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  Amendment #1 to PR-NC-07-10155 is issued May 1, 2007.  This amendment
  is issued to change "impervious" pavement to "pervious" pavement in
  Section VIII. C. "Green Buildings".

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**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY**

**SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH**

**PHASE I Program Solicitation**

**RFP# PR-NC-07-10155**

**ISSUE DATE: March 15, 2007**

**CLOSING DATE: May 23, 2007 \***

\* **CAUTION** - See Section V., Paragraph J.9(c), Instructions to
Offerors, Concerning Late Proposals and Modifications.

Your proposal with an **original and two (2) copies** (including all
appendices)

shall be received at one of the following addresses by **12:00 p.m.
(Noon) local time on May 23, 2007.** Offerors are encouraged to also
include one CD-ROM with a Portable Document Form (PDF) copy of your
proposal.

**U.S. MAIL:**

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Solicitation No. PR-NC-07-10155 - SBIR Phase I

Closing Date: May 23, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon)

Attention: Marsha Johnson, SBIR Phase I

RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01)

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

**HAND-CARRIED/COURIER ADDRESS**:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Solicitation No. PR-NC-07-10155 - SBIR Phase I

Closing Date: May 23, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon)

Attention: Marsha Johnson, SBIR Phase I

RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01)

4930 Old Page Road

Durham, NC 27703

**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

**SECTION PAGE**

I. Program Description 1

II\. Definitions 7

III\. Proposal Preparation Instructions and Requirements 10

IV\. Method of Selection and Evaluation Criteria 16

V. Considerations 18

VI\. Submission of Proposals 37

VII\. Scientific and Technical Information Sources 38

VIII\. SBIR Phase I Research Topics 38

A. Innovation in Manufacturing 39

B. Nanotechnology 40

C. Green Buildings 41

D. Drinking Water and Water Monitoring 42

E. Water and Wastewater Management 43

F. Control of Air Pollution 46

G. Air Monitoring and Remote Sensing 48

H. Engine and Vehicle Emissions Reduction 50

I. Animal Waste and Waste to Energy 54

J. Waste Management and Monitoring 55

K. Coal Bed Methane and Oil & Gas Drilling 60

L. Large-Scale Disaster Debris Management 61

M. Technology for Villages and Small Communities 62

N. Homeland Security 64

IX\. Submission Forms and Certifications 67

**APPENDICES**

APPENDIX A - Proposal Cover Sheet

APPENDIX B - Project Summary

APPENDIX C - SBIR Proposal Summary Budget

APPENDIX D - Scientific and Technical Information Sources

APPENDIX E - Commercialization Fact Sheet/Patent Search

**SBIR PHASE I SOLICITATION**

**I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION**

A. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites small business
firms to submit research proposals under this Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) Solicitation. The SBIR program is a phased process
uniform throughout the Federal Government of soliciting proposals and
awarding funding agreements for research (R) or research and development
(R&D) to meet stated agency needs or missions.

EPA is interested in advanced technologies that address the following
EPA topics: Innovation in Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Green
Buildings, Drinking Water and Water Monitoring, Water and Wastewater
Management, Control of Air Pollution, Air Monitoring and Remote Sensing,
Engine and Vehicle Emissions Reduction, Animal Waste and Waste to
Energy, Waste Management and Monitoring, Coal Bed Methane and Oil & Gas
Drilling, Large-Scale Disaster Debris Management, Technology for
Villages and Small Communities, and Homeland Security. The proposed
research must directly pertain to EPA\'s environmental mission and must
be responsive to EPA program interests included in the topic
descriptions in this solicitation. (See pages 2 and 3 for a summary
listing of all research topics included in this solicitation.)

In order to facilitate proposal reviews by external peer reviewers with
specialized expertise and by EPA technical personnel with focused
program needs and priorities, offerors must designate a research topic
for their proposal. The same proposal may not be submitted under more
than one topic. An organization may, however, submit separate proposals
on different topics, or different proposals on the same topic, as long
as the proposals are not duplicates of the same research principle
modified to fit the topic. If such duplicates are submitted, only one
will be reviewed. Refer to Sections IV, V, and VI for additional
requirements. Where similar research is discussed under more than one
topic, the offeror shall choose the topic most relevant to the proposed
research. It is the complete responsibility of offerors to select and
identify the best topic for their proposals.

**SBIR PHASE I RESEARCH TOPICS**

A.  INNOVATION IN MANUFACTURING

B.  NANOTECHNOLOGY

C.  GREEN BUILDINGS

D.  DRINKING WATER AND WATER MONITORING

E.  WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

-   Infrastructure Rehabilitation

-   Source Water Protection

-   Municipal Onsite and Decentralized Wastewater Treatment

-   Water Conservation and Reuse

F.  CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION

-   Air Pollution Sources

-   Coal Gasification

G.  AIR MONITORING AND REMOTE SENSING

-   Air Pollution Monitoring

-   Continuous Emission Monitors

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-   Remote Sensing

H.  ENGINE AND VEHICLE EMISSIONS REDUCTION

-   Diesel Construction Equipment Retrofits

-   Heavy-Duty Hybrid Truck Technologies

-   Ethanol and Biodiesel Fuels

-   Non-Ethanol and Non-Biodiesel Biofuels

I.  ANIMAL WASTE AND WASTE TO ENERGY

-   Systems for Animal Waste Management

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-   AFO Waste-to-Energy Systems

J.  WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING

-   Cleanup of Contaminated Sediments

-   Hazardous Waste Management

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-   Solid Waste Recycling

-   Solid and Hazardous Waste Monitoring

K.  COAL BED METHANE AND OIL & GAS DRILLING

-   Coal Bed Methane

-   Oil & Gas Drilling

L.  LARGE-SCALE DISASTER DEBRIS MANAGEMENT

-   Source Separation, Recycling and Volume Reduction

-   Natural Disaster-Resistant Green Buildings

M.  TECHNOLOGY FOR VILLAGES AND SMALL COMMUNITIES

-   Alaska Solid Waste Management

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-   Puerto Rico Drinking Water Treatment

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-   Outdoor Wood-Fired Hydronic Heaters and New Fireplace Designs

N.  HOMELAND SECURITY

-   Decontamination

-   Drinking Water and Wastewater Security

-   Emergency Response

B. Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any
modifications or revisions, so as to reach the Government office
designated in this solicitation by the time specified in this
solicitation. See Section V, Paragraph J.9(c), Instructions to Offerors,
concerning Late Proposals and Modifications.

**THIS SOLICITATION IS FOR PHASE I PROPOSALS ONLY.**

To stimulate and foster technological innovation, including increasing
private sector applications of Federal research or R&D, EPA\'s program
follows the SBIR program\'s uniform process:

\(1\) **PHASE I**. Phase I involves a solicitation of proposals to
conduct feasibility related experimental research or R&D related to
described agency requirements. The objective of this phase is to
determine the technical feasibility and preliminary commercialization
potential of the proposed effort and the quality of performance of the
small concern with a relatively small agency investment before
consideration of further Federal support in Phase II. The Government is
not obligated to fund any specific Phase I proposal. The maximum dollar
amount of awards under this Phase I solicitation is \$70,000 and the
term of performance should not exceed six months.

\(2\) **PHASE II**. Phase II proposals may only be submitted by Phase I
awardees invited to submit proposals. Phase II is the principal research
or R&D effort and Phase II projects should normally be completed in 24
months. The objective is to continue the research or R&D initiated under
Phase I and work toward commercialization of the technology. Phase II
awards are expected to include full scale testing of the technology, but
may not necessarily complete the total research and development that may
be required to satisfy commercial or federal needs beyond the SBIR
program. Completion of the research and development may be through Phase
III. The Agency is under no obligation to fund any proposal or any
specific number of proposals in a given topic. It also may elect to fund
several or none of the proposed approaches to the same topic.

It is anticipated that approximately 10 Phase II awards will be made,
each with a dollar amount of \$225,000 and 24 - month term of
performance. For Phase II, the Agency is planning to require two Phase
II Options: (1) Phase II Commercialization Option under which Phase II
offerors shall submit a proposal for \$70,000 additional funding to
expand R&D efforts to accelerate the project from full scale testing and
demonstration to full commercialization; and (2) Phase II Verification
Testing Option under which Phase II offerors shall submit a proposal for
up to \$50,000 additional funding to facilitate third party R/R&D
verification testing that will improve the quality assurance and quality
control (QA/QC) of the technology and accelerate the acceptance and use
of improved and more cost-effective technologies. EPA federal funds must
be designated strictly for advancing the research related elements of
the project. The entire Phase II proposal including the options will be
evaluated together. The Agency would have a unilateral right to exercise
the options after EPA\'s acceptance of the company\'s option
documentation. Documentation for the Phase II Commercialization Option
are receipts showing that at least \$100,000 was transferred to the
contractor from one or more third party investors, such as a venture
capital firm, an individual \"angel\" investor, state or local funding
source, or another company under a partnership, licensing or joint
venture arrangement, or any combination of third parties. Documentation
for the Verification Testing Option is the signed Commitment Letter with
the third party testing organization. The Government is not obligated to
fund any specific Phase II proposal.

For technologies awarded Phase I contracts under this solicitation and
invited to submit a follow-on EPA Phase II Proposal, the follow-on Phase
II Solicitation will be issued on/about July 31, 2008, and proposals
will be due on/about October 18, 2008. It is expected that each Phase II
proposal will be evaluated on the results of Phase I, the Phase II
program plan and the commercial potential of the Phase II proposal. The
EPA Phase II evaluation criteria will be as follows:

PHASE II CRITERIA

1.  Results of Phase I and degree to which research objectives and
    identified customer needs were met. Demonstration of
    performance/cost effectiveness and environmental benefits associated
    with the proposed research, including risk reduction potential.

[]{.mark}

2\. Quality and soundness of the Phase II research plan to establish the
technical and commercial viability of the proposed concept as evidenced
through technology prototypes or initial commercial demonstrations.

3\. Qualifications of the principal investigator, supporting staff and
consultants. Time commitment of principal investigator and project team,
adequacy of equipment and facilities and proposed budget to accomplish
the proposed research. Adequacy of Phase II Quality Assurance Summary.

4\. Potential of the proposed concept for significant commercialization
applications. The quality and adequacy of the commercialization plan to
produce an innovative product, process or device and getting technology
prototypes or initial Phase II applications into commercial production
and sales.

5\. The offeror\'s SBIR or other research commercialization record.
Existence of second phase funding commitments from private sector or
non-SBIR funding sources. Existence of third phase follow-on commitments
and presence of other indicators of commercial potential of the idea.

\(3\) **PHASE III**. Where appropriate and needed in order to complete
the research and development, there may be a third phase which is funded
by:

1\. Non-federal sources of capital for commercial applications of SBIR
funded research or research and development.

2\. Federal government with non-SBIR federal funds for SBIR derived
products and processes that will be used by the federal government.

3\. Non-SBIR federal funds for the continuation of research or research
and development that has been competitively selected using peer review
or scientific review criteria.

C. Each offeror submitting a proposal must qualify as a small business
for research or R&D purposes at the time of award of Phase I and Phase
II funding agreements. In addition, the primary employment of the
principal investigator must be with the small business firm at the time
of contract award and during the conduct of the proposed research.
Principal investigators who appear to be employed by a university must
submit a letter from the university stating that the principal
investigator, if awarded a SBIR contract, will become a
less-than-half-time employee of the university. Also, a principal
investigator who appears to be a staff member of both the applicant and
another employer must submit a letter from the second employer stating
that, if awarded a SBIR contract, he/she will become a less than
half-time employee of such organization. Letters demonstrating that
these requirements have been fulfilled shall be submitted prior to
contract award to the addressee stated in Section VI of this
solicitation. Failure to do so may jeopardize award. Also, for both
Phase I and Phase II, the research or R&D work must be performed in the
United States. (For definition of the United States, see Section II. J.)

D. **[For Phase I the Government anticipates the award of approximately
\$2.8M in firm fixed price contracts at approximately \$70,000 each
including profit]{.underline},** but reserves the right to change either
the number of awards or the amount of the individual awards depending on
the outcome of the selection process. The contractor's period of
performance is expected to be 6 months. Source selection will not be
based on a comparison of cost or price. However, cost or price will be
evaluated to determine whether the price, including any proposed profit,
is fair and reasonable and whether the offeror understands the work and
is capable of performing the contract.

E. All inquiries concerning this solicitation shall be submitted to the
following E-mail address:

johnson.marsha@epa.gov

If E-mail is not available to you, written or telephone inquiries may be
directed to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Attention: Marsha Johnson, SBIR Phase I

RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01)

Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-0952

Fax: (919) 541-1075

Potential offerors are encouraged to communicate via E-mail.

**II. DEFINITIONS**

For purposes of this solicitation, the following definitions apply:

A. [Research or Research and Development (R/R&D):]{.underline} Any
activity that is:

\(1\) A systematic, intensive study directed toward greater knowledge or
understanding of the subject studied;

\(2\) A systematic study directed specifically toward applying new
knowledge to meet a recognized need; or

\(3\) A systematic application of knowledge toward the production of
useful materials, devices, and systems or methods, including design,
development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet
specific requirements.

B. [Funding Agreement]{.underline}: Any contract, grant, or cooperative
agreement entered into between any Federal Agency and any small business
concern for the performance of experimental, developmental, or research
work, including products or services, funded in whole or in part by the
Federal Government.

C. [Subcontract]{.underline}: Any agreement, other than one involving an
employer-employee relationship, entered into by an awardee of a funding
agreement calling for supplies or services for the performance of the
original funding agreement.

D. [Small Business Concern]{.underline}: A small business concern is one
that, at the time of award of Phase I and Phase II, meets all of the
following criteria:

\(1\) Is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in the field
of operation in which it is proposing, has a place of business in the
United States and operates primarily within the United States or makes a
significant contribution to the US economy through payment of taxes or
use of American products, materials or labor, and is organized for
profit;

\(2\) Is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership,
limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association,
trust, or cooperative, except that where the form is a joint venture,
there can be no more than 49 percent participation by business entities
in the joint venture. Further information may be obtained at
http://sba.gov/size, or by contacting the Small Business
Administration=s Government Contracting Area Office or Office of Size
Standards.

\(3\) Is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more individuals
who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States
or it must be a for-profit business concern that is at least 51% owned
and controlled by another for-profit business concern that is at least
51% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of,
or permanent resident aliens in, the United States.

\(4\) Has, including its affiliates, an average number of employees for
the preceding 12 months not exceeding 500 employees. Business concerns
are generally considered to be affiliates of one another when either
directly or indirectly: (a) one concern controls or has the power to
control the other; or (b) a third-party/parties controls or has the
power to control both.

Control can be exercised through common ownership, common management,
and contractual relationships. The term \"affiliates\" is defined in
greater detail in 13 CFR 121.103. The term \"number of employees\" is
defined in 13 CFR 121.106.

E. [Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Small Business
Concern]{.underline}: A socially and economically disadvantaged small
business concern is one that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one
or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, or an
Indian tribe, including Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), a Native
Hawaiian Organization (NHO), or a Community Development Corporation
(CDC). Control includes both the strategic planning (as that exercised
by boards of directors) and the day-to-day management and administration
of business operations. See 13 CFR 124.109, 124.110, and 124.111 for
special rules pertaining to concerns owned by Indian tribes (including
ANCs), NHOs or CDCs, respectively.

F. [Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individual]{.underline}: A
member of any of the following groups:

\(1\) Black Americans;

\(2\) Hispanic Americans;

\(3\) Native Americans (American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, or Native
Hawaiians);

\(4\) Asian-Pacific Americans (persons with origins from Burma,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Japan, China
(including Hong Kong), Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia (Kampuchea), Vietnam,
Korea, The Philippines, U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
(Republic of Palau), Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States
of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam,
Samoa, Macao, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, or Nauru);

\(5\) Subcontinent Asian Americans (persons with origins from India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives Islands, or
Nepal); and

\(6\) Other groups designated from time to time by SBA pursuant to
Section 124.103 (d) of

13 CFR Ch.1(1-1-02 Edition).

G. [Women-Owned Small Business Concern]{.underline}: A small business
concern that is at least 51 % owned by and controlled by a woman or
women. Control includes both the strategic planning (as that exercised
by boards of directors) and the day-to-day management and administration
of business operations.

H. [Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)]{.underline}: A
small business concern meeting the following requirements:

\(1\) Located in a HUBZone area located in one or more of the following:

a\) A qualified census tract (as defined in Section 42(d)(5)(C)(i)(1) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

b\) A qualified \"non-metropolitan county\" (as defined in Section 143
(k)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) with a median household
income of less than 80 percent of the State median household income or
with an unemployment rate of not less than 140 percent of the Statewide
average, based on US Department of Labor recent data; or,

c\) Lands within the boundaries of federally recognized Indian
reservations.

\(2\) Owned and controlled by one or more US Citizens; and,

\(3\) At least 35% of its employees must reside in a HUBZONE.

I. [Primary Employment]{.underline}: More than one-half of the principal
investigator\'s time is spent in the employ of the small business
concern.

J. [United States]{.underline}: The 50 States, the Territories and
possessions of the Federal Government, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the District of Columbia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the
Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

K. [Commercialization]{.underline}: The process of developing marketable
products or services and producing and delivering products or services
for sale (whether by the originating party or by others) to Government
or commercial markets.

L. [SBIR Technical Data]{.underline}: All data generated during the
performance of an SBIR award.

M. [SBIR Technical Data Rights]{.underline}: The rights a small business
concern obtains in data generated during the performance of any SBIR
Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III award that an awardee delivers to the
Government during or upon completion of a Federally-funded project, and
to which the Government receives a license.

**III. PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS**

A. PROPOSAL PAGE LIMIT

Proposals submitted in response to this Phase I of the SBIR program
shall not exceed a total of **[25 pages]{.underline}**, one side only.
The only exception would be regarding the requirements set forth in
Section III.D.12, \"Prior SBIR Awards\". The **[25 pages]{.underline}**
shall include the cover page, budget, and all enclosures or attachments.
Pages (including enclosures or attachments such as letters of
recommendation) should be of standard size (8 ½\" x 11\"; 21.6 cm x 27.9
cm) with 2.5 cm margins and type no smaller than 10 point font size. All
pages shall be consecutively numbered. **Proposals in excess of the 25
page limitation shall not be considered for review or award.** Any
additional attachments, appendices or references beyond the 25-page
limitation shall result in the proposal not being considered for review
or award. A letter of transmittal is not necessary. If one is furnished,
it shall not be attached to every copy of the proposal. If a letter of
transmittal is attached to every copy of the proposal, it will be
counted as page 1 of the proposal. No binders are necessary. If binders
are provided, they will be counted as pages even if no printing or
writing is thereon.

B. PROPOSAL COVER SHEET

The offeror shall photocopy (or download from the Internet) and complete
Appendix A of this solicitation which has the relevant solicitation
number as page 1 of each copy of each proposal. **No other cover shall
be permitted**. When downloading the solicitation from the Internet,
Appendix A may print on no more than two pages, but will only count as
one page per Appendix. If Appendix A exceeds two pages, any additional
pages will count toward the 25-page limitation. Offerors may reformat
the forms to correct spacing and pagination errors, however, identical
information shall be provided.

The original of the cover sheet shall contain the pen-and-ink signatures
of the principal investigator and the corporate/business official
authorized to sign the proposal.

C. PROJECT SUMMARY

The offeror shall complete Appendix B as page 2 of each proposal.
Appendix B may be no more than two pages, but will only count as one
page per Appendix. If Appendix B exceeds two pages, any additional pages
will count toward the 25-page limitation. Offerors may reformat the
forms to correct spacing and pagination errors, however, identical
information shall be provided. The Project Summary shall include a
technical abstract with a brief description of the problem or
opportunity, the innovation, project objectives, and description of the
effort. In summarizing anticipated results, the implications of the
approach (for both Phases I and II) and the potential commercial
applications of the research shall be stated. **THE ABSTRACT (APPENDIX
B) IS USED EXTENSIVELY DURING THE EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW AND EPA INTERNAL
PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW.** The project summary and proposal title (Appendix
B) of successful proposals will be published by EPA and, therefore, must
not contain proprietary information. No changes shall be allowed.

D. TECHNICAL CONTENT

Begin the main body of the proposal on page 3. As a minimum, the
following shall be included:

1\. IDENTIFICATION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY. A
clear statement of the specific technical problem or opportunity
addressed and the environmental benefits. **INFORMATION ON THE
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TECHNOLOGY IS A VERY
IMPORTANT PART OF THE EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW AND EPA INTERNAL PROGRAMMATIC
REVIEW.** Where appropriate, proposals should describe the positive and
negative environmental benefits based on an assessment of the full life
cycle of the new product or technology. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
refers to the analysis of impacts throughout all stages of a product or
process from production to use to disposal. Integration of a live cycle
perspective into the environmental analysis typically considers impacts
from raw materials extraction, manufacture, packaging, distribution and
disposal.

2\. PHASE I OBJECTIVES. State the specific objectives of Phase I
research and development effort, including the technical questions it
will try to answer to determine the feasibility of the proposed
approach.

3\. PHASE I WORK PLAN. This section provides a detailed description of
the work plan. The work plan should describe what will be done, where it
will be done and how the R/R&D will be carried out. The work planned to
achieve each task should be discussed in detail, to enable a complete
scientific and technical evaluation of the work plan. A work schedule
should also be provided.

4\. RELATED RESEARCH OR R&D. Describe significant research or R&D that
is directly related to the proposal including any conducted by the
project manager/principal investigator or by the proposing firm.
Describe how it relates to the proposed effort, and any planned
coordination with outside sources. Offerors must demonstrate their
awareness of key recent research or R&D conducted by others in the
specific topic area by providing appropriate references from the
literature and other published documents.

5\. KEY PERSONNEL AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DIRECTLY RELATED WORK. Identify
key personnel involved in Phase I including their directly related
education, experience and bibliographic information. Where vitae are
extensive, summaries that focus on the most relevant experience or
publications are desired and may be necessary to meet proposal size
limitations.

6\. RELATIONSHIP WITH FUTURE RESEARCH OR RESEARCH

AND DEVELOPMENT. State the anticipated results of the proposed approach
if the project is successful (Phase I and II). A discussion of
cost-effectiveness is paramount, especially comparing the
state-of-the-art approaches with the proposed approach. Discuss the
significance of the Phase I effort in providing a foundation for Phase
II R/R&D effort.

7\. FACILITIES. A detailed description, availability and location of
instrumentation and physical facilities proposed for Phase I shall be
provided.

8\. CONSULTANTS. Involvement of consultants in the planning and research
stages of the project is permitted. If such involvement is intended, it
should be described in detail and vitae should be provided.

9\. COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN. Provide an abbreviated 2-3 page plan related
directly to producing an innovative product, process or device and
getting it into commercial production and sales. Comprehensive business
plans (that are company rather than project oriented) are not desired.
The Phase I plan is a roadmap toward producing a detailed Phase II
Commercialization Plan which shall be required as part of the Phase II
Application.

> NOTE: The Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of
> 1992 allows discretionary technical assistance to SBIR awardees. The
> Agency may provide up to \$4,000 of SBIR funds for technical
> assistance per award. EPA intends to provide Phase I awardees with
> technical assistance through a separate EPA arrangement. For Phase I,
> this assistance will be in addition to the award amount. For Phase II,
> the law allows each awardee to expend up to \$4,000 per year of the
> award amount for technical assistance services.

The Phase I plan shall provide limited information on the subjects
described below. Explain what will be done during Phase I to decide on
applications, markets, production and financing. The Commercialization
Plan shall address:

> a\. SBIR Project: Brief description of the company, its principal
> field(s) of interest, size and current products and sales. A concise
> description of the SBIR project and its key technical objectives.
>
> b\. Commercial Applications: Potential commercial applications of the
> research results specifying customers and specific needs that will be
> satisfied. Have you or do you intend to file for one or more patents
> as a result of the SBIR project?
>
> c\. Competitive Advantages: What is particularly innovative about the
> anticipated technology or products? (Innovation may be expressed in
> terms of applications, performance, efficiencies or reduced cost. To
> determine if your innovation is likely to result in intellectual
> property that may be legally protected, it helps to conduct a patent
> search and look for related work being funded by EPA or another
> Federal agency. A fact sheet on how to search for patents and related
> federally-funded work is provided in Appendix E.) What significant
> advantages in application, performance, technique, efficiency, or
> costs, do you anticipate your new technology will have over existing
> technology? (In order to assess such advantages, it is useful to
> compare the anticipated performance of your technology against
> substitutable products currently being sold or emerging out of R&D. If
> regulations, industry standards or certifying requirements apply to
> your technology or product, these provide useful criteria for
> comparing your anticipated performance with potentially competing
> technology and products. However, other expressions of end-user needs
> may also contain important criteria).
>
> d\. Markets: What are the anticipated specific markets for the
> resulting technology, their estimated size, classes of customers, and
> your estimated market share 5 years after the project is completed
> and/or first sales? Who are the major competitors in the markets,
> present and/or anticipated?
>
> e\. Commercialization: Briefly describe how you plan to produce your
> product. Do you intend to manufacture it yourself, subcontract the
> manufacturing, enter into a joint venture or manufacturing agreement,
> license the product, etc.? Briefly describe the approach and steps you
> plan to take to commercialize the research results to significant
> sales. Do you plan to market the product yourself, through dealers,
> contract sales, marketing agreements, joint venture, sales
> representatives, foreign companies, etc.? How do you plan to raise
> money to support your commercialization plan?

10\. SIMILAR OR CLOSELY RELATED SBIR AWARDS. If the small business
concern has received ANY prior Phase I or Phase II award(s) from EPA or
any Federal agency for similar or closely related research, submit name
of awarding agency, date of award, funding agreement number, amount and
topic or subtopic title. **DESCRIBE THE TECHNICAL DIFFERENCES AND
REASONS WHY THE PROPOSED NEW PHASE I RESEARCH IS DIFFERENT FROM RESEARCH
CONDUCTED UNDER PRIOR SBIR AWARDS.** (This required proposal information
**[shall]{.underline}** be counted toward proposal pages count
limitation.)

11\. DUPLICATE OR EQUIVALENT SBIR PROPOSALS. A firm may elect to submit
essentially equivalent work under other Federal Program Solicitations.
In these cases, a statement shall be included in each such proposal
indicating: the name and address of the agencies to which proposals were
submitted or from which awards were received; date of proposal
submission or date of award; title, number, and date of solicitations
under which proposals were submitted or awards received; specific
applicable research topics for each proposal submitted or award
received; titles of research projects; name and title of project manager
or principal investigator for each proposal submitted or award received.
(This information **[shall]{.underline}** count toward proposal pages
count limitation.)

12\. PRIOR SBIR AWARDS. If the small business concern has received ANY
prior Phase II award from any Federal agency in the prior 5 fiscal
years, submit name of awarding agency, date of award, funding agreement
number, amount, topic or subtopic title, follow-on agreement amount,
source and date of commitment and current commercialization status for
each Phase II. (This required proposal information shall be included as
an attachment to the proposals and **[shall not]{.underline}** be
counted toward proposal pages count limitation.) **Information provided
shall be limited to what has been requested. Proposals that contain
information in the attachment beyond what is requested shall count
toward the 25 page limitation.**

E. COST BREAKDOWN/PROPOSED BUDGET

Complete the budget form in Appendix C and include the completed form
immediately after proposal Section D.11. Photocopy the form for the
required copies for submission. Incorporate the copy of the budget form
bearing the original signature into the copy of the proposal bearing the
original signature on the cover page. The completed budget form will
count as one page in the 25 page limit. If budget explanation pages are
included, they will count toward the 25 page limit. Offerors are
encouraged to include the travel expenses on the budget form to attend a
one-day SBIR Phase I Kick-Off Meeting in Washington, DC.

F. PHASE I QUALITY ASSURANCE STATEMENT (QAS)

Offerors must state whether or not their proposal involves data
collection or processing, environmental measurements, modeling, or the
development of environmental technology (whether hardware-based or via
new techniques). The QAS describes processes that will be used to assure
that results of the research satisfy the intended project objectives.
EPA is particularly interested in the quality controls for data
generation and acquisition, and how data validation and usability will
be verified. This QAS should not exceed one page and will be included in
the 25 page limitation for the proposal. The QAS should briefly address
each of the sections below. If a section does not apply, provide a brief
justification of why.

\(1\) Identify the individual who will be responsible for the quality
assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) aspects of the research along
with a brief description of this person's functions, experience and
authority within the firm. Describe the firm's general approach for
conducting quality research. (QA is a system of management activities to
ensure that a process or product is of the type and quality needed for
the project. QC is a system of activities that measure the attributes
and performance of a process or product against the standards defined in
the project to verify that they will meet those stated requirements.)

\(2\) Discuss project objectives, including quality objectives, any
hypotheses to be tested, and the quantitative and/or qualitative
procedures that will be used to evaluate the success of the project.
Include any plans for peer or other reviews of the study design or
analytical methods.

\(3\) Address the collection of new primary data, if applicable: (Note:
In this case the word "sample" is intended to mean any finite part of a
statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information
about the whole. If certain attributes listed below do not apply to the
type of samples to be used in the research, simply explain why those
attributes are not applicable.)

Discuss the plan for sample collection and analysis. As applicable,
include sample type(s), frequency, locations, sample sizes, sampling
procedures, and the criteria for determining acceptable data quality
(e.g., precision, accuracy, representativeness, completeness,
comparability, or data quality objectives). Describe the procedures for
the handling and custody of samples including sample collection,
identification, preservation, transportation, storage and how the
accuracy of test measurements will be verified. Describe or reference
each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC checks or procedures
with the associated acceptance criteria, and any procedure that will be
used in the calibration and performance evaluation of the analytical
instrumentation. Discuss the procedures for overall data reduction,
analysis and reporting. Include a description of all statistical methods
to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable error rates and any
statistical software to be used.

\(4\) Address the use of existing/secondary data (i.e., data previously
collected for other purposes or from other sources), if applicable:
Describe or reference each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC
checks or procedures with the associated acceptance criteria, and any
procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance
evaluation of the analytical instrumentation. Discuss the procedures for
overall data reduction, analysis and reporting. Include a description of
all statistical methods to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable
error rates and any statistical software to be used.

\(5\) Address method development, if applicable: (Note: The data
collected for use in method development or evaluation should be
described in the QAS as per the guidance in sections 3 and/or 4 above.)
Describe the scope and application of the method, any tests (and
measurements) to be conducted to support the method development, the
type of instrumentation that will be used and any required instrument
conditions (e.g., calibration frequency), planned QC checks and
associated criteria (e.g., spikes, replicates, blanks), and tests to
verify the method's performance.

\(6\) Address development or refinement of models, if applicable: (Note:
The data collected for use in the development or refinement of models
should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in sections 3 and/or
4 above.)

Discuss the scope and purpose of the model, key assumptions to be made
during development/refinement, requirements for code development and how
the model will be documented. Discuss verification techniques to ensure
the source code implements the model correctly. Discuss validation
techniques to determine that the model (assumption and algorithms)
captures the essential phenomena with adequate fidelity. Discuss plans
for long-term maintenance of the model and associated data.

\(7\) Address development or operation of environmental technology, if
applicable: (Note: The data collected for use in the development or
evaluation of the technology should be described in the QAS as per the
guidance in sections 3 and/or 4 above.)

Describe the overall purpose and anticipated impact of the technology.
Describe the technical and quality specifications of each technology
component or process that is to be designed, fabricated, constructed
and/or operated. Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting and
controlling design changes. Discuss the procedure to be used for
documenting the acceptability of processes and components, and discuss
how the technology will be benchmarked and its effectiveness determined.
Discuss the documentation requirements for operating instructions/guides
for maintenance and use of the system(s) and/or process(s).

\(8\) Discuss data management activities (e.g., record-keeping
procedures, data-handling procedures, and the approach used for data
storage and retrieval on electronic media). Include any required
computer hardware and software and address any specific performance
requirements for the hardware/software configuration used.

A more detailed Proposal Quality Assurance Plan will be required in
Phase II. The plan will be required as part of the first monthly report
under the Phase II contract.

**IV. METHOD OF SELECTION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA**

All Phase I proposals will be evaluated and judged on a competitive
basis by peer reviewers from outside EPA. Proposals will be initially
screened to determine responsiveness. As noted in Section III, proposals
exceeding the 25-page limitation will not be considered for review or
award. Also, as noted in Section I, any proposal addressing more than
one research topic and failing to identify the research topic by letter
symbol on the cover page will not be considered for review or award.
Proposals passing this initial screening will be reviewed for technical
merit by external peer panels of technical experts, using the technical
evaluation criteria described in A.1 below. Each of the criteria are
equal in value. These panels will assign each proposal an adjectival
rating of "excellent", "very good", "good", "fair" or "poor", using the
specified criteria. Proposals rated "good", "fair", or "poor" will not
be considered for award. The proposals assigned "excellent" and "very
good" ratings, will then be subjected to the programmatic review within
EPA, to further evaluate these applications in relation to program
priorities and balance using the criteria specified in A.2 below. Each
proposal will be judged on its own merit. The Agency is under no
obligation to fund any proposal or any specific number of proposals in a
given topic. It also may elect to fund several or none of the proposed
approaches to the same topic or subtopic.

A. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

1\. EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW. The external peer review panels will utilize
the following evaluation criteria to rate each proposal. The criteria
are of equal importance.

[CRITERIA]{.underline}

> a\. The scientific and technical significance of the proposed
> technology and its appropriateness to the research topic. Quality and
> soundness of the research plan to establish the technical and
> commercial feasibility of the concept.
>
> b\. The uniqueness/ingenuity of the proposed concept or application as
> technological innovation. Originality and innovativeness of the
> proposed research toward meeting customer needs and achieving
> commercialization of the technology.
>
> c\. Potential demonstration of performance/cost effectiveness and
> environmental benefits associated with the proposed research,
> including risk reduction potential.
>
> d\. Qualifications of the principal investigator, supporting staff and
> consultants. Time commitment of principal investigator and project
> team, adequacy of equipment and facilities and proposed budget to
> accomplish the proposed research. Adequacy and quality of the Quality
> Assurance Statement.
>
> e\. Potential of the proposed concept for significant commercial
> applications. Potential for the commercialization plan to produce an
> innovative product, process or device and to put it into commercial
> production and sales. Potential market and competition and other
> financial/business indicators of commercialization potential and the
> offeror\'s SBIR or other research commercialization record.

All peer reviewers will be required to sign an agreement to protect the
confidentiality of all proposal material, and to certify that no
conflict of interest exists between the reviewer and the offeror. A copy
of both forms is available upon request; however, the identity of the
reviewer will not be released.

2\. EPA PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW. The proposals that received ratings of
\"excellent\" or \"very good\" by the External Peer Review Panel will be
subject to the programmatic review by EPA program managers using the
criteria set forth below to select which of the "excellent" and "very
good" proposals will be funded. Please note that not all of the
proposals rated "Excellent" or "Very Good" will receive a contract
award. Projects will not be funded where EPA determines the proposed
research is already being supported by EPA or another known source. The
evaluation criteria "a" through "c" are of equal value and will be used
to evaluate the applications in relation to program priorities, balance
and programmatic relevancy.

[CRITERIA]{.underline}

a\. The potential of the technology to meet Agency program priorities
and to strengthen the overall balance of the SBIR program. How well the
technology fits into EPA's overall research strategy or program within
the Phase I research topic.

b\. The potential of the technology for significant environmental
benefits and for strengthening the scientific basis for risk
assessment/risk management in the Agency research topic area.

c\. The potential of the technology to have broad application or to
impact large segments of the population.

B. RELEASE OF PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION. After final award decisions
have been announced, the technical evaluations of the offeror\'s
proposal will be provided to the offeror. The identity of the reviewer
shall not be disclosed.

**V. CONSIDERATIONS**

A. AWARDS

The Government anticipates award of approximately 40 firm-fixed-price
contracts of up to \$70,000 each including profit. It is expected that
these contracts will be awarded with a contract start date of March 1,
2008. The period of performance for the contracts should not exceed six
(6) months. The primary consideration in selecting proposals for award
will be the technical merit of the proposal. Proposals shall be
evaluated in accordance with the Technical Evaluation Criteria stated in
IV.A. above. Source selection will not be based on a comparison of cost
or price. However, cost or price will be evaluated to determine whether
the price, including any proposed profit, is fair and reasonable and
whether the offeror understands the work and is capable of performing
the contract.

This current solicitation is for Phase I only, and the Government is not
obligated to fund any specific Phase I proposal.

Funds are not presently available for this contract. The Government\'s
obligation under this contract is contingent upon the availability of
appropriated funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made.
No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may
arise until funds are made available to the Contracting Officer for this
contract and until the Contractor receives notice of such availability,
to be confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer.

B. REPORTS

1\. All reports shall include the following information: EPA Contract
Number; Project Title; and Period covered by the report.

2\. The Contractor shall furnish a Monthly Report stating progress made.
One (1) copy of the report shall be submitted to the Contract-level
Contracting Officer\'s Representative with one (1) paper copy to the
Contract Specialist. The report shall be submitted within 7 calendar
days after the end of the reporting period. Specific areas of interest
shall include progress made and difficulties encountered during the
reporting period, and a statement of activities anticipated during the
subsequent reporting period. The report shall include any changes in
personnel associated with the project. Also, the first month\'s report
shall contain a summary and schedule of accomplishments for the
subsequent months of the project. The Monthly Report shall include, as
an attachment, a copy of the monthly voucher for the same period.

3\. One (1) copy of a comprehensive Final Report on the Phase I project
must be submitted to the Contract-level Contracting Officer\'s
Representative by the completion date of the contract. The Contract
Specialist shall receive one paper copy. This Final Report shall include
a single-page project summary as the first page, identifying the purpose
of the research, a brief description of the research carried out, the
research findings or results, and potential applications of the research
in a final paragraph. The balance of the report should indicate in
detail the research objectives, research work carried out, results
obtained, and estimates of technical feasibility. The report should
include a discussion of any commercialization activity carried out
during Phase I as well as future commercialization plans.

4\. One (1) copy of a publishable (cleared for the general public) 2-3
page Executive Summary of the Final Report for Phase I must be submitted
to the Contract-level Contracting Officer\'s Representative by the
completion date of the contract. This special report should be a true
summary of the report, including the purpose of the project, work
carried out and results. The summary should stress innovativeness and
potential commercialization. The Executive Summary will be placed on the
EPA SBIR website, and therefore, it should include the specific results
the company is willing to release to the public.

C. PAYMENT SCHEDULE - Phase I payments will be made as follows:

Eighteen percent (18%) of the total contract price upon receipt and
acceptance of a proper invoice with each of the first five monthly
reports. The remainder shall be paid upon receipt and acceptance of the
final report. Pursuant to the provisions of FAR 52.232-25, \"Prompt
Payment\", payment will be rendered within thirty (30) days after
receipt of a proper invoice.

D. INNOVATIONS, INVENTIONS AND PATENTS

1\. LIMITED RIGHTS INFORMATION AND DATA

a\. Proprietary Information

Information contained in unsuccessful proposals will remain the property
of the offeror. The Government may, however, retain copies of all
proposals. Public release of information in any proposal submitted will
be subject to existing statutory and regulatory requirements.

If proprietary information is provided by an offeror in a proposal,
which constitutes a trade secret, proprietary commercial or financial
information, confidential personal information or data affecting the
national security, it will be treated in confidence, to the extent
permitted by law. This information must be clearly marked by the offeror
with the term "confidential proprietary information\" and the following
legend must appear on the cover page of the proposal:

\"These data shall not be not be disclosed outside the

Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed

in whole or in part for any other purpose other than

evaluation of this proposal. If a funding agreement is

awarded to this offeror as a result of or in connection

with the submission of these data, the Government shall

have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to

the extent provided in the funding agreement and pursuant

to applicable law. This restriction does not limit the

Government\'s right to use information contained in the

data if it is obtained from another source without

restriction. The data subject to this restriction are

contained in pages \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ of this proposal.\"

Any other legend may be unacceptable to the Government and may
constitute grounds for removing the proposal from further consideration,
without assuming any liability for inadvertent disclosure. The
Government will limit dissemination of such information to within
official channels.

b\. Alternative to Minimize Proprietary Information: Offerors shall
limit proprietary information to only that absolutely essential to their
proposal.

c\. Rights in Data Developed Under SBIR Funding Agreements: The Contract
will contain a data clause which will provide the following:

SBIR RIGHTS NOTICE (MAR 1994)

These SBIR data are furnished with SBIR rights under Contract
No.\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ (and subcontract \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ if
appropriate). For a period of four (4) years after acceptance of all
items to be delivered under this contract, the Government agrees to use
these data for Government purposes only, and they shall not be disclosed
outside the Government (including disclosure for procurement purposes)
during such period without permission of the Contractor, except that,
subject to the foregoing use and disclosure prohibitions, such data may
be disclosed for use by support Contractors. After the aforesaid 4-year
period the Government has a royalty-free license to use, and to
authorize others to use on its behalf, these data for Government
purposes, but is relieved of all disclosure prohibitions and assumes no
liability for unauthorized use of these data by third parties. This
Notice shall be affixed to any reproductions of these data, in whole or
in part.

d\. Copyrights

With prior written permission of the Contracting Officer, the Awardee
normally may copyright and publish (consistent with appropriate national
security considerations, if any) material developed with EPA support.
EPA receives a royalty-free license for the Federal Government and
requires that each publication contain an appropriate acknowledgment and
disclaimer statement.

e\. Patents

Small business concerns normally may retain the principal worldwide
patent rights to any invention developed with Governmental support. The
Government receives a royalty-free license for Federal Government use,
reserves the right to require the patent holder to license others in
certain circumstances, and requires that anyone exclusively licensed to
sell the invention in the United States must normally manufacture it
domestically. To the extent authorized by 35 U.S.C. 205, the Government
will not make public any information disclosing a Government-supported
invention for a 4-year period to allow the Awardee a reasonable time to
pursue a patent.

E. COST SHARING

Cost sharing is permitted for proposals under this Program Solicitation;
however, cost sharing is not required nor will it be an evaluation
factor in consideration of your proposal.

F. PROFIT OR FEE

Reasonable fee (estimated profit) will be considered under this
solicitation. For guidance purposes, the amount of profit shall not
exceed 10% of total project costs.

G. JOINT VENTURES OR LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS

Joint ventures and limited partnerships are eligible provided the entity
created qualifies as a small business as defined in this Program
Solicitation.

H. RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL WORK

1\. For a SBIR Phase I proposal, a minimum of two-thirds of the research
and/or analytical effort, as measured by the budget, must be performed
by the proposing small business concern and the balance of one third may
be outsourced to a consultant or subcontract or a combination of the
two.

2\. For a SBIR Phase II proposal, a minimum of one-half of the research
and/or analytical effort, as measured by the budget, must be performed
by the proposing small business concern and the balance of one-half may
be outsourced to a consultant or subcontract or a combination of the
two.

I. CONTRACTOR COMMITMENTS

Upon award of a funding agreement, the Awardee will be required to make
certain legal commitments through acceptance of numerous clauses in
Phase I funding agreements. The outline that follows is illustrative of
the types of clauses to which the Contractor would be committed. This
list should not be understood to represent a complete list of clauses to
be included in Phase I funding agreements, nor to be specific wording of
such clauses. Copies of complete terms and conditions are available upon
request.

1\. INSPECTION. Work performed under the contract is subject to
Government inspection and evaluation at all times.

2\. EXAMINATION OF RECORDS. The Comptroller General (or a duly
authorized representative) shall have the right to examine any directly
pertinent records of the awardee involving transactions related to this
contract.

3\. DEFAULT. The Government may terminate the contract if the Contractor
fails to perform the work contracted.

4\. TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE. The contract may be terminated at any
time by the Government if it deems termination to be in its best
interest, in which case the Contractor will be compensated for work
performed and for reasonable termination costs.

5\. DISPUTES. Any dispute concerning the funding agreement that cannot
be resolved by agreement shall be decided by the Contracting Officer
with right of appeal.

6\. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. The awardee will not discriminate against any
employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion,
sex, or national origin.

7\. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR VETERANS. The awardee will not discriminate
against any employee or application for employment because he or she is
a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.

8\. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR HANDICAPPED. The awardee will not
discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because he
or she is physically or mentally handicapped.

9\. OFFICIALS NOT TO BENEFIT. No Government official shall benefit
personally from the contract.

10\. COVENANT AGAINST CONTINGENT FEES. No person or agency has been
employed to solicit or secure the contract upon an understanding for
compensation except bonafide employees or commercial agencies maintained
by the Contractor for the purpose of securing business.

11\. GRATUITIES. The contract may be terminated by the Government if any
gratuities have been offered to any representative of the Government to
secure the contract.

12\. PATENT INFRINGEMENT. The Contractor shall report each notice or
claim of patent infringement based on the performance of the contract.

13\. AMERICAN MADE EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCTS. When purchasing equipment or
a product under the SBIR funding agreement, purchase only American-made
items whenever possible.

J. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1\. The Program Solicitation is intended for informational purposes and
reflects current planning. If there is any inconsistency between the
information contained herein and the terms of any resulting SBIR funding
agreement, the terms of the funding agreement are controlling.

2\. Before award of an SBIR funding agreement, the Government may
request the offeror to submit certain organizational, management,
personnel, and financial information to assure responsibility of the
offeror.

3\. The Government is not responsible for any monies expended by the
offeror before award of any funding agreement.

4\. This Program Solicitation is not an offer by the Government and does
not obligate the Government to make any specific number of awards. Also,
awards under the SBIR program are contingent upon the availability of
funds.

5\. The EPA SBIR program is not a substitute for existing unsolicited
proposal mechanisms. Unsolicited proposals shall not be accepted under
the EPA SBIR program in either Phase I or Phase II.

6\. If an award is made pursuant to a proposal submitted under this
Program Solicitation, the Contractor will be required to certify that he
or she has not previously been, nor is currently being, paid for
essentially equivalent work by any agency of the Federal Government.

7\. Notwithstanding the relatively broad definition of R/R&D in Section
II, Definitions, hereof, awards under this solicitation are limited to
APPLIED forms of research. Proposals that are surveys, including market,
state-of the-art and/or literature surveys, which should have been
performed by the offeror prior to the preparation of the proposal, or
the preparation of allied questionnaires and instruction manuals, shall
not be accepted. If such proposals are submitted, they shall be
considered as not in compliance with the solicitation intent, and
therefore, technically unacceptable.

8\. The requirement that the offeror designate a topic, and only one
topic, (see page 1, Section I above) is also necessary. EPA receives
hundreds of proposals each year and has special teams of reviewers for
review of each research topic. In order to assure that proposals are
evaluated by the correct team, it is the complete responsibility of the
offeror to select and identify the best topic.

9\. Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisition (Jan 2004) FAR
52.215-1

\(a\) *Definitions.* As used in this provision- Discussions are
negotiations that occur after establishment of the competitive range
that may, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, result in the offeror
being allowed to revise its proposal.

"In writing," "writing," or "written" means any worded or numbered
expression that can be read, reproduced, and later communicated, and
includes electronically transmitted and stored information.

"Proposal modification" is a change made to a proposal before the
solicitation's closing date and time, or made in response to an
amendment, or made to correct a mistake at any time before award.

"Proposal revision" is a change to a proposal made after the
solicitation closing date, at the request of or as allowed by a
Contracting Officer as the result of negotiations.

"Time," if stated as a number of days, is calculated using calendar
days, unless otherwise specified, and will include Saturdays, Sundays,
and legal holidays. However, if the last day falls on a Saturday,
Sunday, or legal holiday, then the period shall include the next working
day.

\(b\) *Amendments to solicitations.* If this solicitation is amended,
all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged. Offerors
shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by the
date and time specified in the amendment(s).

\(c\) *Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.*
(1) Unless other methods (e.g., electronic commerce or facsimile) are
permitted in the solicitation, proposals and modifications to proposals
shall be submitted in paper media in sealed envelopes or packages (I)
addressed to the office specified in the solicitation, and (ii) showing
the time and date specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and
the name and address of the offeror. Offerors using commercial carriers
should ensure that the proposal is marked on the outermost wrapper with
the information in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (c)(1)(ii) of this
provision.

\(2\) The first page of the proposal must show-

\(i\) The solicitation number;

\(ii\) The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the
offeror (and electronic address if available);

\(iii\) A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms,
conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to
furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set
opposite each item;

\(iv\) Names, titles, and telephone and facsimile numbers (and
electronic addresses if available) of persons authorized to negotiate on
the offeror's behalf with the Government in connection with this
solicitation; and

\(v\) Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the
proposal. Proposals signed by an agent shall be accompanied by evidence
of that agent\'s authority, unless that evidence has been previously
furnished to the issuing office.

\(3\) *Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.*
(i) Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any
modifications or revisions so as to reach the Government office
designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the
solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for
receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office
on the date that proposal or revision is due.

(ii)(A) Any proposal, modification or revision received at the
Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time
specified for receipt of offers is "late" and will not be considered
unless it is received before award is made, the Contracting Officer
determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the
acquisition; and\--

\(1\) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method
authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of
entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one
working day prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals; or

\(2\) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at
the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was
under the Government\'s control prior to the time set for receipt of
offers; or

\(3\) It is the only proposal received.

\(B\) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful proposal
that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be
considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

\(iii\) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the
Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that
installation on the proposal wrapper, other documentary evidence of
receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements
of Government personnel.

\(iv\) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal
Government processes so that proposals cannot be received at the office
designated for receipt of proposals by the exact time specified in the
solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of
the solicitation, the time specified for receipt of proposals will be
deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the
solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes
resume.

\(v\) Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time
before award. Oral proposals in response to oral solicitations may be
withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile proposals,
proposals may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before
award, subject to the conditions specified in the provision at 52.215-5,
Facsimile Proposals. Proposals may be withdrawn in person by an offeror
or an authorized representative, if the identity of the person
requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for
the proposal before award.

\(4\) Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, the offeror may
propose to provide any item or combination of items.

\(5\) Offerors shall submit proposals in response to this solicitation
in English, unless otherwise permitted by the solicitation, and in U.S.
dollars, unless the provision at FAR 52.225-17, Evaluation of Foreign
Currency Offers, is included in the solicitation.

\(6\) Offerors may submit modifications to their proposals at any time
before the solicitation closing date and time, and may submit
modifications in response to an amendment, or to correct a mistake at
any time before award.

\(7\) Offerors may submit revised proposals only if requested or allowed
by the Contracting Officer.

\(8\) Proposals may be withdrawn at any time before award. Withdrawals
are effective upon receipt of notice by the Contracting Officer.

\(d\) *Offer expiration date.* Proposals in response to this
solicitation will be valid for the number of days specified on the
solicitation cover sheet (unless a different period is proposed by the
offeror).

\(e\) *Restriction on disclosure and use of data.* Offerors that include
in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public
for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation
purposes, shall-

\(1\) Mark the title page with the following legend: This proposal
includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and
shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed-in whole or in part-for any
purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. If, however, a contract is
awarded to this offeror as a result of-or in connection with-the
submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to
duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the
resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government\'s
right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from
another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction
are contained in sheets \[insert numbers or other identification of
sheets\]; and

\(2\) Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following
legend: Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to
the restriction on the title page of this proposal.

\(f\) *Contract award.* (1) The Government intends to award a contract
or contracts resulting from this solicitation to the responsible
offeror(s) whose proposal(s) represents the best value after evaluation
in accordance with the factors and subfactors in the solicitation.

\(2\) The Government may reject any or all proposals if such action is
in the Government's interest.

\(3\) The Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities in
proposals received.

\(4\) The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract
without discussions with offerors (except clarifications as described in
FAR 15.306(a)). Therefore, the offeror's initial proposal should contain
the offeror's best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint.
The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the
Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary. If the
Contracting Officer determines that the number of proposals that would
otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an
efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting Officer may
limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest
number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly
rated proposals.

\(5\) The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for
a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit cost or prices
offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the proposal.

\(6\) The Government reserves the right to make multiple awards if,
after considering the additional administrative costs, it is in the
Government's best interest to do so.

\(7\) Exchanges with offerors after receipt of a proposal do not
constitute a rejection or counteroffer by the Government.

\(8\) The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if
the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or
subline items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable
total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is
significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application
of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if the
Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an
unacceptable risk to the Government.

\(9\) If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be
considered by the source selection authority in evaluating performance
or schedule risk.

\(10\) A written award or acceptance of proposal mailed or otherwise
furnished to the successful offeror within the time specified in the
proposal shall result in a binding contract without further action by
either party.

\(11\) If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the
Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

\(i\) The agency\'s evaluation of the significant weak or deficient
factors in the debriefed offeror\'s offer.

\(ii\) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the
successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on
the debriefed offeror.

\(iii\) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was
developed by the agency during source selection.

\(iv\) A summary of the rationale for award.

\(v\) For acquisitions of commercial items, the make and model of the
item to be delivered by the successful offeror.

\(vi\) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed
offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the
solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities
were followed by the agency.

\(10\) Organizational Conflicts of Interest (EPAAR 1552.209-71) (May
1994) Alternate I (May 1994)

\(a\) The Contractor warrants that, to the best of the Contractor\'s
knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which
could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in
FAR Subpart 9.5, or that the Contractor has disclosed all such relevant
information.

\(b\) Prior to commencement of any work, the Contractor agrees to notify
the Contracting Officer immediately that, to the best of its knowledge
and belief, no actual or potential conflict of interest exists or to
identify to the Contracting Officer any actual or potential conflict of
interest the firm may have. In emergency situations, however, work may
begin but notification shall be made within five (5) working days.

\(c\) The Contractor agrees that if an actual or potential
organizational conflict of interest is identified during performance,
the Contractor will immediately make a full disclosure in writing to the
Contracting Officer. This disclosure shall include a description of
actions which the Contractor has taken or proposes to take, after
consultation with the Contracting Officer, to avoid, mitigate, or
neutralize the actual or potential conflict of interest. The Contractor
shall continue performance until notified by the Contracting Officer of
any contrary action to be taken.

\(d\) Remedies - The EPA may terminate this contract for convenience, in
whole or in part, if it deems such termination necessary to avoid an
organizational conflict of interest. If the Contractor was aware of a
potential organizational conflict of interest prior to award or
discovered an actual or potential conflict after award and did not
disclose it or misrepresented relevant information to the Contracting
Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, debar
the Contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other
remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract.

\(e\) The Contractor agrees to insert in each subcontract or consultant
agreement placed hereunder provisions which shall conform substantially
to the language of this clause, including this paragraph, unless
otherwise authorized by the Contracting Officer.

\(11\) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, (Oct 2003), FAR
52.204-6

Number range CHAPTER (a) The offeror shall enter, in the block with its
name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation "DUNS"
or "DUNS+4\" followed by the DUNS number or "DUNS+4\" that identifies
the offeror\'s name and address exactly as stated in the offer. The DUNS
number is a nine-digit number assigned by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. The
DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned
at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional CCR records for
identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see
Subpart 32.11) for the same parent concern.

\(b\) If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun
and Bradstreet directly to obtain one.

\(1\) An offeror may obtain a DUNS number\--

\(i\) If located within the United States, by calling Dun and Bradstreet
at 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet at *http://www.dnb.com*; or

\(ii\) If located outside the United States, by contacting the local Dun
and Bradstreet office.

\(2\) The offeror should be prepared to provide the following
information:

\(i\) Company legal business name.

\(ii\) Tradestyle, doing business, or other name by which your entity is
commonly recognized.

\(iii\) Company physical street address, city, state and Zip Code.

\(iv\) Company mailing address, city, state and Zip Code (if separate
from physical).

\(v\) Company telephone number.

\(vi\) Date the company was started.

\(vii\) Number of employees at your location.

\(viii\) Chief executive officer/key manager.

\(ix\) Line of business (industry).

\(x\) Company Headquarters name and address (reporting relationship
within your entity).

\(12\) Central Contractor Registration, (July 2006), FAR 52.204-7

Number range CHAPTER (a) Definitions. As used in this clause\--

"Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database" means the primary
Government repository for Contractor information required for the
conduct of business with the Government.

"Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number" means the 9-digit number
assigned by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. (D&B) to identify unique business
entities.

"Data Universal Numbering System +4 (DUNS+4) number" means the DUNS
number assigned by D&B plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned by
a business concern. (D&B has no affiliation with this 4-character
suffix.) This 4-character suffix may be assigned at the discretion of
the business concern to establish additional CCR records for identifying
alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see the FAR at
Subpart 32.11) for the same parent concern.

"Registered in the CCR database" means that\--

\(1\) The Contractor has entered all mandatory information, including
the DUNS number or the DUNS+4 number, into the CCR database; and

\(2\) The Government has validated all mandatory data fields, to include
validation of the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS), and has marked the record "Active". The
Contractor will be required to provide consent for TIN validation to the
Government as a part of the CCR registration process.

(b)(1) By submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the
requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the CCR
database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment
of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket
purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation.

\(2\) The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on
the cover page of its offer, the annotation \`\`DUNS\'\' or \`\`DUNS
+4\'\' followed by the DUNS or DUNS +4 number that identifies the
offeror\'s name and address exactly as stated in the offer. The DUNS
number will be used by the Contracting Officer to verify that the
offeror is registered in the CCR database.

\(c\) If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun
and Bradstreet directly to obtain one.

\(1\) An offeror may obtain a DUNS number\--

\(i\) If located within the United States, by calling Dun and Bradstreet
at 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet at *http://www.dnb.com*; or

\(ii\) If located outside the United States, by contacting the local Dun
and Bradstreet office.

\(2\) The offeror should be prepared to provide the following
information:

\(i\) Company legal business.

\(ii\) Tradestyle, doing business, or other name by which your entity is
commonly recognized.

\(iii\) Company Physical Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code.

\(iv\) Company Mailing Address, City, State and Zip Code (if separate
from physical).

\(v\) Company Telephone Number.

\(vi\) Date the company was started.

\(vii\) Number of employees at your location.

\(viii\) Chief executive officer/key manager.

\(ix\) Line of business (industry).

\(x\) Company Headquarters name and address (reporting relationship
within your entity).

\(d\) If the Offeror does not become registered in the CCR database in
the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer
will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered
Offeror.

\(e\) Processing time, which normally takes 48 hours, should be taken
into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not registered
should consider applying for registration immediately upon receipt of
this solicitation.

\(f\) The Contractor is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of
the data within the CCR database, and for any liability resulting from
the Government\'s reliance on inaccurate or incomplete data. To remain
registered in the CCR database after the initial registration, the
Contractor is required to review and update on an annual basis from the
date of initial registration or subsequent updates its information in
the CCR database to ensure it is current, accurate and complete.
Updating information in the CCR does not alter the terms and conditions
of this contract and is not a substitute for a properly executed
contractual document.

(g)(1)(i) If a Contractor has legally changed its business name, "doing
business as" name, or division name (whichever is shown on the
contract), or has transferred the assets used in performing the
contract, but has not completed the necessary requirements regarding
novation and change-of-name agreements in Subpart 42.12, the Contractor
shall provide the responsible Contracting Officer a minimum of one
business day\'s written notification of its intention to (A) change the
name in the CCR database; (B) comply with the requirements of Subpart
42.12 of the FAR; and (C) agree in writing to the timeline and
procedures specified by the responsible Contracting Officer. The
Contractor must provide with the notification sufficient documentation
to support the legally changed name.

\(ii\) If the Contractor fails to comply with the requirements of
paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this clause, or fails to perform the agreement at
paragraph (g)(1)(i)(C) of this clause, and, in the absence of a properly
executed novation or change-of-name agreement, the CCR information that
shows the Contractor to be other than the Contractor indicated in the
contract will be considered to be incorrect information within the
meaning of the "Suspension of Payment" paragraph of the electronic funds
transfer (EFT) clause of this contract.

\(2\) The Contractor shall not change the name or address for EFT
payments or manual payments, as appropriate, in the CCR record to
reflect an assignee for the purpose of assignment of claims (see FAR
Subpart 32.8, Assignment of Claims). Assignees shall be separately
registered in the CCR database. Information provided to the
Contractor\'s CCR record that indicates payments, including those made
by EFT, to an ultimate recipient other than that Contractor will be
considered to be incorrect information within the meaning of the
"Suspension of payment" paragraph of the EFT clause of this contract.

\(h\) Offerors and Contractors may obtain information on registration
and annual confirmation requirements via the internet at
http://www.ccr.gov or by calling 1-888-227-2423, or 269-961-5757.

\(13\) Annual Representations and Certifications, (Jan 2006), FAR
52.204-8

Number range CHAPTER Number range CHAPTER (a)(1) The North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is
541710.

\(2\) The small business size standard is 500 employees.

\(3\) The small business size standard for a concern which submits an
offer in its own name, other than on a construction or service contract,
but which proposes to furnish a product which it did not itself
manufacture, is 500 employees.

(b)(1) If the clause at 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration, is
included in this solicitation, paragraph (b) of this provision applies.

\(2\) If the clause at 52.204-7 is not included in this solicitation,
and the offeror is currently registered in CCR, and has completed the
ORCA electronically, the offeror may choose to use paragraph (b) of this
provision instead of completing the corresponding individual
representations and certifications in the solicitation. The offeror
shall indicate which option applies by checking one of the following
boxes:

\[ \](i) Paragraph (b) applies.

> \[ \](ii) Paragraph (b) does not apply and the offeror has completed
> the individual representations and certifications in the solicitation.

\(b\) The offeror has completed the annual representations and
certifications electronically via the Online Representations and
Certifications Application (ORCA) website at http://orca.bpn.gov. After
reviewing the ORCA database information, the offeror verifies by
submission of the offer that the representations and certifications
currently posted electronically have been entered or updated within the
last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this
solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the
NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this
offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201);
except for the changes identified below *\[offeror to insert changes,
identifying change by clause number, title, date\].* These amended
representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this
offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this
offer.

**[FAR Clause \#]{.underline} [Title]{.underline} [Date]{.underline}
[Change]{.underline}**

Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation
only, and do not result in an update to the representations and
certifications posted on ORCA.

\(14\) Small Business Program Representations (May 2004) FAR 52.219-1

Number range CHAPTER (a)(1) The North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541710.

\(2\) The small business size standard is 500 employees.

\(3\) The small business size standard for a concern which submits an
offer in its own name, other than on a construction or service contract,
but which proposes to furnish a product which it did not itself
manufacture, is 500 employees.

\(b\) *Representations.*

\(1\) The offeror represents as part of its offer that it \[ \]is, \[
\]is not a small business concern.

\(2\) *\[Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small
business concern in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.\]* The offeror
represents, for general statistical purposes, that it \[ \]is, \[ \]is
not, a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13 CFR
124.1002.

\(3\) *\[Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small
business concern in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.\]* The offeror
represents as part of its offer that it \[ \]is, \[ \]is not a
women-owned small business concern.

\(4\) *\[Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small
business concern in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.\]* The offferor
represents as part of its offer that it \[ \]is, \[ \]is not a
veteran-owned small business concern.

\(5\) *\[Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a
veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph (b)(4) of this
provision.\]* The offeror represents as part of its offer that is \[
\]is, \[ \]is not a service-disabled veteran-owned small business
concern.

\(6\) *\[Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small
business concern in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.\]* The offeror
represents, as part of its offer, that\--

\(i\) It \[ \] is, \[ \] is not a HUBZone small business concern listed,
on the date of this representation, on the List of Qualified HUBZone
Small Business Concerns maintained by the Small Business Administration,
and no material change in ownership and control, principal office, or
HUBZone employee percentage has occurred since it was certified by the
Small Business Administration in accordance with 13 CFR part 126; and

\(ii\) It \[ \] is, \[ \] is not a joint venture that complies with the
requirements of 13 CFR part 126, and the representation in paragraph
(b)(6)(i) of this provision is accurate for the HUBZone small business
concern or concerns that are participating in the joint venture. *\[The
offeror shall enter the name or names of the HUBZone small business
concern or concerns that are participating in the joint
venture:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.\]* Each HUBZone small business concern
participating in the joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy
of the HUBZone representation.

\(c\) *Definitions.* As used in this provision\--

\"Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern\"-

\(1\) Means a small business concern-

\(i\) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more
service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned
business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one
or more service-disabled veterans; and

\(ii\) The management and daily business operations of which are
controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a
service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the
spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran.

\(2\) Service-disabled veteran means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C.
101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38
U.S.C. 101(16).

\"Small business concern,\" means a concern, including its affiliates,
that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of
operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified
as a small business under the criteria in 13 CFR Part 121 and the size
standard in paragraph (a) of this provision.

\"Veteran-owned small business concern\" means a small business concern-

\(1\) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more veterans
(as defined at 38 U.S.C. 101(2)) or, in the case of any publicly owned
business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one
or more veterans; and

\(2\) The management and daily business operations of which are
controlled by one or more veterans.

\"Women-owned small business concern,\" means a small business concern
\--

\(1\) That is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or, in the
case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock of
which is owned by one or more women; and

\(2\) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by
one or more women.

\(d\) *Notice.*

\(1\) If this solicitation is for supplies and has been set aside, in
whole or in part, for small business concerns, then the clause in this
solicitation providing notice of the set-aside contains restrictions on
the source of the end items to be furnished.

\(2\) Under 15 U.S.C. 645(d), any person who misrepresents a firm\'s
status as a small, HUBZone small, small disadvantaged, or women-owned
small business concern in order to obtain a contract to be awarded under
the preference programs established pursuant to section 8(a), 8(d), 9,
or 15 of the Small Business Act or any other provision of Federal law
that specifically references section 8(d) for a definition of program
eligibility, shall \--

\(i\) Be punished by imposition of fine, imprisonment, or both;

\(ii\) Be subject to administrative remedies, including suspension and
debarment; and

\(iii\) Be ineligible for participation in programs conducted under the
authority of the Act.

**VI. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS**

A. Your proposal with an original and two (2) copies shall be received
at one of the following addresses by 12:00 p.m. (Noon), local time, on
May 23, 2007. Three copies of the application must be submitted: 1) an
original, signed copy; 2) a single-sided copy on plain white paper; and
3) another copy for administrative purposes. Offerors are encouraged to
also include one CD-ROM with a Portable Document Form (PDF) copy of your
proposal.

**[U.S. MAIL ADDRESS:]{.underline}**

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

> Solicitation No. PR-NC-07-10155 - SBIR Phase I

Closing Date: May 23, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon)

Attention: Marsha Johnson, SBIR Phase I

RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01)

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

**[HAND CARRIED/COURIER ADDRESS:]{.underline}**

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Solicitation No. PR-NC-07-10155 - SBIR Phase I

Closing Date: May 23, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon)

Attention: Marsha Johnson, SBIR Phase I

RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01)

4930 Old Page Road

Durham, NC 27703

**IMPORTANT!!! Please note Section V, Paragraph J.9(c) concerning Late
Proposals, Modifications of Proposals and Withdrawal of Proposals.**

**Telegraphic, telecopied or facsimile proposals will NOT be considered
for award.**

B. Please do not use special bindings or covers. The original can be
stapled in the upper left corner of the proposal. Do not permanently
bind or staple the copies; please use either binder or paper clips to
secure them.

C. All copies of a proposal shall be sent in the same package.

D. The proposal should be self-contained and written with the care and
thoughtfulness accorded papers for publication.

**VII. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOURCES**

(See Appendix D)

**VIII. SBIR PHASE I RESEARCH TOPICS**

Program Scope: The objective of this solicitation is to increase the
incentive and opportunity for small firms to undertake cutting edge,
high-risk, or long-term research that has a high potential payoff if the
research is successful. Federal support of the front-end research on new
ideas, often the highest risk part of the innovation process, may
provide small businesses sufficient incentive to pursue such research.

EPA\'s SBIR program does not fund basic research or literature searches.
It is recognized that any research and development project starts out as
a concept of the inventor. Basic theoretic research studies and
preliminary laboratory testing of the concept are often needed to
develop an idea. Literature and other surveys and questionnaires are
also needed to rule out duplication and inappropriate research study and
process detail, finally leading to the process design of a prototype
apparatus or process that could be tested to show the feasibility of the
innovation. These basic research activities and preliminary studies
should be completed before preparing an SBIR proposal.

Research Topics: The proposed research must directly pertain to EPA\'s
environmental mission and must be responsive to EPA program interests
included in the topic descriptions of this solicitation. The research
should be the basis for technological innovation resulting in new
commercial products, processes, or services which benefit the public and
promote the growth of the small business. This year's SBIR Solicitation
includes 14 topics: Innovation in Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, Green
Buildings, Drinking Water and Water Monitoring, Water and Wastewater
Management, Control of Air Pollution, Air Monitoring and Remote Sensing,
Engine and Vehicle Emissions Reduction, Animal Waste and Waste to
Energy, Waste Management and Monitoring, Coal Bed Methane and Oil & Gas
Drilling, Large-Scale Disaster Debris Management, Technology for
Villages and Small Communities, and Homeland Security. Small businesses
located anywhere in the USA may submit a proposal for [any]{.underline}
topic in this solicitation and the proposal can address an environmental
topic affecting any geographic area of the US. This solicitation is
available from March 15, 2007 until May 23, 2007 on the EPA SBIR website
([[www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir]{.underline}](http://www.epa.gov/)).

**A.** **[INNOVATION IN MANUFACTURING]{.underline}**

Executive Order 13329 directs EPA to properly and effectively assists
the private sector in its manufacturing innovation in order to sustain a
strong manufacturing sector in the US economy by advancing innovation.
Manufacturing-related R&D encompasses improvements in existing methods
or processes, or wholly new processes, machines or systems.
Manufacturing innovation is fostered by technology R&D aimed at
increasing the competitive capability of manufacturing concerns. Four
main areas include: (1) Unit process level technologies that create or
improve manufacturing processes; (2) Machine level technologies that
create or improve manufacturing equipment; (3) Systems level
technologies for innovation in the manufacturing enterprise; and (4)
Environment or societal level technologies that improve workforce
abilities and manufacturing competitiveness. Specific areas of interest
include, but are not limited to:

-   Manufacturing process changes that utilize green technology to
    improve process efficiency and reduce pollution. These technologies
    (e.g., non-traditional material reactors, multi phase extraction,
    separation or fluid transfer, novel spraying systems, etc.) improve
    production efficiency and performance while eliminating or
    minimizing harmful emissions or waste materials.

-   New filtration membranes for organic solvent recovery and similar
    applications. Also, development of technology for solvent free
    production of chemical products and new or improved catalyst
    products.

-   Many fragrances and colorants have undesirable characteristics. Some
    of the key ingredients of concern in fragrances may be
    environmentally toxic/persistent (e.g., ketone), potentially
    sensitizing (e.g., d-limonene, other terpenes), neurologic (e.g.,
    dibutyl phthalate), or carcinogenic (e.g., citral; methyleugenol).
    Environmentally preferable fragrances or chemical substitutes for
    key ingredients are needed for fragrances and colorata.

EPA is working with automobile suppliers and sub-tier suppliers to
develop new technologies that will drive environmental improvements
while meeting pricing demands. The Automobile Partnership is one
partnership under an umbrella network called the Green Suppliers Network
(GSN). Also under GSN several similar partnerships are forming. These
include partnerships with pharmaceuticals, aerospace, office furniture
manufacturing, healthcare products and other industries. EPA is
interested in new technologies that simultaneously enhance environmental
performance and cost-competitiveness. Such technologies include, but are
not limited to:

-   New technology applications that reduce waste or solvent use in the
    pharmaceutical supply chain. Pharmaceuticals have one of the highest
    rates of waste generation per pound produced and the highest amount
    of organic solvents used per pound of product.

-   Prevention or reuse of paint sludges from captured overspray in
    automobile painting and use of low volatile organic compounds (VOC)
    products for purging paint lines and painting guns;

-   Alternate filter technologies, reusable filters or new technologies
    for collection of spray in dry paint booths;

-   Machining metals without use of toxic cutting fluids;

-   Products that meet design specifications without requiring the use
    of chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, lead and hexavalent chromium.

Companies seeking assistance with project development in this topic area
are encouraged to contact their local National Institutes of Standards
and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership office at
[http://www.mep.nist.gov](http://www.mep.nist.gov/).

**B. [NANOTECHNOLOGY]{.underline}**

Research is needed to apply the principles of nanotechnology to the
areas of environmental monitoring, detection and control. Nanotechnology
is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to
100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.
Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering and technology,
nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating
matter at the nanoscale. EPA is particularly interested in
nanotechnologies that can detect and distinguish engineered
nanomaterials from natural or anthropogenic nanoscale materials and that
result in reductions in the use and release of toxic compounds,
especially persistent, bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs), hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Agency is
also interested in technologies that utilize nanotechnology to detect
conventional pollutants in aqueous, air,and soil environments.
Nanotechnology is emerging as a technology platform with potential for
great environmental breakthroughs and significant commercial
applications. This nanomaterials topic area is closely related to other
topics in the solicitation. Specific areas of interest include, but are
not limited to:

-   New nanoporous filters for removal of gaseous pollutants and
    particulates from contaminated air streams.

-   Nanoparticulate catalysts for utilization in VOC treatment devices
    and related applications.

-   Metal-free nano-laminated coatings and nanomaterials with smart
    characteristics including reactive coatings that destroy or
    immobilize toxic compounds. High surface area nanomaterials for new
    coatings and environmental applications.

-   Development of technology for solvent free production of nanometer
    size high performance ceramic powders and similar materials.

-   Development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and
    nanotechnology based devices for use in environmental analytical and
    monitoring instrument devices including sensors and nano-components.

-   Development of technologies that can quantify engineered
    nanomaterials in various environmental media, as distinguishable
    from both natural or anthropogenic nanoscale material;

-   Development of nanotechnologies that lead to increased energy
    efficiency, water efficiency, and improved resource usage with
    reduced emissions.

-   Nanomaterial sensors for rapid and precise process control and
    environmental monitoring. EPA is particularly interested in remote,
    in-situ, real-time and continuous measurement of species at trace
    (ppt) concentrations. Sensors that utilize lab-on-a-chip technology
    are also of interest.

C.  **[GREEN BUILDINGS]{.underline}**

Green building is the practice of: (1) increasing the efficiency with
which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials; and
(2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment
through better siting, design, material selection, construction,
operation, maintenance, and removal of structures -- encompassing the
complete building life-cycle. The many elements of green buildings
include healthier indoor environments, conservation of energy, water and
materials, minimization of waste and reduction of environmental impacts
ranging from stormwater runoff to ecological toxicity to climate change.
This topic includes new technologies that can be used in LEED-rated
buildings. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a
voluntary green building rating system. (See
[[www.usgbc.org/leed]{.underline}](http://www.usgbc.org/).)

Identifying ways to reduce negative multi-media impacts of buildings and
construction on human health and the environment is one of the
priorities of EPA. Buildings in the US use more than one-third of all
energy, more than two-thirds of all electricity, 12 percent of all water
and produce more than one-third of all carbon dioxide emissions. Their
construction consumes one-fourth of all harvested wood and their
construction renovation and demolition produce more than 136 million
tons of waste annually. Health and productivity losses associated with
indoor air pollution are estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars
annually.

Examples of Green Building research needs include, but are not limited
to:

-   New green building materials, technologies or processes that have
    minimal or no negative environmental impacts from a life-cycle
    perspective. Examples of attributes may include recycle content, low
    toxicity, energy and water efficiency, biodegradability, and/or
    durability.

-   Technologies and systems to promote reuse and recycling of building
    materials to reduce multimedia impacts of disposal.

-   Real-time measurement of energy and water consumption in
    construction and operation of buildings. Technologies and/or systems
    to improve measurement and management of indoor environmental
    quality including assessment of health and productivity effects of
    current conditions vs. green practices such as green cleaning.

-   Environmentally preferable technologies that minimize the
    consumption of water and energy in buildings. Technologies and
    systems to reduce water impacts such as green roofs, pervious
    pavement, etc.

-   Re-designing products and building materials to enhance their
    recyclability (e.g., recycling-friendly adhesives and better bottle
    coatings).

-   Developing, measuring and improving performance of green building
    technologies with apparent multimedia benefits such as green roofs,
    underfloor air distribution systems, and daylighting.

**D. [DRINKING WATER AND WATER MONITORING]{.underline}**

EPA needs new treatment and measurement technologies for organic and
inorganic contaminants and disease-causing organisms, especially for
small systems Microorganisms of concern include Cryptosporidium and
other cyst-like organisms and emerging pathogens such as caliciviruses,
microsporidia, echoviruses, coxsackieviruses, adenoviruses, and others
on the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List. (See
www.epa.gov/OGWDW/ccl/cclfs.html) Areas of interest include, but are not
limited to:

1.  Improved detection and measurement techniques including screening
    kits for algal neurotoxins (especially cyanobacterial anatoxin) and
    cytotoxins in drinking water systems.

2.  Improved detection and measurement techniques for microbial
    pathogens that also address viability or infectivity, including
    online devices for continuous monitoring of pathogens and
    optimization of three-dimensional cell culture systems for growth of
    waterborne enteric viruses and bacteria for routine laboratory use.

3.  New amplification systems used in conjunction with microarrays that
    detect multiple classes of pathogens (viruses, protozoa, bacteria)
    found in water.

4.  Improved microfluidics-based devices for concentrating organisms in
    large volume samples.

5.  Development of innovative unit processes, particularly for small
    systems, for removal or inactivation of contaminants such as
    perchlorate, aluminum, pesticides, and pathogens.

 Alternatives to chlorine disinfection for inactivating pathogenic
microorganisms, including innovative applications of ultraviolet
radiation and processes that improve overall effectiveness while using
reduced amounts of disinfectant. The identity and characteristics of
by-products associated with alternative disinfectants is important.

**E. [WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT]{.underline}**

This topic includes five subtopics: (1) Infrastructure Rehabilitation;
(2) Source Water Protection; (3) Municipal Onsite and Decentralized
Wastewater Treatment; and (4) Water Conservation and Reuse.

INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION

The aging condition of our cities and deterioration of infrastructure
includes water distribution and sewerage systems. It has been estimated
that as much as [an additional]{.underline} \$23 billion/year for the
next 20 years are required to keep the U.S. water and wastewater
infrastructure functional and in compliance with applicable water
quality regulations. This infrastructure funding gap provides an
important research area addressing economic and efficient repair and
maintenance of the water and wastewater infrastructure. Areas of needed
research and interest include, but are not limited to:

-   Technologies that significantly increase the life expectancy of
    wastewater treatment systems, collection or distribution systems or
    water monitoring equipment. New technologies to more effectively
    construct, maintain, and repair new and existing urban wastewater
    collection and water distribution infrastructure at an acceptable
    cost.

-   Technologies aimed at reducing energy requirements, better managing
    energy use and the cost-effective production and recovery of
    renewable energy (green power) by wastewater treatment facilities.

-   More effective and less expensive technologies are needed to detect
    leaks, forecast structural failures, and repair/rehabilitate sewers
    and water distribution systems. Technologies for effective and
    economical detection, location, reporting, and analysis of critical
    defects, deterioration and failures in drinking water distribution
    and wastewater collection systems that are not adequately addressed
    by current approaches (e.g., closed-circuit TV, visual observation,
    and other in-line methods).

-   New non-leachable/inert pipe materials and relining techniques and
    innovative materials for water distribution systems that improve
    performance and life-cycle cost. Improved construction, cleaning,
    repair, rehabilitation, and replacement techniques and technologies
    to substantially reduce life cycle cost and failure rates of
    distribution and collection system pipes and other components (e.g.,
    manholes).

-   Inexpensive, minimally invasive techniques for repair of home sewer
    laterals--the connections between a household plumbing system and
    the sewer main.

SOURCE WATER PROTECTION

States are faced with major challenges in the restoration and protection
of the quality of its surface waters which serve irreplaceable functions
in supporting human health and viable ecosystems. Technology is needed
to better identify and monitor sources of pollution and protect water
quality. Needs under this topic include, but are not limited to:

6.  Innovative products, substitutes or novel application techniques
    that reduce contamination of waterways from roadway salts or coal
    tar pavement sealers.

7.  Simple self-contained food waste processor or digester for use in
    restaurants.

8.  Cost-effective, remotely operated water quality sampling devices
    (e.g., data sondes) for use in monitoring water quality which may
    include addressing locations which are difficult to access and
    require self sustaining power supplies and communication.

9.  Improved bacterial source-tracking in complex environmental matrices
    including use of rapid, reproducible DNA-based technology to detect
    and track fecal contamination back to the source.

10. Cost-effective technologies for the restoration of riparian zones
    for the purposes of decreasing the impacts of nutrients, clean
    sediments (suspended and bedded), and pathogens on aquatic
    ecosystems.

11. Field analytical methods to detect perchlorate in water samples.
    Perchlorate has been detected in groundwater and soil across the
    country. While there is currently no limit for perchlorate, EPA has
    set a preliminary remediation goal of 3.6 g/L. There is a need to
    develop field analytical methods that can achieve this quantitation
    level and overcome any interferents.

MUNICIPAL ONSITE AND DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Between 1972 and 1996, the Federal government invested more than \$60
billion to help upgrade and expand municipal wastewater treatment
systems to serve more households and to improve plant capacity. The
result was a dramatic improvement in water quality in many parts of the
U.S. However, the majority of these funds were devoted to the needs of
the 75% of the U.S. population that is served by centralized wastewater
treatment systems and many of these facilities are now approaching the
end of their design life which will likely lead to significant increases
in user rates if they are to be properly maintained into the future. The
remaining 25% of the U.S. households and 33% of new development are
served by on-site and decentralized treatment systems. In some areas of
the country, onsite system failure rates are high resulting in water
quality and public health concerns, creating a demand for additional
centralized treatment systems. At the same time, properly designed,
installed, operated and managed onsite and decentralized treatment
systems have the ability to provide levels of wastewater treatment and
water quality protection comparable to centralized collection and
treatment systems. Research is needed to improve existing municipal
wastewater treatment processes and treatment and management of septage
and sewage sludge (biosolids). Specific areas of interest include, but
are not limited to:

1.  New techniques to identify failed onsite septic systems (including
    possible use of remote sensing techniques) and tracking their
    impacts.

2.  Energy efficient technologies for onsite and decentralized
    wastewater treatment at small urban sources not serviced by existing
    wastewater infrastructure systems. Ideally, systems should be
    reliable, have low capital and operating costs, and low maintenance
    requirements.

3.  New, cost effective technologies that improve municipal wastewater
    treatment efficiency, septage processing or sludge recycling at
    facilities with design flows up to 50,000 gallons per day. More
    effective treatment technologies and systems for nutrient management
    and control. Biosolids recycling technologies that ensure product
    stability and odor control.

4.  Cost effective alternatives to the chlorination of municipal
    wastewater effluents, emphasizing the identity and characteristics
    of by-products associated with the alternative disinfection
    technologies.

5.  Treatment technologies and management systems capable of enhancing
    nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

6.  Technologies that remove personal care products, pharmaceuticals,
    antibiotics, endocrine disrupting compounds and other persistent
    organic pollutants from domestic wastewater and septage.

7.  New, cost effective technologies that improve the energy efficiency
    of wastewater or sludge treatment or result in the cost-effective
    recovery or production of useful products from wastewater effluents
    or residuals.

WATER CONSERVATION AND REUSE

Growing urbanization and development are leading to conflicts in meeting
the water demands for domestic, industrial, commercial, and agricultural
purposes. Difficulty in developing additional fresh water supplies is
leading to more interest in stretching limited existing fresh water
supplies through effective conservation measures and the development of
alternative sources such as the reuse of reclaimed wastewater effluents
for non-potable uses. Numerous programs have been developed to encourage
energy and water conservation. Guidelines have also been established to
help control a wide range of wastewater reclamation and reuse practices,
including use as a water supply for the irrigation of urban areas and
agricultural crops, industrial processing and cooling water, commercial
uses, recreational and aesthetic impoundments, creation and enhancement
of wetlands, stream augmentation, and groundwater recharge. Specific
areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

8.  New, cost effective technologies that significantly improve water
    use efficiency of water fixtures, appliances, irrigation systems,
    etc.

9.  New, cost effective technologies that can help improve the
    performance and energy efficiency of wastewater treatment practices
    to produce treated effluents of a quality that allows for reuse as
    an alternative water supply.

10. New pollution prevention, water conservation or treatment systems
    and technologies that reduce water use and promote industrial water
    reuse and recycling within plant production processes. New
    technologies that significantly increase the reuse of treated
    effluent from one industry to another are also of interest.

**F. [CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION]{.underline}**

This topic addresses air toxics and fine particulate (PM2.5) air
pollution (less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter). Important air
pollution priorities include reducing emissions from small air pollution
sources with large numbers of establishments, particularly small
industrial boilers, auto body and paint shops and restaurants. This
topic also includes efforts to address the environmental implications
associated with Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power
plants.

AIR POLLUTION SOURCES

Many air pollution sources emit multiple pollutants which are released
from a variety of processes present at a particular facility. These
emissions are either released out a stack (point source) or at many
points throughout a process (fugitive). Over the last twenty to thirty
years, many of the pollutants and processes have been regulated through
a multitude of different regulatory actions. Future efforts to address
source emissions and associated risks will increasingly address an
entire facility rather than individual emission points. In order to
effectively implement such an approach, technologies are needed that can
more holistically address emissions from key sectors contributing to air
pollution. The goal will be to identify technological options that can
address multiple emissions of concern with integrated technologies that
are less costly than the technologies used to address the pollutants
individually. While innovative approaches for all types of sources are
of interest, there is particular interest in small sources that
collectively are a significant pollution source and often do not have
the economic means or expertise to install multiple costly technologies.
Examples of these types of sources include small industrial boilers and
auto body shops and paint plants that emit particulates and volatile
organics. Restaurants and establishments that use fryers, broilers,
grills and other cookers to prepare food products are a problem source
of particulates and other air pollutants. Large numbers of small sources
collectively become a significant contributor to air pollution. EPA
needs include:

12. New technologies, process redesigns or other approaches that can
    reduce multiple pollutants from key sectors including refinery
    operations, pulp and paper mills and cement kilns at equal or lower
    costs than existing single pollutant technologies.

13. Retrofit and inexpensive air pollution control devices for small oil
    and coal-fired industrial boilers. These small sources (between 10
    and 100 million BTU boilers) are collectively large contributors to
    PM and other air pollution. EPA is also interested in technologies
    that help small fabric filters and electrostatic precipitators
    (ESPs) function more effectively.

14. Inexpensive and low maintenance retrofit technologies are needed for
    auto body shops and paint plants. Auto body shops repair automotive
    bodies and interiors and provide automotive painting and
    refinishing, emitting particulates and volatile organics. Paint
    plants mix pigments, solvents and binders into paint and other
    coating such as stains, lacquers and water repellent coatings.
    Plants also manufacture paint removers and cleaners.

15. Reformulations of stains and lacquers that reduce volatile organic
    compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter are also needed.
    Reformulations may be less expensive and easier to use than retrofit
    technologies.

16. Effective and inexpensive air pollution control devices for
    restaurants and establishments that use fryers, broilers, grills and
    other cookers to prepare food products. Simple retrofit technologies
    are needed to remove particulates (PM2.5), VOCs and other air
    pollutants. Retrofit technologies need to be inexpensive, easy to
    operate and low maintenance.

17. Power plant systems that utilize biomass mixed with coal to reduce
    particulate matter, mercury and/or other air pollutants.

COAL GASIFICATION

One of the most challenging problems we face is generating electricity
from coal in an environmentally sustainable way. Currently, over 50
percent of electricity comes from coal, and this percentage is unlikely
to go down given that the U.S. has 25 percent of the world's proven coal
reserves. However, generating electricity from coal is responsible for
approximately 2/3 of the U.S.'s sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions (which
contribute to air pollution problems such as fine particle pollution,
acid rain, and regional haze), 1/5 of the nitrogen oxides (NOx)
emissions (which contribute to ozone pollution as well as the problems
listed above), over 1/3 of our mercury air emissions, and has potential
water consumption/conservation concerns.

Integrated gasification combined cycle, or IGCC, which uses a gasifier
to transform coal (and other fuels) to gas, and then uses a combined
cycle power block to generate electricity, is one of the technologies
available to meet the challenge of generating electricity from coal in
an environmentally sustainable way. IGCC has lower emissions and the
potential to make carbon capture and sequestration much easier and
cheaper than would traditional coal plants. IGCC also has multi-media
environmental benefits, as it reduces the amount of water that is used,
provides a solid waste stream that can be a useful byproduct and it can
use coal and biomass as fuel.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has helped fund two IGCC
demonstration plants, but commercial deployment faces a number of
obstacles -- including higher capital costs and higher technology risk
relative to other generation technologies but obtaining financing for
the project being the most important. EPA is actively working with the
DOE and others to address environmental obstacles that could impact
bringing IGCC technology to the marketplace.

18. Development of innovative hot gas cleanup technology to allow for
    removal of reduced sulfur (H2S, COS) and nitrogen (NH3, HCN)
    compounds form the fuel gas at gasification operating temperatures.
    This can dramatically enhance the efficiency of this technology and
    lower capital and operating costs, by avoiding the need to cool
    down, with the associated energy loss, in order to use conventional
    clean-up technologies.

**G. [AIR MONITORING AND REMOTE SENSING]{.underline}**

Monitoring and remote sensing technologies are needed to identify
pollution problems and emission sources and to protect human health and
the environment. This topic includes three subtopics: (1) Air pollution
monitoring; (2) Continuous emission monitors; and (3) Remote sensing.

AIR POLLUTION MONITORING

Better air pollution monitors are needed for measuring Particulate
Matter (PM), ammonia, and other air pollutants. Needs include but are
not limited to:

19. Instruments that can speciate the PM coarse fraction on a real-time
    or near real-time basis as needed by the new NCore monitoring
    network. PM coarse fraction is defined as the fine particles in the
    10 micron to 2.5 micron size range.

20. Instruments that can quantify semi-volatile compounds (e.g.,
    naphthalene and other polycyclic compounds) in a semi-continuous
    time scale.

21. Better analytical instruments for continuous or short term,
    practical, sensitive ammonia measurements in the low ppb range.
    Also, development of a near real time sampler for ammonia.

22. Development of an automated event-based wet deposition collector and
    gauge. The sampler should require only weekly operator
    service/exchange and should integrate gauging with collection. This
    gauge should be able to interface with digital loggers and not
    require a stripchart.

23. Instruments that are able to semi-continuously characterize
    pollutants in either the gas or p phase and have a means to separate
    particles into fine particles (less than PM2.5) and coarse particles
    (particle size between PM 10 and PM2.5).

24. Development of an improved reliable and real time instrument for
    methane and non-methane organic compounds (NMOC). Instrument should
    have an internal zero air supply and no carrier gas or at least
    carrier gas at low flow to extend operation times to months instead
    of weeks. Detection limits for NMOC should be in the ppb range, auto
    range capability to catch events at more than 50 ppm. Full remote
    control capability by modem and capability of being networked to
    other continuous instruments at the site.

CONTINUOUS EMISSION MONITORS

Development is needed for Continuous Emission Monitors (CEMS) in the
following areas:

25. Multi-metal fence-line monitors that can be used to model and
    estimate the mass of metal emission from area sources and source
    apportion the emissions from specific emission points within the
    area sources.

26. Development of dilution type CEMS for measurement of fine particles
    \<2.5 microns in size from wet emission stacks.

27. CEMs for use with thermal hazardous waste treatment systems
    especially technologies or techniques which allow real time or near
    real time measurement of stack emissions for toxic organic and heavy
    metal air emissions.

REMOTE SENSING

EPA needs lower cost remote sensing instruments for detection of
facility leaks and finding the leak source at the component level. An
instrument that can also speciate the chemicals and/or quantify the
emission rate will be considered a plus but is not a requirement for
application for this proposal. The chemicals of most concern are highly
reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are in the mid to long
wave infrared (MWIR or LWIR) spectral window. This window is generally
defined as the 3-5 m (MWIR) to 8-13 m (LWIR). While portable MWIR
cameras and imagers exist that can identify leak locations of refinery
hydrocarbons, broad range MWIR and LWIR imagers and spectrometers are
needed to identify specific chemicals. Instrumentation must be:

28. Able to detect chemicals throughout the medium and longwave infrared
    spectrum

29. Able to detect emissions at a minimum mass flow rate of 60 grams per
    hour

30. Portable, so that it can be maneuvered in relatively tight spaces

31. Intrinsically safe for operation in gaseous environment

32. Able to detect low level differences between thermal plumes and
    atmospheric conditions

33. Able to visualize leaks at the source through interchangeable fixed
    lenses or zoom feature

The ability of the instrument to store data in a format compatible with
common software analysis programs like ENVI would be a plus.

EPA also needs low cost instruments for fence-line monitoring of
fugitive emissions. Many processes in the batch chemical,
pharmaceutical, and petroleum refinery industries have fugitive
emissions that are not released via stacks. The instrument should be
real-time or near real-time for monitoring of toxic organic pollutants
downwind at the facility fence line. Instrumentation should be able to:

34. Detect multiple chemicals crossing the plant boundary throughout the
    medium and longwave infrared spectrum

35. Compact in size and use non-liquid cooled detectors

36. Controlled by advanced software so that the systems can be run by
    existing normal testing crews

**H. [ENGINE AND VEHICLE EMISSIONS REDUCTION]{.underline}**

In recent years, EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ)
has established new regulations that reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx)
emissions from new diesel engines and NOx, total hydrocarbons (THC) and
carbon monoxide (CO) from gasoline-fueled vehicles. While new individual
engine and vehicle emissions levels have decreased, the emissions from
the overall fleet of engines and vehicles are still significant
contributors to high ozone levels in many urban areas.

This topic has been developed in cooperation with the Texas
Environmental Research Consortium (TERC), Texas New Technology Research
and Development (NTRD) Program and the Houston Advanced Research Center
(HARC). Collaboration between these Texas programs and SBIR awardees,
including assistance with prototype development, demonstration and
verification testing programs, is possible in Phase II and beyond. The
Texas NTRD program also provides non-SBIR grants for technologies that
show potential for commercialization and significant reduction of NOx
emissions. For more information about the Texas NTRD Program, visit
their website at: www.tercairquality.org.

This topic includes four subtopics: (1) Diesel Construction Equipment
Retrofits; (2) Heavy-duty hybrid truck technologies; (3) Ethanol and
Biodiesel Fuels; and (4) New Non-ethanol and non-biodiesel liquid
biofuels.

DIESEL CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT RETROFITS

The construction industry uses more than two million pieces of
diesel-powered off-road (nonroad) equipment across the country. Much of
this equipment has a long operational life, often lasting more than 25
to 30 years. About 31 percent of this current equipment has engines
manufactured before any emissions standards were in effect, and
therefore have no emission controls. Only an estimated 5 percent of
construction equipment meets EPA's current standard at the Tier 3
emissions level.

Mobile nonroad diesel powered equipment used by the construction
industry, ports, material handling and other industries are significant
sources of NOx emissions. This equipment includes, excavators, crawler
tractors/dozers, rubber tire loaders, rollers,
tractors/loaders/backhoes, surfacing equipment, graders, material
handling equipment, and bore/drilling equipment.

There are unique challenges to retrofitting construction equipment with
NOx-reducing emissions control technologies. The technologies need to
address issues such as extended idle and/or low speed operation periods,
vibration, high levels of fugitive dust, space limitations, and
visibility that are unique to equipment used by this sector. Retrofit
devices that are installed in fuel lines, such as magnets and "molecular
alignment" catalysts, will not be considered for funding under this
subtopic because they are addressed by other programs.

The new technologies should have broad application in order to ensure a
sufficiently large enough market to make commercialization successful.
Preferably, the technologies developed primarily for the construction
sector could also be implemented within the ports, locomotive, marine
and on-highway (heavy duty diesel vehicles) sectors. The new
technologies should reduce NOx emissions by at least 25 percent and not
focus on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). SCR emissions control
technologies that use urea or ammonia to help reduce NOx are being
developed by some companies but added infrastructure and complexities
associated with ammonia or urea frequently tend to make these
technologies less accepted by the construction industry and other users
of mobile diesel nonroad equipment. Specific research needs are:

-   Technologies that can significantly reduce NOx emissions from diesel
    engines with duty cycles resulting in exhaust gas temperatures below
    225C for a majority of the time the engine is operating. (SCR
    technologies typically are most effective at temperatures above
    225C.) Similar low exhaust temperatures can occur in cases where
    available space for installation of exhaust treatment devices is far
    enough removed from the engine so that a significant portion of the
    exhaust thermal energy is lost.

-   New technologies for the construction industry and other sectors
    that reduce NOx emissions without reliance on urea or ammonia. While
    it is preferable that these new technologies also improve engine or
    operational performance, they should, at a minimum, not affect
    equipment warranty, reliability or durability.

HEAVY-DUTY HYBRID TRUCK TECHNOLOGIES

Heavy-duty hybrid trucks, both hybrid-electric and hybrid-hydraulic
systems, show promise for various applications. Hybrid drivetrains have
shown the ability to reduce fuel consumption as well as exhaust
emissions. Most truck and system makers believe by 2010 there will be
several thousand hybrid trucks sold per year; though it is also
extremely clear that the system costs will likely still be higher than
the business case can fully justify in this interim period. There are
several likely and valuable enabling technologies and systems that could
lead to lower systems costs, making heavy-duty hybrid trucks more
efficient. Technologies are sought to demonstrate the technical and
economic viability of innovative technologies to improve the overall
efficiency of hybrid drivetrains, both electrical and hydraulic, for
heavy-duty truck applications.

These include:

-   ***Electrical components***: high value work is required on
    demonstrating commercial-path electric HVAC (heating, cooling and
    ventilation); electric cooling; electric steering and braking. These
    add capability to hybrids and also make for reduced fuel consumption
    and emissions, including idle reduction, in standard trucks.
    Innovative technologies to improve energy management systems for
    hybrid applications could accelerate the adoption of hybrids.

-   ***Hydraulic systems***: for hybrid-hydraulic trucks, there may be
    opportunities to increase efficiencies related to the overall
    system. Hybrid-hydraulic systems are generally robust and have the
    potential to cost less than hybrid-electric systems, however,
    hybrid-hydraulic systems are less technically advanced than the
    electric types. In particular, innovations to reduce the size and
    weight of the hydraulic accumulator and improving systems
    reliability are two potential areas of improvement.

ETHANOL AND BIODIESEL FUELS

New technologies are converting agricultural materials into biobased
products. New ethanol production facilities are converting biomass into
fuel, fuel substitutes and fuel additives. Meat rendering, greases and
food wastes are used to produce biodiesel products. EPA is interested in
developing environmentally friendly technologies that improve
efficiency, enhance recovery of waste materials and reduce life-cycle
environmental impacts. Needs include, but are not limited to:

37. Technologies to improve efficiencies at ethanol production plants,
    produce new biobased products, convert wastes into new products and
    further reduce air, water and waste disposal impacts from these
    plants.

38. Innovative thermochemical or biochemical technologies or integated
    gasification systems that produce ethanol or energy from waste
    materials, including forest wood biomass, grassland biomass, organic
    non-recyclable components of municipal solid waste, biosolids from
    wastewater treatment plants or other cellulosic waste material.

39. New, more efficient and cost effective methods for production of
    biodiesel fuels. Sound and economical technologies for utilizing
    meat rendering, greases and food wastes for biodiesel production are
    of particular interest.

NON-ETHANOL AND NON-BIODIESEL BIOFUELS

Dependence upon foreign sources of petroleum-based fuels has been an
ongoing concern since the 1970s. Work has been done to develop natural
gas and other fuel sources to reduce this dependency but additional fuel
sources are still needed. Currently, finished motor gasoline represents
approximately 50% of the finished petroleum products and 45% of the
total crude oil and petroleum products refined in the United States.
Fossil fuel consumption is also producing CO~2~ emissions as well as
other toxic emissions, such as CO and PM and criteria pollutant
emissions, such as NOx and HC. Regulations are in effect to reduce NOx,
THC, CO and PM emissions but additional technologies are needed to
reduce CO~2~ emissions. A plant derived biofuel that uses minimal
petroleum energy in the production process could be a way of reducing
overall CO~2~ emissions.

-   Technologies are sought to demonstrate the commercial and technical
    viability of the production and use of a non-ethanol based and
    non-biodiesel based liquid biofuel. Ideally, this fuel should be
    synthesized from plant materials using a bacteria digestion process
    which uses minimal petroleum-based energy in its production. The
    resulting fuel must be able to operate in internal combustion
    engines and have the ability/probability to meet federal emission
    requirements using readily available emissions control technologies,
    if needed. The fuel must not be more toxic than gasoline or diesel
    fuels currently sold in the USA; fuels that are less toxic will be
    favored. Finally, the price of the fuel must be competitive with
    conventional gasoline or diesel fuel.

**I. [ANIMAL WASTE AND WASTE TO ENERGY ]{.underline}**

Preventing and controlling water and air pollution from animal feeding
operations (AFOs) is a major priority. There are environmental problems
associated with cattle feedlots, hog operations, dairies and poultry
operations that confine large numbers of animals and store wastewater
and manure in a contained area for extended periods of time. AFOs are
typically conducted on a small amount of land where feed is brought to
the animals. Different types of animal feeding operations have similar
environmental problems. For example, a single cow produces 120 pounds of
wet manure per day or 22 tons of waste per year - a total of more than
30 million tons of waste. (For more information on AFOs, see:
[[www.epa.gov/npdes/afo]{.underline}]().) This topic includes two
subtopics: (1) Systems for animal waste management; and (2) AFO
waste-to-energy systems.

SYSTEMS FOR ANIMAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

Animal waste, wastewater, and manure need to be treated effectively and
systems need to be managed to avoid accidents, spills or excessive
runoff into receiving waters. Surface water can be polluted by rainy
season stormwater sweeping manure into the nearest ditch or stream, or
by leaching of waste material (e.g., nitrates and salts, pathogens \--
bacterial and viral, veterinary pharmaceuticals, natural and synthetic
hormones and their metabolites) into groundwater. Ammonia, methane,
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulfide and particulate
emissions are air pollutants of concern associated with AFOs. Examples
of technology needs for AFOs include, but are not limited to:

40. Cost-effective AFO technologies that offer cross-media solutions to
    manure management. Solutions that are media specific should consider
    impacts on other media. Technologies that offer optimal solutions
    for the maximum reduction of total environmental impacts are of
    particular interest to EPA.

41. New, cost-effective AFO technologies that reduce water pollution,
    including development of alternative uses for feedlot and AFO
    residuals.

42. New AFO feed additives that do not contain arsenic or other problem
    contaminants.

43. New, cost effective and efficient technologies to manage AFO wastes,
    wastewaters and solids, especially those that reduce releases of
    pathogens, nutrients, veterinary pharmaceuticals (e.g.,
    antibiotics), estrogens and androgens and synthetic steroid hormones
    such as trenbolone and melangestrol.

44. New technologies that reduce air pollution from AFOs, particularly
    pathogens, ammonia, methane, VOCs, hydrogen sulfide and particulate
    matter.

45. Improvements in land application technologies and practices for AFOs
    to prevent or reduce surface water and groundwater contamination
    from animal wastes.

46. Cost-effective technologies to monitor potentially affected water
    bodies, groundwater and soil where animal wastes from concentrated
    AFOs are managed using best management technologies and nutrient
    management plans (i.e., land application). The contaminants of
    concern include pathogens, nitrogen, phosphorus, pharmaceuticals,
    hormones and metals.

AFO WASTE-TO-ENERGY SYSTEMS

EPA is interested in AFO "waste-to-energy" technologies that combine
energy efficiency with solving the AFO waste management problem. Among
technologies of interest are gasification systems that include an
enclosed thermal device and associated gas cleaning system. These
systems limit oxygen concentrations in the enclosed thermal device to
prevent the full oxidization of thermally disassociated gaseous
compounds. Anaerobic digestion of manure is another system of interest.
Specific needs include:

47. Cost effective gasification technologies and systems designed or
    modified to gasify animal and farm wastes, including wastes from
    AFOs.

48. Gasification technologies and systems using AFO wastes that are part
    of another operation or application where technology improvements
    reduce or improve quality of residuals or significantly improve
    overall pollutant emission levels.

49. Waste-to-energy systems may include high efficiency anaerobic
    digestion systems that produce pipeline quality methane or lower
    quality gas that can be used on-site to reduce farm energy
    requirements from outside sources.

50. Biological systems that produce an enriched, easily transported
    feedstock for the above or other digester systems.

51. Innovative waste management systems which result in zero or near
    zero discharge to the environment which would allow farms to be
    dispersed onto otherwise non-productive soils.

**J. [WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING]{.underline}**

Over 40 million tons of hazardous waste are produced in the United
States each year by industrial facilities such as chemical
manufacturers, petroleum refineries and electroplaters, as well as by
businesses such as dry cleaners and auto repair shops. Innovative
approaches to clean up sediments contaminated by these industries and
new options to recycle, manage and monitor wastes are needed. This topic
includes four subtopics: (1) Cleanup of contaminated sediments; (2)
Hazardous waste management; (3) Solid waste recycling; and (4) Solid and
hazardous waste monitoring.

CLEANUP OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS

Hazardous waste contamination of near-shore and other sediments have
impacted marine life, disrupted the ecological food chain and resulted
in fish advisories to protect human health. Many urban rivers, harbors
and bays are much cleaner now, but the sediments have concentrated many
persistent bioaccumulative and toxic substances including
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), creosote, pentachlorophenol and heavy metals like arsenic and
mercury. Years of dumping by chemical plants, refineries, wood
preservers, painting and electroplating shops, shipyards and others have
contaminated the sediments.

Dredging has often been the preferred solution, but it is expensive and
may have impacts on the ecosystem. Even specialized equipment resuspends
some of the contaminated sediment within the water column. There are
also challenges associated with disposal of the dredged sediment,
particularly when the sediments are extremely contaminated. Areas of
needed research include, but are not limited to:

52. New technologies for beneficial use of contaminated sediments and/or
    dredged materials either alone or in combination with other
    industrial or municipal residuals or agricultural waste.

53. Development of technologies that inject materials like highly
    reactive metal particles, iron oxide, calcium carbonate or
    nanoparticles and other materials for in-situ cleanup of highly
    contaminated sediments. Other improvements are needed to accelerate
    in-situ decontamination, such as using specialized catalysts or
    coatings or delivering the material more effectively, such as in the
    form of an emulsion. Specialized technologies such as in-situ
    elution or desorption are needed. Also, more effective ways to
    immobilize, detoxify or remove sediment contaminants and in-situ
    bioremediation techniques that use a mixture of bacteria, nutrients
    and sediment conditions to accelerate contaminant detoxification
    rates.

54. Development of cost effective and minimally invasive monitoring
    technology to measure concentrations of contaminants in sediment hot
    spots, the relationship between sediment contaminants, particularly
    arsenic, and uptake of contaminants into the ecological and human
    food chain, and the bio-availability of contaminants in sediments.

55. Improved sediment capping materials such as reactive core mats where
    materials like coke-filled carpets are laid on the river bottom to
    detoxify or bind contaminants to prevent escape from the sediments
    into the water. Development of new techniques that work in the
    absence of oxygen deep within sediments and also utilize oxygen to
    detoxify upper reaches of sediments.

56. Development of a generic population modeling tool that can be
    readily adapted to site conditions to reflect the toxicology of
    contaminants present and the exposure and biology/demography of
    resident species. Complex sites have the potential for ecologically
    harmful effects even though individual sediment contaminant
    concentrations do not exceed critical thresholds.

57. Development of processes or methods for estimating post-dredging
    residuals. Historically, most sediment cleanups have included
    dredging as the main component of the remedy. Data suggests that
    achieving a low post-dredging residual sediment concentration is
    often difficult. To more effectively compare the cost-effectiveness
    and level of risk reduction of remedy alternatives, it is important
    to develop a more reliable estimate of the average surficial
    sediment concentration of contaminants of concern (COC) expected to
    remain after dredging.

HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT

Contaminants have permeated and adsorbed onto soils, diffused to
interstitial saturated zones, dissolved into ground waters and migrated
to subsurface aquifers. In many instances, contaminants have exhibited
physical and chemical properties that make them difficult to remove from
the environment. Contaminants may exist in subsurface deposits as
immobile gums or sludges difficult to access. They may be resistant to
normal subsurface chemical and biological degradation processes. They
may strongly adsorb on soil structures and be only slightly soluble in
aqueous concentrations. Innovative and cost effective technologies are
needed in areas including, but not limited to:

-   Innovative ex-situ and in-situ treatment technologies for
    mercury-contaminated soil. Mercury exists as organo-mercury
    complexes, phenyl mercury, methyl mercury and mixed mercury wastes.
    Cost effective, innovative technologies are needed to treat, remove,
    or immobilize these forms of mercury.

-   Improved treatment of solid and/or liquid wastes contaminated with
    PBTs or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Detoxification
    chemical methods, physical methods for subsurface mixing to enhance
    mobilization and mass transfer and biotreatment methods in the
    saturated and unsaturated zone are of particular interest.

-   Approaches for in-situ treatment of dense non-aqueous phase liquids
    (DNAPL) from the subsurface, especially cost effective in-situ
    destruction technologies. Special need for technologies that
    optimize how DNAPL can be removed from fractured rock where fissures
    and fractures allow for transport of DNAPL, making remediation
    particularly difficult.

SOLID WASTE RECYCLING

This topic includes management, treatment and recycling of municipal and
industrial solid waste. Areas of interest include construction and
demolition debris and several needs associated with the EPA Resource
Conservation Challenge (RCC). Solid waste recycling is a complex and
growing industry ripe for innovation both in the collection of
recyclable materials and in the processing of those materials into
usable goods. Solid waste recycling infrastructure includes more than
12,000 drop-off sites and some 9,000 curbside programs that collect
recyclable materials. An estimated 136 million tons of building-related
construction and demolition debris are generated annually. The RCC is a
major national effort to find flexible, yet more protective ways to
conserve our valuable resources through waste reduction and energy
recovery. For more information on the RCC, see
[[www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/index.htm.]{.underline}](http://www.epa.gov/)
Areas of interest for innovation include, but are not limited to:

-   Technologies and processes for improved recovery of construction and
    demolition debris.

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-   Separation, recovery and recycling of components from computers,
    printers, monitors and consumer electronics.

-   Cost effective and low emission technology for scrap tire disposal,
    including incineration/use as fuel.

-   Control of odors in the management and recycling of gypsum wall
    board (i.e., control of hydrogen sulfide gas).

-   Multiple recovery and recycling of different plastic materials from
    automobile salvage operations.

-   Alternative technologies for recycling agricultural plastic films.
    Films such as plastic wrap or covers for dairy farm forage are often
    burned or plowed into the ground. New products are needed such as
    biodegradable wraps or films that transform into soil nutrients
    and/or new technologies that promote recycling of agricultural
    films.

SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MONITORING

EPA's waste management programs are seeking better sampling, analysis,
and monitoring technologies to improve landfills, advance hazardous
waste site cleanup and regulated waste process activities. This area
includes technologies to address industrial and waste processes,
accurate and cost effective identification and characterization of
contaminants at waste sites, monitoring the performance of site cleanup
activities and remedies both during construction and also during
long-term operations, and techniques to support the closeout of cleanup
activities and to support land revitalization beyond site cleanup
phases. More information on these needs is available at
[[http://clu-in.org/programs/21m2/needs.cfm]{.underline}](http://clu-in.org/programs/21m2/needs.cfm)
Areas with significant technology needs and gaps include:

58. Technologies or systems for detecting releases that are more
    sensitive, less prone to human error and that are as cost effective
    as current leak detection methods. Development of such new
    technologies would demonstrate to underground storage tank (UST)
    owners and regulatory agencies the feasibility of improving current
    methods. One area of particular need is the acceptability of vapor
    monitoring to determine the relatively low volatile emissions
    characteristic of diesel fuel releases. Better leak detection
    techniques including improved and reliable vapor detection systems
    that determine leakage from low-volatile carbon compounds such as
    diesel.

59. Improved testing method for vapor intrusion. Currently sampling
    methods are expensive and the analysis and validation of data is
    lengthy. Less expensive methods are needed that yield reproducible,
    defensible results in an expeditious timeframe to assist with
    decisions regarding the need to address subslab vapors.

60. Sensor technologies for long-term monitoring of groundwater.
    Chemical specific (e.g., perchloroethene or trichloroethene) in-situ
    sensors are needed that can be queried remotely multiple times
    without biofouling or need for maintenance re-calibration. Sensors
    should meet required pollutant detection levels and be small enough,
    yet robust and at a reasonable cost to deploy with flux meters and
    piezometers to characterize change over small vertical and
    horizontal scales.

61. Cost-effective leak detection technologies are needed for small
    municipal landfills. In addition, sensors are needed to monitor the
    integrity and effectiveness of slurry walls and liners and passive
    treatment (e.g., permeable reactive barrier systems).

62. Drum top crushers are devices used to crush fluorescent lamps prior
    to transport for recycling of the mercury, glass and other
    components in the lamps. EPA and the states are currently
    determining how to best regulate these units to ensure they do not
    release mercury. Technologies and systems are needed that measure
    the effectiveness of drum top crushing at retaining mercury during
    use, during drum change-over and when units are idle.

63. Non-invasive or minimally invasive technologies for locating and
    monitoring the presence and persistence of hazardous contaminants in
    the subsurface , including non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs),
    particularly dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). EPA is
    seeking technologies that are capable of locating small volumes of
    DNAPL, characterizing/imaging the contamination, assisting with the
    visualization of the DNAPL relative to potential pathways in the
    subsurface geology, and supporting the modeling and optimization of
    treatment systems.

**K. [COAL BED METHANE AND OIL & GAS DRILLING]{.underline}**

Environmental issues are a significant part of every energy industry
endeavor whether exploiting new natural gas resources or coal bed
methane in Western US or extending field development in coastal areas of
the US. New, innovative technologies are needed to exploit natural
resources with a reduced environmental footprint. New technologies may
eliminate the impact of drilling and production operations on
ecologically sensitive areas. This topic includes two subtopics: (1)
Coal Bed Methane; and (2) Oil & Gas Drilling.

COAL BED METHANE

There may be as many as 20,000 coal bed methane (CBM) wells in the
Western US. In the Montana/Wyoming Powder River Basin alone, there are
over 10,000 CBM wells and up to 10 new wells are drilled each day. Each
well must de-water the aquifer to allow the methane to be captured. The
average formation water from each well is about one million gallons per
week and this water is discharged to streams or ponds with little
captured for any beneficial use. Over its 15 year life, each well will
discharge about the same amount of water that 100,000 people would drink
over their lifetimes. Aquifer drawdown impacts large areas, groundwater
and surface water is contaminated, streams and local environments are
altered. New cost effective technologies are needed to capture,
conserve, reuse and otherwise not waste the formation water from these
wells. Examples of research needs include, but are not limited to:

-   Environmentally friendly drilling methods that reduce the overall
    impacts from drilling new CBM wells and minimize the volume of
    formation water.

-   New downhole separators including pumps, centrifugal or
    gravitational systems and other new technology devices that are
    placed inside wells and decrease or eliminate formation waters that
    must be brought to the surface in connection with CBM production.

-   Better, less expensive treatment methods that reuse, reinject or
    return the clean formation water back into drinking water aquifers.

-   New technologies including phytoremediation to reduce pollutants,
    soil loss, sediments and erosion.

OIL & GAS DRILLING

Produced water is the number one waste management issue related to
drilling and production operations. The disposition of drilling wastes
is the second highest issue.

Oil and gas operations on leases that have been in production for
extended time produce copious amounts of brine water along with the
associated oil and gas. Produced water, (any water that is present in a
reservoir with the hydrocarbon resource) is produced to the surface with
the crude oil or natural gas. The oil and gas industry is experiencing
increased volume of produced water handled in both onshore and offshore
petroleum production operations. The resulting operational costs and
environmental issues are a major concern, especially with the
possibility of further reduction in the oil content allowed in the
discharged water (offshore operations, as well as the fact that produced
water contains a number of undesirable toxic components). Several
different methods are available to separate salt and other solids from
seawater. It may be possible to economically adopt these seawater
separation technologies to produced water applications. Additionally,
there may be other, new, innovative technologies that may be more
applicable to produced water applications.

-   New, innovative technologies to generate useful products from
    produced water associated with oil and gas production.

Use of petroleum resources in a more environmentally friendly manner
(greener use) requires appropriate management of all waste streams
generated over the entire life cycle of a development beginning with
initial planning of projects and operations right through to
decommissioning and site restoration. Quality waste management
approaches are crucial to achieve this goal. The principal aim of waste
management is to ensure that waste does not contaminate the environment
at such a rate or in such a form or quantity as to overload natural
assimilative processes and cause pollution. Eliminating or minimizing
waste generation is crucial, not only to reduce environmental
liabilities but also operational cost. Many disposal practices of the
past are being questioned.

-   New, innovative technologies to minimize drilling wastes and/or
    generate useful products from drilling wastes.

**L. [LARGE-SCALE DISASTER DEBRIS MANAGEMENT]{.underline}**

One of the most challenging aspects of catastrophic, large-scale
disasters is debris removal, separation and final disposition, including
efforts to increase/maximize recovery of materials in an efficient and
cost-effective manner. Another need is better structures especially
green buildings that can withstand winds and floods. This topic includes
two subtopics: (1) Source separation, recycling and volume reduction;
and (2) Natural-disaster-resistant green buildings.

SOURCE SEPARATION, RECYCLING AND VOLUME REDUCTION

Disaster debris (such as that resulting from flooding, hurricane,
earthquake, etc.) typically consists of a very complex mixture of
varying types of naturally-occurring and manmade materials, including:
structural debris, woody biomass, animal carcasses, household hazardous
waste, tanks, electronics, white goods, automobiles and boats, and many
other types of materials. It can contain varying degrees and amounts of
toxic and otherwise hazardous materials and wastes. Disaster debris can
require expensive and time-consuming handling and processing to get it
to final disposition. Areas of needed technological research for
effective and efficient debris management include, but are not limited
to, the following:

-   Source separation technologies, tools and systems that can be used
    in various stages of the separation process for different types of
    debris.

-   Recycling and beneficial use of materials including technologies and
    systems that are capable of creating commercially-viable products
    from the different types of debris, as well as cost-effectively
    transporting these materials.

-   Volume reduction technologies and systems that can efficiently and
    cost-effectively reduce the size and volume of disaster debris that
    is to be land disposed.

-   Technologies that separate or break down toxic components of
    disaster debris to allow safe management of materials.

NATURAL DISASTER-RESISTANT GREEN BUILDINGS

Recent hurricanes along the coastline of the southeastern United States
have had devastating effects on the built environment. Structures have
demonstrated differing abilities to withstand winds and floods. There is
a need to better understand why some buildings are able to survive
disasters and to translate this understanding into developing better
natural disaster resistance. Concurrent with the need to improve natural
disaster resistance is the need to practice green building methods.
Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which
buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials while
reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through
the complete building life cycle. Combining natural disaster resistance
with green building processes should lead to an environmentally
sustainable built environment. Examples of research needs related to
natural disaster resistant green buildings include, but are not limited
to, the following:

-   Systems, processes and technologies that incorporate novel costing
    techniques for conducting cost estimations, cost analyses and
    cost-benefit assessments for constructing natural-disaster resistant
    green buildings.

-   Improved methods, processes and technologies for evaluating the
    resistance of structures and building materials to natural
    disasters.

-   New building materials, technologies, or processes that increase
    resistance of buildings to natural disasters while causing fewer
    multimedia environmental problems

**M. [TECHNOLOGY FOR VILLAGES AND SMALL COMMUNITIES]{.underline}**

There are special needs for Alaskan Native Villages, rural regions of
Puerto Rico and small communities throughout the US. This topic includes
three specific "special technology" needs: (1) Low cost and efficient
solid waste management systems that reduce waste volume and replace open
burning in rural Alaskan Native Villages; (2) Low cost drinking water
filtration/chlorination units for small Puerto Rican communities (i.e.,
25 -- 500 individuals); and (3) Outdoor wood-fired hydronic heaters and
new fireplace designs.

ALASKA SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Low cost and efficient systems are needed to assist in solid waste
management by reducing volume and, replacing open burning at landfills
and dumps in rural Alaskan Native Villages. Systems could include
technology such as, but not limited to: combustion/incineration systems,
or grinder and composting systems. Technologies that reduce volume of
solid waste while minimizing air pollution but are still affordable and
easily operated in villages are desired.  These sites are typically
located in wetlands, are remote, and transportation is via barge or
plane. Combustion/incineration technology should sustain a high
operating temperature so less air pollution is emitted (preferably
greater than 1200 ^o^ F) under realistic field conditions. Therefore
technology should have enhanced combustion, such as a under-fire air, a
mechanical draft, supplemental fuel, and a method to retain heat within
the burning chamber. Field conditions include rain, snow, freeze and
thaw cycles, and a full residential waste stream, with little to no
recycling of any product. Populations average 300 to 700 persons, with a
handful reaching between 1,000 to 1,500 persons. However, waste
generation in these villages is often on average 30% less than
conventional communities.

The most important consideration is ongoing operation costs including
low fuel costs, ease in operation, and low maintenance. Fuel costs for
operation are a major limiting factor in conventional incinerators. To
be widely applicable, it is hoped that operational costs for the unit
itself will range from \$5,000 per year to \$30,000 maximum per year.
Lower costs would be evaluated extremely favorably. The equipment should
also be easily transported to and constructed at remote sites, have the
ability to provide electricity (such as a generator) if that is needed
to operate, provide for easy waste loading and ash unloading, maximize
the capture of flyable ash, and include animal-proofing. Mobility of the
unit once on-site is a plus as Village site conditions change. Design of
the unit to be operated 4 days per week or less is preferred, so that a
3 day storage capacity would be helpful. To be reasonably affordable,
the capital cost of each unit including its installation should be less
than \$300,000 with more villages being able to afford it if the cost
were nearer to \$100,000 or less. Increased costs of the unit should be
associated with demonstrable increased air quality and/or decreased
operation costs. If capital and operation costs are minimized, there are
approximately 200 Alaska Villages that could benefit from this
technology.

PUERTO RICO DRINKING WATER TREATMENT

There are more than 250 drinking water systems that primarily serve
small communities in the east and southern regions of Puerto Rico. These
systems are outside of the Puerto Rico Aquaduct and Sewer Authority
(PRASA). Many non-PRASA systems have no treatment or have treatment
systems that cannot be used. Most of these systems utilize groundwater
and serve populations from 100 -- 500 individuals with average flow
rates of less than 50,000 gallons per day (GPD). Systems serving 25 --
100 individuals usually utilize surface water with average flow rates of
15,000 GPD. Treatment at non-PRASA systems is dominated by chlorination.
In order to meet drinking water treatment requirements, novel
filtration/chlorination units need to be developed for these communities
(25 -- 500 individuals) using either groundwater or surface water
sources. These new systems need to be low cost, fabricated with parts
and supplies that are easily obtainable within Puerto Rico and easy to
build, operate and maintain.

OUTDOOR WOOD-FIRED HYDRONIC HEATERS AND NEW FIREPLACE DESIGNS

There are over 70,000 small (500,000 BTU/hr or less) outdoor wood-fired
hydronic heaters (OWHHs) used to supplement energy for residential and
commercial heating and hot water and sales are increasing. Generally,
commercially available units utilize poor combustion technology.
Incomplete combustion and inefficient OWHH designs produce emissions
with high levels of particulate matter, especially during start-up and
addition of new fuel. These OWHH retrofit technology designs need to be
simple and easy to operate, inexpensive and have low maintenance
requirements.

64. Controls that optimize performance during start-up and fuel addition
    when emissions increase significantly.

65. New OWHH designs that improve performance (e.g., increased
    efficiency) and reduce emissions of particulates and hazardous air
    pollutants (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene,
    formaldehyde and dioxins). Current designs are aimed at low cost for
    residential users and new designs need to be inexpensive with low
    emissions. Investigation of new more efficient designs of the heater
    component that exchanges heat from the combustion chamber to the
    water are sought including those that separate the combustion
    chamber and the water.

**N. [HOMELAND SECURITY]{.underline}**

There are significant efforts throughout the government to develop and
implement homeland security systems. EPA needs improved technologies
that detect acts of terrorism, contain and respond to the problem and
protect the American people and the environment. This topic includes
three subtopics: (1) Decontamination; (2) Drinking Water and Wastewater
Security; and (3) Emergency Response.

DECONTAMINATION

One of EPA's goals following the events of September 11, 2001 is to
evaluate, characterize and develop tools that can be used to
decontaminate and manage hazardous chemical and biological materials
purposefully introduced into buildings and outdoor spaces. Needs
include, but are not limited to:

1.  Accurate and field-rugged ClO2 monitors for use in monitoring
    decontamination operations. Also, accurate and field-rugged H2O2
    monitors and field calibrators for H2O2 monitors.

2.  Biological and chemical decontamination systems that can be applied
    safely, effectively and quickly at reasonable cost to fully
    remediate enclosed, semi-enclosed or outdoor facilities (commercial,
    private or governmental owned), structures, vehicles and other
    critical infrastructure and equipment. Such methods would need to
    address decontamination of common indoor and/or outdoor
    environmental surfaces. Important considerations, in addition to
    efficacy of decontamination, are materials compatibility, cost,
    safety, availability, ease of use, expendable supply needs and
    associated disposal requirements.

3.  Safe, efficient and cost-effective treatment and disposal methods
    for biological and/or chemical contaminated waste material.

4.  Soil/vegetation decontamination methods for pathogens and persistent
    chemicals released outdoors.

DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER SECURITY

This research may address either physical or cyber threats potentially
resulting in disablement and disruption in services provided by
various-sized drinking water and wastewater systems. Technologies,
equipment, and other tools are needed to detect, measure, monitor and
warn of the presence of chemical and biological contaminants, contain
and treat source and contaminated water, minimize cross connections
between drinking water and wastewater systems, and decontaminate water
distribution system equipment. These technologies could be used by
drinking water and wastewater utility operators, emergency response
personnel and other decision officials. Classes of contaminants of
concern include: biological organisms (e.g., spores, viruses, bacteria);
biotoxins and chemicals (including pesticides, toxic industrial
chemicals, chemical warfare agents, persistent, bioaccumulative toxins
both metal-based (e.g., mercury) and organic-based (e.g., PCBs)).
Ideally, research in this area should also benefit the larger context of
safe water even under non-threat situations.

5.  Technologies for detecting, measuring and monitoring water and
    wastewater for the presence of chemical, biological and radiological
    contaminants that could be introduced pre- or post- treatment. These
    technologies include hand-held, in-line or slip stream devices that
    can provide a result in near-real-time and that can be used as part
    of an early warning system. Research is also needed for improved
    equipment longevity and reliability under conditions relevant to
    drinking water or wastewater systems.

6.  Security systems and technologies including early warning "smart"
    systems which use detection devices and techniques in combination
    with computer-based software, to help drinking water and wastewater
    utility operators identify contaminants in water systems. Research
    is also needed on software or computer-driven planning tools to
    provide analysis and operational optimization when a portion of a
    water system becomes disabled or disrupted.

7.  Sampling techniques to aid in the confirmation of early warning
    system responses: when an early warning system is triggered and/or
    identifies a potentially contaminated volume of water within a water
    or wastewater system, there is the accompanying need to capture a
    sample of this volume for confirmatory analysis. Technologies that
    can accomplish this sampling automatically or semi-automatically are
    needed.

8.  Technologies, equipment, and techniques to treat water in the event
    of a disablement or disruption to a water system. Research is also
    needed for improved treatment technologies which include point of
    use/point of entry (POU/POE) treatment devices for individual homes,
    buildings, and structures and transportable or modular treatment
    systems which could be employed for the duration of time when water
    supplies are contaminated or treatment systems are inoperable.

9.  Technologies, equipment, and techniques to decontaminate water or
    wastewater that has been contaminated with chemical, biological or
    radiological, and as appropriate biochemical contaminants, prior to
    its release for added treatment or to receiving waters.

10. Technologies, equipment, and techniques to decontaminate water or
    wastewater systems and equipment and return them to use with minimal
    down time and so that they are in compliance with established level
    of cleanliness with respect to receiving waters.

11. Technologies, equipment, and techniques for disposal of residues
    (e.g., floc, sludge) associated with the above decontamination
    activities. Research is also needed on technologies, equipment, and
    techniques to minimize the effects of deliberate disruption of
    drinking water systems including cross-connection to wastewater
    systems.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

EPA needs better tools to respond to homeland security emergencies.
Research is needed to develop improved test kits for detecting
biological and chemical contaminants. Needs include, but are not limited
to:

12. Field test kits are needed to rapidly (10 min or less) collect and
    identify hazardous biological and chemical contaminants on indoor
    surfaces with very low rates of false positives/negatives. Kits
    should be sensitive to relevant health effects levels or other
    levels of concern, easy to use, relatively inexpensive (\$200 or
    less) and stable during prolonged storage. EPA is interested in
    field kits for anthrax, smallpox, plague, ricin, botulism toxin and
    chemical contact poisons (e.g., highly toxic commercial pesticides).

**IX. SUBMISSION FORMS AND CERTIFICATIONS**

The attached forms, Appendix A - Proposal Cover Sheet, Appendix B -
Project Summary, and Appendix C - SBIR Proposal Summary Budget, should
be downloaded and printed from the Internet or photocopied, and
completed as indicated under Section III, Proposal Preparation
Instructions and Requirements. The purpose of these forms is to meet the
mandate of law or regulation and simplify the submission of proposals.

**Appendix A**

**U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY**

**SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM**

**SOLICITATION NO. PR-NC-07-10155**

**SBIR PHASE I**

**PROPOSAL COVER SHEET**

PROPOSAL
TITLE\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

FIRM
NAME:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

ADDRESS:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

CITY:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
STATE:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ ZIP:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

AMOUNT REQUESTED:\$ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ PROPOSED DURATION (PHASE
I): 6 MOS

(Not to Exceed \$70,000)

\*\*\*\*\*\*Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation will be
valid for 300 days\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

RESEARCH TOPIC (check one)

\_\_\_\_ A. Innovation in Manufacturing

\_\_\_\_ B. Nanotechnology

\_\_\_\_ C. Green Buildings

\_\_\_\_ D. Drinking Water and Water Monitoring

\_\_\_\_ E. Water and Wastewater Management

\_\_\_\_ F. Control of Air Pollution

\_\_\_\_ G. Air Monitoring and Remote Sensing

\_\_\_\_ H. Engine and Vehicle Emissions Reduction

\_\_\_\_ I. Animal Waste and Waste to Energy

\_\_\_\_ J. Waste Management and Monitoring

\_\_\_\_ K. Coal Bed Methane and Oil & Gas Drilling

\_\_\_\_ L. Large-Scale Disaster Debris Management

\_\_\_\_ M. Technology for Villages and Small Communities

\_\_\_\_ N. Homeland Security

CERTIFICATIONS AND AUTHORIZATIONS: Answer Y(Yes) or N(No)

\_\_\_\_1. The above concern certifies that it is a small business
concern and meets the definition as stated in the program solicitation.

\_\_\_\_2. The above concern certifies that a minimum of 2/3 of the
research and/or analytical effort will be performed by the proposing
firm.

\_\_\_\_3. If the proposal does not result in an award, is the
Government permitted to disclose the title and technical abstract page
of your proposed project, and the name, address, and telephone number of
the official of the proposing firm to any inquiring parties?

\_\_\_\_4. The above concern certifies that it is a woman owned small
business concern and meets the definition as stated in the program
solicitation.\*

\_\_\_\_5. The above concern certifies that it is a socially and
economically disadvantaged small business concern and meets the
definition as stated in the program solicitation.\*

\_\_\_\_6. The above concern certifies it is a HUBZone small business
concern and meets the definition as stated in the program
solicitation.\*

\_\_\_\_7. Do you plan to send, or have you sent, this proposal or a
similar one to any other federal agency? If yes, which? Use acronym(s)
for each agency, (e.g., DOD, NIH, DOE, NASA,
etc.)\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

8\. Choose one of the following to describe your Organization Type:

\_\_\_\_\_Individual \_\_\_\_\_Partnership
\_\_\_\_\_Corporation\_\_\_\_\_LLC

9\. Provide the following information: Tax Identification
No:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Dun & Bradstreet Number:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_Common
Parent Name:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* For statistical purposes only.

ENDORSEMENTS

Principal Investigator: Corporate/Business Official:

Print Name:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Print
Name:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Title:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Title:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Telephone:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Telephone:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Fax:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Fax:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Email:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Email:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Signature:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Signature:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Date:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Date:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

PROPRIETARY NOTICE: These data shall not be disclosed outside the
Government and shall not be duplicated, used or disclosed in whole or in
part for any purpose other than evaluation of this proposal. If a
funding agreement is awarded to this offeror as a result of or in
connection with the submission of these data, the Government shall have
the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided
in the funding agreement and pursuant to applicable law. This
restriction does not limit the Government\'s right to use information
contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without
restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained on
pages\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_of this proposal.

**Appendix B**

**U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY**

**SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM**

**SOLICITATION NUMBER PR-NC-07-10155**

**SBIR PHASE I**

**PROJECT SUMMARY (Limit to Two Pages)**

FIRM NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS:

Firm Name: Telephone:

Address: Fax:

City State:

Email:

TITLE OF PROPOSAL:

RESEARCH TOPIC LETTER AND DESCRIPTION:

NAME, TITLE AND E-MAIL ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT
MANAGER:

**\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--**

**TECHNICAL ABSTRACT, RESULTS, AND POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATION**

**(Limit to 400 Words; Must be Publishable):**

**Appendix C**

**SBIR PROPOSAL SUMMARY BUDGET**

(See Instructions on Reverse Side)

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Organization and Address

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

A. DIRECT LABOR(PI and other staff, list separately) Hours/Est. Rate: \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

--\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

B. OVERHEAD: \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

C. OTHER DIRECT COSTS: (list separately) \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

D. TRAVEL: List purpose and individuals and or title \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Attend one-day SBIR Kick-Off Meeting in Washington, DC

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

E. CONSULTANTS: (List Est. Rate and Hours) \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

F. GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE: \$

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**TOTAL COSTS (Total of A thru F above)**

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\$\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

G. PROFIT ( \_\_\_\_%) Not to exceed 10% of total project costs
\$\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

==================================================================================

**TOTAL PROJECT PRICE (Total costs + Profit) \$\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

PRINT NAME: TITLE:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

SIGNATURE: DATE SUBMITTED:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

This proposal is submitted in response to EPA SBIR Program Solicitation
No. PR-NC-07-10155 and reflects our best estimate as of this date.

**INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPENDIX C**

The purpose of this form is to provide a vehicle whereby the offeror
submits to the Government a pricing proposal of estimated costs with
detailed information for each cost element, consistent with the
offeror\'s cost accounting system.

If the completed summary is not self-explanatory and/or does not fully
document and justify the amounts requested in each category, such
documentation should be contained, as appropriate, on a budget
explanation page immediately following the budget in the proposal. The
form Appendix C will count as one page in the 25 page limit, and any
budget explanation pages included will count separately toward the 25
page limit. (See below for discussion on various categories.)

A. Direct Labor - List individually all personnel included, the
estimated hours to be expended and the rates of pay (salary, wages, and
fringe benefits).

B. Overhead - Specify current rate(s) and base(s). Use current rate(s)
negotiated with the cognizant federal negotiating agency, if available.
If no rate(s) has (have) been negotiated, a reasonable rate(s) may be
requested for Phase I which will be subject to approval by EPA. Offerors
may use whatever number and types of overhead rates that are in
accordance with their accounting systems and approved by the cognizant
federal negotiating agency, if available.

C. Other Direct Costs - List all other direct costs which are not
otherwise included in the categories described above, i.e., computer
services, publication costs, subcontracts, etc. List each item of
permanent equipment to be purchased, its price, and explain its relation
to the project.

D. Travel - Address the type and extent of travel and its relation to
the project. Include travel expenses for a one-day SBIR Phase I Kick-Off
Meeting in Washington, DC.

E. Consultants - Indicate name, daily compensation, and estimated days
of service.

F. General and Administrative (G&A) - Same as B. Above.

G. Profit - Reasonable fee (estimated profit) will be considered under
this solicitation. For guidance purposes, the amount of profit should
not exceed 10% of total project costs.

**Appendix D**

**SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOURCES**

State-of-the-art information, including service and cost details, useful
in preparing SBIR proposals or in guiding research efforts may be
obtained from the following sources:

National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

5288 Port Royal Road

Springfield, VA 22161

\(513\) 569-7562

EPA Headquarters Library (3404)

US Environmental Protection Agency

401 M Street, SW

Washington, DC 20460

\(202\) 260-5922

The Hazardous Waste Collection and Database are available for use in the
EPA Headquarters Library, the 10 EPA Regional libraries, EPA
laboratories in ADA, OK; Edison, NJ; Las Vegas, NV; Research Triangle
Park, NC and the National Enforcement Investigations Center in Denver,
CO. The Database runs on an IBM AT/XT or compatible equipment and may be
purchased from NTIS using the NTIS order number PB87-945000.

The Environmental Quality Instructional Resources Center

1200 Chambers Road, R.310

Columbus, OH 43212

\(614\) 292-6717

\[Especially related to Drinking Water and Waste Water Treatment\]

National Small Flows Clearinghouse (SWICH)

P.O. Box 7219

Silver Spring, MD 20910

1-800-677-9424

\[Topic themes include source reduction, recycling, composting, waste
combustion, collection, transfer, disposal, landfill gas, and special
wastes\]

ACCESS EPA (#055-000-00509-5) 1995 Edition

A consolidated guide to EPA information resources, services, and
products. It provides access to:

Public information tools

Major EPA dockets

Clearing houses and hot lines

Records management programs

Major EPA environmental database

Library and information services

State environmental libraries

\"ACCESS EPA\" may be ordered at a cost of \$16.00 each from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, New Orders, Superintendent of Documents,
P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954, or telephone (202)512-1800,
or from NTIS using order number PB-147438.

Vendor Information System for Innovative Treatment Technologies (VISITT)
Profiles 325 innovative technologies available from 204 vendors to treat
ground water in situ, soil, sludges, and sediments. Includes
technologies in all stages of development-bench, pilot, or full. VISITT
is available at no charge on diskettes compatible with personal
computers using DOS operating systems. To order VISITT diskettes and
user manual, and to become a registered user, call the VISITT Hotline at
1-800-245-4505.

**Appendix E: COMMERCIALIZATION FACT SHEET**

(Finding Commercial Products; Conducting a Patent Search; Searching for
Federal Research; Standards/Certifying Bodies)

***FINDING COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS***

The technology you are proposing may already be being sold in the
market. There are five web searches recommended as the minimum for
determining if the technology is commercially available. In each case,
when having trouble look for the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) or
other advice on searching.

*Web Search using General Search Engines*

There are around 320 million indexed web pages and the web continues to
grow exponentially. One problem with this rate of growth is that no
single web search engine is capable of indexing the whole of cyberspace.
We recommend using at least one meta-engine and two search engines.

A meta-engine is a search engine which searches other engines that
actually catalog or index sites. Examples are Metacrawler
,[[http://www.metacrawler.com/]{.underline}](http://www.metacrawler.com/),
and Dogpile,
[[http://www.dogpile.com]{.underline}](http://www.dogple.com/). We use
that search to identify which search engines seem to be producing the
best results and then use those engines for more complicated queries
which cannot be supported by metacrawler and other meta-engines.

Three engines for more detailed searches at present are Hotbot
(<http://www.hotbot.com/>), Yahoo (<http://www.yahoo.com/>) and Google
(http://www.google.com).

When searching, expand or narrow your keywords over time. For example,
when searching for \"sapphire liquid crystal displays,\" you may want to
broaden to liquid crystal displays or just displays. Also remember to
use abbreviations such as LCD.

*Thomas Register of American Manufacturers:* Long a staple of corporate
buyers and market researchers, you can access Thomas Register on-line
for free at [http://www.thomasnet.com/](http://www.thomasnet.com/ ) .
Once you obtain your free membership, you can search the 155,000
companies by product. You may have to try a few different keywords to
get hits.

*Hoovers* : Hoovers on-line at
[[http://www.hoovers.com]{.underline}](http://www.hoovers.com/) provides
access to profiles on over 12,000 companies. These are the major firms
in America, including subsidiaries of foreign operations. By using the
keyword search, you can look for companies making products in areas
related to your technology. Hoovers provides hypertext links to go to
the company\'s web page. Phone, fax, and street address are also
provided. If you cannot find the information on the web, ask for
relevant product literature from their marketing departments.

*Press Releases:* PR Newswire
([[http://www.prnewswire.com/]{.underline}](http://www.prnewswire.com/))
redistributes corporate press releases. It provides coverage of newly
released products that might not otherwise be found on the web.

*Patents:* We discuss patent searches in the next section of this
FactSheet. Look for patents related to your technology, then examine the
assignee field. Companies licensing or patenting technology in areas
related to your technology are competitors that may be introducing
products similar to the one you are considering proposing. Search for
their web pages using one of the resources above.

***CONDUCTING A PATENT SEARCH***

*What is a patent?* A patent is a right to an invention that is granted
by the U.S. Government or a foreign government. It gives the holder an
exclusive right to use an invention during a period of time. In the
United States, before a patent can be issued, the inventor must
demonstrate his or her invention is new and non-obvious. To be new, an
invention must not have been known nor made by others in the U.S. The
invention also can not have been previously patented or presented in a
publication prior to the claimed date on which the invention was made.
Patents are handled by the U.S. Patent Office.

Non-obvious is established with reference to what would be obvious to a
person of ordinary skill in the relevant technology (or technologies) at
the time of the invention. A general rule is that the more complicated
the technology and the greater the rate at which it is developing, the
higher the skill-level of that hypothetical ordinary person. Non-obvious
is determined by examining prior patents, technical publications, and
non-secret work being conducted. Usually some aspect of an invention
will be non-obvious and thus capable of being patented.

It is important to recognize that different rules apply in different
countries. In the U.S., you have one year from the time of first
disclosure, use, publication, or sale of an invention to patent the
invention. Where more than one person or group makes a claim to be the
inventor, the patent goes to the person or group that can demonstrate
priority in time. Overseas, the rules are different. Usually the
invention must be patented before any public disclosure, use,
publication, or sale. In case of a dispute, priority goes to the first
person or group to apply for a patent, regardless of who may actually be
the inventor. You can, however, get the same overseas priority rights
you would get from simultaneously filing overseas and in the U.S. if you
file in each relevant country within 12 months of a U.S. patent
application.

*How to search for U.S. patents*: To search the Patent Office go to
[[http://patents.uspto.gov/index.html]{.underline}](http://www.uspto.gov/)
.

The Boolean search capability of the Patent Office enables constructing
complicated searches to narrow in on patents of interest. It allows two
terms Booleans in the first search, with more complicated queries when
refining a search. You can search specific sets of years or the entire
database. The advanced search gives you the ability to look in any or
all of the fields in the patent \-- a very nice feature. Coverage
includes all patents issued no later than one week earlier. It includes
all utility, design, and plant patents since 1976. Claims and pictures
are not included. (See below, Reading Patents.)

The IBM Patent server contains over 2 million patents. Where drawings
are part of the patent, they have been scanned in and can be viewed. Off
the home page, you have the option of searching from 1995 to present or
1971 to present. Hypertext links on the home page let you search by
patent number, use Boolean Logic, or do a text search in various
sections of the patent. Try to be as targeted as possible in your search
terms. For example, \"environmental monitor\" will return 42 patents
issued in 1995 or later on IBM\'s server. \"Mercury monitor,\" by
comparison, returns only three.

*Reading Patents*: Once you have found a patent that looks relevant for
your interests, examine the abstract and the claims. The abstract
provides an overview of what is covered. The claims give you the
specific scope of the patent.

There are three paths for finding other patents of interest, once you
have found the first one. The first method is to look at the class (or
classes) of the patent. You can find patents addressing similar problems
by looking in those classes. To fine tune the classes to use, look at a
number of relevant patents. Examine the classes that are listed on the
patent. Select those classes that most frequently appear across your
sample of patents for further examination.

The second method is to look at the patents cited as references. The
final method is to look at patents that reference the one you are
examining. By searching text, relevant classes, and patents referred to
or referencing relevant patents you can quickly determine if a U.S.
patent has issued on a technology of interest. CAUTION: Examining U.S.
patents does not assure you the technology has not been patented
elsewhere. Further, if the patent is only applied for and has not yet
been issued, you will not find it.

***SEARCHING FOR FEDERAL RESEARCH***

There are two sets of publicly available data on Federal Research.
FEDRIP, or Federal Research in Progress, provides access to current
civilian agency research. FEDRIP includes:

1.  Department of Agriculture

2.  Department of Energy

3.  Department of Veterans Affairs

4.  Environmental Protection Agency

5.  Federal Highway Administration

6.  National Institutes of Health

7.  NASA

8.  National Science Foundation

9.  US Geological Survey

10. National Institute of Standards and Technology

11. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

12. Small Business Innovation Research

Parts of FEDRIP may be searched for free at The Community of Science,
[http://fundedresearch.cos.com/]{.underline}. Separate databases exist
for the National Institutes of Health, NSF, USDA, and the SBIR program
\-- which means you must do multiple searches. You can also search
projects of the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom. To
search all of FEDRIP, go to
[[http://grc.ntis.gov/fedrip.htm]{.underline}](http://grc.ntis.gov/fedrip.htm).
There is a \$350 fee.

In addition, by going to an agency\'s web site, you can find information
on their current and/or past awards. The National Technical Information
Service (NTIS) is the designated repository of research reports. It
contains technical reports and other government-produced information
products. The free access parts may be searched at
[[http://www.ntis.gov/]{.underline}](http://www.ntis.gov/).

Perhaps the best comprehensive resource for searching is the RAND\'s
RaDiUS at
[[http://www.rand.org/radius/]{.underline}](http://www.rand.org/radius/).
RaDiUS, stands for \"Research and Development in the United States.\" It
is the first comprehensive database that tracks in real-time the
research and development activities and resources of the U.S.
Government. Among its sources are the following: the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA); USDA\'s Current Research Information System
(CRIS); HHS\'s Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects
(CRISP) and Information for Management, Planning, Analysis, and
Coordination (IMPAC) system; DoD\'s R-1 and R-2 Budget Exhibits and Work
Unit Information Summaries (WUIS); DOE\'s laboratory information system;
the Federal Assistance Awards Data System (FAADS); the Federal
Procurement Data System (FPDS); OMB\'s MAX system; DVA\'s R&D
Information System (RDIS); NSF\'s Science and Technology System (STIS);
and NASA\'s 507 System.

You must be a Government Contractor to subscribe to RaDiUS. The small
business fee is \$1,000 per year per password.

***STANDARDS AND CERTIFYING BODIES***

If you are going to introduce a commercial product, it most likely will
have to meet certain standards and be certified as meeting those
standards. For example, we all are familiar with the Underwriter
Laboratories seal found on household electrical products \-- a
certification of safety under normal use.

A wide range of bodies creates standards or certifies products. To find
relevant standards, we recommend beginning at the American National
Standards Institute\'s "Internet Resources for Standards Developers",
located at:
[[http://www.ansi.org](http://web.ansi.org/public/library/internet/resources.html).]{.underline}
The site provides links to U.S. bodies developing standards.

In the U.S., private sector laboratories, like UL commonly do
certification. These organizations rely on standards developed by
consensus bodies such as the American Society for Testing and Materials
([[http://www.astm.org/]{.underline}](http://www.astm.org/)) or federal
agencies such as EPA. ASTM maintains an International Directory of
Testing Laboratories at:
[[http:www.astm.org/labs/]{.underline}](http://www.astm.org/labs/index.html).
The Directory can be searched by geographic location, lab name, subject
area, or keywords.

**IMPORTANT!!**

**IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT CARD TO CONFIRM RECEIPT OF
YOUR PROPOSAL, PLEASE COMPLETE A STANDARD SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED
POSTCARD CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND ATTACH TO THE
[ORIGINAL]{.underline} OF EACH PROPOSAL:**

Please type the following and fill in the blanks as appropriate:

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

**This will acknowledge the receipt of your proposal titled:**

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

**\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

**Topic Letter \_\_\_\_\_. The evaluation of proposals and the award of
SBIR Contracts will require approximately 10 months, and no information
on proposal status will be available until final selection(s) is made.
Your proposal has been assigned EPA No. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_(to be filled
in by EPA).**

**Date:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_**

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

REVERSE SIDE: Please type the following in the upper left-hand corner
(return address) and self-address the card to your corporate official:
(Post cards that do not meet postal service standards will not be
returned).

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

U.S. EPA

RTP/POD (D143-01)

RTP, NC 27711

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use \$300

Your Firm Name

Address

City, State Zip Code

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