[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50630-50631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19699]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No.: 020726181-2181-01]
RIN 0693-ZA49


Building Systems Research Grants Program; Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
invites proposals from eligible organizations for funding projects 
under the Building Systems Research Grants Program (Program). The 
Program is seeking proposals in two specific areas: (1) cyber-security 
of computerized building control and safety systems, and (2) design/
construction product (and process) data models to support building 
systems commissioning, which occurs after construction is completed and 
before operation and maintenance begins.

DATES: Proposals must be received no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time on September 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit one signed original and two copies of the proposal 
to: Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL), Attn.: Ms. Tina 
Faecke, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau 
Drive, Stop 8602, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8602, Tel: (301) 975-
5911, E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.bfrl.nist.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All grants related administration 
questions concerning these programs should be directed to the NIST 
Grants and Agreements Management Division at (301) 975-6328.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 272(b) and (c), the NIST 
Building and Fire Research Laboratory is conducting a basic and 
applied building systems research program directly and through 
grants and cooperative agreements to eligible recipients.

    Program Description and Objectives: The Building Systems Research 
Grants Program solicits proposals in support of the program objectives 
identified below. All proposals submitted to the Building Systems 
Research Grants Program must be in accordance with these program 
objectives. The appropriate Program Manager for each field of research 
may be contacted for clarification of the program objectives.
    I. Cyber-Security of Computerized Building Control and Safety 
Systems--Evaluate and test different approaches to providing secure 
dynamic networks and mobile devices to communicating parties, including 
first responders, along with the capability to distinguish between 
legitimate entities and malicious intruders.
    The contact person for this field of research is: Mr. Steven T. 
Bushby, and he may be reached at (301) 975-5873.
    II. Design/Construction Product (and Process) Data Models to 
Support Building Commissioning, Which Occurs After Construction is 
Completed and Before Operation and Maintenance Begins--Determine the 
information needs of the building systems commissioning process and 
propose extensions or enhancements to the current product and process 
models being developed in the standards community to support the 
automation of this process.
    The contact person for this field of research is: Dr. Kent A. Reed, 
and he may be reached at (301) 975-5852.
    Eligibility: The Building Systems Research Grants Program is open 
to institutions of higher education; hospitals; non-profit 
organizations; commercial organizations; state, local, and Indian 
tribal governments; foreign governments; organizations under the 
jurisdiction of foreign governments; and international organizations.
    Funding Availability: For fiscal year 2002, the Building Systems 
Research Grants Program anticipates funding one award of up to $300,000 
in each field of systems research described in the Program Description 
and Objectives section of this notice.
    Award Period: Proposals will be considered for research projects at 
a funding level not to exceed $300,000 per proposal within a two-year 
period. If an application is selected for funding, DoC has no 
obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with 
that award.
    Proposal Review Process: All applications received in response to 
this announcement will be reviewed to determine whether or not they are 
complete and responsive. Incomplete or non-responsive applications will 
not be reviewed for technical merit. The Program will retain one copy 
of each non-responsive application for three years for recordkeeping 
purposes. The remaining copies will be destroyed.
    Responsive proposals will be forwarded to the Program Manager who 
will assign them to appropriate reviewers. At least three independent, 
objective individuals knowledgeable about the particular scientific 
area described above that the proposal addresses will conduct a 
technical review of each proposal, based on the evaluation criteria 
described below. When non-Federal reviewers are used, reviewers may 
discuss the proposals with each other, but scores will be determined on 
an individual basis, not as a consensus. The Program Manager will make 
funding recommendations to the Chief, Building Environment Division 
based on the technical evaluation score and the relationship of the 
work proposed to the objectives of the program.
    In making application selections, the Chief, Building Environment 
Division will take into consideration the results of the evaluations, 
the scores of the reviewers, the Program Manager's recommendation, the 
availability of funds, and relevance to the objectives of the Building 
Systems Research Grants Program, as described in the Program

[[Page 50631]]

Description and Objectives section for this program.
    The final approval of selected applications and award of financial 
assistance will be made by the NIST Grants Officer based on compliance 
with application requirements as published in this notice, compliance 
with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and whether the 
recommended applicants appear to be responsible. Applicants may be 
asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets and provide 
supplemental information required by the agency prior to award. The 
award decision of the Grants Officer is final. Applicants should allow 
up to 90 days processing time. The Program will retain one copy of each 
application that is not funded for three years for recordkeeping 
purposes. The remaining copies will be destroyed.
    Evaluation Criteria: The technical evaluation criteria are as 
follows:
    a. Technical quality of the research. Reviewers will assess the 
rationality, innovation and imagination of the proposal and the fit to 
NIST's in-house building systems research program. (0-35 points).
    b. Potential impact of the results. Reviewers will assess the 
potential impact and the technical application of the results to our 
in-house building systems research program. (0-25 points)
    c. Staff and institution capability to do the work. Reviewers will 
evaluate the quality of the facilities and experience of the staff to 
assess the likelihood of achieving the objective of the proposal. (0-20 
points)
    d. Match of budget to proposed work. Reviewers will assess the 
budget against the proposed work to ascertain the reasonableness of the 
request. (0-20 points)
    Matching Requirements: Matching funds are not required.
    Application Kit: For the Building Systems Research Grants Program, 
an application kit, containing all required application forms and 
certifications is available by contacting Ms. Tina Faecke, (301) 975-
5911, or from the website: http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/866/extramuralprogram.htm.
    Additional Information: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 
contained in the Federal Register notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 
49917) are applicable to this solicitation. However, please note that 
the Department of Commerce will not implement the requirements of 
Executive Order 13202 (66 FR 49921), pursuant to guidance issued by the 
Office of Management and Budget, in light of a court opinion which 
found that the Executive Order was not legally authorized. See Building 
and Construction Trades Department v. Allbaugh, 172 F.Supp. 2d 138 
(D.D.C. 2001). This decision is currently on appeal. When the case has 
been finally resolved, the Department will provide further information 
on implementation of Executive Order 13202.
    In addition, the following information is applicable to this 
program.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: Measurement 
and Engineering Research and Standards--11.609. Where websites are 
referenced within this notice, those who do not have access to the 
internet websites may contact the appropriate Program official to 
obtain information.
    Fees and/or Profit: It is not the intent of NIST to pay fee or 
profit for any of the financial assistance awards that may be issued 
pursuant to this announcement.
    Automated Standardized Application for Payment System (ASAP): 
During FY 2002 and becoming mandatory in FY 2003, the Department of 
Commerce will begin using the Department of Treasury's ASAP. NIST began 
using the ASAP system in July 2001 and continues to establish new 
accounts in ASAP. Awards made pursuant to this announcement may contain 
the ASAP payment clause. In order to receive payments for services 
under these awards, recipients will be required to register with the 
Department of Treasury and indicate whether or not they will use the 
on-line or voice response method of withdrawing funds from their ASAP 
established accounts. More information regarding ASAP can be found on-
line at http://www.fms.treas.gov/asap/index.html.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit 
involve collections of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 have 
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the 
respective Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, 
and 0605-0001.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with, a collection subject to the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information 
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
    Type of Funding Instrument: The funding instrument will be a grant 
or cooperative agreement, depending on the nature of the proposed work. 
A grant will be used unless NIST is ``substantially involved'' in the 
project, in which case a cooperative agreement will be used. A common 
example of substantial involvement is collaboration between NIST 
scientists and recipient scientists or technicians. Further examples 
are listed in Section 5.03.d of Department of Commerce Administrative 
Order 203-26, which can be found at http://www.doc.gov/oebam/GCA 
manual.htm. NIST will make decisions regarding the use of a cooperative 
agreement on a case-by-case basis. Funding for contractual arrangements 
for services and products for delivery to NIST is not available under 
this announcement.
    Classification: This funding notice was determined to be ``not 
significant'' for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.
    Applications under these programs are not subject to Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    Because notice and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or 
any other law, for notices relating to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is not required and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: July 29, 2002.
Arden L. Bement, Jr.,
Director.
[FR Doc. 02-19699 Filed 8-2-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P