Competitive Research Funding Opportunity: FTA's Public Transportation Innovation Program
| Published date | 26 May 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 31587 |
| Record Number | 2020-11129 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Federal Transit Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 101 (Tuesday, May 26, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31587-31593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11129]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Competitive Research Funding Opportunity: FTA's Public
Transportation Innovation Program
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) And Solicitation of
Project Proposals for Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling
Stock Condition Assessment Demonstration Program.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the
availability of $1.25 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Public
Transportation Innovation Program funds to demonstrate and evaluate
innovative technologies and designs to improve the state of good repair
for transit agencies. Public transit is an essential and integral part
of America's transportation infrastructure. When transit assets are not
in a state of good repair, the consequences include increased safety
risks, decreased system reliability, higher maintenance costs, and
lower system performance. The Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and
Rolling Stock Condition Assessment Demonstration Program supports the
U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Infrastructure strategic
goal, and the strategic objective of life cycle and preventive
maintenance to field asset management planning and innovative
maintenance strategies to keep public transit assets in a state of good
repair. This demonstration program will fund innovative
[[Page 31588]]
approaches to eliminate or mitigate known infrastructure deficiencies
in public transportation via innovative technologies and designs.
FTA is seeking applications for demonstration projects that deploy
cutting edge technologies to provide real-time condition assessment of
transit infrastructure and rolling stock conditions. An eligible lead
applicant under this notice must be an existing FTA grant recipient and
eligible project partners and sub-recipients under this program may
include, but are not limited to, providers of public transportation;
State and local governmental entities; departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities of the Government, including Federal laboratories;
private or non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education;
and technical and community colleges. This notice solicits competitive
proposals addressing priorities established by FTA for these research
areas, provides instructions for submitting proposals, and describes
criteria FTA will use to identify meritorious proposals for funding,
and the process to apply for funding. This announcement is also
available on the FTA website at: https://www.transit.dot.gov/grants. A
synopsis of this funding opportunity will be posted in the FIND module
of the government-wide electronic grants website at http://www.grants.gov. The funding Opportunity ID is FTA-2020-013-TRI-TIR and
the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number FTA's Public
Transportation Innovation Program, (49 U.S.C. 5312) is 20.530.
DATES: Complete proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 17, 2020.
All proposals must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov
``APPLY'' function. Prospective applicants should initiate the process
by registering on the Grants.gov website promptly to ensure completion
of the application process before the submission deadline. Instructions
for applying can be found on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/grants and in the ``FIND'' module of Grants.gov.
Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please send any questions on this
notice to [email protected] or contact Sam Yimer, Office of
Research, Demonstration, and Innovation (TRI), (202) 366-1321. A TDD is
available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at 1-800-877-
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
2. Eligible Projects
3. Cost Sharing or Matching
4. Other Requirements
a. Evaluation and Data Requirements
b. Participation in Information Exchange
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address and Form of Application Submission
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management
(SAM) Registration Brief
4. Submission Dates and Times
5. Funding Restrictions
E. Application Review Information
1. Evaluation Criteria
2. Review and Selection Process
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notice
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
a. Pre-Award Authority
b. Grant Requirements
c. Planning
d. Standard Assurances
e. Buy America
f. Reporting
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
A. Program Description
FTA's Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312),
authorizes FTA to fund research, development, demonstrations, and
deployment projects to improve public transportation. The Real-Time
Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Condition Assessment
Demonstration Program is a competitive demonstration opportunity under
FTA's research emphasis area of infrastructure. This priority area
supports the U.S. Department of Transportation's Infrastructure
strategic goal, and the strategic objective of life cycle and
preventive maintenance to field asset management planning and
innovative maintenance strategies to keep public transit assets in a
state of good repair. This demonstration program will fund innovative
approaches to eliminate or mitigate known infrastructure deficiencies
in public transportation via innovative technologies and designs.
Effective monitoring of transit infrastructure (elevated track,
bridges, tunnels, transit right-of-way, etc.) and rolling stock is
essential for efficient public transit operations and safety. Transit
infrastructure inspection using state-of-the-art technologies, such as
``smart sensors,'' unmanned aerial vehicles, big data analytics and
other technologies can automatically measure, record, and report in
real-time detailed information regarding the condition of the
infrastructures. These approaches benefit transit agencies' asset
management activities by earlier identification of detects; tracking
and monitoring deficiencies before they negatively impact transit
operations; and optimizing resource allocation for preventative vs.
critical maintenance.
The primary goal of this program is to enhance asset management of
infrastructure and safety through innovative technologies. The specific
objectives for the program are to:
Explore advanced cutting-edge technologies that can
provide real-time condition assessment of transit capital and
facilities.
Allow a more effective way for transit agencies to assess,
detect, monitor and track deficiencies and defects related to
infrastructure and rolling stock.
Evaluate the cost-effectiveness and the practicality of
proposed state-of-the art solutions.
All proposed demonstration projects must address the needs of
transit agencies. To ensure this requirement is met, all applications
should show how the project lead will partner with at least one transit
agency. FTA will assess the strength of these partnerships in its
evaluation of applications.
B. Federal Award Information
FTA's Public Transportation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312) authorizes FTA
to make grants, or enter into contracts, cooperative agreements and
other agreements for research, development, demonstration and
deployment projects, and evaluation of research and technology of
national significance to public transportation that the Secretary of
Transportation determines will improve public transportation.
A total of $1.25 million in FY 2016 funds is available for award
for demonstration projects under this notice. Successful proposals will
be awarded as Cooperative Agreements. FTA intends to fund as many
meritorious projects as possible. FTA recognizes that the funding
available under this notice may be insufficient to fund all meritorious
projects. So, FTA may, at its discretion, select an application for
award of less than the originally-proposed amount if doing so is
expected to result in a more advantageous portfolio of projects.
Consequently, proposals should provide a detailed budget proposal for
the fully-realized project as well as a reduced scope, and budget if
the project can be scaled down and still achieve useful results.
Applicants should specify and justify the minimum award amount
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needed to achieve effective project results.
Only proposals from eligible recipients (see C.1) for eligible
activities will be considered for funding. Funds made available under
this program may be used to fund operating expenses and preventive
maintenance directly associated with the demonstration of the proposed
project, but may not be used to fund such expenses for equipment not
essential to the project.
FTA may, at its discretion, provide additional funds for selections
made under this announcement or for additional meritorious proposals,
if additional funding is made available. FTA will announce final
selections on its website (www.transit.dot.gov) and may also announce
selections in the Federal Register.
FTA seeks projects that can be implemented/started within six
months of project award, and contains a minimum of six months of data
collection and evaluation effort. The maximum period of performance
allowed for the work covered by the award should not exceed thirty-six
(36) months from the date of award.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
To be eligible for funding under this notice, applicants must
demonstrate that the proposed project is supported by a lead applicant
in partnership with at least one transit agency, and one or more
strategic partner(s) with a substantial interest and involvement in the
project. Eligible lead applicants under this notice must be existing
FTA grant recipients. An application must clearly identify the eligible
lead applicant and all project partners on the team.
Eligible project partners and sub-recipients under this program may
include, but are not limited to:
A. Public Transportation Systems;
B. Private for profit and not for profit organizations, including
technology system suppliers and bus manufacturers;
C. Operators of transportation, such as employee shuttle services
or airport connector services or university transportation systems;
D. State or local government entities; and,
E. Other organizations that may contribute to the success of the
project team including consultants, research consortia or not-for-
profit industry organizations, and institutions of higher education.
The lead applicant must have the ability to carry out the proposed
agreement and procurements with team members in compliance with its
respective State and local laws. FTA may determine that any named
strategic partner in the proposal is a key party and make any award
conditional upon the participation of that key party. A key party is
essential to the project as approved by FTA and is therefore eligible
for a noncompetitive award by the lead entity to provide the goods or
services described in the application. A key party's participation on a
selected project may not later be substituted without FTA's approval.
For-profit companies may participate on teams; however, recipients and
subrecipients of funding under this program may not charge a fee or
profit from the FTA research program.
In instances where a provider(s) of public transportation is a
partner and not the lead applicant, a detailed statement regarding the
role of the provider(s) in the conduct of the project is required. Also
required is a signed letter from the public transportation service
provider's General Manager of his/her commitment to the project and the
understanding of the agency's roles/responsibilities in the project.
2. Eligible Projects
Applicants may submit one proposal for each project but not one
proposal containing multiple projects. Applicants can submit multiple
proposals, but each eligible project proposal should focus on advanced
cutting-edge technologies that can provide real-time condition
assessment of transit infrastructures to effectively detect, monitor,
and track deficiencies and defects of infrastructure and rolling stock.
Project proposals must include a research and/or synthesis phase,
development phase and a demonstration phase. All phases are critical to
project selection. Revenue-service, full-scale demonstrations are
preferred where practicable. However, in cases where a full-scale
demonstration would be impractical, detailed plans for non-revenue
service or limited demonstration of the innovative technology or
designs will be considered. Basic research or studies that do not
result in any demonstration of the potential for commercialization or
broad deployment within the scope of the project will not be considered
for funding.
3. Cost Sharing or Matching
The federal share of project costs under this program is limited to
eighty percent (80%). Applicants may seek a lower Federal contribution.
The applicant must provide the local share of the net project cost in
cash, or in-kind, and must document in its application the source of
the local match. Regardless of minimum share requirements, cost sharing
is an evaluation criterion and proposals with higher cost share than
the minimum twenty percent (20%) share requirement will be considered
more favorably. Cash and other high-quality match will be considered
more favorably than in-kind cost matching, though all are acceptable.
Eligible sources of local match are detailed in FTA Research Circular
6100.1E. (available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/fta-circulars/final-circulars).
4. Other Requirements
a. Evaluation and Data Requirements
Projects funded under this announcement will be required to gather
and share all relevant and required data with the FTA or its designated
independent evaluator within appropriate and agreed-upon timelines, to
support project evaluation. The Department may make available a secure
data system to store data for evaluation or projects may suggest an
appropriate third-party system where Departmental analysts can conduct
their work, with FTA approval. Applicants should budget for the costs
of data storage and sharing as appropriate.
In response to the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy memorandum dated February 22, 2013, entitled Increasing Access
to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research, the Department
is incorporating Public Access requirements into all funding awards
(grants and cooperative agreements) for scientific research. All work
conducted under the Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock
Condition Assessment Demonstration program must follow the Department
data policies outlined in the DOT Public Access Plan at: https://ntl.bts.gov/public-access/how-comply. Recipients are required to
include these obligations in any sub-awards or other related funding
agreements.
The FTA expects Recipients to remove confidential business
information (CBI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) before
providing public access to project data. Recipients must ensure the
appropriate data are accessible to the FTA and/or the public for a
minimum of five years after the award period of performance expires.
Additionally, information submitted as part of or in support of
this demonstration program-funded project shall make every attempt to
use publicly
[[Page 31590]]
available data or data that can be made public and methodologies that
are accepted by industry practice and standards, to the extent
possible. FTA recognizes that certain partnerships may pose a challenge
to data sharing and will work with each recipient to develop an
appropriate Data Management Plan (DMP).
Recipients must make available to the Department copies of all work
developed in performance of a project funded under this announcement,
including but not limited to software and data. Data rights shall be in
accordance with 2 CFR 200.315, Intangible property.
If the submission includes information the applicant considers to
be trade secret or confidential commercial or financial information,
the applicant should do the following: (1) Note on the front cover that
the submission ``Contains Confidential Business Information (CBI)'';
(2) mark each affected page ``CBI''; and (3) highlight or otherwise
denote the CBI portions. FTA protects such information from disclosure
to the extent allowed under applicable law.
Project teams may be asked to participate in information exchange
meetings, webinars, or outreach events to support FTA's goal of
advancing the state of the practice. Project teams will be required to
work with FTA to support knowledge transfer by participating in a
relevant community of practice or similar activity. Applicants should
allocate a portion of their budgets to support such work, which may
include travel or presentations at key industry gatherings, such as
conferences of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA),
Transportation Research Board (TRB), and the Department, among others.
If FTA receives a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the
information, FTA will follow the procedures described in the U.S. DOT
FOIA regulations (49 CFR 7). Only information that is ultimately
determined to be confidential under that procedure will be exempt from
disclosure under FOIA. Should FTA receive an order from a court of
competent jurisdiction ordering the release of the information, FTA
will provide applicant timely notice of such order to allow the
applicant the opportunity to challenge such an order. FTA will not
challenge a court order on behalf of applicant.
b. Participation in Information Exchange
The selected project teams may be asked to participate in state of
good repair related information exchange meetings, conferences,
webinars, or outreach events where project teams share information with
the transit industry and stakeholders on the progress and results of
their project activities.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address and Form of Application Submission
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through
Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by July 17, 2020. Mail and fax submissions
will not be accepted. A complete proposal submission will consist of at
least two files: (1) The SF 424 Mandatory form (downloaded from
Grants.gov) and (2) the Applicant and Proposal Profile supplemental
form for the ``Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock
Condition Assessment Demonstration Program'' (supplemental form) found
on the FTA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation.
The supplemental profile provides guidance and a consistent format for
applicants to respond to the criteria outlined in this NOFO. Once
completed, the supplemental profile must be placed in the attachments
section of the SF 424 Mandatory form. Applicants must use the
supplemental profile designated for the ``Real-Time Transit
Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Condition Assessment Demonstration
Program'' and attach it to their submission in Grants.gov to
successfully complete the application process. A proposal submission
may contain additional supporting documentation as attachments.
Supporting documentation could include but is not limited to support
letters, pictures, digitized drawings, and spreadsheets.
Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the
applicant should receive 3 email messages from Grants.gov: (1)
Confirmation of successful transmission to Grants.gov, (2) confirmation
of successful validation by Grants.gov, and (3) confirmation of
successful validation by FTA. If confirmations of successful validation
are not received and a notice of failed validation or incomplete
materials is received, the applicant must address the reason for the
failed validation, as described in the email notice, and resubmit
before the submission deadline. If making a resubmission for any
reason, include all original attachments regardless of which
attachments were updated and check the box on the supplemental form
indicating this is a resubmission. Complete instructions on the
application process can be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/grants.
FTA strongly encourages applicants to submit their applications at
least 72 hours prior to the due date to allow time to receive the
validation messages and to correct any problems that may have caused a
rejection notification. FTA will not accept submissions after the
stated submission deadline for any reason. Grants.gov scheduled
maintenance and outage times are announced on Grants.gov. Deadlines
will not be extended due to scheduled maintenance or outages.
Applicants are encouraged to begin the process of registration at
Grants.gov well in advance of the submission deadline. Instructions on
the Grants.gov registration process are available at Grants.gov.
Registration is a multi-step process, which may take 3 to 5 days, but
could take as much as several weeks to complete before an application
can be submitted if the applicant needs to obtain certain identifying
numbers external to Grants.gov (for example, applying for an Employer
Identification Number). Registered applicants may still be required to
take steps to keep their registration up to date before submissions can
be made successfully: (1) Registration in the System for Award
Management (SAM) is renewed annually and (2) persons making submissions
on behalf of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must be
authorized in Grants.gov by the AOR to make submissions.
Applicants may submit one proposal for each project but not one
proposal containing multiple projects. Information such as applicant
name, Federal amount requested, local match amount, description of
areas served, etc. may be requested in varying degrees of detail on
both the SF 424 Form and Supplemental Form. Applicants must fill in all
fields unless stated otherwise on the forms. Applicants should use both
the ``CHECK PACKAGE FOR ERRORS'' and the ``VALIDATE FORM'' validation
buttons on both forms to check all required fields on the forms, and
ensure that the federal and local amounts specified are consistent. The
information described in Sections ``E'' through ``H'' below MUST be
included and/or addressed on the SF 424 Form and other supplemental
forms for all requests for the ``Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and
Rolling Stock Condition Assessment Demonstration Program'' funding.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
At a minimum, every proposal must include an SF-424 form, with the
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Applicant and a Proposal Profile supplemental form attached. The
Applicant and Proposal Profile supplemental form for this Program can
be found on the FTA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation.
Consistent with the Department's R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative (https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the Department encourages applicants to
describe how activities proposed in their application would address the
unique challenges facing rural transportation networks, regardless of
the geographic location of those activities.
All applicants are required to provide detailed information on the
Applicant and Proposal Profile supplemental form, including:
(a) State the project title, the overall goals of the project, and
describe the project scope, including anticipated deliverables.
(b) Discuss the current state of asset management practice,
challenges and how the proposed project will address those needs.
(c) Details on whether the proposed demonstration is a new effort
or a continuation of a prior research and the degree of expected
improvement from the project over current asset management technologies
and practices.
(d) Address each evaluation criterion separately, demonstrating how
the project responds to each criterion as described in Section E.
(e) Provide a line-item budget for the total project with enough
detail to indicate the various key components of the project. FTA may
elect to fund only part of some project proposals; the budget should
provide for the minimum amount necessary to fund specific project
components of independent utility. If the project can be scaled,
provide a scaling plan describing the minimum funding necessary for a
feasible project and the impacts of a reduced funding level.
(f) Provide the Federal amount requested and document the matching
funds, including amount and source of the match (may include local or
private sector financial participation in the project). Provide support
documentation, including financial statements, bond-ratings, and
documents supporting the commitment of non-federal funding to the
project, or a timeframe upon which those commitments would be made.
(g) A project time-line outlining steps from project implementation
through completion, including significant milestones and the roles of
the responsible team members.
(h) The proposed location(s) of the research and demonstration, the
type of public transportation service where the technology or design
modifications will be demonstrated.
(i) The technology(ies) and design modification to be used in this
demonstration and explanation of the principle of operation for the
public transportation service, type of transit vehicle (example: Bus,
articulated bus, over-the-road bus, heavy rail, light rail, etc.),
vehicle manufacturer and model. Including, the number of transit
vehicles involved in the demonstration, if necessary. And, how the
proposed technology and design modification will address the primary
goal of this program to enhance asset management of infrastructure and
safety through innovative technologies, and how it will meet the
specific objectives for the program:
Explore advanced cutting-edge technologies that can
provide real-time condition assessment of transit capital and
facilities;
Allow a more effective way for transit agencies to assess,
detect, monitor and track deficiencies and defects related to
infrastructure and rolling stock.
Evaluate the cost-effectiveness and the practicality of
proposed state-of-the art solutions.
(j) A description of any exceptions or waivers to FTA requirements
or policies necessary to successfully implement the proposed project.
FTA is not inclined to grant deviations from its requirements, but may
consider deviations if the applicant can show a compelling benefit.
Example: Buy America requirement, Deferred Local Share, Letter of No
prejudice, etc.
(k) Potential issues (technical or other) that may impact the
success of the project.
(l) Address whether other Federal funds have been sought for the
project.
(m) Provide Congressional district information for the project's
place of performance.
3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
Registration in Brief
Each applicant is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before
submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity
identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active
SAM registration with current information at all times during which it
has an active Federal award or an application or plan under
consideration by a Federal awarding agency. FTA may not make a Federal
award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all
applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an
applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time FTA
is ready to make an award, FTA may determine that the applicant is not
qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for
making an award to another applicant.
Registration can take as little as 3-5 business days, but since
there could be unexpected steps or delays (for example, if you need to
obtain an EIN), FTA recommends allowing ample time for completion of
all steps.
STEP 1: Obtain DUNS Number: Same day. If requested by phone (1-866-
705-5711) DUNS is provided immediately. If your organization does not
have one, you will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform to obtain the number.
STEP 2: Register with SAM: Three to five business days or up to two
weeks. If you already have a TIN, your SAM registration will take 3-5
business days to process. If you are applying for an EIN please allow
up to 2 weeks. Ensure that your organization is registered with the
System for Award Management (SAM) at System for Award Management (SAM).
If your organization is not, an authorizing official of your
organization must register.
STEP 3: Username & Password: Same day. Complete your AOR
(Authorized Organization Representative) profile on Grants.gov and
create your username and password. You will need to use your
organization's DUNS Number to complete this step. https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/OrcRegister.
STEP 4: AOR Authorization: Same day (depending on responsiveness of
your E-Biz POC). The E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) at your
organization must login to Grants.gov to confirm you as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR). Please note that there can be more
than one AOR for your organization. In some cases the E-Biz POC is also
the AOR for an organization.
STEP 5: TRACK AOR STATUS: At any time, you can track your AOR
status by logging in with your username and password. Login as an
Applicant (enter your username & password you obtained in Step 3) under
applicant profile.
4. Submission Dates and Times
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through http://
www.GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 17, 2020.
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5. Funding Restrictions
Funds under this NOFO cannot be used to reimburse projects for
otherwise eligible expenses incurred prior to FTA award of a Grant
Agreement or Cooperative Agreement unless FTA has issued a ``Letter of
No Prejudice'' for the project before the expenses are incurred.
This program is a research and development effort and as such FTA
Circular 6100.1E rules will apply in administering the program
(available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/fta-circulars/final-circulars).
E. Application Review Information
1. Evaluation Criteria
Projects will be evaluated by FTA according to the following six
evaluation criteria described in this section. Each applicant is
encouraged to demonstrate the responsiveness of a project to all the
criteria shown below with the most relevant information that the
applicant can provide.
Consistent with the Department's R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the Department recognizes that rural
transportation networks face unique challenges. To the extent that
those challenges are reflected in the merit criteria listed in this
section, the Department will consider how the activities proposed in
the application will address those challenges, regardless of the
geographic location of those activities. FTA will assess the extent to
which a proposal addresses the following criteria:
(A) Project Innovation and Impact
(i) Effectiveness of the project in achieving and demonstrating the
specific objectives of this program.
(ii) Demonstration of benefits in addressing the needs of the
transit agency and industry and impacts to infrastructure and rolling
stock investments.
(iii) Degree of technological improvement over current and existing
technologies applicable to the state of good repair in the transit
industry.
(B) Project Approach
(i) Quality of the project approach, including interface design,
existing partnerships and collaboration strategies in meeting the
objectives of the program.
(ii) Proposal is realistic in its approach to fulfill the
milestones/deliverables, schedule and goals.
(iii) Proposal clearly establishes a research phase, a development
phase and a demonstration phase.
(C) National Applicability
(i) Degree to which the project could be replicated by other
transit agencies regionally or nationally.
(ii) Ability to evaluate technologies and designs in a wide variety
of conditions and locales.
(iii) Degree to which the technology, designs and/or practices can
be replicated by other rail modes and/or transportation modes.
(D) Commercialization and/or Knowledge Transfer Plan
(i) Demonstrates an effective, timely, and realistic plan for
moving the results of the project into the transit marketplace through
conferences, webinars, publications, site visits, tec.
(ii) How the project team plans to work with the industry on
improving best practices, guidance and/or standards, if applicable.
(iii) Demonstrate a clear understanding and robust approach to data
collection and management.
(E) Return on Investment
(i) Cost-effectiveness of the proposed project.
(ii) Anticipated measurable safety benefits and/or potential impact
on industry guidance and standards.
(iii) The anticipated intangible benefits, such as making public
transportation service more appealing to potential passengers,
providing educational opportunities, or reducing negative externalities
such as traffic congestion or others.
(F) Team Capacity and Commitment
(i) The level of local match (minimum of 20%) and the quality of
cost share by project partners (in-kind or cash).
(ii) Availability of existing resources (physical facilities, human
resources, partnerships) to carry out the project.
(iii) Demonstrated capacity and experience of the partners to carry
out the demonstration project of similar size and/or scope.
2. Review and Selection Process
A technical evaluation panel comprised of FTA staff and possibly
other DOT staff will review project proposals against the evaluation
criteria listed above. Members of the technical evaluation panel
reserve the right to evaluate proposals they receive and seek
clarification from any applicant about any ambiguous statement in the
proposal. FTA may also request additional documentation or information
to be considered during the evaluation process. After thorough
evaluation of all valid proposals, the technical evaluation panel will
provide project recommendations to the FTA Administrator. The FTA
Administrator will determine the final list of project selections, and
the amount of funding for each project. Geographic diversity, diversity
of project type, and the applicant's receipt of other Federal funding
may be considered in FTA's award decisions.
Prior to making an award, FTA is required to review and consider
any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity
and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see
41 U.S.C. 2313). An applicant, at its option, may review information in
the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM
and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding
agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity
and performance system accessible through SAM. FTA will consider any
comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the
designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about
the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance
under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by
applicants as described in Sec. 200.205 Federal awarding agency review
of risk posed by applicants.
F. Federal Award Administration Information
FTA intends to fund multiple meritorious projects to support
executing eligible project activities. To enhance the value of the
portfolio of research and demonstration projects to be implemented, FTA
reserves the right to request an adjustment of the project scope and
budget of any proposal selected for funding. Such adjustments shall not
constitute a material alteration of any aspect of the proposal that
influenced the proposal evaluation or decision to fund the project. FTA
also reserves the right to terminate and re-compete a project(s)
awarded under this notice when a project sponsor(s) fail to meet the
requirements set forth under this notice.
1. Federal Award Notice
Subsequent to announcement by FTA of the final project selections,
FTA may publish a list of the selected projects, including Federal
dollar amounts and recipients, on its public website.
[[Page 31593]]
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
a. Pre-Award Authority
FTA will issue specific guidance to recipients regarding pre-award
authority at the time of selection. FTA does not provide pre-award
authority for competitive funds until projects are selected and even
then, Federal requirements must be met before costs are incurred.
Preparation of proposals is not an eligible pre-award expense.
b. Grant Requirements
Successful proposals will be awarded through FTA's Transit Award
Management System (TrAMS) as Cooperative Agreements.
c. Planning
The FTA encourages applicants to engage the appropriate State
Departments of Transportation, Regional Transportation Planning
Organizations, or Metropolitan Planning Organizations in areas likely
to be served by the project funds made available under this program.
d. Standard Assurances
The applicant assures that it will comply with all applicable
Federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, FTA circulars, and
other Federal administrative requirements in carrying out any project
supported by the FTA grant. The applicant acknowledges that it is under
a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and conditions of the
grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The applicant
understands that Federal laws, regulations, policies, and
administrative practices might be modified from time to time and may
affect the implementation of the project. The applicant agrees that the
most recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA
issues a written determination otherwise. The applicant must submit the
Certifications and Assurances before receiving a grant if it does not
have current certifications on file.
e. Buy America
FTA requires that all capital procurements meet FTA's Buy America
requirements per 49 U.S.C. 5323(j), which require that all iron, steel,
or manufactured products be produced in the United States. Federal
public transportation law provides for a phased increase in the
domestic content for rolling stock between FY 2016 and FY 2020. For FY
2020 and beyond, the cost of components and subcomponents produced in
the United States must be more than 70 percent of the cost of all
components. There is no change to the requirement that final assembly
of rolling stock must occur in the United States. FTA issued guidance
on the implementation of the phased increase in domestic content on
September 1, 2016 (81 FR 60278). Applicants should read the policy
guidance carefully to determine the applicable domestic content
requirement for their project. Any proposal that will require a waiver
must identify in the application the items for which a waiver will be
sought. Applicants should not proceed with the expectation that waivers
will be granted. Consistent with Executive Order 13858 Strengthening
Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects, signed by
President Trump on January 31, 2019, applicants should maximize the use
of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States, in
Federal procurements and through the terms and conditions of Federal
financial assistance awards. Additional information on Buy America
requirements can be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/buyamerica.
f. Reporting
Post-award reporting requirements include submission of Federal
Financial Reports and Milestone Reports in FTA's electronic grants
management system on a quarterly basis for all projects.
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
For further information concerning this notice please contact the
FTA Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Condition
Assessment Demonstration Program Manager Sam Yimer at
[email protected] or 202-366-1321. A TDD is available for
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at 1-800-877-8339.
Issued in Washington, DC.
K. Jane Williams,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-11129 Filed 5-22-20; 8:45 am]
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