DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
AGENCY: Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Final Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement.
SUMMARY: This notice announces an opportunity to obtain Defense Manufacturing Community designation and funding under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program for Fiscal Year 2021. This notice includes proposal submission requirements, instructions, eligibility and selection criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals. The Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment approved this program on April 14, 2021. This notice outlines the first of a two-step process to potentially receive funding under this program.
This notice includes proposal requirements for only for the initial step of seeking designation as a Defense Manufacturing Community. First, regional consortia will compete to receive designation as a Defense Manufacturing Community. The second step (invitation to submit a grant application for funding) is separate from this notice and instructions will be provided to the most competitive consortia designated as Defense Manufacturing communities. $25 Million is available for this program in Fiscal Year 2021. This is a Final Federal Funding Opportunity notice, and interested responders must submit a proposal based on the instructions provided in Section D., paragraphs 1-3 of this notice.
NOTE: Consortia which received Defense Manufacturing Community designation and grant funding in FY20 as a result of the first round of this program are precluded from any additional designation or funding under this announcement.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may directly provide awards under this notice for projects owned by a State, local government, or a not-for-profit organization, or it may transfer funds to another Federal agency for award to a state or local government.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Federal Awarding Agency: Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Department of Defense.
Funding Opportunity Title: Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program.
Announcement Type: Final Federal Funding Opportunity.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.600.
Key Dates: The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is publishing on Grants.gov a Final Federal Funding Opportunity notice for $25 Million in available appropriations, for a 60-day solicitation period. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will hold a pre-proposal webinar at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 23, 2021 and again at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 26, 2021, to review the goals and objectives of the Federal Funding Opportunity and answer questions from interested respondents. Details about participation in this pre-proposal webinar will be available on oldcc.gov at link https://oldcc.gov/Defense-Manufacturing-Community-Support-Program. Complete proposals for Defense Manufacturing Community designations must be received by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation by 5:00 p.m. PDT on June 15, 2021, (the Proposal Deadline). All proposals will be ranked for final approval by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their designee. If designated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their delegate, as a Defense Manufacturing Community, the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will assign Project Managers to assist the successful consortia and on or about August 14, 2021, invite the submission of a grant application.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Manufacturing is the bedrock of American prosperity, and the health of the American manufacturing sector is a barometer for the economic health of the country. In the current environment of globalization and fragmentation of global supply chains, insuring and enhancing domestic defense manufacturing capabilities is critical to both national security and economic wellbeing. Coronavirus (COVID-19), complex cyber-attacks and the ever-increasing sophistication of our adversaries all contribute to the necessity of preserving, modernizing, and growing defense manufacturing capacity within the United States.
The Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, authorized under Section 846 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (PL 115-232), is designed to undertake long-term investments in critical skills, facilities, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation and manufacturing base. The program also seeks to ensure complementarity of those communities so designated with existing Defense Manufacturing Institutes. Defense Manufacturing Institutes are manufacturing ecosystems established since 2014, with common manufacturing and design challenges revolving around specific technologies. To date, the Department of Defense has established nine (9) Manufacturing Institutes - https://defenseinnovationmarketplace.dtic.mil/business-opportunities/manufacturing-usa-institutes/ . (For complete roster of all existing manufacturing institutes, see link at https://www.manufacturingusa.com/institutes.)
The Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program is designed to recognize communities that demonstrate best practices in attracting and expanding defense manufacturing. Best practices include bringing together key local stakeholders and using long-term planning that integrates targeted public and private investments across a community’s entire defense industrial ecosystem. Interactions within and between these elements can create assets upon which many firms can draw. While such assets are fundamental in promoting defense sector development, many are otherwise not adequately addressed by the private sector alone. Thus, well-designed public investment is crucial to building a self-sustaining ecosystem that attracts private investment from new and existing manufacturers and leads to a broad-based increase in manufacturing resilience and regional prosperity across the sector, the region and the nation.
To be designated as a “Defense Manufacturing Community,” consortia composed of members of academia, defense manufacturers, workforce organizations, defense industry and association-led organizations, non-profit organizations, State and local government organizations and various combinations thereof, may apply under this notice. This designation of “Defense Manufacturing Community” will be awarded on a competitive basis subject to the criteria in Section E below, and is a pre-requisite for funding.
Only the consortia designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment will be invited by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to apply for financial and technical assistance as broadly outlined in Section B below.
For Fiscal Year 2021, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has been appropriated $25 million for this program.
FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION:
Complete proposals for Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program designation must be received by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 15, 2021, (the Proposal Deadline). Proposals will be ranked by an interdepartmental/interagency Defense Manufacturing Community Review Panel against the selection criteria provided in Section E. Paragraph 1 of this notice. All proposals will be ranked for final approval by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their delegate. If designated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their delegate, as a Defense Manufacturing Community, the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will assign Project Managers to assist the successful consortia and on or about August 14, 2021, invite the submission of a grant application.
For Defense Manufacturing Community designees, Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program grant awards may vary in size but in no case will exceed $5 million per award in Fiscal Year 2021. Periods of performance for an Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation grant award may also vary, but in no case, will they exceed five years. Project cost overruns are the responsibility of the recipient. Individual designation proposals requesting more than $5 million in the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program will not be accepted for review, and all proposals for designation must result in a complete project.
The final amount of each award will be determined by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation based on the recommendation of an internal Technical Review Committee in conformance with 2 CFR part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” and subject to the availability of appropriations for this program. If awarded a grant, the grantee shall ensure requests for disbursements under this award are in proportion to the Federal and non-Federal portions of the total approved project costs (For example, for every $1 in eligible costs on a project with a 50% Federal contribution, requests for disbursements should ensure Federal funds do not exceed 50% of the expenditures for the project at any point over the term of the award).
Each Defense Manufacturing Community designation shall be for a period of five years. Eligible communities may submit for renewal of their designation for up to two (2) additional two-year periods.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
Eligible Organizations:
Proposals for designation as a Defense Manufacturing Community must be submitted by a “Lead Organization” on behalf of a regional manufacturing consortium as part of the proposal being submitted. A “lead organization” may be any of the entities identified in Section A above.
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.
For the purposes of this announcement, a “consortium” is a collection of associated assets focused on common challenges in defense manufacturing or defense-related technology. These consortia represent active networks of similar, synergistic or complementary organizations engaged in a particular defense manufacturing industry sector or vertical, with active channels for business transactions, communications, dialogue, and workforce development that share specialized infrastructure, labor markets and services. While consortia are generally located within a specific and geographically-bounded region, this does not preclude the inclusion of a member or organization with significant and relevant capabilities and capacities which are outside of the geographic region of the majority of the consortia members.
A “Lead Organization” will exhibit the following characteristics:
an established entity with a defined management structure, and the authority to bind the regional manufacturing consortium to deliver the proposed strategy;
is recognized as such by key partners and stakeholders in a formal way; and
must be one of the following entities:
Institution of higher education or a consortium of higher education institutions
Public or private non-profit consortium of defense industries
State, local or tribal government organization
Additionally, the consortium:
may be composed of members from academia, defense industry, Federal laboratories, commercial industry, defense manufacturing institutes, and State and local government organizations;
must demonstrate regional collaboration capabilities and technological or industrial base supply chains that are determined critical to national security, and;
must demonstrate complementarity with defense manufacturing institutes,
The membership size of the consortium should demonstrate optimal composition that promotes effectiveness, collaboration and efficiency that strengthens the defense industry’s innovation base. Consortia membership is not limited to a geographic service area, however as a practical management matter, the majority of the consortia members are expected to be located in a relatively close geographic region and possess no national security conflicts linked to foreign investors.
The “Lead Organization” will serve as the spokesperson presenting the consensus opinion of their respective consortium, as well as coordinate strategy implementation and service delivery in their respective region. All members of the consortium must sign a letter of commitment or sign a Memorandum of Understanding documenting their contributions to the partnership as per the instructions in Section D of this notice. Should an applicant be designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community and later invited to apply for grant funding, formal, executed Memorandums of Understanding must be provided to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation before any funding will be disbursed. The Lead Organization must be legally empowered to receive grant funding from the Federal government and registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://sam.gov. The Lead Organization may be requested to provide such documentation on request.
Proposers are encouraged to coordinate with the Defense Manufacturing Institutes well in advance of their submission under this Federal Funding Opportunity Notice to ensure their strategies align directly with the priorities of the Department of Defense. To learn more about current Defense Manufacturing Institutes, visit https://defenseinnovationmarketplace.dtic.mil/business-opportunities/manufacturing-usa-institutes/.
Geographic Scope:
Proposers may define the regional boundaries of their consortium based on capabilities, key technologies, or industrial base supply chains that are determined critical to national security. For the purposes of this announcement, Sections 7 and 8 of the Fiscal Year 2020 Industrial Capabilities Report to Congress released January 14, 2021 by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy are most relevant in delineating “capabilities, key technologies, or industrial base supply chains” for this announcement. The geographic size of the consortium need not be limited by traditional jurisdictional boundaries, but should demonstrate an optimal composition that promotes the effectiveness, collaboration and efficiency that strengthens the defense industry’s innovation base.
In general, an applicant’s region should be large enough to contain critical elements of the key Defense technologies or supply chains prioritized by the applicant, but small enough to enable close collaboration (e.g., generally, larger than a city but smaller than a state). The proposed Defense Manufacturing Community should identify and provide evidence that their service area ranks high in the nation for the colocation of specific key defense manufacturing technologies or supply chains. While specific metrics will not be prescribed in this opportunity notice, proposers should use validated data with citations as an indicator of how the region ranks in the nation. The data used by the proposer should indicate a top third national ranking in the proposer’s region with regard to key defense manufacturing technologies or supply chains.
Cost Sharing or Matching:
Proposers must demonstrate at the time of proposal a matching share of at least 20 percent of the entire proposed program (i.e. 20 percent of the federal and non-federal shares combined).
Proposers must submit from each organization providing matching share, including the Lead Organization if applicable, a commitment letter or equivalent document signed by an authorized representative of that organization demonstrating that matching share will, at the time of award be committed to the project for the period of performance. Non-Federal contributions to be used for the required matching share must consist of contributions directly related to the proposed project, such as services, equipment, or space.
For Defense Manufacturing Community designees, additional documentation may be requested by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation during the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program grant application process to substantiate the availability of the matching funds. The Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, as the Grant Officer, may waive a match requirement in consideration of reasons related to national security priorities.
These matching funds may not count as non-Federal match for other project funding, and the ability to use other Federal funds as a non-Federal match contribution will be determined by the authority and appropriation providing those funds as well as whether the relevant Grantor provides approval. Funding proposed as a source for the non-Federal share must be expended either within the proposed project period commencing from the date of award or no earlier than the August 13, 2018, enactment of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
Eligibility of Proposed Activities:
As part of the proposal, each Lead Organization will present a designation concept (PowerPoint format) and white paper (Word format), the components of which are complementary of each other. The concept is a summary of the white paper, and the white paper is the comprehensive narrative. If designated as a Defense Manufacturing Community, the concept and the white paper will form the basis for any follow-on grant application, if invited by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.
Within the concept and white paper, Lead Organizations may include descriptions of the following types of activities and investments (to include equipment or facility upgrades):
workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and retention, including that of women and underrepresented minorities;
business incubators;
advanced research and commercialization, including with Federal laboratories and depots;
supply chain development; and
small business assistance
As a practical matter, funding is not sufficient in this Fiscal Year to undertake major construction activities under this program, therefore Fiscal Year 2021 applications should not propose such activities. Regarding facility upgrades, any requests related to facility upgrades must be contained within the existing facility footprint and be for the purpose of modernizing or enabling innovation activities.
Funds available under this program should not supplant funding nor activities otherwise eligible for/funded through other Federal programs. Respondents are encouraged to submit proposals which demonstrate appropriate leverage of all public and private resources and programs, such as:
U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program for provision of relevant assistance to the region’s manufacturers that operate as part of affected Defense supply chains;
State, regional, and local economic development organizations which often work with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration grantees, including Economic Development Districts and University Centers;
Small Business Administration (SBA) Regional Innovation Clusters or other involvement with SBA District offices, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE chapters, or Women’s Business Centers; and
U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration grantees, including local Workforce Investment Boards and/or American Job Centers.
In instances where proposed activities are seemingly eligible for other programs of Federal assistance (e.g. workforce development assistance from the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration), justification for not pursuing those funds from the other Federal source should be provided.
Funds provided under this program may not be used to directly identify or assist a business, including a business expansion, in the relocation of a plant, facility, or operation from one Labor Market Area (LMA) to another if the relocation is likely to result in the loss of jobs in the LMA from which the relocation occurs.
PROPOSAL and SUBMISSION INFORMATION:
Address to Request Application Package:
Proposals must be submitted electronically as described in Section D, paragraph 3 below.
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:
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:
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
What is the consortium’s mission/vision in one sentence?
How would you summarize your proposed project in two to three sentences?
Who comprises the consortium?
How is the consortium optimally composed to perform the proposed work?
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?
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.
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.
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.
What resources/model will you leverage/follow to encourage sustainability?
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):
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.
Introduction (builds upon slides 1 and 2)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sustainability Plan (builds upon slide 10): A description of resources and models to be used to encourage sustainability of consortium’s objectives
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:
Submitting Official: Documentation that the Submitting Official is authorized by the applicant to submit a proposal and subsequently apply for assistance. (1 page)
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)
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
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)
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.
Submission Dates and Times:
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is publishing on Grants.gov a Final Federal Funding Opportunity notice for $25 Million in available appropriations, for a 60-day solicitation period. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will hold a pre-proposal webinar at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 23, 2021 and again at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 26, to review the goals and objectives of the Federal Funding Opportunity and answer questions from interested respondents. Details about participation in this pre-proposal webinar will be available on oldcc.gov at link https://oldcc.gov/Defense-Manufacturing-Community-Support-Program. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation must receive complete proposals for Defense Manufacturing Community designations by 5:00 p.m. PDT on June 15, 2021, (the Proposal Deadline). All proposals will be ranked by a Defense Manufacturing Community Review Panel for final approval by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their delegate. If designated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment as a Defense Manufacturing Community, the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will assign Project Managers to assist the successful consortia and on or about August 14, 2021, invite the submission of a grant application. All grantees must accept the terms of their grant awards through countersigning a grant agreement by the close of business on September 23, 2021, so that funding for their grants may be obligated before September 30, 2021.
APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:
Defense Manufacturing Community Selection Criteria:
Proposal review and evaluation will be performed as follows:
Applications for Defense Manufacturing Community designation will be reviewed by an interdepartmental/interagency Defense Manufacturing Community Review Panel composed of representation from the Office Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment; the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation; the Economic Development Administration, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology—Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Department of Commerce).
The Defense Manufacturing Community Review Panel will consider each of the following ranking criteria, with relative weights (the more responsive the proposal is to a need in these areas, the higher the score) as a basis to confer the Defense Manufacturing Community designation:
The extent to which the service area of the consortium is clearly identified, to include geographic bounds, identification of regional specialization in a specific set of defense manufacturing technologies and/or supply chains, and the use of data to validate that the service area ranks high in the nation for the technologies/supply chains identified; extent to which the regional specializations correlate findings and/or priorities outlined in: the National Defense Strategy; the Fiscal Year 2020 Industrial Capabilities Report to Congress report; and/or Defense modernization priorities (0-25 points);
Quality of region’s assessment of gaps and opportunities rooted in the regional specializations identified by consortium (0-20 points);
The extent to which the strategy and activities proposed enhance the region’s ability to narrow gaps and build upon opportunities identified in the proposal, ultimately amplifying the development of key technologies, workforce, and/or support industrial base/supply chains that are determined critical to national security (0-30 points);
The strength of the consortia’s leadership capacity, commitment and its ability to leverage regional partners to execute the proposed activities, as demonstrated through the soundness of its governance structure, composition of regional partners, and matching fund commitment (0-15 points), and;
The extent to which the proposed activities complement defense manufacturing institutes, industry-led, workforce-led, and association-led initiatives (e.g. Industry 4.0), and leverage the whole of Federal government resources to amplify the execution of its proposed activities (0-10 points).
Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program Grant Application Invitation:
Once an eligible consortium has been designated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or their delegate, as a “Defense Manufacturing Community,” the Defense Manufacturing Community will be invited by the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to submit a detailed grant application in accordance with Section F that reflects the project included in the initial proposal that led to this designation.
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION:
Award Notices:
All Defense Manufacturing Community proposals will be evaluated as identified in Section E. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, on behalf of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, will notify the applicant on or about August 14, 2021, whether their proposal was successful. All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
Unsuccessful proposers will be notified by mail or email, by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation acting on behalf of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, that their proposal was not selected for further action and funding, and may request a debriefing on their submitted proposal. Requests to schedule a debriefing must be submitted within 7 business days of notification of an unsuccessful proposal.
If designated as a “Defense Manufacturing Community,” the Director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will assign a Project Manager to advise and assist successful proposers in the preparation of a follow-on Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program grant application. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is committed to conducting a transparent financial assistance award process and publicizing information about decisions. Grant applicants are advised that their respective applications and information related to their review may be shared publicly. In the event of a grant award, information about project progress and related results may also be made publicly available.
In the event a grant is awarded, the successful applicant (Grantee) will receive a notice of award in the form of a grant agreement, signed by the Director, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (Grantor), on behalf of the Department of Defense. The grant agreement will be transmitted electronically. Recipients will need to accept the terms of these awards by counter-signing the grant agreement by September 23, 2021, so the funds may be obligated prior to September 30, 2021. Once obligated, the funding remains available for expenses for up to 5 years, as approved by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in the grant terms and conditions.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements:
Any grant awarded under this program will be governed by the provisions of the OMB circulars applicable to financial assistance and the Department of Defense’s implementing regulations in place at the time of the award. A Grantee receiving funds under this opportunity and any consultant or pass-thru entity operating under the terms of a grant shall comply with all Federal, State, and local laws applicable to its activities. Federal regulations that will apply to an Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation grant include administrative requirements and provisions governing allowable costs as stated in:
2 CFR part 200, ‘‘Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards’’;
2 CFR part 1103, ‘‘Interim Grants and Cooperative Agreements Implementation of Guidance in 2 CFR part 200, ‘‘Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, And Audit Requirements for Federal Awards’’;
2 CFR part 25, ‘‘Universal Identifier and System for Award Management’’;
2 CFR part 170, ‘‘Reporting Sub-award and Executive Compensation Information’’;
2 CFR part 180, OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement), as implemented by the Department of Defense in 2 CFR part 1125, Department of Defense Non-procurement Debarment and Suspension;
32 CFR part 28, ‘‘New Restrictions on Lobbying’’;
Additional requirements applicable to construction awards include compliance with:
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA);
National Historic Preservation Act; and,
Buy American Act and Hire American Act
Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program Grant Award Determination:
Selection of an organization as a “Defense Manufacturing Community” under this Federal Funding Opportunity does not constitute approval of the proposed project’s funding as submitted, nor does it obligate the Department of Defense to ultimately award the selected organization any financial or technical assistance due to that designation.
Before any funds appropriated for the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program are awarded, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may enter into negotiations about such matters as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support implementation of the award. The amount of available funding may require the final award amount to be less than that originally requested by the applicant. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation further reserves the right not to fund any proposal or application received under this Federal Funding Opportunity.
In the event the applicant is awarded a grant that is less than the amount requested, the applicant will be required to modify its grant application to conform to the reduced amount before execution of the grant agreement. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation reserves the right to reduce or withdraw the award if acceptable modifications are not submitted by the awardee within 15 working days from the date the request for modification is made. Any modifications must be within the scope of the original application.
Performance Reporting:
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation requires performance reports in intervals no less frequent than annual nor more frequent than quarterly except in unusual circumstances, for example, where more frequent reporting is necessary for effective monitoring or could significantly affect deliverables. Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s notice of award will include a schedule to identify reporting type, frequency, and due dates. All performance reports will be submitted electronically.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation will rely significantly upon onsite technical inspections and certified percentage of completion data to monitor progress under awards and sub-awards. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may require additional performance reports when considered necessary.
Significant developments. Events may occur between the scheduled performance reporting dates that have significant impact upon the supported activity. In such cases, the non-Federal entity must inform the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation as soon as the following types of conditions become known:
Problems, delays, or adverse conditions that will materially impair the ability to meet the objective of the Federal award. This disclosure must include a statement of the action taken, or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation.
Favorable developments that enable meeting time schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost than anticipated or producing more or different beneficial results than originally planned.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may make site visits as warranted.
The final performance report will be due 90 calendar days after the period of performance end date. The final performance report must contain a summary of activities for the entire grant period. All required deliverables should be submitted with the final performance report. If a justified request is submitted by a non-Federal entity, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may extend the due date for any performance report.
Financial Reporting:
The non-Federal entity will submit SF-425, ‘‘Federal Financial Report,’’ electronically to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. Submission due dates will be provided in the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s notice of award. Interim financial reports are required annually. The final financial report is due 90 days after the period of performance end date. Grantees will need to ensure their drawdown of Federal grant funds is proportional to the Federal/non-Federal share of the project total cost, ensuring non-Federal funds are expended proportional to amount of Federal funding in the project.
Post Award Reporting Requirements:
If a grant is awarded, the non-Federal entity must comply with the post-award reporting requirements reflected in Appendix XII to 2 CFR Part 200- Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS:
Requests for further information or for help with problems related to this program should be directed to: Douglas Brown, Deputy Director for Integration, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, 2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 520, Arlington, VA 22202-3711. Office: (703) 697-2015 or (if telework) (571) 565-5200. Email: douglas.e.brown16.civ@mail.mil.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation homepage address is: https://oldcc.gov.
OTHER INFORMATION:
SUMMARY: This notice announces an opportunity for regional manufacturing consortia to compete and receive designation as a Defense Manufacturing Community from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and; obtain funding from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program and $25 Million in available appropriations. The Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment approved the program on April 14, 2021. This notice includes Defense Manufacturing Community proposal requirements, the deadline for submitting proposals, and the criteria that will be used to select proposals. To receive a grant award, an eligible respondent must submit both a successful proposal and an acceptable grant application. Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program grant awards to Defense Manufacturing Community designees may vary in size but in no case will exceed $5 million per award in Fiscal Year 2021. If awarded a grant, the grantee shall ensure requests for disbursements under this award are in proportion to the Federal and non-Federal portions of the total approved project costs. For example, for every $1 in eligible costs on a project with a 50% Federal contribution, requests for disbursements should ensure Federal funds do not exceed 50% of the expenditures for the project at any point over the term of the award.
The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation may directly provide awards under this notice or it may transfer funds to another Federal agency for award.
Proposals from consortia not designated a Defense Manufacturing Community may be shared with the Federal agencies represented within the Defense Manufacturing Community Review Panel—if requested by those Federal agencies—for the purpose of investigating options for funding through alternate authorities.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Federal Awarding Agency: Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Department of Defense.
Funding Opportunity Title: Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program.
Announcement Type: Federal Funding Opportunity.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.600.
Dated: April 16, 2021
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Stevens, Matthew T CIV OEA (USA) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-05-28 |