MAKING AN IMPACT ON U.S. MANUFACTURING

Embedding MEP into Manufacturing 

USA Institutes Competition

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

November 2016
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A. EMBEDDING MEP INTO NNMI INSTITUTES BACKGROUND .........................................................2

B. OVERALL COMPETITIVE PROCESS ...............................................................................................................2

C. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION ................................................................................3

D. BUDGET...............................................................................................................................................................................3

E. EVALUATION CRITERIA.........................................................................................................................................3

F. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS ..............................................................................................................7

G. ELIGIBILITY................................................................................................................................................................7
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2016 Embedding MEP into Manufacturing USA Institutes Competition

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The below FAQs are for informational purposes only and are intended solely to assist potential 

applicants in better understanding the MEP program, intent of FFO and the application 

requirements set forth in the FFO. The FAQs do not and are not intended to supersede, modify, 

or otherwise alter applicable statutory or regulatory requirements or the specific application 

requirements set forth in the FFO. In all cases, MEP statutory and regulatory mandates, and the 

requirements set forth in the FFO, shall prevail over any inconsistencies contained in the below 

FAQs. Please note that recently added questions have been identified by the date in which they 

were added to this document. Any previous responses that have been updated have also been 

identified by an “updated date”.

A. EMBEDDING MEP INTO NNMI INSTITUTES BACKGROUND

B. OVERALL COMPETITIVE PROCESS

1. What is the anticipated schedule for notification of awardees?

We anticipate the review, selection and award processing to conclude by end of 2016. 

The anticipated start date for awards made under this opportunity is expected to be 

January 1, 2017. (Updated 11/8/16)

2. May unsuccessful applicants request a debriefing?

Yes. Unsuccessful applicants may request a debriefing, which will provide constructive 

feedback that can assist applicants to develop improved proposals in the future. Briefings 

should take the form of advice to applicants on the strengths and weaknesses of their own 

proposals in terms of the published evaluation and review criteria.

3. Can the applicant engage in conversation with NIST MEP after submitting their 

application? 

No, MEP Staff cannot engage in conversations related to the competition or your 

application once the FFO has published. All questions related to the competition must be 

directed to mepffo@nist.gov. NIST MEP will review the question(s) and provide a 

response as appropriate. 

4. How can an applicant track and check their application submission in grants.gov? 

Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions at www.grants.gov to 

ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from 

Grants.gov indicates only that an application was transferred to a system. It does not 

provide details concerning whether all attachments (or how many attachments) transferred 

successfully.
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Applicants can use Grants.gov’s Download Submitted Applications feature to check that 

all of the required attachments were contained in their submission. 

After submitting the application, follow the directions found in the Grants.gov Online 

Users Guide (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh). Click first on Applicants; then click on Applicant 

Actions; go then to the “Check My Application Status” option, and choose Download 

Submitted Applications. If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the 

submission, follow the attachment directions found in the Full Announcement/FFO 

document, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required 

attachments. 

The Grants.gov Online Users Guide available at the Grants.gov site 

(http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh) provides important information on checking the status of 

applications. 

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by following the 

procedures at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjamz). It can take up to two business 

days for an application to fully move through the Grants.gov system to NIST. 

NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov, and does not issue Agency 

Tracking Numbers.Grants.gov

C. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D. BUDGET 

E. EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. Will you be approving embedding multiple MEP Center resources at the same 

NNMI? For instance, if Center A applied to embed a full or partial FTE at the 

NNMI for Additive will you also approve another MEP Center (Center B) staff to 

embedded their too. Will there be a cap of the number of FTEs per NNMI?

It is at the discretion of the NNMI Institute to determine how many MEP center personnel 

(from multiple MEP Centers) they want to imbed within their facility.

Per the FFO, Section IV.2.a.12(a), a) Each application must include a Letter of 

Commitment from an authorized representative of: (i) the MEP Center applicant; (ii) each 

Institute that will be participating in the project; and from (iii) other MEP Centers that will 

be participating in the project. Each letter should describe the submitting organization’s 

commitment to and activities in support of the proposed project.

2. Is an entire FTE (1.0) required to be embedded at each NNMI requested or can an 

MEP Center request to embed .5 of an FTE at multiple NNMI’s? (Updated 11/8/16)
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Proposed approaches are required to fund the embedding of MEP Center representatives 

in residence at Manufacturing USA Institutes at a total level of effort and time 

commitment equal to or greater than 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff each year. This 

1.0 FTE requirement for embedded MEP Center personnel represents the minimum level 

of effort, and embedding MEP Center personnel at levels of effort and time commitment 

totaling more than 1.0 FTE each year are encouraged. This 1.0 FTE requirement may be 

met via the embedding of multiple MEP staff members in Manufacturing USA Institutes, 

but any single MEP Center personnel must be embedded at a level of effort of 0.5 FTE 

staff year or greater to be counted toward the overall annual 1.0 FTE requirement. 

It is required that the embedded MEP Center personnel must operate in residence at the 

participating Institutes. For purposes of this FFO, MEP Center personnel being embedded 

in residence at a Manufacturing USA Institute means the MEP embedded personnel are 

physically based at the Institute commensurate with the commitment identified in the 

project narrative and budget, utilizing Institute office space and interacting with Institute 

staff and members. This must be clearly stated and evidenced in the proposal, and the 

applicant must include a statement that there will be at least one or the equivalent of one 

(1) full-time FTE in residence at a specified Manufacturing USA institute(s) and provide 

salary information in their proposal that is consistent with this statement as full-time in the 

proposed budget. Being embedded in residence also means that the embedded personnel 

are wholly focused on project tasking included in the proposed approach during the time 

while they’re embedded at the Institute – versus being focused on customary MEP Center 

duties.

3. Regarding the requirement that “... any single MEP Center personnel must be 

embedded at a level of effort of 0.5 FTE staff year or greater to be counted toward 

the overall annual 1.0 FTE requirement” – if the proposed project length is for 2 

years, does a single person embedded for .25 FTE in year 1 and .25 FTE in year 2 

meet this requirement? Or is it a minimum of 0.5 FTE per year? (Updated 11/8/16)

Proposed approaches are required to fund the embedding of MEP Center representatives 

in residence at Manufacturing USA Institutes at a total level of effort and time 

commitment equal to or greater than 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff each year. This 

1.0 FTE requirement for embedded MEP Center personnel represents the minimum level 

of effort, and embedding MEP Center personnel at levels of effort and time commitment 

totaling more than 1.0 FTE each year are encouraged. This 1.0 FTE requirement may be 

met via the embedding of multiple MEP staff members in Manufacturing USA Institutes, 

but any single MEP Center personnel must be embedded at a level of effort of 0.5 FTE 

staff year or greater to be counted toward the overall annual 1.0 FTE requirement. 

It is required that the embedded MEP Center personnel must operate in residence at the 

participating Institutes. For purposes of this FFO, MEP Center personnel being embedded 

in residence at a Manufacturing USA Institute means the MEP embedded personnel are 

physically based at the Institute commensurate with the commitment identified in the 

project narrative and budget, utilizing Institute office space and interacting with Institute 
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staff and members. This must be clearly stated and evidenced in the proposal, and the 

applicant must include a statement that there will be at least one or the equivalent of one 

(1) full-time FTE in residence at a specified Manufacturing USA institute(s) and provide 

salary information in their proposal that is consistent with this statement as full-time in the 

proposed budget. Being embedded in residence also means that the embedded personnel 

are wholly focused on project tasking included in the proposed approach during the time 

while they’re embedded at the Institute – versus being focused on customary MEP Center 

duties.

4. Is it a requirement that proposed embedded personnel be current MEP staff? Can 

NIST provide guidance on its attitude toward or scoring of applications that propose 

a new hire for embedded staff? (Updated 11/8/16)

Per Section V.d of the FFO, Reviewers will assess the quality, merit, and extent to which 

the following is evident when evaluating the qualifications of the applicant and of program 

management:

i. Proposed personnel identified from the MEP Center(s) to be embedded within the 

participating Manufacturing USA Institute(s) have the appropriate education, 

technical background, and experience assisting small U.S. manufacturers, 

especially in areas relating to technology acceleration and working with supply 

chains, to appropriately represent the involved MEP Center(s) to the involved 

Manufacturing USA Institute(s);

ii. Key personnel are identified in the participating Manufacturing USA Institute(s), 

the participating MEP Center(s), and other participating organizations to 

appropriately support the activities of the proposed Pilot Project, including the 

embedding of personnel;

iii. Proposed management structure and organizational roles are clearly defined and 

aligned to plan, direct, monitor, organize and oversee the implementation of the 

proposed approach to achieve project objectives, and the proposed organizational 

structure flows logically from the specified approach to the project deliverables; 

and

iv. Proposed organizational structures and participating personnel from the MEP 

Center(s) and Manufacturing USA Institute(s) are ready to begin project operations 

upon receipt of funding award.
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5. If an MEP Center is proposing to embed a person at an NNMI headquarters can 

another FTE or partial FTE be embedded at one of the NNMI satellite nodes.

(Updated 11/8/16)

Yes. Proposed approaches are required to fund the embedding of MEP Center 

representatives in residence at Manufacturing USA Institutes at a total level of effort and 

time commitment equal to or greater than 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff each year. 

This 1.0 FTE requirement for embedded MEP Center personnel represents the minimum 

level of effort, and embedding MEP Center personnel at levels of effort and time 

commitment totaling more than 1.0 FTE each year are encouraged. This 1.0 FTE 

requirement may be met via the embedding of multiple MEP staff members in 

Manufacturing USA Institutes, but any single MEP Center personnel must be embedded at 

a level of effort of 0.5 FTE staff year or greater to be counted toward the overall annual 

1.0 FTE requirement. 

It is required that the embedded MEP Center personnel must operate in residence at the 

participating Institutes. For purposes of this FFO, MEP Center personnel being embedded 

in residence at a Manufacturing USA Institute means the MEP embedded personnel are 

physically based at the Institute commensurate with the commitment identified in the 

project narrative and budget, utilizing Institute office space and interacting with Institute 

staff and members. This must be clearly stated and evidenced in the proposal, and the 

applicant must include a statement that there will be at least one or the equivalent of one 

(1) full-time FTE in residence at a specified Manufacturing USA institute(s) and provide 

salary information in their proposal that is consistent with this statement as full-time in the 

proposed budget. Being embedded in residence also means that the embedded personnel 

are wholly focused on project tasking included in the proposed approach during the time 

while they’re embedded at the Institute – versus being focused on customary MEP Center 

duties.

It is up to the MEP Center and NNMI Institute to determine the best approach for the 

embedding. It must comply with the requirements set for the in the FFO.

6. We are a team representing four states exploring the interest of submitting a 

proposal through 4 MEPs to the funding opportunity 2016-NIST-MEP-ENNMI-01. 

As we meet with MEPs in our respective states one question that is of concern is the 

period of time that MEP representatives must spent on site. The solicitation mentions 

up to two years in residence, can you provide more information with regards to this 

expectation, as for example does the residence period needs to be continuous? Can a 

set of forum/workshops be designed within NNMIs to accelerate technology 

transfer/education so that the MEP representative(s) is on site at extended periods, 

but not continuously. (Updated 11/8/16)

Proposed approaches are required to fund the embedding of MEP Center representatives 

in residence at Manufacturing USA Institutes at a total level of effort and time 

commitment equal to or greater than 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff each year. This 
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1.0 FTE requirement for embedded MEP Center personnel represents the minimum level 

of effort, and embedding MEP Center personnel at levels of effort and time commitment 

totaling more than 1.0 FTE each year are encouraged. This 1.0 FTE requirement may be 

met via the embedding of multiple MEP staff members in Manufacturing USA Institutes, 

but any single MEP Center personnel must be embedded at a level of effort of 0.5 FTE 

staff year or greater to be counted toward the overall annual 1.0 FTE requirement. 

It is required that the embedded MEP Center personnel must operate in residence at the 

participating Institutes. For purposes of this FFO, MEP Center personnel being embedded 

in residence at a Manufacturing USA Institute means the MEP embedded personnel are 

physically based at the Institute commensurate with the commitment identified in the 

project narrative and budget, utilizing Institute office space and interacting with Institute 

staff and members. This must be clearly stated and evidenced in the proposal, and the 

applicant must include a statement that there will be at least one or the equivalent of one 

(1) full-time FTE in residence at a specified Manufacturing USA institute(s) and provide 

salary information in their proposal that is consistent with this statement as full-time in the 

proposed budget. Being embedded in residence also means that the embedded personnel 

are wholly focused on project tasking included in the proposed approach during the time 

while they’re embedded at the Institute – versus being focused on customary MEP Center 

duties.

7. Are there restrictions on a management approach that would have the MEP center 

managing compliance and one Subrecipient, with said Subrecipient, because of their 

technical knowledge and experience, undertaking the program collaboration task of 

additional subrecipients to ensure embedded personnel scheduling, institute 

integration and program execution? (Added 11/8/16)

Subreicpients can’t manage other subrecipients. 2 CFR 200 speaks clearly to subrecipient 

monitoring. Please refer to Section 200.330-332 in 2 CFR 200.

F. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

G. ELIGIBILITY

1. Can a center request to be embedded at an NNMI that is currently under FFO 

competition but will be awarded before October 1st?

Per Section III of the FFO, an applicant MEP Center must form a collaboration, 

teaming arrangement, or other appropriate relationship with one or more of the current 

established and operating NNMI Institutes. 

Per Section III of the FFO, eligibility for this program is contingent upon an applicant 

being a NIST MEP Center at the time of application, at the time of award, and for the 

entire period of performance for awards issued pursuant to this FFO. NIST reserves 
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the right to take appropriate action, which may include not making an award, or 

terminating an award or a portion thereof, should an MEP Center fail to maintain its 

eligibility at all required times. NIST further reserves the right to take appropriate 

action, including terminating an award or a portion thereof, if an Institute does not 

maintain its designation as such during any time during the period of performance for 

awards issued pursuant to this FFO.

2. It is allowable for an MEP to simultaneously serve as the LEAD on a funded 

application, and also as a FUNDED subrecipient or contractor on another funded 

application, correct?

Per Section III of the FFO, An MEP Center may serve as the lead MEP 

Center/applicant on only one proposal. There are no restrictions on the number of 

applications in which MEP Centers or NNMI Institutes can be proposed as 

collaborators.

3. In the FFO it states where an MEP Center issues subawards to “MEP Affiliates”, 

are the MEP Affiliates eligible to be the lead applicant? (Added 10/24/16)

Per the FFO, the eligibility section reads:

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible applicants for this program are MEP Centers receiving 

current cooperative agreement funding from NIST. .....Eligibility for this program is 

contingent upon an applicant being a NIST MEP Center at the time of application, at 

the time of award, and for the entire period of performance for awards issued pursuant 

to this FFO.