Defense Community Manufacturing Support Program Grant Proposal

OMB CONTROL NUMBER: 0704-XXXX

OMB EXPIRATION DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

THE FOLLOWING OUTLINE IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE DEFENSE MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NOTICE

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Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program Grant Proposal

1. PROPOSAL and SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

1. Address to Request Application Package:

Proposals must be submitted electronically as described in Section D, paragraph 3 below.

2. Content and Form of Proposal Submission:

NOTE: Consortia which received Defense Manufacturing Community designation and grant funding in FY20 as a result of the first round of this competition are precluded from any additional designation or funding under this announcement.

Each interested respondent must submit a complete proposal through Grants.gov not later than the Proposal Deadline date (see Section D., paragraph 3). Grants.gov requires all proposers to complete the Standard Form 424. Please refer to the instructions provided with the Grants.gov Federal Funding Opportunity on how to complete the Standard Form 424.

In addition to the Standard 424, Lead Organizations will submit the following proposal components in order to be considered for designation as a Defense Manufacturing Community:

• Part 1: Defense Manufacturing Community Designation Concept – Slide Presentation

• Part 2: Defense Manufacturing Community Designation White Paper

• Part 3: Any Necessary Supporting Documentation

Parts 1 and 2 are complementary of each other: The concept (slide presentation) is a summary of the white paper, and the white paper is the comprehensive narrative that fleshes out the concept. Parts 1 and 2 shall be structured similarly.

Designations will be competitively awarded based solely on the components listed above. Those consortia designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community will then be invited to submit a Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program grant application to Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation for funding and technical assistance.

Below is a detailed description of the required components to be designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community:

1. PART 1: Defense Manufacturing Community Designation Concept: No more than a ten (10) page PowerPoint presentation (including all relevant maps/drawings/diagrams), which outlines the following:

Slide 1: Consortium Information

• Name of Defense Manufacturing Consortium Community

• Name of Lead Organization

• Headquarters location (City, State)

• Website

• Contact Person (First Name, Last Name)

• Contact Email Address

• Contact Phone Number

• Additional contact, if applicable

Slide 2: Mission, Vision and Summary

• What is the consortium’s mission/vision in one sentence?

• How would you summarize your proposed project in two to three sentences?

Slide 3: Consortium Makeup and Leadership Structure

• Who comprises the consortium?

• How is the consortium optimally composed to perform the proposed work?

Slide 4 and 5: Service Area Identification and Regional Assessment: NOTE - The white paper should include more detail and shall include an integrated, evidence-based assessment of the local defense industrial ecosystem (i.e., the whole range of workforce and training, supplier network, research and innovation, infrastructure/site development, operational improvements and capital access components needed for manufacturing activities) as it exists today in the region defined by the applicant. The assessment should provide a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis as it pertains to supporting the manufacturing ecosystem of the region.

• What area are you serving? This could include cities, counties, regions, states, etc.

• What are the specific defense manufacturing technologies and or supply chains on which the consortium will focus?

• How are the identified technologies/supply chains considered top-ranked in the nation?

• How do they tie into Defense modernization priorities?

• What are the key gaps and opportunities within the service area?

Slides 6 and 7: Scope of Work / Implementation Strategy

• A scope of work linked to the project’s purpose with key milestones and deliverables, which must clearly indicate the specific activities that are part of the scope of work of the proposed project.

Slides 8: Logic Model and Proposed Performance Metrics

• A concise presentation of the resources and activities envisioned in the proposal to produce specific outputs and outcomes (short and long-term)

• A description of 3-5 performance metrics that will be used measure the proposed outcomes.

Slide 9: Estimated Budget

• Estimated, high level budget and matching, to include an estimate of the overall cost of the project tied to the proposed activities and staffing plan under the project, as well as an estimate of non-federal matching funds that planned to be dedicated to the project. Budget must provide sufficient detail so the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation staff may understand what funding will be applied to which task and/or sub-tasks.

Slides 10: Sustainability Plan

• What resources/model will you leverage/follow to encourage sustainability?

2. PART 2: Defense Manufacturing Community White Paper: A proposal of no more than twenty (20) pages (1-inch margins, 1.5-line spacing, 11 point Times New Roman font, Microsoft Word only, and including all relevant maps/drawings/diagrams). The white paper shall follow the same structure as Part 1 (concept) and will add clarifying detail to the concept. The white paper should include the following sections (correlation to Part I is identified by slide):

1. Abstract and Executive Summary (no more than 2 pages): Abstract is a 3-4 sentence non-technical description of the issue the project will address, how the project will address that issue, and expected outcomes of the project. The Executive Summary should expand upon the Abstract with more detail and may address key points, which are found deeper in the application.

2. Introduction (builds upon slides 1 and 2)

3. Consortium Leadership Structure (builds upon slide 3): This section should provide a description of the leadership structure of the regional partners that comprise the consortium in order to carry out the proposed strategy. The description of the leadership structure should clearly demonstrate the specific roles and responsibilities of each member of the consortium as well as explain how workflow, accountability, and authority will be administered. Proposers should attach letters of commitment or signed a Memorandum of Understanding documenting consortium members’ contributions to the partnership in Part 3.

4. Geographic scope (builds upon slides 4 and 5): Description of the regional boundaries of their consortium and the basis for determining that their manufacturing concentration ranks high in the nation for their key manufacturing technology or supply chain (KTS) by either: location quotient for employment or firms in the KTS, or in terms of employment or firm numbers. Other metrics can be used to determine a top third national ranking in the proposer’s KTS region, but data sources and methods used to calculate the top third ranking must be well-documented in the application.

5. Regional Assessment (builds upon slides 4 and 5): An integrated, evidence based assessment of the local defense industrial ecosystem (i.e., the whole range of workforce and training, supplier network, research and innovation, infrastructure/site development, operational improvements and capital access components needed for manufacturing activities) as it exists today in the region defined by the applicant. The assessment should provide a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis as it pertains to supporting the manufacturing ecosystem of the region.

6. Scope of Work / Implementation Strategy (builds upon slides 6 and 7): An evidence-based path for developing chosen components of this ecosystem (infrastructure, business development, workforce development, etc.) by making specific investments to address gaps and make a region uniquely competitive. The scope of work must clearly indicate the specific activities and how they are linked to the project’s purpose, key milestones and deliverables.

7. Logic Model and Proposed Performance Metrics (builds upon slide 8): A logical flow of resources and activities envisioned in the scope of work section to produce specific outputs and outcomes of the proposed activities. A description of outcome-based performance metrics be tracked and evaluation methods to be used (experimental or high quality quasi-experimental designs using control groups, etc.) over the course of the implementation to gauge whether the proposed outcomes are achieved.

8. Estimated Budget (builds upon slide 9): Estimated, high level budget and matching share (to include information from the Standard Form 424): an estimate of the overall cost of the project tied to the proposed activities and staffing plan under the project, as well as an estimate of non-Federal matching funds that planned to be dedicated to the project. The program requires a match of at least 20 percent of the total project cost from non-Federal sources. Proposers seeking a waiver of the match requirement should include any relevant information linked directly to reasons of national security that would warrant consideration of a waiver. Such information will count toward the application page limit.

9. Sustainability Plan (builds upon slide 10): A description of resources and models to be used to encourage sustainability of consortium’s objectives

3. PART 3: Supporting Documentation: No more than twenty-five (25) single sided pages in Word or .pdf format (.pdf format must be compatible with Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017; NOTE: Adobe “portfolio” documents will not be accepted) which outlines the following:

1. Submitting Official: Documentation that the Submitting Official is authorized by the applicant to submit a proposal and subsequently apply for assistance. (1 page)

2. A statement attesting applicant/s already have obtained or have started the process to obtain a SAM registration (documentation of SAM registration or proof that SAM registration has been initiated must be submitted along with the Concept Proposal). (1 page)

3. A signed letter of commitment in lieu of a completed Memorandum of Understanding (or Memorandum of Understanding if complete upon proposal submission) documenting consortium members and contributions to the partnership

4. Additional letters of support/matching fund commitment may be attached to the application as applicable but will count toward the application page limit. (as needed)

5. A transparent statement documenting any foreign investment within the consortium membership where direct or indirect exposure to any aspect of the project exists

To the extent practicable, proposers are encouraged to provide data and evidence of all project merits in a form that is publicly available and verifiable.