RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana RFP2 Question and Answer Webinar

An informational webinar was held on February 26, 2021, from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. CST that discussed the current funding opportunity through the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana (LA-COE) Request for Proposals – Cycle 2 (RFP2). This webinar also explained how to use the LA-COE submission portal. If you were unable to join us the recording is available to view here.

RESTORE Center of Excellence FAQs for RFP2

Is there any no cost extensions to be allowed for this RFP cycle 2? The issue is that we are unlikely to hear back about any proposal funded until perhaps in June and with school starting less than 2 months later, that is just not enough lead time to recruit a student and have them processed though admissions. Given the very tight deadline, a one semester no cost extension might be needed.

The student is expected to begin in the Fall 2021, at the same time as the Research Awards will begin. We understand that this may pose challenges for some. Thus, if the full proposal of the Graduate Studentship is awarded we will work with the PI on a case-by-case basis about the extension.

I have a collaborator from NASA. He is also an adjunct professor at UCLA. After lengthy discussion between LSU OSP and NASA regarding the funding size and how the funds would go, we decided that the best way is to have an LSU subaward through UCLA, not directly with NASA. Should we acknowledge our collaborator from UCLA, NASA or both. Should the collaborator's information in the system be UCLA, NASA, or both? Thanks.

This would depend on what facilities/resources the collaborator is using to conduct the work. Please refer to RFP, Page 20. Letters of Commitment: Letters of commitment, with official authorized signatures, must be provided for each named collaborating organization expected to receive funds and/or contribute key personnel or make substantial contributions to the research.

Is it possible to have scientific advisors for the projects? People who are not co-PIs but would be a part of the project in an official capacity. If so, what documents would be needed from them (Biosketch, etc)?

Yes, scientific advisors can be added to projects and they should be listed as part of the team. The PI should make sure they include all the same required documents that a co-PI would need to submit (i.e., biosketch, current and pending support, list of collaborators, and a letter of commitment) and their role should be clearly defined in the proposal.

If company performers for federal work are treated differently than universities? For all our federal work we follow FAR 15.403-4 (Certification of cost or pricing data) and this does not include a 26% IDC cap.  So are we correct in assuming we can follow our typical approach for federal contracts to building personnel charge rates (as outlined in the above DARPA costing requirements)?

The rates can be built up as you do for any federal work (salary+fringe+IDC). The indirect however is limited to 26% and not your standard federally negotiated rate. This project is funded with US Dept of Treasury funding this FAR 15.403-4 is not applicable under the terms of this award.

In RFP2, the graduate studentship award stipulates “…minimal (less than $5,000) research expenses to support a graduate student…” can be included in the budget. Does this mean $5,000/year or $5,000 for the full duration of the award (two years)?

This means $5,000 for the duration of the award (two years). Therefore, the cumulative budget should have a maximum of $5,000 for these categories under the “Other Expenses” and they include: Materials and Supplies, Publication Costs, Computer Services, and Facility/Equipment Rental, and Other.

For RFP2 graduate studentship award, when is the student expect to begin? If the award announcement is made in late July, it will be a challenge to recruit a student to start in the Fall 2021. Is it acceptable for the student to start in Spring 2022?

The student is expected to begin in the Fall 2021, at the same time as the Research Awards will begin. We understand that this may pose challenges for some. Thus, if the full proposal of the Graduate Studentship is awarded we will work with the PI on a case-by-case basis.

Will the standard and commercial personnel charge rates of a private sector company as lead awardee (rates that are accepted by CPRA under existing contracts) be accepted for the Research Grant work? Is the 26% IDC cap only applies to universities? If this is incorrect, we need more guidance in terms of what are considered direct costs under this award (i.e. other than fringe and travel). Can a subawardee charge its full commercial rates?

1. The rates to be used should also be the same rates that apply to any federal work. This work is funded with funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury and not CPRA. Please refer to Appendix C, 5. Budget Request (page 18) instructions for more information. As listed in the RFP, “i. Senior Personnel: Name PI and co-PI of the lead organization and list salary by year, level of effort (person months), and a brief description of their role in the project. ii. Other Personnel: Name all other personnel of the lead organization and list salary by year, level of effort (person months), and a brief description of their role in the project. iii. Fringe Benefits: Total of fringe benefits by year.”
2. 26% IDC applies to everyone not just universities. As listed in the RFP, “ Indirect Costs: Indirect costs shall be no more than 26% of modified total direct costs. Administrative support should be provided from the indirect costs, unless specific exceptions are requested and justified and accepted through the subaward.”
3. The items that fall under Direct Costs are listed in Appendix C, 5.b Budget Request (page 18).
4. Subawards should follow the same budget guidelines as the lead, refer to answer 1 above. As listed in the RFP, Appendix C, 5.a. Budget Request (page 18)  “For proposals that contain a subaward(s), each subaward must include a separate budget & budget justification of no more than 2 pages for each subaward with a co-PI identified for all said subawards.”

When working within the application from the SurveyMonkey platform, Section 2 of the Graduate Studentship program, “Full Proposal Cover Page” asks applicants to choose between a collaborative award and a research award. What is the distinction between those, from a graduate studentship perspective?

The distinction between both type of awards is found in the RFP. Even though you are applying in the portal for “graduate studentships” the choice is provided as a check to make sure you are applying towards the award. The platform allows for submission of both programs.

The link that provided in the LOI feedback letter is broken, using both Firefox and Chrome it leads us to a 404 Error webpage. Does it contain different information from the RFP announcement?

This link for RFP document is restored and nothing was added or changed in the RPF2 document, please check:

“https://thewaterinstitute.org/assets/docs/generalDocuments/LA-COE_RFP2_20210214.pdf”

If we work with a federal lab or federal agency as a lower-tier sub, does this paragraph in RFP2 that “Interagency transfers from U.S. Department of Treasury are not supported; awards are to be made by LA-COE” mean that the subaward to the federal agency/lab will be issued by the Institute directly without involving LSU?

If LSU will be listed as a subrecipient on a proposal being submitted by a federal agency as the lead, that federal agency is responsible for contracting with LSU. If LSU is including a federal agency on their proposal as a subrecipient, LSU will be responsible for contracting with that agency, pending Treasury prior written approval. Either way Treasury approval will be needed for any federal agency. LA-COE will issue all awards to COE recipients only. The Dept of Treasury will not issue an interagency transfer. This program is different as the federal agency has to have prior approval before LA-COE will issue an award.

On Page 20 of the RFP, it states that a Letter of Commitment signed by authorized official are required for submission. To whom should this letter be addressed?

Please address the Letter of Commitment to:

RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana

1110 River Road S., Suite 200

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Will you all be culling the submissions of the LOIs or will everyone who put in a LOI be eligible to submit the full proposals?  I think some people want to get started on the full proposal but were not sure if they are in or not.

LA-COE is planning to release the reviews of the LOIs on next Monday (4/5/2021). A notification email about LOI feedback will be sent to all the PIs and the LA-COE website will be updated with the new deadline for submitting full proposals.

I am not clear regarding the collaborators template:

If there are three investigators/collaborators (including the PI) listed in the LOI, then are you expecting three excel files (i.e., Collaborators Template.xls); Or, do you want us to compile all the information in one Excel file, using separate worksheets within the Excel file, with one worksheet per person? Or, on single worksheet/Excel file with all the information for the three persons?

The answer is "one single worksheet/Excel file with all the information for the 3 persons,” and then submit only one combined and alphabetized list per application in an Excel spreadsheet using last name, first name, and organization for the column headings. The list should be alphabetized by last name.

For more information please referred to page 7 of the RFP:

“List of Past and Current Collaborators, Advisors, and Advisees (use the standard NSF template and upload Excel file): Provide one single list that includes all collaborators, advisors, and advisees for each investigator (PI and co-PI [student, if identified]), complete with corresponding institutions/organizations. Submit only one combined and alphabetized list per application in an Excel spreadsheet using last name, first name, and organization for the column headings. The list should be alphabetized by last name. Collaborators are individuals who have participated in a project or publication within the last 48 months with any investigator, including co-authors on publications in the resumes. Request for Proposals – Cycle 2. RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana 8 Collaborators also include those persons with whom the investigators may have ongoing collaboration negotiations. Advisees are persons with whom the individual investigator has had an association as thesis or dissertation advisor or postdoctoral sponsor. Advisors include an individual’s own graduate and postgraduate advisors. Unfunded participants in the proposed study should also be listed (but not their collaborators). This information is critical for identifying potential conflicts of interests and avoiding bias in the selection of reviewers."

Can collaborators be added later to the full proposal who were not included initially on the LOI?

Yes, collaborators can be added later to a full proposal if the team is invited to submit a full proposal.

I'm planning on submitting an LOI for the upcoming COE RFP2. Under the RFP, Section 6.0 (Letters of Intent Submission Information), it asks for f. Approximate cost of the project (annual budget amount per year). However, on the online portal, it only asks for Approximate cost of the project. Do you want/expect total cost in this blank, or cost per year as indicated in the RFP?

Thank you for notifying us about this. LA-COE has revised LOI submission portal to reflect what the RFP states on page 7 that “f. Approximate cost of the project (annual budget amount per year)”.

There are now two fields; the upper one is for Year 1 and bottom one is for Year 2.

Applicants are able to type numbers and letters into each field; for example:

Year 1 $25,000

Year 2 $25,000

Can a private company serve as lead on a project, or does it have to be a university or government agency?

Yes, a private company can serve as lead on a project. Please refer to RFP Section 4.1: Eligibility (page 6) that includes, “Academic institutions, private firms, non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies are all eligible for various categories of awards. Federal agencies are eligible to apply and participate on other proposals; however, each federal agency must determine in advance of submitting a proposal whether their agency rules allow them to participate in this program and receive funding.”

I understand that the LOI narrative should not identify researchers/institutions. Are references allowed/expected in the narrative?

No, references are not expected in the narrative. Please refer to RFP Section 6.0: Letters of Intent Submission Information (page 7). The narrative must include three components, including, “a. Statement of the issue the proposal plans to address and its relevance to the research activities identified in Section 3.0 of the RFP, b. Brief summary of methods and approach to be used, and c. Brief summary of how the findings and outputs of the project can support the implementation of the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan.”

Must Graduate Studentship proposals also match at least one of the 17 listed research topics? Or can they address other questions or research needs relevant to CPRA / LA-COE coastal restoration activities but not explicitly listed in RFP2?

Yes, Graduate Studentship Award proposals must match at least one of 17 listed research activities. Please refer to RFP: Section 2.1 Types of Awards and Funding Levels (page 1) that “Graduate Studentships: These awards provide funds for full-time graduate student stipends, tuition, and minimal (less than $5,000) research expenses to support a graduate student (master’s or Ph.D.) at a Louisiana college/university for up to two years to undertake research in an area identified in Section 3.0: Research Topics”. Please also read Section 6: Letters of Intent Submission Information (page 7) that includes, “Cover page including (fill out fields in the SurveyMonkey Apply portal): a. Award Type b. Tentative project title c. Lead PI Name(s), Title, phone number(s), email address(s), and organization(s) address d. List any Co-PI’s, Name(s), Title, phone number(s), email address(s), and organization(s) address e. Duration of project f. Approximate cost of the project (annual budget amount per year) g. Identification of the research activities (at least one out of 17) being addressed (select all that apply) h. Up to six keywords describing the research and research discipline(s)”

Can you please clarify for the graduate assistantships [Graduate Studentships]: They cannot be used for any research topic that is one of the 17 listed in the RFP for the Research Awards?

Graduate Studentship Award proposals must match at least one of 17 listed research activities.

Please refer to RFP Section 2.1: Types of Awards and Funding Levels (page 1) that “Graduate Studentships: These awards provide funds for full-time graduate student stipends, tuition, and minimal (less than $5,000) research expenses to support a graduate student (master’s or Ph.D.) at a Louisiana college/university for up to two years to undertake research in an area identified in Section 3.0: Research Topics.” Also, RFP Section 2.1: Types of Awards and Funding Levels (page 1) under Graduate Studentships says, “Note that these Graduate Studentships cannot be used to support work proposed under the following Research Awards category.” Therefore, Graduate Studentship proposals must match at least one of 17 listed research activities and the work proposed cannot be used to support other proposed work listed in another proposal that falls under the “Research Awards” category.

Can an employee from United States Army Corps of Engineers participate in being a part of research teams, or participate in proposal development in any way, including the submission on Letters of Support?

Yes, an employee from United States Army Corps of Engineers could participate in being a part of a research team. However, please refer to RFP Section 4.1 (page 6) which states that: “Federal agencies are eligible to apply and participate on other proposals; however, each federal agency must determine in advance of submitting a proposal whether their agency rules allow them to participate in this program and receive funding. Interagency transfers from U.S. Department of Treasury are not supported; awards are to be made by LA-COE. Per the RESTORE Act Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions and Program-Specific Terms and Conditions, Section S. Procurement, Item 3, any award made by LA-COE to a federal agency or employee must have prior written approval of U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of General Counsel before any award is executed”.

For the graduate assistantships [Graduate Studentships]: Are co-PI's allowed (e.g., other faculty) when appropriate for multidisciplinary research?

Yes, a co-PI is allowed for the Graduate Studentship Award. Please note that the Principal Investigator (PI) on the proposal must be a full-time employee of a Louisiana college/university (see page 1 of the RFP document).

Are researchers working in foreign universities eligible to participate as Co-PI?

Yes, researchers working in foreign universities are eligible to participate as co-PI. Please note that the co-PI from a foreign university will need to comply with all applicable terms and conditions. Please review RFP Section 4.0: Funding Instruments which explains: “The lead PI’s organization shall execute the grant agreement and shall execute lower-tier subaward agreements with co-PIs. All lower tier subawards shall incorporate all applicable terms and conditions”.

Can an individual investigator lead one proposal submission for each category (Graduate Studentships and Research Awards) or only one overall (Graduate Studentships or Research Awards)?

An individual investigator can only lead one proposal overall. You can only select one category not both. Please refer to the RFP document (page i) which states: “An individual investigator may only lead one proposal submission but may participate in others. For complete information regarding eligibility see Section 4.1: Eligibility.”

If you are from the USGS (Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center), do you have to be located in the Louisiana office to be PI?

Yes, you have to be located in a Louisiana office to be a PI. As documented in RFP Section 2.1 (page 2): “The PI on each proposal must be a full-time employee of a Louisiana organization/institution. Other participants may be from any organization or institution within or outside Louisiana. If the PI moves to another institution outside the state of Louisiana, a co-PI will need to be identified as the new PI. A Letter of Intent is required in advance of full proposal submission.”

Please note that if PI is from the Baton Rouge, LA office of the USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center they are eligible. If the PI is from offices that are outside Louisiana (e.g., Jackson, MS), they are not eligible.

The studentships are listed for $100,000, including $5,000 for supplies. Since we usually estimate a graduate student at $25,000/year or $50,000 for two years, can we seek funding for two students on the same proposal? Or is the money meant to support a PI for a summer month, lab equipment, and travel for the studentships?

No, Graduate Studentships will only be made available to support one full-time graduate student per award conducting relevant research at Louisiana college/universities. Also, in RFP document (page 2) it states, “These levels will be adjusted if the meritorious proposals submitted in each category do not total the designated amount. Cost sharing or matching is not required for LA-COE awards.”

Money cannot be used to support a PI for a summer month, lab equipment or travel. Research expenses (less than $5,000) are allowed to only support a graduate student and their research needs. Please refer to the RFP, Section 2.1: Types of Awards and Funding Levels (page 1) that lists details of Graduate Studentships.

Is the lead PI the only eligible to submit the LOI?

The PI is responsible for submitting all the required documents for LOI submission in our submission portal (https://lacoe.smapply.io/). However, a co-PI or collaborator can obtain ownership of the application. Per SurveyMonkey Apply, "When a submission is created it is linked to the profile of the user who created it. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to change the owner of an application such as when the user has multiple accounts, if the application is managed by a team and the ownership must be changed, or if an organization is completing an application and the creator leaves the organization". If an Authorized Official Representative needs to approve they can be added as a collaborator to allow for their approval/sign off on the proposal.

Do you expect to fund each of five research needs listed in RFP?

We do not have any pre-defined expectations on the number awards per topical area. From the RFP document (page 9), please review RFP Section 8.2.1: Graduate Studentship Award and Research Award Proposals that includes Table 1. Evaluation criteria for full proposals (page 9). Therefore, a suite of criteria will be considered when making funding decisions.

If our research team is interested in working toward a diverse combination of Activities, say 7-8 and 17, that are all related to a certain geography, do you see that as combination or separate proposals?

Please refer to RFP Section 2.1 (page 1): “Interorganizational proposals, including partnerships with academia, federal, state, private, or non-profit organizations, are strongly encouraged. Collaboration among organizations and disciplines to address cross-disciplinary research needs is also encouraged”. LA-COE encourage cross-disciplinary research, thus, proposed research with a diverse combination, such as for research activities 7, 8, and 17, will be encouraged.

We were specifically looking at focus area #7: Assess ecosystem functions of ridge restoration projects and evaluate similarities and differences among ridge restoration projects, spoil banks, and natural ridges. Does a ridge have to be a terrestrial marsh ridge? Could a ridge restoration project be an intertidal living shoreline reef? I am not sure how this is defined by CPRA and TWIG, but the language in the RFP seems to lean terrestrial. Can I propose a project that focuses on an active restoration project currently being completed by CPRA? I know CPRA cannot be partners or supply letters of support, but would it be okay to work with CPRA to get permission to research an active project? I don't want to pursue an active CPRA project if CPRA can't communicate with us about permission and project status.

For more information about ridge restoration project types, please review the 2017 Coastal Master Plan: Attachment (A-8), and Attachment A, Chapter 4.

Examples of ridge restoration projects are Pecan Island Ridge Restoration, Bayou Terrebonne Ridge Restoration, and Bayou Decade Ridge Restoration. In the above attachments, it lists the descriptions including restoring upland habitat and forested maritime habitats. If the proposal is selected for funding, CPRA will work with the researchers to get permission to research an active restoration project. CPRA cannot communicate during the proposal development phase but will be actively involved in funded projects.

Are there directions for the letter of intent available at this time?

The Request for Proposal – Cycle 2 (RFP2) was released on Feb 15, 2021 and is available to view and download at this link.

Please refer to Section 6: Letters of Intent Submission Information, and Appendix A in the RFP document to prepare your LOI submission.

RESTORE Center of Excellence FAQs for RFP1

Can graduate Studentship Awards be used to support graduate students outside of Louisiana?

Graduate Studentship Awards are only available to full-time students who are currently enrolled or who will be enrolled at a Louisiana college or university for the duration of the Award.

Does the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) count as a college/university, and can a researcher at LUMCON be a lead PI on a Research Award?

Yes, LUMCON is considered a Louisiana college or university. Full-time employees at LUMCON are eligible to be lead PI on Research Awards.

Given the MTDC definition in 2CFR200, are subrecipients only allowed the 26% indirect rate on the first $25,000 of the subaward, and subsequently not allowed an indirect rate on costs above $25,000?

The MTDC calculation means that indirect costs can be charged at 26% of the total grant budget (e.g. personnel, supplies, travel, etc.) and then only on the first $25,000 of each subaward that will be made by the lead institution (in addition to other exclusions as noted in 2 CFR 200).

For example:

Is overhead capped at 26% of MTDC for federal agencies?

Yes, indirect costs will be no more than 26% of modified total direct costs. Administrative support should be provided from the indirect costs, unless specific exceptions are requested and justified and accepted through the subaward.

Can an individual submit multiple Letters of Intent and full proposals as lead PI?

No, an individual is only eligible if they submit one Letter of Intent as lead PI.

Can an individual submit multiple proposals as a Co-PI?

Yes, an individual can be listed on multiple Letters of Intent and proposals as a Co-PI. There is no limit on the number of Letters of Intent and full proposals an individual can participate as a Co-PI.

Is an agency considered a recipient or a sub-recipient if that agency is the only agency listed in the Letter of Intent?

For the purposes of issuing an Award agreement and the flow down of federal funds, all awardees are considered subrecipients of the LA-COE. If the agency has partners on the proposal, those partners would be lower-tier subrecipients to the agency.

Regarding the following statement as listed in the RFP, “any Award made by the LA-COE to a federal agency or employee must have prior written approval of Treasury’s Office of General Counsel before any Award is executed.” Does the federal agency need to obtain written approval of Treasury’s Office of General Counsel, or will the LA-COE obtain written approval before issuing the Award?

Each federal agency must determine in advance of submitting a proposal whether their agency rules allow them to participate in this program and receive funding. The LA-COE will obtain written approval from Treasury before issuing the award.

Our proposal will involve certain proprietary data which we receive under a license agreement and we have several patents. Does the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with CPRA or the subaward cover these items?

The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with CPRA is not incorporated by reference in the subaward that will be issued to subrecipients. The draft subaward made available on the website (subject to revision) incorporates all terms, conditions, policies, and regulations that are required to be included in the subaward. Proposers are encouraged to include, in Section 9 of the proposal, an optional statement on proprietary information and rules. Final subaward terms and conditions will be included in the executed agreement.

Are there specific forms available for the Cover Page that are required on Letters of Intent and full proposals?

Yes, the required Letter of Intent Cover Page, Full Proposal Cover Page are available in the SurveyApply system.