Discretionary Funding Opportunity, 60369-60374 [2013-23885]

Agencies

• Federal Transit Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60369-60374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23885]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Discretionary Funding Opportunity

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA): Solicitation of Project 
Proposals for Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency 
Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the 
availability of $29,000,000 in Research, Development, Demonstration, 
and Deployment Program funds for innovative safety, resiliency, and 
all-hazards emergency response and recovery research demonstration 
projects of national significance.
    This NOFA makes funds available for cooperative agreements to 
engage in the demonstration of innovative technologies, methods, 
practices and techniques in three areas: (1) Operational safety, (2) 
infrastructure or equipment resiliency and (3) all-hazards emergency 
response and recovery methods. Eligible applicants include providers of 
public transportation; State and local governmental entities; 
departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government 
including Federal laboratories; private or non-profit organizations; 
institutions of higher education; and technical and community colleges.
    This notice solicits competitive proposals addressing priorities 
established by FTA for these research areas, provides instructions for 
submitting proposals, and describes criteria FTA will use to identify 
meritorious proposals for funding. This NOFA is also available on the 
FTA Web site at: www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on 
the Web site and in the Federal Register. Additionally, a synopsis of 
this funding opportunity will appear on the government-wide electronic 
grants Web site www.grants.gov (GRANTS.GOV).

DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the 
(GRANTS.GOV) ``APPLY'' function by December 2, 2013. Prospective 
applicants should initiate the process by registering on the GRANTS.GOV 
Web site promptly to ensure completion of the application process 
before the submission deadline. Instructions for applying can be found 
on FTA's Web site at https://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/13077.html and in 
the ``FIND'' module of GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax submissions will not be 
accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific information regarding the 
three areas of research targeted within this NOFA contact the following 
program specialists in FTA's Office of Research, Demonstration, and 
Innovation (TRI):
    For operational safety questions, contact Roy Chen, Office of 
Technology, email: royweishun.chen@dot.gov.
    For infrastructure or equipment resiliency questions, please 
contact Terrell Williams, Office of Technology, email: 
terrell.williams@dot.gov.
    For all-hazards emergency response and recovery questions contact 
Patrick Centolanzi, Office of Technology, email: 
patrick.centolanzi@dot.gov.
    For general program information on this opportunity, contact 
Matthew Lesh, email: matthew.lesh@dot.gov. A TDD is available at 1-800-
877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

A. Authority
B. Purpose
C. Program Information
D. Proposal Submission Process
E. Proposal Information
F. Proposal Content
G. Evaluation Criteria
H. Review and Selection Process
I. Award Information
J. Award Administration
K. Technical Assistance
Appendix A: Registration in GRANTS.GOV

A. Authority

    The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, 
Public Law 112-55, made $25,000,000 available to carry out innovative 
research and demonstrations of national significance under 49 U.S.C. 
5312. Of that amount, this NOFA makes $20.8 million available for 
innovative safety,

[[Page 60370]]

resiliency, and all-hazards emergency response and recovery research 
and demonstration projects of national significance. Projects awarded 
from FY 2012 research funds have no minimum, non-Federal, cost share 
requirement. This NOFA also makes available an additional $8.2 million 
in section 5312 FY 2013 research funds. However, amendments made to 
section 5312(f) by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century 
Act (MAP-21), Public Law 112-141, require that those funds be matched 
by a non-Federal share of no less than 20 percent.

B. Purpose

    A key strategic goal of DOT and FTA is to improve and maintain 
America's public transportation systems to ensure they are safe and in 
a state of good repair in order to meet performance objectives. The 
innovative research and demonstrations solicited by this NOFA are 
intended to develop and showcase promising technologies, methods, 
practices and techniques that improve public transportation systems. To 
this end, this NOFA seeks proposals for projects that engage in the 
demonstration of innovative technologies, methods, practices and 
techniques in three areas: (1) Operational safety, (2) infrastructure 
or equipment resiliency and (3) all-hazards emergency response and 
recovery methods.
    This NOFA also describes proposal requirements, deadlines, and 
evaluation criteria.

C. Program Information

1. Eligible Proposers

    Proposals will be accepted from providers of public transportation; 
State and local governmental entities; departments, agencies, and 
instrumentalities of the Government including Federal laboratories; 
private or non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; 
and technical and community colleges. Substantial partnerships are 
encouraged with entities that can add value and expertise to the 
project. Examples of such entities include: Consortia of public 
transportation providers; manufacturers and suppliers to the public 
transportation industry; departments, agencies, and instrumentalities 
of the Government, including Federal laboratories; State and local 
governmental entities; non-profit organizations; institutions of higher 
education; or technical and community colleges. For-profit companies 
may participate on project teams; however, recipients and subrecipients 
of funding under this program may not charge a fee or make a profit 
from the FTA program funding.
    The proposal must include a detailed statement regarding the role 
of any public transportation provider who is a project partner but may 
not be the lead applicant in the implementation of the project.

2. Eligible Projects

    Eligible project proposals will indicate a focus on one of the 
following three areas: (1) Operational safety, (2) infrastructure or 
equipment resiliency and (3) all-hazards emergency response and 
recovery methods.
    Project proposals must include a research, development and/or 
synthesis phase, a demonstration phase, and a project evaluation by an 
independent third-party. All phases are critical to project selection. 
Revenue-service, full-scale demonstrations are preferred where 
practicable. However, in cases where a full-scale demonstration would 
be impractical, detailed plans for a sub-scale demonstration or model 
of the innovative technology or practice will be considered. Basic 
research or studies that do not result in any demonstration of the 
potential for commercialization or broad deployment of the technology 
or practice within the scope of the project will not be funded.
    (a) Operational Safety. Projects will develop and demonstrate new 
or substantially-improved, technologies, methods, practices and 
techniques that will increase the operational safety of public 
transportation services and reduce the risk of transit-related injuries 
and fatalities. Candidate technologies or practices for demonstration 
may include, but are not limited to: Electronic intrusion detection, 
remote rail monitoring, train undercarriage inspection systems, vehicle 
crashworthiness, connected vehicle infrastructure and intelligent at-
grade railroad crossing warning systems, platform-edge doors, and 
automatic detection of distracted and/or fatigued operators.
    (b) Resiliency. Projects will identify, develop, and demonstrate 
technologies, methods, practices and techniques for increasing the 
resiliency of public transportation systems to natural disasters and 
other emergencies that result from an external cause. A resilient 
public transit system has design-level robustness that minimizes the 
damage or incapacitation caused by a natural disaster or other 
emergency, and which allows it to continue to deliver service after an 
emergency; it is adaptable so that it can prepare for and respond 
appropriately to events in real time; and it can recover quickly from 
these events through effective and well-prepared response and recovery 
operations. These three attributes--robustness, adaptiveness, and 
readiness--form the foundations of a resilient public transit system.
    Candidate technologies or practices for demonstration may include, 
but are not limited to: Increased corrosion resistance of 
transportation assets to saltwater, decreased system wide vulnerability 
to flooding and severe weather incidents, or increased resiliency of 
transportation assets to extreme heat or cold or prolonged temperature 
variations.
    (c) All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery. Projects will 
investigate technologies, methods, practices and techniques that can 
improve communication with emergency responders in the event of 
emergencies, disruptions, and catastrophic failures and conduct a 
demonstration of the most promising methods and/or technologies in an 
operational environment to restore transit services. Candidate 
technologies or practices include, but are not limited to: Improved 
detection of, location of, communication with, and/or response to 
injured or ill passengers, senior and disabled passengers, emergency 
response personnel, equipment breakdowns, service disruptions, or 
hazardous conditions; and utilization of transit assets in non-transit 
emergency response and recovery efforts.

3. Funding Amounts and Requirements

    Total project cost will be determined by each applicant. Applicants 
may apply for a minimum FTA project share of $500,000 and a maximum FTA 
project share of $5,000,000, consistent with the match requirements of 
funds used. FTA may select an application for an award of less than the 
originally-proposed amount if FTA determines that the project goals can 
be achieved with a lower award amount or if doing so is expected to 
result in a more advantageous portfolio of projects. Proposals should 
provide a detailed budget proposal for fully-realized project as well 
as a reduced scope and budget if the project can be scaled down and 
still achieve useful results. Applicants should specify and justify the 
minimum award amount needed to achieve effective project results 
including an independent third party evaluation phase.
    To ensure that these funds are invested wisely, FTA reserves the 
right to award only some, or none, of the available funding in the 
event that that the projects proposed do not merit the

[[Page 60371]]

full amount requested, or any award, based on the stated evaluation 
criteria.
    Funds made available under this program may be used to fund 
operating expenses, preventive maintenance, and corrective maintenance 
directly associated with the demonstration of the targeted innovative 
technologies, methods, or practices, but may not be used to cover such 
expenses for equipment not essential to the project. Non-federal 
funding of expenses related to the projects may be counted toward the 
applicants' matching local cost share. FTA will not reimburse costs 
incurred prior to project selection unless FTA has granted the 
applicant a Letter of No Prejudice (LONP) in advance of project 
selection. Due to the multi-year origin of these funds, awards made 
using FY12 funds do not require a minimum, non-Federal, cost share. 
Awards made using FY13 funds will require a minimum 20 percent non-
Federal cost share. Based on the number of proposals received, local 
match contributions of the proposals and the types of projects 
proposed, FTA will determine which year of funding will be attributed 
to projects during the selection process. Regardless of minimum share 
requirements, cost sharing is an evaluation criterion and proposals 
with higher local cost share will be considered more favorably. Cash 
and other high-quality matches will be considered more favorably than 
in-kind cost matching, though all are acceptable. FTA will not approve 
deferred local share. Recipients must comply with all applicable FTA 
requirements.
    Eligible sources of non-Federal matching funds include:
    (a) Cash from non-governmental sources other than revenues from 
providing public transportation services;
    (b) Non-farebox revenues from the operation of public 
transportation service, such as the sale of advertising and concession 
revenues. A voluntary or mandatory fee that a college, university, or 
similar institution imposes on all its students for free or discounted 
transit service is not farebox revenue;
    (c) Amounts received under a service agreement with a State or 
local social service agency or private social service organization;
    (d) Undistributed cash surpluses, replacement or depreciation cash 
funds, reserves available in cash, or new capital;
    (e) Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to a 
department or agency of the Government (other than the Department of 
Transportation); and
    (f) In-kind contribution such as the market value of in-kind 
contributions integral to the project may be counted as a contribution 
toward local share.

D. Proposal Submission Process

    Project proposals must be submitted electronically through 
GRANTS.GOV (www.grants.gov) by December 2, 2013. Mail and fax 
submissions will not be accepted. A complete proposal submission will 
consist of at least two files: (1) the SF 424 Mandatory Form 
(downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) and (2) the Applicant and Proposal Profile 
for the ``Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency 
Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations'' found on the FTA Web 
site or through GRANTS.GOV. The Applicant and Proposal Profile provides 
guidance and a consistent format for proposers to respond to the 
criteria outlined in this NOFA. Once completed, the Applicant and 
Proposal Profile must be placed in the attachments section of the SF 
424 Mandatory Form. Proposers must use the Applicant and Proposal 
Profile designated for the ``Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-
Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations'' and 
attach it to their submission in GRANTS.GOV to successfully complete 
the application process. A proposal submission may also contain 
additional supporting documentation as attachments. Supporting 
documentation could include but is not limited to: Support letters, 
pictures, digitized drawings, spreadsheets, and brochures.
    Within 24 to 48 hours after submitting an electronic proposal, the 
applicant should receive three email messages from GRANTS.GOV: (1) 
Confirmation of successful transmission to GRANTS.GOV, (2) confirmation 
of successful validation by GRANTS.GOV, and (3) confirmation of 
successful validation by FTA. If confirmations of successful validation 
are not received and a notice of failed validation or incomplete 
materials is received, the applicant must address the reason for the 
failed validation, as described in the email notice and resubmit before 
the submission deadline. If making a resubmission for any reason, 
include all original attachments regardless of which attachments were 
updated and check the box on the supplemental form indicating this is a 
resubmission.
    FTA strongly encourages proposers to submit their project proposals 
at least 72 hours prior to the due date to allow time to receive the 
validation messages and to correct any problems that may have caused a 
rejection notification. FTA will not accept submissions after the 
stated submission deadline for any reason. GRANTS.GOV scheduled 
maintenance and outage times are announced on GRANTS.GOV. Deadlines 
will not be extended due to scheduled maintenance or outages.
    Proposers are encouraged to begin the process of registration on 
the GRANTS.GOV Web site well in advance of the submission deadline. 
Instructions on the GRANTS.GOV registration process are listed in 
Appendix A. Registration is a multi-step process, which may take 3 to 5 
days, but could take as much as several weeks to complete before an 
application can be submitted if the applicant needs to obtain certain 
identifying numbers external to GRANTS.GOV (for example, applying for 
an Employer Identification Number). Registered proposers may still be 
required to take steps to keep their registration up to date before 
submissions can be made successfully: (1) registration in the System 
for Award Management (SAM) is renewed annually and (2) persons making 
submissions on behalf of the Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR) must be authorized in GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make submissions.
    Proposers may submit one proposal for each project or one proposal 
containing multiple projects. Proposers submitting multiple projects in 
one proposal must be sure to clearly define each project by completing 
a profile for each project. Supplemental profiles must be added within 
the proposal by clicking the ``ADD PROJECT'' button in Section II of 
the Applicant and Proposal Profile.
    Information such as proposer name, Federal amount requested, local 
match amount, description of areas served, may be requested in varying 
degrees of detail on both the SF 424 Form and Applicant and Proposal 
Profile. Proposers must fill in all fields unless stated otherwise on 
the forms. Proposers should use both the ``CHECK PACKAGE FOR ERRORS'' 
and the ``VALIDATE FORM'' validation buttons on both forms to check all 
required fields on the forms, and ensure that the Federal and local 
amounts specified are consistent. The information described in Sections 
``E'' through ``H'' below MUST be included and/or addressed on the SF 
424 Form and Applicant and Proposal Profile for all requests for 
``Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency Response and 
Recovery Research Demonstrations'' funding.

[[Page 60372]]

E. Proposal Information

1. Name of Applicant

    2. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 
number if available. (Note: If selected, applicant will be required to 
provide DUNS number prior to grant award).
    3. Contact information including: Contact name, title, address, 
Congressional district, fax and phone number, and email address if 
available.
    4. Description of public transportation services including areas 
currently served by the public transportation system, if any.
    5. Name of person(s) authorized to apply on behalf of the system 
(attach a signed transmittal letter) must accompany the proposal.

F. Proposal Content

    For complete and up-to-date guidance on the project information and 
project evaluation criteria that must be documented, refer to the 
applicable program on the FTA Web site: https://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/13077.html. At a minimum, every proposal must:
    1. Submit an SF-424 Form with the correct Applicant and Proposal 
Profile attached, as described above.
    2. State the project title and describe the project scope to be 
funded in the executive summary, as well as the theme area (operational 
safety, infrastructure or equipment resiliency or all-hazards emergency 
response and recovery methods).
    3. Indicate the type of service provided, project type and fleet 
information.
    4. Address each specific and general evaluation criterion described 
in Section G below separately, demonstrating how the project responds 
to each criterion.
    5. Provide a line-item budget for the total project with enough 
detail to indicate the various key components of the project. Project 
budgets must include a line item for an independent third-party project 
evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the research and 
demonstration by an organization or individual that has not otherwise 
participated in the project. Project schedules should include this 
third-party evaluation within two years of the date of award. As FTA 
may elect to fund only part of some project proposals, the budget 
should provide for the minimum amount necessary to fund specific 
project components of independent utility. If the project can be 
scaled, provide a scaling plan describing the minimum funding necessary 
for a feasible project and the impacts of a reduced funding level.
    6. Provide the Federal amount requested.
    7. If applicable, document the matching funds, including amount and 
source of the match (Matching funds may include local or private sector 
financial participation in the project).
    8. The proposed location(s) of the research and demonstration and 
the transit service mode that the technology will be demonstrated in.
    9. Any requested deviations from FTA requirements (FTA is not 
inclined to grant deviations from its requirements, but may consider 
deviations if the applicant can show a compelling benefit).
    10. If the proposed project represents steps toward a larger goal, 
applicants may provide a brief description of suggested follow-on 
research and/or demonstrations. FTA cannot guarantee selection or 
funding of such follow-on activities.
    11. The technology to be used in this demonstration and explanation 
of the principle of operation for the transit service mode specified.
    12. Potential issues (technical or other) that may impact the 
success of the project.
    13. Provide support documentation, including financial statements, 
bond-ratings, and documents supporting the commitment of non-federal 
funding to the project, or a timeframe upon which those commitments 
would be made.
    14. Address whether other Federal funds have been sought for the 
project.
    15. Provide a project time-line outlining steps from project 
development through completion, depicting significant milestones 
including but not limited to the anticipated date on which requests for 
proposals for project components or contracting are expected and actual 
or expected delivery dates.
    16. Provide Congressional district information for the project's 
place of performance.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    FTA will evaluate proposals based on the criteria described in this 
section. All of the projects share the same general evaluation criteria 
listed in Section G(1). In addition, each research and demonstration 
area has specific evaluation criteria listed in Section G(2). Proposals 
must provide sufficiently detailed information for FTA to evaluate them 
against these criteria.
(1) General Evaluation Criteria
(a) Project Effectiveness
    (i) The effectiveness of the project in achieving and demonstrating 
the specific objectives of the technology area(s) described above;
    (ii) Significant impacts on DOT and FTA strategic objectives for 
improving Safety or State of Good Repair. Additional impacts on other 
strategic objectives for the goals of Economic Competitiveness, Livable 
Communities, and Environmental Sustainability will be considered 
favorably;
    (iii) The multimodal (bus, BRT, light rail, heavy rail, ferry, 
commuter rail, monorail, automated guideway, inclined plane, etc.) 
applicability of the demonstration; and
    (iv) The degree of improvement over current technologies and 
practices.
    (b) Project Innovation
    The project identifies a unique, significant, or innovative 
approach for public transportation operations.
    (c) National Applicability
    The degree to which the project could be replicated by other 
transit agencies regionally or nationally.
    (d) Project Schedule, Milestones, and Readiness
    (i) The timeliness of the proposed project schedule, and the 
reasonableness of the proposed milestones.
    (ii) A written commitment from all the project partners.
    (iii) The availability of existing resources (physical facilities, 
human resources, partnerships) to carry out the project.
    (iv) The demonstrated capacity and experience of the partners to 
carry out the demonstration project of similar size and/or scope and 
specific prior experience with demonstration projects.
    (v) Details on whether the proposed demonstration is a new effort 
or a continuation of a related research or demonstration project.
(e) Project Management
    (i) The proposal provides specific details demonstrating the lead 
applicant's role in the management of the project and the involvement 
of other partners to include a provider(s) of public transit service.
    (ii) The applicant is in a fundable status for FTA awards.
    (iii) The proposal demonstrates the applicant's project team's 
technical capacity to carry out the project, including the project 
approach or project management plan.
    (iv) There are no outstanding legal, technical, or financial issues 
with the project partners that would make this a high-risk project.
    (v) If local match is provided, the source(s) of local match is 
identified and is available for prompt project implementation if 
selected (no deferred local share will be allowed).

[[Page 60373]]

(f) Commercialization or Dissemination Plan
    (i) The application demonstrates an effective, timely, and 
realistic plan for moving the results of the project into the transit 
marketplace.
    (ii) Describe how the project team plans to disseminate the result 
of the project to the transit industry.
(g) Return on Investment
    (i) The cost-effectiveness of the proposed research and 
demonstration effort;
    (ii) The cost-effectiveness of the specific anticipated 
technologies when they are later adopted or commercialized;
    (iii) The anticipated measurable benefits relative to the Federal 
cost share (leveraging the Federal investment with greater non-Federal 
cost share will tend to increase the cost-effectiveness of a project).
    (iv) Any anticipated intangible benefits, such as making public 
transportation more appealing to potential passengers, providing 
educational opportunities, or reducing negative externalities such as 
traffic congestion.
(2) Specific Evaluation Criteria
    Applicants will need to provide a detailed narrative describing the 
outcomes of a project towards addressing Operating Safety, 
Infrastructure and Equipment Resiliency, or All-Hazards Emergency 
Response and Recovery. Applicants should also provide metrics that 
address a project's ability to meet these outcomes.

(a) Operating Safety Technology

    Metrics could include, but are not limited to: Predicted reduction 
in public transportation fatalities or injuries, predicted reduction in 
``close calls,'' or predicted reduction in property damage to transit 
vehicles, infrastructure or vehicles and objects involved in transit 
vehicle collisions.

(b) Infrastructure & Equipment Resiliency

    Metrics could include, but are not limited to: A decrease in 
vulnerability of a transit asset to a particular type of event, reduced 
costs for responding to and recovering from a particular type of event, 
increases in the useful life of a transit asset, or improvements to the 
ability of a transit system to provide service during and in the 
immediate aftermath of an event. Metrics could also include measurable 
improvements in the condition of a transit asset to a particular impact 
like corrosion or severe weather, or measureable effects such as asset 
damage avoided during a particular incident.

(c) All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery

    Metrics could include, but are not limited to: Increases in 
reliability of access to systems during emergencies, increases in speed 
of access during emergencies, improvements to ease of operation, or 
robustness of access (A system's ability to continue functioning when 
portions of it are incapacitated).

H. Review and Selection Process

    A technical evaluation committee comprised of FTA staff and 
representatives of other collaborative government agencies will review 
project proposals against the described evaluation criteria. The 
technical evaluation committee reserves the right to evaluate proposals 
it receives and to seek clarification from any proposer about any 
statement that is made in a proposal that FTA finds ambiguous. FTA may 
also request additional documentation or information to be considered 
during the evaluation process. To provide the ability to evaluate 
technologies in a wide variety of conditions and locales, FTA may 
select projects to ensure geographic diversity among demonstrations 
under this NOFA.
    After a thorough evaluation of all eligible proposals, the 
technical evaluation committee will provide project recommendations to 
the FTA Administrator. The FTA Administrator will determine the final 
list of project selections, the amount of funding for each project, and 
which fiscal year funds will be attributable to each project. FTA 
supports a balanced research portfolio that includes at least one 
project from each research area; however, depending on the results of 
the evaluation of proposals, it is possible that no projects will be 
funded in one or more of the research areas. The applicant's receipt of 
other Federal funding may be considered in FTA's award decisions.

I. Award Information

    To enhance the value of the portfolio of research and demonstration 
projects to be implemented, FTA reserves the right to request an 
adjustment of the project scope and budget of any proposal selected for 
funding. Such adjustments shall not constitute a material alteration of 
any aspect of the proposal that influenced the proposal evaluation or 
decision to fund the project.
    If an application proposes a specific party(ies) to provide unique 
or innovative goods or services on a project, FTA reserves the right to 
name such party as a key party and to make any award conditional upon 
the participation of the key party. A key party is essential to the 
project as approved by FTA and is therefore eligible for a 
noncompetitive award by the project sponsor to provide the goods or 
services described in the application. A key party's participation on a 
selected project may not be substituted without FTA's approval.
    FTA expects to announce the selected projects and notify successful 
proposers in Fall 2013.

J. Award Administration

    Successful proposers will apply for, and FTA will award funding 
through its ``TEAM'' grant and cooperative agreement management system 
once selected projects have been identified and published in the 
Federal Register. These projects will be administered and managed by 
FTA's Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation (TRI) in 
accordance with the applicable Federal requirements of 49 U.S.C. 
Chapter 53 and FTA Circular 6100.1D.

 (1) Cooperative Agreement Requirements

    FTA intends to apply 49 U.S.C. 53 requirements, the FTA Master 
Agreement, and FTA Circular 6100.1D, ``Research, Technical Assistance, 
and Training Programs: Application Instructions and Program Management 
Guidelines,'' issued May 1, 2011, to projects selected under this 
program unless otherwise specified in the cooperative agreement. 
Technical assistance regarding these requirements is available from 
FTA. This FTA Circular may be found at: https://www.fta.dot.gov/images/
carousel_images/Final_Research_Circular___Policy_Counci_3-28-
2011.pdf.
    Applicants must sign and submit current Certifications and 
Assurances before receiving a grant. If the applicant has already 
submitted the annual Certifications and Assurances in TEAM, they do not 
need to be resubmitted. The Applicant assures that it will comply with 
all applicable Federal statutes, regulations, Executive Orders, FTA 
circulars, and other Federal administrative requirements in carrying 
out any project supported by the FTA grant. The Applicant acknowledges 
that it is under a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and 
conditions of the grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The 
Applicant understands that Federal laws,

[[Page 60374]]

regulations, policies, and administrative practices might be modified 
from time to time and may affect the implementation of the project. The 
Applicant agrees that the most recent Federal requirements will apply 
to the project, unless FTA issues a written determination otherwise.

(2) Reporting Requirements

    FTA reporting requirements include standard reporting requirements 
identified in FTA Circular 6100.1D and the Master Grant Agreement.

(3) Independent Third-Party Evaluation of Project Success

    FTA is required by 49 U.S.C. Section 5312(d)(4) to evaluate every 
demonstration of innovation within two years after award. Applicants 
must arrange for, and FTA must approve, an independent third-party 
evaluation of the project's success. This third-party evaluation is an 
eligible project expense, and must be completed within two years of the 
project award.

K. Technical Assistance

    FTA will post answers to commonly asked questions about this NOFA 
at www.fta.dot.gov. Technical assistance regarding these requirements 
is available from FTA's Office of Research, Demonstration, and 
Innovation (TRI) by contacting the appropriate person(s) listed in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. TRI will 
contact those applicants selected for funding to provide assistance in 
preparing the documentation necessary to apply for the cooperative 
agreement and to clarify reporting requirements.

Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.

Appendix A

REGISTERING IN SAM AND GRANTS.GOV

Registration in Brief

    Registration can take as little as 3-5 business days, but since 
there could be unexpected steps or delays (for example, if you need 
to obtain an EIN), FTA recommends allowing ample time, up to several 
weeks, for completion of all steps.

STEP 1: Obtain DUNS Number

    Same day. If requested by phone (1-866-705-5711) DUNS is 
provided immediately. If your organization does not have one, you 
will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet Web site at https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform to obtain the number. *Information for 
Foreign Registrants. *Webform requests take 1-2 business days.

STEP 2: Register with SAM

    Three to five business days or up to two weeks. If you already 
have a TIN, your SAM registration will take 3-5 business days to 
process. If you are applying for an EIN please allow up to two 
weeks. Ensure that your organization is registered with the System 
for Award Management (SAM) at System for Award Management (SAM). If 
your organization is not, an authorizing official of your 
organization must register.

STEP 3: Username & Password

    Same day. Complete your AOR (Authorized Organization 
Representative) profile on Grants.gov and create your username and 
password. You will need to use your organization's DUNS Number to 
complete this step. https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/OrcRegister.

STEP 4: AOR Authorization

    *Same day. The E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) at your 
organization must login to Grants.gov to confirm you as an 
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Please note that there 
can be more than one AOR for your organization. In some cases the E-
Biz POC is also the AOR for an organization. *Time depends on 
responsiveness of your E-Biz POC.

STEP 5: Track AOR Status

    At any time, you can track your AOR status by logging in with 
your username and password. Login as an Applicant (enter your 
username & password you obtained in Step 3) using the following 
link: applicant--profile.jsp.

[FR Doc. 2013-23885 Filed 9-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P