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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0003214 - Communities Taking Charge Accelerator, FY24 Funding Opportunity Announcement"]
["Question Number","Question","Answer"]
[1,"Would this be a project we could submit under Topic 2 – expanding E-Mobility solutions through Electrified Micro, Light, and Medium-Duty Fleets? Would a project where we submit a group of locations with a need for EV Charging be supported under Topic 3 – Managed Charging for Clean Reliable Energy? Would proposing locations at workplace for residents who don’t have access to at home-EV charging be a viable project? Or are you looking more for public charging locations of which apartment communities could utilize off-site that are still close to home? ","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[2,"Do you plan on hosting any webinars to discuss the program? ","No informational webinars are scheduled."]
[3,"How can we find interested partners for the FOA?","The Teaming Partner List is available on EERE eXCHANGE and will continue to be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organization’s information. It is not required to use the teaming partner list, it is simply an available tool to use if desired. More information about the teaming partner list can be found in the funding opportunity description section of the FOA. Please see Section I.A.iii for further information."]
[4,"Could you clarify whether e-bikes purchased for use in a public bike share system – operated by a nonprofit entity – fall under the definition of infrastructure, or are otherwise subject to BABA?","Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult Appendix D of this FOA to determine whether their project may have to apply this requirement, both to make an early determination as to the need of a waiver, as well as to determine what impact, if any, this requirement may have on the proposed project’s budget."]
[5,"After I downloaded the FOA, I was unable to open it. Could help me access it?","The FOA link has been checked and is operational. Please update to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, download the file to your computer, and open the file using a desktop version of Acrobat Reader rather than opening from a web browser."]
[6,"Could you tell me if matching funds are required?","Cost share requirements can be found in Section III.B of the FOA."]
[7,"Can you send to me the information about Grants in the area of decarbonization and hydrogen? I am on the website, but I am having trouble finding something. ","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to a particular FOA and FOA topics. The DOE will not provide feedback regarding which FOA is applicable to a particular project area. Applicants are encouraged to search grants.gov and other public websites for funding opportunities. "]
[8,"I just wanted to reach out in order to see if for the micro mobility funding you are funding only charging or full ebike conversion Motor and Battery technology.","Proposals are not limited to those suggested in in the FOA topic description. It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA, FOA topics, and if the equipment, where applicable, best suits the end goal of the proposal. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[9,"Is a Data Management Plan required for the Full Application? The table on page 37 states it is a Full Application Content Requirement, but page 48 states it is only requested during the award negotiations phase.","The Data Management Plan (DMP) is only applicable to Topic 3. A DMP is required at the time of application (if applicable), and if the applicant is selected for award negotiations, the DMP will be negotiated at that time. See Section IV.D.xvii"]
[10,"I was wondering if an e-carshare program in collaboration with our local housing authority would be eligible under category 2 - Topic 2: Expanding E-Mobility Solutions through Electrified Micro, Light and Medium-Duty Fleets.","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[11,"Where can I find the information to verify if we meet basic eligibility?","Eligibility information can be found in Section III of the FOA document."]
[12,"Can we can apply in conjunction with the transportation systems of some major cities within the Charge Accelerator funding opportunity for the manufacture and installation of Solar Bus Shelters that also include solar chargers for scooters and e-bikes?","Teaming partners are highly encouraged for applications in all topic areas.  It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[13,"We are a heavy-duty Transit bus manufacturer (not freight) and wanted to check if we are eligible to apply for this opportunity.","Eligibility information can be found in Section III of the FOA document.  It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. Topic 2 only discourages projects focused on heavy-duty freight fleets and infrastructure (Section I.B)"]
[14,"Are there any additional restrictions on eligible costs for eligible projects beyond what is specified in the FOA for the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator, specifically regarding Topic Area 2?","Eligibility information can be found in Section III of the FOA document. Please see 2 CFR 200 for more information regarding allowable costs."]
[15,"In reviewing the general requirements for Topic 3, we came across the following statement: \"Development of use cases that cover fast-charging (>150kW), off-corridor, and public Level 2 charging (with opt-in), aiming to establish a foundation for future EV infrastructure advancements.\" \nCould you please clarify whether these requirements also apply to proposals focusing solely on residential managed charging for single-family homes? If so, could you provide more details on the specific elements you are seeking?","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[16,"Can an application include multiple areas of interest?","No. Each Topic Area must have its own separate application. As referenced in Section III.F. An entity may submit more than one Concept Paper and Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project."]
[17,"Is an applicant permitted to propose a project that qualifies under multiple topic areas? ","Submitting a single proposal to apply to multiple topic areas is not permitted.  As stated in section III.F of the FOA, applicants may submit more than one concept paper and full application provided each describes a unique scientifically distinct project.  Applying to multiple topic areas would require the submission of multiple concept papers/full applications."]
[18,"Will the Communities Taking Charge FOA, be subject to Title 23 Requirements? ","DOE funding is Title 42."]
[19,"Will the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator funding be available in future fiscal years (i.e., FFY 2025 and beyond)?","DOE cannot comment on future solicitations. "]
[20,"Could the Joint Office push the deadline for concept letters back by a few weeks?","At this point there is no extension to the deadline for the concept paper submission. However any changes to deadlines will be published in Exchange."]
[21,"I’m reaching out to see if this grant funding opportunity could work for electric vehicle charging stations for local government fleets. These charging stations would only be for fleet vehicles and not the general public.","Eligibility information can be found in Section III of the FOA document.  It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics."]
[22,"Are there restrictions for capital projects on FTA for planning/design? Is this grant administered through a particular USDOT agency such as FHWA, FTA, etc?","The cooperative agreement is administered through the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.  This is a collaborative effort between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Funding restrictions can be found in Section IV.J of the FOA"]
[23,"Is this grant open to  disabled individuals in need of wheelchair accommodation transport that can meet green energy?","Eligibility information can be found in Section III of the FOA document.  It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics."]
[24,"Can we be included in multiple different proposal submissions as a consortium partner for those submissions? Are there any geographic or Topic specific limitations to multiple partnerships?","Project partners can be included within multiple submissions.  Information about teaming arrangements can be found in each Topic Area description.  Information about being included on the Teaming Partner List can be found in Section I.A.iii."]
[25,"On the “Upload and Submit” tab, I do not see any mechanism for uploading my concept paper. I did not find any relevant responses in the Q&A or user guide.  ","Due to an error in EERE eXchange, the system would not allow for the proper submission of Concept Papers.  This issue has been resolved and all Concept Papers can now be submitted."]
[26,"Based on my review of the FOA Announcement, the concept paper (page 35) requires that stakeholder teaming \\ partnerships are addressed in two sections: \n1.\tTechnical Description and Impacts:  Applicants are required to describe succinctly the stakeholders/communities that will benefit from the project\n2.\tCommunity Benefits Plan:  Applicants are required to describe succinctly the approach to be taken with the Community Benefits Plan, addressing the four core elements: community and labor engagement leading to negotiated agreements\nConfirming that this means that a written plan for stakeholder teaming \\ partnerships is succinctly described, but the community and labor engagement leading to negotiated agreements is not required to be fully executed by the time of the concept paper submission?","The concept paper phase is limited to a maximum of 3 pages for the Technical Description and Impacts, and a maximum of 2 pages for the Community Benefits Plan as referenced in Section IV.C.  Applicants should strive to address all elements listed in this \"Content and Form of the Concept Paper\" section within the page limits provided.  Concept Papers will be reviewed in accoradance with Section V.A.i.  \n\nCorrect, the labor agreements do not need to be fully executed at time of concept paper submission. "]
[27,"Could the funding above support the purchase of electric riding lawnmowers and perhaps a solar charging trailer to charge the equipment out in the field?  Does DOE follow the same sorts of guidelines that the IRS does regarding commercial EV lawn mowers (and other electrified machinery)?  If riding lawn mowers are allowed, what other equipment (blowers, edgers, trimmers, etc?) could also be included in the request for funding?  Through the IRS, that machinery qualifies as part of the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle credit (45W). In general, for the IRS, the equipment must meet the same requirements for an on-road electric vehicle also filing for the credit:\n•\tBe propelled by an electric motor\n•\tAt least 7 kWh of battery capacity\n•\tLess than 14,000 pounds (essentially light-duty vehicle)\n•\tThe “machinery” definition for the IRS is interwoven with the Commercial Clean Vehicle guidance, which is where these lawn mowers would fall in as definition (rather than on-road vehicle designation): Topic G — Frequently asked questions about Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[28,"For topic area 1 and topic area 2, planning + demo is allowed/encouraged. I understand that the cost share for planning grants is 0%, and for demo it is 50%.  My question is how you count the 50% if you are doing a planning AND demo as part of your single project. Will the cost share of 50% only be of those parts of the budget used for the demo, or will the 50% be of the full budget (including portions budgeted for planning work).","Cost share requirements can be found in Section III.B of the FOA.  Also refer to Appendix B - Sample Cost Share Calculation for Blended Cost Share Percentage on page 104 of the FOA."]
[29,"Regarding the Cost Share allocations, if you combine a planning and demonstration activities into a single grant application, how does the cost share requirement split out?  Would it the cost share requirement be split out by activity (ie. 50% for demonstration portion and 0% for planning portion) or is there a separate combined cost share rate for projects that have both a planning and demonstration component?","Cost share requirements can be found in Section III.B of the FOA.  Also refer to Appendix B - Sample Cost Share Calculation for Blended Cost Share Percentage on page 104 of the FOA."]
[30,"Can I get a contact number or email for someone that could go over this type of information with?","Direct contact via phone is not available.  The FOA3214@netl.doe.gov email address is setup for submittal of questions.  All questions and answers related to this FOA will be posted on EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. "]
[31,"I am looking to identify if a public transit authority qualifies as a main recipient of this funding opportunity. Thanks in advance for your clarification. ","Please refer to Section III. A. Eligible Applicants, located in the FOA document."]
[32,"1. Can you please outline the eligible expenses for Topic 3? Is this purely a research activity or is hardware, software and/or vehicles eligible as part of the research component?\n\n2. Additionally, can the project have other funding sources from state government bodies?\n","1. Please see 2 CFR 200 for more information regarding allowable costs.\n2. Yes. Please see Section III. B. iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability of the FOA for more information regarding allowable funding sources.\n"]
[33,"In planning to apply for the FOA DE-FOA-0003214 Communities Taking Charge Accelerator, could you clarify how the partnership procurement process works? We are a public entity that typically goes through a procurement process after an award is distributed. Are we approved to pre-select partners instead of going through a 'typical' procurement process? The FOA encourages project partner commitments and gives clear examples of partnerships that would create a strong application, but it is not clear to me how those partners may be selected and when.","You are able to pre-select teaming partners for your project.  It is also understood that final teaming partners may not be determined during the Concept Paper submission phase.  There is also a Teaming Partners List that can be referenced in EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.  "]
[34,"We're currently assisting a client interested in submitting a concept paper for the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator.  The company intends to apply for all three topic areas.  Could you please confirm if applying for one would affect the results or chances of receiving an award for the other two?","As stated in section III.F of the FOA, applicants may submit more than one concept paper and full application provided each describes a unique scientifically distinct project.  Applying to multiple topic areas would require the submission of multiple concept papers/full applications. Applying to more than one topic area would not affect the chances of being selected for an award."]
[35,"What is the funding situation? Specifically, can funding be stacked with CEC funds?","Funding requested can be found under the \"Funds and Costs\" tab of the Concept Paper application process inside Exchange."]
[36,"Are letters of support required for the application?","Please see Section IV. D. Content and Form of the Full Application."]
[37,"What constitutes a partner in this context? What commitments are required from them? I need to draft a letter that people can sign to show support.","See v. Letters of Commitment and Teaming Partner examples throughout the FOA. It is up to the applicant to make this determination on what partner works for them."]
[38,"Would you recommend applying as an individual applicant in case we are unable to establish a project partnership by the upcoming concept paper submission deadline (5/20)?","It is understood that final teaming partners may not be determined during the Concept Paper submission phase.  There is also a Teaming Partners List that can be referenced in EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.  "]
[39,"Are budget/request number required in the concept paper? I see it requires a description of why DOE funding is needed, but see no specific ask for how much funding will be requested.","Funding requested can be found under the \"Funds and Costs\" tab, in Exchange, of the Concept Paper application process. "]
[40,"1. The first question is whether the project lead that submits the concept paper  must be the same project lead that, if selected, submits a final proposal.  We feel we can line up additional partners that might want to take a lead role, but not before the deadline for the concept paper.  \n\n2. Second, we wanted to clarify if we need to submit budgets for the projects outlined in the concept paper.  We understand a budget will be needed for the final proposals, but it doesnt appear budgets are needed to be submitted for the concept paper.\n\n3. We expect to have on our team (a) a for-profit sub-recipient and (b) a community-based NGO sub-recipient, each with budget less than $250,000 and 25% of the total.  A few questions regarding each sub-recipient:\n- May we designate a team member of the sub-recipient as Key Personnel?\n- May we include a resume from a member of the sub-recipient's team, in an eventual proposal?\n\n4. Do our sub-recipients need to use FAR rates, or would they have some flexibility?","1. The individual that submits the Concept Paper must be the one to submit the Full Application.  Teaming members can change between the Concept Paper and Full Application phases.  If selected for negotiations potentially leading to an award, DOE will review the proposed change and may potentially negotiate a change to the Prime Recipient.\n\n2. The concept paper submission phase requires an overall project budget request that can be entered under the \"Funds and Costs\" tab of the Concept Paper application process. The full budget justification is a requirement of the full application.\n\n3. Key Personnel are any team members that contribute to the  execution of a project in a substantive and measurable way.\n- Resumes are required for each project manager and Senior/Key Personnel.  See Section IV.D.iv of the FOA.\n\n4. Proposed indirect rates must comply with the requirements in 2 CFR 200, not FAR."]
[41,"A Public Housing Authority is considered a quasi-governmental entity. For the purposes of this FOA, would you consider a quasi-governmental entity a \"local government entity\"?\n\nAre we able to submit a concept letter to Topic 1 and another concept letter to Topic 2?","Quasi-governmental entities can closely resemble state government, for-profit or non-profit entities. However, the FOA team would like to remind the applicants that we do not make specific determinations on eligibility prior to reviewing concep papers or applications. It is up to the applicant to determine if they are eligible to apply.\n\nAn entity may submit more than one Concept Paper and Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project and provided that an eligible Concept Paper was submitted for each Full Application."]
[42,"Under Topic Area 1, an example project could include “Community engagement activities to collect feedback from members of an affordable housing facility to co-create an e-mobility program for car-free residences, such as an EV carshare service,” but a similar program (EV carshare) is not listed under possible demonstration projects. Topic Area 1 is more focused on charging access, but would an EV carshare program at low-income or other multifamily housing types be considered an eligible demonstration project under this funding opportunity? ","The examples listed in the FOA for each Topic Area are not exhaustive.  They are meant to only provide examples, and are not limited to those listed.  It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process.  It is allowable to submit a concept paper in one Topic Area, and then submit the corresponding full application to another Topic Area. "]
[43,"Can the party that submits the application change between the concept paper and full application stages if a special purpose vehicle is being established with some of the collaborators?","Only applicants who submitted a Concept Paper in the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website are eligible to submit a Full Application. You can add individuals eligible to edit the submission under the \"Share Submission\" section in Exchange."]
[44,"Could you please confirm if the attached document is the correct template for the concept letter? If it is not, I would appreciate your guidance on which is the correct template.","Templates for required documents to be submitted with the concept papers or full applications can be found on the EERE Exchange website under the FOA listing titled Application Forms and Templates. DOE cannot provide additional guidance other than what is provided in the FOA document and provided templates."]
[45,"1. We have a question about the budget and cost share. Each project is $250K~4M, for demonstration project that requires 50% cost share, does it mean we request 2M from this DOE/DOT award, then cost share 2M, this will reach the 4M ceiling; or we can request as most 4M, then provide another 4M cost share from several resources? \n\n2. For cost share eligibility, does a state DOT count as a cost share provider, if we collaborate with our state DOT? Thanks!","1. The anticipated maximum and minimum award sizes listed in Section II.A.i are reflective of federal share only.  Cost share requirements can be found in Section III.B of the FOA.  Also refer to Appendix B - Sample Cost Share Calculation for Blended Cost Share Percentage in the FOA.\n\n2. Yes. Please see Section III.B.iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability of the FOA for more information regarding allowable funding sources."]
[46,"I just had one question regarding the concept paper and that is where do I submit it?","Due to an error in EERE eXchange, the system would not initially allow for the proper submission of Concept Papers.  This issue has been resolved and all Concept Papers can now be submitted under the \"Upload and Submit\" tab in EERE eXchange. Submission in Exchange has been checked and operational.  If you continue to have a problem, please submit your issue to the Exchange help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[47,"Page ii of the FOA says “Each applicant is required to: (1) register in the SAM (2) provide a valid UEI number in the application; and (3) maintain an active SAM registration with current information. Please clarify whether these requirements apply only to the Prime Applicant or whether they also apply to Subrecipients","Registration Requirements apply to Prime Recipients. \n\nSubawardees/subrecipients at all tiers must also obtain an UEI from the SAM and provide the UEI to the Prime Recipient before the subaward can be issued."]
[48,"Will the agency accept proposals that use utility rate payer funds as match. But the use of those funds have not yet been obligated by the local regulating body. For example, if we wanted to use a program proposed by the utility that utilized rate payer funds, but that program (and funding model) has not been approved yet, can that money still count as match. As a result the grant would be written, and accepted, under the condition of approval of the raterpayer funded program.","Please see Section III. B. iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability of the FOA for more information regarding allowable funding sources."]
[49,"Will the agency accept concept papers/grants that seek to utilize both a planning project and a demonstration project in the same proposal? Or should they be separated?","Applications can be proposed exclusively as planning projects, exclusively as demonstration and/or deployment projects, or as a combination of both planning and demonstration and/or deployment in a single application."]
[50,"While reviewing the required forms, I found a form saying \"Community Benefits Plan Template for Demonstration and Deployment\", which makes me wonder if Community Benefits Plan is only required for demonstration/deployment projects. Will applicants for planning projects still have to include 2-page Community Benefits Plan in their concept papers?","A Community Benefits Plan is required for all Concept Paper and Application submittals.  See Section IV. of the FOA and forms provided in Exchange."]
[51,"1. If we are planning to include funding for community partners in our main proposal, do we need to include them as separate partners on the project in the concept paper application? I noticed \"Community Partners\" are not listed under \"Organization type\" on the EERE portal\n\n2. If we are planning to partner with an individual consultant, do we list them under \"Individual\" for \"Organization Type\"? Can we list their name as the \"Organization\"?\n\n3. Is there a template for the concept paper, or is that flexible as long as we fall within the page-limit guidelines?\n\n4. Is there somewhere in the application portal where we designate whether our project is planning or demonstration? We are proposing a planning project and I listed all of our funds under planning, but this error has popped up: \"Additional information is required on the Funds and Costs tab. Demonstration requires applicants to contribute at least 50% of the total project cost. Please enter a cost share that is at least 50% of the total project cost.\"","1. DOE will not provide specific guidance regarding the content of concept papers or applications. DOE will not provide feedback regarding proposed team members prior to full application submission.\n\n2. An individual consultant can be listed as an \"Individual\" for the Organization Type, and the \"Organization\" can be \"Independent Consultant\" or the name of their consulting company (if applicable)\n\n3. See Section IV.C. for the Content and Form of the Concept Paper. DOE has not provided a formal template for the concept paper for this FOA.\n\n4. Applications can be proposed exclusively as planning projects, exclusively as demonstration and/or deployment projects, or as a combination of both planning and demonstration and/or deployment in a single application.  \n\nThe error triggered on cost share related to total costs in Exchange has been checked and corrected.  Submissions of 100% planning with 0% cost share are now accessible.  If an error occurred previously, please try your submission again.  If you still continue to have errors, please submit your request to the Exchange help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[52,"Are applicants allowed to submit a concept paper as a prime recipient if they also feature as a sub-recipient on a different prime's concept paper? ","Entities may apply as a primary applicant and/or subrecipient on more than one application."]
[53,"Can we apply in conjunction with the transportation systems of some Texas cities within the Charge Accelerator funding opportunity for the manufacture and installation of \"...\"?","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process. Teaming arrangements are highly encouraged in all Topic Areas of this FOA."]
[54,"We noted in the FOA that you advise a 44 day window for registering on the SAM. We unfortunately have a prime who has not yet been able to register. I wanted to check with you how how we should advise them. Is that 44 day window a hard and fixed time limit? Are you able to help us understand that process a bit better? We might need to change our strategy for who is applying as the prime applicant if they needed to register in advance.  We are having them start this process ASAP but want to see if with the concept paper due date of 5/20, there will be sufficient time.  ","SAM registration is encouraged but not required prior to submission of the concept paper. An applicant must comply with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements by the time DOE is ready to make a federal award.\n\nThe individual that submits the Concept Paper must be the one to submit the Full Application.  Teaming members can change between the Concept Paper and Full Application phases.  If selected for negotiations potentially leading to an award, DOE will review any proposed change and may potentially negotiate a change to the Prime Recipient. "]
[55,"In terms of the page number parameter, would a title page (simply displaying the logos of our company plus those JOET and DOE) count toward the six (6)-page maximum?","The cover page of the Concept Paper submission should include all references to the applicant and team member organizations. Please refer to Section IV.C. of the FOA for information about the content and page limits of the Concept Paper.  The total maximum pages that can be submitted is 6.  "]
[56,"1. Please confirm for Topic 1, that it is acceptable to use all funds solely for Planning and no funds for Demonstration. Page 6 of the FOA announcement states “Applications can be proposed exclusively as planning projects, exclusively as demonstration and/or deployment projects, or as a combination of both planning and demonstration and/or deployment projects.” However, when we entered $0 for Demonstration in the application portal, we received an error message.\n\n2. Please clarify whether we will be held to our Concept Paper budget during the Full Application phase.","1. Yes, an applicant can propose a 100% planning project. The error triggered on cost share related to total costs in Exchange have been checked and corrected.  Submissions of 100% planning with 0% cost share are now accessible.  If an error occurred previously, please try your submission again.  If you still continue to have errors, please submit your request to the Exchange help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov\n\n2. Applicants will be required to provide estimated total federal, recipient, and total project costs as part of the concept paper submission process.  Applicants will have the opporunity to revise these when submitting a full application."]
[57,"We have a question about the upcoming VTO Funding for Topic 1 – Solving for No-Home Charging: Expanding Charging Access for Privately Owned E-Mobility.\n\nIn the Applicant Resources “Opportunity Basics” pdf it states areas not of interest are “projects that promote a specific brand”.\n\nOur company is focused solely on democratizing @home overnight charging for ALL residents of multi-family communities (apartments and condos) regardless of their economic position. \n\nWe’re looking to raise capital to deploy our charger system nationwide in 2025, but based on the comment about “not promoting a specific brand” is the VTO Funding something we should really apply for?  We are in fact looking to promote our brand and grow Earth X in our market, and maintain our proprietary IP. ","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[58,"We are developing a concept paper for Communities Taking Charge NOFO related to deploying V2G level two chargers in residential homes in CA. Does the full list of CFR 680 requirements apply if the deployments are in private residences? For example, would the technicians that install a home level 2 charger need to be EVITP certified to comply with CFR 680.106?  The language in the NOFO (shown below) mentions that public EV chargers must be compliant with CFR 680, but below that it says the project must “support technical requirements of CFR 680.” It’s unclear if the project needs to satisfy all CFR 680 requirements or just some. Please advise. ","The objective of the topic is to be compliant with CFR680 .108 and .114 to foster a scalable, open, and interoperable technology stack. Should projects seek Title 23 federal funding concurrent or at a later date those projects would require compliance to the full scope of CFR680.\n\n680.108 Interoperability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.\n680.114 Charging network connectivity of electric vehicle charging infrastructure."]
[59,"On this \"Upload and Submit\" tab, I received an error message: “Additional information is required on the Funds and Costs tab. Demonstration requires applicants to contribute at least 50% of the total project cost. Please enter a cost share that is at least 50% of the total project cost.” I am not applying for a demonstration project, just a planning project. I entered 0 for the demonstration project costs, but I am still getting this error message. I also tried leaving those fields blank, and the same error message appears.","Restrictions on cost share related to total costs in Exchange have been checked and corrected.  Submissions of 100% planning with 0% cost share are now accessible.  If an error occurred previously, please try your submission again.  If you still continue to have errors, please submit your request to the Exchange help desk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[60,"We are interested in submitting a concept paper for Topic 3 Manage Charging of DE-FOA-0003214 with focus on MHDV depot charging. For this topic, we noticed a requirement for “Open-Source Software Distribution Plan” (Section IV.D.xvi and Appendix E).  For summation, could you please clarify if open source software is focused on communication/data exchange interface layer between smart chargers management and other units such as utility, EV, fleet management, etc or is it also applicable to core algorithms for scheduling optimization of the chargers?  ","The open source software requirements is for all components of the project ranging from communication interfaces and data exchange to algorithms for business logic. The objective for the topic is to create open and interoperable technologies for rapid adoption and broad scaling. "]
[61,"Often, my region is contacted by potential developers or community partners regarding funding (low to no interest loans or grants) to develop infrastructure related to clean energy.  I found your email contact information following a newsletter from a regional planning commission that included a link for Communities Taking Charge Accelerator.  Would that program be appropriate for, say, developing infrastructure like EV charging stations and is that a grant program or a loan program?","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process. The financial assistance type for this FOA is defined as a Cooperative Agreement and details can be referenced in Section II.B of the FOA."]
[62,"Would charging infrastructure at a multifamily housing complex need to be open to the public to be eligible for grant funds? In other words, could grant funding support installing chargers at multifamily housing complexes that are then available only to the residents of that complex. ","It is up to the applicant to determine if their proposal is relevant to the FOA and FOA topics. DOE will not provide feedback on technical ideas outside of the concept paper process."]
[63,"If we missed the submission period on Exchange, can we email our concept paper?","No submissions outside of EERE Exchange will be considered for this funding opportunity."]
[64,"When will notifications regarding Concept Papers be sent out?","Individual status updates will not be given regarding submissions in EERE Exchange. Reviews are currently being conducted and formal notifications will be sent out at the completion of the review process. DOE appreciates your patience during this time."]
[65,"The activity, Task 3, is for both planning and demonstration, is the project required to cover 50% cost share for the whole project? Or is 50% cost share only required for the demonstration component of the proposed project?","The 50% cost share requirement is only required for those project task items assoicated with Demonstration.  All planning aspects of the project will require 0% cost share.  Please see Appendix B of the FOA for a reference on how to calculate a blended cost share project."]
[66,"We are inquiring to see if a prospective partner can submit a full application based on the City's concept paper? It is unclear if the entity that submitted the concept paper must also be the entity to submit the application.","The account used to submit the concept paper must be the account to submit the full application."]
[67,"Is it possible to submit the full application considering the deadline for a concept paper has passed?","Submission of a concept paper is required as part of the application process. The deadline for submission of the concept paper has expired, so you will not be able to submit a full application."]
[68,"Please provide the full announcement for Funding Opportunity DE-FOA-0003214  Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.\n\nFyi, the site provided is not populating for review","The links have been checked and are operational. Please, update to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, download the file to your computer, and open the file using a desktop version of Acrobat Reader rather than opening from a web browser. If that doesn't work, try downloading it again."]
[69,"As stated in the Q&A Question 40: The individual that submits the Concept Paper must be the one to submit the Full Application.  Teaming members can change between the Concept Paper and Full Application phases.  If selected for negotiations potentially leading to an award, DOE will review the proposed change and may potentially negotiate a change to the Prime Recipient.\n\nIf our concept paper is invited to apply, can we go through the process to restructure our teaming partnership to list a potential partner as Prime Recipient and have them list us as a Teaming Partner even though they aren’t listed in our concept paper? What would be the process for this? Can this happen before applications are due? ","The account used to submit the concept paper must be the account to submit the full application. Changes to Teaming partners or the Lead PI can occur between the Concept Paper and Full Application phases.  Changes to the Prime Recipient must be negotiated after the Full Application phase if the project is selected for award negotiations"]
[70,"Is there an opportunity to request feedback on why our concept paper wasn’t chosen? ","As described  in your notification, the notification letter comprises the sole debriefing the DOE will provide with regard to your Concept Paper."]
[71,"Q1:  As per DOE's regulations that prohibit FFRDCs from lobbying to influence federal officials in connection with the awarding of grants or contracts, I am seeking your confirmation on whether DOE federally owned and operated laboratories are still required to provide a signed \"SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities\" when there's nothing to report.  We respect your authority in this matter and look forward to your response","No, FFRDCs do not have to provide a lobbying disclosure. However, Exchange in the past has required this document to be uploaded or an error will occur. If this is the case, just submit the form and indicate it is not applicable or a similar document that indicates that it is not applicable."]
[72,"Q2: To whom should DOE FFRDCs address/direct the required \"Authorization for DOE/NNSA FFRDCs\"?  Please provide the name, title, and mailing address.  Previous funding announcements included DOE Grantor Contact/Contract Specialist information in the FAQ.","The information can be addressed to the Contracting Officer via email, as the CO does not have an official mailing address.\n\nLani Nishimura\nContracting Officer\nSubmit via email: FOA3214@netl.doe.gov"]
[73,"Q3: We want to confirm whether the JOET considers partnering FFRDCs as sub-recipients for this announcement.  Typically, DOE funds partnering FFRDCs independently of the project team rather than funding them through the prime recipient as a project team member/sub-recipient.","DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to apply for funding as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is not eligible for award under this announcement and may not be proposed as a subrecipient on another entity’s application. An application that includes NETL as a prime recipient or subrecipient will be considered non-responsive.\nNon-DOE/NNSA FFRDCs are eligible to participate as a subrecipient but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient. Reference Section III for Eligibility Information."]
[74,"Q4:  Should partnering FFRDCs provide their project lead a completed \"Subrecipient Budget Justification\" for the Full Application submission if the FFRDCs' proposed federal share exceeds $250K or 25% of the total project costs?  Or will the required \"Budget for DOE/NNSA FFRDC\" be sufficient in place of the sub-recipient budget justification requirement?","If the value of the FFRDC/National Lab work exceeds $250K or 25% of the total project value, they will be required to submit a detailed budget justification. "]
[75,"Q5:  Can the \"Authorization for DOE/NNSA FFRDCs\" fulfill the letter of commitment/support requirement for project teams collaborating with DOE FFRDCs?","The \"Authorization for DOE/NNSA FFRDCs\" and \"Letter of Commitment\" have different requirements. Reference section III.E.i.ii and section IV.D.v"]
[76,"Would the Department be willing to engage in a brief review of why our Concept Paper was not selected to move forward? ","As described  in your notification, the notification letter comprises the sole debriefing the DOE will provide with regard to your Concept Paper."]
[77,"I'd like to get clarification on the responses to our concept papers for the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator Grant. I don't understand the response. \n\nI'd like to see a list of applicants that were encouraged to submit, which would allow us to submit better applications","As described  in your notification, the notification letter comprises the sole debriefing the DOE will provide with regard to your Concept Paper."]
[78,"Please provide a name, title, and address to include in the Letter of Commitment.","Letters of Commitment should be addressed to the Prime Recipient, because it is with the Prime Recipient that the subrecipients will be commiting to. "]
[79,"Under the “current and pending support” it makes multiple references to research. Since our project is not a research project, do we still need to fill it out?","Current and Pending Support must be completed by all PI's and Senior/Key Personnel on the project. Current and pending support is intended to allow the identification of potential duplication, overcommitment, potential conflicts of interest or commitment, and all other sources of support.  Reference Section IV.D.xx"]
[80,"I initiated the full application within EERE, using the link reading ‘start full application’ that appeared next to our Concept Paper. However, using this link took me to tabs that look exactly like the concept paper tabs. There is nowhere to upload detailed budgets, additional documents, etc.\n\nWill this issue be corrected within EERE, or is there something I need to do differently?","All links have been tested and are working functionally.  If you continue to have issues, please contact itsihelp@ee.doe.gov"]
[81,"Can you please send us the reviewer comments? (We don’t see the connection between the box that was checked, and our submission. ","As described  in your notification, the notification letter comprises the sole debriefing the DOE will provide with regard to your Concept Paper."]
[82,"Does the full proposal need to have the same budget numbers (totals overall, for partners, and for planning vs deployment) that were included in the concept paper, or can the budget numbers be adjusted as we work through the details in the full proposal?   ","Budget numbers can be adjusted during the full application as the details are worked out during the negotiation stage."]
[83,"Is there a webinar recording that talks more in detail about the requirements for this grant?","There is no webinar recording provided for this FOA. Applicants can visit https://driveelectric.gov/communities-taking-charge for first-time applicant resources as well as additional information."]
[84,"A number of the organizations we propose to work with have the capacity to serve as the prime contractor so we wanted to ask if it was even possible to have a different organization other than ours as the prime when we submit our full proposal?","The entity used to submit the concept paper must be the same entity to submit the full application. "]
[85,"Can you provide the contact information for someone I can speak with regarding the EERE_T_ Budget Justification form?  I'm trying to determine what the fully loaded rates  includes (payrate + fringe + overhead +profit).  ","All questions must be submitted through the FOA mailbox.  Answers will be posted on EERE Exchange.\nIf an organization has an indirect rate proposal or negotiated rate agreement which encompasses the fringe pool of costs, that should be utilized to determine the calculations in the Fringe Tab and Indirect Tab of the Budget Justification. Otherwise, a list of the elements that comprise the fringe pool and the cost or percentage of each element allocated to the labor costs identified in the Budget Justification should be included. For loaded rates included in the personnel tab, a description of the costs comprising the loaded rate must be included in the Additional Explanation section. Fully loaded rates should still be allowable, allocable, and reasonable. See 2 CFR 200 for guidance allowability of costs, specificially https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.431.   Please submit what you have and any issues or questions will be discussed during negoiations. "]
[86,"My team is looking to maximize project financing and is wondering if it would be possible to stack incentives (e.g., funding received from a statewide grant) if awarded under this federal opportunity.","Please see Section III.B.iii. Cost Share Types and Allowability of the FOA for more information regarding allowable funding sources and https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.306 ."]
[87,"Can you confirm that the planning portion of proposals for this FOA has required 0% cost share?","Planning activities in a project require 0% cost share.  Demonstration/Deployment activities in a project require 50% cost share.  Reference Section III.B"]
[88,"Are there requirements for how much of the cost share the prime recipient is responsible for? (for example, can in-kind cost share of staff time by municipal employees who are a 3rd party/contributor to the project cover the full required amount cost share?)","The prime applicant has legal responsibility to ensure that the required cost share for the proposed project is met. Each project team is free to determine how best to allocate the cost share requirement among the team members. The amount contributed by individual project team members may vary, as long as the cost share requirement for the project as a whole is met and within the requirements of the AOI."]
[89,"Can you provide guidance on allowable costs as part of loaded labor rates? (for example, is profit allowed and at what maximum rate). Does the loaded labor rate include direct pay, fringe, overhead as well as profit?  ","See 2 CFR 200 for guidance allowability of costs.\n\nRecipient and subrecipients are not allowed to include profit in their project costs. See 2 CFR 200 for additional guidance."]
[90,"Our project would include competitive procurement processes to select vendors for the pilot deployment phase, as a result specific vendors are not yet known. Is it allowable to indicate the cost that would be allocated to these vendors and note that specific vendors would be selected through a competitive procurement process?","Yes, it is allowable to specify the vendor is to be selected based on a competitive procurement process. Details can be discussed during negotiations. "]
[91,"Can you provide any examples of the kinds of SMART milestones that you are hoping to be used for planning phases of projects?","SMART milestones should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely, and must demonstrate a project achievement rather than simply completing a task.  DOE cannot provide specific examples at this time."]
[92,"Thank you for your review and determination.\n\nYour email and attachment were received. Please see attached is the submission on record. Do let us know specifically where the FOA was not followed and is there a remedy to the situation as we are open for correction and collaboration.\n","As described  in your notification, the notification letter comprises the sole debriefing the DOE will provide with regard to your Concept Paper.  \n\nApplicants may submit a Full Application even if they receive a notification discouraging them from doing so. By discouraging the submission of a Full Application, DOE intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project. Such assessments do not necessarily reflect judgments on the merits of the proposed project. Reference Section VI.A.ii"]
[93,"Can you confirm if the CBP costs require cost share or if they are excluded? Would the CBP cost fall under the R&D cost share rate or the demonstration rate? Or is it dependent on the activities within the CBP?","CBP costs should be treated as part of total project costs. Cost share should be calculated accordingly as described in the FOA."]
[94,"Tab i in the budget justification form for this solicitation indicates that entities that do not yet have a negotiated overhead cost rate with the federal government must submit an \"indirect rate proposal in the format provided by your DOE contact.\" Can you direct us to this form or provide guidance on the format desired?","DOE does not provide an approved format for the rate submission that is part of the application.  Applicants should use a format of their choice and ensure it clearly and appropriately details the elements that constitute the rate calculations.  If selected for negotiations leading to award, the submitted rate calculation will be reviewed and discussed during negotiations. An example is found here, but not required for the application. https://www.dcaa.mil/Checklists-Tools/ICE-Model/"]
[95,"Our organization found out about this opportunity after the due date for the concept papers. Will there be another round next spring, or are there similar construction grants you were aware of? ","DOE cannot comment on future solicitations. Please continually check the EERE Exchange and Grants.gov websites for postings of funding opportunity announcements."]
[96,"For the Data Management and Open Source Software components of the application, what do requirements look like if the proposed project is merely planning end-to-end charging systems for an end user, but does not generate new data or use any open source software? ","DOE cannot comment on specific applications at this time.  Reference Sections IV.D.xvi and IV.D.xvii. for further details on Data Management Plans and Open Source Software requirements. Further information may be discussed if an application is selected for negotiations. "]
[97,"Can you please help to clarify if or how we might account for revenue that could be generated from the operational period of the project design? \nThe way we've designed the budget so far is to estimate only the personnel staff costs and Other Direct Costs as they relate to planning, testing, and evaluation and supporting the program's data analysis and reporting/deliverable requirements. \nOr should we scope the budget to full end-to-end scaled operations and associated personnel costs once the volume has scaled to full capacity operations with paying client(s) and then our \"best guess\" to be accounted for in PROGRAM INCOME (FEES EARNED, ETC.)?","DOE cannot comment on specific applications at this time.  Reference 2 CFR 200.307 for further direction on program income.\nThe proposed budget will go through negotiations and there may be adjustments for any selected applicants, but the budget's line items need to be fully inclusive of all fees required to complete the entirety of the project's statement of project objectives."]
[98,"We are working through our proposed budget and realizing that the 24-month time frame will be quite tight for conducting a feasibility study and then implementation.  Would you consider a 36-month timeframe for this feasibility and implementation?  ","It is suggested that applicant's only propose work that can feasibly be completed within the 24-month period of performance. "]
[99,"The SOPO instructions say that projects can have the following tasks: \"planning, R&D, deployment and/or demonstration.\" Page 27 in the FOA doesn't mention R&D, but Appendix B aligns R&D with a 20% cost share. This suggests but does not definitively clear up that R&D is the same as planning. Please confirm.\n\nThe FOA's Appendix B introduces a new type of task: \"Outreach.\" Outreach follows both R&D and demonstration and does not require a cost share. Is that correct? Also, does this mean that outreach activities post-demonstration are a new type of activity type that is not subject to a minimum cost share requirement? ","Appendix B is used as an example for blended cost share.  You can follow this example with the appropriate cost share percentages for the topic you are applying to.\n\nCost Share Requirements:\nPlanning/Outreach - 0%\nR&D - 20%\nDemonstration/Deployment - 50%\n\nOutreach was not specifically called out as an activity classificaiton in this FOA other than to use it as an example.  It is not a requirement of any topic area in this particular FOA."]
[100,"The Communities Taking Charge Accelerator FOA (0003214) does not define what are considered deployment projects and demonstration projects. Could you clarify what the difference between deployment and demonstration is for this FOA?","For this FOA, demonstration and deployment activities are interchangeable in terms of Cost Share. Both of these activities require a 50% cost share applied to any demonstration or deployment task."]
[101,"I’m looking for assistance with a file for this grant application.  I download the file “DE-FOA-0003214_Communities_Taking_Charge_Accelerator” from the EERE exchange page, but get a message that the file is damaged and cannot be opened.    Can you provide a copy of the file? ","The file links have been checked and are operational. Please, update to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, download the file to your computer, and open the file using a desktop version of Acrobat Reader rather than opening from a web browser. If that doesn't work, try downloading it again.  If you continue to have issues, please contact the EERE Exchange HelpDesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[102,"If the applicant will be providing the 50% cost share for a Topic 2 application submittal, do they need to submit a letter of commitment? Are they considered the subrecipient? \n","The Prime Recipient is not required to provide a letter of commitment for their contribution.  They are only required from entities like subrecipients who are providing cost share.  The applicant to this FOA is considered the Prime Recipient"]
[103,"The Community Partnership Document required, will a letter signed by City officials suffice to prove partnerships with cities?","The Partnership Documentation can be a letter on the partner’s letterhead outlining the planned partnership signed by an officer of the entity, a Memorandum of Understanding, or other similar agreement. Such letters must state the specific nature of the partnership and must not be general letters of support.  Reference Section IV.D.vi"]
[104,"Can you clarify how many SMART milestones are needed per budget period? \n\nThe SOPO template says \n“Each budget period must contain one significant SMART Technical milestone per quarter and one Go/No Go Decision Point.”\n\nWhile the FOA says \n” The minimum requirement is that each project must have at least one milestone per quarter for the duration of the project with at least one SMART technical milestone per year.”\nThe FOA also says: \n“Go/No-Go decision points are considered “SMART” and can fulfill the requirement for an annual SMART milestone.”\n\nFor a given budget period, do we need a minimum of 1 SMART milestone (which could be the go/no-go decision point), or do we need five (one per quarter and one go/no-go decision point?)","Please utilize the FOA as the official document for requirements.  A minimum of one SMART milestone is required per year. If the Go/No-Go is written using the SMART formatting, that could satisfy the requirement of a minimum of one SMART milestone per year.  It is encouraged to incorporate the SMART formatting for your milestones, however the requirement is a minimum of one.\n\nSMART metrics should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely, and must demonstrate a project achievement rather than simply completing a task. "]
[105,"Can you clarify if for a 2 year project we need two SMART milestones (if period 2 milestone occurs at the end of project) or do we need three (one in each year AND one SMART end of project goal)?","There are a minimum of two SMART milestones required in the full application for a two year project.  The second budget period does not contain a go/no-go decision point, thus the end of project goal can be counted as a second SMART milestone if needed."]
[106,"My understanding is that milestones in the CBP are also included in the SOPO and the Technical Volume.  Do these need to be distinct from the technical milestones or should they be described in both documents?  For example, is it possible that a budget period could include a total of 4 technical milestones (one of which is SMART, and which is also a CBP SMART milestone?)  ","You are allowed to classify CBP milestones in the SOPO as \"CBP\" rather than \"technical\" for the type of milestone. You are allowed to have as many SMART milestones as you want, there is only the minimum requirement of one per budget period; there is no maximum cutoff.  DOE cannot comment on the applicability of milestones outside the review process."]
[107,"What is the cost share requirement on community benefits plan tasks?  Is it 0%? Or the blended rate from the project tasks? ","CBP costs should be treated as part of total project costs. Cost share should be calculated accordingly as described in the FOA."]
[108,"Am I still eligible to apply and submit a full application if I did not submit a concept paper?","No. You must have submit a concept paper by the concept paper due date in order to be eligible to submit a full application."]
[109,"We have been invited to submit a full proposal based on our original concept paper.  Is it possible to have the July 16th deadline extended?  ","DOE does not anticipate on extending the deadline for full applications."]
[110,"Are 3rd parties who are submitting letters of commitment and will contribute to the project but are not subrecipients who are receiving funding from the award eligible to contribute to the cost share requirement for the project? ","Entities providing cost share are considered sub-recipients regardless if they receive federal funds. Cost share may be provided by the prime recipient, subrecipients, or third parties (entities that do not have a role in performing the scope of work). \n\nSee 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements. DOE cannot make specific determinations of cost share allowability absent receipt of a full application.  If selected for negotiations potentially leading to award, DOE will review the and negotiate the proposed cost share allocations and sources."]
[111,"If we are not associated with any foreign countries of risk, do we need to fill out this part of the application?","For items listed as \"if applicable\", and it does not apply to your application, nothing needs to be uploaded.\n\nFor required items, but your project does not have any that are applicable, please upload a file stating that there are none available."]
[112,"We are having trouble finding the \"Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice\" form.  It's not listed on the NOFO.  Can you please email it to us?  ","There is no specified form required for the Potentially Duplicative Funding Notice.  Details required to be provided can be found in Section IV.D.xxiii"]
[113,"Current and Pending Support Form: Confirming that this is only for research projects? Our project includes a success evaluation of a pilot project, which doesn’t involve the creation of any new products. Do each of the project partners involved in conducting this evaluation (a consulting firm and a university faculty member) need to complete this form? Are the pieces of ‘support’ only for research grants, or does our consulting firm also have to submit all our other ongoing projects and funding sources?","The current and pending support applies to the individual, not the company, and includes the PI and other critical personnel. This is for all projects, not just specifically research. As part of the application, the principal investigator and senior/key personnel at the applicant and subrecipient level must provide a list of all sponsored activities, awards, and appointments, whether paid or unpaid; provided as a gift with terms or conditions or provided as a gift without terms or conditions; full-time, part-time, or voluntary; faculty, visiting, adjunct, or honorary; cash or in-kind; foreign or domestic; governmental or private-sector; directly supporting the individual’s research or indirectly supporting the individual by supporting students, research staff, space, equipment, or other research expenses. Reference Section IV.D.xx."]
[114,"The concept paper submission phase requires an overall project budget request that was entered under the \"Funds and Costs\" tab of the Concept Paper application process. Can the budget for the full application be slightly higher or different from the budget submitted under the Concept paper?","Yes, the requested funding for your proposed project may be changed (inceased or decreased) in the full application as further details are worked out."]
[115,"Working through the Budget Justification, we need to know whether we need separate budget justifications for subrecipients.\nThe FOA document Section xi. Says: \n\"Applicants must provide a separate budget justification for each subrecipient that is expected to perform work estimated to be more than $250,000 or 25 percent of the total work effort  \"\nSo under this assumption, it's only work cost that determines whether these are required. In our case no subrecipient is over $250,000 for work.\n\nBut in the INSTRUCTIONS in the Budget Justification Excel file, it says:\n\"2. Subrecipients (partners, sub-awardees): Subrecipients shall submit a Budget Justification describing all project costs and calculations when their total proposed budget exceeds either (1) $250,000 or (2) 25% of total award costs.\" \n\"Total proposed budget\" can be understood as including equipment and supplies, and indeed our subrecipients will be the users of most of the equipment.\n\nSo do we go by Work (and do not submit separate subrecipient budget justifications) or by Total (which assigns equipment and supplies to subrecipients)?\n\n","Detailed subrecipient budget justifications must be provided for all subrecipients that (1) have a total budget that exceeds $250,000 or (2) exceeds 25% of the total work effort provided to the project.  \"Work effort\" is not determined by individual line items in, for example, the equipment and supply categories, but rather the level of effort as determined in the technical volume."]
[116,"I was wondering if the full application deadline can be extended? ","DOE does not anticipate on extending the deadline for full applications. Any updates to deadlines will be posted on Exchange."]
[117,"I have a question regarding the CBP document. FOA p37 indicates the maximum page count is 12, but the template is 23 pages. With some (and not all yet) of our information integrated and instructional text removed, we are still landing well over the 12 page limit. I don’t want to exclude any requested information nor do I want to break the style requirements, but am unsure how to proceed. ","The template contains examples that may or may not apply to a specific project.  The page limit listed in Section IV.D.xviii is the requirement for this FOA.  DOE cannot provide further analysis outside the review process. "]
[118,"Can staff time count towards the 50% match?","DOE cannot comment on allowability outside of the application review process. Please see 2 CFR 200.306 for information regarding allowable cost share."]
[119,"Can we include a range of potential locations rather than including specifics for this stage of the application process?","If you are asking whether an application may be submitted without knowing the location of pilot stations, the answer is yes, but no funds could be used until the NEPA process for those locations are completed."]
[120,"Regarding the Travel sheet:\n- Is travel for on-site work by car that does not involve overnight stay eligible?\n- Looking at the worksheet, column K does not multiply the per-diem by the number of days, nor does it enable to calculate car travel (multiple days) assuming it is eligible. Please advise.","Mileage reimbursement for certain circumstances is possible under travel. When entering values into the per diem column, if following GSA rates, you should enter the total dollar value, accounting for the the pro-rated first and last days of travel.  Please see 2 CFR 200 for more information regarding allowable costs. Additionally, travel for normal, day to day communting to work for an employee is not allowed if not normally allowed from that business. Meals also fall under this area. Travel must be official business travel, not daily commuting."]
[121,"I am preparing the SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities to include in our application and I wanted to clarify which form is needed because I found two from the links that was posted on EERE Exchange. Both Forms have similar information requests. I believe on the application I just need to attach the word version (convert it to PDF). I just wanted to make sure it was the correct form. ","Please use the form \"SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.doc\" listed in the Application Forms and Templates section of the Funding Opportunity Announcement in EERE Exchange.  Please save the file as a .pdf for submittal."]
[122,"Given these circumstances, we kindly request an extension for the current deadlines to accommodate these holidays and the reduced availability of key personnel. This extension would ensure that all stakeholders have adequate time to review and finalize the necessary details without undue rush.\nAdditionally, can you confirm that it is allowable to alter our budget request from DOE in this full application from the concept proposal? We would like to request an award of $4M, given that we meet the minimum cost share requirement as specified on p. 27 of the FOA. In our concept proposal, we requested $2.5M as the federal share, and have since increased our project in scope and matching resources.","DOE does not anticipate on extending the deadline for full applications.\n\nBudget numbers can be adjusted during the full application as the details are worked out during the negotiation stage."]
[123,"We have been approved to submit a full application on the EERE web site but within the main portal for DE-FOA-0003214 we can’t see a way to apply. \nWould you be able to point us in the right place for us to formally submit an application please? ","The individual that submits the application must be the individual that submitted the concept paper. If you submitted a concept paper by the 05/20/2024 due date, then contact the Exchange Helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov  if you do not see the apply button."]
[124,"If we receive an invitation to submit an application on June 11th, can we still submit an application after July 11th? ","Applications can be submitted up until July 16, 2024 by 5pm EST."]
[125,"We are attempting to fill out SF-424 for the Communities Taking Charge grant. We are unable to save the document. We have tried to save the document on three different computers at this point, and in each case we have received the below error. \nAdobe Acrobat: \"The document could not be saved. There was a problem reading this document (26).\"\n ","Please be sure that you are using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.  If the problem still persists, please contact the Exchange Helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov"]
[126,"I don't see an upload spot for the Transparency of Foreign Connections document?","This document field has been updated and is currently available in EERE Exchange."]
[127,"How are expenses on software for operations of the equipment (e.g. charging management systems, Microgrid management systems) accounted for in the Budget Justifications - should they be under Equipment, Supplies, Other Direct Costs or elsewhere?  What period should be taken into account - in a Demonstration project, is it the life of the system, or the span of the project itself, or something else?","Please review the descriptions of applicable costs, found at the top of every tab in the Budget Justification spreadsheet. Description of costs and reference to applicable regulations are provided. \n\nFor time period, see definiton of equipment in the equipment tab. Reference 2 CFR 200 for further guidelines"]
[128,"An application that we are supporting has used up (or is nearly about to use up) all of the provided rows for contractual services. Although the instructions allow applicants to add a new line in that worksheet and the Summary and SF-424 tabs will correctly include the new row in their sum calculations--- we’ve found that the total on the Contracts tab itself does not update correctly. Is this an issue that requires a corrected Excel template or can we proceed and submit the Budget as is (preferred)?","Please ensure that all dollar values requested are accurately reflected on the Instructions and Summary tab."]
[129,"In section xxii. [Transparency of Foreign Connections] of the NOFO, a series of potentially required disclosures is listed. Our organization has no foreign connections, subsidiaries, etc. The only item that potentially applies to us is #10: Complete list of all directors (and board observers), including their full name, citizenship and shareholder affiliation, date of appointment, duration of term, as well as a description of observer rights as applicable.\n\nWe do have a Board of Directors. But do we only need to provide this list if there are foreign connections or involvements to disclose?","This form is required to be submitted with the application, even if not applicable. \n\nAll applicants must provide the transparency of foreign connections document with their application, as it relates to the proposed recipient and subrecipients- any portions of this section that are not applicable to the potential recipient or sub recipients can be listed as Not Applicable."]
[130,"On page 37 of this FOA (Community Accelerator grant), it says that the \"Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification\" is N/A. However, when I go into the website where I'll actually need to submit the application, the \"Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification\" has a little red star, so that makes it look like it's required.\n\nIs a \"Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification Required\"? Or what should I upload into that box if it is not required?","N/A is in the column for page limit, as there are no applicable page limit requirements to the Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification. It is a requirement of the FOA. Please submit a CBP Budget Justification. \nSee FOA Section IV. D. xix."]

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["Organization","Name","Date Question Received","Question","Answer","Date Answer Provided via Email","Date Posted to Exchange","Question Posted to Exchange (if different from email)","Answer posted to Exchange (if different from email)"]