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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (FFO)

Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) State Partnership Support

Project

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 Federal Agency Name: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 

Department of Commerce (DoC)

 Funding Opportunity Title: Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 

State Partnership Support Project

 Announcement Type: Initial

 Funding Opportunity Number: 2016-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIP-01

 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.611, 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

 Dates: Electronic applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

Time on Monday, February 29, 2016. Paper applications will not be accepted. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered. 

Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that 

the Grants.gov system is expected to be closed for routine maintenance at these 

times: from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, January 16, 2016 until Tuesday, 

January 19, 2016 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time; and also from 12:01 a.m. Eastern 

Time, Saturday, February 20, 2016 until Monday, February 22, 2016 at 6:00 a.m. 

Eastern Time; and that applications cannot be submitted during those time spans. 

The approximate start date for the award made under this FFO is expected to be

June 1, 2016.

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that (1) all 

applicants are required to have a current registration in the System for Award 

Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the electronic 

System for Award Management (SAM.gov) (see Section IV.3 and Section 

IV.7.a.(1).b. of this FFO) may take between three and five business days or as long 

as more than two weeks; and (3) electronic applicants are required to have a current 

registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants using Grants.gov will receive a series 

of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning 

whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application. Please 

note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated recipient’s 

registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not current at the 

time of the award.
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 Application Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically through 

www.grants.gov. NIST will not accept applications submitted by mail, facsimile, or 

by e-mail. See Sections IV.2.b.(1)., IV.2.b.(2)., and IV.2.b.(7). of this FFO.

 Funding Opportunity Description: NIST invites proposals from eligible 

organizations to provide in-depth collaborative support in developing and advancing 

stakeholder relationships that are critical to the success of the MEP program, based 

on the recipient’s expertise and knowledge of State manufacturing and technology 

agendas. NIST MEP is a federal-state-industry partnership program. The MEP

system of Centers and field offices throughout the U.S. provides a mechanism to 

integrate federal and state public policy goals, respond to market forces and address 

the needs of manufacturing sectors and of individual manufacturers. To make the 

most of this partnership, NIST MEP strives to balance the priorities of U.S. national 

policy with those of state partners to create a robust and effective program providing 

U.S. manufacturers with the tools they need to grow and remain globally 

competitive.

Stakeholders include not only state-based partners but also sub-state partners that 

are based at the county, community, and city levels, as well as regional partners that 

extend beyond state boundary lines. 

Given the unique nature of the MEP network, success depends on the mutual 

understanding and alignment of regional, state and local policy goals and objectives 

with national policy to create a partnership that leverages the strength of each entity. 

MEP increasingly is focused on helping manufacturers identify and adopt new 

technologies for improved products, processes, business practices and the 

development of new products. NIST is seeking proposals to develop and enhance 

effective collaborative relationships between and with the MEP Program, MEP 

Centers and State and other stakeholders. It is important for all components of the 

MEP network to understand overarching State priorities relative to manufacturing 

and the implementation of such priorities at the State, regional and local levels. 

This effort will help the MEP system develop the capacity to align these agendas 

with MEP priorities supporting continuous improvement, growth, sustainability, 

supply chains, innovation and technology acceleration in manufacturing.

 Anticipated Funding Amounts: NIST anticipates awarding one (1) multiyear 

cooperative agreement with a five-year (5) period of performance and at a total 

maximum federal funding amount not to exceed $4.5 million over the entire five-year 

period of performance. If a proposal for a multiyear award is approved, NIST 

anticipates funding up to $750,000 for the first year of the program, and thereafter 

annually to fund $750,000 each year for continuing base level activities and also to 

fund an additional amount of up to $750,000 for increased activities during a 

particular year to be determined by the recipient and NIST MEP. Continuation of an 

award to increase funding or to extend the period of performance is solely at the

discretion of NIST and will be contingent upon satisfactory progress, continued 
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relevance to the mission and priorities of MEP, existing legislative authority, and the 

availability of funds. See Section II. of this FFO for detailed information concerning 

the availability of NIST funding and for annual funding caps for this program.

 Funding Instrument: Cooperative Agreement. See Section II.1. of this FFO for 

additional information concerning the funding instrument for this award.

 Who Is Eligible: Applicants must be a U.S.-based for-profit or not-for-profit 

institution or organization. An eligible organization may work individually or may 

include proposed subawards to eligible organizations or proposed contracts with any 

other organization as part of the applicant’s proposal, effectively forming a team.

 Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Share is not required for this project.

 Webinar Information Session: NIST/MEP will hold one webinar information 

session for organizations that are considering applying for this funding opportunity. 

This webinar will provide general information regarding MEP and offer general 

guidance on preparing proposals. NIST/MEP staff will be available at the webinar to 

answer general questions. During the webinar, proprietary detailed or technical 

discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted. Also, NIST/MEP staff 

will not critique or provide feedback on any specific project ideas during the webinar 

or at any time before submission of a proposal to MEP. However, NIST/MEP staff 

will provide information about eligibility, evaluation criteria and selection factors, 

selection process, program priorities and objectives, and the general characteristics 

of a competitive proposal during this webinar. The webinar will be held 

approximately fifteen (15) to thirty (30) business days after posting of this FFO. The 

exact date and time of the webinar will be posted on the MEP website at 

http://nist.gov/mep/ffo-statepartnership.cfm. The webinar will be recorded, and a link 

to the recording will be posted on the MEP website. In addition, the webinar 

presentation will be available after the webinar on the MEP website. Organizations 

wishing to participate in the webinar must register in advance by contacting MEP by 

email at mepffo@nist.gov. Participation in the webinar is not required in order for an 

organization to submit an application pursuant to this FFO.

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Questions from applicants pertaining to 

MEP eligibility, cost-sharing requirements, evaluation criteria and selection factors, 

selection process, and the general characteristics of a competitive MEP proposal will 

not be considered on an informal basis. Applicants must submit all such questions 

in writing to mepffo@nist.gov. Answers to such written questions submitted to 

NIST/MEP may be made available to the public as part of an FAQ document, which 

will be periodically updated on the MEP website at http://nist.gov/mep/ffostatepartnership.cfm.
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Table of Contents

I. Program Description ........................................................................................... 4

II. Federal Award Information ................................................................................. 6

III. Eligibility Information.......................................................................................... 9

IV. Application and Submission Information.......................................................... 9

V. Application/Proposal Review Information....................................................... 18

VI. Federal Award Administration Information..................................................... 23

VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts ................................................................ 25

VIII. Other Information .............................................................................................. 26

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Program Description

The statutory authority for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 

State Partnership Support Project is 15 U.S.C. §§ 272(b)(1), (b)(4), and (c)(18).

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites proposals from 

eligible and qualified organizations to support efforts of the MEP Program, including 

MEP Centers and the entire MEP system of partners, to develop and enhance effective 

collaborative relationships with states and other stakeholders. These activities will 

advance the MEP’s network of relationships with state stakeholders and partners to 

help MEP achieve its mission of improving productivity and technological performance 

in United States manufacturing. 

Partnerships are critical to the success of MEP. In particular, regional, state and local

partners:

 demonstrate leadership to generate action to address regional, state and local

challenges and opportunities;

 set priorities for economic development and complementary activities (e.g., 

workforce, technology, sustainability, etc.) in their jurisdictions; 

 develop strategies and programs to advance those priorities; and 

 provide significant financial co-investment (non-federal cost share) that supports 

the operation of MEP Centers.

NIST MEP has long recognized the value of these partnerships and sought to nurture 

and deepen the relationships with state leaders in both state executive branch agencies 

and state legislatures. This is a complex challenge, given the number of states, the 

differences in economies, markets, culture, political philosophies, and spending 

priorities, the rapidly-changing composition of elected and appointed officials, shifting 
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trends in public policy priorities, and related considerations. The purpose of the MEP 

State Partnership Support Program is to generate strategies, market intelligence, and 

analytical resources to support the efforts of MEP Centers, NIST MEP and of the 

Nation’s manufacturers to undertake this challenge. There are certain base-level 

activities that underpin the success of this work:

 Collecting and analyzing available data to inform strategies, services, and 

performance;

 Conducting research about current practices and trends to inform MEP system 

program initiatives and policy decisions;

 Developing and expanding the network of State, regional and local leaders 

supporting manufacturers, MEP Centers and the MEP mission;

 Enabling MEP Centers to better align their work with State priorities; and 

 Increasing State support of MEP work.

NIST MEP anticipates that these base-level activities will occur during all five years of 

the cooperative agreement. 

In addition to the annual base-level activities under the cooperative agreement, NIST 

MEP plans to work with the recipient to conduct more intensive, targeted activities in 

one of the five years (to be determined jointly) to proactively engage State, regional and 

local leaders. While the specifics and timing of the targeted activities will be jointly 

determined after award, the applicant should propose approaches that would 

accomplish the following:

 Target a selected number of States and regions with concentrations of 

manufacturers;

 Directly engage teams of State, regional and local leaders from diverse backgrounds 

to explore and inform their thinking about strategies to support and grow 

manufacturing;

 Convene forums where State and local leaders can interact with MEP Center 

leaders around strategies to support manufacturing;

 Provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among selected participants; and

 Provide exposure to research and leading thinkers regarding strategies that work to 

support manufacturers in key areas such as accelerating companies’ technology 

adoption, increasing access to new markets, fostering innovative approaches; and

effective supply chain practices.

Activities during the year of heightened intensity may include a combination of 

convening meetings, conducting targeted research, consulting with individuals or groups 

of participants, and other such activities that help to accomplish intended outcomes. Up 

to $750,000 of additional MEP funding will be provided for the year of more intensive 

activities. (See Section II.2. of this FFO.)

Note that the activities conducted under this cooperative agreement will occur in the 

context of advancing NIST MEP’s Strategic Plan: 
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ENHANCE COMPETITIVENESS - Enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. 

manufacturers, with particular focus on small and medium-sized companies.

SUPPORT PARTNERSHIPS - Support national, state, and regional manufacturing, 

eco-systems and partnerships.

CHAMPION MANUFACTURING - Serve as a voice to and a voice for manufacturing 

and manufacturers in engaging policy makers, stakeholders, and clients.

DEVELOP CAPABILITIES - Develop MEP’s capabilities as a learning organization 

and high performance system.

The NIST MEP Strategic Plan can be found at http://www.nist.gov/mep/about/strategicplan.cfm. 

Qualified organizations meeting eligibility requirements provided herein are invited to 

submit proposals that meet the program goals and objectives set forth in this FFO

and that are responsive to the evaluation criteria for this program (see Section 

V.1. of this FFO). 

Further information regarding the MEP Program is provided in the information packet 

that can be obtained at www.grants.gov with additional background information 

provided at http://www.nist.gov/mep. Refer to Section VII. of this FFO, Federal 

Awarding Agency Contacts, Grant Rules and Regulations, if you seek the information at 

this link and it is no longer working or you need more information.

II. Federal Award Information

1. Funding Instrument. The funding instrument that will be used for the award issued 

pursuant to this FFO is a cooperative agreement. The nature of NIST’s “substantial 

involvement” will generally be collaboration between NIST/MEP and the recipient 

organization. This includes NIST/MEP collaborating with the recipient on evaluating 

its progress and making changes to the statement of work. Additional forms of 

substantial involvement that may arise are described in Final Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Guidance Implementing the Federal Grant and Cooperative 

Agreement Act, 43 Fed. Reg. 36860-65 (Aug. 18, 1978) and in Chapter 5.C of the 

Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, as may be 

periodically amended, which is available at http://go.usa.gov/SNJd. 

Examples of NIST involvement in cooperative agreements awarded pursuant to this 

FFO may include activities such as, but not limited to:

 Guidelines and assistance in developing scope of work;

 Approval of key personnel;
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 Assistance, where possible, in accessing solutions to technical and managerial 

issues; and

 Assistance to the Recipient organization to define, understand, and resolve 

issues pertaining to the successful implementation of the MEP project.

2. Funding Availability. NIST anticipates funding one (1) MEP cooperative award 

with a five-year (5) period of performance in accordance with the multi-year funding 

policy described in Section II.3. of this FFO. It is expected that funding for this 

award will be up to $4,500,000 for the five-year period.

NIST MEP funding for base level activities under this award will be up to $750,000 

per year.

NIST MEP expects that the base-level activities will occur during all five years of the 

cooperative agreement. In addition, NIST MEP plans to work with the recipient to 

conduct more intensive, targeted activities in one of the five years (to be determined 

jointly) to proactively engage state and local leaders. While the specifics and timing 

of this year-long program will be jointly determined after award, the applicant should 

propose approaches that would accomplish the items specified in Section I.

In the year selected for heightened activity (assume Year 3 for budgeting purposes), 

MEP anticipates providing up to an additional $750,000 funding to support the 

expected increased activity, not to exceed $1,500,000 total in federal funding for that 

year.

Maximum 

Year 1 

Federal 

Funding

Maximum 

Year 2 

Federal 

Funding

Maximum 

Year 3 

Federal 

Funding

Maximum 

Year 4 

Federal 

Funding

Maximum 

Year 5 

Federal 

Funding

Total 

Maximum 

Federal 

Funding 

for 5 Year 

Award 

Period

$750,000 $750,000 $1,500,000

(which 

includes

both base 

activities 

and 

targeted 

outreach 

activities)

$750,000 $750,000 $4,500,000

 

3. Multi-Year Funding Policy. When an application for a multi-year award is 

approved, funding will usually be provided for only the first year of the project. The 
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recipient will be required to submit detailed budgets and budget narratives prior to 

the award of any continued funding. Continued funding for the remaining years of 

the project will be awarded by NIST on a non-competitive basis, and may be 

adjusted higher or lower from year-to-year of the award, contingent upon satisfactory 

performance, continued relevance to the mission and priorities of the program, and 

the availability of funds. Continuation of an award to extend the period of 

performance and/or to increase or decrease funding is at the sole discretion of NIST. 

4. Award Kick-Off Meeting. Recipient will be required to attend a kick-off meeting, 

which will be held within the first 30 days of the start of the project period, to ensure 

that the recipient has a clear understanding of the program and project components. 

The kick-off conference will take place at NIST/MEP headquarters in Gaithersburg, 

MD, during which time NIST will: (1) orient recipient personnel to the MEP program

and plans for enhanced partnership relationships; (2) explain program and financial 

reporting requirements and procedures; and (3) identify available resources that can 

enhance the capabilities of the recipient.

The kick-off meeting will last no longer than one day and must be attended by the 

project manager and up to but not more than two additional key personnel who 

would play a significant role in managing the award. Applicants must include travel 

and related costs for the kick-off meeting as part of the budget for year one (1), and 

these costs should be reflected in the SF-424A. (See Section IV.2.a.(2). of this 

FFO.) These costs must also be reflected in the budget table and budget narrative 

for year 1, which is submitted as part of the budget tables and budget narratives 

section of the Technical Proposal. (See Section IV.2.a.(6).(d). of this FFO.) 

Representatives from key subrecipients and other key strategic partners may attend 

the kick-off meeting with the prior written approval of the Grants Officer. Applicants

proposing to have key subrecipients and/or other key strategic partners attend the 

kick-off meeting should clearly so indicate in their budget narrative for year one of 

the project.

5. MEP System-Wide Meetings. NIST/MEP typically organizes MEP system-wide 

meetings approximately four times a year to share best practices, and discuss new 

and emerging trends, and additional topics of interest. These meetings are planned

throughout the United States and typically involve 2-3 days of resource time and 

associated travel costs for each meeting. The Project Manager and two additional 

key personnel should attend these meetings.

Applicants must include travel and related costs for four quarterly MEP system-wide 

meetings in each of the five (5) project years (4 meetings per year; 20 total meetings 

over five-year award period). These costs must be reflected in the SF-424A (see

Section IV.2.a.(2). of this FFO). These costs must also be reflected in the budget 

tables and budget narratives for each of the project’s five (5) years, which are 

submitted as part of the Technical Proposal. (See Section IV.2.a.(6).(d). of this 

FFO). 
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6. Indirect (F&A) Costs. NIST will reimburse applicants for proposed indirect (F&A)

costs in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414. Applicants proposing indirect (F&A) 

costs must follow the application requirements set forth in Section IV.2.a.(7). of this 

FFO. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. Applicants must be a U.S.-based for-profit or not-for-profit 

institution or organization. An applicant may propose to work individually or may 

include proposed subawards to eligible organizations or proposed contracts with 

other organizations in its application, effectively forming a team.

2. Cost Sharing Requirement. Cost share is not required under this project.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package. The standard application package, 

consisting of the standard forms, i.e., SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, and the 

CD-511, is available at www.grants.gov. Applicants may also request an application 

package by contacting the point of contact for administrative, budget, cost-sharing, 

eligibility questions and other programmatic questions listed in Section VII. of this 

FFO. 

2. Content and Form of Application/Submission. The requirements given in this 

section of this FFO will be used in lieu of those given in the regulations found at 15 

C.F.R. part 292, specifically 15 C.F.R. § 292.1.

a. Required Forms and Documents 

(1) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 must be 

certified through www.grants.gov by an authorized representative of the 

applicant organization. 

SF-424, Item 12, should list the FFO number 2016-NIST-MEP-STATE 

PARTNERSHIP-01.

SF-424, Item 18, should list the total budget information for full five (5) 

years of the project.

The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Item 21 of the SF424 is contained in the SF-424B. 

 

(2) SF-424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. The 

budget should reflect anticipated expenses for all five (5) years of the 
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project, considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living 

adjustments. The budget should also include staff, travel and other costs 

associated with the Award Kick-off Meeting and the NIST/MEP SystemWide meetings as described in Sections II.4. and II.5., respectively, of this 

FFO. The budget also must reflect the increased level of effort during 

Year 3 to support more intensive, targeted activities to proactively engage 

state and local leaders in activities that would accomplish the items 

specified in Section I. (See Section II.2. of this FFO.)

The applicant should reflect all five (5) years of the project on the SF-424A 

form. Please carefully follow the directions found at 

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424ainstructions.html when filling out this form. 

The Grant Program Function or Activity on Line 1 under Column (a) 

should be entered as Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The Catalog 

of Federal Domestic Assistance Number in on Line 1 under Column (b) 

should be entered as 11.611.

(3) SF-424B, Assurances - Non-Construction Programs. 

(4) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying.

(5) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. (if applicable)

(6) Technical Proposal. The five (5) year Technical Proposal is a wordprocessed document not exceeding 25 pages responsive to the program 

description (see Section I. of this FFO) and the evaluation criteria (see

Section V.1. of this FFO). The following is a suggested format that 

applicants may use for the technical proposal.

(a) Table of Contents. (Does not count toward the page limit).

(b) Executive Summary. The executive summary should briefly (usually 

no longer than two pages) describe the proposed project, consistent 

with the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this FFO). 

Please note, if an applicant’s proposal is selected for funding, NIST 

may use all or a portion of the Executive Summary as part of a press 

release issued by NIST, or for other public information and outreach 

purposes. Applicants are advised not to incorporate information that 

concerns business trade secrets or other confidential commercial or 

financial information as part of the Executive Summary. See also 15 

C.F.R. § 4.9(c) concerning the designation of business information by 

the applicant. (Does not count towards page limit).
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(c) Project Narrative. A description of the proposed approach, sufficient 

to permit evaluation of the proposal, in accordance with the proposal 

Evaluation Criteria (see Section V.1.a. and Section V.1.b. of this FFO). 

The project narrative must identify tasks, measureable milestones and 

outcomes in providing on-going partnership development and 

enhancement support for each of the five years. The application 

should address the convening of an intensive, multi-State effort to 

advance the States’ manufacturing strategies and better engage MEP 

in those efforts.

The applicant should provide information that helps the reviewers 

understand their past experience in delivering partnership development 

services, including experience with information gathering, data 

analysis, conducting research, risk assessment, opportunity 

identification, and initiative design and implementation to support 

partnership development. The applicant also should provide 

information that helps the reviewers understand their past experience 

in the technology development, innovation, and manufacturing context, 

working with state and other entities with which the program partners.

(d) Budget Tables and Budget Narratives. In addition to the SF-424A 

form (see Section IV.2.a.(2). of this FFO), applicants must provide a 

detailed budget table and budget narrative for year one (1) of the 

project, fully explaining and justifying all proposed project funding (both 

revenue and expenses) in accordance with applicable federal cost 

principles. Applicants must also provide a budget table for years two 

(2) through five (5) of the project; however, a budget narrative for these 

years is not required as part of an application. This budget must reflect 

the increased level of effort during Year 3 to support convening more 

intensive, targeted activities to proactively engage state and local 

leaders in activities that would accomplish the items specified in 

Section I.

In the budget narrative, the recipient should provide adequate 

information to support the costs identified in each category of the 

budget table. For example, providing the annual salary and the 

percentage of time dedicated to the project by personnel to 

demonstrate the total cost of that individual; providing the airfare, 

lodging, per diem, number of days and number of travelers for each 

proposed trip; and identifying anticipated subaward/contract amounts, 

the subawardees/contractors, to the extent known at the time of 

application, and a detailed description of the purpose of each 

subaward/contract. Applicants must also include staff, travel and 

related expenses for the required Award Kick-Off and System-Wide 

meeting described in Sections II.4. and II.5. of this FFO in the budget 

tables and budget narratives. A suggested budget table and budget 
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narrative template are available on the MEP website, 

http://nist.gov/mep/ffo-statepartnership.cfm.

This budget information submitted by an applicant will be evaluated in 

accordance with the Budget evaluation sub-criteria (see Section 

V.1.c.i. and Section V.1.c.ii. of this FFO).

(7) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. If indirect costs are included in the 

proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved negotiated agreement if 

this rate was negotiated with a cognizant Federal audit agency. If the rate 

was not established by a cognizant Federal audit agency, provide a 

statement to this effect. If the successful applicant includes indirect costs 

in the budget and has not established an indirect cost rate with a 

cognizant Federal audit agency, the applicant will be required to obtain 

such a rate in accordance with the Department of Commerce Financial 

Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions available at: 

http://go.usa.gov/hKbj. This does not count toward the page limit.

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), applicants that 

have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge 

indirect costs to an MEP award pursuant to a de minimis rate of 10 

percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC), in which case a negotiated 

indirect cost rate agreement is not required. Applicants proposing a 10 

percent de minimis rate pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f) should note this 

election as part of the budget portion of the application. 

(8) Resumes. One-page resumes of no more than five key personnel may 

be included; these do not count toward the page limit. Any information 

beyond one page for each resume and any additional resumes submitted 

will not be considered.

(9) Data Management Plan. In accordance with the Office of Science and 

Technology Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 

Agencies of February 22, 20131, Increasing Access to the Results of 

Federally Funded Scientific Research, and as implemented through NIST 

Policy 5700.002, Managing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded 

Research, and NIST Order 5701.003, Managing Public Access to Results 

of Federally Funded Research”, applicants should include a Data 

Management Plan (DMP).

The DMP is a supplementary document of not more than two pages that 

must include, at a minimum, a summary of proposed activities that are 

 

1 https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf

2 http://www.nist.gov/data/upload/Final-P-5700.pdf

3 http://www.nist.gov/data/upload/Final-O-5701_0.pdf
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expected to generate data, a summary of the types of data expected to be 

generated by the identified activities, a plan for storage and maintenance 

of the data expected to be generated by the identified activities, and a plan 

describing whether and how data generated by the identified activities will 

be reviewed and made available to the public. As long as the DMP meets 

these NIST requirements, it may take the form specified by the applicant’s 

institution or some other entity (e.g., the National Science Foundation4 or 

the National Institutes of Health5). Some organizations’ templates are 

available on the Internet6. 

All applications for activities that will generate scientific data using NIST 

funding are required to adhere to a DMP or explain why data sharing 

and/or preservation are not within the scope of the project.

For the purposes of the DMP, NIST adopted the definition of “research 

data” at 2 C.F.R. § 200.315(e)(3) (available at http://go.usa.gov/3sZvQ) 

Reasonable costs for data preservation and access may be included in 

the application.

The sufficiency of the DMP will be considered as part of the administrative 

review (see Section V.2.a. of this FFO); however, the DMP will not be 

evaluated against any evaluation criteria.

When submitting the application electronically via Grants.gov, items IV.2.a.(1). through 

IV.2.a.(5). above are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be 

completed through the download application process. Items IV.2.a.(6). through 

IV.2.a.(9). must be completed and attached by clicking on “Add Attachments” 

found in item 15 of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. This will 

create a zip file that allows for transmittal of the documents electronically via 

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 does not provide details concerning whether all 

attachments (or how many attachments) transferred successfully. Applicants 

using Grants.gov will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two 

business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has 

received its application.

b. Application Format

(1) E-mail submissions. Will not be accepted.

 

4 http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp

5 http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm#inc

6 https://www.cic.net/projects/technology/shared-storage-services/data-management-plans
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(2) Facsimile submissions (fax). Will not be accepted.

(3) Figures, graphs, images, and pictures. Should be of a size that is easily 

readable or viewable and may be landscape orientation.

(4) Font. Easy to read font (11-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in 

figures and tables but must be clearly legible.

(5) Line spacing. Single.

(6) Margins. One (1) inch top, bottom, left, and right.

(7) Paper copies. Will not be accepted. All submissions must be made via 

www.grants.gov.

(8) Page layout. Portrait orientation only (except figures, graphs, and pictures 

(see Section IV.2.b.(3)).

(9) Page Limit. Twenty-five (25) pages.

Page limit includes: Cover page, Technical Proposal (with the exception of the 

Executive Summary), figures, graphs, tables, images, pictures, and all other 

pages of an application, with the exception of the page limit exclusions listed 

below.

Page limit excludes: Table of Contents, Executive Summary, SF-424, 

Application for Federal Assistance; the SF-424A, Budget Information – NonConstruction Programs form; SF-424B, Assurances – Non-Construction 

Programs; SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; CD-511, Certification 

Regarding Lobbying; Table of Contents, Budget Tables and Budget Narratives; 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement; Resumes; and the Data Management Plan.

(10) Page numbering. Number pages sequentially.

(11) Paper size. 21.6 centimeters by 27.9 centimeters (8 1⁄2 inches by 11 inches).

(12) Application language. English.

(13) Typed document. All applications, including forms, must be typed.

c. Application Replacement Pages. Applicants may not submit replacement pages 

and/or missing documents after an application has been submitted. Any revisions 

must be made by submission of a new application that must be received by NIST by 

the submission deadline.
15

d. Pre-Applications. NIST is not accepting pre-applications or white papers under this

FFO.

e. Certifications Regarding Federal Felony and Federal Criminal Tax Convictions, 

Unpaid Federal Tax Assessments and Delinquent Federal Tax Returns. In 

accordance with Federal appropriations law, an authorized representative of the 

selected applicant(s) may be required to provide certain pre-award certifications 

regarding federal felony and federal criminal tax convictions, unpaid federal tax 

assessments, and delinquent federal tax returns.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM). Pursuant 

to 2 C.F.R. part 25, applicants and recipients (as the case may be) are required to: 

(i) be registered in SAM before submitting their applications; (ii) provide a valid 

unique entity identifier in their applications; and (iii) continue to maintain an active 

SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an 

active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal 

awarding agency, unless otherwise excepted from these requirements pursuant to 2 

C.F.R. § 25.110. NIST will not make a Federal award to an applicant until the 

applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM 

requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the 

time that NIST is ready to make a Federal award pursuant to this FFO, NIST may 

determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times. Applicants must submit applications electronically 

through www.grants.gov. Electronic applications must be received no later than 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, February 29, 2016. Applicants should be 

aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov 

system is expected to be closed for routine maintenance at these times: from 12:01 

a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, January 16, 2016 until Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 

6:00 a.m. Eastern Time; and also from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, February 

20, 2016 until Monday, February 22, 2016 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time; and that 

applications cannot be submitted during those time spans. The approximate start 

date for the award made under this FFO is expected to be June 1, 2016. 

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that (1) all 

applicants are required to have a current registration in the System for Award 

Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the electronic 

System for Award Management (SAM.gov) (see Section IV.3. and Section 

IV.7.a.(1).b. of this FFO) may take between three and five business days or as long 

as more than two weeks; and (3) electronic applicants are required to have a current 

registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants using Grants.gov will receive a series 

of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning 

whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application. Please 

note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated 
16

recipient’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not 

current at the time of the award.

Applicants will find instructions on registering with SAM.gov as part of the 

Grants.gov process at: 

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

 

The date and time recorded by www.grants.gov will be considered the official time 

that the application was received by NIST. Applicants are cautioned that the 

validation process may take up to two full business days after the application is 

submitted to Grants.gov. 

NIST strongly recommends that applicants do not wait until the last minute to submit 

an application. NIST will not make allowance for any late submissions. The 

responsibility for ensuring a complete application is received by NIST by the 

deadline is the sole responsibility of the applicant. To avoid any potential processing 

backlogs due to last minute Grants.gov registrations, applicants are strongly 

encouraged to start their Grants.gov registration process at least four (4) weeks prior 

to the application due date. 

NIST will not accept applications submitted by mail, facsimile, or by email.

5. Intergovernmental Review. Applications under this Program are not subject to 

Executive Order 12372.

6. Funding Restrictions. Construction activities are not an allowable cost under the 

MEP Program. In addition, a recipient or a subrecipient may not charge profits, fees 

or other increments above cost to an MEP award. Pre-award costs under this FFO 

are subject to the prior written approval of the NIST Grants Officer. 

7. Other Submission Requirements 

a. Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov. NIST 

will not accept applications submitted by mail, facsimile, or by e-mail.

(1) Electronic applications must be submitted via Grants.gov at www.grants.gov, 

under announcement 2016-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIP-01. 

a) Submitters of electronic applications should carefully follow specific 

Grants.gov instructions to ensure the attachments will be accepted by the 

Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicating an application is 

received does not provide information about whether attachments have 

been received. For further information or questions regarding applying 

electronically for the 2016-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIP-01 

announcement, contact Christopher Hunton by phone at 301-975-5718 or 

by e-mail at grants@nist.gov.
17

b) Applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not wait until the 

approaching due date before logging on and reviewing the instructions for 

submitting an application through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration 

process must be completed before a new registrant can apply 

electronically. If all goes well, the registration process takes three (3) to 

five (5) business days. If problems are encountered, the registration 

process can take up to two (2) weeks or more. Applicants must have a 

valid unique entity identifier number and must maintain a current 

registration in the Federal government’s primary registrant database, the 

System for Award Management (https://www.sam.gov/), as explained on 

the Grants.gov Web site. See also Section IV.3. of this FFO. After 

registering, it may take several days or longer from the initial log-on before 

a new Grants.gov system user can submit an application. Only individuals 

authorized as organization representatives will be able to submit the 

application, and the system may need time to process a submitted 

application. Applicants should save and print the proof of submission they 

receive from Grants.gov. If problems occur while using Grants.gov, the 

applicant is advised to (a) print any error message received and (b) call 

Grants.gov directly for immediate assistance. If calling from within the 

United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling 

from a place other than the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 

606-545-5035. Assistance from the Grants.gov Help Desk will be 

available around the clock every day, with the exception of Federal 

holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the 

day after Federal holidays. For assistance using Grants.gov, you may 

also contact support@grants.gov.

c) To find instructions on submitting an application on Grants.gov, Applicants 

should refer to the “Applicants” tab in the banner just below the top of the 

www.grants.gov home page. Clicking on the “Applicants” tab produces 

two exceptionally useful sources of information, Applicant Actions and 

Applicant Resources, which applicants are advised to review. 

Applicants will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two 

business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has 

received its application. Closely following the detailed information in these 

subcategories will increase the likelihood of acceptance of the application by the 

Federal agency’s electronic system. 

Applicants should pay close attention to the guidance under “Applicant FAQs,” as it 

contains information important to successful submission on Grants.gov, including 

essential details on the naming conventions for attachments to Grants.gov 

applications.
18

All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicants’ 

schedules for delivery of their application. Applicants are advised that volume on 

Grants.gov may be extremely heavy on the deadline date.

The application must be both received and validated by Grants.gov. The application 

is “received” when Grants.gov provides the applicant a confirmation of receipt and 

an application tracking number. If an applicant does not see this confirmation and 

tracking number, the application has not been received. After the application has 

been received, it must still be validated. During this process, it may be “validated” or 

“rejected with errors.” To know whether the application was rejected with errors and 

the reasons why, the applicant must log in to Grants.gov, select “Applicants” from 

the top navigation, and select “Track my application” from the drop-down list. If the 

status is “rejected with errors,” the applicant may still seek to correct the errors and 

resubmit your application before the deadline. If the applicant does not correct the 

errors, the application will not be forwarded to NIST by Grants.gov.

Refer to important information in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times, to help 

ensure your application is received on time. 

b. Amendments. Any amendments to this FFO will be announced through 

Grants.gov. Applicants may sign up on Grants.gov to receive amendments by email 

or may request copies from Jennifer Leon by telephone at (301) 975-4176 or by email to mepffo@nist.gov. 

V. Application/Proposal Review Information

1. Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation criteria, selection factors, and review and 

selection process provided in this section will be used for this competition in lieu of 

that provided in the regulations found at 15 C.F.R. part 292, specifically 15 C.F.R. §§ 

292.3. NIST will use the following evaluation criteria in evaluating applications and 

assigning weights, with a maximum score of 100.

a. Executive Summary and Project Narrative. (50 points; sub-criteria will receive 

equal weight) Reviewers will evaluate how well the applicant’s proposed 

approach will achieve project goals and support the MEP mission as described in 

Section I of the FFO. Reviewers will consider the following topics when 

evaluating the Executive Summary and Project Narrative:

i. Research/knowledge development and sharing (25 points)

Reviewers will assess the applicant’s plans for collecting, analyzing, and 

sharing budget, policy, and trend information relevant to the MEP system. 

Reviewers will assess the extent to which the applicant’s proposal:

 Describes a reasonable plan for routinely tracking and analyzing 

information from a wide range of data sources on current state 
19

budgets, economic development and technology policy initiatives 

and investments, program evaluation practices, and other actions 

or trends that could impact the MEP system; 

 Defines a thoughtful approach to conducting original research on 

topics of interest related to manufacturing, partnerships, 

accelerating technology adoption, and similar issues, and the 

policies and practices employed in States and other organizations; 

and

 Defines a strategy for sharing information with and providing 

technical assistance to the MEP system, individual Centers, and 

partners to build system capacity, address challenges, and 

proactively take advantage of emerging opportunities.

ii. Network building and expansion (25 points) 

The applicant is expected to have an in-depth understanding of data, 

current trends, and emerging issues as well as access to a professional 

network of practitioners and experts who can inform the MEP system and

their manufacturing clients. Reviewers will assess how well the proposal 

describes strategies, techniques and activities for building and expanding 

partnerships across the MEP network. . Reviewers will evaluate the 

extent to which the applicant’s proposal:

 Incorporates clear strategies for fostering collaboration and 

dialogue among NIST MEP, MEP Centers, MEP partners, industry, 

and the public to develop effective working partnerships and 

identify mutually beneficial opportunities for the MEP system;

 Defines a sound approach for prioritizing States and/or regions for 

attention, developing strategies to address opportunities and 

concerns, recommending effective communication strategies, and 

convening stakeholders as needed to facilitate partnership 

development; 

 Describes a reasonable plan to provide nationwide access to State 

and stakeholder relations and support services;

 Provides innovative ideas and approaches to carry out the year of 

more intensive activities envisioned (in Year 3 for the purposes of 

this FFO). 

b. Key Personnel and Organizational Structure. (30 points; sub-criteria will 

receive equal weight) Reviewers will assess the ability of the key personnel and 

the applicant’s proposed management structure to deliver the services proposed. 

Reviewers will consider the following when evaluating the qualifications of the 

applicant and of program management:

i. Proposed key personnel have the appropriate education, experience in 

working with state government representatives and related organizations,
20

and access to professional networks to carry out proposed activities and 

support achievement of the MEP system mission and project objectives; 

ii. 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

iii. Proposed organizational structure flows logically from the specified 

approach to the proposed services and project deliverables.

c. Budget. (20 points; sub-criteria will receive equal weight) Reviewers will assess 

the suitability and focus of the applicant’s five (5) year budget. The reviewers will 

consider whether the:

i. Proposed budget projections are reasonable and appropriate for the scale 

of services that are to be delivered by the applicant over the five (5) year 

project plan; and

ii. Proposal’s narrative explains the rationale for each of the budgeted items, 

including assumptions the applicant used in budgeting for the overall 

project, and the proposed budget is aligned to support the execution of the 

proposed project consistent with the objectives of the project and to 

advance MEP system goals.

2. Review and Selection Process

Proposals, reports, documents and other information related to applications submitted 

to NIST and/or relating to financial assistance awards issued by NIST will be reviewed 

and considered by Federal employees, Federal agents and contractors, and/or by nonFederal personnel, all of which enter into appropriate nondisclosure agreements 

covering such information.

a. Initial Administrative Review of Applications. An initial review of timely received 

applications will be conducted to determine eligibility, completeness, and 

responsiveness to the scope of the stated program objectives of this FFO. 

Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or non-responsive will be 

eliminated from further review. However, NIST, in its sole discretion, may continue 

the review process for an application that is missing only non-substantive 

information that can easily be rectified or cured. 

b. Full Review of Eligible, Complete, and Responsive Applications. Applications

that are determined to be eligible, complete, and responsive will proceed for full 

reviews in accordance with the review and selection processes below: 

(1) Evaluation and Review. Each application will be reviewed by at least three 

(3) technically qualified individual reviewers who will evaluate each 

application based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this FFO). 
21

Reviews will be limited to technical and cost matters, based on the evaluation 

criteria (see Section V.1 of this FFO). A mix of Federal and non-Federal 

reviewers may be used. The reviewers’ must discuss the applications with 

each other but scores will be determined on an individual basis, not as a 

consensus, and will be supported by written technical comments. The 

reviewers may ask questions of some or all applicants in writing. Reviewers 

will assign each application a score, based on the application’s 

responsiveness to the FFO evaluation criteria, with a maximum score of 100. 

Applicants whose applications receive an average score of 70 or higher out of 

100 will be deemed finalists. If deemed necessary, all finalists will be invited 

to participate with reviewers in separate conference calls and/or all finalists 

will be invited to participate in individual site visits that will be conducted by 

the same reviewers at the applicant’s location. Finalists will be reviewed and 

evaluated, and reviewers may revise their assigned numeric scores based on 

the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this FFO) as a result of the 

conference call and/or site visit.

(2) Ranking and Selection. A rank order will be prepared based on the average 

of the reviewers’ scores and assigned adjectival ratings in accordance with 

the following scale: 

Fundable, Outstanding (91-100);

Fundable, Very Good (81-90);

Fundable (71-80); or 

Unfundable (0-70).

The Subject Matter Expert, who will be a NIST MEP federal employee, will 

review the evaluators’ written technical comments and the ranking of the 

proposals and may recommend to the Selecting Official that awards be made 

out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection factors described in 

Section V.3. of this FFO.

The Selecting Official is the MEP Director or designee. The Selecting Official 

makes the final recommendation to the NIST Grants Officer regarding the 

funding of applications under this FFO. NIST/MEP expects to recommend 

funding for the highest ranked applicant; however, the Selecting Official may 

decide to select an applicant out of rank order based upon one or more of the 

Selection Factors identified in Section V.3. of this FFO. The Selecting Official 

may also decide not to recommend funding any of the applicants.

NIST reserves the right to negotiate the budget costs with any applicant 

selected to receive an award, which may include requesting that the applicant 

remove certain costs. Additionally, NIST may request that the successful 

applicant modify objectives or work plans and provide supplemental 

information required by the Agency prior to award. NIST also reserves the 
22

right to reject an application where information is uncovered that raises a 

reasonable doubt as to the responsibility of the applicant. The final approval 

of selected applications and issuance of awards will be by the NIST Grants 

Officer. The award decisions of the NIST Grants Officer are final.

c. Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants. After 

applications are proposed for funding by the Selecting Official, the NIST Grants 

Management Division (GMD) performs pre-award risk assessments in accordance 

with 2 C.F.R. § 200.205, which may include a review of the financial stability of an 

applicant, the quality of the applicant’s management systems, the history of 

performance, reports and finding from financial assistance audits, and/or the 

applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other 

requirements imposed on non-Federal entities. In addition, prior to making an award 

where the total Federal share is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $150,000), NIST GMD will review and consider the publicly 

available information about that applicant in the Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). An applicant may, at its option, review and 

comment on information about itself previously entered into FAPIIS by a Federal 

awarding agency. As part of its review of risk posed by applicants, NIST GMD will 

consider any comments made by the applicant in FAPIIS in making its determination 

about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards. Upon completion of the pre-award risk assessment, the Grants 

Officer will make a responsibility determination concerning whether the applicant is 

qualified to receive the subject award and, if so, whether appropriate special 

conditions that correspond to the degree of risk posed by the applicant should be 

applied to an award.

3. Selection Factors. The Selection Factors for this FFO are as follows:

a. The availability of Federal funds;

b. Relevance of the proposed project to MEP program goals and policy objectives;

c. Reviewers' evaluations, including technical comments; and

d. Whether the project duplicates other projects funded by DoC or by other Federal 

agencies.

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Date. Review, selection, and award 

processing is expected to be completed in early 2016. The anticipated start date for 

awards made under this FFO is expected to be June 1, 2016.

5. Additional Information

a. Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified 

in writing.
23

b. Retention of Unsuccessful Applications. An electronic copy of each non-selected 

application will be retained for three (3) years for record keeping purposes. After 

three (3) years, it will be destroyed.

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices. Successful applicants will receive an award package from 

the NIST Grants Officer. The award cover page, i.e., CD-450, Financial Assistance 

Award is available at http://go.usa.gov/SNMR. 

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit 

Requirements. Through 2. C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce 

adopted Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 

Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to awards in this 

program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.

b. Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and 

Conditions. The Department of Commerce will apply the Financial Assistance 

Standard Terms and Conditions dated December 26, 2014, accessible at 

http://go.usa.gov/hKbj, to this award. Refer to Section VII. of this FFO, Federal 

Awarding Agency Contacts, Grant Rules and Regulations, if you seek the 

information at this link and it is no longer working or you need more information. 

c. Pre-Award Notification Requirements. The Department of Commerce will apply 

the Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

dated December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78390), accessible at http://go.usa.gov/hKkR. 

Refer to Section VII. of this FFO, Federal Awarding Agency Contacts, Grant Rules 

and Regulations, if you seek the information at this link and it is no longer working or 

you need more information.

d. Funding Availability and Limitation of Liability. Funding for the program listed in 

this notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations. 

NIST issues this notice subject to the appropriations made available under the 

current continuing resolution funding the Department of Commerce, the Continuing 

Appropriations Act, 2016, Public Law 114-53 (September 30, 2015). NIST 

anticipates making awards for the program listed in this notice provided that funding 

for the program is continued beyond December 11, 2015, the expiration of the 

current continuing resolution. In no event will NIST or the Department of Commerce 

be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these programs fail to receive 

funding or are cancelled because of agency priorities. Publication of this 

announcement does not oblige NIST or the Department of Commerce to award any 

specific project or to obligate any available funds.
24

e. Supporting Documentation. Following the issuance of an MEP award, NIST may 

require recipients to provide copies of sub-tier agreements, including subawards and 

contracts over $150,000, as well subrecipient performance monitoring plans.

3. Reporting 

a. Reporting Requirements. The following reporting requirements described in 

Sections A.01 Performance (Technical) Reports and B.02 Financial Reports of the 

Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions 

(December 26, 2014), http://go.usa.gov/hKbj apply to awards in this program (see

Section VI.2.b. of this FFO):

(1) Financial Reports. The Recipient shall submit an SF-425, Federal Financial 

Report, into the MEP’s Enterprise Information System (MEIS) on a semi-annual 

basis after the sixth and twelfth month of each operating year, unless other 

reporting intervals and/or due dates are identified by the NIST Grants Officer 

pursuant to a Special Award Condition. Reports will be due within 30 days after 

the end of each semi-annual reporting period. The Recipient shall submit a final 

SF-425 within 90 days after the expiration date of the award.

(2) Performance (Technical) Reports. The Recipient shall submit a Technical 

Report (completing all required MEIS fields) on a semi-annual basis after the 

sixth and twelfth month of each operating year, unless other reporting intervals 

and/or due dates are identified by the NIST Grants Officer pursuant to a Special 

Award Condition. Reports are due in MEIS no later than 30 days following the 

end of each reporting period. The Recipient shall submit a final 

Technical/Quarterly report within 90 days after the expiration date of the award, 

and publication citation information as well as links to publicly available data shall 

be submitted as soon as they become available.

If a recipient’s Data Management Plan has changed since their last submission of 

a technical report, the recipient must include their revised plan in the next 

technical report following the revision to the plan. The revised plan must include 

all of the requirements described in Section IV.2.a.(9). of this FFO.

Technical/Quarterly Report details are accessible on the MEIS website 

(https://meis.nist.gov/). Technical progress reports shall contain information as 

prescribed in the NIST MEP Reporting Guidelines (OMB Control Number 0693-

0032). For further information regarding the NIST MEP Reporting Process, you 

may download a copy of the NIST MEP Reporting Guidelines at 

http://nist.gov/mep/ffo-statepartnership.cfm.

(3) Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters. In accordance with section 872 

of Public Law 110-417 (as amended; see 41 U.S.C. 2313), if the total value of a 

recipient’s currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement 
25

contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any 

period of time during the period of performance of an award made under this 

FFO, then the recipient shall be subject to the requirements specified in 

Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. Part 200, http://go.usa.gov/cTBwC, for maintaining the 

currency of information reported to SAM that is made available in FAPIIS about 

certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings involving the recipient. 

b. Audit Requirements. 2 C.F.R. 200 Subpart F, adopted by the Department of 

Commerce through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101 requires any non-Federal entity (including 

non-profit institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations) that 

expends Federal awards of $750,000 or more in the recipient’s fiscal year to conduct 

a single or program-specific audit in accordance with the requirements set out in the 

Subpart. Applicants are reminded that NIST, the Department of Commerce Office of 

Inspector General, or another authorized Federal agency may conduct an audit of an 

award at any time.

c. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. In accordance 

with 2 C.F.R. Part 170, all recipients of a Federal award made on or after October 1, 

2010, are required to comply with reporting requirements under the Federal Funding 

Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. No. 109-282). In general, all 

recipients are responsible for reporting sub-awards of $25,000 or more. In addition, 

recipients that meet certain criteria are responsible for reporting executive 

compensation. Applicants must ensure they have the necessary processes and 

systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements should they receive 

funding. Also see the Federal Register notice published September 14, 2010, at 75 

FR 55663 available here http://go.usa.gov/hKnQ.

VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

Questions should be directed to the following contact persons:

Subject Area Point of Contact

Administrative, budget, cost-sharing, 

eligibility questions and other 

programmatic questions.

Diane Henderson

Phone: (301) 975-5105

Fax: (301) 963-6556

E-mail: mepffo@nist.gov

Technical Assistance with Grants.gov 

Submissions

Christopher Hunton

Phone: (301) 975-5718

Fax: (301) 975-8884

E-mail: grants@nist.gov

or

Grants.gov
26

Subject Area Point of Contact

Phone: (800) 518-4726

E-mail: support@grants.gov

Grant Rules and Regulations Michael Teske

Phone: (301) 975-6358

Fax: (301) 975-6368

E-mail: michael.teske@nist.gov 

VIII. Other Information

1. Webinar Information Session: NIST/MEP will hold one or more webinar 

information sessions for organizations that are considering applying for this funding 

opportunity. These webinars will provide general information regarding MEP and 

offer general guidance on preparing proposals. NIST/MEP staff will be available at 

the webinars to answer general questions. During the webinars, proprietary 

technical discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted. Also, 

NIST/MEP staff will not critique or provide feedback on any specific project ideas 

during the webinars or at any time before submission of a proposal to MEP. 

However, NIST/MEP staff will provide information about the MEP eligibility, 

evaluation criteria and selection factors, selection process, and the general 

characteristics of a competitive MEP proposal during this webinar. The webinars will 

be held approximately fifteen (15) to thirty (30) business days after posting of this 

FFO. The exact dates and times of the webinars will be posted on the MEP website 

at http://nist.gov/mep/ffo-statepartnership.cfm. The webinars will be recorded, and a 

link to the recordings will be posted on the MEP website. In addition, the webinar 

presentations will be available after the webinars on the MEP website. 

Organizations wishing to participate in one or more of the webinars must register in 

advance by contacting MEP by email at mepffo@nist.gov. Participation in the 

webinars is not required in order for an organization to submit an application 

pursuant to this FFO. 

2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Questions from applicants pertaining to 

eligibility, evaluation criteria and selection factors, selection process, and the general 

characteristics of a competitive MEP proposal will not be considered on an informal 

basis. Applicants must submit all such questions in writing to mepffo@nist.gov. 

Questions submitted to NIST/MEP may be posted as part of an FAQ document, 

which will be periodically updated on the MEP website at http://nist.gov/mep/ffostatepartnership.cfm.