SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- MWM Outreach Support, Evaluation and Assessment Program
- Notice Date
- 8/29/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- US Army ARDEC, AMSTA-AR-PC, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey 07806-5000
- ZIP Code
- 07806-5000
- Solicitation Number
- W15QKN-06-R-0262
- Response Due
- 9/28/2006
- Archive Date
- 10/28/2006
- Description
- ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Federal Agency Name(s): Department of Defense Ordnance Laboratory Center (DOLC) Funding Opportunity Title: Materials World Modules (MWM) Outreach Support, Evaluation and Assessment Program Announcement Type: Initial Announcement Federal Funding Opportunity Number (FFO): W15QKN-06-R-0262 Dates: Proposals must be received by 4:30 p.m. eastern time on 28 September 2006. Application Submission: Electronic submission: william.coolbaugh@us.army.mil Contact Information: Raymond Pawlicki, Director, DOLC US Army ARDEC, B. 3022 Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 Funding Opportunity Description: Materials World Modules (MWM) Outreach Program is designed to attract middle and high school students to a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The program was designed by Northwestern University under a NSF Grant using materials science in a hands-on inquiry based teaching method. This three (3) year grant (FY06- 09) will support and evaluate the deployment of MWM. FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective DoD has piloted Materials World Modules (MWM), a hands-on, interdisciplinary materials science program, in middle and high schools adjacent to several DoD laboratories since the fall of 2003. The planned three (3) year expansion of MWM in Maryland, New Mexico and New Jersey is one component of a Director, Defense Research &Engineering (DDR&E) initiative to build capacity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). B. Program Priorities Proposals should address all of the six areas of interest: (1) Support the deployment of MWM in Maryland, New Mexico and New Jersey; (2) To establish an effective evaluation model and techniques for assessing the effectiveness of MWM when deployed to large numbers of schools and school districts; (3) To develop concepts and tests on applying distance learning and gaming to MWM; (4) Provide Training and Marketing Videos, (5) To provide staff support to Picatinny for MWM and (6) To support the alignment of MWM with other DoD educational outreach activities 1. Support the deployment of MWM in Maryland, New Mexico and New Jersey ??? the grantee will support the deployment of Material World Modules materials throughout Maryland, New Mexico and New Jersey. Dissemination support will include supporting State MWM Centers in training teachers in the use of MWM. 2. To establish an effective evaluation model and techniques for determining the effectiveness of MWM when deployed to large numbers of schools and school districts ??? the grantee will establish an effective model for evaluating MWM when deployed to large numbers of schools and school districts through pre and post testing and evaluations. State MWM Centers will collect the raw data. 3. To develop concepts and tests on applying distance learning and gaming to MWM ??? the grantee will develop outlines through concepts and testing, including finding partners and fine tuning approaches, on applying distance learning and gaming technology to MWM. 4. To provide Training and Marketing Videos - the grantee will provide marketing communications materials, including training videos for nine MWM modules, website development, and print materials such as brochures and posters. Marketing will include redesign as appropriate of the look of MWM kits and support materials. 5. To provide support to Picatinny for MWM ??? the grantee???s support will include on site support for enabling scientists and engineers to interact with local schools, assist with contacts and organizations in the education and business worlds to obtain greater scientific and engineering resources, and publish newsletters and maintain websites. 6. To support the alignment of MWM with other DoD educational outreach activities. MWM is one component of a multi-year DoD effort to align the Department's educational outreach programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The grantee will support efforts of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military services to insure that their program portfolios, including MWM, are mutually reinforcing and aligned with best practices. C. Program Authority Authority is granted by the Secretary of Defense under subsection 2192(b) of Title 10, United States Code, related to support of educational programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the DoD DDR&E. II. Award Information A. Funding Availability This solicitation announces that approximately $3,500,000 may be available in FY06 - 09 in award amounts to be determined by the proposals and available funds. Publication of this notice does not oblige DOLC to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of DOLC to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made. B. Project/Award Period Period of performance is three (3) years. Grant will be incrementally funded. C. Type of funding instrument The funding instrument is an incrementally funded grant. III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants are departments or agencies of the federal government, a state, a political subdivision of a state, an individual, and a not-for-profit or other organization in the private sector. B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement No cost sharing is required under this program; however, the DOLC strongly encourages applicants applying for any area of interest to share as much of the costs of the award as possible. IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package Information on the MWM Outreach program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.materialsworldmodules.org. Potential applicants are invited to contact the Director of DOLC before submitting an application to discuss the applicability of partnership ideas to MWM goals and objectives. Electronic application packages are strongly encouraged and are available at http://www.grants.gov. If the applicant has difficulty accessing Grants.gov or downloading the required forms, they should contact William Coolbaugh, US Army ARDEC, Bldg. 9, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000, 973-724-5522, william.coolbaugh@us.army.mil. All questions should be put in writing and sent by e-mail. B. Content and Form of Application Submission 1. Application Format Proposals must be complete and must follow the format described in this notice. Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of the DOLC or the reviewers as to the relative merits of the project described in the application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically through http://www.grants.gov. Online Applications: The information typically included on the following forms should be provided through the http://www.grants.gov website during the initial submission of the application: ?? Application for Federal Assistance: SF-424 ?? Budget Information, Nonconstruction Programs: SF-424A. Separate SF-424A budget forms should be used to break down multi-year budget requests into annual funding increments. ?? Assurances, Non-Construction Programs: SF-424B Additionally, the following Department of Commerce forms will be required during the final review process: ?? Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and other Responsibility Matters: Drug ?? Free Workplace Environment: CD-511 ?? Applicant for Federal Assistance: CD-346 (Required for the following individuals- Sole ?? Proprietorship, Partnerships, Corporations, Joint Venture, Non-profit Organizations) ?? Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: SF-LLL (if applicable) Required Elements for all Applicants: In addition to the Federal Forms outlined above, proposals must include the following information and it is strongly recommended that they follow the format outlined below. (1) Project summary (1 page limit): ?? Organization title. ???Principal Investigator(s) (PI). ?? Address, telephone number, fax, and email address of Principal Investigator(s). ?? Project title. ?? Primary objectives for entire anticipated project period. ?? Summary of work to be performed (include number of teachers and/or students to be reached by project & cost per student and/or teacher). ?? Budget Information: ?? Total Federal funding requested by fiscal year. ?? Cost-sharing to be provided from non-Federal sources, if any. Specify whether contributions are project-related cash or in-kind. ?? Total project cost this fiscal year. (2) Project description (10 page limit): Describe in detail what your project will achieve, including why, how, and who. Why: Explain the purpose of your project. This should include a clear statement of the work to be undertaken. How: The narrative should identify the amount and timing of funds requested (i.e. how much funding is anticipated in each year of the project to accomplish specific goals). Outline a plan of action pertaining to the scope and detail of how the proposed work will be accomplished. Explain your strategy, objectives, activities, delivery methods, and accomplishments to establish for reviewers that you have realistic goals and objectives and that you will use effective methods to achieve them. Who: Explain who will conduct the project. Include the following: List each organization, cooperator, or other key individuals who will work on the project, along with a short description of the nature of their effort or contribution; and identify the target audience (include specifically how many students and/or teachers are involved in your project). (3) Benefits or results expected: Identify and document the results or benefits to be derived from the proposed activities this project period and over the entire prospective project. Include the number of students and/or teacher directly affected by this grant this project year. Also, include a per teacher and/or per student calculation for this project year. (4) Budget Justification/Total project costs: Total project costs are the amount of funds required to accomplish what is proposed in the Project Description and includes contributions and donations. Provide a detailed spreadsheet with narrative to support the requested items or activities (personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contract costs, and indirect costs). Supplies and equipment should be listed out in as much detail as possible to ensure accountability. The budget justification (narrative and spreadsheet) submitted with the application should match the dollar amounts on required SF-424 and SF-424A forms. For multi-year projects: Ensure that there is a detailed budget narrative detailing the budget requested for each year matching each SF-424A form. 2. Electronic Submission You may access the electronic grant application for the MWM Outreach Program at http://www.grants.gov. Please note that applicants must locate the downloadable application package for this program by the FFO number W15QKN-06-R-0262. Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site as well as the hours of operation. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov. ?? To use Grants.gov, applicants must have a DUNS number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You should allow a minimum of 5 days to complete the CCR registration. ?? Applications must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice. ?? After electronic submission of the application, applicants will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. ?? DOLC may request that you provide original signatures on forms at a later date. C. Submission Dates and Times Proposals must be received by 4:30 p.m. eastern time on 28 Sep 2006. Proposals received after that time will not be considered for funding. D. Intergovernmental Review Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. E. Funding Restrictions 1. Allowable Costs Funds awarded cannot necessarily pay for all the costs that the recipient might incur in the course of carrying out the project. Allowable costs are determined by reference to the Office of Management and Budget Circulars A- 122, "Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations"; A-21, "Cost Principles for Education Institutions"; and A-87, "Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments." Generally, costs that are allowable include salaries, equipment, supplies, and training, as long as these are "necessary and reasonable." F. Other Submission Requirements Applicants must submit applications electronically to william.coolbaugh@us.army.mil on or before the response date. V. Application Review Information A. Evaluation Criteria 1. Technical merit Technical Merit ratings reflect the government???s confidence in each offeror???s ability, as demonstrated in its proposal, to meet the stated objective. Excellent ??? Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of the objectives and approach and has a high probability of achieving all or most of the requirements of the objective. Proposal has exceptional strengths that will significantly benefit the government. Good ??? Proposal demonstrates good understanding of the objectives and approach and has a good probability of achieving most of the requirements of the objective. Proposal has one or more strengths that will significantly benefit the government. Fair ??? Proposal demonstrates an acceptable understanding of the objectives and approach and has a fair probability of achieving some of the requirements of the objective. Proposes an acceptable solution with few or no strengths. Poor ??? Proposal demonstrates shallow understanding of objectives and approach that has little probability of achieving the objective. Proposes a less than minimally acceptable solution. This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. 2. Project costs The Cost Realism area will receive a narrative rating. A cost benefit analysis of the offeror(s) Grant Proposal will be performed on the cost. This analysis will consist of the following areas, which are all of equal value, (1.) Cost and (2.) Quality of Cost Share. This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame. B. Review and Selection Process 1. Technical Review Applications meeting the requirements of this solicitation will undergo a technical review. Technical review is conducted by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Each reviewer will individually evaluate and score proposals using the evaluation criteria provided in Section V.A.2. This review will generally involve individuals in the field of science, engineering, technology and/or mathematics from DoD organizations. The technical reviewers??? ratings will be used to produce a rank order of the proposals. The Government intends to award one (1) grant on a best value basis. C. Selection Factors The DOLC Director may review the ranking of the proposals and recommendations of the technical review panel and make recommendations to the Selecting Official. The average rank order from the review panel will be the primary consideration for the Selection Official in deciding which of the new proposals will be recommended for funding to the Grants Officer on a best value basis. However, the Selecting Official will select proposals after considering the technical reviews and recommendations of the DOLC Director. VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices Successful applicants will receive notification that the application has been recommended for funding to the DOLC Grants Office. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the project. Official notification of funding, signed by a Grants Officer, is the authorizing document that allows the project to begin. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal was not selected for recommendation. B. Administrative The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) are applicable to this solicitation. Limitation of Liability In no event will DOLC or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige DOLC to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. C. Reporting Grant recipients will be required to submit financial and performance (technical) reports. All financial reports and performance (technical) reports shall be submitted to the DOLC Grants Officer and to the DOLC Director. Electronic submission of performance reports is preferred. All reports will be submitted on a quarterly schedule and must be submitted no later than 30 days following the end of each quarter from the start date of the award. The comprehensive final report is due 90 days after the award expiration. VII. Agency Contact(s) Please visit the MWM website for further information at http://www.materialsworldmodules.org. or contact Raymond Pawlicki, Director, DOLC US Army ARDEC, B. 3022 Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 Direct: 973-724-3386 FAX: 973-724-7146 Email: raymond.pawlicki@us.army.mil
- Web Link
-
US ARMY TACOM-Picatinny Procurement Network
(http://procnet.pica.army.mil/dbi/Download/GoGetSolicitation.cfm?SolNum=W15QKN-06-R-0262)
- Record
- SN01128870-W 20060831/060829221542 (fbodaily.com)
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FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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