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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to OSWENVFOA@ee.doe.gov."]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA-00002237 - Offshore Wind Environmental Research and Instrumentation"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2021-01-15","Eligibility","\t\nFor Topic Area 3, is the State of Hawaii included under \"West Coast?\" In other words, would proposals to conduct studies in waters along or off the State of Hawaii qualify under Topic Area 3? Thank you.","For the purposes of Topic Area 3, the State of Hawaii is not included under West Coast.  Regions of Interest for Topic Area 3 Subtopic 1 are described on page 28 of the FOA, \"In geographic scope, generally speaking, studies may include ocean waters from Point Conception, California to northern Oregon, along the Outer Continental Shelf and Slope.\"  Regions of Interest for Topic Area 3 Subtopic 1 are described on page 32 of the FOA,  \"In geographic scope, technologies should be relevant for potential application on the OCS off California to northern Oregon, focusing on species and other biological resources of particular relevance in the context of permitting and environmental review of offshore wind development by federal and state environmental resource agencies.\"  "]
[2,"2021-01-25","Application Content/Format","I'm hoping to receive some clarification about how to represent potential partnerships with NOPP agency partners in application documents. Can we mention proposed collaborations with federal agencies, even though we are not supposed to discuss such collaborations with them during the proposal development process? How much detail should we go into about who specifically we are proposing to collaborate with, and what such a collaboration might look like?\n\nFor example, we are currently collaborating with the [XXXX] on a project, and might like to propose a continuation of that collaboration as part of a new proposal in response to this FOA.  Should we specifically mention the Program, or even specific staff involved with the collaboration, in the concept paper/proposal when we are discussing building off of this existing project? Can you provide guidance on how to appropriately budget for a new collaboration when we cannot discuss funding needs with the collaborators in question?  \n\nAny concrete guidance you can provide on how to plan or present such collaborations in a proposal would be really helpful. ","The FOA, particularly Topic Areas 1 and 2,  is drafted in such a way that roles of partnering Federal agencies (FWS, NOAA, and BOEM) in research will be discussed and finalized during award negotiation and during the first Budget Period.  Thus, all applications regarding involvement of those entities will be seen as notional in nature in applications and final roles and budgets will be developed after project selection.  To that end, if they wish to, applicants may specify programs and even staff they would like to partner with, was well as a rough estimate of anticipated level of effort for that collaboration,  but should  explicitly note that commitments have not been secured by those parties and the partnership is tentative in nature prior to award selection and negotiation due to the FOA restrictions on negotiation during the open period of the FOA."]
[3,"2021-02-11","Application Content/Format","Could a state government entity (Entity A) submit a Concept Paper either on behalf of or in partnership with a different entity (Entity B) that would be identified after submittal of the Concept Paper, and if encouraged by DOE to submit a full application, could the full application then be submitted by Entity B as the proposed prime recipient?  Would it be necessary for Entity B to have also submitted its own Concept Paper?","The FOA does not prohibit a change of team members or Prime Applicants between the Concept Paper and Final Application deadline, provided that the same Control Number is used for the Full Application as was used for the Concept Paper."]
[4,"2021-02-16","Application Content/Format","For Topic Area 3, subtopic 1, can you please provide some more clarity regarding the following specific application requirement: \n\n“3. Demonstrate that proposed tasks actively incorporate the input of, and buy-in from, specific federal and/or state regulatory and resource management agencies (except those federal partners involved in the development and execution of this solicitation, as listed above), offshore wind project developers, and/or any other stakeholders whose participation will be critical to the effective execution of those tasks.”\n\nCan you provide some examples of the kind of input or buy-in that would fulfill this requirement?","The input or buy-in here could take a number of forms. For example, applicants could provide a list of individuals who provided input on the proposal’s research focus, applicants could also cite resources developed by these entities that identify research needs in line with the proposal, or applicants could include letters of support for the research as part of their application.  "]
[5,"2021-02-19","Application Content/Format","Topic Area 3 Subtopic 1 refers to novel technology. Is the inclusion of novel technology as a central element critical?  Or is the emphasis more on the need for appropriate validation/cost-effectiveness if novel technology is a central element?","Both the inclusion of novel technology, as well as efforts to validate or prove out the efficacy and cost-effectiveness, are priorities of Topic Area 3 Subtopic 1.  Efforts to improve that technology may be included but are not required under this Subtopic.  As stated on page 26 of the FOA, one of the research objectives of this Subtopic is to, “Validate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of novel instrumentation and/or methodologies for collecting baseline data. There is a preference for solutions that can fill current gaps or limitations in existing data collection capabilities, lower costs, and preferably be able to be deployed in both a pre- and post-construction context to evaluate impacts of wind energy development, such as evaluating changes in abundance or behavior.  Funds may also be used to address known or demonstrated areas of need for performance improvement in both instrument hardware or software.”  Applicants are also encouraged to examine the Subtopic Concept Paper and Full Application Review Criteria for reference to how the inclusion, optional development, and validation of novel technologies will be evaluated in the FOA review process.  "]
[6,"2021-02-22","Concept Paper","We are hoping to receive some clarification about the breadth of work that could be proposed in the Concept Paper. The FOA indicates that only one project each will be funded under Topic Areas 1 and 2 (table on page 35). Given the amount of proposed funding for each Topic Area, it seems that the proposed projects should address more than one research objective, include multiple partners, and integrate a range of methods and technologies to meet the objectives.\n\nHowever, further into the FOA document on page 49, it states that each Concept Paper should be limited to a single concept or technology and unrelated concepts/technologies should not be consolidated into a single paper.\n\nThese goals seem contradictory. Can a single Concept Paper include multiple technologies if they are integrated during data analysis to address the Topic Area objectives?\n\nAlternatively, should a single organization submit multiple Concept Papers that could be integrated into one project if they utilize different technologies but could all be accomplished with the estimated funding? ","Yes, for Topic Areas 1, 2 and 3--(Subtopic 1, a single Concept Paper may include multiple technologies or research areas as long as the multiple technologies and/or research areas are covered within the Topic Area which the concept paper will be submitted under. Proposals under Topic Area 3--Subtopic 2 should only focus on a single technology or instrumentation package.  Applications should seek to address all the research objectives described in the Topic Areas.  The FOA has been modified to reflect this clarification. Please visit the EERE Exchange Website, at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/, to view FOA DE-FOA_00002237 Modification 002."]
[7,"2021-03-04","Concept Paper","Can you tell me when we might expect to receive word on whether we are encouraged or not to submit a full proposal based on our concept paper?","EERE plans to publish the \"encourage/discourage\" responses in EERE Exchange by the end of March. "]
[8,"2021-03-08","Labs/FFRDCs","Since a FFRDC is prohibited from lobbying on any legislative of appropriation matters, do they still need to submit an SFLLL?","FFRDCs applying as Prime Recipients are required to submit a  SF-LLL, even if they mark the form as “Not Applicable (N/A)”. FFRDCs not applying as Prime Recipients are not required to submit a SF-LLL."]
[9,"2021-03-25","Concept Paper","My organization recently submitted a concept paper under this FOA. We received a notification that encourage/discourage evaluations were issued to concept papers under the FOA. However, on our application dashboard, it still says 'status-in review' and 'decision not yet available'.","The email was sent yesterday, March 25th to applicants who submitted Concept Papers to the Wind Energy Technologies Office's Offshore Wind Energy Environmental Research and Instrumentation Validation, DE-FOA-0002237. However, there were technical issues on the EERE Exchange Website. The issues are resolved, and the Encourage/Discourage notifications have been published. Applicants should log in to EERE Exchange (https://eere-Exchange.energy.gov/) to view the notification. "]
[10,"2021-03-25","Application Content/Format","In line with the proposal guidance for DE-FOA-0002237, we are planning a substantial planning exercise for year 1. Although we are developing a provisional budget for subsequent years of effort, it is almost certain that an outcome of the planning exercise will be recommendation to re-allocate aspects of the budget. Can DoE please confirm that there is flexibility within the funding mechanisms for us to undertake (potentially) substantial budget modifications as the work progresses? Are there constraints that we should bear in mind when considering the mechanism, extent, and frequency of possible modifications?","If selected for negotiations towards an award, the project's budget and schedule can be modified to better achieve the scope of the project. Note, the cost share requirement must be met and additional Federal funding is not guaranteed. \n\nOnce an award is in place, additional changes to the budget may be made. Any increase in the total project cost, whether DOE share or Cost Share, must be approved in advance and in writing by the Contracting Officer. Any budget change that alters the project scope, milestones or deliverables requires prior written approval of the Contracting Officer. The Recipient is required to obtain the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer for any transfer of funds among direct cost categories where the cumulative amount of such transfers exceeds or is expected to exceed 10 percent of the total project cost. The Recipient is required to notify the DOE Technology Manager/Project Officer of any transfer of funds among direct cost categories where the cumulative amount of such transfers is equal to or below 10 percent of the total project cost. The Recipient is required to obtain the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer for any transfer of funds between direct and indirect cost categories.  "]
[11,"2021-03-26","Other","Is it possible to shift the team members so that one of the participating members from the concept paper becomes the prime/lead for the full proposal, and the prime/lead on the concept paper becomes a team member rather than the prime for the full proposal?  No new team members are being considered, we just want to know if we can shift or change the prime/lead from the concept paper to the full proposal.","Yes, team members can be updated (switched, changed, added, removed) until the Full Application Submission Due Date. Further changes to the team MAY be approved if an application is selected for negotiations towards an award, with approval from DOE."]
[12,"2021-03-29","Other","We would like to involve a foreign in our application submission process (access to EERE-Exchange) and as a research assistant in some of the proposed field work.  What is the process and information required for such involvement?","Section VI.B.iii Foreign National Access of the FOA states, in part, “All applicants selected for an award under this FOA may be required to provide information to DOE in order to satisfy requirements for foreign nationals’ access to DOE sites, information, technologies, equipment, programs or personnel.”(emphasis added).  Applicants are not required to provide this information during the application stage. If an application is selected for award negotiations, DOE will notify the selected applicants when they must provide this information on the project participants for awards under this FOA and will provide selected applicants with reasonable notice to comply. Applicants selected for award negotiations should have procedures in place to ensure: it is aware of which individuals are working on the project; it can obtain this information from project participants (and any changes to participants throughout the life of the project) and it can report to DOE when required.  "]
[13,"2021-03-30","Other","I am looking for the full terms and conditions [that would be used for awards made under] Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number DE-FOA-0002237: \"Offshore Wind Energy Environmental Research and Instrumentation Validation\". ","A model EERE Cooperative Agreement, including the Special Terms and Conditions, is posted here: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2016/07/f33/eere_110_model_cooperative_agreement.pdf "]
[14,"2021-04-01","Application Content/Format","Is the SOPO intended to be a shorter version or summary of the Technical Volume (specifically the Work Plan), or are the two pieces considered complementary?  In other words, would both need to be viewed to fully understand a proposed project?  ","The two should be considered complementary; please see FOA Sections IV.D.ii “Technical Volume” and IV.D.v “Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO) to ensure your submission addresses the requirements of the FOA."]
[15,"2021-04-01","Other","As we are planning at-sea work under this FOA, can you tell me if there are any provisions for obtaining ship time through University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) or other federal ship time, e.g., National Science Foundation (NSF)?","Currently there are no provisions for obtaining ship time through the FOA.  During the negotiation period of the awards, the role of Federal agencies involved in the FOA will be assessed and additional resources may be identified for use at that time, but applications should be written such that the application can stand on its own merits within the funding available through this Topic Area. As a result, no assumption of obtaining ship time should be made in the application. "]
[16,"2021-04-02","Other","if we receive an award, when should we expect funding to arrive so we can start the project? The FOA lists July-Sept. 2021 as the timeframe for award negotiations, which implies a project start of Oct. 1, 2021. Is that correct?","Generally speaking, this is correct.  DOE plans to announce selections in July of 2021.  Award negotiation typically takes three to six months following selection, with awards being finalized and funding made available following successful award negotiation and subsequent award issuance.  "]
[17,"2021-04-02","Other","For Topic Area 3 Subtopic 1, the fieldwork for our concept paper is focused on two Call Areas in California.  Do you expect us to also cover other areas, such as additional OSW Call Areas or areas farther north along the Pacific coast, in the project?","In the FOA it states, for Topic 3 Subtopic 1: \"In geographic scope, generally speaking, studies may include ocean waters from Point Conception, California to northern Oregon, along the Outer Continental Shelf and Slope. The surveys should focus on species and other biological resources of particular relevance in the context of permitting and environmental review of offshore wind development by federal and state environmental resource agencies with an aim to significantly increase the temporal and spatial resolution of data on the presence, abundance, and habitat-use in areas under consideration for offshore wind development.  The general survey design should span at least two years of observation, with sampling at intervals sufficient to capture seasonal variations in species density and abundance.  Specific geographic scopes and sampling frequencies are expected to be proposed in the application and should include a strong justification based on offshore wind siting data needs and information gaps. State financial contributions may be used to increase the scope or intensity of sampling frequency within the waters off the coast of the contributing states.\"   "]
[18,"2021-04-02","Other","Topic Areas 1 and 2 each mention a Steering Committee but Topic Area 3 does not. We anticipate working with DOE, BOEM, NMFS, and other agencies in the final design of our project, to be accomplished through a series of planning meetings, but we have not formally proposed a steering committee to do this. Do you recommend that we have such a Steering Committee or is our current approach sufficient? Should we identify specific people we anticipate working with or will the agencies involved name the participants during our planning process? Also we have been assuming that the government personnel involved in this planning effort will not need funding via our award; is this correct?","As mentioned in the question, Topic Area  3 does not require that the applicant propose a steering committee to help oversee the work.  The FOA does require the applicant, in their applications, to, \"Demonstrate that proposed tasks actively incorporate the input of, and buy-in from, specific federal and/or state regulatory and resource management agencies (except those federal partners involved in the development and execution of this solicitation, as listed above), offshore wind project developers, and/or any other stakeholders whose participation will be critical to the effective execution of those tasks.\"  Additionally, it requires that recipients work with relevant Federal and state resource agencies during the first Budget Period as they developed a  detailed scope of the work. It is not required that these Federal and State participants be identified in the application and budget for these entities for these activities is not required in applications. "]
[19,"2021-04-06","Application Content/Format","For Topic Area 3, our proposed research focuses on proof of concept of specific technologies, thus the deliverable may not be at the stage of \"high technology readiness for the market\". For this type proposal, can you please describe the depth of explanation expected for the Market Transformation Plan and U.S. Manufacturing Plan?","Please review the market transformation plan requirements located in FOA section IV.D.ii (page 57) and the US manufacturing plan requirements located in FOA section IV.D.xv (page 62). The applicant should review these sections and determine independently what level of depth is required to best support their FOA application. "]
[20,"2021-04-06","Cost Sharing","In preparing our task summary/milestones for our project should we include tasks that represent cost-share activities (i.e. if we include visual survey data from already-funded projects, should we describe those surveys in our task/milestone summary table, or should we simply state where the data came from in the narrative portions of the Workplan and SOPO and not include them as tasks/milestones for the proposed project?","Cost share contributions must be specified in the project budget, verifiable from the prime recipient’s records, and necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient accomplishment of the project. As all sources of cost share are considered part of total project cost, the cost share dollars will be scrutinized under the same federal regulations as federal dollars to the project. Every cost share contribution must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Contracting Officer and incorporated into the project budget before the expenditures are incurred.\n\nApplicants are encouraged to refer to 2 CFR 200.306 as amended by 2 CFR 910.130 for additional cost sharing requirements."]
[21,"2021-04-07","Cost Sharing","Can we use capital equipment that we own for cost sharing if that equipment will be used for essential portions of the project? We do not have a negotiated indirect cost rate.","See the answer to Question #20, above, and see FOA Section III.B.iii \"Cost Share Types and Allowability\". It is the Applicant's responsibility to determine the allowability of proposed cost share during the application process. If selected for negotiations towards an award, cost share will be reviewed and negotiated by EERE and the Applicant, with final approval of the award budget.  \n\n"]
[22,"2021-04-07","Cost Sharing","Can the cost (daily vessel charter fees etc) of collecting data that will be used in the project be included as cost sharing if the wind company that paid for the survey that collected the data is a partner in the project? The applicant will be using the data but did not conduct the survey. The organization that conducted the survey is not a partner.","See the answers to Questions #20 and #21, above. "]
[23,"2021-04-08","Due Dates","Is there any possibility of extending the deadline for the Full Application? ","Yes, DOE has extended the due date for full proposals to June 4th.  Please consult the modified FOA for updates to subsequent date modifications, including changes to the anticipated dates of responses to reviewer comments, selection notifications, and project negotiations. "]
[24,"2021-04-12","Application Content/Format","I have a question regarding cost sharing, specifically as it relates to industry partners and counting as cost share their ongoing support of work directly related and complementary to the work we're proposing under this FOA.  The FOA states (page 58): \n\n                               \"i.            Letters of Commitment (required) Submit letters of commitment from all subrecipient and third party cost share providers. If applicable, also include any letters of commitment from partners/end users (1-page maximum per letter). Save the letters of commitment in a single PDF file.\" \n\nTwo issues: \n1.\t This seems to be in conflict with other parts of the FOA that indicate the details of collaborations and, perhaps, cost share, will be worked out in award negotiation or in the first budget period. \n2.\tSeveral of the potential industry partners we have approached (immediately after being encouraged to submit a full proposal) have said there is no possible way that they can get a cost sharing agreement through their companies in time for the 5 May deadline.  ","With respect to the first question, Per Section III.B. v. Cost Share Verification of the FOA: \nApplicants are required to provide written assurance of their proposed cost share contributions in their Full Applications.  Upon selection for award negotiations, applicants are required to provide additional information and documentation regarding their cost share contributions. Please refer to Appendix A of the FOA. Further, project budgets are negotiated on a Budget Period basis so if there are changes to proposed teaming arrangements during the first Budget Period, changes to cost share may be made for subsequent Budget Periods at that time.   With respect to the second question, Yes, DOE has extended the due date for full proposals to June 4th.  Please see the full answer to question number 23.  "]
[25,"2021-04-13","Other","What potential changes are allowed to the details of our proposal between the Concept Paper and full application? ","All changes to the proposed project can be made up until the Full Application Deadline. Note significant changes may make the encourage/discourage response to the Concept Paper not applicable, but as long as the control number remains the same, to satisfy the FOA's requirement that a Concept Paper must be submitted and found compliant in order for a project to submit a Full Application, a Full Application may be submitted. "]
[26,"2021-04-14","Application Content/Format","The budget periods are based on months and not by fiscal year. Can tasks span multiple years and budget periods? ","Yes. "]
[27,"2021-04-14","Application Content/Format","For partners whose costs are less than $250K, if they are also providing cost share, do they need to fill out the costs sections of the Budget Justification spreadsheet or only the cost share tab?","Only subrecipients with budgets over $250K need to provide a separate budget justification. The overall total third party cost share contribution should be listed on the cost share tab of the Budget Justification.  The in-kind costs the cost share covers should be listed in the budget under the related cost category (personnel, equipment, supplies, etc.). If the third party cost share is cash, the Applicant should specify what costs the cash is being used to cover on the cost share tab of the Budget Justification. "]
[28,"2021-04-19","Application Content/Format","Our PI is planning on including a Federal Partner. Should the SF424 reflect the Total Cost of the project LESS the funding for the Federal Partner(s), as the Fed Partner(s) will be direct funded per the FOA?","Block 18 of the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance should include the total project costs, including \"Federal Partners\"/FFRDC's. You may separate out the \"Federal Partners\"/FFRDC's portion of the budget and list it under Block 18.e \"Other\", but Block 18.g \"TOTAL\" should include all Federal Funds,  \"Federal Partners\"/FFRDC's funds and total cost share."]
[29,"2021-04-19","Cost Sharing","We have a proposed Fed Partner that claims they have received approval to use Federal funds as cost share in the past on Fed awards. \n\nIs this even a possibility? If such an approval is possible who would grant that approval? The Fed Partner or DOE-EERE?","All cost share must come from non-federal sources, unless a federal statute allows the use of federal funds to meet non-federal cost share requirements.  If the federal partner determines their funds are non-federal or has authority to use federal funds to meet non-federal cost share requirements and can demonstrate that to DOE-EERE, DOE-EERE may grant that approval during award negotiations.  "]
[30,"2021-04-19","Application Content/Format","We’re preparing the budget justification for our full application for FOA-0002237 and noted that we must contact our EERE contact before adding additional budget periods.  How do we go about establishing an EERE contact?  Specifically, we’d like to add a fourth budget period for our proposed project (three years of field work followed by one year of data analysis).  Is this something you can help us with?","The Number of Budget Periods and Duration of Budget Periods information for all Topic Areas is found in Section II.A.ii of the FOA (pages 36 and 37). Applicants need to adhere to that those guidelines when setting up budget periods. EERE will not approve applicants to propose more budget periods than listed in this Section. Note that budget periods do necessarily equate to years (i.e. not all will be 12 months in duration). If selected for award, duration and number of budget periods may be adjusted during negotiations. "]
[31,"2021-04-20","Intellectual Property","As a proposed sub-recipient and a UK government agency any work undertaken by us will be Crown copyright. We do have permission to assign such rights to our clients but where this work is onward shared with third parties, its Crown copyright status should be referred to.  In the draft DoE terms there appears a requirement to mark anything generated as US Federal copyright which appears to conflict with our Crown copyright status.  Can this requirement be negotiated?","Section VI.B.xii of the Funding Opportunity Announcement provides the intellectual property provisions that govern IP issues such as copyright:  \nThe standard DOE financial assistance intellectual property provisions applicable to the various types of recipients are located at http://energy.gov/gc/standard-intellectual-property-ip-provisions-financial-assistance-awards. These provisions incorporate DOE regulations and are not negotiable.  "]
[32,"2021-04-20","Other","There appears to be no overall limit of liability (to the extent permissible by law) in the draft DoE terms, could you refer us to where this may be, or advise if you would be prepared to include such a clause?","If applicable to the project scope and at Contracting Officer discretion for large demonstration projects or other projects where there is greater risk of physical injury, the following Term may be included in the award: \nIndemnity\nThe Recipient shall indemnify DOE and its officers, agents, or employees for any and all liability, including litigation expenses and attorneys' fees, arising from suits, actions, or claims of any character for death, bodily injury, or loss of or damage to property or to the environment, resulting from the project, except to the extent that such liability results from the direct fault or negligence of DOE officers, agents or employees, or to the extent such liability may be covered by applicable allowable costs provisions. \n\n"]
[33,"2021-04-20","Other","We couldn’t determine the law governing the draft DoE terms and jurisdiction that will apply.  This appears to be Federal law, can you confirm please?","See DOE Assistance Regulations, 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 200 as amended by 2 CFR part 910 at http://www.eCFR.gov."]
[34,"2021-04-21","Application Content/Format","Can you please clarify where to include letters of support in the full application process?\nIf they should be part of the technical volume, do they count against page limits?","The FOA has been modified to provide clarification on this. Please see FOA Mod 004 on the EERE Exchange Website, at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/."]
[35,"2021-04-27","Cost Sharing","I have a question please regarding cost share allowability.  Are pre-award costs that were paid by non-federal sources allowable as cost share?  I’m not sure whether the FOA language on pre-award costs relates only to federal sources or not: “Additionally, EERE generally does not allow pre-award costs for either cost share or reimbursement when these costs precede the signing of the appropriation bill that funds the award. In the case of a competitive award, EERE generally does not allow pre-award costs prior to the signing of the Selection Statement by the EERE Selection Official.”","Pre-award costs that predate the signing of the Selection Statement by the EERE Selection Official are not eligible for reimbursement and/or do not count towards cost share. Pre-award costs incurred after the signing of the Selection Statement may be eligible with prior, written approval of DOE.  All pre-award costs are incurred at your risk (i.e., DOE is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason you do not receive an award or if the award is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs).  All costs must be allowable, allocable, and reasonable in accordance with the applicable cost principles. These costs may be eligible for cost share."]
[36,"2021-04-28","Application Content/Format","Could you please send me a budget justification form for a five-year plan (60 months) in support of Topic Area 3, Subtopic 1?  The only form available is setup for three-years (36 months) and the form cannot be adjusted.  ","See answer to question #30, above. "]
[37,"2021-04-28","Labs/FFRDCs","If awarded, can U.S. Navy schools, such as the Naval Postgraduate School, be directly funded by DOE under this proposal (DE-FOA-0002237)","Per Section III.A.ii. of the FOA: Federal agencies and instrumentalities, other than USFWS, BOEM, and NOAA, are eligible to apply for funding as a subrecipient, but are not eligible to apply as a prime recipient.  USFWS, BOEM, and NOAA are ineligible to apply for funding as either a prime recipient or subrecipient due to the role these agencies played in developing this solicitation. "]
[38,"2021-05-03","Application Content/Format","Do we need to submit a list of current and pending funding with our full application?","Applicants should only submit required information per Section IV.D. of the FOA. Additional information may be requested upon selection of award. "]
[39,"2021-05-06","Cost Sharing","What are the reporting requirements that need to be done for in-kind partners as far as the cost share portion?","Please see Section II.B. Cost Sharing and Appendix A in the FOA."]
[40,"2021-05-12","Other","… A federal entity, has been asked by a DOE National Lab to be a team member on a proposal the DE-FOA-0002237.\n\nI see federal entities are allowed to be a team member, but the funding mechanism that would be used is not defined for such entities.\n\nIf we participate, we would need DOE to fund our portion directly as I am not aware of any other mechanism that would allow funds to come from the lab.\n\nUsually when direct federal funding is not possible, we do a CRADA with the prime to get our funds.  In this case, that is not an option as FFRDCs have CRADA authority as if they were a federal entity and a CRADA requires at least one non-federal entity.","If selected for award, the appropriate mechanism for funding a subrecipient who is a federal entity will be determined. This could be in the form of an Interagency Agreement.\nPer Appendix C of the FOA: A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other federal awards directly from a federal awarding agency.\n\nWith respect to integrating researchers from BOEM, USFWS, and NOAA into project teams, please see Q&A number 2.  The FOA is written in such a way that discussion and planning is not allowed with those entities to avoid conflicts of interest since those agencies are partners on the solicitation. "]
[41,"2021-05-14","U.S. Manufacturing Plan","I am writing to ask for clarification about the requirement to submit a US Manufacturing Plan as part of the Full Application to DE-FOA-0002237. I note that in Section XV of the FOA, “each applicant is required to submit a U.S. Manufacturing Plan as part of its application.” However, my team is submitting a full application in response to Topic Area 3, Subtopic 1 of this FOA and we will not  produce any new technology, product, or subject invention.\n\nTherefore, is the US Manufacturing Plan still applicable and required for our full application? And, if so, does DOE-EERE have any stock language or template?","A US Manufacturing Plan is required for all Topic and Subtopic Areas under this FOA. See FOA Section IV.D.xv “U.S. Manufacturing Commitments (required)” for guidance on what elements are required. "]
[42,"2021-05-17","Application Content/Format","We have a question and concern about the budgeting for the first budget period (BP). We have assembled what we believe to be a strong, university-led team...  Our concern is that, based on the way universities must administer subcontracts (i.e., collecting the one-time indirect costs to administer those subcontracts when they are initiated), with several partners the $500k BP 1 limit leaves us relatively little in direct costs to tackle the substantial tasks slated for that first BP.  We could ask some partners to wait to initiate contracts until BP 2, but that would leave them without any effort in BP 1 to participate.  We are not sure what the solution is, but we wanted to ask for your guidance on how best to proceed.  ","The 500k limit on federal funding for Budget Period 1 under Topic Areas 1 & 2 does not apply to proposed recipient cost-share. Recipient cost share of 30% is required for Topic Areas 1 & 2 and applicants may providecost share in excess of the 30%  minimum as needed to match their proposed scope."]
[43,"2021-05-17","Application Content/Format","Can, and if so, how do industry/commercial organizations that have confidential fringe and overhead rates submit the SF335 and rate agreements for fringe and overhead directly to DOE and not via the lead proposing institution?\n \nHow does the lead proposing institution notate in the proposal submission package that industry/commercial organizations have confidential rate agreements and are unable to submit the required documents as part of the full proposal package?","Rate agreements are not required for subrecipients. Subrecipients with confidential rate agreements may indicate that on the respective tabs of their budget justification and just include the totals for fringe and indirect charges. If an application is selected for negotiations  and EERE would like to review the fringe and indirect amounts further, with the concurrence of the Prime Applicant, the subrecipient may submit the confidential information directly to EERE. "]
[44,"2021-05-17","Application Content/Format","For the SOPO, the header information in the template has DE-EE000XXXX.  What should be listed in the header - do we state the FOA application number, or the control number assigned to the proposal?  You also state the Award Number and Mod in the Title information. Do we put the FOA number and Modification there, or do we put the control number again?","If an application is selected for negotiations towards an award, EERE will issue the application an award number. For the Final Application documents that include award number in the template, you may either leave it blank or use the application's control number. "]
[45,"2021-07-09","Due Dates","When can a decision regarding my team’s full application?","Per the cover page of the FOA (Mod 005), the expected date for EERE Selection Notifications is Late September 2021. "]
[46,"2021-07-09","Due Dates","When can peer reviewers’ comments on that full application be available? ","The comments were made available on 7/14/2021 and an email was sent to technical point of contact and the business point of contact listed in EERE Exchange."]
[47,"2021-07-09","Due Dates","Is DOE still expecting July 20, 2021 as the submission deadline for applicants’ responses to reviewers’ comments? ","Yes, per the cover page of the FOA (Mod 005) the expected submission deadline is 7/20/2021 5:00 PM ET."]
[48,"2021-07-15","Other","Given the restrictions on contacting government collaborators in the proposal, our organization was wondering if it is acceptable to include a letter of support from a government agency, specifically NOAA, as part of the response to reviewers.","As specified on document page 22 and FOA page 19 for Topic Area 2, “Applicants should not contact these those partners directly for assistance in preparing their application [The partners that shouldn’t be contacted are NOAA and BOEM]. Note: This restriction is not meant to discourage links to or integration with ongoing research efforts supported by these entities. Where appropriate Applicants may include proposed integration or coordination with such efforts, with the expectation that scope and roles will be finalized during project negotiation and during the first Budget Period, as referenced above.”\n\n*Note: the underlined section in brackets references the partners that aren’t named as part of the original text on that page but are listed in the previous passage(s) that names the partners who contributed for this topic area.* "]

{"sheet":"Admin Pick List","index":2,"n_rows":17,"n_cols":1,"rows_kept":17,"cut":false,"hidden":true,"merged":[]}
["Pick List"]
[]
["Registration Requirements"]
["Webinar"]
["Concept Paper"]
["Eligibility"]
["Labs/FFRDCs"]
["Foreign Entities/Work"]
["Cost Sharing"]
["Due Dates"]
["Application Content/Format"]
["Intellectual Property"]
["Data Management"]
["Other"]
["U.S. Manufacturing Plan"]
["Application Reviews"]
["Technical Topics"]