[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42054-42056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16880]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Office of Economic Adjustment; Notice of Cooperative Agreement

    Federal Funding Opportunity Title: Research and Technical 
Assistance.
    Announcement Type: Cooperative Agreement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.615.
    Key Dates: The proposal submission deadline is thirty (30) days 
after the publication of this notice.
    Executive Summary: This notice announces the opportunity to enter 
into a cooperative agreement with the Office of Economic Adjustment 
(OEA) for Research and Technical Assistance (RTA) and invites proposals 
to continue to provide economic data to Defense-impacted communities. 
The OEA is authorized by 10 U.S.C. 2391 to make grants to, or conclude 
cooperative agreements or enter into contracts with, a State or local 
government or any private entity to conduct research and provide 
technical assistance in support of the Defense Economic Adjustment 
Program, and to assist communities, businesses and workers responding 
to Defense changes under 10 U.S.C. 2391 and Executive Order 12788, as 
amended. OEA is the Department of Defense's primary source for 
assisting communities that are adversely impacted by Defense program 
changes, including base closures or realignments and contract or 
program reductions or cancellations. Awards provided under this 
announcement support the Defense Economic Adjustment Program by 
providing: (1) Analysis and dissemination of information; and (2) 
support to innovative approaches.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    OEA, a Department of Defense (DoD) Field Activity, is authorized to 
make grants to, or conclude cooperative agreements or enter into 
contracts with, state or local governments or any private entity, to 
conduct research and provide technical assistance in support of its 
program activities under 10 U.S.C. 2391 and Executive Order 12788, as 
amended.
    On December 31, 2008, OEA published a Federal Funding Opportunity 
in the Federal Register (73 FR 80369-80371), and through a competitive 
process selected the University of Illinois--Chicago (University) to 
provide economic data for 56 Defense-impacted communities. The 
University conducted a multi-phase approach to provide data and 
analysis for these communities. Phase I entailed identification, 
collection, and preliminary analysis of baseline indicators that 
collectively formed the backbone of the project. Phase II entailed 
reaching out to communities and refining the baseline data indicators 
based on community needs. The University also produced a broad array of 
reports and analytical products; developed tools for the systematic 
analysis of communities' development trends and challenges; and 
provided detailed customized data and reports to communities. The 
University designed, manages, and hosts on their server the Web site 
www.defensecommunitydata.com, to share the baseline data tracked 
through the current cooperative agreement with the target communities, 
as well as Federal, state, and local agencies.
    1. Description of opportunity--Pursuant to the Research and 
Technical Assistance program, OEA is soliciting proposals that will 
result in a cooperative agreement to provide economic indicators on a 
recurring basis to approximately 80 Defense-impacted locations engaged 
in defense economic adjustment. OEA works with communities/regions 
experiencing base closure, realignment, and reductions in or 
cancellations of DoD spending. Implementation of a community's plan to 
redevelop surplus property (base closure) or address reductions in 
defense procurement may be impacted by changing economic conditions, 
including, but not limited to, declining home values, rising 
unemployment, declining tax revenue, and housing/business starts. 
Specifically, OEA is seeking proposals to continue to provide 
information to its program customer base on: (1) Adjusted monthly and 
quarterly economic data for approximately 80 communities with Defense 
impacts; and (2) a national baseline for identified economic 
indicators. This information was and will continue to be developed with 
and for the affected communities, and posted on the Internet to further 
assist OEA's community, state, and other customers in the coordination 
and

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delivery of adjustment assistance. OEA desires that the successful 
respondent host on their server and post on the Internet: (1) A 
seamless continuation of regional data for the following listed 
installations starting October 1, 2013; and (2) similar regional data 
for additional Defense-impacted communities (to be determined by OEA) 
to be posted on the Internet within 30 days of OEA notification to the 
successful recipient. Data developed under the current cooperative 
agreement will be made available to the selected recipient and can be 
viewed at www.defensecommunitydata.com. OEA reserves the right to 
continue this effort with the selected recipient for up to 3 additional 
years without further competition, subject to the availability of funds 
and successful performance.
    2. Additional Information_The respondent must continue to track 
the existing data from the current cooperative agreement. These 
specific data elements can be obtained from the Data section of any 
community page on www.defensecommunitydata.com or from the agency 
contact noted in Section VII. The research and data must be dynamic, in 
that it must be updated on a recurring basis to reflect current local 
economic situations across a portfolio of regions. The respondent will 
be expected to engage the identified communities and provide specific 
information developed by the project directly to the respective 
communities. OEA encourages the respondent to consider partnering with 
public, private, and higher education sources for existing economic 
data or techniques for adjusting economic data to reflect local 
conditions.
    3. List of BRAC 2005 military installations with a continuing need 
for regional economic data. OEA reserves the right to add to or change 
this list and to identify approximately 50 additional Defense-impacted 
communities for future data collection.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Base name                              State
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Army Reserve Personnel Command St. Louis......  MO
Brooks City Base..............................  TX
Buckley Air Force Base Annex..................  CO
Deseret Chemical Depot........................  UT
Fort Gillem...................................  GA
Fort McPherson................................  GA
Fort Monmouth.................................  NJ
Fort Monroe...................................  VA
General Mitchell Air Reserve Station..........  WI
Grand Forks Air Force Base....................  ND
Kansas Army Ammunition Plant..................  KS
Naval Air Station Brunswick...................  ME
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi/Naval Station  TX
 Ingleside.
Naval Air Station Willow Grove................  PA
Naval Station Pascagoula......................  MS
Naval Supply Corps School Athens..............  GA
Naval Support Activity New Orleans............  LA
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Concord        CA
 Detachment.
Newport Chemical Depot........................  IN
Onizuka Air Force Station.....................  CA
Red River Army Depot/Lone Star Army Ammunition  TX
 Plant.
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant...............  CA
Rock Island Arsenal...........................  IL
Selfridge Army Activity.......................  MI
Sheppard Air Force Base.......................  TX
Umatilla Army Depot...........................  OR
Walter Reed Army Medical Center...............  DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Award Information

    OEA is accepting proposals for a Research and Technical Assistance 
award. The proposals should pertain to the identified areas of interest 
and will be rated on content (relevance and appropriateness to OEA's 
core functions, qualifications of project personnel, responsiveness to 
this announcement, and budget). OEA will invite the successful 
respondent(s) to enter into a cooperative agreement under this 
announcement following a review of the proposals and determination of 
eligible respondents, which will commence after the 31st day following 
publication of this announcement.

III. Eligibility Information

    Eligible respondents include any State or local government or 
private entity.
    Eligible activities include research and technical assistance in 
support of Defense Economic Adjustment Program activities under 10 
U.S.C. 2391 and Executive Order 12788, as amended, to assist 
communities, businesses, and workers adversely affected by Defense 
changes. OEA specifically seeks proposals to:
     Maintain/develop and present local economic indicator data 
for regions impacted by Defense downsizing to include regions impacted 
by reductions in or cancellations of DoD spending, based on the two 
elements identified in section I, subsection 1 of this announcement. 
Respondents must present how their proposal will cost effectively 
support the information available at www.defensecommunitydata.com and 
be an on-call resource for government data needs.
    Proposals outside the identified areas of interest will not be 
considered.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    The process requires the respondents to submit proposals within the 
advertised solicitation period (thirty (30) days).
    The proposals must include a cover or transmittal letter and 
accompanying text that shall consist of no more than 10 pages (single-
sided), comprising:
     An abstract of the proposed research or technical 
assistance;
     A description of the scope of work required to provide 
economic indicators on a recurring basis to include:
    [cir] Specific economic indicators continued from the current 
cooperative agreement to reflect near real-time economic conditions;
    [cir] methods for obtaining or developing the indicators;
    [cir] the respondent's plan for engaging the impacted communities 
for each of the listed installations, and approximately 50 additional 
communities as may be designated by OEA from time to time, during 
development of the information and for evaluating the usefulness of 
information provided; and,
    [cir] methods for distributing the information to the impacted 
communities.
     A proposed budget and accompanying budget justification;
     Detailed description of the project team and their 
relevant experience;
     A project schedule for completion of the work that meets 
OEA's desired timelines for provision of the data;
     A point of contact.
    Proposals must be provided to: Director, Office of Economic 
Adjustment, electronically to: [email protected]; or by mail to: 2231 
Crystal Drive Suite 520, Arlington, VA, 22202.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria--In reviewing proposals under this notice, 
OEA considers and weights equally each of the following factors as a 
basis for evaluating an application:
     Overall conformance with proposal requirements and desired 
timelines for provision of the data;
     Overall quality of proposed research;
     Overall expertise, experience, qualifications and ability 
of investigators; and
     Overall cost.
    2. Review and Selection Process--OEA will assign a Project Manager 
and notify the respondent(s) as soon as practicable following its 
review of the proposals and determination of eligibility, to advise and 
assist with the preparation of an application. The application will be 
reviewed for its completeness and accuracy, and, to the extent 
possible, an award notification

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will be issued within fourteen (14) days of the receipt of a complete 
application.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices--To the extent possible, successful applicants 
will be notified within fourteen (14) days of the receipt at OEA of a 
complete application whether or not they will receive an award. Upon 
notification of an award, applicants will receive an award agreement, 
signed by the Director of OEA on behalf of DoD. Awardees must review 
the award agreement and indicate their consent to its terms by signing 
and returning it to OEA.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements--
    The Awardee and any consultant/contractor operating under the terms 
of a grantor cooperative agreement shall comply with all Federal, 
State, and local laws applicable to its activities including the 
following: 32 CFR part 33, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments''; 2 
CFR part 225, ``Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal 
Governments (OMB Circular A-87)''; OMB Circular A-133, ``Audits of 
States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations,'' and 31 
U.S.C. 7502(h) ``Requirements for Single Audits''; 2 CFR part 180, 
``OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and 
Suspension (Nonprocurement)''; and 2 CFR part 1125, ``Nonprocurement 
Debarment and Suspension,''; 32 CFR part 26, subpart B, ``Requirements 
for Recipients Other Than Individuals''; 32 CFR part 26, ``Government 
wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)''; 32 
CFR part 32, ``Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements 
with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit 
Organizations''; 32 CFR part 34, ``Administrative Requirements for 
Grants and Agreements with For-Profit Organizations''; OMB Circular A-
21, ``Cost Principles for Educational Institutions''; OMB Circular A-
122, ``Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations''; 32 CFR part 28, 
``New Restrictions on Lobbying''; 2 CFR part 25, ``Universal Identifier 
and Central Contractor Registration'' (now found in the System for 
Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov).
    3. Reporting--OEA requires interim performance reports and one 
final performance report for each award. The performance reports will 
contain information on the following:
     A comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives 
established for the reporting period;
     Reasons for slippage if established objectives were not 
met;
     Additional pertinent information when appropriate;
     A comparison of actual and projected expenditures for the 
period; and
     The amount of awarded funds on hand at the beginning and 
end of the reporting period.
    The final performance report must contain a summary of activities 
for the entire award period. All remaining required deliverables should 
be submitted with the final performance report. The final SF 269A, 
``Financial Status Report,'' must be submitted to OEA within ninety 
(90) days after the end date of the award. Any funds actually advanced 
and not needed for award purposes shall be returned immediately to OEA.
    OEA will provide a schedule for reporting periods and report due 
dates in the Award Agreement.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For further information, to answer questions, or for help with 
problems, contact:
    Nia Hope, Office of Economic Adjustment, 2231 Crystal Drive Suite 
520, Arlington, VA 22202. O: (571) 213-6791.
    Email: [email protected].

VIII. Other Information

    The Office of Economic Adjustment Internet address is http://www.oea.gov.

    Dated: July 9, 2013.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2013-16880 Filed 7-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P