrative Proposal

       The Narrative Proposal must explicitly describe how the proposed project meets the
       guidelines established in Sections l-ll of this  announcement, and must address each of the
       evaluation criteria set forth in Section V.

       Proposals must support Goal 5 of EPA's 2006-2011 Strategic Plan, Compliance and
       Environmental Stewardship; Objective 5.1, achieve environmental protection through improved
       compliance.  By offering compliance assistance to  those who want to comply with environmental
       regulations EPA seeks to ensure that the public  receives the benefits promised by our
       environmental laws.
       a.  Project Summary/Approach: The summary shall contain the following components:

              i.       Detailed project summary, description of specific actions and methods to be
                      undertaken and the responsible institutions, including estimated time line for each
                      task.
              ii.       Description of the associated work products to be developed.
              iii.      Explanation of project benefits to the public, and specifically the potential
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                      audience(s) served.
               iv.      Description of the roles of the applicant and partners, if any.
               v.      Description of staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the
                      ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.
                      For example; Expertise in developing and maintaining web based environmental
                      compliance assistance services, or similar projects, and its experience in working
                      with compliance issues.
               vi.      Budget and estimated funding amounts for each work component/task.

               *Selected applicant(s) will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate
               that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency.

       b. Environmental Results—Outcomes and Outputs

       Identify the expected quantitative and qualitative outcomes of the project (See Section I),
       including what measurements will be used to track your progress towards achieving the expected
       outcomes and how the results of the  project will be evaluated.  Identify the expected project
       outputs and how progress towards achieving the expected outputs will be tracked and measured.

       c. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance

       Submit a list of federally and/or non-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 three 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 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.

       3. Detailed Budget Narrative
Clearly explain how EPA funds will be used. This section provides an opportunity for narrative description
of the budget found in the SF-424A. Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits,
contractual costs, travel, equipment, supplies, other direct  costs, indirect costs, and total costs.

Management Fees: When formulating budgets for proposals/applications, applicants must not include
management fees or similar charges in excess of the direct costs and indirect costs at the rate approved
by the applicants cognizant audit agency, or at the rate provided for by the terms of the agreement
negotiated with EPA.  The term "management fees or similar charges" refers to expenses added to the
direct costs in order to accumulate and reserve funds for ongoing business expenses, unforeseen
liabilities, or for other similar costs that are not allowable  under EPA assistance agreements. Management
fees or similar charges may  not be used to improve or expand the project funded under this agreement,
except to the extent authorized as a direct cost of carrying  out the scope of work.

4. Attachments (Optional). These are  not included in the 20-page limit.

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       a. Resumes. Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for all principal investigators and any other key
       personnel.
       b. Support Letters. Specifically indicate how the supporting organization will assist in the project.

D.     Can funding be used for the applicant to make subawards acquire contract services or fund
       partnerships?

       EPA awards funds to one eligible applicant as the recipient even if other eligible applicants are named as
       partners or co-applicants or members of a coalition or consortium. The recipient is accountable to EPA for
       the proper expenditure of funds.

       Funding may be used to provide subgrants or subawards of financial assistance, which includes using
       subawards or subgrants to fund partnerships,  provided the recipient complies with applicable
       requirements for subawards or subgrants including those contained in 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31, as
       appropriate.   Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts,
       and conduct cost and price analyses to the extent required by the  procurement provisions of the
       regulations at 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31, as appropriate. The regulations also contain limitations on
       consultant compensation. Applicants are not required to identify subawardees/subgrantees and/or
       contractors (including consultants) in their proposal/application.  However, if they do, the fact that an
       applicant selected for award has named a specific subawardee/subgrantee, contractor, or consultant in
       the proposal/application EPA selects for funding does not relieve the applicant of its obligations to comply
       with subaward/subgrant and/or competitive procurement requirements as appropriate. Please  note that
       applicants may  not award sole source contracts to consulting, engineering or other firms assisting
       applicants with the proposal solely based on the firm's role in preparing the proposal/application.

       Successful applicants  cannot use subgrants or subawards to avoid requirements in EPA grant regulations
       for competitive procurement by using these instruments  to acquire commercial services or products from
       for-profit organizations to carry out its assistance agreement.  The nature of the transaction between the
       recipient and the subawardee or subgrantee must be consistent with the standards for distinguishing
       between vendor transactions and subrecipient assistance under Subpart B Section .210 of OMB Circular
       A-133 , and the definitions of subaward at 40 CFR 30.2(ff) or subgrant at 40 CFR 31.3, as applicable. EPA
       will not be a  party to these transactions. Applicants acquiring commercial goods or services must comply
       with the competitive  procurement standards in 40 CFR Part 30 or 40 CFR  Part 31.36 and cannot use a
       subaward/subgrant as the funding mechanism.

E.     How will an applicant's proposed subawardees/subgrantees and contractors be considered during
       the evaluation  process described in Section V of the announcement?

       Section V of the announcement describes the evaluation criteria and evaluation process for final proposals
       that will be used by EPA to make its selection  under this announcement.  During this evaluation, except for
       those criteria that relate to the applicant's own qualifications,  past performance, and reporting history, the
       review panel will consider, if appropriate and relevant, the qualifications, expertise, and experience of:

       (i) an applicant's named subawardees/subgrantees  identified in the proposal/application if the applicant
       demonstrates in the  proposal/application that if it receives an award that the subaward/subgrant will  be
       properly awarded consistent with the applicable regulations in 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31.  For example,
       applicants must not use subawards/subgrants to obtain commercial services or products from for profit
       firms or individual consultants.
       (ii) an applicant's named contractor(s), including consultants, identified in the proposal/application if the
       applicant demonstrates in its proposal/application that the contractor(s) was selected in compliance with
       the competitive  Procurement Standards in 40 CFR Part 30 or 40 CFR 31.36 as appropriate.  For example,
       an applicant must demonstrate that it selected the contractor(s) competitively or that a proper non-
       competitive sole-source award consistent with the regulations will be made to the contractor(s), that  efforts
       were made to provide small and disadvantaged businesses with opportunities to compete, and that some
       form of cost  or price  analysis was conducted.  EPA may not accept sole source justifications for contracts
       for services or products that are otherwise readily available in the commercial marketplace.

       EPA will not consider the qualifications, experience, and expertise of named subawardees/subgrantees

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               and/or named contractors) during the proposal/application evaluation process unless the applicant
               complies with these requirements.

        F..     Submission Dates and Times
               The closing date and time for receipt of initial proposal submissions, regardless of mode of submission, is
               October 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). All hard copies of proposal packages must
               be received by Tracy Back by date, 4:00 p.m. EST.  Electronic submissions must be addressed to
               back.tracy@epa.gov and include, "Compliance Assistance Center Platform Submission" in the subject line
               and must be received by October 1, 2009, 4:00 p.m. EST. Proposals received after the closing date and
               time will not be considered for funding.

               Only those applicants that meet all of the threshold eligibility criteria will be invited to submit a final
               proposal. Following EPA's evaluation of initial proposals, all applicants will be notified regarding their
               status. Final applications and forms will be requested, as necessary, from the entity whose final proposal
               is selected for funding. The entity whose final proposal is selected for funding will be provided with
               instructions and a due date for submittal of the final application package.


        G..     Confidential Business Information
               In accordance with 40 CFR 2.203, applicants may claim all or a portion of their application/proposal as
               confidential business information. EPA will evaluate confidentiality claims  in accordance with 40 CFR Part
               2. Applicants must clearly mark applications/proposals or portions of applications/proposals they claim as
               confidential. If no claim of confidentiality is made, EPA is not required to make the inquiry to the applicant
               otherwise  required by 40 CFR 2.204(c)(2) prior to disclosure. However, the agency considers competitive
               proposals/applications confidential and protected from disclosure prior to the completion of the competitive
               selection process.
        H.      Pre-Proposal Assistance and Communications
               In accordance with EPA's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), EPA staff will
               not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposal packages, provide informal comments on draft
               narrative proposals, or provide advice and/or guidance to applicants on how to respond to ranking
               criterion. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their proposals. However, EPA will respond to
               questions  in writing from individual applicants regarding threshold eligibility criterion, administrative issues
               related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement.

V.      FINAL PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

        Only eligible entities whose proposal(s) meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be
        invited to submit a final proposal. Final proposals will be reviewed according to the evaluation criterion set forth
        below. Applicants should explicitly address this criterion as part of their proposal package submittal. Each
        proposal will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.
A. Evaluation Criteria
Criteria
1. Project Summary/Approach: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the
following factors: (i) (15 pts) the extent and quality to which the narrative proposal
includes a well-conceived strategy for addressing all of the requirements in Section I,
Part B (Scope of Work) and Part C (EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated
Outcomes/Outputs), (ii)(10 pts) the comprehensiveness of approach to service
delivery, (iii) (8 pts) the extent and quality to which the narrative proposal's goals are
realistic and innovative and will be actually implemented by project end, (iv) (10 pts)
whether the narrative proposal sets forth a reasonable time schedule for the execution of
the tasks associated with the project(s).
2. Environmental Results — Outcomes and Outputs: Under this criterion, the Aqency
will evaluate the effectiveness of the applicant's plan for tracking and measuring its
progress toward achieving expected project outputs and outcomes, including those
identified in Section I of this announcement.
Points
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15
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       3. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance:  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) (5 pts) past performance in
       successfully completing and  managing the assistance agreements identified in the
       narrative proposal as described in Section IV.C of the announcement, (ii) (15 pts)
       demonstrated understanding of environmental compliance, (iii) (4 pts) organizational
       experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed
       project, (iv) (3 pts) history of meeting the reporting  requirements under the assistance
       agreements described in 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 outcomes under those agreements and if such
       progress was not being made whether the applicant adequately reported why not,and (v)
       (5 pts) 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 this criterion, the Agency will consider the
       information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from
       other sources including agency files and prior/current 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 reporting information, please indicate this in the
       proposal and you will receive a neutral score for these subfactors (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.
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       4. Budget/Resources: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the following
       factors: (i) (5 pts) whether the proposed project budget is appropriate to accomplish the
       proposed goals, objectives, and measurable environmental outcomes, (ii) ( 5 pts)
       whether the budget provides an approximation of the percentage of the budget
       designated for each major activity.
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       B.      Review and Selection Process
               Initial proposals will first be evaluated against the threshold factors listed in Section III. Only those
               applicants meeting all of the threshold factors will be invited to submit a final proposal. Final proposals will
               be evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed above by an EPA evaluation team. Each final proposal will
               be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered according to the numerical score. Preliminary funding
               recommendations will be provided to the Approving Official based on this ranking.

       C.      Other Factors
               Final funding decisions will be made by the Approving Official based on the rankings and preliminary
               recommendation  of the EPA evaluation team.  In making the final funding decisions, the Approving Official
               may also consider programmatic priorities and geographic diversity of funds. Once final decisions have
               been made, a funding recommendation will be developed and forwarded to the EPA Award Official.

VI.     AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

       A.      Award Notices
               Following evaluation of proposals, all applicants will be notified regarding their  status.

               Proposal Notifications

               1.      EPA anticipates notification to the successful applicant will be made via telephone, email or postal
                      mail.   The notification will advise the applicant that its proposed  project has been successfully
                      evaluated and recommended for award and provide instructions and a due date forsubmittal of
                      the final application package. The notification will  be sent to the original signer of the Standard
                      Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance.
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                      This notification, which advises that the applicant's proposed project has been recommended for
                      award, is not an authorization to begin performance. The award notice signed by the EPA grants
                      officer is the authorizing document and will be provided through postal mail. At a minimum, this
                      process can take up to 90 days from the date of recommendation.

               2       EPA anticipates notification to unsuccessful applicants) will be made  via email or postal mail.
                      The notification will  be sent to the original signer of the Standard Form (FS) 424, Application for
                      Federal Assistance.


       B.      Administrative and National Policy Requirement
               A listing and description of general EPA Regulations  applicable to the award of assistance agreements
               may be viewed at: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/applicable epa regulations and description.htm.

               Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs may be applicable to awards,
               resulting from this announcement. Applicants selected for funding may be required to provide a copy of
               their application to their State Point of Contact (SPOC) for review, pursuant to Executive Order 12372,
               Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. This review is not required with the Initial Application and
               not all states require such a review. A listing of State  Point of Contacts (SPOC) may be viewed at:
               www.whitehouse.qov/omb/qrants/spoc.html

       C.      DUNS Number
               All applicants are required to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System
               (DUNS) number when applying for a Federal grant or cooperative agreement.  Applicants can receive a
               DUNS number, at no cost, by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-
               5711, or visiting the D&B website at:  http://www.dnb.com.

       D.      Reporting Requirement
               Quarterly progress reports and a detailed final technical report will be required. Quarterly reports
               summarizing technical progress, planned activities for next quarter and summary of expenditures are
               required. The final technical report shall be completed within 90 calendar days of the completion of the
               period of performance.  The final technical  report should include: summary of the project or activity,
               advances achieved and costs of the project or activity.  In addition, the final technical report shall discuss
               the problems, successes, and lessons learned from the project or activity that  could help overcome
               structural, organizational or technical obstacles to implementing a similar project elsewhere.  The schedule
               for submission of quarterly reports will be established by EPA, after award.

       E.      Disputes
               Assistant agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution
               procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005) located on the web at:
               http://frwebqate.access.qpo.qov/cqi-bin/qetpaqe.cqi?position=all&paqe=3629&dbname=2005 register

       F.      Non-profit Administrative Capability
               Non-profit applicants that are recommended for funding under this announcement are subject to pre-award
               administrative capability reviews consistent with Section 8b, 8c and 9d of EPA Order 5700.8 - Policy on
               Assessing Capabilities of Non-Profit Applicants for Managing Assistance Awards
               (http://www.epa.gov/oqd/qrants/award/5700 8.pdf). In addition, non-profit applicants that qualify for funding
               may, depending on the size of the award, be required to fill out and submit to the Grants Management Office
               the Administrative Capabilities Form, with supporting documents, contained in Appendix A of EPA Order
               5700.8.

VII.    AGENCY CONTACT

       For further information, contact:

               U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
               ATTN: Tracy Back (Mail Code2224A)
               Ariel Rios South, Room 7033b
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              1200 Pennsylvania Street, NW
              Washington, DC 20004

              Phone: 202.564.7076
              Email: back.tracv@epa.gov

       All questions or comments must be communicated in writing via postal mail, fax or email to the contact person
listed above. Questions and answers will be  posted until the closing date of this announcement at
http://epa.goV/compliance/assistance/centers//index.html
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