2011 MEP State Partnerships

Announcement of Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO)

Back to Closed Federal Funding Opportunities

This opportunity has now closed.

NIST MEP released a state relations Federal Funding Opportunity to provide in-depth collaborative support in developing stakeholder relationship. The application process is now closed.

The Federal Funding Opportunity announcement can be found on www.grants.gov or for specific information click here.

NIST MEP held an information session for organizations considering applying to this opportunity on February 17, 2011. To view the presentation as well as the FAQ's, click here.

For questions regarding this FFO, please contact anthony.gomez [at] nist.gov (Tony Gomez).

FAQ: Federal Funding Opportunity
2011-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIPS
Updated March 1, 2011

1. Please let us know if there is an incumbent and the current satisfaction or lack of satisfaction you have with the incumbent. The submission deadline and requirements suggests an intention to fund the incumbent. An honest response would help us determine if we should invest a serious effort to submit a competitive proposal that would be seriously considered by NIST MEP regardless of who the incumbent is and if competitive NIST MEP will not have problems changing the recipient regardless of whether there is an incumbent.

NIST MEP is offering this federal funding opportunity as a full and open competition to award a cooperative agreement in FY2011 with the option of renewal for up to five years total. In the past, NIST MEP has made several financial awards to provide state relations support services to the MEP program on a national basis. Currently, those services are provided by SSTI, the State Science and Technology Institute.

2. Will current MEP Centers qualify to participate either as a primary applicant or consortia member?

NIST MEP Centers that meet the published eligibility criteria are eligible to participate either as a primary applicant or consortia member, refer to the Eligibility Section in the full Federal Funding Opportunity announcement, 2011-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIPS, at http://nist.gov/mep/upload/2011-MEP-state-partnership-ffo-to-fanout.pdf . Eligible applicants must be a U.S.-based not-for-profit institution or organization or an entity or agency of state or local government. For the purpose of this solicitation, state and local agencies and non-profit organizations including universities, community colleges, and independent nonprofit organizations, are eligible. Eligible applicants may be consortia of state and local agencies and/or non-profit institutions.

3. Has NIST MEP set any guidelines on overhead rates for state and local agencies that are partners in a consortium that applies for the grant funding?

NIST MEP follows the guidance on Indirect Costs found in the DoC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions dated March, 2008. Please refer in particular to Section A. Financial Requirements, subsection .05 Indirect Costs. The recipient, as stated in the policy, would be the entity that is awarded the cooperative agreement. In addition, please see Section J. Codes of Conduct and Subaward, Contract, and Subcontract Provisions, subsection .02, Applicability of Award Provisions to Subrecipients.