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CHAPTER 7-210

APPLICATION REVIEW AND PROCESSING 

FOR A TECHNICAL STUDIES PROGRAM COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

7-210-00 What does this chapter do?

7-210-10 How long will we take to process your application?

7-210-20 What do we require to make your application administratively complete?

7-210-30 How will we review your application?

7-210-40 How will we award your cooperative agreement?

7-210-50 What are our records requirements?

7-210-00 What does this chapter do?

This chapter explains the procedures used by us, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and 

Enforcement (OSMRE), to review and complete your application for a Technical Studies 

program cooperative agreement. It also explains how we will award your cooperative agreement 

if we select your proposal for funding.

7-210-10 How long will we take to process your application?

We will process all selected proposals within 60 days of the date we select winning proposals or 

the date we receive a complete application, whichever is later. We will use this time to obtain 

additional documents, agree upon our level of significant Federal involvement, and finalize any 

other issues about your cooperative agreement.

7-210-20 What do we require to make your application administratively complete?

We require the following documents to form an administratively complete application. 

A. Signed or approved Application for Federal Assistance, form SF-424.

B. Narrative budget explanation and justification. You may use optional form OSM-47 or 

an alternative format.

C. Signed or approved Non-construction Assurances document, form SF424 B.

D. Signed or approved Construction Assurances document, form SF 424 D, if applicable.

E. Certifications document for compliance with Debarment and Suspension, Drug-Free 

Workplace, and Lobbying requirements.

F. Disclosure of lobbying activities, form SF-LLL, if applicable.

G. Indirect cost rate proposal for the year of the award approved by a Federal agency.
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7-210-30 How will we review your application?

A. We will ensure that your application package is complete. We will also validate budget 

information in your application. We will contact you if we need additional information. 

B. We will contact you for a meeting or teleconference to accomplish the following.

a. We will clarify all deliverables for your project.

b. We will identify the type and extent of our involvement in the project. This 

includes milestones, decision points, and direct participation, where applicable.

c. We will identify primary Federal and recipient contacts.

d. We will discuss payment issues and financial and programmatic reporting 

requirements during your agreement.

C. We will develop a document with terms and conditions to supplement the cooperative 

agreement. This document will give specific requirements and responsibilities necessary 

to carry out the terms of the agreement based on our previous discussions with you. We 

will provide the document to you for comment and approval.

D. We will confirm availability of funds.

E. We will check the System for Award Management (SAM) to determine if you are 

excluded from receiving this Federal assistance. 

F. We will determine if you are subject to the single audit requirement found in the Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal 

Awards, at 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E. If so, we will confirm that you have met the 

requirement.

G. The technical and financial specialists who will work with your project must document 

their recommendations to proceed with the award.

7-210-40 How will we award your cooperative agreement?

A. We will enter your application data into our electronic grant system.

B. We will notify our Office of Communications of the planned award so they may issue 

Congressional and public news releases. Our awarding office must follow the 

notification procedure established by the Office of Communications.
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C. Our awarding office will approve your cooperative agreement in our electronic grant 

system. Our accounting system will update Treasury’s financial assistance payment 

system, which will process your cash requests.

D. We will send you the written cooperative agreement with all applicable terms and 

conditions. 

E. If we cannot approve your cooperative agreement, we will contact you in writing. We 

will explain the reasons for our action, and provide corrective actions if applicable.

7-210-50 What are our records requirements?

Our awarding office must maintain the official file for the cooperative agreement. At a 

minimum, the official file must contain the following records.

A. Your application as originally received, all additions or revisions to it, and any other 

information you provided.

B. All meetings or telephone conversations about your application and/or proposal.

C. All our correspondence with you related to the application or award.

D. All of our internal reviews of your application.

E. Our approved budget authority to make an award.

F. All questions that were brought up during the review process and the resolution of those 

questions.

G. Explanations of any delays in the timing of the award.

H. Documentation of specific actions by the project technical point-of-contact which make 

up our substantial involvement in the project.