August 29, 2022

RAIL

MOVING AMERICA FORWARD

Natalie Williford, Southeast Regional Manager

Program and Policy Development Division

Best Practices – Statement of Work
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Previous and Upcoming Office Hours

• Every Thursday at 2pm!

o August 11 – Project Narrative

o August 18 - Project and applicant eligibility, 

project type, and lifecycle

o August 25 - Statement of work

o September 1 - National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) and environmental considerations

o September 8 - NOFO "nuts and bolts" 

(e.g. Grants.gov, SAM registration, and 

other required elements)
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Agenda

1. Overview of the Statement of Work, “SOW”

2. Components of the Statement of Work

Scope of Work: Authority, Background, Objective, 

Description of Work, Project Coordination 

& Project Management

3. Project Budget, Schedule & Performance 

Measures

4. Tools, Resources, and Questions
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1. Overview of Statement of Work – Purpose and Uses Two-Fold

• Review the NOFO for 

specific instructions on 

preparing the SOW. 

NOFO provides links to 

four FRA templates 

which are available to 

download from the FRA 

website. 

• Maintain the format 

and structure of the 

templates. This will 

improve the quality of 

the grant application 

and set up the grant for 

success during project 

delivery!

• The Statement of 

Work is one of the 

key documents 

contained in the 

Grant Agreement,

the guiding 

document for 

project execution 

and grant 

management 

during the project 

delivery phase!

Grant Application Project Delivery

What is the Statement of Work

and how is it used throughout

the grant lifecycle?

Purpose: The SOW is a description of the 

work that will be completed under the grant 

agreement. Drafting and finalizing the SOW is 

a key step toward receiving a grant award.
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1. Overview of Statement of Work – Notice of Funding Opportunity “NOFO” Requirements

Grant Application From the Railroad Crossing Elimination “RCE” NOFO....

Required documents for an application package are outlined in 

the checklist below.

i. Project Narrative (see D.2.a).

ii. Statement of Work (see D.2.b.i).

iii. Environmental Compliance Documentation (see D.2.b.iii).

iv. SF 424—Application for Federal Assistance.

v. SF 424A—Budget Information for Non-Construction or SF 

424C—Budget Information for Construction.

vi. SF 424B—Assurances for Non-Construction or SF 424D—

Assurances for Construction.

vii. FRA F 30—Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension 

and Other Responsibility Matters, Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirements and Lobbying.

viii. FRA F 251—Applicant Financial Capability Questionnaire

ix. SF LLL—Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, if applicable.

b. Additional Application Elements

Applicants must submit:

i. A Statement of Work (SOW) addressing the scope, schedule, 

budget, and performance measures for the proposed project if it were 

selected for award. The SOW must contain sufficient detail so FRA, 

and the applicant, can understand the expected outcomes of the 

proposed work to be performed and can monitor progress toward 

completing project tasks and deliverables during a prospective grant's 

period of performance. Applicants must submit an SOW, schedule, 

budget, and performance measures to be considered for award. These 

four required documents are labeled Example General Grants—

Attachments 2-5 and are located at 

https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0325. Applications that do not include 

all four of the grant package templates will be considered incomplete 

and will not be reviewed. When preparing the budget, the total cost 

of a project must be based on the best available information as 

indicated in cited references that include engineering studies, 

economic feasibility studies, environmental analyses, and 

information on the expected use of equipment or facilities.
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1. Overview of Statement of Work – Where to find templates

1. Overview of Statement of Work – Inserted into Grant Agreement

Grant Application
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2. Components of the Statement of Work – Template Page 1

1. Overview of Statement of Work – Inserted into Grant Agreement

Grant Application
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2. Components of the Statement of Work - Outline

 Structure your Statement of Work

in accordance with the NOFO 

instructions

 NOFO provides links to four FRA 

templates which are available for 

download – SOW, Schedule, 

Budget, and Performance 

Measures

 Include all elements identified in 

the templates

Statement of Work Outline

I. Authority

II. Background

III. Objective

IV. Project Location

V. Description of Work

VI. Project Coordination

VII. Project Management
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2. Components of Statement of Work – Description of Work

V. DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Task 1: Detailed Project Work Plan, Budget, and Schedule

• Task 1 The Grantee will prepare a Detailed Project Work Plan, Budget, and Schedule for the following tasks, which may 

result in amendments to this Agreement. The Detailed Project Budget will be consistent with the Approved Project Budget but 

will provide a greater level of detail. The Detailed Project Work Plan will describe, in detail, the activities and steps necessary 

to complete the tasks outlined in this Statement of Work. The Detailed Project Work Plan will also include information about 

the project management approach (including team organization, team decision-making, roles and responsibilities and 

interaction with FRA), as well as address quality assurance and quality control procedures. In addition, the Detailed Project

Work Plan will include the Project Schedule (with Grantee and agency review durations), a detailed Project Budget, [and the 

environmental class of action.] Similarly, agreements governing the construction, operation and maintenance of the Project 

should also be included. The Detailed Project Work Plan, Budget, and Schedule will be reviewed and approved by the FRA. 

The Grantee acknowledges that work on subsequent tasks will not commence until the Detailed Project Work Plan, Budget, and 

Schedule has been completed, submitted to FRA, and the Grantee has received approval in writing from FRA, unless such 

work is permitted by pre-award authority provided by FRA. The FRA will not reimburse the Grantee for costs incurred in 

contravention of this requirement. 

• Task 1 Deliverables:

• Detailed Project Work Plan, Budget, and Schedule

• Project Agreements (if applicable)
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2. Components of Statement of Work – Description of Work

V. DESCRIPTION OF WORK cont.

• Task 2: [insert task name] i.e. Engineering Design; use Subtasks as needed

• [insert a description of the task and the deliverables that will be completed under the task] 

• Task 2 Deliverables:

• [insert names of required deliverables to be completed under this task] i.e. Final Design Plans and Cost Estimates

• Task 3: [insert task name] i.e. Construction use Subtasks as needed

• Task 3 Deliverables:

• Task 4: [insert task name] i.e. Project Administration

• Task 4 Deliverables:

• Final Performance Report (the final deliverable listed in the “description of work” section of the SOW must be the Final 

Performance Report. This report must be submitted within 90 days of the end of the grant’s period of performance and 

should describe the cumulative activities of the project, including a complete description of the Grantee’s achievements 

with respect to the project objectives and milestones)
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3. Project Schedule, Budget, and Performance Measures
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3. Project Schedule, Budget, and Performance Measures
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3. Project Schedule, Budget, and Performance Measures
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4. Statement of Work –Tools and Resources

I. Cover Page 

o NOFO

II. Project Summary

o FY21 CRISI Press Release

III. Project Funding

o NOFO 

o CFR § 200.306 on 

In-Kind contributions 

and matching

o FRA SOW –

Budget Template

IV. Applicant and Project Eligibility

o NOFO

V. Detailed Project Description

o NOFO

VI. Project Location

o Justice40 Census Tracts 

o Congressional Districts 

o Rural Eligibility

o FRA Safety GIS Map

VII. Grade Crossing Information

o Grade Crossing Inventory

VIII. Evaluation and Selection Criteria

o NOFO

IX. Safety Benefit 

o FRA Office of Safety Analysis

o FRA Web Accident Prediction 

System

o Highway Rail Grade Crossing 

Incident Dashboard

X. Project Implementation and 

Management

o FRA Reporting

o FRA Statement of Work 

Templates

XI. Environmental Readiness

o FRA CE Worksheet

o FRA CE Companion Guide

o FRA NEPA Procedures 

o FRA YouTube Recording on 

NEPA and Competitive 

Grants
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QUESTIONS?
Contact Us

Federal Railroad Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

Connect with us USDOTFRA

FRA Railroad Policy and Development Team

Douglas Gascon - Chief

Douglas.Gascon@dot.gov

Deborah Kobrin

Deborah.Kobrin@dot.gov

Sergio Coronado

Sergio.Coronado@dot.gov

Elena Gonzalez

Elena.Gonzalez@dot.gov

Mariam Ouhamou

mariam.ouhamou@dot.gov

Natalie Williford

natalie.williford@dot.gov