Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2018 / Notices 36577 

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of 

Labor, The Economics Daily, College tuition and 

fees increase 63 percent since January 2006 (https:// 

www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/college-tuition-andfees-increase-63-percent-since-january-2006.htm). 

2National Center of Education Statistics, 2017 

Digest of Education Statistics, (https://nces.ed.gov/ 

programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_

330.40.asp?current=yes). 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations via the 

Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/ 

fdsys. At this site you can view this 

document, as well as all other 

documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Portable Document Format 

(PDF). To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: July 24, 2018. 

Diane Auer Jones, 

Principal Deputy Under Secretary Delegated 

To Perform the Duties of Under Secretary 

and Assistant Secretary, Office of 

Postsecondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16259 Filed 7–27–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; Fund for 

the Improvement of Postsecondary 

Education—Open Textbooks Pilot 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

is issuing a notice inviting applications 

for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 

for the Open Textbooks Pilot program 

conducted under the Fund for the 

Improvement of Postsecondary 

Education (FIPSE), Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 

84.116T. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: July 30, 2018. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: August 29, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 12, 2018 

(83 FR 6003) and available at 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/ 

pdf/2018-02558.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stacey Slijepcevic, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 268–32, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 453–6150. Email: 

stacey.slijepcevic@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The Open 

Textbooks Pilot program supports 

projects at institutions of higher 

education (IHEs) that create new open 

textbooks (as defined in this notice) or 

expand their use of open textbooks 

while maintaining or improving 

instruction and student learning 

outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to 

develop projects that demonstrate the 

greatest potential to achieve the highest 

level of savings for students through 

sustainable, expanded use of open 

textbooks in high-enrollment courses (as 

defined in this notice) or in programs 

that prepare individuals for in-demand 

fields. 

Background: The growth in college 

textbook costs is a key component of the 

overall increase in the cost of attending 

college. The cost of college textbooks 

increased 88 percent between 2006 and 

2016.1 In the 2016–17 academic year, 

the average college student budget for 

books and supplies was $1,263 for 

students attending 4-year institutions 

and $1,458 for students attending 2-year 

institutions.2 Increasing textbook costs 

introduce an additional barrier to 

college access and completion, 

particularly for low-income students. In 

recent years, the development of open 

textbooks has emerged as a potential 

solution to increasing college textbook 

costs. While open textbooks often 

support general education or 

introductory courses, the Department 

seeks to promote degree completion by 

supporting the development of open 

textbooks for courses at different levels 

within an academic program. Therefore, 

this pilot program emphasizes the 

expansion of the use of existing open 

textbooks developed for general 

education or introductory courses, and 

the development of open textbooks for 

several required courses in one or more 

high-enrollment majors to ensure that 

students will benefit from cost savings 

throughout their programs. 

There is also a shortage of open 

textbooks to support instruction in 

career and technical education, where it 

is equally important to help students 

reduce costs. Technical textbooks are 

among the more expensive books that 

students must purchase, and they often 

must be updated frequently to keep pace 

with changing technologies, which adds 

to the costs associated with these books. 

Because of the frequent updates, 

students are prevented from relying on 

lower-cost used books. To ensure that 

students in career and technical 

education programs have access to lowcost textbooks that are up-to-date, the 

Department encourages the 

development of open textbooks that 

would support students enrolled in 

high-enrollment programs (as defined in 

this notice) for career and technical 

education associate degrees, or career 

and technical education associate 

degree programs designed to meet the 

needs of in-demand occupations and 

industries (as defined in this notice. 

Priorities: This notice includes three 

absolute priorities and one competitive 

preference priority. 

We are establishing these priorities for 

the FY 2018 grant competition and any 

subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition in 

accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the 

General Education Provisions Act 

(GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). 

Absolute Priorities: These priorities 

are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet all three of these 

priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Absolute Priority 1—Improving 

Collaboration and Dissemination 

Through Consortia Arrangements. 

An eligible applicant must propose to 

lead and carry out a consortium project 

that leverages the expertise and 

resources of at least three IHEs, 

including the lead applicant, and that 

engages employers or workforce 

stakeholders (as defined in this notice) 

and/or nonprofit or community 

organizations, as appropriate, to 

participate in the project. These entities 

are described below under Eligible 

Applicants. Applicants must explain 

how the members of the consortium will 

work in partnership to develop and 

implement open textbooks that: (a) 

Reduce the cost of college for large 

numbers of students by reducing 

textbook costs and (b) contain content 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
36578 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2018 / Notices 

that aligns student learning objectives 

with the skills or knowledge required by 

large numbers of students (at a given 

institution or nationally) as part of a 

degree pathway, or in the case of a 

career and technical postsecondary 

program, meet industry standards in indemand industry sectors or occupations 

(as defined in this notice). 

Absolute Priority 2—Addressing Gaps 

in the Open Textbook Marketplace and 

Bringing Solutions to Scale. 

An applicant must address the issue 

of gaps in the open textbook 

marketplace and of how to bring market 

solutions to scale. An applicant must 

propose a comprehensive plan to: (a) 

Identify and assess existing open 

educational resources in the credential 

pathway or the subject area or areas 

proposed, before creating new ones; (b) 

focus on the creation and expansion of 

education and training materials that 

can be taken to scale, within and 

beyond the participating consortium 

members, to reach a broad range of 

students participating in highenrollment courses or preparing for indemand occupations (as defined in this 

notice); (c) create protocols to review 

any open textbooks created or adapted 

through the project for accuracy, rigor, 

and accessibility for students with 

disabilities; and (d) disseminate 

information about the results of the 

project to other IHEs, including 

promoting the adoption of any open 

textbooks created or adapted through 

the project. 

Note: Grant funds may be used for 

professional development to help build 

capacity and expand the use of open 

textbooks for any faculty and staff members 

at IHEs. 

Absolute Priority 3—Promoting 

Degree Completion. 

An applicant must propose to build 

upon existing open textbook materials 

and/or develop new open textbooks for 

(a) multiple courses at different levels in 

a program’s course sequence and that 

are typically required for individuals 

majoring in one or more highenrollment programs and/or (b) several 

courses along the pathway to an 

associate degree in one or more career 

and technical education field(s). 

The applicant must include plans for: 

(a) Promoting and tracking the use of 

open textbooks in postsecondary 

courses, including an estimate of the 

projected cost savings for students; (b) 

assessing the impact of open textbooks 

on instruction and student learning 

outcomes, and (c) updating the open 

textbooks beyond the funded period. 

Competitive Preference Priority: This 

priority is a competitive preference 

priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) 

we award up to an additional 10 points 

to an application, depending on how 

well the application meets this priority. 

This priority is: 

Competitive Preference Priority— 

Using Technology-Based Strategies for 

Personalized Learning and Continuous 

Improvement (Up to 10 Points). 

To meet this priority, an applicant 

must propose a project that focuses on 

improving instruction and student 

learning outcomes by integrating 

technology-based strategies, such as 

artificial intelligence and adaptive 

learning, with the open textbooks 

proposed for development to provide 

personalized learning experiences. 

These technologies must be capable of 

supporting ongoing electronic 

assessments that enable students to 

monitor their own learning mastery 

and/or allow instructors to monitor the 

individual performance of each student 

in the classes or courses for which the 

applicant proposes to develop open 

textbooks. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally 

offers interested parties the opportunity 

to comment on proposed priorities, 

definitions, and other requirements. 

Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, 

allows the Secretary to exempt from 

rulemaking requirements regulations 

governing the first grant competition 

under a new or substantially revised 

program authority. This is the first grant 

competition for this program under new 

or substantially revised authority and 

therefore qualifies for this exemption. In 

order to ensure timely grant awards, the 

Secretary has decided to forgo public 

comment on the priorities, definitions, 

and other requirements under section 

437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities, 

definitions, and requirements will apply 

to the FY 2018 grant competition and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Definitions 

Open textbook means a textbook that 

is licensed under a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and 

irrevocable license to the public to 

exercise any of the rights under 

copyright conditioned only on the 

requirement that attribution be given as 

directed by the copyright owner. An 

open textbook resides in the public 

domain or has been released under a 

license that permits their free use, reuse, 

modification, and sharing with others. 

High-enrollment courses means 

courses that are required for an associate 

or bachelor’s degree at the IHE, that 

either: (1) Have student enrollments 

above the average enrollment of courses 

at the institution or (2) have higher than 

average enrollments nationally as 

compared to other academic or career 

and technical education courses. 

High-enrollment program means a 

degree program or career and technical 

education postsecondary program at the 

IHE that either: (1) Has student 

enrollments above the average 

enrollment for programs at the 

institution or (2) has higher than average 

enrollments nationally as compared to 

other academic or career and technical 

education programs. 

Workforce stakeholder means an 

individual or organization with an 

interest in the employability of others 

either for self-interest or the interest of 

other employers. 

In-demand industry sector means an 

industry sector that has a substantial 

current or potential impact (including 

through jobs that lead to economic selfsufficiency and opportunities for 

advancement) on the State, regional, or 

local economy, as appropriate, and that 

contributes to the growth or stability of 

other supporting businesses, or the 

growth of other industry sectors. 

In-demand occupation means an 

occupation that currently has or is 

projected to have a number of positions 

(including positions that lead to 

economic self-sufficiency and 

opportunities for advancement) in an 

industry sector so as to have a 

significant impact on the State, regional, 

or local economy, as appropriate. 

Sector partner means a member of a 

workforce collaborative, convened by or 

acting in partnership with a State board 

or local board, that organizes key 

stakeholders interconnected by labor 

markets, technologies, and worker skill 

needs into a working group that focuses 

on shared goals and resource needs. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138– 

1138d. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR 

part 180, as adopted and amended as 

regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 

part 3485. (c) The Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian Tribes. 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2018 / Notices 36579 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$4,950,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in 

subsequent years from the list of 

unfunded applications for this 

competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$1,500,000–$4,950,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$2,475,000. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $4,950,000 for a 

single budget period of 48 months. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1–3. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 48 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible 

applicants are IHEs as defined in section 

101 of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 

1001), that: 

(a) Lead the activities of a consortium 

that is comprised of at least: 

i. Three IHEs as defined in section 

101 of the HEA, including the lead 

applicant; 

ii. An educational technology or 

electronic curriculum design expert 

(which may include such experts that 

are employed by one or more of the 

consortium institutions); and 

iii. An advisory group of at least five 

employers, workforce organizations, or 

sector partners (as defined in this 

notice); and 

(b) Have demonstrated experience in 

the development and implementation of 

open educational resources. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 

75.708(b) and (c) a grantee under this 

competition may award subgrants—to 

directly carry out project activities 

described in its application—to entities 

listed in the grant application. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application Submission 

Instructions: For information on how to 

submit an application please refer to our 

Common Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 12, 2018 

(83 FR 6003), and available at 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/ 

pdf/2018-02558.pdf. 

2. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the Open Textbook Pilot, your 

application may include business 

information that you consider 

proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define 

‘‘business information’’ and describe the 

process we use in determining whether 

any of that information is proprietary 

and, thus, protected from disclosure 

under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as 

amended). 

Because we plan to make successful 

applications available to the public, you 

may wish to request confidentiality of 

business information. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600, please designate in your 

application any information that you 

believe is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4. In the appropriate 

Appendix section of your application, 

under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ 

please list the page number or numbers 

on which we can find this information. 

For additional information please see 34 

CFR 5.11(c). 

3. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. However, under 34 CFR 

79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental 

review in order to make awards by the 

end of FY 2018. 

4. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

5. Recommended Page Limit: The 

application narrative is where you, the 

applicant, address the selection criteria 

that reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to no 

more than 60 pages and (2) use the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ × 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions. 

• Use a readable 12-point font such as 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended 60 page limit 

applies only to the application narrative 

and does not apply to Part I, the cover 

sheet; Part II, the budget section, 

including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

the resumes, the bibliography, or the 

letters of support. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all 

of the selection criteria is 100 points. 

The maximum score for each criterion is 

included in parentheses following the 

title of the specific selection criterion. 

Each criterion also includes the factors 

that reviewers will consider in 

determining the extent to which an 

applicant meets the criterion. 

Points awarded under the competitive 

preference priority are in addition to 

any points an applicant earns for all of 

the selection criteria in this notice. The 

maximum score that an application may 

receive under the competitive 

preference priority and the selection 

criteria is 110. The selection criteria are 

as follows: 

a. Significance (up to 20 points). 

The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. In 

determining the significance of the 

proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the proposed 

project is likely to build local capacity 

to provide, improve, or expand services 

that address the needs of the target 

population. 

(2) The potential replicability of the 

proposed project or strategies, 

including, as appropriate, the potential 

for implementation in a variety of 

settings. 

b. Quality of the Project Design (up to 

15 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the design of the proposed project. In 

determining the quality of the design of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(2) The extent to which the design of 

the proposed project is appropriate to, 

and will successfully address, the needs 

of the target population or other 

identified needs. 

(3) The extent to which the proposed 

project is designed to build capacity and 

yield results that will extend beyond the 

period of Federal financial assistance. 

c. Quality of Project Services (up to 15 

points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the services to be provided by the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the quality and sufficiency of 

strategies for ensuring equal access and 

treatment for eligible project 

participants who are members of groups 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
36580 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2018 / Notices 

that have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The likelihood that the services to 

be provided by the proposed project 

will lead to improvements in the 

achievement of students as measured 

against rigorous academic standards. 

(2) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services. 

(3) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are of 

sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services. 

d. Quality of Project Personnel (up to 

5 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the personnel who will carry out the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of project personnel, the 

Secretary considers the extent to which 

the applicant encourages applications 

for employment from persons who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. In addition, 

the Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(1) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of the 

project director or principal 

investigator. 

(2) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel. 

e. Adequacy of Resources (up to 25 

points). 

The Secretary considers the adequacy 

of resources for the proposed project. In 

determining the adequacy of resources 

for the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The relevance and demonstrated 

commitment of each partner in the 

proposed project to the implementation 

and success of the project. 

(2) The extent to which the costs are 

reasonable in relation to the objectives, 

design, and potential significance of the 

proposed project. 

f. Quality of the Management Plan (up 

to 10 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the management plan for the proposed 

project. In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(1) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks. 

(2) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 

project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project. 

g. Quality of the Project Evaluation 

(up to 10 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the evaluation to be conducted of the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project. 

(2) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation include the use of 

objective performance measures that are 

clearly related to the intended outcomes 

of the project and will produce 

quantitative and qualitative data to the 

extent possible. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary requires 

various assurances, including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department (34 CFR 

100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

For this competition, a panel of 

external reviewers will read, prepare a 

written evaluation of, and score all 

eligible applications using the selection 

criteria and the competitive preference 

priority, if applicable, provided in this 

notice. The individual scores of the 

reviewers will be added and the sum 

divided by the number of reviewers to 

determine the peer review score. The 

Department may use more than one tier 

of reviews in evaluating grantees. The 

Department will prepare a rank order of 

applications based solely on the 

evaluation of their quality according to 

the selection criteria and competitive 

preference priority points. 

In the event there are two or more 

applications with the same final score in 

the rank order listing, and there are 

insufficient funds to fully support each 

of these applications, the Department 

will apply the following procedure to 

determine which application or 

applications will receive an award: 

First Tiebreaker: The first tiebreaker 

shall be the highest average score for the 

selection criterion of ‘‘Significance.’’ If a 

tie remains, the second tiebreaker shall 

be utilized. 

Second Tiebreaker: The second 

tiebreaker shall be the highest average 

score for the selection criterion 

‘‘Adequacy of Resources.’’ If a tie 

remains, the third tiebreaker shall be 

utilized. 

Third Tiebreaker: The third tiebreaker 

shall be the highest average score for the 

Competitive Preference Priority ‘‘Using 

Technology-Based Strategies for 

Personalized Learning and Continuous 

Improvement.’’ If a tie remains, the 

fourth tiebreaker shall be utilized. 

Fourth Tiebreaker: The applicant that 

proposes the highest estimate of 

projected savings that will be achieved 

for students in response to Absolute 

Priority 3. 

3. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.205, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

4. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $150,000), under 2 

CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a 

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through the System for 

Award Management. You may review 

and comment on any information about 

yourself that a Federal agency 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2018 / Notices 36581 

previously entered and that is currently 

in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal Government exceeds 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, 

require you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant 

plus all the other Federal funds you 

receive exceed $10,000,000. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we will notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we will notify 

you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: The 

Department will use the following 

performance measures in assessing the 

successful performance of the Open 

Textbooks Pilot program grants: 

a. The number of students who 

enrolled in courses that use open 

textbooks developed through the grant; 

b. The number of students who 

completed courses which used the open 

textbooks developed through the grant; 

c. Student and faculty evaluations of 

the quality of the open textbooks 

compared with other kinds of textbooks 

they have used, the ease of use of these 

materials and the cost savings 

associated with the use of open 

textbooks; 

d. The average cost savings per 

student; 

e. The total cost savings for students 

who used open textbooks compared to 

students in the same course of study 

who used traditional textbooks; 

f. The number and percentage of 

courses among consortium members 

that adopted the use of open textbooks, 

where appropriate, as opposed to those 

that continued to use paper or electronic 

textbooks; and 

g. The number of institutions outside 

of the consortium that adopted the use 

of the open textbooks produced through 

the grant. 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations via the 

Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/ 

fdsys. At this site you can view this 

document, as well as all other 

documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Portable Document Format 

(PDF). To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: July 24, 2018. 

Diane Auer Jones, 

Principal Deputy Under Secretary, Delegated 

to Perform the Duties of Under Secretary and 

Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16264 Filed 7–27–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Energy Information Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Extension 

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information 

Administration (EIA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: EIA has submitted an 

information collection request as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995. The information collection 

requests a three-year extension with 

changes to Form EIA–846, 

‘‘Manufacturing Energy Consumption 

Survey’’ (MECS), OMB Control Number 

1905–0169. Form EIA–846 collects data 

from the U.S. manufacturing sector on 

energy consumption, expenditures, 

shipments of energy offsite, end use 

consumption, building characteristics, 

participation in energy management 

programs, technologies, and fuel 

switching capacity. 

DATES: Comments regarding this 

proposed information collection must 

be received on or before August 29, 

2018. If you anticipate that you will be 

submitting comments, but find it 

difficult to do so within the period of 

time allowed by this notice, please 

advise the DOE Desk Officer at OMB of 

your intention to make a submission as 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES