NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program

Amendment to 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01

AMENDED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR
NIST MEP COMPETITIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
AMENDMENT 1
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is announcing an
amendment to its December 28, 2020 Announcement of Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NOFO) Number 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01, posted on Grants.gov, that solicits
proposals for the NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• Federal Agency Name: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
United States Department of Commerce (DoC)
• Funding Opportunity Title: NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
• Announcement Type: Amendment (see FY2022 Amendment Revisions
document under Related Documents tab for a list of changes from the original
announcement)
• Funding Opportunity Number: 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01
• Assistance Listing (CFDA Number): 11.611, Manufacturing Extension
Partnership
• Dates: Electronic applications will be accepted, processed, and considered for
funding, subject to the availability of funds and subject to the publication of an
amended or a superseding NOFO under this program.
The approximate start date for successful applications is 90-180 days following
the submission of an application.
Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning,
that the Grants.gov system closes periodically for routine maintenance.
Applicants should visit grants.gov for any scheduled closures.
Applicants should closely review Section IV.ii.b., Attachment of Required
Application Documents, to ensure the submission of complete applications.
Applicants should carefully follow the instructions and recommendations
regarding attachments and use the Download Submitted Forms and Applications
feature on www.grants.gov to check that all required attachments were contained
in their submission. Applications submitted without the required documents will
not pass the Initial Administrative Review described in Section V.2.a. of this
NOFO, which may result in the application not being considered for funding. See
Section IX. of this NOFO for an application checklist.
Page 1 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

• Application Submission Address: Applications must be submitted using
Grants.gov.
• Funding Opportunity Description: NIST MEP invites applications from current
MEP Centers for projects that will add capabilities to the MEP Program by
achieving one or more of the criteria set forth in 15 U.S.C. 278k-1(e)(3) and may
give priority during the selection process to proposals that will also address one
or more of the Program Themes described in Section I. of this NOFO:
Industry/Manufacturing 4.0; manufacturing workforce services to include
employee recruitment, retention, and employee development; supply chain
management and resiliency; and Artificial Intelligence (AI) application. Projects
funded pursuant to this NOFO must provide for activities or services beyond
those provided for pursuant to an applicant’s and its partnering MEP Centers’
base MEP Center cooperative agreements. See Section I of this NOFO for the
full program description.
• Anticipated Amounts: NIST anticipates funding awards up to $1 million in total
funding for single MEP Center awards and up to $5 million in total funding for
awards involving multiple MEP Centers. Proposals awarded under this NOFO will
have a budget and a performance period of up to three (3) years, consistent with
the NIST multi-year funding policy. See Section II.3 of this NOFO.
• Funding Instrument: Cooperative Agreement. See Section II.1 of this NOFO
for additional information concerning the funding instrument for these awards.
• Eligibility: Applicants for this program must be an active MEP Center that is
operating pursuant to a current NIST MEP cooperative agreement. A MEP
Center may work individually or may include proposed subawards to other
organizations, including but not limited to other MEP Centers, to carry out the
activities described in the proposal.
• Cost Sharing Requirements: Non-federal cost share is not required for awards
issued pursuant to this NOFO.
•
Public Website, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Webinar:
Questions from applicants pertaining to NOFO eligibility, cost sharing
requirements, evaluation criteria and selection factors, selection process, and
the general characteristics of a competitive proposal will not be considered on
an informal basis. Applicants must submit all such questions in writing to
mepnofo@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 https://www.nist.gov/mep/nist-mep-
competitive-awards-program-cap
Table of Contents
Page 2 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

I. Program Description .................................................................................................. 3
II. Federal Award Information ......................................................................................... 5
III. Eligibility Information .................................................................................................. 7
IV. Application and Submission Information .................................................................... 7
V. Application Review Information ................................................................................ 22
VI. Federal Award Administration Information ............................................................... 26
VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts ......................................................................... 30
VIII. Other Information ..................................................................................................... 31
IX. Application Checklist ............................................................................................... 32
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT
I. Program Description
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is publishing this Notice
of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) pursuant to the Hollings Manufacturing Extension
Program (MEP) Competitive Awards Program, which is authorized by 15 U.S.C. §
278k-1. This program is not a Federal research and development program, and it is
not the intent of this program that MEP Center awardees will perform systematic
research. Please contact the Federal Awarding Agency Contacts listed in Section
VII. of this NOFO if you require additional information regarding this NOFO or if any
of the weblinks in this NOFO are not working.
1) Background Information
The MEP Program is a nationwide network of Centers (referred to hereinafter as the
MEP National Network) located in all 50 States and Puerto Rico that serve as
trusted business advisors focused on transforming U.S. manufacturers to compete
globally, supporting supply chain integration, and providing access to technology for
improved productivity. MEP Centers are a diverse network of State, non-profit
organizations and public colleges and universities, comprising more than 1,400
manufacturing experts offering hands on technical expertise and assistance
services that address the critical needs of their local manufacturers.
MEP Centers work directly with area manufacturers in each State to provide
expertise and services tailored to manufacturers’ most critical needs, ranging from
process improvement and workforce development to business practices and
technology transfer and implementation. Additionally, MEP Centers connect
manufacturers with government and trade associations, universities and research
laboratories, and a host of other public and private resources to help manufacturers
realize individual business goals. To learn more about the MEP Center program,
please go to http://www.nist.gov/mep/.
NIST MEP’s Competitive Award Program (CAP) provides MEP Centers with an
opportunity to compete for additional resources to help fund the costs of innovative
Page 3 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

projects that will add capabilities to the MEP Program by achieving one or more of
the criteria set forth in 15 U.S.C. 278k-1(e)(3). During FY 2017 through FY 2020,
NIST MEP competitively awarded 31 CAP cooperative agreements in the following
practice areas: (i) Medical device accreditation; (ii) Industry 4.0; (iii) Food
manufacturing; (iv) Digital manufacturing; (v) Workforce planning; (vi) Toyota Kata;
(vii) Apprenticeship; (viii) Cybersecurity; and (ix) Integration of small and medium-
sized manufacturers (SMMs) into local and regional innovation ecosystems.
2) Program Criteria
Applications for funding pursuant to this NOFO must propose projects that will add
capabilities to the MEP Program by achieving one or more of the criteria contained
in 15 U.S.C. 278k-1(e)(3). The following criteria requires direct engagement with
clients, with the exception of criterion e.
a. Improve the competitiveness of industries in the region in which the Center or
Centers are located;
b. Create jobs or train newly hired employees;
c. Promote the transfer and commercialization of research and technology from
institutions of higher education, national laboratories or other federally funded
research programs, and nonprofit research institutes;
d. Recruit a diverse manufacturing workforce, including through outreach to
underrepresented populations, including individuals identified in section 33 or
section 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C.
1885a, 1885b); and/or
e. Other activities that will achieve one or more of the objectives set forth in 15
U.S.C. 278k(c) or 15 U.S.C. 278l
Applicants are required to provide a detailed explanation as to how the proposed
project will achieve one or more of the statutory criteria listed immediately above as
part of the applicant’s project narrative (see Section IV. of this NOFO), which will be
used by NIST MEP in evaluating applications and in awarding program funding (see
Section V. of this NOFO). In addition, projects funded pursuant to this NOFO must
provide for activities and services beyond those provided for pursuant to an
applicant’s and its partnering MEP Centers’ base MEP Center cooperative
agreements.
3) Program Themes
NIST consulted with the MEP Advisory Board, SMMs and other Federal agencies.
These consultations included direct solicitation during a public MEP Advisory Board
meeting, a review of data obtained through MEP Center Client Surveys, surveys
conducted by individual MEP Centers, NIST MEP Executive Manufacturer
Roundtables, and outreach to other Federal agencies. Based on the results of these
consultations and in accordance with 15 U.S.C. § 278k-1(c)(2), the NIST Director
Page 4 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

has identified the following Program Themes for this NOFO:
• Technology and Innovation; Industry/Manufacturing 4.0;
• Manufacturing Workforce Services to include Employee Recruitment,
Retention, and Employee Development; and
• Supply Chain Management and Resiliency.
For more information on these Program Themes, see the NIST MEP Funding
Opportunity Website at https://www.nist.gov/mep/nist-mep-competitive-awards-
program-cap.
II. Federal Award Information
1. Funding Instrument
The funding instruments that will be used are grants or cooperative
agreements, as appropriate. Where cooperative agreements are used, the
nature of NIST’s “substantial involvement” will generally include
collaboration with the recipient organization in developing and
implementing the approved scope of work, in accordance with 2 CFR §
200.24.
2. Multi-Year Funding Policy. When an application for a multi-year award is
approved, funding in some cases will be provided only for the first year of
the project. The recipient will be required to submit detailed budgets and
budget narratives prior to the award or release of any continued funding.
Continued funding for the remaining year(s) of the project will be awarded
or released by NIST on a non-competitive basis, and may be adjusted,
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; however,
the period of performance must not exceed three (3) years in duration,
including any no-cost award extension authorized by NIST.
3. Funding Availability. In FY 2021, NIST anticipates funding awards up to
$1 million in total funding for single MEP Center awards and up to $5
million in total funding for projects involving multiple MEP Centers.
Proposals awarded under this NOFO will have a budget and a
performance period of up to three (3) years, consistent with the multi-year
funding policy described in Section II.2. above. Funding for awards issued
pursuant to this NOFO is contingent upon the availability of appropriated
funds and NIST programmatic priorities.
4. Award Kick Off. For awards exceeding $250,000 or involving
subrecipients unfamiliar with NIST requirements, a recipient should
anticipate participating in a virtual kick-off conference, which will be held
Page 5 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

within 15-30 calendar days post start date of award. The kick-off
conference will typically take between 2 and 6 hours and must be
attended by the MEP Center Director, along with up to two key project
personnel. Representatives from key subrecipients and other key
strategic partners may attend the kick-off conference as deemed
appropriate by the recipient.
5. MEP National Network Meetings. NIST MEP typically organizes MEP
National Network meetings at least one time per year to share best
practices, and to 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. One key representative from the lead MEP Center and
other appropriate partners/collaborators should attend these meetings.
Applicants must include travel and related costs for one (1) MEP National
Network meetings in each of the funded years (1 meeting per year; up to 3
total meetings over a three-year award period). These costs must be
reflected in the SF-424A (see Section IV.ii.a.(2). of this NOFO). These
costs must also be reflected in the budget tables and budget narratives for
each of the funded years, which are submitted as part of the Technical
Proposal. (See Section IV.ii.a.(6).(e). of this NOFO). In the event that
travel and related costs for the MEP Center representative are already
accounted for under another MEP award, the applicant should note this in
the budget narrative and should not include travel and related costs in the
budget.
Personnel will be expected to actively participate during these meetings
and freely share lessons learned regarding the details of the project and
attributes conducive to transferring knowledge to other MEP Centers for
the benefit of small U.S. manufacturers.
Recipients will be required to provide detailed analysis of the lessons
learned through these projects under Section VI.iii.a.(2). Performance
(Technical) Reports. These analyses will include, but are not limited to:
attributes, participant roles, planning of the intended approach, root
cause(s) for success/failures, recommendations for how the outcomes of
the project might inform expansion of the intended goals, and any plans
for sustainment of the effort beyond the period of performance.
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 NOFO.
Page 6 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. Applicants for this program must be an active MEP
Center that is operating pursuant to a current NIST MEP cooperative
agreement. An MEP Center may work individually or may include proposed
subawards to other organizations, including but not limited to other MEP
Centers, to carry out the activities described in the proposal.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement. Non-Federal cost sharing is not
required for awards issued pursuant to this NOFO.
a) Prohibition on Profit and Fees.
A profit, fee, or other incremental charge above actual cost is not an
allowable cost under this program.
b) No Double Charging Against other NIST MEP Awards.
Costs charged against awards issued pursuant to this NOFO, whether
paid by federal or non-federal funds, may not also be charged as costs
against any other NIST MEP award (i.e., no double-billing of costs). In
addition, NIST MEP funding provided by a MEP Center to another MEP
Center or other collaborator may not be used by such MEP Center or
collaborator as a non-federal cost share contribution for an MEP Center or
collaborator award (i.e., federal funds may not be used as cost share for
other federal awards).
c) Program Income.
For purposes of this program, applicants should not budget program
income to be used as non-federal cost share. Rather, the recipient and
any subrecipients of an award issued pursuant to this NOFO must expend
all program income (as defined in 2 C.F.R. § 200.307) generated by the
project using the "additive method" under 2 C.F.R. § 200.307(e)(2), with
any excess program income to be disposed of pursuant to the “deductive
method” under 2 C.F.R. § 200.307(e)(1).
The applicant must clearly identify in its proposal whether the applicant or
any of its subrecipients anticipate generating program income pursuant to
the proposed activities (e.g., registration fees, client service fees, etc.). If
program income is anticipated under the proposal, the applicant must
identify the anticipated amount of program income in the Form SF-424A
and in the Budget Narrative and Justification and properly report all
program income generated pursuant to the project in the Form SF-425.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package
Page 7 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

The application package is available at Grants.gov under Funding
Opportunity Number 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission. Set forth below are the
required content and form of applications submitted pursuant to this
NOFO. Also, see Section IX. of this NOFO for application checklist.
a.) Required Forms and Documents. The Application must contain the
following:
(1) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 must be
signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization.
For SF-424, Item 8.d. Zip/Postal Code field, should reflect the Zip code
+ 4 (#####-####) format.
For SF-424, Item 12, should list the NOFO number 2021-NIST-MEP-
CAP-01.
SF-424, Item 18, should list the total budget information for the
duration of the project.
The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Item 21 of the
SF-424 is contained in the Federal Financial Assistance Certifications
and Representations (Certs and Reps) as part of the SAM.gov entity
registration.
(2) SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs.
The budget should reflect anticipated expenses for the entire project,
considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living
adjustments. The budget should also include staff, travel and other
costs associated with the NIST/MEP National Network meetings as
described in Section II.5 of this NOFO.
a) The applicant should reflect each year of the project, up to three
(3) years, on the SF-424A form that appears as part of the
mandatory forms in the Grants.gov application package.
b) In Section A, the Grant Program Function or Activity on Line 1
under Column (a) should be entered as Manufacturing Extension
Partnership, or an abbreviation thereof. The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance Number on Line 1 under Column (b) should
be entered as “11.611”. The total budget amount for the term of the
award should be listed in Section A, Line 1, Column (e).
Page 8 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

c) Section B, Column (1) of the SF-424A should reflect the costs for
the first year of the award. Section B, Column (2) of the SF-424A
should reflect the costs for the second year of the award. Section
B, Column (3) of the SF-424A should reflect the costs for the third
year of the award. Section B, line 7 of the SF-424A, should
account for any program income that is expected to be generated
and expended using the additive method for each year of the
project.
d) Section C should be blank. Non-Federal cost sharing is not
required for awards issued pursuant to this NOFO.
e) Section D requires a breakdown of the first year’s budget by
quarter.
f) Section E requires the budget estimate of federal funds needed for
each year of the project. The budget estimate for the first year of
the award should be entered in Section E, Line 16, Column (b).
The budget estimate for the second year of the award should be
entered in Section E, Line 16, Column (c). The budget estimate for
the third year of the award should be entered in Section E, Line 16,
Column (d).
(3) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying. Enter “2021-NIST-
MEP-CAP-01” in the Award Number field. Enter the title of the
application, or an abbreviation of that title, in the Project Name
field.
(4) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable).
(5) Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal is a word-processed
document of no more than twenty (20) pages, which is responsive to
the program description (see Section I. of this NOFO) and the
evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this NOFO).
The proposal narrative should contain the following information:
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 proposal,
consistent with the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this
NOFO).
Page 9 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

The first paragraph of the Executive Summary should be a project
description in the following format:
1) Purpose: State the specific purpose of the proposed project in
one to two sentences.
2) Activities: Describe the major activities to be performed in one
to three sentences.
3) Outcomes: State the specific expected outcomes of the
proposed project in one to three sentences.
4) Beneficiaries: Name or describe the intended beneficiaries of
the expected outcomes in one to two sentences.
5) Subrecipients: If applicable, describe the major activities to be
performed by subrecipients in one to three sentences.
Any acronyms or abbreviations used in the Executive Summary must
be defined in the Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms. (See Section
IV.8. of this NOFO)
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.)
b.) Explanation of How the Proposal Will Achieve the Program Requirements.
Applicants are required to provide a detailed explanation as to how the proposed
activities and or product(s) developed, including proposed technologies, trainings,
tools, techniques, practices and services, will add capabilities to the MEP program by
achieving one or more of the statutory criteria listed in Section I.2 of this NOFO.
Additionally, the proposal narrative should also clearly explain how the proposed
activities and or product(s) developed will advance one or more of the program themes
identified in Section I.3 of this NOFO. The applicant must also discuss how the
proposed activities and/or product(s) developed would provide for activities and
services beyond those provided for pursuant to the applicant’s and its partnering MEP
MEP Centers base MEP Center cooperative agreements. This section of the
application will be evaluated by NIST MEP in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria
listed in Section V.1. of this NOFO.
c.) Proposal Narrative. The narrative must clearly identify specific tasks, measurable
milestones, and performance outcomes resulting from the proposed activities
and/or product(s) developed. Additionally, the identified activities must clearly show
connection to one or more of the statutory criteria listed in Section I.2 of this NOFO
Page 10 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

and if applicable one or more of the program themes identified in Section I.3 of this
NOFO. The narrative will be evaluated by technical reviewers in accordance with
the Evaluation Criteria listed in Section V.1. of this NOFO. The proposal narrative
must clearly articulate the following:
d.) Technical Needs and Benefits
a. The problem and need.
b. The proposed activities and/or product(s) delivered adequately
meet the needs and is appropriate for the targeted population size
and area of service.
c. The benefits resulting from the proposed activities and/or
product(s) developed.
d. The technologies and tools are appropriate to address the defined
need.
e.) Overall Benefit to the MEP National Network
e. The extent to which the proposed activities and/or product(s)
developed will add capabilities to the MEP National Network by
achieving one or more of the statutory criteria listed in Section I.2
of this NOFO.
f. The extent to which the proposed activities and/or product(s)
developed can be integrated into and be of service to the NIST
MEP National Network.
f.) Management and Financial Plans
a. The appropriateness and effectiveness of the planned staffing and
management structure to include an assessment of the experience and
education of key personnel relevant to the proposed activities and/or
product(s) developed.
b. The reasonableness, appropriateness, and rationale of the proposed
budget items relative to the scale of effort and proposed performance
accomplishments identified in the application.
g.) Program Evaluation and Sustainability Plans
a. A plan for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed activities and/or
product(s) developed.
b. A sustainability plan to carry out the proposed activities and/or product(s)
delivered once the award has ended, including: identification of potential
resources (federal and/or non-federal) to support the continuation of
proposed activities; partner(s) commitment for supporting the activities at
the end of the award; and specific actions that will ensure the continuation
of activities once the award has ended.
(6) Budget Narrative and Justification. (Does not count toward the page
limit). In addition to the SF-424 form (see Section IV.ii.a.(1). of this
Page 11 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

NOFO), applicants must provide a detailed budget table and budget
narrative for each year of operation, fully explaining and justifying all
proposed funding (both revenue and expenses) in accordance with
applicable federal cost principles.
All applicants are required to use the MEP budget templates when
submitting a Budget workbook and a budget summary table. The budget
should reflect anticipated expenses for the entire project, considering all
potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments. 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 sub awardees/contractors, to the extent
known at the time of application, and a detailed description of the purpose
of each subaward/contract. The MEP budget table and budget narrative
template are available on the MEP website at:
https://www.nist.gov/mep/nist-mep-competitive-awards-program-cap .
Applicants proposing fixed amount subawards must clearly identify
such subawards in the budget narrative and must provide, as part of
the budget narrative, detailed information relative to the cost or
pricing data being relied on by the applicant in establishing the value
of the fixed amount subaward. See 2 C.F.R. 200.201 and 200.332.
The Budget Narrative and Justification must clearly identify whether the
applicant or any of its subrecipients anticipate generating program income
pursuant to the proposed activities (e.g., client service fees, etc.). If
program income is anticipated under the proposal, the applicant must
identify the anticipated amount of program income as part of the overall
budget (including subrecipient budgets) and must budget for the
expenditure of such program income using the "additive method," with any
excess program income to be disposed of pursuant to the “deductive
method.”
For purposes of this program, program income will not be considered non-
federal cost share; however, anticipated amounts of program income
should be entered in the Gross Program Income (Projected) row and
budgeted for expenditure in the expenses section of column D.
This section of the application will be evaluated in accordance with the
Budget Narrative evaluation criteria in Section V.1. of the NOFO. It will
also be reviewed to determine if all costs are reasonable, allocable, and
Page 12 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

allowable under 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart E, Cost Principles.
Information needed for each category is as follows:
a. Personnel - At a minimum, the budget justification for all
personnel should include the following: job title, commitment of
effort on the proposed project in terms of average number of hours
per week or percentage of time, salary rate, total personnel
charges for each identified position on the project, description of
the role of the individual on the project and the work to be
performed.
b. Fringe Benefits - Fringe benefits for each position should be
identified separately from salaries and wages and based on rates
determined by organizational policy. The items included in the
fringe benefit rate (e.g., health insurance, parking, etc.) should not
be charged under another cost category.
c. Travel - For all travel costs, the budget justification for travel
should include the following: destination; names or number of
people traveling; dates and/or duration; mode of transportation,
lodging and subsistence rates; and description of how the travel is
directly related to the proposed activities. For travel that is yet to
be determined, please provide best estimates based on prior
experience. If a destination is not known, an approximate amount
may be used with the assumptions given for the location of the
meeting. Applicants must also include travel expenses related to
anticipated MEP National Network meetings described in Section
II.5 of this NOFO in the budget tables and budget narratives.
d. Equipment - Equipment, the cost, and a description of how it will
be used and why it is necessary to the successful completion of
the proposed project. Please note that any general use equipment
(computers, etc.) charged directly to the award should be allocated
to the award according to expected usage on the project.
Applicants should provide at least two (2) quotes, if available, for
equipment costing $25,000 or more. If two (2) quotes are not
available, please provide a statement as to why two (2) quotes are
not available.
e. Supplies - Supplies are defined as all tangible personal property
other than that described as equipment. Provide a list of each
supply, and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of
cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the
proposed project.
Page 13 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

f. Contractual (i.e. Contracts) - Each contract should be treated as
a separate item. Identify the cost and describe the services to be
provided and the necessity of the contract to the successful
performance of the proposed project. Contracts are for obtaining
normal goods and services.
g. Construction – Not an allowable cost under this NOFO.
h. Other Direct Costs – For costs that do not easily fit into the other
cost categories, please list the cost, and the breakdown of the total
costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost
for the completion of the proposed project. Only allowable costs
can be charged to the award. Applicants should identify any
subawards costs in this category and provide the necessity of the
subaward to the successful performance of the proposed project.
(7) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. (Does not count toward the page limit).
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
Section B.06 of the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance
Standard Terms and Conditions Dated November 12, 2020,
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 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) Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms. (Does not count toward the page
limit). An alphabetical list of all abbreviations and acronyms, and their
meaning, should be included.
(9) Table of Funded Project Participants and Unfunded Informal
Collaborators. (Does not count toward the page limit). Provide a table
that identifies all organizations that will participate in and contribute to the
proposed activities, if funded, known at the time of the application
submission. The table should consist of an alphabetically ordered list, by
organization, of all Funded Project Participants and all Unfunded Informal
Page 14 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

Collaborators. The table should include the organization’s name, address,
administrative role, scope of work (funded participants only) and proposed
funding amount (funded participants only). Administrative roles are:
applicant, subrecipient, or contractor for funded participants; or
collaborator if they will not receive funding.
(10) Bibliographic List of References. (Does not count toward the page
limit). A complete bibliographic listing of all references used within the
application should be included.
(11) Resumes of Key Personnel. (Does not count toward page limit but are
limited to one-page each). One-page resumes of no more than five key
personnel from applicant (not subrecipients) may be included. Any
information beyond one page for each resume and any additional
resumes submitted will not be considered.
(12) Current and Pending Support Form. Any application that includes
investigators, researchers, and key personnel must identify all sources of current
and potential funding, including this proposal. Any current support (e.g., Federal,
state, local, public or private foundations, etc.) must be listed on this form. The
proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of
the Principal Investigator (PI), co- PI, and key personnel must be included, even
if no salary support is received. The total award amount for the entire award
period covered, including indirect costs, must be shown as well as the number
of person- months per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of the source
of support. Similar information must be provided for all proposals already
submitted or that are being submitted concurrently to other potential funders.
Applicants must complete the Current and Pending Support Form, using
multiple forms as necessary to account for all activity for each individual
identified in the PI, co-PI and key personnel roles. A separate form
should be used for each identified individual.
Applicants must download the Current and Pending Support Form from
the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-
division/current-and-pending-support and reference the guidance provided
as it contains information to assist with accurately completing the form.
(13) Letters of Commitment
a) Each application must include a Letter of Commitment from an
authorized representative of: (i) the MEP Center applicant; and from
(ii) other MEP Centers and from other organizations that will serve as
subawardees on the project. The letter of commitment shall discuss
the scope of work, and its relevance to the project. The reviewers will
Page 15 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

consider the letters of commitment in evaluating the proposal in
accordance with the Evaluation Criteria in Section V.1. of this NOFO.
1) Attachment of Required Documents
Items IV.ii.a.(1) through IV.ii.a.(5) above are part of the standard
application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the
download application process.
Items IV.ii.a.(6) through IV.ii.a.(12) should be attached to field 15 of the
SF-424 form by clicking on “Add Attachment”.
Following these directions will create zip files which permit 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 indicates only that an
application was transferred to a system. It does not provide details
concerning whether all attachments (or how many attachments)
transferred successfully. 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.
Applicants are strongly advised to use Grants.gov’s “Download Submitted
Forms and Applications” option, found at
https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Applicants/CheckApplicationStatus/
DownloadSubmittedFormsAndApplications.htm to check that their
application’s required attachments were contained in their submission.
After submitting the application, check the status of your application here:
CHECK APPLICATION STATUS . If any, or all, of the required
attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment
directions found above, resubmit the application, and check again for the
presence of the required attachments.
If the directions found at
https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/index.htm#t=GetStarted%2FGetStar
ted.htm are not effective, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk
immediately. If calling from within the United States or from a U.S.
territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling from a place outside the
United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-5035. E-mails should
be addressed to support@grants.gov. 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.
Page 16 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by
following the procedures at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjamz). It
can take up to two business days for an application to fully move through
the Grants.gov system to NIST.
NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov and does not
issue Agency Tracking Numbers.
2) Application Format
• Paper, Email, and Facsimile (fax)
Submissions. Will not be accepted.
• Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures. Should be
of a size that is easily readable or viewable and may
be displayed in landscape orientation. Any figures,
graphs, images, or pictures will count toward the page
limits for the Proposal Narrative.
• Font. Easy to read font (11-point minimum). Smaller
type may be used in figures and tables but must be
clearly legible.
• Page Limit. The Proposal Narrative is limited to twenty
(20) pages single spaced, noting the limit of two (2)
pages for the Executive Summary. Resumes are not
included in the page count of the Proposal Narrative.
However, if resumes are included, resumes must be a
maximum of one (1) page each.
• Page Limit Exclusions:
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance;
SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs;
CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying;
SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;
Table of Contents;
Executive Summary;
Budget Tables and Narratives;
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement;
Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms;
Table of /Funded Project Participants and Unfunded Informal
Collaborators;
Bibliographic List of References;
Resumes of Key Personnel (limited to one page each for no more than
five key personnel);
Page 17 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

Letters of Commitment; and
Current and Pending Support Form
• Page Layout. The Proposal must be in portrait orientation.
• Page size. 21.6 centimeters by 27.9 centimeters (8
½ inches by 11 inches).
• Page numbering. Number pages sequentially.
• Application language. English. All documents must
be in English, including but not limited to the initial
application, any additional documents submitted in
response to a NIST request, all reports, and any
correspondence with NIST.
• Typed document. All applications, including forms,
must be typed; handwritten forms will not be
accepted.
3) Application Replacement Pages. Applicants may not
submit replacement pages and/or missing documents once
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.
4) Pre-Applications. NIST is not accepting pre-applications
under this NOFO.
b. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM).
Pursuant to 2 C.F.R. part 25, applicants and recipients are required to: (i) be
registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique
entity identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM
registration with current information at all times during which it has 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 NOFO,
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.
c. Submission Dates and Times.
Page 18 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

Electronic applications will be accepted and considered for funding by NIST on a
rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds and subject to the publication of
an amended or a superseding NOFO under this program. The approximate start
date for successful applications is 90-180 days following the application
submission.
When developing the submission timeline, please keep in mind that: (1) all
applicants are required to have current registrations in the electronic System for
Award Management (SAM.gov) and Grants.gov; (2) the free annual registration
process in the SAM.gov generally takes between three and five business days
but can take more than two weeks; and applicants will receive e-mail notifications
over a period of up to two business days as the application moves through
intermediate systems before the applicant learns via a validation or rejection
notification whether NIST has received the application. (See Grants.gov for full
information on application and notification through Grants.gov.) 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.
NOTE: Starting Monday, April 4, 2022, the federal government will stop using the
DUNS number to uniquely identify entities. All entities doing business with the
federal government will use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) generated in
SAM.gov. Applicants must request and be assigned a UEI number prior to
completing the grant application forms and submitting their application via
Grants.gov. For more information, please see Planned UEI Updates | GRANTS.GOV.
The Standard Forms (i.e., SF424, SF424 R&R) will be updated on April 4, 2022
to allow entities to enter the UEI number. Applicants must ensure to use the
most up to date Standard Forms after April 4, 2022 prior to submitting the
application in Grants.gov.
d. Intergovernmental Review
Applications submitted by State and local governments are subject to Executive
Order (E.O.) 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” pursuant
to which each State designates an entity to coordinate, and review proposed
federal financial assistance and direct federal development. All other applicants
should consult the Intergovernmental Review State Single Point of Contact
(SPOC) to determine whether the application is subject to State review pursuant
to E.O. 12372. The current SPOC List may be found here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf.
e. Funding Restrictions
Construction activities are not an allowable cost under this program. In addition,
a recipient or a subrecipient may not charge profits, fees or other increments
above cost to an award issued pursuant to this NOFO. Pre-award costs under
this NOFO are subject to the prior written approval of the NIST Grants Officer.
Page 19 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

f. Other Submission Requirements
1) Applications must be submitted electronically.
• Applications must be submitted at Grants.gov.
(a) Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to
ensure that all 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 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01
announcement, contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at 800-518-
4726.
(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. The typical registration process
takes three to five business days. If problems are encountered, the
registration process can take two 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.
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,
except for Federal holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00
a.m. Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays. For assistance
using Grants.gov, the applicant may also contact
support@grants.gov.
Page 20 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

(c) To find instructions for submitting an application on Grants.gov,
applicants should refer to the “Applicants” tab in the banner just
below the top of the 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.
Applicants should pay close attention to the guidance under
Grants.gov’s “Applicant FAQs”, as it contains information important
to successful submission, including essential details on the naming
conventions for attachments to applications.
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 leading up to the deadline.
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 ascertain whether
the application was rejected with errors and the reasons for the
rejection, 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 the 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 the application is received on time.
2) Amendments. Any amendments to this NOFO will be
announced through Grants.gov. Applicants may sign up on
Grants.gov to receive amendments by e-mail or may request
copies by e-mail from mepnofo@nist.gov.
Page 21 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

V. Application Review Information
1. Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation criteria, selection factors, and review and
selection process for this program are set forth below.
a) Technical Needs and Benefits (40 points; subcriteria will receive equal
weight): Technical reviewers will assess the extent to which:
i. The application clearly defines the problem and needs;
ii. The proposed activities and/or product(s) to be developed adequately
meet the needs and is appropriate for the targeted population size and area
of service;
iii. The application clearly identifies the benefits resulting from the proposed
activities and/or product(s) developed; and
iv. The technologies and tools are appropriate to address the defined need.
b) Overall Benefit to the MEP National Network (30 points; subcriteria will
receive equal weight): Technical reviewers will assess the application based
on the following:
i. The extent to which the proposed activities and/or product(s) developed
will add capabilities to the MEP National Network by achieving one or more of
the statutory criteria listed in Section I.2 of this NOFO; and
ii. The extent to which the proposed activities and/or product(s) developed
can be integrated into the services provided by the NIST MEP National
Network to small and medium manufacturers;
c) Management and Financial Plans (15 points; subcriteria will receive
equal weight): Technical reviewers will assess the application based on the
following:
i. The appropriateness and effectiveness of the planned staffing and
management structure to include an assessment of the experience and
education of key personnel relevant to the proposed activities and/or
product(s) developed; and
ii. The reasonableness, appropriateness, and rationale of the proposed
budget items relative to the scale of effort and proposed performance
accomplishments identified in the application.
d) Program Evaluation and Sustainability Plan (15 points; subcriteria will
receive equal weight): Technical reviewers will assess the application based
on the following:
i. The thoroughness of the applicant’s plan for evaluating the effectiveness
of the proposed activities and/or product(s) developed; and
ii. The extent to which the applicant will continue to carry out the proposed
Page 22 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

activities and/or product(s) developed once the award has ended.
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, or non-Federal personnel who have entered into conflict of interest
and confidentiality agreements covering such information, when applicable.
a) Initial Administrative Review of Applications. Applications will be
reviewed on a rolling basis, as received, to determine eligibility,
completeness, and responsiveness to this NOFO and to the scope of
the stated program objectives and alignment with the program objectives
as described in the Program Description (see Section I. of this NOFO).
Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or
nonresponsive may be eliminated from further review. However, NIST,
in its sole discretion, may continue the review process for an application
that is missing non-substantive information, the absence of which may
easily be rectified during the review process.
Additional Information: On April 22, 2024, the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) published updates to the OMB Guidance for Grants and
Agreements located in part 200 of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(2 CFR part 200), now called the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial
Assistance. This updated OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance
(2 CFR) is effective for all awards issued by DOC/NIST on or after October
1, 2024. Applicants can find these recent revisions to 2 CFR here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-
07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance.
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
process below:
(1) Merit Review. Each application will be reviewed by at least three
technically qualified individuals with appropriate professional and technical
expertise relating to the topics covered in this NOFO. Merit reviewers will
evaluate each application based on the evaluation criteria in Section V.1.
of this NOFO. The reviewers, through the NIST MEP Competition
Manager, may ask questions of some or all applicants in writing. Each
reviewer will complete a scoring matrix for each application based on the
evaluation criteria and will assign each application a numeric score, with a
maximum score of 100. Reviewers will determine scores on an individual
basis and not as a consensus, but may discuss the application with each
other.
Page 23 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

At NIST’s discretion, applicants submitting potentially fundable
applications may be invited to participate in an applicant conference with
the same reviewers conducting the technical review described above. An
applicant conference may be conducted using one of the following
methods: a conference call, a video conference, and/or an in-person visit
either at NIST or at the applicant’s location. As a result of an applicant
conference, a technical reviewer may revise their assigned numeric
scores based on the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this NOFO) by
submitting an updated score sheet, including an explanation for any
change in scores.
Based on an average of the reviewers’ final scores, applications will be
assigned adjectival ratings in accordance with the following scale:
Fundable (70-100)
Unfundable (0-69)
The Subject Matter Expert, who will be a NIST MEP federal employee, will
review all application and evaluation materials for each application and will
provide a written recommendation to the Selecting Official concerning the
funding of awards under this NOFO. In conducting his/her evaluation, the
Subject Matter Expert may ask clarifying questions of an applicant through
the MEP Competition Manager. For any application designated as
fundable by the merit reviewers, the Subject Matter Expert, in consultation
with the NIST Grants Officer, may initiate pre-award negotiations with the
applicant.
(2) Pre-Award Negotiations. NIST reserves the right to negotiate the
proposed scope and/or budget costs associated with an application prior
to award. In this connection, NIST may request applicants modify
objectives or work plans and provide supplemental information required by
the agency prior to award. In some cases, NIST may ask applicants to
consider combining projects with proposals submitted by other applicants.
(3) Selection. The Selecting Official, who is the MEP Director or
designee, will make final award recommendations to the NIST Grants
Officer. The Selecting Official will take into consideration the results of the
reviewers’ scores and technical assessments, the written recommendation
from the NIST MEP Subject Matter Expert, the relevance of the application
to the criteria set forth in 15 U.S.C. 278k-1(e)(3), the program themes
described in Section I. of this NOFO, and all information obtained from the
applicants during the application evaluation, and pre-award negotiation
processes.
The Selecting Official will generally select and recommend the most
meritorious applications for awards based on the technical comments,
Page 24 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

recommendation from the NIST MEP Subject Matter Expert, and/or one or
more of the selection factors described in Section V.4. of this NOFO. The
Selecting Official’s recommendation to the Grants Officer shall set forth
the basis for the selection decision.
NIST also reserves the right to reject an application where information is
uncovered that raises a reasonable doubt as to the responsibility of the
applicant, which may also include the review of publicly available
information including but not limited to websites and social media
channels. NIST may select some, all, or none of the applications, or
part(s) of any application. The final approval of a selected application and
issuance of an award will be completed by the NIST Grants Officer. The
award decisions of the NIST Grants Officer are final.
(4) Selection Factors. The Selection Factors for this NOFO are:
a. Whether the proposed project will address one or more of the
program themes identified in Section I.3) of this NOFO;
b. Diversity of the proposed project topics relative to the overall
portfolio of activities funded under this NOFO;
c. Diversity of geography in the awarding of MEP funding, as well as
diversity in awarding MEP funding to multiple MEP Centers;
d. Diversity of targeted industry sectors and/or supply chains;
e. Whether the project duplicates other projects funded by the
Department of Commerce or by other Federal agencies;
f. Availability of Federal funds; and
g. Past Performance on all NIST MEP awards.
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. § 200.206, which may include a
review of the financial stability of an applicant, the quality of the applicant’s
management systems, the history of performance, 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
$250,000), 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 discretion,
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
Page 25 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

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 specific award conditions that correspond to the degree of risk
posed by the applicant should be applied to an award.
3. Additional Information
a) Safety. Safety is a top priority at NIST. Employees and affiliates of award
recipients who conduct project work at NIST will be expected to be safety-
conscious, to attend NIST safety training, and to comply with all NIST
safety policies and procedures, and with all applicable terms of their guest
research agreement.
b) Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will
be notified by e-mail and will have the opportunity to receive a debriefing
after the opportunity is officially closed. Applicants must request within 10
business days of the email notification to receive a debrief from the
program office. The program office will then work with the unsuccessful
applicant in arranging a date and time of the debrief.
c) Retention of Unsuccessful Applications. Unsuccessful applications will
be retained in accordance with the General Record Schedule 1.2/021.
VI. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notices. Successful applicants will receive an award
package from the NIST Grants Officer.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
a. On April 22, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published updates
to the OMB Guidance for Grants and Agreements located in Title 2 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (2 CFR), now called the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial
Assistance. This updated OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance (2 CFR) is
effective for all awards issued by DOC/NIST on or after October 1, 2024. Applicants
can find these recent revisions to 2 CFR here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-
federal-financial-assistance.
3. 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.
Page 26 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

4. Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and
Conditions. The Department of Commerce will apply to each award in this
program, the Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions in effect
on the date of award. The current version, dated November 12, 2020, is
accessible at Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms
and Conditions. Refer to Section VII. of this NOFO, Federal Awarding Agency
Contacts, Grant Rules and Regulations, if you need more information.
5. 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 NOFO, Federal Awarding
Agency Contacts, Grant Rules and Regulations, for more information.
6. Funding Availability and Limitation of Liability. Funding for the program
listed in this NOFO is contingent upon the availability of appropriations. NIST
or the Department of Commerce will not be responsible for application
preparation costs, including but not limited to if this program fails to receive
funding or is cancelled because of agency priorities. Publication of this NOFO
does not oblige NIST or the Department of Commerce to award any specific
project or to obligate any available funds.
NIST issues this notice subject to the appropriations made available under
the current continuing resolution funding the Department of Commerce:
Division A of the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act,
Public Law 117-86, February 18, 2022. NIST anticipates making awards for
the program listed in this notice provided that funding for Fiscal Year 2022 is
continued beyond March 11, 2022, the expiration of the current continuing
resolution. This information is being provided to inform potential applicants
that NIST’s annual appropriation for FY22 has not yet been enacted by
Congress as of the date this NOFO is published. If an applicant is uncertain
as to the availability of NIST funding during FY22 or future fiscal years, the
applicant may contact the Programmatic and Technical Point of Contact listed
in Section VII. of this NOFO.
7. Collaborations with NIST Employees. If an applicant proposes
collaboration with NIST, the statement of work should include a statement of
this intention, a description of the collaboration, and prominently identify the
NIST employee(s) involved, if known. Any collaboration by a NIST employee
must be approved by appropriate NIST management and is at the sole
discretion of NIST. Prior to beginning the merit review process, NIST will
verify the approval of the proposed collaboration. Any unapproved
collaboration will be stricken from the application prior to the merit review. Any
collaboration with an identified NIST employee that is approved by
appropriate NIST management will not make an application more or less
favorable in the competitive process.
Page 27 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

8. Supporting Documentation. Following the issuance of a MEP award, NIST
may require recipients to provide copies of executed sub-tier agreements,
including subawards and contracts over $250,000, as well as subrecipient
performance reporting monitoring plans.
9. Use of Government-Owned Intellectual Property. If the applicant
anticipates using any Government-owned intellectual property to carry out the
work proposed, the applicant should identify such intellectual property. This
information will be used to ensure that no Federal employee involved in the
development of the intellectual property will participate in the review process
for that competition. In addition, if the applicant intends to use Government-
owned intellectual property, the applicant must comply with all statutes and
regulations governing the licensing of Federal government patents and
inventions, described in 35 U.S.C. §§ 200-212, 37 C.F.R. Part 401, 2 C.F.R.
§200.315, and in Section C.03 of the Department of Commerce Financial
Assistance Terms and Conditions dated November 12, 2020. Questions
about these requirements may be directed to the Chief Counsel for NIST,
(301) 975-2803, nistcounsel@nist.gov.
Any use of government-owned intellectual property by a recipient of an
award under this announcement is at the sole discretion of the Federal
Government and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis if a project is
deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate within the statement of
work whether it already has a license to use such intellectual property or
whether it intends to seek one.
If any inventions made in whole or in part by a Federal employee arise in
the course of an award made pursuant to this NOFO, the United States
Government may retain its ownership rights in any such invention.
Licensing or other disposition of Federal Government’s rights in such
inventions will be determined solely by the Federal Government, and
include the possibility of the Federal Government putting the intellectual
property into the public domain.
10. Reporting
a) Reporting Requirements. The following reporting requirements
described in Sections A.01, Reporting Requirements, of the Department of
Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, dated
November 12, 2020, apply to awards in this program:
(1) Financial Reports. Each award recipient will be required to submit an
SF-425, Federal Financial Report into the MEP’s Enterprise
Information System (MEIS) on a semi-annual basis for the periods
Page 28 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

ending March 31 and September 30 of each operating year, unless
other reporting intervals and/or due dates are identified by the NIST
Grants Officer pursuant to a Specific Award Condition. Reports will be
due within 30 days after the end of each reporting period. A final
financial report is due within 120 days after the end of the project
period.
(2) Performance (Technical) Reports. The recipient shall submit a
Technical Report (completing all required MEIS fields) on a semi-
annual basis for the periods ending March 31 and September 30 of
each operating year, unless other reporting intervals and/or due dates
are identified by the NIST Grants Officer pursuant to a Specific Award
Condition. Reports are due in MEIS no later than 30 days following the
end of each reporting period. Additional progress reports and outcome
updates may be requested by the NIST MEP Project Manager. The
recipient shall submit a final Technical/Quarterly report within 120 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.
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.
c) Post Client Project Follow-Up. The recipient will be required to
provide client and project data on a quarterly basis (unless otherwise
directed by the NIST Grants Officer) and in a specified format to the
organization identified by NIST MEP in order for post-project follow-up
data to be obtained (OMB Control Number 0693-0021). For further
information regarding the NIST MEP Reporting process, you may
download a copy of the NIST MEP Reporting Guidelines: (add link to
NOFO site)
(3) Patent and Property Reports. From time to time, and in accordance
with the Uniform Administrative Requirements and other terms and
conditions governing the award, the recipient may need to submit
property and patent reports.
(4) 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 contracts from all Federal awarding
agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period
Page 29 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

of performance of an award made under this NOFO, 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. The Department of Commerce Financial Assistance
Standard Terms and Conditions, Section D.01, and 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart
F, adopted by the Department of Commerce through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101,
require any non-Federal entity (i.e., including non-profit institutions of higher
education and 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.
Additionally, unless otherwise specified in the terms and conditions of the
award, entities that are not subject to Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (e.g.,
for-profit commercial entities) that expend $750,000 or more in DOC funds
during their fiscal year must submit to the Grants Officer either: (i) a financial
related audit of each DOC award or subaward in accordance with Generally
Accepted Government Auditing Standards; or (ii) a project specific audit for
each award or subaward in accordance with the requirements contained in 2
C.F.R. § 200.507. 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
(Public Law 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:
Subject Area Point of Contact
Programmatic and Technical Questions Bryana Head
E-mail: mepnofo@nist.gov with ‘2021-
Page 30 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

NIST-MEP-01’ in subject line
Technical Assistance with Grants.gov grants.gov
Submissions Phone: 800-518-4726
E-mail: support@grants.gov
Grant Rules and Regulations Michael Teske
E-mail: michael.teske@nist.gov
VIII. Other Information
1. Personal and Business Information
The applicant acknowledges and understands that information and data
contained in applications for financial assistance, as well as information and data
contained in financial, performance and other reports submitted by applicants,
may be used by the Department of Commerce in conducting reviews and
evaluations of its financial assistance programs. For this purpose, applicant
information and data may be accessed, reviewed and evaluated by Department
of Commerce employees, other Federal employees, and also by Federal agents
and contractors, and/or by non-Federal personnel, all of whom enter into
appropriate conflict of interest and confidentiality agreements covering the use of
such information. As may be provided in the terms and conditions of a specific
financial assistance award, applicants are expected to support program reviews
and evaluations by submitting required financial and performance information
and data in an accurate and timely manner, and by cooperating with Department
of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2 C.F.R. §
200.303(e), applicants are reminded that they must take reasonable measures to
safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other confidential or
sensitive personal or business information created or obtained in connection with
a Department of Commerce financial assistance award.
In addition, Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public
Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding
making requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the
FOIA. Applications submitted in response to this Federal Funding Opportunity
may be subject to requests for release under the Act. If an application contains
information or data that the applicant deems to be confidential commercial
information that should be exempt from disclosure under FOIA, that information
should be identified, bracketed, and marked as Privileged, Confidential,
Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance with 15 CFR § 4.9, the
Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential business
information contained in financial assistance applications and other
documentation provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.
Page 31 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

2. Public Website
NIST MEP has a public website https://www.nist.gov/mep/nist-mep-competitive-
awards-program-cap, that provides information pertaining to this Funding
Opportunity. Any amendments to this NOFO will be announced through
Grants.gov.
Applicants must submit all questions pertaining to this funding opportunity in
writing to mepnofo@nist.gov with ‘2021-NIST-MEP-01’ in the subject line.
Questions submitted may be posted on the MEP website.
3. Webinar Information Session
NIST MEP will host a webinar information session for applicants that are
interested in learning about this funding opportunity. This webinar will provide
general information regarding this NOFO and offer general guidance on
preparing proposals.
IX. APPLICATION CHECKLIST
▪ SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance
▪ SF 424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs
▪ CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying
▪ SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying activities (if applicable)
▪ Technical Proposal

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Explanation Statement

Proposal Narrative

▪ Budget Narrative and Justification
▪ Indirect Cost Agreement
▪ Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms
▪ Table of Funded Project Participants and Unfunded Informal Collaborators
▪ Bibliographic List of References
▪ Resumes of Key Personnel
▪ Current and Pending Support Forms
▪ Letters of Commitment
Page 32 of 32
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
Amended Notice of Funding Opportunity
March 9, 2022

---

MEP CAP Amendment Coversheet

AMENDED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR
NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program
AMENDMENT 1
06/18/2024
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is announcing an
amendment to its Date original NOFO posted Announcement of Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NOFO) 2021-NIST-MEP-CAP-01, posted on Grants.gov, that solicits
proposals for the NIST MEP Competitive Awards Program.
NIST is issuing this amendment (Amendment 1) to make updates to the 2021-NIST-
MEP-CAP-01 as described below. This Amendment Package will be in effect for the
NOFO Title until either a new NOFO or subsequent amendments are published on
Grants.gov.
Update Section What does the References to the full text of revisions
revision do? are noted and brief text changes are
quoted.
1 II.1 Updating CFR Current Text: In accordance with the 2
Language C.F.R. § 200.24
Revised Text: In accordance with the
definition of “cooperative agreement” in 2
C.F.R. § 200.1
2 IV.2b-d The formatting is Current text
incorrect, and
numbers 6-9 should
be subsections
under IV.5.d
Revised text
Formatting revised
3 VI.2.a Adds “Additional Current Text: None
Information” Revised Text:
Additional Information:
On April 22, 2024, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
published updates to the OMB Guidance
for Grants and Agreements located in
part 200 of Title 2 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (2 CFR part 200), now called
the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial
Assistance. This updated OMB Guidance
for Federal Financial Assistance (2 CFR)
is effective for all awards issued by

---

DOC/NIST on or after October 1, 2024.
Applicants can find these recent revisions
to 2 CFR here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/document
s/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-
federal-financial-assistance.
4 IV.2.a.(7 Updating CFR Current Text: See 2 C.F.R. § 200.330
).f reference Revised Text: See 2 C.F.R. § 200.331
5 V.2.g Updating CFR Current Text: 2 C.F.R. § 200.205
Revised Text: 2 C.F.R. § 200.206
6 VII. Update Federal Current text:
Awarding Agency Wiza Lequin
Contacts since this Phone: 301-975-4395
is an ongoing
NOFO. Revised Text:
Bryana Head
Phone: 301-975-4885
Current text:
Gilbert Castillo
Phone: 301-975-3726
Fax: 301-975-6368
E-mail: gilbert.castillo@nist.gov
Revised Text:
Michael Teske
E-mail: Michael.teske@nist.gov