Prepared by Jen Lechuga for Dr Cisco Wernerand Dr Michael Liddel2018 - PDF document

1 NOAA NOAA CESU Guidance v2 Prepar
NOAA NOAA CESU Guidance v2 Prepared by: Jen Lechuga for Dr. Cisco Wernerand Dr. Michael Liddel/2018 ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��1 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ;Table of ContentsNOAA CESU Guidance……………………………………………………………

2 2Attachment 1: Financial Assistance Ins
2Attachment 1: Financial Assistance Instructions 1401 (AGO Guidance)Attachment : Use of CESUs in NOAA Qs&As……………………………Attachment : CESU BAA Template……………………………………………Attachment : FFO Template for CESUs…………………

3 ………………
……………………Attachment : RFA Template……………………………………………………. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018 From:Dr. Cisco WernerDirector, Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor and NOAA Lead for Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CE

4 SU) To:NOAA Wide PURPOSE:Provide specifi
SU) To:NOAA Wide PURPOSE:Provide specific updated guidance on how NOAA can issue awards for CESU partnerships, including eligibility criteria that must be met, roles and responsibilities involved, and steps for establishing awards. NOAA staff can use this guidance to help ensure compliance with the Financial Assistance Instructions 1401, “NOAA Process for Awarding Financial Ass

5 istance to Cooperative Ecosystem Studies
istance to Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units” (Attachment 1). BACKGROUND:As described in the April 19, 2014 Memorandum from the Director of the Acquisition and Grants Office, Mitchell Ross, there are three options available to NOAA staff to issue financial assistance awards as Cooperative Agreements to NOAA’s CESU partnerships. This guidance further describes how to purs

6 ue each of the three, including: 1) Fede
ue each of the three, including: 1) Federal Funding Opportunities (FFO) for competitive awards within a CESU or series of CESUs; 2) CESU Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) unique to a particular CESU; and 3) Request for Applications (RFA) for noncompetitive awards.There are 17 CESUs across the nation. Of the 17, NOAA is a member of 10 CESUs: North and West Alaska Piedmont - South A

7 tlantic Coast California n Ches
tlantic Coast California n Chesapeake Watershed Hawaii - Pacific Islands North Atlantic Coast South Florida - Caribbean Pacific Northwest G ulf Coast Great Plains When CESUs Can Be UsedThe following criteria must be met for NOAA to use the established partnerships with CESUs:The proposed funding opportunity must fit within the objectives of the Nati

8 onal CESU Network Program outlined below
onal CESU Network Program outlined below: To provide research, technical assistance, and education to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies and their partners in biological, physical, social, cultural, and engineering disciplines needed to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context.The proposed fundi

9 ng opportunity must fit the intent of th
ng opportunity must fit the intent of the Cooperative and Joint Agreements, which means: The research partnership will carry out or stimulate an activity (data, products or services) for a public purpose; andNOAA will be significantly involved in the work. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��3 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ;Considerations When Choo

10 sing Among the FFO, RFA, and CESU Specif
sing Among the FFO, RFA, and CESU Specific BAA mechanismsFederal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is appropriate when:a research need has been identified with some specifics, within one or more CESU regions and multiple CESU members are qualified to participate.A Request for Applications (RFA) is appropriate when: a noncompetitive or sole source award can be justified as outlined in Chapte

11 r 8, Section F.1.b, of the Department of
r 8, Section F.1.b, of the Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual (DOC Grants Manual ). As outlined in the Manual, a justification memo must be approved by the Assistant Administrator or designee. The memo would include the following text, for example: This memorandum justifies making a noncompetitive award to TheUniversityHawaii pursuant to the requirem

12 ent of Chapter 8.F.1.b(#) of the Departm
ent of Chapter 8.F.1.b(#) of the Department of Commerce Grant and Cooperative Agreements Manual. These awards do not fall within the scope of a published competitive notice, they have merit, and [INSERT APPROPRIATE CITATION FROM DOC GRANTS MANUAL]. NOTE: As government policy favors competitive awards, this mechanism should be used sparingly. A CESUspecific Broad Agency Announcem

13 ent (CESUspecific BAA): The CESUspecific
ent (CESUspecific BAA): The CESUspecific BAA has more stringent requirements than the NOAAwide BAA. Only members of the named CESU are eligible to apply. This is geared towards nonsolicited proposals. The award mechanism is limited to Cooperative Agreements only. Further, proposals submitted under this opportunity must not only be consistent with NOAA’s mission, but the objecti

14 ves of the National CESU program that is
ves of the National CESU program that is implemented across Federal Bureaus and Agencies. This mechanism is best suited to promote competition among member partners of the referenced CESU when a project has not yet been identified to address a specifically named need (e.g., support U.S. leadership of Arctic Council activities or address marine mammal bycatch reduction efforts). How

15 ever, there is an anticipation of multip
ever, there is an anticipation of multiple projects formulated if given the opportunity. Roles and Responsibilities NOAA Lead & Representative to the Federal Managers Committee of the National CESU Network Dr. Cisco Werner Serves as the NOAA lead for all CESU matters; Represents NOAA on the CESU National Network Serves as the POC on CESU matters to the NOAA Research Counci

16 l Clears CESU specific BAAs (offline) NO
l Clears CESU specific BAAs (offline) NOAA CESU Program Manager Dr. Michael Liddel Supports the NOAA CESU Lead; Provides technical assistance to NOAA regarding CESU matters Clears the FFO, RFA, and BAA offline before they are reviewed by the Grants Management Division and Financial Assistance Law Division, and posted to Grants.gov. ��Administratively Confidentia

17 l8/21/2018 Tracks posted FFO, RFA, or
l8/21/2018 Tracks posted FFO, RFA, or BAAs for reporting purposes Tracks awards issued by NOAA through CESUs for reporting purposes CESU Technical Representatives/ Selecting Officials Those individuals/ positions named in each CESU Cooperative & Joint Venture Agreement These individuals are either NMFS Science Center Directors Or Regional Director for a Line or Program Office

18 Serve as NOAA’s technical represen
Serve as NOAA’s technical representatives to the corresponding CESU nearest geographically Participate (or assign designee) in CESU meetings organized by Host University Serves as the selecting official for CESU awards within their geographic jurisdiction, and makes recommendations (via a Selection Package) to NOAA Grants Officer on award selection made by NOAA for respective

19 CESU Lead the submission (in coordinati
CESU Lead the submission (in coordination with Federal Program Officer, Grants Officer, and FALD) of a CESU specific BAA Provide annual summaries to NOAA Lead and NOAA CESU Program Manager on number of awards issued through CESU and any issues, risks, and opportunities for NOAA engagement with CESU Program Point of Contact (POC) Program staff/ scientist May serve as a first li

20 ne of contact with university partners
ne of contact with university partners in CESU for potential research partnership opportunities Helps identify and coordinate panel review during the award selection process, if applicable Coordinates with FPO Federal Program Officer (FPO) Line Office specific; With specialized grants experience Uploads FFO, RFA, and BAA, in Grants Online Handles all administrative issues in

21 Grants Online Coordinates and ensures
Grants Online Coordinates and ensures that all offline and online (Grants Online)actions and clearances are made Notifies NOAA CESU Program Manager when FFOs, RFAs, and CESU specific BAAs, are posted to Grants.gov and when awards are made NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) Grants Management SpecialistOfficerassigned to CESU award GMD Grants Management Specialist serves as

22 the second line of clearance in Grants
the second line of clearance in Grants Online after CESU Program Managerbut before FALD GMD Grants Officer issues award, following Grants Management Specialist review and FALD clearance Federal Assistance Law Division (FALD) FALD Attorneys Serves as third line of clearance before FFO, RFA, or BAA are posted to Grants.gov by GMD staff to ensure no legal inconsistencies exist &

23 #x0000;�Administratively Confiden
#x0000;�Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��5 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ;NOAA POCs by Member CESUs CESU Connection & Host University Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Science Center Director North and West Alaska U of AK, Fairbanks Alaska Fisheries Science Center TBD Pacific Northwest U of WA

24 Northwest Science Center Dr. Kevin
Northwest Science Center Dr. Kevin Werner California U of CA, Berkeley Southwest Fisheries Science Center Kristen Koch Hawaii - Pacific Islands U of HI, Manoa Pacific Islands Science Center Dr. Michael Seki South Florida - Caribbean U of Miami Gulf Coast Texas A&M UPiedmontSouth Atlantic Coast U of GA Southeast Fisheries Science Center Dr. C

25 lay Porch Chesapeake Watershed Nor
lay Porch Chesapeake Watershed North Atlantic U of RI Northeast Fisheries Science Center Dr. Jonathan Hare Great Plains University of Nebraska, Lincoln National Weather Service Central Region Chris topher Strager ProcessI: FFO/RFA/CESU BAA postingannouncement in Grants.Gova. NOAA Program POCs develop FFO (competitive) or RFA (noncompetitive)using attached tem

26 plates(CESU only is indicated under elig
plates(CESU only is indicated under eligibility)NOAA Technical Representatives, in close coordination with the NOAA CESU Program Manager, develop CESU BAA documentation. Federal Program Officer (FPOcompletesearch on Grantsine to verify that a like award opportunity has not been solicited and completed by relevant CI(Per Decision Treettachment). FPO uploadstemplate information tothe

27 FFO, CESU BAA, or RFA inGrants Online an
FFO, CESU BAA, or RFA inGrants Online and coordinates reviews and clearances. FPO can copy and paste language from templates into GrantsOnline.FPO is the same as RFA creator in workflow. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��6 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ;4. FPO identifiesCES

28 U Program anger as “Optional Review
U Program anger as “Optional Reviewer” in [step 6for competitive and step 4 for noncompetitive]RFA Routing Slip so that CESU Program anager provides necessary clearance in step 10 for competitive and 6 for noncompetitive. This will ensure that award opportunities are consistent with CESU requirementsand policies. Please refer to the workflows below for an understanding of

29 the steps and necessary clearances.For
the steps and necessary clearances.For uploading noncompetitive RFA announcements, be sure to either send the CESU Program Manager the narrativeor upload the narrative as an attachment in Grants OnlineClearance is based on the following:The funding mechanism being a cooperative agreement and the NOAA active role in the project is clearly specified;Award is to a nonfederal CESU membe

30 r within one of CESUs NOAA is a member o
r within one of CESUs NOAA is a member of;Nature of the research is within the scope of the CESU Program;Name of CESU, project location, and project duration are specified;Justification of sole source award is provided and consistent with DOC Grants Manual GuidanOnce all clearances are obtained, the Grants Management Specialist coordinates the posting of the document to Grants.gov. T

31 he FPOnotifies CESU Program Manager of t
he FPOnotifies CESU Program Manager of the Grants.gov posting. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��7 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ;Figure 1. Workflow in Grants Online for competitive awardslicitations(FFOsCESU BAAs).Figure 2. Workflow in GrantsOnline for noncompetitive awards solicitations(RFAs). ��Administratively Confidential8

32 /21/2018��8 &#x/MCI;
/21/2018��8 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ;Process II: Issuing awardProposal Selection and Subsequent Approval (Comprehensively documented in Grants Online):FPO, in coordination with the Program POC, reviews application(s) submitted in response to the FFO, RFA, or CESU BAA. FPO, in coordination with Program POC, selects and coordinates the technical merit and/or panel

33 review for proposals associated with FF
review for proposals associated with FFOs, RFAs and CESU BAAs.Figure 3. Workflow in GrantsOnline for award issuance.Based on the meritorious reviews the FPO prepares the selection package(see steps 1214 of Figure 3) and sends the package offline to CESU Program Manager for clearance(before step 15). CESU Program Manager will communicate with FPO via email whether the package has cle

34 ared. a) For NMFS selection processes,
ared. a) For NMFS selection processes, once the package has cleared (offline) through the CESU Program Manager, the FPO sends it to the selecting official (see step 16 in Figure 3).b) For selection packages originating in a Line Office other than NMFS, the FPO will forward the package and selection memo to the funding office director for a recommendation. Once cleared, the FPO sends

35 the package to the selecting official (
the package to the selecting official (step 16) Same as “Competition Manager” in Figure 3. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��9 &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI; 2 ;5. The Selecting Official sends their awardrecommendation(s)as an approved selection package including theselection memo to the FPO. The F

36 PO includes the Selection Memoas an atta
PO includes the Selection Memoas an attachmentin the selection packagethat is sentto FALD (step 17 of Figure 3) for clearancein GrantsOnline.Upon receipt of FALD’s clearance, the selection package is returned to the FPOThe FPO will conduct all appropriate reviewsor recommended applications. This includes: PO checklist, NEPA, and review of the application as outlined by 2 CFR 200

37 , and the FFO. Before Certifying the PO
, and the FFO. Before Certifying the PO Checklist, the FPO will add the appropriate CESU institution to the Application Detail page under the "Supplementary Information" section at the bottom of the reen. The FPO will select “CESU” in Program Officer (PO) Checklist. A dialogue box will appear requiringselection of the corresponding CESU member. Add complete Special Awar

38 d Condition for Substantial Federal Invo
d Condition for Substantial Federal Involvement in order to make this award a cooperative agreement. After completion of review, FPO forwards the award(s) to the NOAA Grants Management Division for review and approval. (Grants Management Specialistto FALD to Grants Officer forsignature).After the Grants fficergnsthe awardis reviewed and cleared by NOAA’s Office of Legislative Af

39 fairs (OLA).After being released by OLA,
fairs (OLA).After being released by OLA, the award(s) are forwarded to NOAA inance for final obligation.Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the NOAA CESU Program anager, Michael Liddel at: Michael.Liddel@noaa.gov . Attachments: Financial Assistance Instructions (AGO Guidance)Use of CESUs in NOAA Qs & AsCESU BAA TemplateFFO Template for CESUsRFA TemplateC

40 c: Mitchell J. Ross, Director of Acquisi
c: Mitchell J. Ross, Director of Acquisition and Grants OfficeArlene Simpson Porter, Director Grants Management DivisionDebbie Chen, Branch Chief, Grants Management DivisionAlan Conway, Branch Chief, Grants Management DivisionLillian Barnes, Operations Manager, Grants Online For non NMFS related projects, the respective LO Senior Selecting Off

41 icial prepares selection package and inc
icial prepares selection package and includes their recommendation to the CESU Technical Representative named on the Cooperative &Joint Venture Agreement (i.e.,NMFS Science Center Directors, serving as Selecting Officials) ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��10 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ; &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI

42 ; 2 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3
; 2 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#x/MCI; 4 ; &#x/MCI; 5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6 ;&#x/MCI; 6 ;Attachment 1Financial Assistance Instructions (AGO Guidance) ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��19 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ; &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI; 2 ; &#x/MCI;&#x

43 D 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#
D 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#x/MCI; 4 ; &#x/MCI; 5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6 ;&#x/MCI; 6 ; &#x/MCI; 7 ;&#x/MCI; 7 ;Attachment Use of CESUs in NOAA Qs & As 20 Use of CESUs in NOAAQuestions and AnswersAugust 15, 20181. What is the difference between the NOAAwide BAA and the CESU specific BAA? DOC Grants Manual . As outlined in the Manual, aNo

44 nCompetitive Justification Memorandum mu
nCompetitive Justification Memorandum must be approved by the Line Office Assistant Administrator or designee. The memo would include the following text: This memorandum justifies making a noncompetitive award to The University of [INSERT NAME] pursuant to the requirement of Chapter 8.F.1.b(#) of the Department of of a published competitive notice, they have merit, and [INSERT

45 APPROPRIATE CITATION FROM DOC GRANTS MA
APPROPRIATE CITATION FROM DOC GRANTS MANUAL]. NOTE: As government policy favors competitive awards, this mechanism should be used sparingly. Can a CESU Award be issued from a nonCESU NOAA Funding Opportunity?Yes, on the condition that the NOAA issued award opportunity: 1) is in the form of a 21 requirement,advice, or suggestionfromto invoke their CESU membershipand 5) receives,

46 in writing, the award recipients decisio
in writing, the award recipients decision to invoke their CESU membership.Does the guidance provide provisions for CESU grants that are outside of NMFS Research and who would lead the process for the nonNMFS LineOffices? As outlined in the Roles and Responsibilities section of the NOAA CESU Guidance,LineOffices will make recommendations to the respective Science Center Director as th

47 e Selecting Official for a specific CESU
e Selecting Official for a specific CESU. The Federal Program Officer will beprovided by the LO program where the initiative originates. Final clearance and official award selection is accomplished by the selecting official who is the NOAA Technical Representative of the particular CESU, e.g., the Science Center Director.. Is the infrastructure to support the CESU awards going to b

48 e provided at the Regional and Science C
e provided at the Regional and Science Center level?The CESU awards will be processed similar to other grant awards. The infrastructure and support will come from the Federal Program Officer within the Line Office where the initiative originates. However, official award selection and clearance will be done by the Science Center Director or the other body named as NOAA Technical Repre

49 sentative in the Cooperative and Joint V
sentative in the Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement that documents NOAA’s membership in a particular CESU.. How will the certification of funds work in NOAA Grants Online for CESU grants? Will that happen at the level of office providing the funds? Or, will there be a statement from that office certifying funds availability if executed in Grants Online by another FMC auth

50 orizing official, such as the Budget Off
orizing official, such as the Budget Officer for the NWFSC? The certification of funds will continue to be done in the Grants Online system. Likewise, if funds are transferred from one Program/Lin fficeto another, the procedures do not change. . For planning purposes how will Program staff communicate their requirements and interest in using the CESU? Program staff should first en

51 surethat their proposal meets the requir
surethat their proposal meets the requirements for a CESU award and have their proposal cleared through their supervisor. Once cleared, they should work with the FPO to have the award opportunity uploaded and cleared through the GrantsOnline system.What is the leadtime?The entire process may take approximately 4 to 6 months or longer depending on work load. Try to avoid processing i

52 n Quarter 4, the busiest time of year fo
n Quarter 4, the busiest time of year for grant experts. The grant proposal submittal cutoff time also applies to CESU awards (i.e., for FY 18 it is July 10, 2018). As such, please plan accordingly.. Who will decide on the best mechanism (e.g. FFO, RFA, BAA)? The program Point of Contact (POCmay suggest based on responses to 24 of this document. The FPO makes the decision of which

53 award mechanism to use. The choice of th
award mechanism to use. The choice of the best mechanism is cleared by the NOAA CESU program manager.. Will the designated Fisheries Science Centers (as identified in page 3 of the NOAA CESUGuidance) be expected to provide all the administrative support across several FMC’s to include 22 the use of field Federal Program Officers (FPO) to manage the CESU opportunities? Will

54 there be support provided by other NMFS
there be support provided by other NMFS FPO’s? If so, what type of support?We recognize that there may be more administrativeburden, and we will evaluate the needs to mitigate this burden as the work load related to CESUs evolves. . Will the Fisheries Science Center Advisors and National Weather Service (NWS) Regional Director serve as selecting officials for just NOAA Fisherie

55 sor NWSrelated projects or for all relat
sor NWSrelated projects or for all related projects?The Fisheries Science Center Advisors and the NWS Director are identified as the NOAA technical representatives for their respective CESUs and serve on behalf of all of NOAA.Can theSelecting Official delegate their authority to someone else in the Science Centeror RegionYesThe Selecting Official should submit this delegation in writ

56 ing to the NOAA CESU Lead and NOAA CESU
ing to the NOAA CESU Lead and NOAA CESU Program Manager.. Will the Program Point of Contact be responsible for all Post Award responsibilities to include progress and final report reviews and the potential review of award action or amendment requests? No. The FPO is responsible for ensuring that all postaward activities are completed. However, the Program POC may be needed for techn

57 ical reviews of postaward progress repor
ical reviews of postaward progress reports.. Can a CESU member universityapply for a NOAAsponsored, NonCESU funding opportunity using its CESU status and low indirect cost rate?Yes, as long as the funding opportunity provides for a cooperative agreement and meets all other CESU specific requirements. NOAA cannot, however, consider the university’s indirect cost rate or CESU st

58 atus as a basis for selection.Can a CESU
atus as a basis for selection.Can a CESU member universityapply for a NOAAsponsored, NonCESU funding opportunity using their normal indirect cost rate, and once selected choose touse their status as a CESU member and change their indirect cost rate to the lower amount? A university is free to elect to use their CESU status and lower indirect cost rate postaward, upon NOAA approval.

59 NOAA cannot, however, require or encour
NOAA cannot, however, require or encourage an award winner to adopt a lower indirect cost rate. NOAA will need to receive this change request from the University in writing and respond with approval/disapproval also in writing.. Can a university, after successfully competing at their normal overhead rate, elect to use their CESU status and apply the difference between the 17.5% ove

60 rhead rate and their original overhead r
rhead rate and their original overhead rate as part of the costsharing component?Yes, upon NOAA approval, as long as the voluntary request is made in writing. ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��23 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ; &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI; 2 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#x/M

61 CI; 4 ; &#x/MCI; 5 ;&#x/MCI;
CI; 4 ; &#x/MCI; 5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6 ;&#x/MCI; 6 ; &#x/MCI; 7 ;&#x/MCI; 7 ;Attachment CESU BAA Template ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��38 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ; &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI; 2 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#x/MCI; 4 ; &#x/MCI;

62 5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6
5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6 ;&#x/MCI; 6 ;Attachment FFO Template for CESUs ��Administratively Confidential8/21/2018��54 &#x/MCI; 0 ;&#x/MCI; 0 ; &#x/MCI; 1 ;&#x/MCI; 1 ; &#x/MCI; 2 ;&#x/MCI; 2 ; &#x/MCI; 3 ;&#x/MCI; 3 ; &#x/MCI; 4 ;&#x/MCI; 4 ; &#x/MCI; 5 ;&#x/MCI; 5 ; &#x/MCI; 6 ;&#x/MCI