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NASA Procedures and Guidelines |
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| | TOC | ChangeHistory | Preface | Chapter1 | Chapter2 | Chapter3 | AppendixA | AppendixB | ALL | | |||||
a. The full text of the announcement shall be organized in sections. The format indicates, immediately following the title of each section, whether that section is required or optional in every announcement. The format is designed so that similar types of information are grouped in the same sections in announcements of different Federal funding opportunities. There is text in each of the sections to describe the types of information that NASA would include in that section of the actual announcement. Note that the terms "application" and "proposal" are used interchangeably.
b. If a NASA program requires information on a subject that the format does not specify, the announcement shall discusss that subject in the most appropriate section(s). For example, if NASA chooses to address performance goals in the announcement, that can be done in the funding opportunity description, the proposal content, or the reporting requirements. Similarly, when this format calls for a type of information to be in one particular section, a NASA program needing to address that subject in other sections may elect to use cross-references between sections. Use hyperlinks for cross-references in electronic versions of the announcement. If a large document (such as model contract, model data procurement document, data package) needs to be attached to the announcement, then it may be included as an appendix to the announcement and referenced in the appropriate section of the standard announcement format.
c. The Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) (hereafter referred to as the Guidebook) includes all policies and procedures for the preparation and submission of proposals in response to NASA Headquarters NRAs, as well as those for NASA's review and selection of proposals for funding. The Guidebook is located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/nraguidebook/proposer2009.pdf. In many sections, this standard announcement format requires the writer of an announcement to provide information that is already addressed in the Guidebook. For these sections, the writer may include a cross-reference to the applicable sections of the Guidebook. Additional information on the applicability of the Guidebook is found in Appendix A., Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
d. The Guidebook is not usually applicable to Center announcements or certain Headquarters announcements for grants and cooperative agreements; however, the Guidebook does include information useful to the writer of an announcement. If a writer of an announcement wishes to include information from the Guidebook into that announcement, the writer may either (1) copy information from the Guidebook directly into the announcement and/or tailor the Guidebook text to the announcement; or (2) include references to section(s) of the Guidebook in the applicable section of the announcement.
e. The following offices can provide additional information about policy requirements: The Sponsored Research Business Activity group of the Headquarters Office of Procurement (SRBA's URL is htttp://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/srba/poc.html; the Program Operations Division at the Headquarters Office of Procurement; and the Procurement at each NASA Center.
f. The sections of the full text of the announcement are described in the following paragraphs.
a. This section shall contain the full programmatic description of the announcement. This section may be as long as needed to adequately communicate to potential applicants the areas in which funding may be provided. This section describes NASA's funding priorities and/or the focus areas in which NASA intends to provide assistance. As appropriate, this section may include any program history such as whether this is a new program or a new or changed area of program emphasis. This section may also communicate indicators of successful projects (for example, if the program encourages collaborative efforts), and may include examples of projects that have been funded previously. This section can also discuss the mission and strategic goals of NASA, the organization, and/or the program issuing the announcement. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section can include a cross-reference to the "Introduction to NASA's Sponsored Research Programs" section in the preface of the Guidebook. Any education and/or public outreach responsibilities must be identified. A table describing the roles and responsibilities of each organization involved in the announcement may be helpful. This section may also include other information the program deems necessary such as citations for authorizing statutes and regulations peculiar to the announcement.
b. NRAs shall include the following statement in this section: "Safety is the freedom from those conditions that can cause death, injury, occupational illness, damage to or loss of equipment or property, or damage to the environment. NASA's safety priority is to protect the following: (1) the public, (2) astronauts and pilots, (3) the NASA workforce (including employees working under NASA award instruments), and (4) high-value equipment and property."
c. NRAs shall use the following statement in this section when the NRA is to be issued before funds are available: "Funds are not currently available for awards under this NRA. The Government's obligation to make award(s) is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment can be made and the receipt of proposals that NASA determines are acceptable for award under this NRA."
d. Announcements that reference the Guidebook can use the sample language in the following three paragraphs:
e. "All policies and procedures for the preparation and submission of proposals, as well as those for NASA's review and selection of proposals for funding, are presented in a separate document entitled Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Research Announcement(NRA)(Guidebook) that is located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/nraguidebook/proposer2009.pdf.
f. By reference, the newest edition of this Guidebook (January 2004) is hereby incorporated into this NRA, and proposers to this NRA are responsible for understanding and complying with its procedures before preparing and submitting their proposals. Proposals that do not conform to its standards may be declared noncompliant and returned without review.
g. The other chapters and appendices of this Guidebook provide supplemental information about the entire NRA process, including NASA policies for the solicitation of proposals; guidelines for writing complete and effective proposals; the NASA policies and procedures for the review and selection of proposals; as well as for issuing and managing the awards to the institutions that submitted selected proposals; and Frequently Asked Questions about a variety of the NASA proposal and award processes and procedures. Note that the NASA policy for proposals involving non-U.S. participants is given in section (l) of appendix B of this Guidebook. Comments and suggestions of any nature about this Guidebook are encouraged and welcomed and may be directed to Sponsored Research Business Activity group of the NASA Office of Procurement, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001; e-mail: SRBA@nasa.gov. SRBA's URL is http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/srba/poc.html.
a. Announcements shall provide sufficient information to help an applicant make an informed decision about whether to submit a proposal. Relevant information could include: the total amount of funding that NASA expects to award through the announcement; the anticipated number of awards; the expected amounts of individual awards (which may be a range or an estimate); the amount of funding per award, on average, experienced in previous years; and the anticipated start dates and periods of performance for new awards. (Note: not all of the award information categories above will be applicable to every announcement.)
b. This section shall also address whether proposals for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with proposals for new awards. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section can include a cross-reference to Section 1.5.
c. This section may indicate the type(s) of assistance instrument (for example, a contract, grant, cooperative agreement, and/or other instrument) that may be awarded if proposals are successful. If cooperative agreements may be awarded, this section shall either describe the "substantial involvement" that the agency expects to have, or reference where the potential applicant can find that information, such as in Section I, "Funding Opportunity Description," or Section VI, "Award Administration Information." NRAs must also indicate in this section whether procurement contracts may be awarded.
a. This section addresses considerations or factors that make an applicant or proposal eligible or ineligible for consideration. This includes the eligibility of particular types of applicant organizations, any factors affecting the eligibility of the principal investigator or project director, and any criteria that make particular projects ineligible. This section must make clear whether an applicant's failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of a proposal deadline will result in NASA returning the proposal without review, or even though a proposal may be reviewed, will preclude NASA from making an award. Key elements to be addressed are as follows:
(1) Eligible Applicants (Required). This section shall clearly identify the types of entities that are eligible to apply. If there are no restrictions on eligibility, this section may simply indicate that all potential applicants are eligible. If there are restrictions on eligibility, then it is important to be clear about the specific types of entities that are eligible, not just the types that are ineligible. For example, if the program is limited to applicants that submitted a Notice of Intent (NOI), or to nonprofit organizations subject to section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, this section of the announcement must state this fact. Eligibility also can be expressed by exception: for example, open to all types of domestic applicants other than individuals. This section must refer to any portion of Section IV, "Application and Submission Information" in order to specify documentation that must be submitted to support an eligibility determination; for example, proof of nonprofit 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. To the extent that any funding restriction in Section IV, paragraph 5, "Funding Restrictions" could affect the eligibility of an applicant or project, this section must either restate that restriction in this section or provide a cross-reference to its description in this section.
(2) If there are no restrictions on eligibility, the announcement can use the following sample language: "Participation in this program is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit institutions, as well as NASA Centers, and other U.S. Government agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, other minority educational institutions, and small businesses and organizations owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or women are particularly encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations in this program is encouraged subject to NASA's policy of no-exchange-of-funds. For NRAs, NASA policy on research with foreign organizations is covered in paragraph (l) of NFS 1852.235-72, "Instructions for Responding to NASA Research Announcements," located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/5228-41.htm. Scroll down the page to find the clause. For grants and cooperative agreements, NASA policy on research with foreign organizations is covered in Section &sec;1260.12(e), "Choice of award instrument" of the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook (Handbook), located at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/granta.html#1260123.
(3) Cost Sharing or Matching (Required). This section shall state whether there is required cost sharing, matching, or cost participation, without which, a proposer would be ineligible. If cost sharing is not required, this section must explicitly say so. Required cost sharing may be a certain percentage or amount, or may be in the form of contributions of specified items or activities; for example, provision of equipment. It is important that the announcement be clear about any restrictions on the types of cost (for example, in-kind contributions) that are acceptable as cost sharing. The announcement should include cost sharing language substantially similar to the following three paragraphs. (If the announcement limits awards to grants and cooperative agreements, then the first paragraph below is not applicable.)
(b) For a NASA Center, an institution of higher education, hospital, or other non-profit organization seeking to receive a grant or cooperative agreement, cost sharing is not required; however, NASA can accept cost sharing if it is voluntarily offered. For these recipients, Section B, Provision &sec;1260.123, "Cost sharing or matching," located at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/grantb.html#1260.123, describes the acceptable forms of cost sharing.
(c) For a commercial organization seeking to receive a grant or cooperative agreement, cost sharing is required, unless the commercial organization can demonstrate that they will not receive substantial compensating benefits for performance of the work. If no substantial compensating benefits will be received, then cost sharing is not required, but can be accepted. Section B, Provision 1260.123, "Cost sharing or matching," and the special conditions at section A, subpart 1260.4(b) describes cost sharing and allowability for awards with commercial firms that do not require cost sharing. Section D, Provision &sec;1274.204, "Costs and payments," located at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/grantd.html#1274204 of the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook describes the acceptable forms of cost sharing for commercial organizations."
(4) Other (Required, if applicable). If there are other eligibility criteria, the other eligibility criteria shall be clearly stated. Other eligibility requirements include criteria that have the effect of making a proposal or project ineligible for award; whether the criteria is referred to as "responsiveness" criteria, "go no-go" criteria, "threshold" criteria, or other criteria. For example, it is important that this section state if entities that have been found to be in violation of a particular Federal statute are ineligible. If there are no other eligibility criteria, this section must state this fact. This section must also state any limit on the number of proposals an applicant may submit under the announcement and make clear whether the limitation is on the submitting organization, individual investigator/program director, or both. Also use this section to address any eligibility criteria for beneficiaries or for program participants other than award recipients.
a. Address to Request Proposal Package (Required). This section shall inform potential applicants how to get proposal forms, kits, or other materials that are required to apply. If this announcement contains all of the proposal materials, this section must include a statement to that effect. This section may give an Internet address where potential applicants may access the materials. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section can include a cross-reference to chapter 3.
b. Content and Form of Proposal Submission (Required). This section shall identify the required content of a proposal and the forms or formats that an applicant must use to submit the proposal. If any requirements are stated elsewhere because they are general requirements that apply to multiple programs or funding opportunities, this section may refer to where those requirements may be found. This section also must address any preliminary submissions, for example, an NOI or Advance Notice that the agency requires or encourages, either to facilitate its own planning or to provide potential applicants with feedback to help them decide whether to submit a full proposal.
(2) This section shall specifically address content and form or format requirements for:
(a) NOIs, preapplications, letters of intent, or advance notices that NASA
(b).requires or encourages. (Refer to Section IV, paragraph (3), "Submission Dates and Times"). Any limitations on the number of pages or other formatting requirements for the NOIs, preapplications, letters of intent, or advance notices must be addressed in this section. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to chapter 3.1.
(3) The proposal as a whole. For hard copy submissions, this may include any limitations on the number of pages, font size and typeface, margins, paper size, number of copies, and sequence or assembly requirements. If electronic submission is permitted or required, that could include special requirements for formatting or signatures. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to chapter 2. Any unique instructions apart from chapter 2 should be included in this section; for example, specific instructions for NASA Civil Service Employees applying for an award.
(4) For announcements that do not reference Guidebook, this section shall include language substantially similar to the following three paragraphs:
(a). "The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database is the primary vendor database for the U.S. Federal Government. The CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. Active registration in the CCR database is required prior to submitting a proposal. Information for registering in the CCR and online documents may be found at http://www.ccr.gov.
(5). The Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number is a unique nine-character identification number provided by the commercial company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). The DUNS number is required for registration in CCR and must be provided on the cover page of the proposal. A DUNS number may be obtained by contacting D&B at 1-866-705-5711 or http://www.dnb.com/us/. The process to request a DUNS number is free of charge. Please note that the DUNS number is site-specific.
(6). A Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code must be included on the cover page of the proposal."
(8) Information that successful applicants must submit after NASA notifies them of its intent to make awards, but prior to award. This could include, for example, an updated budget, information NASA needs to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and other environmental laws, regulations, and Executive orders.
c.Submission Dates and Times (Required). The announcement shall identify due dates and times for all submissions, including not only the full proposals but also any preliminary submissions. Examples of submissions include NOIs, preapplications, letters of intent, or advance notices. This section also includes any other submissions of information before award that are separate from the full proposal. If the funding opportunity is a general announcement that is open for a period of time with no specific due dates for proposals, this section must include a statement to that effect. Note that the information on dates that is included in this section also must appear with other overview information in a location preceding the full text of the announcement. Refer to Overview Information, paragraph (a)(6), "Dates" for this format.
(a) Any deadline in terms of a date and local time.
(2) The effect of missing a deadline. For example, whether late applications are neither reviewed or are reviewed and considered under some circumstances. For NRAs that do not reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to NFS 1815.208, located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/1815.htm#15_208. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include cross-references to NFS 1815.208 and chapter 3.2 of the Guidebook. For announcements of grants and cooperative agreements other than NRAs, there is no standard NASA policy on the effect of missing a deadline.
(3) What the deadline means. For example, whether the deadline is the date and time by which the agency must receive the proposal, the date by which the proposal must be postmarked, or if the deadline represents another event. State how the deadline depends, if at all, on the submission method: for example, mail, electronic, or personal/courier delivery. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to chapter 3.2.
(4) How the receiving NASA office determines whether a proposal, NOI, or preapplication has been submitted before the deadline. This includes the form of acceptable proof of mailing or system-generated documentation of receipt date and time. This section also may indicate whether, when, and in what form the applicant will receive an acknowledgment of receipt. This section must display the above information in ways that will be easy to understand and use. It can be difficult to extract all needed information from narrative paragraphs, even when they are well written. A table that provides a summary of the information may help applicants and serve as a checklist to verify the completeness of their proposal package before submission. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to chapter 3.2.
d.. Intergovernmental Review (Required, if applicable). This section shall state whether Executive Order (EO) 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," is applicable. This requirement rarely applies to NASA programs. Executive Order 12372, refers to actions "that have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the national governmental and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government," and is accessible at: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html. In alerting applicants that they must contact their state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the state's process under EO 12372, this section may contain the names and addresses of the SPOCs listed on OMB's home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
f.. Funding Restrictions (Required). This section shall include information on funding restrictions in order to allow an applicant to develop a proposal and budget consistent with program requirements. Examples include whether construction is an allowable activity, if there are any limitations on direct costs such as foreign travel or equipment purchases, and if there are any limits on indirect costs (or facilities and administrative costs). This section must also indicate whether awards will allow reimbursement of pre-award costs. The following three paragraphs provide sample language:
(1)"Allowable costs for contract awards are covered in part 31 of the FAR, located at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/FARTOCP31.html#wp253693 and part 31 of the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS), located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/1831.htm. Pre-contract costs are covered in FAR 31.109, located at NFS 1831.205-32 and NFS 1852.231-70.
(2) Allowable costs for grant and cooperative agreement awards with universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations and awards with commercial organizations that do not involve cost sharing are covered in Provision &sec;1260.127 of the Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook, located at http://www.prod.nais.nasa.gov/pubpub_library/grantb.html#1260.127. Pre-award costs are covered in Provision &sec;1260.125, located at http://www.prod.nais.nasa.gov/pubpub_library/grantb.html#1260.125.
(3) Allowable costs for grant and cooperative agreement awards with commercial firms involving cost sharing are covered in Provision &sec;1274.204 of the Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook, located at http://www.prod.nais.nasa.gov/pubpub_library/grantd.html#1274204. Pre-award costs are covered in FAR 31.109, located at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2031_1.html#wp1089616, located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/1831.htm#31_205-70."
g. Other Submission Requirements (Required). This section shall address any other submission requirements not included in the other paragraphs of this section. This may include the format of submission, paper or electronic, for each type submission. Applicants should not be required to submit in more than one format. This section must also indicate whether proposals are to be submitted in hard copy, electronically, or either.
a. Criteria (Required). This section shall address the criteria that NASA will use to evaluate proposals. This includes the merit and other review criteria that evaluators will use to judge proposals, including any statutory, regulatory, or other preferences such as, minority status or Native American tribal preferences that will be applied in the review process. Criteria that NASA uses to evaluate proposals are distinct from eligibility criteria that are addressed before a proposal is accepted for review and any program policy or other factors that are applied during the selection process after the review process is completed. The intent is to give applicants visibility into the evaluation process, so that they can make informed decisions when preparing their proposals and so that the process is as fair and equitable as possible.
(1). The announcement shall clearly describe all criteria, including any subcriteria. If criteria vary in importance, the announcement must specify the relative percentages, weights, or other means used to distinguish them. For statutory, regulatory, or other preferences, the announcement must provide a detailed explanation of those preferences with an explicit indication of their effect; for example, whether they result in additional points being assigned. For NRAs, this section may include a cross-reference to paragraph (i) of NFS 1852.235-72. In accordance with NFS 1852.235-72, the standard evaluation factors used in NRAs are: (1) relevance to NASA's objectives, (2) intrinsic merit, and (3) cost. These instructions state the relative importance of the factors as approximately equal in weight. The instructions may be supplemented, but only to the minimum extent necessary. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include cross-references to appendix B of the Guidebook (which incorporates NFS Clause 1852.235-72) and appendix C of the Guidebook. There are no standard NASA evaluation criteria for announcements of grants and cooperative agreements other than NRAs.
b. Review and Selection Process (Required). This section may vary in the level of detail provided. The announcement shall list any program policy or other factors or elements, other than merit criteria, that the selecting official may use in selecting proposals for award. Examples include geographical dispersion, program balance, and diversity. If the review and selection process is covered in other areas of the proposal, this section can include a cross-reference.
(1) Include other details as deemed appropriate. For example, this section may indicate the officials that are responsible for evaluation against the merit criteria (such as peers external to the agency or Federal agency personnel) and/or which official makes the final selections for award. If the program has a multiphase review process (for example an external panel advising internal agency personnel who make final recommendations to the deciding official), this section may describe the phases. This section may also include: the number of people on an evaluation panel and how it operates, the way reviewers are selected, reviewer qualifications, and the way that conflicts of interest are avoided. In addition, if NASA permits applicants to nominate suggested reviewers of their proposals or suggest those they feel may be inappropriate due to a conflict of interest, that information shall be included in this section. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to appendix C of the Guidebook.
c. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates (Optional). This section provides applicants with information for planning purposes. If there is a single proposal deadline followed by the simultaneous review of all proposals, this section may include information about the anticipated dates or timeframes for announcing or notifying successful and unsuccessful applicants and for having awards in place. If proposals are received and evaluated on a "rolling" basis at different times during an extended period, it may be appropriate to give applicants an estimate of the time needed to process a proposal and notify the applicant of NASA's decision. A "rolling basis" means that there are multiple due dates for the same program. This method is commonly used when the announcement is open for a long period of time and there is a need to level the workload required for evaluating the proposals.
a. Award Notices (Required). This section shall address what a successful applicant may expect to receive following selection. If the practice is for the selection official to provide a separate notice stating that a proposal has been selected before the award is made, this section would be the place to indicate that the letter is not an authorization to begin performance (to the extent that charging to awards of pre-award costs is allowed or at the recipient's own risk). This section must also indicate that the notice of award signed by the grant officer (or equivalent) is the authorizing document and whether it is provided through postal mail or by electronic means and to whom. This section may also address the timing, form, and content of notifications to unsuccessful applicants. This section must also state the type of funding instruments (such as grant, cooperative agreement, contracts, etc.) that are expected to be awarded as a result of this announcement. NRAs typically result in the award of both contracts and grants. If a grant is expected to be awarded, this section must state the type(s) of grants that may be awarded (research, education, training, and/or facilities.) For NRAs, this section should include a cross-reference to paragraph (d) of NFS 1835.016-71, located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/1835.htm#35_016-71. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section can also include a cross-reference to appendix D of the Guidebook.
b. Administrative and National Policy Requirements (Required). This section shall identify the usual administrative and national policy requirements that NASA's awards may include. Providing this information lets a potential applicant identify any requirements with which it would have difficulty complying if its proposal is successful. In those cases, early notification about the requirements allows the potential applicant to decide not to apply or to take needed actions before award. The announcement need not include all of the award terms and conditions, but may refer to a document (with information about how to obtain it) or Internet site where applicants can see the terms and conditions. Language similar to the following should be used when the announcement may result in grant or cooperative agreement awards: "Grant and cooperative agreement awards are subject to the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook. This handbook consists of four sections that prescribe the policies and procedures relating to the award and administration of NASA grants and cooperative agreements. Section A provides the text of provisions and special conditions and addresses NASA's authority, definitions, applicability, amendments, publications, deviations, pre-award requirements and post-award requirements currently covered by 14 CFR part 1260. Section B relates to grants and cooperative agreements with institutions of higher education, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations. Sections A and B, with the special considerations in subpart 1260.4(b), apply to awards with commercial firms that do not involve cost sharing. Section C adopts the administrative requirements of OMB Circular No. A-102 and relates to administrative requirements for grants and cooperative agreements to state and local governments. Section D relates to awards with commercial firms. The Handbook is located at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/grcover.htm." NRAs that will result in the award of both contracts and grants should use the language similar to the sample language above plus the following: "Contract awards are subject to the FAR and NASA FAR Supplement, located at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/ and http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm, respectively. Applicants are advised that contract awards are subject to the subcontracting requirements of FAR and NFS Part 19. The NASA Contracting Officer will choose the appropriate award instrument."
(2) It may not be possible to identify every special term and condition at the time the announcement is released. Programs are advised to list all special terms and conditions that are known at the time of announcement release. For the same reason, this section must inform potential applicants about special requirements that could apply to particular awards after review of proposals and other information, based on the particular circumstances of the effort to be supported, for example: if human subjects were to be involved; if historical properties may be affected; or if some situations may justify special terms on intellectual property, data sharing or security requirements.
c. Reporting (Required). This section must include general information about the type (for example financial or performance), frequency, and means of submission (paper or electronic) of post-award reporting requirements. Highlight any special reporting requirements for awards under this funding opportunity that differ (for example, by report type, frequency, form/format, or circumstances for use) from what NASA awards usually require. Sample language follows: "Required reports for contract awards will be negotiated with the contractor, subject to the terms and conditions of the FAR and NASA FAR Supplement, located at: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/ and http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm, respectively. Required reports for grants and cooperative agreements are covered in Exhibit G, "Required Reports and Publications" of the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook. Required reports for Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) grant awards are covered in Exhibit H, "Federal Demonstration Partnership - Required Publications and Reports". The Handbook is located at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/grcover.htm."
a. This section provides potential applicants with a point(s) of contact for answering questions or helping with problems while the announcement is open. The intent of this requirement is to be as helpful as possible to potential applicants, so this section should include the following information:
(1) Points of contact that may be reached in multiple ways; for example, by telephone, fax, and/or e-mail, as well as regular mail.
(2) A fax or e-mail address that multiple people can access, so that someone will respond even if others are unexpectedly absent during critical periods.
(3) Different contacts for distinct kinds of help, for example, one for
(4) questions of programmatic content and a second for administrative questions.
a. This section may include any additional information that will assist a potential applicant. For example, the section might:
(1) Indicate whether this is a new program or a one-time initiative.
(2) Mention related programs or other upcoming or ongoing NASA funding opportunities for similar activities.
(3) Include Internet addresses for agency Web sites that may be useful to an applicant in understanding the program.
(4) This section can alert applicants to the need to identify proprietary information and inform them about the way NASA will handle it. For NRAs that do not reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to paragraph (c) of NFS 1852.235-72. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section may include a cross-reference to paragraph (c) of Appendix B of the Guidebook (which incorporates NFS 1852.235-72).
(5) Include certain routine notices to applicants. Examples include: confirmation notices, notices that the Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of the announcement, or notices that only contracting officers/grant officers can bind the Government to the expenditure of funds. For announcements that reference the Guidebook, this section can include a cross-reference to Appendix D of the Guidebook.
(6) Include a list of appendices to the announcement. Examples of appendices include: a definition of key terms used, a more detailed description of the funding opportunity, and a model contract, grant and/or cooperative agreement.
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