EERE eXCHANGE: FAQs

Question 1: Will I receive notification via e-mail when the concept paper review has been completed or should I check the eXCHANGE website regularly? Also, what is the timeline for feedback on this opportunity?
Answer 1:

The feedback on your concept paper will be available in Exchange by 6/3/2013 if possible. Emails are sent out, but are not always received, so please check in Exchange.

Question 2: We only became aware of this opportunity last week. May we still submit a concept paper, though it is a few days past the deadline?
Answer 2:

Unfortunately the due date for Concept Papers was May 20, 2013 and we are not accepting any late concept papers past that date.

Question 3: Our company is planning to submit a full application in response to DE-FOA-0000837, but as part of our due diligence process our legal team would like to begin reviewing the contract under which we will perform this work if we are selected for the award. Could you provide a copy of the contract so that we may review it and ensure that its terms are acceptable to us before submitting our full application? Thank you!
Answer 3: If an application is selected for an award, the following Special Terms and Conditions would be modified to that specific award. The following site includes the terms and conditions with all options, which may or may not be included on a selected award. https://www.eere-pmc.energy.gov/procurenet/FinancialAssistance/Forms/Procurenet/PMC130_1-Special_Terms_and_Conditions_For_Most_Awards.doc

Question 4: Is it permitted to submit a full application for this RFP without the concept paper?
Answer 4: Applicants must have submitted a Concept Paper by the required due date, passed the Concept Paper initial compliance review, and received DOE feedback to be elibible to submit a Full Application.

Question 5: Were the concept paper reviews completed by June 3? Our proposal status still says 'under review.'
Answer 5: The Concept Paper reviews have been completed as of 6/6/2013 and can be viewed in Exchange.

Question 6: Is there any anticipation that this FOA will be provided again next year? Any anticipation that the submittal deadline will be extended?
Answer 6: There is no indication at this time as to what type of FOA's will be issued next year. Please sign up for emails for other FOA announcements that may interest you in Exchange https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ or Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/. The submittal deadline for Full Applications has been extended to July 12, 2013.

Question 7: Can you please clarify which set of Full Application Content Requirements should be followed for this proposal submission? There are requirements listed on page 22 that differ from those on page 36.
Answer 7: The Summary of Required Forms is listed on Page 22 of the FOA. That list is not inclusive of all required application documents. Please submit all applicable required application documents listed on page 36 of DE-FOA0000837.

Question 8: May we add partners in the full application phase that we had not identified in the concept paper phase?
Answer 8:

Yes, you may add partners in the full application phase that had not been identified in the Concept Paper phase.

Question 9: The Full application requires a PowerPoint Summary slide. Page 6 of the FOA states “Required forms for Full Applications are available on EERE Exchange at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov, including the SF-424, SF-424A and Business Assurances Form. Applicants must use the templates available on EERE Exchange at https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov including the template for the Technical Volume of the Full Application, the template for the Technical Milestones section of the Technical Volume, the Summary Slide template, and the Reply to Reviewer Comments template.” None of these templates are found in the FOA, User Manual, Applicant User Guide, nor in the Required Application documents section on the website. Please advise.
Answer 9: Please use the five templates that are available on EERE Exchange in FOA0000837 for the SF424, SF424A, PMC134.1, PMC123.1 and SF-LLL. For the Technical Volume/Project Narrative, Technical Milestones section of the Technical Volume, the Summary Slide, and the Reply to Reviewer Comments please use the content of the Full Application as described in the FOA beginning on page 19.

Question 10: Based on the answer to the previous question 7, please could you clarify whether a Project Narrative or a Technical Volume should be submitted, and the specific content expected? Page 19 of the FOA provides guidance on the content of the Project Narrative, meanwhile the detailed requirement table on page 38 refers only to the Technical Volume, with no mention of a project narrative.
Answer 10: A Project Narrative and a Technical Volume are indeed the same thing, but in error have been called out as two different document names in FOA0000837. Please use the instructions from page 19 for contents and name the file ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_TechnicalVolume as shown on page 38.

Question 11: 1. The tables on page 22 and page 37 are summaries of the required forms and files for the full application and the information provided in those summary tables are different from each other please let us know which table we need to follow. 2. I would also like to seek clarity on what the size of the font. Some places suggest that its Times New Roman 11 point and other places suggest Times New Roman point 12 -- please let us know what the typeface, font size and line spacing is.
Answer 11:

Please use Section IV – Application and Submission Information, Part D. Content and Form of Application, 2. Full Application Content Requirements. Times New Roman is stated with no smaller than 11 point font and single spaced unless designated differently in the Section IV tables.

Question 12: There’s no mention of a bibliography appendix in this FOA. Should documents cited be in an appendix, or if not, how they should be presented?
Answer 12: Documents cited should be in an appendix. There is a check box at the top of the submission files table to upload and submit addtional documents as an appendix. You can also add an appendix to the end of a PDF document that you are going to submit. For further questions on submitting in Exchange, please contact the Exchange Helpdesk at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov

Question 13: I just want to make sure that we’re allowed to send in a separate full proposal for EACH of the South African and Saudi projects….and not one for both of them since they both came out in the same FOA.
Answer 13: You may submit a separate full application for up to two Concept Papers you submitted and received a Control Number. This can be found in the FOA under EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, Submission of Multiple Applications on page 9.

Question 14: FOA Cover Page and page 24: Selection Notifications begin on 8/30/13, but Reviewer Comments will not be posted until 8/30/13, and Replies to Reviewer Comments are not due until 9/4/13. Does this mean selection decisions will be made before applicants have an opportunity to respond to Reviewer Comments?
Answer 14:

At this time, the Merit Review Process for Applications to DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements does not include an Applicant Rebuttal Process. Once an application has been reviewed and ranked by the Merit Review Panel those results are provided to the DOE Selection Official. The Selection Official at that time will make their selection for the application(s) that will receive award(s).

There is not any time included in this process for an Applicant to respond to the reviewer comments or this response to impact the final Merit Review Panel recommendation given to the Selection Official.

Question 15: We are preparing the FWP package. Who should I address the Contractor Authorization Letter to?
Answer 15: The Contractor Authorization Letter should be addressed to the Contracting Officer for the lab you are working with. Please contact the lab for this information.

Question 16: Is the intended result of this FOA a document for the US EERE Industry providing market penetration guidance to those who consider South Africa or Saudi Arabia a potential market for their new or emerging technology or is it activities that facilitate initial penetration of US EERE market ready technologies that would competitively meet the current needs within and would advance the state-of-the-art in these markets?
Answer 16:

The intended result of this FOA is increased deployment of U.S. energy efficiency and/or renewable energy technologies/services in the target markets. The activities that are envisioned to be funded under this FOA would seek to address specific barriers to deployment of these technologies/services in the target market. Given that the period of performance for these awards is 2-3 years and results (e.g., sales, exports, deployment) would be anticipated during this period and shortly thereafter, activities funded would likely focus on market-ready technologies that have the ability to address energy needs in the target market and that have demonstrated some level of success in the U.S. and/or other markets similar to that of the target market.

Question 17: The FOA 837 instructions on p. 19 call for a “Project Narrative” section that is to be no more than 20 pages and contain “Project Objectives”, “Merit Review Criterion Discussion”, “Project Timetable” and “Roles of Participants”. The FOA 837 instructions on page 37 don’t mention a “Project Narrative” section or it’s sub-parts at all. It appears the instructions for this FOA are composed of two different (and conflicting) sets of instructions. Please ask the DOE management of this FOA to review the text and issue either a clearly written new set of FOA instructions or to clarify within this FAQ which set of instructions to follow.
Answer 17:

An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 18: Please clarify the limit on resume length. Page 20 of the RFP states that resumes must not exceed 2 pages, while page 44 states that resumes must not exceed 3 pages. Is the maximum number of pages equal to 2 or 3 pages?
Answer 18: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application and Resume length.

Question 19: Please clarify the required content of resumes. Page 20 of the RFP states that resumes should contain Education and Training, Professional Experience, Publications, and Synergistic Activities. Page 44 of the RFP does not include Synergistic Activities in the description of resumes. Should Synergistic Activities be included in resumes?
Answer 19: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application and content of resumes.

Question 20: Please clarify the expected components of the full application. We intend to submit the files described on page 37 of the RFP and no others. Is this acceptable?
Answer 20: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 21: Please clarify the contents of the Technical Volume. We intend to submit a document with the sections in the table on pp.38-39 of the RFP in the prescribed order and with the prescribed page limits. Is this acceptable?
Answer 21: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 22: Please clarify the funding for this FOA. Is the full $450,000 available for each country for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct 1, 2013?
Answer 22: Funding for all awards and future budget periods are contingent upon the availability of funds appropriated by Congress for the purpose of this program and the availability of future-year budget authority. As shown in Section II, B.: The anticipated funding will be one $450,000 award for Topic Area 1 and one $450,000 award for Topic Area 2.

Question 23: Can EERE provide instructions for how to fill out the PMC123 form in an acceptable fashion? Are there user guides for these forms available on the web?
Answer 23: There are no user guides for these forms available on the web. Please see Section IV, Application and Submission Information, D. Content and Form of Application on the revised FOA0000837 in Exchange.

Question 24: What is EERE expecting to see in the section titled “Technical Subcategory or Subcategories” in the Technical Volume? Could you please provide a list of acceptable values for these subcategories, or indicate a website where these values are listed?
Answer 24: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please view the Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 25: Please clarify the proposal and content requirements. The FOA defines conflicting requirements on pp. 18-21 and pp. 35-41. The former appear tailored to this opportunity and the latter tailored to a technology development activity. Is one preferred over the other? If we should provide both, could you explain the applicable page limitations?
Answer 25: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please make sure you are viewing the revised Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 26: What is the correct font size?
Answer 26:

Font size 11 will be the minimum size allowed for your application documents for FOA 0000837.

Question 27: I am keen to hear if European companies are also eligible to apply for grants such as Accelerating the Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technologies in South Africa and Saudi Arabia (DE-FOA-0000837). Is there a page or document in which I can find the general requirements?
Answer 27: Please see Section III, Eligibility Information; A. Eligible Applicants, in the Full Text FOA0000837.

Question 28: Should bidders fill in the “Award Number” field on the form? If so, what is the appropriate value to use? Should the same value be used for South Africa and for Saudi Arabia?
Answer 28: There is no award number until after selections have been made. Disregard this field on the SF424A form.

Question 29: What is the appropriate value for “Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number” (column (b)) on the SF-424A for this FOA? Should the same value be used for South Africa and for Saudi Arabia?
Answer 29: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is on the front page of the Full Text FOA: "Initial CFDA Number: 81.117." This is the same value for both South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Question 30: We intend to use “Non-Federal Sources” cells for in-kind contributions. The instruction say, “If in-kind contributions are included, provide a brief explanation on a separate sheet.” Does EERE wish to see the in-kind contributions detailed on a new tab in the SF-424A file, or in a note to the right of the columns in section C, or somewhere else?
Answer 30: Please follow the instructions that state "If in-kind contributions are included, provide a brief explanation on a separate sheet."

Question 31: In Section E, we are assuming the should column (b), “First” should contain the same number as the total Federal Funding in Section D. We would then provide funding requests for future years in column (c), “Second”, and column (d), “Third”. Is this correct?
Answer 31: See instruction on pages 3-4 of the SF424A. Section D is forecasted Cash Needs - Total for 1st Year. Section E is Budget Estimates of Federal Funds Needed for Balance of the Project - First, Second and Third Years. These may or may not be the same.

Question 32: What is the appropriate value for “Grant Program Function or Activity” (column (a)) on the SF-424A for this FOA? Should the same value be used for South Africa and for Saudi Arabia?
Answer 32: The Grant Program Function or Activity would either be South Africa or Saudi Arabia, which ever you are applying for.

Question 33: Since we are providing details of direct and indirect charges in form PMC123.1, we are not intending to provide any further details in Section F, “Other Budget Information”. Is this acceptable?
Answer 33: No additional details are needed in Section F. Please include the detail on the PMC123.1 form.

Question 34: We are a publications and training company in the energy conservation industry. We’re interested in partnering on this grant. Would it be possible to get a list of the organizations who submit the “full application” on July 12th?
Answer 34: DOE does not release the names of Applicants for Funding Opportunity Announcements. The application and selection process is confidential. Once a Merit Review is completed and a Selection for award is made the name of the Selected Applicant(s) is made public.

Question 35: Which format should we follow in preparing our full proposal, the guidance in Section I.E.3 or the guidance in Section IV.D?
Answer 35: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please make sure you are viewing the revised Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application.

Question 36: Section IV.D also requires preparation of a summary slide defined as “a single PowerPoint slide summarizing the proposed project.” Does DOE require all of the information to be on one slide?
Answer 36: An amendment has been done for FOA0000837 to revise the Full Application Document Required Files/Forms. Please make sure you are viewing the revised Full Text in Exchange for revised requirements to the Full Application. The Summary Slide is no longer a required document for the full application.

Question 37: It appears that, through initial research, that FOA numbered DE-FOE-00037 program requires Executive Order 12372 review as asked in the application for federal assistance (SF- 424) question #19. However, I am not quite sure how to answer the question because I don’t know if it has been requested by the State for review or not? Can you please provide some guidance on how to answer this question?
Answer 37: This question applies if you are a State, City or County applying to this FOA. If you are another type of entity, then this question is not applicable and you can leave it blank.

Question 38: Page 36 of DE-FOA-0000837 states an applicant must use the SOPO template provided on the EERE Exchange, however, no template has been included.
Answer 38: Please check the amended FOA Full Text for full application requirements. No mention of a SOPO template is in the amended FOA.

Question 39: Could EERE confirm that you are still reviewing proposals for FOA 837, and if so, could you also confirm if the Mandatory Post-Selection Meeting is still set for September 16?
Answer 39:

EERE is still reviewing proposals for FOA837. The Manadatory Post-Selection Meeting has been delayed because selections have not been made yet. More information should be known in late October or November on Selections for FOA837. Post-Selection meetings will be held after announcements are made.

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