Database developed by Strategic Energy Innovations
Record List
| Date | keywords | subject | Questions | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/17/2009 11:18 | application process | RE: SF-425 | In section Part IV Section C.1 of the announcment it opens the paragraph with "Complete this form first to populate data in other forms." Was this supposed to be a hyperlink? If not, which SF-424 form does this section refer to? There seems to be multiple versions of this form available. Thank you. | No, this is not a hyperlink, just an underlined sentence. This refers to the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance that is part of the application package you need to download from grants.gov. You can find the application package on grants.gov by clicking on ‘Apply for Grants’, then click on ‘download a grant application package’ - use CFDA number 81.128. |
| 04/17/2009 11:26 |
projects - transportation eligibility projects - efficiency |
RE: Hybrid Vehicles | This question was asked earlier as part of a multi-part question, but I never found the answer. Can EECBG funds be used to purchase hybrid vehicles for the City fleet? Thank you. | Yes. This would be considered under Activity Area 7 Transportation Programs. While the purchase of hybrid vehicles does not fit directly into any of the bullets listed under Activity Area 7 in the announcement, the description of this Activity Area states that "entities may develop and implement programs to conserve energy used in transportation, including but not limited to..." The purchase of hybrid vehicles for use in a City Fleet is part of an energy efficient transportation program. |
| 04/18/2009 02:47 |
application process Scope eligibility projects - efficiency projects - construction / buildings tribes |
RE: RE: RE: Ownership of Real Property |
We are in the process of compiling information to submit our application for the EECBG funding to make energy efficiency retro-fits to our building. We are also contemplating forming a wholly-owned subsidiary to hold this particular building to limit the risks of liability. Can an Alaska Native Corporation utilize the funding to make energy efficient retrofits to a buidling owned by its wholly-owned subsidiary? Thank you. Good afternoon: I will try to clarify. Cook Inlet Region, Inc. is an Alaska Native Region Corporation federally recognized as a tribe. We are listed on attachment A of the announcement. Thank you. *** Nalini*** |
Prior to addressing your question, I'd like to understand the nature of your organization. Only the entities (states, units of local government, and Indian tribes) listed in Attachment A of this announcement are eligible to apply. Are you from one of these entities? Based on the information provided, block grant monies can be used to retrofit a building owned by the wholly -owned subsidiary. If the wholly-owned subsidiary is a non-profit, then the retrofits could qualify under activity 5. It would depend on how the subsidiary is set up. |
| 04/18/2009 02:48 |
application process eligibility metrics projects - efficiency |
RE: Project Eligibility | Benton County, Arkansas is slated to receive $609,300 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) stimulus funding direct from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). We are planning to replace the current Road Department facility with a new energy efficient facility. The grant guidelines list Energy Efficiency Retrofits, but the facility is in such poor shape it would not be economically feasible to retrofit the current facility. If the construction of a new Road Dept. facility wouldn’t qualify for (5) Energy Efficiency Retrofits, would it qualify under (14) Any Other Appropriate Activity? Please advise. | The construction of a new facility could fall under activity Area 14 (other activities). An applicant would need to justify: (1) the long-term energy efficiency benefits of the new construction, and (2) the need for new construction rather than upgrades, improvements or retrofits to existing facilities. Applicants are advised that environmental review of new construction projects may take longer than retrofit projects. |
| 04/18/2009 02:51 |
eligibility scope metrics budgeting projects - efficiency projects - construction / buildings |
RE: USE OF BLOCK GRANT FUNDS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION | Can we use block grant funds to purchase or construct new buildings? The effort would be to replace old, energy inefficient mobile homes, or stick built homes which are very old and inefficient. The funds could be used to purchase or construct replacement buildings or to issue bonds to support this effort. I know that the SEP grant forbids purchasing buildings, but don't see any rule about this under the block grant program. | The purchase of a new building outright is not allowable. Applicant may propose new-construction if in addition to the other criteria established in the FOA, the applicant can justify: (1) the long-term energy efficiency benefits of the new construction, and (2) the need for new construction rather than upgrades, improvements or retrofits to existing facilities. Applicants are cautioned that funds should be used in a manner that is most beneficial over the long term. One of the desired outcomes of the program is energy efficient buildings. How cost effective is it to use an allocation for new construction to replace inefficient homes? Wouldn¿t funds be better utilized (as in, go farther) and reach a larger audience by retrofitting existing buildings? The approach of new construction would have to be approved during the review process and would have to be shown by the applicant as the best use of the funds. Additionally, applicants are advised that environmental review of new construction projects may take longer than retrofit projects. |
| 04/18/2009 02:52 | reporting | RE: Requirements for seperate bank account at county/community level? | Is there any requirement that counties/communities receiving funding through EECBG (through the state) hold their funds in a seperate account as a means of keeping these dollars seperate and more easily accounted for? Thanks. | There is not a requirement for counties/communications to hold their funds in a separate account. However, it is the recipient’s responsibility to track and report funds separately to meet the reporting requirements of the Recovery Act and related OMB Guidance. See Attachment C to the announcement for a full listing of what grantees will be required to report on. |
| 04/18/2009 02:53 |
scope eligibility projects - construction / buildings |
RE: Buy American Provision | If we are using EECBG funds to install something such as a HVAC unit, do all parts (including every part inside the unit)have to be certified as "Made in the USA", please let us know...Thank You | No. The Buy American Provision for projects funded under the Recovery Act relates to construction. The HVAC would be considered a supply item; and therefore, all the parts would not have to be certified as ‘Made in the USA’. |
| 04/18/2009 02:54 |
scope eligibility contracting subgrants |
RE: Local Preference re: Contracts | The EECBG guidance says, to the maximum extent practical, contracts should be fixed-price using competitive procedures. The City of Boise has a local preference ordinance to encourage doing business locally. Any counsel on whether that is copasetic with this EECBG program? Many thanks for your help. | It is acceptable to follow your established local procedures. Please also refer to 10 CFR 600.236 and .237 regarding procurement and subgranting. |
| 04/18/2009 02:54 |
application process scope jobs |
RE: Inventory of Required Contract Provisions | The rules and guidance governing the contract process for the EECBG funds can be difficult to interpret and in some instances perhaps not yet developed. It appears that a standard fixed price bid process will work, that Davis-Bacon requirements do apply, and that some other special contract provisions are required, but those specifics are not to be found. Is a summary available anywhere to help us comply with all rules and requirements? Thanks for your assistance. | Unfortunately, there is not a summary in one central location. Most helpful might be the Recovery Act Special Terms and Conditions at this site: http://management.energy.gov/documents/ARRAFATermsandConditions.pdf As well as the cost principles contained in 10 CFR 600.200 http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=60c498bc806bda434e024c24cebf7310&rgn=div6&view=text&node=10:4.0.1.3.9.3&idno=10 |
| 04/18/2009 02:55 |
projects - efficiency projects - transportation eligibility projects - construction / buildings |
RE: Eligible Projects? | Are the following projects eligible under Energy Efficiency Retrofits - roof replacements for police, library and court buildings; window, furnace and/or boiler replacements in City buildings; sanitary sewer lift station pump replacements? Traffic Signals & Street Lighting - Replacement of City-owned street and parking lot lights with LED's? Development of Transportation Programs - Installation of sidewalks in City right-of-way where there currently are none; installation of new bike/pedestrian paths within City parks; replacement of existing fleet vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles? | The projects all seem appropriate under area 5 (retrofits), area 12 (traffic signals and lighting) and area 7 (transportation programs). |
| 04/18/2009 02:59 | eligibility | RE: Back-Up Generator | Is a back-up generator an eligible expense? | No |
| 04/18/2009 03:00 |
budgeting metrics projects - financing |
RE: Administrative Funds | Could you please provide a list of activities that would be considered eligible for the 10% administrative funds? It appears that the hiring of a staff person to administer these grant funds would be considered a direct cost to the grant, not adminstrative. Is this true? | That is correct. Administrative activities are those that cannot be identified with any single program but are necessary to the general conduct of the activities of the entity organization. This could include such items as the overall direction of the organization, record keeping, budgeting and business management. EISA specifically notes that the cost of meeting the reporting requirements of the EECBG Program is excluded from the administrative cost limitation. |
| 04/18/2009 03:01 |
budgeting contracting subgrants |
RE: Howard County, Maryland | A potential project which may be included as part of Howard County’s block grant application is a landfill gas to electricity project at Alpha Ridge Landfill. A design/build firm for this project has been selected in accordance with the County’s Quality Based Selection process. We are currently in contract negotiations with the selected firm, but have not signed a contract or issued a purchase order. We need to find out as soon as possible what the procurement requirements are for projects which receive funding through the block grant. What are the equal business opportunity requirements and bidding requirements? Also, should the purchase order be issued before or after the grant is awarded? Thanks, your immediate attention to this matter is appreciated. | With regards to this procurement, you should follow your established processes and procedures. Please also refer to 10 CFR 600.236 and .237 regarding procurement and subgranting. Equal employment requirements are set forth in the National Policy Assurances located at http://management.energy.gov/documents/NationalPolicyAssurancesaug2008.pdf |
| 04/18/2009 04:24 |
budgeting scope application process allocations |
RE: RE: RE: Initial $250,000 | We are an entitlement community with a possible allocation over $2 million. If we submit an application without an EECS, we will be awarded $250,000 for the development of an EECS within 120 days. Are we required to expend the full $250,000 before the 120 days expires? Is the $250,000 available for the EECS a part of the allocated formula or in addition to the money directly allocated? | No. You may receive up to $250,000 for the development of the EECS. You do not have to expend the full $250,000 within the 120 days. The $250,000 initial disbursement is part of your allocated formula. It is NOT in addition to the allocation. |
| 04/18/2009 04:25 |
application process projects - transportation |
HOW TO SUBMIT APPLICATION IN FEDCONNECT | Part IV. Section H of the RFP state that "Information regarding how to submit applications via Fed Connect can be found at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/PublicPages/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf." I printed off the quick start guide for Fed Connect and have been unable to find instructions on "How" to submit through the Fed Connect Portal. The quick start guide supplies information on Searching for Opportunities, Creating A Response, Receiving an Award, Sending and Receiving Messages, and Managing Users, but there is no section on How/Where to make the application submission. Questions: 1) Where are the instructions for how and where applicants upload the .pdf files and complete the forms speficied in the RFP? 2) Is there an "Apply Here" button somewhere on the Fed Connect portal? If so, please provide navigation directions. Thank you. | The “apply here” button is actually the “Response” button (right side of the screen on bottom half). In FedConnect ‘lingo’ submitting your “response” is submitting your “application”. Additional note: you must have the application package from grants.gov. This is a single file pdf. Within this pdf you will be uploading the various other pieces of your application. Some of the pieces (Attachments B1, B2, B3, and D or E) are located on FedConnect with the announcement. Others are self-created by the applicant (Budget justification, Subaward budget file, Assurances). One form, the SF 424 A, is located on the DOE Financial Assistance Forms page. See the chart of pages 21-22 of the announcement for a complete matrix of what application document is where. |
| 04/18/2009 04:26 | application process | RE: Activity Sheets (Jobs retained/EECBG budget) | I have noticed that the "Jobs Retained" field on the activity sheet and "EECBG Budget" field are connected, such that what is entered in one is automatically entered in another. For example, the cost of retrofitting our traffic lights with LED's is 13,000. When that is entered in the "EECBG Budget" field it automatically appears in the "Jobs Retained" field. Is that supposed to happen? If not, how is that overridden, and how is "jobs retained" calculated? | Yes and thank you for pointing this out. The form is fixed and will be reposted in an amendment to the announcement sometime next week. In the meantime, if you email me at EECBG@netl.doe.gov, I¿ll send you the corrected form. We apologize for this mistake. |
| 04/18/2009 04:26 | contracting | RE: Point of Contact | Is there any consistant point of contact at the State/City level for contractors to contact regarding possible opportunities that result from the allocations? | We suggest you start with your State Energy Office. |
| 04/18/2009 04:26 | application process | PROBLEM WITH ATTACHMENT B1 Form | We seem to be experiencing a problem with the B1 Form. Each time we enter in a dollar amount in the "Proposed EECBG Budget" line, the same number automatically appears in the "Proposed Number of Jobs Retained". It will not allow us to correctly enter the information. Can this be fixed? | Yes and thank you for pointing this out. The form is fixed and will be reposted in an amendment to the announcement sometime next week. In the meantime, if you email me at EECBG@netl.doe.gov, I¿ll send you the corrected form. We apologize for this mistake. |
| 04/18/2009 04:27 | application process | RE: Signatures | Since I will be filling out the information on a PDF file and submitting electronically, how is the signature done? The 424 form and the Financial form both require signatures and there may be a couple of others. | Since posting we’ve discovered that the SF 424 form, in the signature block, actually states that it’s filled out by grants.gov. A bit of a glitch as you will not be submitting this form to grants.gov. DOE will assume that any SF 424 submitted has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate authority of the applying entity. Any other form, such as Financial Management Assessment, should be signed and made a pdf for submittal. |
| 04/20/2009 01:24 | application process | RE: Unique Identification Code for Application Pages | We are about to begin the application process for this grant opportunity. For each of the application pages, I understand you need to save it with a UIC (Unique Identification Code). I checked the EECBG program allocation (Attachment A), and under the type of local government, the Town of Babylon is labeled as a city. Will I be referring to the Town of Babylon as a city or as a township (or 'Other' under your criteria) for the UIC? Please let me know before I proceed further. Thank you. | Please refer to the town using the proper legal designation - even if that means using a different designation than the one DOE used. |
| 04/20/2009 03:23 |
contracting budgeting eligibility projects - construction / buildings |
RE: Eligibility for Grant Funding | We currently have a project to add solar panels to a goverment building that is currently under construction. When we publicly bid the project to construct the building we had this work parceled out in the bid as and additive alternative. We have awrded the project with the solar panels included. The bulding was awarded to the low bidder in August of 2008 and will be completed in Febuary of 2010. Are the solar panel alternative that were awarded eligible for EECBG grant monies if the work was already awarded over 8 months ago? Please advise!! Thanks | Contracting Officer approval must be given for any costs incurred prior to the award. No pre-award costs incurred prior to the date the Recovery Act was passed (2/17/09) will be considered. Work awarded over 8 months ago is not eligible. |
| 04/20/2009 03:24 |
application process budgeting scope |
RE: level of detail required in initial application if EECS submitted later - amount of change from initial application permitted | I have reviewed the revised instructions and the emails and am still unclear. Maybe an example is the best way for me to ask my question. If an entity has been allocated $5 million and decides to submit its EECS within 120 days after submitting its application - in its application, can it submit just one activity sheet with one budget for $5 million and say that 1) of that $5 million, $100,000 will be spent on developing an EECS and that 2) the rest will be allocated as a result of the EECS development process? And then would the entity receive the $100,000 initially to prepare the EECS and remain eligible to receive the other $4.9 million once the EECS is submitted with "a complete portfolio of all proposed activities ... all related budget information, including budget justification, and related NEPA forms"? Or must it at the time of its application allocate that $5 million among the 13 permitted areas? If the subsequent EECS (which will be developed as a result of additional input, possibly including public input) later differs substantially from the 13 permitted areas - instead reallocating the remaining $4.9 million among 7 permitted areas, for example, would that be allowed? | If an entity has been allocated $5 million and elects to submit the EECS within 120 days of the effective date of the award, the entity’s application should include: one activity sheet with an activity under area 1 (for the development of the EECS), an SF 424 and 424A totaling the total allocation amount of $5M, written assurance for prevailing wages, financial management assessment, and other required assurances if applicable. When the grant award is made, $100,000 would be obligated for preparation of the EECS. Under this scenario it is not recommended to allocate the remaining $4.9M funds among the activity areas at the time of application. This should be done with the submittal of entity’s EECS. |
| 04/20/2009 03:25 |
budgeting contracting competitive grants |
RE: Design fee reimbursement | Can the money received through the EECBG program be used for design and engineering fees? If so, does the unit of local government receiving these funds need to go through a competitive selection process in choosing the design or engineering firm? Our concern is the timeframe to gather the information for the grant, which may include preliminary design of systems, and then to complete the application by June 25th. | The answer to your question would depend on how the design and engineering fees relate and/or support the project activity being proposed. This information would need to be included in your budget justification file. Regarding the competitive selection process - it is up to the eligible entity to procure following their standard processes and regulations. Entities should also refer to 10 CFR 600.236 and .237 for additional guidance. |
| 04/20/2009 03:26 |
scope budgeting contracting subgrants jobs |
RE: Multi county planning units--sub-granting process | Can a state in subgranting the 60% of funds to noneligible local governments work with multi-county planning districts for grant application and administrative purposes? For example, can the state give funds to the multi-county district which can then hire contractors to conduct audits, complete retrofits and set up performance based contracting within the noneligible counties under the district's jurisdiction? The multi-county planning district would receive funds for administrative costs. | Yes |
| 04/20/2009 03:26 |
budgeting application process |
RE: Preparation of Plan & Type of Funds | Will funding for preparation of the strategy plan come out of the administrative funds, or will that be part of the programmatic funding? I apologize if this has already been answered - I looked through all the responses and couldn't find it. | Costs for preparation of the EECS is one of the allowable activities and is not considered under the administrative cap. |