{"text_format":"2","workbook":"xlsx","n_sheets":3,"sheets":["INSTRUCTIONS & TIPS","FOA CONTENT QUESTIONS","Admin Pick List"],"not_rendered":{"charts":0,"images":1,"macros":0,"external_links":0,"defined_names":2,"comments":0,"pivot_tables":0},"unopened":[],"bounds":{"document_bytes":16777216,"sheet_cells":100000,"run_cost":"one","rows_first":2000,"rows_last":500,"rows_between":2000,"halvings":0,"cell_chars":16384,"cell_head_chars":4096},"cells_cut":0,"cells_raw":0,"read":"whole","date_system":"1900"}

{"sheet":"INSTRUCTIONS & TIPS","index":0,"n_rows":12,"n_cols":2,"rows_kept":12,"cut":false,"hidden":false,"merged":[[0,0,0,1],[9,0,9,1]]}
["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to DE-FOA-0002986@netl.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to Infrastructure Exchange should be emailed to InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on Infrastructure 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."]

{"sheet":"FOA CONTENT QUESTIONS","index":1,"n_rows":108,"n_cols":5,"rows_kept":108,"cut":false,"hidden":false,"merged":[[1,0,1,4],[0,0,0,4]]}
["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA0002986 - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity (RMUC)\nAdvanced Cybersecurity Technology (ACT)"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2023-11-22","Registration Requirements","How do I register for the webinar?","A link to register for the webinar will be made available on Infrastructure eXCHANGE. Please continue to check Infrastructure eXCHANGE for updates."]
[2,"2023-12-04","Eligibility","The FOA lists not-for-profit entities as eligible to apply but the response template does not include not-for-profits, would like to clarify?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[3,"2023-12-11","Registration Requirements","I am not finding a link for the webinar, how can I register?","A registration link for the upcoming FOA 2986 webinar was posted 12/11/2023."]
[4,"2023-12-13","Pre-Application","Topic Area 2 Question 10 - Is the requirement that applicants must participate in formal information sharing programs or would formation of a statewide information-sharing program among cooperatives participating in the application meet the requirement?","There is no requirement to participate in a specific type of information sharing program; however, DOE is interested projects that result in an increase in the participation of eligible utilities in threat information sharing programs "]
[5,"2023-12-18","Eligibility","Would a university be eligible for Topic Area 3?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[6,"2023-12-19","Other","Could I please receive the NOFO for DE-FOA-0002986?","The FOA document and accompanying administrative requirements are available for download from Infrastructure Exchange in the \"Documents\" section. https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdcc9bd5a9-00e0-438d-9225-873fb1f4dffa "]
[7,"2023-12-19","Registration Requirements","How do I get a control number from the Infrastructure exchange System","Once you register in Infrastructure Exchange, click the \"Apply\" button for the FOA.  You will be taken to a General Information page.  Fill the information and click the \"Create Pre-Application\" button to be assigned a control number."]
[8,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Are State Public Utility Districts eligible for Topic Area 1?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[9,"2023-12-19","Technical Topics","Do cybersecurity projects for permanently affixed computer equipment fall under the Buy America Requirements for Infrastructure projects?","Response Pending"]
[10,"2023-12-19","Technical Topics","Can cybersecurity risk assessments be done by internal reviews or assessments or do they need to be completed by a third party?","Reviews and assessments can be done internally and/or by a third party. Applicants should specify the framework or standards used."]
[11,"2023-12-19","Other","Can one application include multiple deliverables? (Such as deployment of network security sensors and deployment of a wider reaching security information and event monitoring solution?)","Yes"]
[12,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of an electric cooperative, which eligibility category are we included under, if any?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[13,"2023-12-19","Registration Requirements","Can anyone be a submitter on Infrastructure Exchange or does it have to be the PI or CO-PI?","Any authorized person within your organization can be a submitter on Infrastructure Exchange as long as information provided by Infrastructure Exchange can be readily transmitted to the PI or Co-PI and the PI and Business Contact are identified in Infrastructure Exchange."]
[14,"2023-12-19","Other","Are webinars mandatory and do I need to attend to apply?","The informational webinar held on 12/19/23 for the ACT FOA was not mandatory."]
[15,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Please provide a definition of not-for-profit, the pre-application and full application differ for Topic Area 3.","Response Pending"]
[16,"2023-12-19","Technical Topics","Are purchasing cameras and other small equipment an allowable cost to the grant?","The application must demonstrate how the purchases will improve the cybersecurity posture of the utility."]
[17,"2023-12-19","Other","Did I understand the slide correctly, only 10 entities award per Topic Area? Only 30 total entities will be awarded?","It is the intent of the program to award up to 10 awards per Topic Area for a total of up to 30 awards under this funding opportunity."]
[18,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Theoretically a State could submit one or multiple pre-applications for topic areas which may include a project narrative that provides the State's plan is to receive an award to:\nProvide Cyber Security assessments for x number of the eligible participants in specific topic areas.\nProvide equipment, services or software to remediate identified issues discovered in said assessments.\nProvide services, subscriptions or software to the eligible participates that improve their cybersecurity postures and / or help reduce operating risks in their environment. \nProvide role specific Cybersecurity Training and or incident response training for public utilities.  \n\nThis is just a hypothetical example.  We are more or less trying to determine who would be the entity applying or submitting pre-applications for future consideration of this FOA.   \n\nIS this something that the State Cybersecurity Division could be considered for if submitted a pre-application? ","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[19,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Will funding be made available retroactively for projects deployed in 2024?  If a project starts, and perhaps completes, after the issuance of the FOA and before award selection, can end eligible recipient be award a grant for that project?","Allowable project costs must be incurred during the period of performance of a federal award unless pre-award costs are explicitly approved by the Contracting Officer."]
[20,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Can two separate co-ops apply for Topic 1 with a joint project?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[21,"2023-12-19","Eligibility","Am I correct that only entities working with 6 or more participating utilities can submit applications under Topics 2 & 3?","Eligibility for not-for-profit entities requires demonstration of partnership with 6 or more eligible rural electric cooperatives or municipal utilities.\nParticipating Utilities are required to be included in your application but you are not required to have 6 or more.\nWhile subrecipients on a project must be Participating Utilities, all Participating Utilities do not need to be subrecipients."]
[22,"2023-12-19","Registration Requirements","Can multiple people from the same entity register on the infrastructure exchange network and receive notifications in case someone is out of the office?","Yes. The submitter must register in Infrastructure eXCHANGE in order to upload the required document(s). In addition to the submitter, other people from the same entity can register in Infrastructure eXCHANGE. On the submission details page,  Infrastructure eXCHANGE allows the submitter to Share Submission with other registered eXCHANGE users.  Shared users will receive system notifications associated with the application (e.g., when an application is successfully submitted).  Please see the Infrastructure eXCHANGE Application User Guide section on \"Share the Submissions with Other Users\" pg. 69 https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx"]
[23,"2023-12-19","Technical Topics","If an entity needs a maturity risk assessment, would we request that in the pre-application or the full application? What does this funding look like? (would the funding be just a portion of the actual project or would we get the funding, have the assessment, and then determine the project)","The Pre-Application estimates for Total Project Costs should include both the costs associated with a maturity risk assessment and the costs associated with the work to be done after the assessment. DOE recognizes that these are estimates and that determining actual costs will be easier to do after the assessment(s) are completed."]
[24,"2023-12-19","Other","Will the ACT 2 prize be similar to the ACT 1 Prize that closed in November or something totally different?","We are unable to provide any additional details on the ACT 2 prize at this time."]
[25,"2023-12-19","Other","Didn't quite understand the part regarding submitting multiple proposals at the Pre-Application phase, then if selected to final Application Phase only a single Final Application? Will the multiple projects be included as line items in the Final Application?","Applicants are allowed to submit as many Pre-Applications per Topic Area as they would like as long as each Pre-Application is unique and distinct.  If more than one Pre-Application in a Topic Area is invited to submit a Full Application, it will be up to the applicant to pick one of the invited Pre-Applications to expand upon in a Full Application. The Full Application Project Plan must clearly relate to and expand upon the information provided in the applicant’s Pre-Application. Only one Full Application can be submitted per Topic Area. If multiple Full Applications are received for a particular Topic Area from the same applicant, none will be considered for review."]
[26,"2023-12-19","Webinar","When is the next scheduled FOA 986 - BIL RMUC Seminar?","There are presently no additional webinars scheduled; however, we do anticipate holding a webinar for applicants invited to the full application stage sometime prior to the full application deadline."]
[27,"2023-12-20","Eligibility","I am having a little trouble defining the Topic Area where my organization will align with.  I believe they would qualify for Topic Area 1 and 3, but I want to make sure they do or do not qualify for all three Topic Areas.","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[28,"2023-12-20","Other","Per documentation, it is possible to qualify for a single Full Application per Topic Area.  ","Applicants are allowed to submit as many Pre-Applications per Topic Area as they would like as long as each Pre-Application is unique and distinct.  If more than one Pre-Application in a Topic Area is invited to submit a Full Application, it will be up to the applicant to pick one of the invited Pre-Applications to expand upon in a Full Application. The Full Application Project Plan must clearly relate to and expand upon the information provided in the applicant’s Pre-Application. Only one Full Application can be submitted per Topic Area. If multiple Full Applications are received for a particular Topic Area from the same applicant, none will be considered for review."]
[29,"2023-12-20","Other","Is it possible to schedule a discussion to help understand the entire process a little more clearly?","We are unable to schedule discussions regarding this FOA. Please review the webinar included on infrastructure exchange at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/FileContent.aspx?FileID=e2c3ccfc-3739-4d70-b88e-c40eed3e7dd3. "]
[30,"2023-12-20","Pre-Application","I am reviewing Topic 1 Optional Pre-Application Template and I am unable to find the Community Benefits Plan Goals and Template. Can you provide a link or the document?","The Community Benefits Plan template can be downloaded at the following link: https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/FileContent.aspx?FileID=c2ee649d-51c6-42f7-a3d4-13bbd30e6b77."]
[31,"2023-12-20","Pre-Application","The application asks for the “Form EIA-861 Utility Identification Number.” I have searched high and low and can’t seem to find anything else about this number. Is there a chance that it is the same as the UEI? Or is this a different number? ","A table listing EIA-861 numbers can be found by viewing the 2022 final data at https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/ and opening the Utility Data excel file.\n\nThe UEI number is issued by SAM.gov and is used by the government to identify your entity when doing business with the federal government. If your entity has received any type of grant from the federal government, you already have a UEI.  If not, you will need to register at SAM.gov."]
[32,"2023-12-20","Technical Topics","Does the restriction on purchasing equipment in Topic Area 3 include equipment solely used to facilitate an exercise or training as opposed to equipment that would be used to directly perform cybersecurity defense activities by a utility?","Topic Area 3 is focused around improving technical assistance and training for limited cybersecurity resource utilities. Projects could include but are not limited to providing technical assistance, providing training, building a stronger ecosystem of cybersecurity technical assistance providers. Funding in Topic Area 3 cannot be used for the purchase of IT or cybersecurity tools, technologies, or related assets."]
[33,"2023-12-20","Technical Topics","Do the named participants that are intended to be the beneficiaries of the proposed program need to be registered with DOE in order to attend future training and exercise activities?","DOE will offer sponsored trainings and exercises that are not connected to the FOA and do not require participation in the FOA or registration in Infrastructure Exchange.  \n\nFor this FOA, Participating Utilities in the FOA do not need to be registered in Infrastructure Exchange. However, if projects that receive funding under this FOA host trainings or exercises funded through this FOA, the beneficiaries will need to have been listed as Participating Utilities in the Prime Recipient's Full Application."]
[34,"2023-12-20","Technical Topics","Is a proposed category (D) entity submitting a Topic 3 proposal for consideration, permitted to later add a partner that is also a non for profit organization to its final proposal in April, if they are not identified specifically in the pre-application 12 page document submitted in January 2024?","The list of partners and participating utilities that is provided as part of the Pre-Application is a list of those that you believe will be part of the project.  As part of the Full Application, you will need to get letters of commitment from all partners and participating utilities.  Additional partners and participating utilities can be added for the Full Application but no additional partners and participating utilities can be added after the Full Application submission deadline."]
[35,"2023-12-21","Technical Topics","I have a question about the pre-applications. We have a few projects to improve SCADA cybersecurity we would like to apply for as one large project (let’s say project A, B, and C). Should we:\n\nApply for A, B,C separately and if all approved submit one full application for ABC?\n\nOr\n\nApply for project ABC, AB, AC, BC, A, B, C to see what combo is approved for the full application.","Applicants are allowed to submit as many Pre-Applications per Topic Area as they would like as long as each Pre-Application is unique and distinct.  If more than one Pre-Application in a Topic Area is invited to submit a Full Application, it will be up to the applicant to pick one of the invited Pre-Applications to expand upon in a Full Application. The Full Application Project Plan must clearly relate to and expand upon the information provided in the applicant’s Pre-Application. Only one Full Application can be submitted per Topic Area. If multiple Full Applications are received for a particular Topic Area from the same applicant, none will be considered for review.\nProposed projects must fall within budget and scope requirements as outlined in the FOA and may address multiple prioritized risks."]
[36,"2023-12-21","Technical Topics","A quick question, throughout the FOA it states \"Utilities\" does this mean all types of utilities or is the grant geared for the Electric Utilities?  I am asking this as Electric Utility is often linked with water and to increase the cybersecurity it will touch both.","Projects funded under this FOA must enhance \"the security posture of electric utilities through improvements in the ability to protect against, detect, respond to, or recover from a cybersecurity threat.\"  Improvements to the cybersecurity of the electric utility that result in subsequent improvements to the cybersecurity of the water utility at no additional cost may be acceptable."]
[37,"2023-12-21","Technical Topics","On the recent RMUC FOA webinar it was stated that funds could only be used for entities that were part of the full grant application. I would like clarification on that.\n\nWe plan to submit a proposal to develop services that support small utilities in developing and implementing cybersecurity programs and capabilities. We do anticipate having a number of formal commitments to participate, but expect that once up and running additional utilities would want to utilize the services. Would we be restricted from using grant funds to provide services to utilities that were not identified as participating utilities via a formal letter of commitment in our full application?  If so, could we provide services if we charged a fee?  Similarly we plan to develop training to accompany the services and would have similar questions on that aspect of our proposal.","All participating utilities must be included as part of the Full Application to be eligible to receive benefits/services.  During the period of performance of the project, project funds may only be used to provide services to utilities listed in the grant application."]
[38,"2023-12-21","Other","I was asking if we missed any previous mandatory activities or are we free to proceed with the pre-application.\n\nSomeone in the previous webinars earlier in the year stressed mandatory activities that we did not have the bandwidth to complete.\nI want to make sure this is not a waste of time for the org if we pursue the funding.","There have been no mandatory activities associated with this FOA.  Attendance at the webinar on December 19, 2023 was completely voluntary and will not affect your score in the evaluation process."]
[39,"2023-12-22","Technical Topics","If a member applies individually and our trade organization applies with them as a sub awardee under the *same* topic area, is that allowed?","This would be allowed if  the projects being proposed are unique and distinct."]
[40,"2023-12-22","Technical Topics","If a member applies individually under one topic area and our trade organization applies with them as a sub awardee under a different topic area, is that allowed?","This would be allowed if the projects being proposed are unique and distinct."]
[41,"2023-12-22","Technical Topics","If either scenario in Questions 39 or 40 are allowed, how different, if at all, must the proposed activities be, i.e., it’s understood it should not be the exact same project, but if member wants to pursue training for X and under our trade organization’s application with member as a sub awardee they’ll be pursuing training for Y, is that allowed?","If the projects being proposed are unique and distinct.  In your example, if training X and training Y are sufficiently different this would be allowed but if they are similar enough that distinguishing between the two could be difficult, then that would not be allowed."]
[42,"2023-12-22","Eligibility","Our entity is a rural electric utility cooperative that serves 6 rural counties . However, we are a 501C (12) Non-Profit agency that does pay taxes. Topic Area 1 FOA states that it is open to Rural Electric Cooperatives, but not for Non-Profits. Would our agency be able to submit for projects under this Topic Area?","Please refer to FOA Section III.A.i for information on eligibility. DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which Pre-Applications to this FOA must be submitted."]
[43,"2023-12-22","Eligibility","Topic Area 2: Our entity contracts with a cybersecurity company/team to help ensure our network and other areas are being monitored and protected against any attacks on our system. Could Topic Area 2 have a project submitted to pay for these expenses, plus possible new measures that the cooperative already has in place? If so, would it be possible to have this funding have a reimbursable component for previous expenses over a certain timeline in the last few years?","Costs can only be reimbursed that are incurred between the start of the project and the end of the project as outlined in the project's period of performance. All invoiced costs will be reviewed for reasonableness, allowability, and allocability in accordance with federal requirements.  DOE is interested in projects that use a project design and management approach that ensures the applicant will continue to provide products and services, and the Participating Utilities will continue to maintain the effectiveness of implemented solutions, after the project funding ends."]
[44,"2023-12-22","Other","When the FOA webinar information was sent out from RMUC, there was information regarding a 3-day Cybersecurity Training for Utility Workforce in San Diego, Dallas, and Buffalo. Are these trainings a requirement or recommendation that applicants for the 2986 Funding attend to learn about cyber security ideas and other funding opportunities? We assume that since this opportunity was sent in the same e-mail release that the training is tied to the funding in some capacity.","These trainings are not a requirement for participation in FOA 2986.  These trainings are a separate offering from the RMUC Program."]
[45,"2023-12-27","Webinar","When will the December Webinar and Slides related to this grant opportunity be available? Is it possible to email those to me?","The presentation from the Webinar has been posted to the Exchange site.  The recording and transcript will be posted once they are completed. "]
[46,"2023-12-28","Pre-Application","This slide was posted in the webinar on December 19th:\n\nIf You Are Considering Applying Under Topic Areas 2 or 3 . . . \nAll applicants to Topic Areas 2 and 3 must include a Letter of Commitment from each participating utility that may receive technical assistance, training, products, or services from the prime applicant funded by this FOA. Participating Utilities must be eligible to participate in the RMUC Program.\nIn addition to the Letters of Commitment, not-for-profit entities applying to this FOA under Topic Areas 2 or 3 must present evidence of a partnership with no fewer than six (6) rural electric cooperatives, utilities owned by a political subdivision of a State, such as a municipally owned electric utility, or utilities owned by any agency, authority, corporation, or instrumentality of one (1) or more political subdivisions of a State.\nThere is nothing in the FOA or pre-application that requires Letters of Commitment. Are these letters a requirement for the preapplication? ","Letters of Commitment from either Participating Entities or Not-for-Profit partnerships are not required for the Pre-Application (see FOA Section I.C.ii and I.C.iii).  Entities submitting a Pre-Application to either Topic Area 2 or 3 should refer to Pre-Application Question 4 (Section VII.B and VIII.B) regarding Participating Entities.  Letters of Commitment are required as part of the Full Application (see FOA Section IV.C.iii)."]
[47,"2024-01-01","Pre-Application","In the Infrastructure Exchange a UEI is required. I am a grant writer for 2 coops that are submitting a Topic 1 pre-application. May I leave the UEI N/A for now until invited for a full application?  Or do we need to decide who is the lead cooperative and submit under their UEI? ","Topic Area 1 is intended for individual utilities that will apply as the prime recipient. Utilities interested in applying as a group must apply under Topic Area 2 or 3 and will not be eligible under Topic Area 1."]
[48,"2024-01-02","Registration Requirements","How do I know I have confirmation that my request for a UIE has been submitted and received?  \n\nI registered on the Sam.gov site but I am unclear if the request was received.  I followed the instructions in the PDF from the webcast and apologize for the remedial question but this is my first time going through this process.  I know it can take some time to obtain a UIE","Please reach out to the SAM.gov help desk at https://sam.gov/content/help.  The RMUC team is unable to track the status of SAM registrations."]
[49,"2024-01-03","Pre-Application","In the Pre-Application Response Template for Topic Areas 2 & 3, \"Not-for-Profit\" is not listed as an option. My understanding from the Webinar is that Not-for-profits are eligible with 6 or more partners. However, clarification would be helpful.","The Pre-Application Response Template for Topic Areas 2 & 3 has been corrected.  The revised version is now available to download."]
[50,"2024-01-03","Eligibility","I wanted to clarify a bit on my inquiry. The coops that I am referring to share many of their core positions/responsibilities, for instance their engineering manager is the manager for both coops.  Does this make any difference or would the 2 coops still need to submit individual applications for Topic 1.","Topic 1 requires a separate application for each utility."]
[51,"2024-01-03","Registration Requirements","Could you please help me identify the Infrastructure Exchange Control Number?","First you register in Infrastructure eXCHANGE, and when you click on the announcement and you click on \"Apply\", it brings you to a screen where you fill in Project Title, Topic Number, UEI, organization type, lead organization, and project lead.  After you click the 'Create Pre-Application' button it will generate a Control Number. "]
[52,"2024-01-03","Other","Can you please clarify how the funds will be allocated for the projects, i.e., will funding be split out over 2 or 3 fiscal years or allocated in one lump sum to the entities awarded","Funding will be obligated to the project at the time of the award, after negotiations are completed.  It is anticipated that payments will be made on a reimbursement basis following DOE's review of invoices submitted. All invoiced costs will be reviewed for reasonableness, allowability, and allocability in accordance with federal requirements."]
[53,"2024-01-05","Other","We submitted a project under the ACT 1 Prize which is specifically limited to our corporate and generation plants. We would like to know if it’s acceptable to submit a project that aligns with the ACT 1 Prize submission, which is more expansive and would be for our substations.","Yes, eligible entities can submit an application to the FOA that overlaps the proposed work under the ACT I Prize. However, DOE will not fund the same work under the Prize and the FOA.  During FOA award negotiations DOE will ensure that duplicative scope is not funded."]
[54,"2024-01-05","Other","Our utility is unable to the Indemnity section of BIL_40124_CESER_RMUC_ACT_FOA_ADMIN_REQTS (page 25, Section xiv) due to the State Constitution.\n\nArticle XI, Section 1 of the State Constitution specifically does not allow a city to indemnify another entity.  As our utility is an enterprise of the city we are subject to Article XI, Section 1 of the State Constitution and cannot agree to indemnify DOE.  We are willing to propose alternative language in an addendum to the DOE materials. Is this permissible?","Response Pending"]
[55,"2024-01-08","Registration Requirements","How do I know that my application has been submitted?","To submit you Pre-Application, please ensure that you have filled the General, Contact Information, Organizations, and Funds and Costs tabs completely.  Then upload your Pre-Application on the Upload and Submit tab, check the appropriate boxes, and hit the Submit button.  You will be taken to a screen that shows your Submission Initiation and Submittal dates and times as well as an updated Submission Status.  \n\nInfrastructure Exchange will send you an automated confirmation email that you should keep for your records.  If you do not receive the automated email, please check your spam folder."]
[56,"2024-01-08","Eligibility","I am preparing to submit a pre-application for Topic Area’s 1 and 2, and I see a number of options under “Organization Type”. \n\nWhat are Rural Electric Cooperatives to select here? I don’t see one option that clearly fits our organization.","You should see this drop down under Organization Type.  The two most likely options to select will be \"Non-Profit\" or \"State and/or Local Government\"."]
[57,"2024-01-08","Due Dates","I’m working on an application for the RMUC grant and noticed the Pre-application submission deadline appears to be due this Wednesday, Jan. 10th, but the actual grant application window doesn’t close until April 24, 2024. I’m curious what the difference is between these two dates, and if we’re required to submit a preapplication by the 10th or if we may submit our application by the 24th of April. ","This FOA consists of a two-part application process including both a Pre-Application and a Full Application. Pre-Applications must be submitted by the deadline of January 10, 2024 as listed in the FOA. Only applicants who are invited to apply based on their Pre-Applications are eligible to submit a Full Application. Invited Full Applications must be submitted by the deadline of April 24, 2024."]
[58,"2024-01-08","Other","Is there a NJ point of contact?","Any questions related to this FOA should be directed via email to DE-FOA-0002986@netl.doe.gov"]
[59,"2024-01-09","Due Dates","When will I be notified if my Pre-Application has been invited to submit a Full Application?","It is DOE's intention to notify all applicants who submitted a Pre-Application if they are invited to submit a Full Application or not on or about March 18, 2024. Applicants will receive a status update email from Infrastructure eXCHANGE letting them know their Pre-Application status has changed.  Applicants will need to log into eXCHANGE to see what changed with their Pre-Application status and whether the applicant is invited to submit a Full-Application."]
[60,"2024-04-04","Technical Topics","What does the RMUC program define as \"technical assistance?\" It appears in both Topic Area 2 and 3, so a definition would be helpful as we determine what distinct work to do in each application.","As stated in Section VII.A of the FOA, examples of technical assistance include, but are not limited to, helping Participating Utilities: identify solution providers; evaluate and select solutions; complete risk assessments or other relevant security assessments; improve the utility’s incident preparedness and response capabilities; draft and/or negotiate contracts with cybersecurity solution providers; and test and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented solutions.\nSection VIII.A of the FOA states the following: Examples of technical assistance include, but are not limited to, helping Participating Utilities: maximize the security capabilities of already installed tools and technologies; complete risk and security assessments; identify solution providers; evaluate and select solutions; draft and/or negotiate contracts with cybersecurity solution providers; provide subject matter expertise to help ensure the deployment and implementation of a technology solution by a vendor is secure; improve the utility’s incident preparedness and incident response capabilities; and develop policies and procedures Participating Utilities can follow to evaluate the security of deployed solutions after implementation."]
[61,"2024-04-04","Other","Will the RMUC program provide multiple awards per applicant under a single Topic Area or would our organization need to submit multiple applications in a given topic area to receive multiple awards, or will only one award be given per topic area per applicant?","As stated in Section III.C.i of the FOA for Utilities and Section III.C.ii for Not-for-Profit Entities, applicants may submit only one Full Application to each Topic Area.  Additionally, these sections state that if an entity has more than one successful Pre-Application within a single Topic Area, they may only submit one Full Application to that Topic Area. If more than one Full Application is received from the same utility or not-for-profit entity within a Topic Area none of the Full Applications from that utility or not-for-profit entity will be considered for that Topic Area.  Finally, only Full Applications associated with successful Pre-Applications will be considered."]
[62,"2024-04-04","Technical Topics","How recent does an assessment have to have been for the RMUC program to accept a project based on what the assessment found?","The FOA does not provide a specific time frame in which the assessment had to be completed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate that the results of the assessment are still timely and can be used to justify the proposed investments in tools, technologies, and training.  Projects that include the purchase of tools, technologies, or training must be based on the results of cybersecurity risk assessments. Applicants must clearly justify how the proposed projects will reduce identified cybersecurity risks. For Topic Area 1, applicants that have not completed assessments at the time of application may request funding to complete cybersecurity risk assessments as part of their applications.  For Topic Areas 2 & 3, if a participating utility has not completed relevant assessments by the Full Application deadline, projects can include costs associated with the applicant assisting the participating utility to complete assessments and identify priority cybersecurity risks based on the assessment results."]
[63,"2024-04-11","Webinar","Will a recording of the webinars be posted online?","The webinar recordings will be provided to each applicant invited to submit a full application via a link sent from the DE-FOA-0002986 email address."]
[64,"2024-04-11","Webinar","Are the webinars on 4/11/24 and on 4/18/24 identical?","No, the webinar on 4/11 focused on the Project Plan and the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO).  The webinar on 4/18 focused on other documents that will need to be submitted with your full application, including the Budget Justification Worksheet, the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance, and the SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities."]
[65,"2024-04-11","Due Dates","Will the change in full application deadline also shift the other deadlines to the right by a month or so?","Per FOA Modification 2, the only date that has been revised at this time is the full application submission deadline."]
[66,"2024-04-11","Other","How do we know if we are from an entity with multiple invites?","If your entity had been invited to submit applications based on multiple pre-applications you would have received multiple invitations for full applications."]
[67,"2024-04-04","Technical Topics","Will the Program allow subawards?","Yes, the Program will allow subawards. \nTopic Area 1 is intended for individual utilities that will apply as the prime recipient. Utilities interested in applying as a group must apply under Topic Area 2 or 3 and will not be eligible under Topic Area 1.  For Topic Areas 2 & 3, Participating Utilities under this project that are requesting direct funding must be listed as subrecipients, be able to comply with federal accounting requirements, and may need to submit a subrecipient budget justification depending on the amount of funding.\nIn Topic Areas 2 & 3, if a utility is not listed as a participating utility and the Full Application does not include a Letter of Commitment from that utility, the applicant cannot use project funding to provide products, technical assistance, or services to that utility."]
[68,"2024-04-04","Technical Topics","Can subawards be used for technology deployments?","Topic Area 1 is intended for individual utilities that will apply as the prime recipient.\nUnder Topic Area 2, projects can include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:\n•\tthe purchase of cybersecurity solutions (products, services, and training) on behalf of Participating Utilities. \n•\tsupporting Participating Utilities as subrecipients, which allows each subrecipient to develop an independent project plan that is directly funded by the prime applicant with the subrecipient costs rolled up into the prime applicant’s consolidated project plan budget\n•\tproviding IT and cybersecurity services to the Participating Utilities;\n•\tproviding technical assistance to the Participating Utilities;\n•\tproviding cybersecurity training or access to training to the Participating Utilities specifically related to managing and operating technical solutions; and\n•\tbuilding a stronger ecosystem of cybersecurity technical assistance providers that serve eligible utilities.\nTopic Area 3 will not support cybersecurity technology or tool purchases, technology deployment activities, or the purchase of other IT or cybersecurity related equipment or assets."]
[69,"2024-04-04","Technical Topics","Can subawards be used for training? ","For Topic Area 1, subawards cannot be issued for training. However, subawards can be issued for training under Topic Areas 2 & 3.\nFor Topic Area 2, applicants are encouraged to use funding to:\n•\tSupport training costs for participating utility staff that are specifically related to the technology solutions purchased if the training would improve the ability of the utility’s staff to implement, operate, and maintain the technology solutions effectively and efficiently. \n•\tSupport training to improve general cybersecurity knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to properly use, maintain, and optimize the security features of existing or newly implemented technology solutions provided the awardee adequately explains how the training is connected to improving a specific employee’s ability to operate specific technologies at that employee’s utility.\nFor Topic Area 3, applicants are encouraged to use funding to support training costs for the prime applicant’s staff if the training is directly related to the technical assistance and services the applicant’s staff member is providing to Participating Utilities."]
[70,"2024-04-01","Other","Would it be possible for you to share in the upcoming webinars on April 11 and April 18 how many applicants applied and how many were invited back to submit a full application?","Since this is a competitive announcement, the RMUC program cannot share the number of applicants that applied nor the number that were invited to submit a full application."]
[71,"2024-04-04","Application Content/Format","What name and address are to be included on the letters of support or commitment for DE-FOA-0002986.","The letters of support or commitment should be provided on letterhead from the organization submitting the letter and should be signed by an authorizing official.  The letters included in your application package can be addressed to the FOA Administrator. It is not necessary to address the letters for mailing."]
[72,"2024-04-07","Application Content/Format","If a community has some census tracts that are disadvantaged, but others within the community that are not, is that community still considered a disadvantaged community?  Or does one need to identify more specifics than that, and if so, is it a percentage based on a particular criteria?  Service areas, city limits, and census tracts do not align, so guidance is needed if further calculations are required and specifically what metrics should be used.","DOE recognizes disadvantaged communities as defined and identified by the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), located at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/.  Applicants may refer to the number of census tracts which are considered disadvantaged communities relative to the number of total census tracts within their service territories.   There is no requirement that all census tracts within an applicant’s service territory be considered disadvantaged communities."]
[73,"2024-04-10","Application Reviews","Page 83 begins the matrix of point-grading for full applications. In cases where the stated criteria would not be applicable to the proposed activity, what would happen to the points? For example, if the product of the activity is a series of live training exercises, Criterion FA-4.6 asking about how we ‘continue to provide technical assistance and services’ is not applicable. Would our proposal instantly be docked a full six points? Or would there be some sort of scaling of the overall point total to reflect any ‘N/A’ criteria?","DOE is interested in projects that use a project design and management approach that ensures the applicant will continue to provide services, and the Participating Utilities will continue to maintain the effectiveness of cybersecurity improvements after the project funding ends; and create a documented replicable, scalable model for delivering cybersecurity services that can be used by other eligible entities. If your project does not include a plan to continue to provide services beyond the period of performance, then you will not receive the full points for this criteria."]
[74,"2024-04-10","Application Content/Format","Can I combine the letters of commitment, the letters of partnership, and the cost sharing commitment into one letter from each entity to minimize the amount of letters that will need to be collected?","You are required to submit letters that include all of the requisite language, as the language of the three different types of letters accomplishes different things as described below.  If you wish to combine the required letter types, you can combine the templates but not merge the language. Please upload the combined letter into each of the appropriate submission types.   For example, if Utility A is a partner, participating utility, and providing cost share then the letter containing all of the required text should be uploaded three times as part of your application.\n\n•\tNot-for-Profit Partner Documentation: The Not-for-Profit Documentation supports the eligibility of a not-for-profit entity applying to this FOA under Topic Areas 2 or 3.  \n\n•\tParticipating Utility Letters of Commitment: All participating utilities must provide letters of commitment to the organization applying to this FOA to be allowed to receive technical assistance, training, products, or services from the prime applicant under awards funded through the RMUC Program. \n\n•\tCost Share Commitment Letters:  commits an organization to providing cost share on a project."]
[75,"2024-04-11","Application Content/Format","Are we required to fill out the template form for the Community Benefit Plan (CBP) if we include the CBP in the Project Plan? Are we supposed to mention the CBP in our Project Plan document as well?","The Project Plan should not include the CBP.  The Community Benefits Plan is a separate document. There are no CBP writing cues or questions included in any of the Topic Areas’ Project Plan Content Requirements (see VI.D., VII.D., and VIII.D.)  The CBP Criteria (see VI.E.5., VII.E.5., and VIII.E.5.) will be scored against the contents of your CBP document. Section IV.C.xi describes the high-level requirements for the Community Benefits Plan."]
[76,"2024-04-11","Application Content/Format","Do you have any requirements for what level of employee signs letters of commitment from utility partners? For example, utility operations director vs. city manager vs. mayor, etc. Many of the partners we have do not have the same management/executive organizational structures.","The commitment letter should be provided on letterhead from each of the Participating Utilities and signed by an authorized representative of that utility.  The letter should include the language provided in Section IV.C.iii."]
[77,"2024-04-15","Application Content/Format","Is there a template for the Project Plan?","No, there is not a template for the Project Plan.  The information that should be included in the Project Plan should address the questions provided in either Sections VI.D, VII.D, or VIII.D of the FOA document depending on which Topic Area the application will address.  Additional information regarding what should be included in the Project Plan can be found in Section IV.C.i of the FOA document."]
[78,"2024-04-11","Application Reviews","Our project falls under the IT area. Will our application be penalized if we do not have a Community Benefit Plan (CBP) in place?","As stated in Section I.E of the FOA document, Pre-Applications and Full Applications that do not address all of the Community Benefits Plan goals (see Section IV.C.xi.) will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (See Section III.F. of the FOA). We encourage you to think about how your organization can take actions to accomplish the goals outlined in the Community Benefits Plan section of the FOA.  Costs for CBP efforts can be included in your project budget as long as they are reasonable, allowable, and allocable."]
[79,"2024-04-11","Application Content/Format","We are still seeing CBP guidance aimed at large construction projects. Many of these projects will involve minimal or no construction work. Please discuss this problem.","The RMUC Program recognizes that CBP is focused on large construction projects and many, if not all, projects under this FOA may not include construction.  It is the RMUC Program’s intention to work with applicants selected for award to refine the CBP during the negotiation process to better focus on specific project details. Please refer to the CBP template provided specifically for this FOA on Infrastructure Exchange."]
[80,"2024-04-18","Other","If a large portion of primary expenditures are contractual with an expert organization, does that automatically make the contractor a subrecipient?","No, this does not automatically make the contractor a subrecipient.  Subrecipients are project partners that will be performing substantive work to accomplish SOPO goals and typically have a vested interest in the outcomes of the project.  Contractors are organizations providing a commercial good or service to the project, they typically operate in a competitive environment, and they are ancillary to the operation of the project. Determinations regarding whether an organization is appropriately considered a contractor (vendor) or a subrecipient will be made on a case by case basis."]
[81,"2024-04-18","Other","Further, if we include a contractor, must they already have gone through our procurement process (i.e. sole source, competitive bidding, etc.), or is it sufficient to expect to go through that process if we are awarded the proposal?","Applicants can complete their procurement process once they are selected for negotiations. However, applicants must be able to describe to DOE what work is planned to be accomplished by the contractor(s) and what the applicant used to estimate the budgeted cost included in their application budget."]
[82,"2024-04-18","Other","Does the Department of Energy accept piggyback contracts.","No"]
[83,"2024-04-18","Application Reviews","Will projects receive more points for having cost share that is greater than the minimum required?","Projects proposing a greater cost share than what is required will not be provided any additional points during the review process."]
[84,"2024-04-18","Cost Sharing","Can you provide clarification on whether cyber enhancements (products, tools, technologies) we plan to purchase for utility partners will be purchased from the prime’s federal share? Or is the intent for this equipment purchasing in TA2 to be each participating utility will purchase the enhancements themselves using federal share we give to them as a sub-recipient or something?","Depending on how the project is structured, it could be either of the approaches.  The prime organization could purchase equipment or pass through funds for a subrecipient utility to purchase equipment.  The Government has a vested interest in any equipment purchased under a federal award no matter if the equipment is purchased with Federal funds or cost share dollars.\nAs outlined in Section VII.A of the FOA, projects can include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:\n•\tthe purchase of cybersecurity solutions (products, services, and training) on behalf of Participating Utilities;\n•\tsupporting Participating Utilities as subrecipients, which allows each subrecipient to develop an independent project plan that is directly funded by the prime applicant with the subrecipient costs rolled up into the prime applicant’s consolidated project plan budget;\n•\tproviding IT and cybersecurity services to the Participating Utilities;\n•\tproviding technical assistance to the Participating Utilities;\n•\tproviding cybersecurity training or access to training to the Participating Utilities specifically related to managing and operating technical solutions; and\n•\tbuilding a stronger ecosystem of cybersecurity technical assistance providers that serve eligible utilities."]
[85,"2024-04-18","Application Content/Format","If the prime will be purchasing for the utilities, do we list all of these anticipated purchases for cyber enhancements in the equipment tab on our budget justification form? A lot of the cyber enhancements we will purchase for participating utilities may not be identified until later in the project based on each utility’s unique needs that will be identified in the early stages of the project.  In the pre-application, a total budget for anticipated enhancements was included, but could not break that out into individual equipment costs until the first phase of the project is completed. How should one list this component of costs on the budget justification form.","If the anticipated equipment purchases are known then the information should be provided in your application budget. The more information that you can provide, the more accurate your budget justification will be.  If these anticipated purchases are not clear and will require initial phase work to determine, providing a reasonable estimate at this point would be acceptable and should the project be selected for award, there will be an opportunity to negotiate some of these details prior to finalizing the award or when the pertinent information is available during the award."]
[86,"2024-04-22","Application Content/Format","I am working on the budget justification workbook, specifically the Fringe Benefits page. I noted during the workshop that this section should address benefits supplementing an employee’s salary such as the portion of health insurance paid by our company, matching retirement contributions, etc. While these benefits are equally available to all employees (“total labor” or “total personnel”) I am not sure how to list them. For example, the company pays a higher dollar amount for an employee who selects the self + family option for their health insurance plan than for an employee who chooses a single plan. 2% matching on retirement contributions will vary individually depending on that employee’s salary. Can I count flexible work schedules and the ability to work remotely 50% of the time as a fringe benefit?","For application purposes all you need to identify is the overall fringe benefit rate, if your organization has developed one. If you do not have a fringe benefit rate, then you would include the overall fringe benefit costs that are associated with the proposed personnel costs.  In the notes section you would need to identify the fringe benefits your organization included in the proposed rate and/or cost such as insurance, retirement, unemployment etc.  If you application is selected for negotiation, additional information may be requested at that time."]
[87,"2024-04-18","Application Content/Format","If a computer is purchased for use in the project and the cost would be less than $5,000 but the life is more than 1 year, would the computer be an equipment item, or would it be considered a supply item?","Typically computers are identified in the equipment section the budget justification form."]
[88,"2024-04-21","Application Content/Format","Please clarify/elaborate on the info that is being requested in Section D. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility of the Community Benefits Plan by the italicized terms \"Contract amount: $_____\" and \"Overall value of partnership: $_____\". It is unclear what these terms are asking for.","The Contract amount should reflect the dollar amount of a contract where the applicant partners with Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Businesses, Woman Owned Businesses, and Veteran Owned Businesses.  \nIf there is no legal contract, the estimated value of the partnership can be included. For example, the overall value of the partnership could reflect the estimated financial value if an applicant partnered with an organization for shared activities or other collaboration type that doesn’t include a contract between the parties and results in a community benefit from the contributions of the partner towards the shared activity."]
[89,"2024-04-22","Application Content/Format","We are currently applying for other cyber grants as well; do you want us to list the projects we intend for those grants to cover? If so, can this document be encrypted? How detailed do you need this to be?","Yes, you do need to provide a list of other federal grants, but DO NOT include sensitive information that would require encryption. At a minimum, the list should include the following information: Federal Agency/Program/FOA #/Federal Funding/High level project description."]
[90,"2024-04-24","Application Content/Format","The FOA states that priority for grants shall be given to entities \"determined by DOE\" to own defense critical electric infrastructure (DCEI). How much information about the DCEI needs to be provided in the application to allow DOE to make this determination. The DCEI is designated as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and our utility does not want to provide more information than is needed for DOE to confirm entity ownership and service of the DCEI.","No information beyond what is requested in the application is needed for DOE to make this determination. DO NOT include any information required to be labeled CUI in your application package."]
[91,"2024-04-30","Other","Will DOE provide funding for projects in one lump sum at the beginning of the agreement(s), or annually throughout each budget period, to the end of the agreement?","Projects will be fully funded upon award and award funds will be available to recipients on a reimbursement basis."]
[92,"2024-04-30","Other","Can you provide information on what payment management system DOE uses to disburse funds as part of this award?","DOE uses multiple payment management systems.  If your application is selected for award, the Contracting Officer will determine which payment management system will be most appropriate for each award. Recipients will submit invoices to DOE for reimbursements."]
[93,"2024-05-01","Application Content/Format","The use of the term \"partner\" and also your use of the term \"subrecipient\" in the solicitation and Q&A is misleading, please clarify.  Is \"Not-for-Profit Partner Documentation\" required from all participating utilities, including those that are named as subrecipients? Or only those that are named as subrecipients?","The Not-for-Profit Partner Documentation is required from the prime applicant, if they are a not-for-profit entity, showing that they are in partnership with not fewer than 6 rural electric cooperatives, utilities owned by a political subdivision of a State, such as a municipally owned electric utility, or utilities owned by any agency, authority, corporation, or instrumentality of 1 or more political subdivisions of a State.  See Section IV.C.v of the FOA for additional information.\n\nA letter of commitment must be provided from each Participating Utility that will be part of the project.  The primary applicant must include all Participating Utilities on their Full Application if those utilities will potentially receive benefits from the work completed under this FOA. \n\nParticipating Utilities under this project that are requesting direct funding must be listed as subrecipients, be able to comply with federal accounting requirements, and may need to submit a subrecipient budget justification depending on the amount of funding requested. All utilities that are subrecipients must also be Participating Utilities, but all Participating Utilities do not need to be subrecipients."]
[94,"2024-05-02","Application Content/Format","The document of questions is meant to serve as a guide for the project plan, correct? So the expectation is that the project plan is essay style and the answers to the specific questions is not submitted?","The questions that are provided for each of the Topic Areas (FOA Sections VI.D, VII.D, or VIII.D) should be addressed completely and with an understanding of the review criteria (FOA Sections VI.E, VII.E, or VIII.E) that will be used.  How responses to these questions are provided is at the discretion of the applicant team. They may write the Project Plan as an essay or answer the individual questions."]
[95,"2024-05-02","Application Content/Format","Please confirm that all Participating Utilities are required to be in a list form in the Project Plan even though it will reduce the narrative pages available in the 25-page limit, or, if it is acceptable/compliant to answer with only the total number of participating utilities and then refer the reviewer to the Required Document PDF (ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_LOCs.pdf) in the Project Plan for the utilities’ names and POCs.","It is recommended that the list of Participating Utilities be provided as part of your Project Plan as outlined in the FOA document.  However, if your list of Participating Utilities is significant and providing said list as part of the Project Plan will limit responses to other questions, then a brief response to the question and a statement indicating that the full list is in the Required Document PDF (ControlNumber_LeadOrganization_LOCs.pdf) would be acceptable."]
[96,"2024-05-06","Application Content/Format","We try to always answer the application questions based on the specific project but in this case many of the items in the Community Benefit Plan I would have to enter “Not Applicable”.  Please see the items below which represent just a few items from the application.\n\nCommunity Engagement\nShould we focus our answers based on our organization as a whole and not specifically this project to showcase the engagement with the multiple communities we serve?  Should we just put not applicable?\n\nJob Quality & Workforce Continuity\nIf this application does not create any new jobs, and our current workforce supports this project long after the project is completed, should we answer the commitment questions based on our organization in general (we have multiple collective bargaining agreements) or keep it to this project specifically?  Should we just put not applicable?","Please carefully review the Criterion 5: Community Benefits Plan to see how your CBP will be scored and visit https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/about-community-benefits-plans.  \n\nPlans must be specific, actionable, and measurable and should stretch your organization to build community benefits into your project design. To support the goal of building a clean and equitable energy economy, BIL-funded projects are expected to (1) support meaningful community and labor engagement; (2) invest in America’s workforce; (3) advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); and (4) contribute to the President’s goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities (the Justice40 Initiative). \n \nPlease fill the CBP template to the best of your ability in consideration of the criteria listed in the FOA and think creatively about how your project can meet the intent of the CBP rather than writing not applicable.    \n \nIf your organization is already engaging the community in impactful ways, you can include information about that engagement. Are cybersecurity improvements to your utility or membership communicated? Do you or could you offer cyber awareness or knowledge sharing with your communities? If your project allows your organization to retain high quality, good-paying jobs you can speak to project impacts on your existing staff.  Does the project include a strong commitment to on-the-job training? Would improvements to your cybersecurity benefit the communities you serve? How so?"]
[97,"2024-05-07","Application Content/Format","The 5pg limit on the SOPO does not offer enough space to convey the entire scope of work adequately. Would the DOE consider extending the page length to 8 pages, including the cover page?","DOE is not considering extending the page length at this time. The SOPO includes fundable tasks, subtasks, and milestones. Much of the justification for your work will be outlined in the Project Plan. Please see Section IV.A.ii for additional information. "]
[98,"2024-05-08","Application Content/Format","Is there a separate Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification form that we are expected to fill out, or should we use the same Budget Justification Workbook available under the \"Full Application\" section of the application forms and templates section of the Infrastructure Exchange website?  There was no mention on the webinars about filling out a Budget Justification for the CBP, and some guidance on how to do this would be helpful.","Yes, applicants should use the same Budget Justification Workbook template that is available on the Infrastructure Exchange website to develop their Community Benefits Plan Budget Justification."]
[99,"2024-05-09","Other","Our team noticed on Pg. 67 from the FOA (002) Questions 3 & 5 are the same.  We assume this is in error but want to clarify this is the case and that we don’t need to duplicate the question.","Thank you for bringing this to our attention.  Yes, question 5 is duplicative and should just be answered by pointing back to your response for question 3."]
[100,"2024-05-09","Application Content/Format","We had a question regarding the requirement of the SF-LLL form for the DE-FOA-0002986 submission.  Because this is a required item, and we are not a registered organization that can lobby, should we leave the form blank as part of our submission?","Yes, the SF-LLL is a required form and should be submitted as part of your application package.  If you are not a registered lobbying organization, in Section 10.a and 10.b of the SF-LLL applicants should enter “Not Applicable” as the first name and state “Not a registered lobbying organization” as the last name."]
[101,null,null,"I recall from a webinar a comment about keeping the project as close as possible to the Pre-proposal.  Would reducing the years from 4 to 2 be too much of a change?  What is the rule of thumb regarding differences from the pre - to the full - application?","As stated in FOA section IV.A, if an applicant is invited to submit a Full Application, the responses in the Full Application must expand upon and substantiate the applicant’s Pre-Application with supplementary information. Reducing the timeline while maintaining goals and scope is acceptable."]
[102,null,null,"The provided budget form is in a different format than ones provided in other DOE FOAs… The “Personnel” tab does not have a separation between federal share and cost share. My question is, if I need to record personnel time by employee for a cost share partner (time a utility partner’s personnel will be providing to the project), where do I put that in the budget form? In other DOE FOAs I’m working on, I would put it in the personnel tab and just record their time under cost share instead of federal share, but since the form provided for this FOA doesn’t have cost share vs. federal share columns in the personnel tab, I don’t know where to record it. I was going to put it under the cost share tab, but that is generic and doesn’t allow me to record a specific number of hours, salaries, etc. for cost share partner employee time. Should I only aggregate all cost share partner employee time costs in the cost share tab? (and not list each employee/hourly rate elsewhere in the form)","The Personnel tab on the prime applicant’s budget justification should reflect only the prime applicant’s personnel costs and should not include the subrecipient’s personnel costs.  DOE share and cost share to be provided do not need to be split out on each cost category tab a. through i.  A single line for each subrecipient’s total cost should be included on the Contractual tab. All cost share, regardless of who is providing it, must also be included on the Cost Share tab in the prime applicant’s budget justification. For example, if you have subrecipients who are providing personnel time as cost share, the total cost for those partners would be listed as a single line as subrecipients on the prime applicant’s Contractual tab and on the prime applicant’s cost share tab.  \n\nIf a partner’s total costs exceed $250,000 or 25% of total award costs, then they must also provide a separate budget justification. That subrecipient Budget Justification should include all the subrecipient’s project costs on cost category tabs a. through i. and the cost share would also be included on the subrecipient’s cost share tab."]
[103,null,null,"The submission requirements in Infrastructure Exchange and Letters of Commitment are starred (required). In reading Section IV.C.iii of the FOA document, it appears that this is not required for applicants under Topic 1, only for applicants applying for Topic 2 or 3, or if a subrecipient or third-party is contributing cost share. We are applying under Topic 1 and do not have subrecipients or third parties contributing cost share. What should I upload for this section since it is required?","Applicants should upload all the required documents.  For Topic Area 1, if an applicant does not have subrecipients, third-parties contributing cost share, or project partners, they can upload a short statement explaining that they do not have Letters of Commitment, Cost Share Commitment, etc. as part of their project."]
[104,null,null,"On the budget justification worksheet, equipment page, Basis of Cost column: Do we need to provide the quotes from all the vendors? The quotes we received from vendors lists the exact model of hardware or the application we are asking to purchase. I see this as a risk on a public document. Can I say, we have vendor quotes but will provide these if we are chosen (negotiation period) or do we have to include them to be considered?","Yes, stating vendor quotes as the basis for the proposed cost is acceptable.  Quotes do not need to be included as part of the application but may be required during negotiations depending on the cost of the item and at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.  Applicants should be able to describe how the purchased equipment will be used and why it will be relevant to the project but should not include specific details that could be sensitive."]
[105,null,null,"Are letters of commitment required of FFRDCs?","No, letters of commitment are not required of FFRDCs.  If an applicant will be working with an FFRDC, the FFRDC must provide authorization from its federal sponsoring agency as described in FOA section IV.C.xvii.  Letters of Commitment are to be provided by participating utilities as described in FOA section IV.C.iii."]

{"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"]
["Pre-Application"]
["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"]