Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2018 / Notices 29609 

TABLE 1—FY 16 GRANTS FOR BUSES AND BUS FACILITIES COMPETITION PROJECT SELECTIONS—Continued 

State Applicant Project ID Project description Funded 

amount Project rating 

WA .................. Intercity Transit ...................... D2017–BUSC–116 Pattison Street Facility Renovation and Expansion 

Project.

$1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. King County Department of 

Transportation.

D2017–BUSC–117 2 Projects: (1) Eastlake OffStreet Layover Facility/ (2) 

King County Metro Fleet 

Replacement—Battery 

Electric Buses.

$1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. Muckleshoot Indian Tribe ...... D2017–BUSC–118 Muckleshoot Transit Bus Facility Rehabilitation.$800,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation.D2017–BUSC–119 CNG Bus Replacement ......... $1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. Skagit Transit System ........... D2017–BUSC–120 Skagit Transit System Maintenance Operations and 

Administration Facility 

Project.

$1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. Snohomish County Transportation Benefit Area.D2017–BUSC–121 Double Decker Replacement 

Buses.

$1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WA .................. Spokane Transit Authority ..... D2017–BUSC–122 Fixed Route Coaches ............ $1,375,000 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... City of Oshkosh ..................... D2017–BUSC–123 Bus Replacement .................. $1,200,000 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... Wisconsin Department of 

Transportation (WisDOT).

D2017–BUSC–124 City of Hartford Replacement 

non-accessible Mini-van.

$32,000 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... Wisconsin Department of 

Transportation (WisDOT).

D2017–BUSC–125 Rural Transit Technology Improvements.$134,880 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... City of Appleton ..................... D2017–BUSC–126 2 Projects: (1) Bus 

Replacement/ (2) Facilities 

Renovation Project.

$350,506 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... City of Janesville ................... D2017–BUSC–127 Replacement Buses .............. $350,506 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... City of Sheboygan ................. D2017–BUSC–128 Roof Replacement for Shoreline Metro Administrative 

and Maintenance Facility.

$350,506 Highly Recommended. 

WI ................... Wisconsin Department of 

Transportation (WisDOT).

D2017–BUSC–129 City of West Bend—Replacement non-accessible minivan and replacement ADAaccessible cutaway minibuses.$181,600 Highly Recommended. 

WV .................. Eastern Panhandle Transit 

Authority.

D2017–BUSC–130/ 

D2017–BUSC– 

131 

Transit Operations and 

Transfer Center.

$4,491,510/ 

$8,490 

Highly Recommended. 

.................... Total ............................... $264,446,775 

[FR Doc. 2018–13558 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Fiscal Year 2018 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity; Grants for Buses and Bus 

Facilities Infrastructure Investment 

Program 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity 

(NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for approximately 

$366.3 million in fiscal year (FY) 2018 

funds under the Grants for Buses and 

Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment 

Program (CFDA #20.526). As required 

by federal transit law and subject to 

funding availability, funds will be 

awarded competitively to assist in the 

financing of capital projects to replace, 

rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and 

related equipment, and to rehabilitate, 

purchase, construct or lease bus-related 

facilities. Projects may include costs 

incidental to the acquisition of buses or 

to the construction of facilities, such as 

the costs of related workforce 

development and training activities, and 

project administration expenses. FTA 

may award additional funds if they are 

made available to the program prior to 

the announcement of project selections. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted electronically through the 

GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 6, 

2018. Prospective applicants should 

initiate the process by promptly 

registering on the GRANTS.GOV 

website to ensure completion of the 

application process before the 

submission deadline. Instructions for 

applying can be found on FTA’s website 

at http://transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and 

in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of 

GRANTS.GOV. The GRANTS.GOV 

funding opportunity ID is FTA–2018– 

005–TPM. Mail and fax submissions 

will not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mark Bathrick, FTA Office of Program 

Management, 202–366–9955, or 

mark.bathrick@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review 

F. Review and Selection Process 


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G. Federal Award Administration 

H. Technical Assistance and Other Program 

Information 

I. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

A. Program Description 

Section 5339(b) of Title 49, United 

States Code, as amended by the Fixing 

America’s Surface Transportation 

(FAST) Act (Pub. L. 114–94, Dec. 4, 

2015), authorizes FTA to award funds 

for the Grants for Buses and Bus 

Facilities Infrastructure Investment 

Program (Buses and Bus Infrastructure 

Program) through a competitive process, 

as described in this notice, for capital 

projects to replace, rehabilitate, 

purchase or lease buses and related 

equipment and to rehabilitate, purchase, 

construct or lease bus-related facilities. 

The purpose of the Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program is to assist in the 

financing of buses and bus facilities 

capital projects, including replacing, 

rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing 

buses or related equipment, and 

rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing 

or leasing bus-related facilities. 

The Buses and Bus Infrastructure 

Program provides funds to designated 

recipients that allocate funds to fixed 

route bus operators, and to States, and 

local governmental authorities that 

operate fixed route bus service. FTA 

also may award grants to eligible 

recipients for projects to be undertaken 

by subrecipients that are public agencies 

or private non-profit organizations 

engaged in public transportation. In 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5339(b)(2), 

FTA will ‘‘consider the age and 

condition of buses, bus fleets, related 

equipment, and bus-related facilities’’ in 

selecting projects for funding. FTA may 

prioritize projects that demonstrate how 

they will address significant repair and 

maintenance needs, improve the safety 

of transit systems, and deploy 

connective projects that include 

advanced technologies to connect bus 

systems with other networks. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Federal transit law at 49 U.S.C. 

5338(a)(2)(M) authorizes $246,514,000 

in FY 2018 funds for the Section 5339(b) 

Buses and Bus Infrastructure Program. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2018 appropriated an additional 

$161,446,000 for the Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program. After the 

oversight takedown and previously 

announced allocations of $37,973,775 in 

FY 2018 Buses and Bus Infrastructure 

Program funds to projects competitively 

selected during the FY 2017 Buses and 

Bus Infrastructure Program competition 

on April 5, 2018, $366,293,150 is 

available for the Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program through this 

notice. 

As required under 49 U.S.C. 

5339(b)(5), a minimum of 10 percent of 

the amount awarded under the Buses 

and Bus Infrastructure Program will be 

awarded to projects located in rural 

areas. As required by 49 U.S.C. 

5339(b)(8), no single grantee will be 

awarded more than 10 percent of the 

amounts made available. 

FTA will grant pre-award authority to 

incur costs for selected projects 

beginning on the date that project 

selections are announced. Funds are 

only available for projects that have not 

incurred costs prior to the selection of 

projects and will remain available for 

obligation for three Federal fiscal years, 

not including the year in which the 

funds are allocated to projects. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Under 49 U.S.C. 5339(b)(1), eligible 

applicants include designated recipients 

that allocate funds to fixed route bus 

operators, states or local governmental 

entities that operate fixed route bus 

service, and Indian tribes. Eligible 

subrecipients include all otherwise 

eligible applicants and also private 

nonprofit organizations engaged in 

public transportation. 

Under 49 U.S.C. 5339(b)(3), States 

may submit a statewide application on 

behalf of public agencies or private 

nonprofit organizations engaged in 

public transportation in rural areas or 

for other areas for which a State 

allocates funds. Except for projects 

proposed by Indian tribes, all proposals 

for projects in rural (non-urbanized) 

areas must be submitted by a State, 

either individually or as a part of a 

statewide application. States and other 

eligible applicants may also submit 

consolidated proposals for projects in 

urbanized areas. The submission of a 

statewide or consolidated urbanized 

area application shall not preclude the 

submission and consideration of any 

application from other eligible 

recipients in an urbanized area in a 

State. Proposals may contain projects to 

be implemented by the recipient or its 

subrecipients. 

To be considered eligible, applicants 

must be able to demonstrate the 

requisite legal, financial and technical 

capabilities to receive and administer 

Federal funds under this program. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

The maximum federal share for 

projects selected under the Buses and 

Bus Infrastructure Program is 80 percent 

of the net project cost, unless noted 

below by one of the exceptions. 

i. The maximum federal share is 85 

percent of the net project cost of 

acquiring vehicles (including clean-fuel 

or alternative fuel vehicles) that are 

compliant with the Clean Air Act (CAA) 

and/or the Americans with Disabilities 

Act (ADA) of 1990. 

ii. The maximum federal share is 90 

percent of the net project cost of 

acquiring, installing or constructing 

vehicle-related equipment or facilities 

(including clean fuel or alternative-fuel 

vehicle-related equipment or facilities) 

that are required by the ADA of 1990, 

or that are necessary to comply with or 

maintaining compliance with the Clean 

Air Act. The award recipient must 

itemize the cost of specific, discrete, 

vehicle-related equipment associated 

with compliance with ADA or CAA to 

be eligible for the maximum 90 percent 

Federal share for these costs. 

Eligible sources of local match 

include the following: Cash from nonGovernment sources other than 

revenues from providing public 

transportation services; revenues 

derived from the sale of advertising and 

concessions; amounts received under a 

service agreement with a State or local 

social service agency or private social 

service organization; revenues generated 

from value capture financing 

mechanisms; or funds from an 

undistributed cash surplus; replacement 

or depreciation cash fund or reserve; or 

new capital. In addition, transportation 

development credits or documentation 

of in-kind match may substitute for 

local match if identified in the 

application. 

3. Eligible Projects 

Under 49 U.S.C. 5339(b)(1), eligible 

projects are capital projects to replace, 

rehabilitate purchase, or lease buses, 

vans, and related equipment, and 

capital projects to rehabilitate, purchase, 

construct, or lease bus-related facilities. 

Recipients are permitted to use up to 

0.5 percent of their requested grant 

award for workforce development 

activities eligible under 49 U.S.C. 

5314(b) and an additional 0.5 percent 

for costs associated with training at the 

National Transit Institute. Applicants 

must identify the proposed use of funds 

for these activities in the project 

proposal and identify them separately in 

the project budget. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address 

Applications must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV. 

General information for submitting 

applications through GRANTS.GOV can 


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be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

funding/grants/applying/applying-ftafunding along with specific instructions 

for the forms and attachments required 

for submission. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. A 

complete proposal submission consists 

of two forms: The SF424 Application for 

Federal Assistance (downloaded from 

GRANTS.GOV) and the supplemental 

form for the FY 2018 Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program (downloaded 

from GRANTS.GOV or the FTA website 

at www.transit.dot.gov/busprogram). 

Applicants may also attach additional 

supporting information. Failure to 

submit the information as required can 

delay or prevent review of the 

application. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

A complete proposal submission 

consists of two forms: The SF424 

Application for Federal Assistance and 

the FY 2018 Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program supplemental 

form. The supplemental form and any 

supporting documents must be attached 

to the ‘‘Attachments’’ section of the 

SF424. A complete application must 

include responses to all sections of the 

SF424 Application for Federal 

Assistance and the supplemental form, 

unless indicated as optional. The 

information on the supplemental form 

will be used to determine applicant and 

project eligibility for the program, and 

to evaluate the proposal against the 

selection criteria described in part E of 

this notice. 

FTA will accept only one 

supplemental form per SF424 

submission. FTA encourages States and 

other applicants to consider submitting 

a single supplemental form that 

includes multiple activities to be 

evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If 

a State or other applicant chooses to 

submit separate proposals for individual 

consideration by FTA, each proposal 

must be submitted using a separate 

SF424 and supplemental form. 

Applicants may attach additional 

supporting information to the SF424 

submission, including but not limited to 

letters of support, project budgets, fleet 

status reports, or excerpts from relevant 

planning documents. Supporting 

documentation must be described and 

referenced by file name in the 

appropriate response section of the 

supplemental form, or it may not be 

reviewed. 

Information such as proposer name, 

Federal amount requested, local match 

amount, description of areas served, etc. 

may be requested in varying degrees of 

detail on both the SF424 and 

Supplemental Form. Proposers must fill 

in all fields unless stated otherwise on 

the forms. Applicants should not place 

N/A or ‘‘refer to attachment’’ in lieu of 

typing in responses in the field sections. 

If information is copied into the 

supplemental form from another source, 

applicants should verify that pasted text 

is fully captured on the supplemental 

form and has not been truncated by the 

character limits built into the form. 

Proposers should use both the ‘‘Check 

Package for Errors’’ and the ‘‘Validate 

Form’’ validation buttons on both forms 

to check all required fields on the forms, 

and ensure that the federal and local 

amounts specified are consistent. 

The SF424 Mandatory Form and the 

Supplemental Form will prompt 

applicants for the required information, 

including: 

a. Applicant Name 

b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number 

c. Key contact information (including 

contact name, address, email address, 

and phone) 

d. Congressional district(s) where 

project will take place 

e. Project Information (including title, 

an executive summary, and type) 

f. A detailed description of the need for 

the project 

g. A detailed description on how the 

project will support the Bus 

Infrastructure Program’s objectives 

h. Evidence that the project is consistent 

with local and regional planning 

objectives 

i. Evidence that the applicant can 

provide the local cost share 

j. A description of the technical, legal, 

and financial capacity of the applicant 

k. A detailed project budget 

l. An explanation of the scalability of 

the project 

m. Details on the local matching funds 

n. A detailed project timeline 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) Be 

registered in SAM before submitting an 

application; (2) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and 

(3) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which the applicant has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by FTA. These requirements do not 

apply if the applicant: (1) Is an 

individual; (2) is excepted from the 

requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or 

(c); or (3) has an exception approved by 

FTA under 2 CFR 25.110(d). FTA may 

not make an award until the applicant 

has complied with all applicable unique 

entity identifier and SAM requirements. 

If an applicant has not fully complied 

with the requirements by the time FTA 

is ready to make an award, FTA may 

determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive an award and use 

that determination as a basis for making 

a Federal award to another applicant. 

All applicants must provide a unique 

entity identifier provided by SAM. 

Registration in SAM may take as little 

as 3–5 business days, but since there 

could be unexpected steps or delays (for 

example, if you need to obtain an 

Employer Identification Number), FTA 

recommends allowing ample time, up to 

several weeks, for completion of all 

steps. For additional information on 

obtaining a unique entity identifier, 

please visit www.sam.gov. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern on August 6, 2018. 

Mail and fax submissions will not be 

accepted. 

FTA urges proposers to submit 

applications at least 72 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to correct any 

problems that may have caused either 

Grants.gov or FTA systems to reject the 

submission. Proposals submitted after 

the deadline will only be considered 

under extraordinary circumstances not 

under the applicant’s control. Deadlines 

will not be extended due to scheduled 

website maintenance. GRANTS.GOV 

scheduled maintenance and outage 

times are announced on the 

GRANTS.GOV website. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive two email messages from 

GRANTS.GOV: (1) Confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV and (2) confirmation of 

successful validation by GRANTS.GOV. 

If confirmations of successful validation 

are not received or a notice of failed 

validation or incomplete materials is 

received, the applicant must address the 

reason for the failed validation, as 

described in the email notice, and 

resubmit before the submission 

deadline. If making a resubmission for 

any reason, applicants must include all 

original attachments regardless of which 

attachments were updated and check 

the box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

Proposers are encouraged to begin the 

process of registration on the 

GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of 

the submission deadline. Registration is 

a multi-step process, which may take 

several weeks to complete before an 

application can be submitted. Registered 

proposers may still be required to take 


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steps to keep their registration up to 

date before submissions can be made 

successfully: (1) Registration in the 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

is renewed annually; and, (2) persons 

making submissions on behalf of the 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR) must be authorized in 

GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make 

submissions. 

5. Funding Restrictions 

Funds under this NOFO cannot be 

used to reimburse applicants for 

otherwise eligible expenses incurred 

prior to FTA award of a Grant 

Agreement until FTA has issued preaward authority for selected projects. 

6. Other Submission Requirements 

Applicants are encouraged to identify 

scaled funding options in case 

insufficient funding is available to fund 

a project at the full requested amount. 

If an applicant indicates that a project 

is scalable, the applicant must provide 

an appropriate minimum funding 

amount that will fund an eligible project 

that achieves the objectives of the 

program and meets all relevant program 

requirements. The applicant must 

provide a clear explanation of how the 

project budget would be affected by a 

reduced award. FTA may award a lesser 

amount whether or not a scalable option 

is provided. 

E. Application Review 

FTA will evaluate project proposals 

for the Buses and Bus Infrastructure 

Program based on the criteria described 

in this notice. Projects will be evaluated 

primarily on the responses provided in 

the supplemental form. Additional 

information may be provided to support 

the responses; however, any additional 

documentation must be directly 

referenced on the supplemental form, 

including the file name where the 

additional information can be found. 

a. Demonstration of Need 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on the quality and extent to which they 

demonstrate how the proposed project 

will address an unmet need for capital 

investment in bus vehicles and/or 

supporting facilities. For example, an 

applicant may demonstrate an excessive 

reliance on vehicles that are beyond 

their intended service life, insufficient 

maintenance facilities due to size or 

condition, a vehicle fleet that is 

insufficient to meet current ridership 

demands, or passenger facilities that are 

insufficient for their current use. 

Applicants should address whether the 

project represents a one-time or periodic 

need that cannot reasonably be funded 

from FTA formula program allocations 

and State or local resources. As a part 

of the response for demonstration of 

need, applicants should provide the 

following information: 

i. For bus projects (replacement, 

rehabilitation or expansion): Applicants 

must provide information on the age, 

condition and performance of the 

asset(s) to be replaced or rehabilitated 

by the proposed project. For service 

expansion requests, applicants must 

provide information on the proposed 

service expansion and the benefits for 

transit riders and the community from 

the new service. For all vehicle projects, 

the proposal must address how the 

project conforms to FTA’s spare ratio 

guidelines. 

ii. For bus facility and equipment 

projects (replacement, rehabilitation, 

and/or expansion): Applicants must 

provide information on the age and 

condition of the asset to be rehabilitated 

or replaced relative to its minimum 

useful life. 

b. Demonstration of Benefits 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on how well they describe how the 

proposed project will improve the 

condition of the transit system, improve 

the reliability of transit service for its 

riders, and enhance access and mobility 

within the service area. 

System Condition: FTA will evaluate 

the potential for the project to improve 

the condition of the transit system by 

repairing and/or replacing assets that 

are in poor condition or have surpassed 

their minimum or intended useful life 

benchmarks, lowering the average age of 

vehicles in the fleet, and/or reducing the 

cost of maintaining outdated vehicles, 

facilities and equipment. 

Service Reliability: FTA will evaluate 

the potential for the project to reduce 

the frequency of breakdowns or other 

service interruptions as caused by the 

age and condition of the agency’s bus 

fleet. Applicants should document their 

current service reliability metrics and 

benchmark goals, including their 

strategy for improving reliability with or 

without the award of Bus Infrastructure 

Program funds. 

Enhanced Access and Mobility: FTA 

will evaluate the potential for the 

project to improve access and mobility 

for the transit riding public, such as 

through increased reliability, improved 

headways, creation of new 

transportation choices, or eliminating 

gaps in the current route network. 

Proposed benefits should be based on 

documented ridership demand and be 

well-described or documented through a 

study or route planning proposal. 

c. Planning and Local/Regional 

Prioritization 

Applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed project will be consistent with 

local and regional long-range planning 

documents and local government 

priorities. This will involve assessing 

whether the project is consistent with 

the transit priorities identified in the 

long range plan; and/or contingency/ 

illustrative projects included in that 

plan; or the locally developed human 

services public transportation 

coordinated plan. Applicants are not 

required to submit copies of such plans, 

but should describe how the project will 

support regional goals. Additional 

consideration will be given to 

applications including support letters 

from local and regional planning 

organizations, local government 

officials, public agencies, and/or nonprofit or private sector partners attesting 

to the consistency of the proposed 

project with these plans. Applicants 

may also address how the proposed 

project will impact overall system 

performance, asset management 

performance, or specific performance 

measures tracked and monitored by the 

applying entity to demonstrate how the 

proposed project will address local and 

regional planning priorities. 

Evidence of additional local or 

regional prioritization (i.e., STIP and 

LRTP) should include letters of support 

for the project from local government 

officials, public agencies (i.e., MPOs), 

and non-profit or private sector 

partners. 

d. Local Financial Commitment 

Applicants must identify the source of 

the local cost share and describe 

whether such funds are currently 

available for the project or will need to 

be secured if the project is selected for 

funding. FTA will consider the 

availability of the local cost share as 

evidence of local financial commitment 

to the project. Additional consideration 

will be given to those projects for which 

local funds have already been made 

available or reserved. Applicants should 

submit evidence of the availability of 

funds for the project, for example by 

including a board resolution, letter of 

support from the State, or other 

documentation of the source of local 

funds such as a budget document 

highlighting the line item or section 

committing funds to the proposed 

project. 

e. Project Implementation Strategy 

Projects will be evaluated based on 

the extent to which the project is ready 

to implement within a reasonable 


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period of time and whether the 

applicant’s proposed implementation 

plans are reasonable and complete. 

In assessing whether the project is 

ready to implement within a reasonable 

period of time, FTA will consider 

whether the project qualifies for a 

Categorical Exclusion (CE), or whether 

the required environmental work has 

been initiated or completed for projects 

that require an Environmental 

Assessment (EA) or Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) under the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), as amended. The proposal 

must also state whether grant funds can 

be obligated within 12 months from 

time of award, if selected, and indicate 

the timeframe under which the 

Metropolitan Transportation 

Improvement Program (TIP) and/or 

Statewide Transportation Improvement 

Program (STIP) can be amended to 

include the proposed project. 

Additional consideration will be given 

to projects for which grant funds can be 

obligated within 12 months from time of 

award. 

In assessing whether the proposed 

implementation plans are reasonable 

and complete, FTA will review the 

proposed project implementation plan, 

including all necessary project 

milestones and the overall project 

timeline. For projects that will require 

formal coordination, approvals or 

permits from other agencies or project 

partners, the applicant must 

demonstrate coordination with these 

organizations and their support for the 

project, such as through letters of 

support. 

f. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate that 

they have the technical, legal and 

financial capacity to undertake the 

project. FTA will review relevant 

oversight assessments and records to 

determine whether there are any 

outstanding legal, technical, or financial 

issues with the applicant that would 

affect the outcome of the proposed 

project. Applicants with outstanding 

legal, technical, or financial compliance 

issues from a Federal Transit 

Administration compliance review or 

Federal Transit grant-related Single 

Audit finding must explain how 

corrective actions taken will mitigate 

negative impacts on the project. 

F. Review and Selection Process 

In addition to other FTA staff that 

may review the proposals, a technical 

evaluation committee will evaluate 

proposals based on the published 

evaluation criteria. After applying the 

above preferences, the FTA 

Administrator will consider the 

following key Departmental objectives: 

(A) Supporting economic vitality at 

the national and regional level; 

(B) Utilizing alternative funding 

sources and innovative financing 

models to attract non-Federal sources of 

infrastructure investment; 

(C) Accounting for the life-cycle costs 

of the project to promote the state of 

good repair; 

(D) Using innovative approaches to 

improve safety and expedite project 

delivery; and 

(E) Holding grant recipients 

accountable for their performance and 

achieving specific, measurable 

outcomes identified by grant applicants. 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the designated integrity and 

performance system accessible through 

SAM (currently FAPIIS). An applicant, 

at its option, may review information in 

the designated integrity and 

performance systems accessible through 

SAM and comment on any information 

about itself that a Federal awarding 

agency previously entered and is 

currently in the designated integrity and 

performance system accessible through 

SAM. 

The FTA Administrator will 

determine the final selection of projects 

for program funding. FTA may consider 

geographic diversity, diversity in the 

size of the transit systems receiving 

funding, and/or the applicant’s receipt 

of other discretionary awards in 

determining the allocation of program 

funds. Not less than 10 percent of the 

Buses and Bus Infrastructure Program 

funds will be distributed to projects in 

rural areas. In addition, FTA will not 

award more than 10 percent of the funds 

to a single grantee. 

G. Federal Award Administration 

i. Federal Award Notice 

Subsequent to an announcement by 

the FTA Administrator of the final 

project selections, which will be posted 

on the FTA website, FTA will publish 

a list of the selected projects, a summary 

of final scores for selected projects, 

Federal award amounts and recipients 

in the Federal Register. Project 

recipients should contact their FTA 

regional offices for additional 

information regarding allocations for 

projects under the Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program. 

At the time the project selections are 

announced, FTA will extend pre-award 

authority for the selected projects. There 

is no blanket pre-award authority for 

these projects before announcement. 

ii. Award Administration 

Funds under the Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program are available to 

designated recipients that allocate funds 

to fixed route bus operators, or state or 

local governmental entities, including 

Indian tribes, that operate fixed route 

bus service. There is no minimum or 

maximum grant award amount; 

however, FTA intends to fund as many 

meritorious projects as possible. Only 

proposals from eligible recipients for 

eligible activities will be considered for 

funding. Due to funding limitations, 

proposers that are selected for funding 

may receive less than the amount 

originally requested. In those cases, 

applicants must be able to demonstrate 

that the proposed projects are still 

viable stand-alone projects that can be 

completed with the amount awarded. 

iii. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Pre-Award Authority 

The FTA will issue specific guidance 

to recipients regarding pre-award 

authority at the time of selection. The 

FTA does not provide pre-award 

authority for discretionary funds until 

projects are selected and even then there 

are Federal requirements that must be 

met before costs are incurred. Funds 

under this NOFO cannot be used to 

reimburse applicants for otherwise 

eligible expenses incurred prior to FTA 

award of a Grant Agreement until FTA 

has issued pre-award authority for 

selected projects through a notification 

in the Federal Register, or unless FTA 

has issued a ‘‘Letter of No Prejudice’’ for 

the project before the expenses are 

incurred. For more information about 

FTA’s policy on pre-award authority, 

please see the FY 2017 Apportionment 

Notice published on January 19, 2017. 

b. Grant Requirements 

If selected, awardees will apply for a 

grant through FTA’s Transit Award 

Management System (TrAMS). 

Recipients of Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program funding in urban 

areas are subject to the grant 

requirements of section 5307 Urbanized 

Area Formula Grant program, including 

those of FTA Circular 9030.1E. 

Recipients of Buses and Bus 

Infrastructure Program funding in rural 

areas are subject to the grant 

requirements of section 5311 Formula 

Grants for Rural Areas Program, 

including those of FTA Circular 

9040.1G. All recipients must follow the 

Grants Management Requirements of 

FTA Circular 5010.1E, and the labor 

protections of 49 U.S.C. 5333(b). 

Technical assistance regarding these 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
29614 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2018 / Notices 

requirements is available from each FTA 

regional office. 

c. Buy America 

The FTA requires that all capital 

procurements meet FTA’s Buy America 

requirements, which require that all 

iron, steel, or manufactured products be 

produced in the U.S. These 

requirements help create and protect 

manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The Bus 

Infrastructure Program will have a 

significant economic impact toward 

meeting the objectives of the Buy 

America law. The FAST Act amended 

the Buy America requirements to 

provide for a phased increase in the 

domestic content for rolling stock. For 

FY 2018 and FY 2019, the cost of 

components and subcomponents 

produced in the United States must be 

more than 65 percent of the cost of all 

components. For FY 2020 and beyond, 

the cost of components and 

subcomponents produced in the United 

States must be more than 70 percent of 

the cost of all components. There is no 

change to the requirement that final 

assembly of rolling stock must occur in 

the United States. FTA issued final 

guidance on the implementation of the 

phased increase in domestic content on 

September 1, 2016. Any proposal that 

will require a waiver must identify the 

items for which a waiver will be sought 

in the application. 

d. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

FTA requires that its recipients 

receiving planning, capital and/or 

operating assistance that will award 

prime contracts exceeding $250,000 in 

FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year 

comply with the Disadvantaged 

Business Enterprise (DBE) program 

regulations at 49 CFR part 26. 

Applicants should expect to include any 

funds awarded, excluding those to be 

used for vehicle procurements, in 

setting their overall DBE goal. Note, 

however, that projects including vehicle 

procurements remain subject to the DBE 

program regulations. The rule requires 

that, prior to bidding on any FTAassisted vehicle procurement, entities 

that manufacture vehicles, perform postproduction alterations or retrofitting 

must submit a DBE Program plan and 

goal methodology to FTA. Further, to 

the extent that a vehicle remanufacturer 

is responding to a solicitation for new 

or remanufactured vehicles with a 

vehicle to which the remanufacturer has 

provided post-production alterations or 

retro-fitting (e.g., replacing major 

components such as engine to provide 

a ‘‘like new’’ vehicle), the vehicle 

remanufacturer is considered a transit 

vehicle manufacturer and must also 

comply with the DBE regulations. 

FTA will then issue a transit vehicle 

manufacturer (TVM) concurrence/ 

certification letter. Grant recipients 

must verify each entity’s compliance 

with these requirements before 

accepting its bid. A list of compliant, 

certified TVMs is posted on FTA’s web 

page at https://www.fta.dot.gov/ 

regulations-and-guidance/civil-rightsada/eligible-tvms-list. Please note, that 

this list is nonexclusive and recipients 

must contact FTA before accepting bids 

from entities not listed on this webposting. Recipients may also establish 

project specific DBE goals for vehicle 

procurements. The FTA will provide 

additional guidance as grants are 

awarded. For more information on DBE 

requirements, please contact Janelle 

Hinton, Office of Civil Rights, 202–366– 

9259, email: janelle.hinton@dot.gov. 

e. Planning 

FTA encourages proposers to notify 

the appropriate State Departments of 

Transportation and MPOs in areas likely 

to be served by the project funds made 

available under this program. Selected 

projects must be incorporated into the 

long-range plans and transportation 

improvement programs of states and 

metropolitan areas before they are 

eligible for FTA funding. 

f. Standard Assurances 

By submitting a grant application, the 

applicant assures that it will comply 

with all applicable federal statutes, 

regulations, executive orders, directives, 

FTA circulars, and other federal 

administrative requirements in carrying 

out any project supported by the FTA 

grant. Further, the applicant 

acknowledges that it is under a 

continuing obligation to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the grant 

agreement issued for its project with 

FTA. The applicant understands that 

Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 

administrative practices might be 

modified from time to time and may 

affect the implementation of the project. 

The applicant agrees that the most 

recent Federal requirements will apply 

to the project, unless FTA issues a 

written determination otherwise. The 

applicant must submit the Certifications 

and Assurances before receiving a grant 

if it does not have current certifications 

on file. 

g. Reporting 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include the electronic submission of 

Federal Financial Reports and Milestone 

Progress Reports in FTA’s electronic 

grants management system. 

H. Technical Assistance and Other 

Program Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ FTA will consider 

applications for funding only from 

eligible recipients for eligible projects 

listed in Section C. Complete 

applications must be submitted through 

GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. eastern 

time on August 6, 2018. For assistance 

with GRANTS.GOV please contact 

GRANTS.GOV by phone at 1–800–518– 

4726 or by email at support@grants.gov. 

Contact information for FTA’s regional 

offices can be found on FTA’s website 

at https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/ 

regional-offices/regional-offices. 

I. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For further information concerning 

this notice please contact the Buses and 

Bus Infrastructure Program manager, 

Mark Bathrick, via email at 

mark.bathrick@dot.gov, or by phone at 

202–366–9955. A TDD is available for 

individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing at 800–877–8339. In addition, 

FTA will post answers to questions and 

requests for clarifications on FTA’s 

website at http://transit.dot.gov/ 

busprogram. FTA staff will also conduct 

a webinar for potential applicants to 

learn more about the program and 

submittal process. To ensure applicants 

receive accurate information about 

eligibility or the program, applicants are 

encouraged to contact FTA directly, 

rather than through intermediaries or 

third parties, with questions. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

K. Jane Williams, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13554 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Office of Foreign Assets Control 

Notice of OFAC Sanctions Actions 

AGENCY: Office of Foreign Assets 

Control, Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the 

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets 

Control (OFAC) is publishing the names 

of one or more persons that have been 

placed on OFAC’s Specially Designated 

Nationals and Blocked Persons List 

based on OFAC’s determination that one 

or more applicable legal criteria were 

satisfied. All property and interests in 

property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1