**Grant Opportunity**

**United States General Services Administration, Public Buildings
Service**

**Solicitation for Applications for Regional Federal Site Study(ies)**

**[Envisioning the Future of the Federal Workplace in the Washington
Region]{.underline}**

The General Services Administration's (GSA), Public Building Service
(PBS) seeks to cultivate innovative regional coordination, design, and
planning practices for accommodating federal offices in the Washington
region over the next half-century. Decisions about the form, nature, and
location of federal work will have a tremendous influence on the
long-term social, economic, environmental, and cultural health of the
region. Developing an urban planning vision for how to locate and
develop federal work places will require close collaboration with both
public and private stakeholders. The federal government seeks to
encourage this effective regional coordination and plan intelligently,
guided by mutual regional concerns such as sustainability, energy
consumption, transportation infrastructure, security, new technologies,
including those that facilitate telework opportunities, as well as the
changing regional economics of land, housing, and workforce issues.

In order to promote a guiding vision for the future of federal work in
the Washington region, the General Services Administration's (GSA),
Public Building Service (PBS) will award competitive grants in the range
of \$50,000 to \$500,000 for coordination, planning, and research
efforts that explore fundamental questions related to the form,
location, and design of federal offices over the next 10 to 50 years in
the National Capital Region. The maximum aggregate value of the grants
is \$500,000.

This grant opportunity is derived from Public Law 110-161, which gives
GSA the authority to make these competitive grants to institutions of
higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, and
state or local governments as well as to qualified individuals.

Grant proposals will be evaluated by a panel consisting of GSA officials
and GSA Design Excellence Peers, who are nationally recognized private
sector experts in the field of urban planning and design. Successful
grantees will be notified in July 2008.

#### [Background and Purpose]{.underline}: 

#### Pursuant to Public Law 110-161, the General Services Administration (GSA), Public Buildings Service (PBS) has the authority to award competitive grants of up to \$500,000 to entities which may help to coordinate long-term siting of Federal building and employment in the National Capital Region with state and local governments, the commercial sector, and other major stakeholders in the region.

> As the largest employer in the Washington metro area, the federal
> government has a significant affect on regional development. The
> government's site and development decisions have a significant impact
> upon regional economic, environmental, and employment resources. In
> turn, these factors affect the ability of federal agencies to meet
> their mission needs, impact the desirability to do both government and
> commercial business, and affect how attractive the region is to live
> for current and future residents.
>
> In short, the long-term needs of the federal government and the larger
> Washington region are closely intertwined. It is in the government's
> interests, therefore, to make its facilities siting and development
> decisions over the next 10 to 50 years in ways that support both long
> term federal and regional needs and encourage meaningful regional
> coordination among key stakeholders.
>
> To this end, GSA is seeking to encourage better understanding and
> coordination among state and local governments, the commercial sector,
> and other major stakeholders in the region about federal facilities
> siting decisions and long term regional needs and trends.
>
> []{.mark}
>
> Through this competitive grant opportunity, GSA seeks to facilitate
> the research and coordination efforts that would help regional
> stakeholders better understand

-   how long-term federal facility needs may be met in concert with long
    range regional transportation, housing, employment, telework
    opportunities, sustainability, and socio-economic goals and trends;

-   the range of risks and opportunities affecting federal facility
    siting and development decisions; and

-   the long-range planning and coordination needed to meet related
    regional challenges.

#### The envisioned grants may be for the purposes of 

a)  directly assisting in the coordination of long-term federal
    workplace siting decisions with regional stakeholders;

b)  providing the research needed to better inform such coordination; or

c)  a combination of the above purposes.

#### [GSA Background]{.underline}

> GSA is an independent agency of the United States government,
> established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning
> of federal agencies. GSA's Public Building Service (PBS) is
> responsible for the design, construction, management, leasing, and
> acquisition of workplaces for federal agency clients who work in
> office buildings, courthouses, and other federal facilities. PBS is
> the largest public real estate organization in the country, with an
> inventory of over 340 million square feet of workspace for 1.1 million
> federal employees in 2,100 American communities. PBS' mission is to
> provide superior workplaces for federal customer agencies at good
> economies to the American taxpayer.

#### [Known Issues and Questions for Consideration]{.underline}

#### In considering long term regional development trends and how they should influence federal site development decisions in the region, GSA is interested in the following issues, among others:

+------------------------+----------------------+---------------------+
| #### Co                | #### Infrastructure  | #### Telework       |
| st of Business/Living  |                      |                     |
+------------------------+----------------------+---------------------+
| #### Energy            | #### Security        | #### Transportation |
+------------------------+----------------------+---------------------+
| ####                   | ####                 | #### Workforce      |
|  Infill/Adaptive Reuse | Sustainable land use |                     |
+------------------------+----------------------+---------------------+

#### The following illustrates some of the government's specific interests in these areas:

+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Cost of Business/Cost                                     |
| ##  | of Living. The region has relatively high land, development, c |
|     | ommuting, and housing costs that affect government facility de |
|     | velopment, as well as the government's ability to attract and  |
|     | retain a high quality workforce. How should the federal govern |
|     | ment consider long range development costs in its planning of  |
|     | long term facility site decisions? How might regional planning |
|     |  or facility planning better respond to the need to attract an |
|     | d retain high a quality workforce in this high cost area? What |
|     |  can federal and regional stakeholders do to meet workforce ne |
|     | eds in ways that address federal and regional planning goals?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | ####                                                           |
| ##  |  Energy. The federal government is under strict mandates to re |
|     | duce the carbon footprint of its facilities (inc. the *Energy  |
|     | Policy Act of 2005* (P.L. 109-58), *Energy Independence and Se |
|     | curity Act of 2007* (P.L. 110-140), and *Executive Order 13423 |
|     | *). Beyond energy usage within individual buildings, how might |
|     |  federal site selection decisions support government efforts t |
|     | o reduce the carbon footprint associated with the use of its b |
|     | uildings -- including commutes by employees and constituents?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Infill/Adapt                                              |
| ##  | ive Reuse. Maximizing use of existing infrastructure and exist |
|     | ing buildings supports a broad range of federal sustainability |
|     | , historic preservation, and efficiency goals, but it also pre |
|     | sents challenges in light of large federal needs, high develop |
|     | ment costs, and stringent security requirements. How might the |
|     |  federal government and regional stakeholders identify new opp |
|     | ortunities to promote efficient adaptive reuse and infill deve |
|     | lopment that meets federal needs and promotes regional goals?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Security. The                                             |
| ##  |  federal government has a significant responsibility to develo |
|     | p and manage its properties as safe workplaces, which manage r |
|     | isk to the government's workforce and its mission. How can the |
|     |  government balance the need for enhanced facility security, w |
|     | hich often drives larger sites outside of densely developed ar |
|     | eas, with the need to responsibly develop sites within existin |
|     | g transportation and services infrastructure? How can governme |
|     | nt site selection decisions meet these security needs without  |
|     | driving sprawl development? What long-range regional trends an |
|     | d development patterns should influence this decision-making?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Sustainability. The government i                          |
| ##  | s committed to the sustainable use of limited energy, land, wa |
|     | ter, and materials resources. How might federal development de |
|     | cisions further this commitment and bolster similar efforts at |
|     |  the regional level? How might the government both respond in  |
|     | the short term to known opportunities and also anticipate long |
|     | -range trends or opportunities that are not readily apparent?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Telework. The government is commit                        |
| ##  | ted to increasing the number of teleworkers. Does the region h |
|     | ave the technological infrastructure capable of supporting lar |
|     | ge numbers of teleworkers? What are the trends in private sect |
|     | or industry regarding telework? What are the projected workpla |
|     | ce trends that may or may not support telework in the region?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Transporta                                                |
| ##  | tion & Infrastructure. The greater Washington region, and the  |
|     | Northeast Corridor, may be well positioned for efficient land  |
|     | use and sustainable growth over the next few decades, but ther |
|     | e are concerns that aging infrastructure might limit long term |
|     |  economic growth and competitiveness. There are additional and |
|     |  growing concerns about how commuting patterns place time and  |
|     | cost constraints on regional households and how this impacts t |
|     | he workforce. How might the region coordinate infrastructure p |
|     | lanning to meet long term needs? How should federal facility d |
|     | evelopment decisions impact and be influenced by regional plan |
|     | s for transportation and other infrastructure investment that  |
|     | may be many years down the road? At the same time, are there k |
|     | nown trends or planned actions that government decision makers |
|     |  should respond to in the short term? How should transportatio |
|     | n and infrastructure factors influence government decisions in |
|     |  light of workplace efficiency and continuance of operations?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##  | #### Workforce                                                 |
| ##  |  Issues. The government has a broad interest in bringing emplo |
|     | yment opportunity to all areas of the region, in helping to gi |
|     | ve federal agencies access to a diverse range of skilled talen |
|     | t for federal jobs, and in providing "best in class" workplace |
|     | s that promote employee recruitment and retention. What are th |
|     | e long-range workforce trends in the region and what areas, if |
|     |  any, have not sufficiently gained from available employment o |
|     | pportunities? How should federal site decisions help to provid |
|     | e employment opportunity to all communities in the region? Wha |
|     | t are the best employers in the region doing to promote workfo |
|     | rce recruitment and retention and how should federal site sele |
|     | ction and development decisions be informed by their efforts?  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+

#### [Scope of Government's Interest]{.underline}

#### The government is interested in encouraging better understanding and coordination related to regional development trends and opportunities over the next 10 -- 50 years. Effective coordination or analysis may require a broad geographic focus on the National Capital Region and its place in the larger Washington Metropolitan area along the Northeast Corridor or "megaregion." At the same time, the government has more immediate interest in encouraging effective coordination and well-informed site development decisions over the next 5 to 10 years, and such analysis may focus on a much smaller geographic areas that represent acute challenges or special opportunities.

#### Due to the breadth and complexity of regional development issues, the government will consider a broad range of grant proposals that deal with different issues, geography, and timeframes:

#### Issues - The government will consider *[comprehensive proposals]{.underline}* that address the complete range of regional development issues, trends, and stakeholders in the region. The government also will consider more *[focused proposals]{.underline}* that address a key subset of these issues. 

#### Geography - The government will consider proposals that focus on the *[larger Washington region]{.underline}* (or "mega region") or *[key sub-regions]{.underline}* that may present special challenges or opportunities. However, all studies must include the National Capital Region in the geographical areas of study.

#### Planning Horizon -- Where appropriate for proposed coordination issues and geographic focus, the government also will consider proposals that address planning and coordination horizons of different lengths, from *[long range]{.underline}* (50-year) views to *[shorter term]{.underline}* (5 to 20 year) views.

#### Regarding the above, the government may choose to fund multiple proposals that take very different approaches to these issues, if such proposals meet the government's interests.

#### [Eligible Applicants]{.underline}

> Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher education, nonprofit
> organizations, commercial organizations, state or local governments,
> or individuals with experience in the analysis or coordination of the
> planning issues described above. Joint ventures between any of these
> types of entities are welcome.

#### [Application Requirements]{.underline} 

> Applicants who wish to be considered for these competitive grants must
> submit a grant proposal that includes the following elements:

1.  **Executive Summary.** This should be a one (1) page description of
    the proposed work for which the grantee is requesting funding.

2.  **SF-424 Facesheet.** As referenced in OMB Circulars A-102 and
    A-110, all applicants must complete and submit the standard form 424
    with their application.

3.  **Description of Proposed Work.** This should be a one (1) to
    five (5) page description of the proposal, to include the following:

    a.  **Focus of Work**

        i.  Key topics to be addressed.

        ii. Geographic area of consideration

        iii. Regional planning timeframe to be considered

    b.  **Planned Process**

        i.  Briefly describe how the proposed work would be accomplished

        ii. List key individuals and entities to be directly involved
            with the work and outline their role.

        iii. List key milestones and associated schedule

        iv. Describe any final product, report, or deliverable, if any,
            that would be produced through this work and a proposed
            schedule.

    c.  **Goals of this Work**

        i.  Describe how the work would support the federal government's
            interests in effectively meeting the long-term development
            needs of federal agencies in the area, as described
            previously in this announcement. Describe how the work might
            be used by the government.

        ii. Describe how the work would help to address long term
            planning interests of regional stakeholders, including
            state/local governments, transportation providers,
            commercial, and other stakeholders. Describe how these
            stakeholders could make effective use of this work.

4.  **Funding Request**.

    a.  **SF-424a (Budget Information - Non-Construction).** As
        referenced in Circulars A-102 and A-110, all applicants must
        complete and submit the standard form 424a with their
        application.

    b.  List the amount of grant funding being requested from GSA.

    c.  Describe any other funds or resources that would be used to
        leverage the requested funding.

    d.  Read and comply with the "Standards for Financial Management
        Systems" (OMB Circular A-110.21)

5.  **Prior experience.**

    a.  Briefly describe the requesting entity, its organizational
        mission, and history.

    b.  Describe any similar work that the organization has completed in
        the past five years and how that experience suggests the ability
        to accomplish the proposed work. Work samples may be included in
        the application package.

    c.  Describe the experience of the key individuals who would lead
        this work for the requesting entity.

6.  **References.** Please list at least three (3) persons outside of
    the requesting entity who the government may contact as a reference
    for the entity's past performance.

#### [Applications Due]{.underline}

> Applications must be received by 5pm on June 20, 2008. Grants will be
> announced by July 31, 2008.

**[Selection Process]{.underline}**

> Grant proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by a Grant Review
> Panel, consisting of GSA officials and private sector Design
> Excellence Peers, who are nationally-recognized practitioners and
> educators in urban planning and design.
>
> During the review process, members of the Grant Review Panel may
> contact applicants to request further information.
>
> GSA is not soliciting positions on policy issues pending before
> Congress, the executive branch, or other domestic bodies and will not
> fund grant proposals of a partisan political nature. However, projects
> that lead to policy recommendations for governments, international
> organizations, or nongovernmental organizations are welcome and indeed
> encouraged, although such recommendations will be those of the grantee
> and not GSA.

**[Evaluation Criteria]{.underline}**

> GSA will give preference to those proposals that it believes would
> best promote the purpose stated in Public Law 110-161 to encourage
> better understanding and coordination among state and local
> governments, the commercial sector, and other major stakeholders in
> the region about federal facilities siting decisions and long term
> regional needs and trends, as described above.
>
> Additionally, important factors for consideration of the grant
> proposals will include assessment of the following:

-   The potential for effective use by relevant stakeholders, including
    the federal and regional governments, the private sector, and other
    key regional decision makers;

-   The potential to advance regional understanding or coordination in a
    new or creative way;

-   The ability of the requesting organization to deliver their proposed
    work effort;

-   How the proposed grant funding would be leveraged by other
    investments or efforts, to maximize its effect; and

-   How the proposed work supports GSA's mission and goals of leveraging
    the buying power of the federal government to acquire best value for
    taxpayers and our federal customers to deliver superior workplaces.

> Finally, GSA will consider the totality of submitted proposals and
> award grants based, in part, on how the collective body of work
> proposed by all the grantees would best advance the goals expressed in
> this grant opportunity.