[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 196 (Thursday, October 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63653-63658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22316]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Competitive Funding Opportunity: Public Transportation COVID-19 
Research Demonstration Grant Program

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.

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SUMMARY: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health 
emergency

[[Page 63654]]

has had a significant impact on transit operations. During a series of 
FTA listening sessions held over the last three months, transit 
agencies asked FTA to support research to identify solutions to address 
the operational challenges that they are facing as a result of COVID-
19. In response, FTA makes available through this Notice of Funding 
Opportunity (NOFO) funding to support research demonstration grants to 
public transit agencies to develop, deploy, and demonstrate innovative 
solutions that improve the operational efficiency of transit agencies, 
as well as enhance the mobility of transit users affected by the COVID-
19 public health emergency. Demonstration grants under this NOFO are 
authorized under FTA's Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 
U.S.C. 5312). Eligible projects will demonstrate innovative solutions 
to improve the operational efficiencies of transit systems and enhance 
mobility for their communities in four major areas: (1) Vehicle, 
facility, equipment and infrastructure cleaning and disinfection; (2) 
exposure mitigation measures; (3) innovative mobility such as 
contactless payments; and (4) measures that strengthen public 
confidence in transit services. The total funding available for awards 
under this NOFO is $10,000,000. FTA may supplement this amount if 
additional funding becomes available.

DATES: Applicants must submit completed proposals for funding 
opportunity FTA-2020-015-TRI through the GRANTS.GOV ``APPLY'' function 
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2020. Prospective applicants 
should register as soon as possible on the GRANTS.GOV website to ensure 
they can complete the application process before the submission 
deadline. Application instructions are available on FTA's website at 
http://transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in the ``FIND'' module of 
GRANTS.GOV. FTA will not accept mail and fax submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please send any questions on this 
notice to Jamel El-Hamri email: [email protected] phone: 2020-366-
8985. A Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) is available for 
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information
D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Federal Award Administration Information
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact Information

A. Program Description

    The Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant 
Program is funded through the Public Transportation Innovation Program 
(49 U.S.C. 5312), with the goal to develop, deploy, and demonstrate 
innovative solutions that improve the operational efficiency of transit 
agencies, as well as enhance the mobility of transit users affected by 
the COVID-19 public health emergency.
    Eligible projects will propose to develop and deploy innovative 
solutions in four major areas: (1) Vehicle, facility, equipment and 
infrastructure cleaning and disinfection; (2) exposure mitigation 
measures; (3) innovative mobility such as contactless payments; and (4) 
measures that strengthen public confidence in transit.
    As required by 49 U.S.C. 5312(e)(4), projects funded under this 
NOFO must participate in an evaluation by an independent outside entity 
that will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the success or failure 
of the projects funded under this subsection and any plan for broad-
based implementation of the innovation promoted by successful projects.

B. Federal Award Information

    FTA makes available $10,000,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2020 funds 
under the Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312) to 
finance the Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant 
Program. FTA may supplement the total funds available if additional 
funding becomes available at the time project selections are made.
    FTA will grant pre-award authority starting on the date of the 
project award announcement for selected projects and should be 
completed within 24 months from the date of award. Funds are available 
only for eligible expenses incurred after the announcement of project 
selections.

C. Eligibility Information

(1) Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants include State and local governmental 
authorities, direct recipients of Urbanized Area (49 U.S.C. 5307) and 
Rural Area (49 U.S.C. 5311) formula funds, and Indian tribes. Eligible 
applicants are limited to FTA grantees or subrecipients who would be 
the primary beneficiaries of the innovative products and services that 
are developed--typically public transit agencies. Except for projects 
proposed by Indian tribes, proposals for projects in rural (non-
urbanized) areas must be submitted as part of a consolidated State 
proposal. States and other eligible applicants also may submit 
consolidated proposals for projects in urbanized areas. The submission 
of the Statewide application will not preclude the submission and 
consideration of any application from other eligible recipients in an 
urbanized area in a State. Proposals may contain projects to be 
implemented by the recipient or its subrecipients. Eligible 
subrecipients include public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, 
and private providers engaged in public transportation. Eligible 
applicants may submit consolidated proposals for projects.

(2) Cost Sharing or Matching

    The maximum Federal share of project costs is 100 percent. FTA may 
give additional consideration to applicants that propose a local share 
and may view these applicants as more competitive. The applicant must 
document the source(s) of the local match, if any, in the grant 
application. For any applicants proposing match, eligible local match 
sources include the following:
     Cash from non-Government sources other than revenues from 
providing public transportation services;
     revenues derived from the sale of advertising and 
concessions;
     revenues generated from value capture financing 
mechanisms;
     funds from an undistributed cash surplus;
     replacement or depreciation cash fund or reserve;
     new capital; or
     in-kind contributions.

(3) Eligible Projects

    Eligible projects will propose innovative solutions to improve 
operational efficiencies of transit agencies and enhance the mobility 
of transit users, through projects that demonstrate innovative 
solutions for:
     Vehicle, facility, equipment and infrastructure cleaning 
and disinfection;
     exposure mitigation measures such a real-time notification 
of rail and bus passenger loads;
     new multi-modal payment innovative mobility systems such 
as contactless payments; and
     measures that strengthen public confidence in transit.
    Each applicant may only submit one proposal.

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D. Application and Submission Information

(1) Address and Form of Application Submission

    Applications must be submitted through GRANTS.GOV. Applicants can 
find general information for submitting applications through GRANTS.GOV 
at www.fta.dot.gov/howtoapply, along with specific instructions for the 
forms and attachments required for submission. Mail and fax submissions 
will not be accepted.

(2) Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Proposal Submission
    A complete proposal submission consists of at least two forms:
    1. The SF-424 Mandatory Form (downloadable from GRANTS.GOV) and
    2. the supplemental form for the FY 2020 COVID-19 Demonstration 
Program (downloadable from GRANTS.GOV), which is available on FTA's 
website at (placeholder for FTA COVID-19 Demonstration Program).
    The application must include responses to all sections of the SF-
424 mandatory form and the supplemental form unless a section is 
indicated as optional. FTA will use the information on the supplemental 
form to determine applicant and project eligibility for the program and 
to evaluate the proposal against the selection criteria described in 
part E of this notice. FTA will accept only one supplemental form per 
SF-424 submission. FTA encourages applicants to consider submitting a 
single supplemental form that includes multiple activities to be 
evaluated as a consolidated proposal.
    Applicants may attach additional supporting information to the SF-
424 submission, including but not limited to letters of support, 
project budgets, or excerpts from relevant planning documents. 
Supporting documentation must be described and referenced by file name 
in the appropriate response section of the supplemental form, or it may 
not be reviewed.
    Information such as applicant name, Federal amount requested, local 
match amount, description of areas served, etc., may be requested in 
varying degrees of detail on both the SF-424 form and supplemental 
form. Applicants must fill in all fields unless stated otherwise on the 
forms. If applicants copy information into the supplemental form from 
another source, they should verify that the supplemental form has fully 
captured pasted text and that it has not truncated the text due to 
character limits built into the form. Applicants should use both the 
``Check Package for Errors'' and the ``Validate Form'' validation 
buttons on both forms to check all required fields. Applicants should 
also ensure that the Federal and local amounts specified are 
consistent.
    Addressing the deteriorating conditions and disproportionately high 
fatality rates on our rural transportation infrastructure is of 
critical interest to the Department, as rural transportation networks 
face unique challenges in safety, infrastructure condition, and 
passenger and freight usage. Consistent with the R.O.U.T.E.S. 
Initiative, the Department encourages applicants to consider how the 
project will address the challenges faced by rural areas.
b. Application Content
    The SF-424 Mandatory Form and the supplemental form will prompt 
applicants for the required information, including:
i. Applicant Name
ii. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 
number
iii. Key contact information (contact name, address, email address, and 
phone number)
iv. Congressional district(s) where project will take place
v. Project Information (title, executive summary, and type)
vi. A detailed description of the need for the project
vii. A detailed description of how the project will support the Program 
objectives
viii. Evidence that the applicant can provide the local cost shares
ix. A description of the technical, legal, and financial capacity of 
the applicant
x. A detailed project budget
xi. Details on the local matching funds
xii. A detailed project timeline
xiii. Whether the project impacts an Opportunity Zone

(3) Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

    Each applicant is required to: (1) Be registered in SAM before 
submitting an application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier 
in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM 
registration with current information at all times during which the 
applicant has an active Federal award or an application or plan under 
consideration by FTA. These requirements do not apply if the applicant: 
(1) Is excepted from the requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c); or 
(2) has an exception approved by FTA under 2 CFR 25.110(d). FTA may not 
make an award until the applicant has complied with all applicable 
unique entity identifier and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not 
fully complied with the requirements by the time FTA is ready to make 
an award, FTA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to 
receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making a 
Federal award to another applicant. All applicants must provide a 
unique entity identifier provided by SAM. Registration in SAM may take 
as little as 3-5 business days, but there can be unexpected steps or 
delays. For example, the applicant may need to obtain an Employer 
Identification Number. FTA recommends allowing ample time, up to 
several weeks, to complete all steps. For additional information on 
obtaining a unique entity identifier, please visit www.sam.gov.

(4) Submission Dates and Times

    Project proposals must be submitted electronically through 
GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 2, 2020. Mail and fax 
submissions will not be accepted.
    FTA urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior 
to the due date to allow time to correct any problems that may have 
caused either GRANTS.GOV or FTA systems to reject the submission. 
Proposals submitted after the deadline will only be considered under 
extraordinary circumstances not within the applicant's control.
    Deadlines will not be extended due to scheduled website 
maintenance. GRANTS.GOV scheduled maintenance and outage times are 
announced on the GRANTS.GOV website.
    Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the 
applicant should receive two email messages from GRANTS.GOV: (1) 
Confirmation of successful transmission to GRANTS.GOV; and (2) 
confirmation of successful validation by GRANTS.GOV. If the applicant 
does not receive confirmation of successful validation or receives a 
notice of failed validation or incomplete materials, 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, applicants must include all original 
attachments regardless of which attachments were updated and check the 
box on the supplemental form indicating this is a resubmission.
    Applicants are encouraged to begin the process of registration on 
the GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of the submission deadline. 
Registration is

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a multi-step process, which may take several weeks to complete before 
an application can be submitted. Registered applicants may still be 
required to update their registration before submitting an application. 
Registration in SAM is renewed annually and persons making submissions 
on behalf of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must be 
authorized in GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to make submissions.

(5) Funding Restrictions

    Funds may be used for post-award expenditures only. Funds under 
this NOFO cannot be used to reimburse projects for otherwise eligible 
expenses incurred prior to the date of project award announcements.

(6) Other Submission Requirements

    FTA encourages applicants to identify scaled funding options in 
case insufficient funding is available to fund a project at the full 
requested amount. If an applicant indicates that a project is scalable, 
the applicant must provide an appropriate minimum funding amount that 
will fund an eligible project that achieves the objectives of the 
program and meets all relevant program requirements. The applicant must 
provide a clear explanation of how a reduced award would affect the 
project budget and scope. FTA may award a lesser amount whether or not 
the applicant provides a scalable option.

E. Application Review Information

(1) Project Evaluation Criteria

    Addressing the deteriorating conditions and disproportionately high 
fatality rates on our rural transportation infrastructure is of 
critical interest to the Department, as rural transportation networks 
face unique challenges in safety, infrastructure condition, and 
passenger and freight usage. Consistent with the R.O.U.T.E.S. 
Initiative, the Department will consider how the project will address 
the challenges faced by rural areas. In addition, the Department will 
review and consider applications for funding pursuant to this Notice in 
accordance with the President's September 2, 2020 memorandum, entitled 
Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government 
Recipients of Federal Funds that Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and 
Destruction in American Cities, consistent with guidance from the 
Office of Management and Budget and the Attorney General and with all 
applicable laws.
    FTA will evaluate proposals submitted according to the following 
criteria: (a) Project Innovation and Impact; (b) Project Approach; (c) 
National Applicability; (d) Commercialization and/or Knowledge 
Transfer; and (e) Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity. FTA 
encourages each applicant to demonstrate how a project supports all 
criteria with the most relevant information the applicant can provide, 
regardless of whether such information has been specifically requested 
or identified in this notice.
a. Project Innovation and Impact
    i. Effectiveness of the project in achieving and demonstrating the 
specific objectives of this program.
    ii. Demonstration of benefits in addressing the needs of the 
transit agency and industry and impacts to infrastructure, equipment, 
transit workforce, and riders.
    iii. Degree of improvement over current and existing technologies, 
designs, and/or practices applicable to the transit industry.
b. Project Approach
    i. Quality of the project approach such as existing partnerships, 
collaboration strategies and level of commitment of the project 
partners.
    ii. Proposal is realistic in its approach to fulfill the 
milestones/deliverables, schedule and goals.
c. National Applicability
    i. Degree to which the project could be replicated by other transit 
agencies regionally or nationally.
    ii. Ability to evaluate technologies, designs and/or practices in a 
wide variety of conditions and locales.
    iii. Degree to which the technology, designs and/or practices can 
be replicated by other transportation modes.
d. Commercialization and/or Knowledge Transfer
    i. Demonstrates a realistic plan for moving the results of the 
project into the transit marketplace (patents, conferences, articles in 
trade magazines, webinar, site visits, etc.).
    ii. How the project team plans to work with the industry on 
improving best practices, guidance and/or standards, if applicable.
    iii. Demonstrate a clear understanding and robust approach to data 
collection, access and management.
e. Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity
    Capacity of the applicant and any partners to successfully execute 
the project effort. There should be no outstanding legal, technical, or 
financial issues with the applicant that would make this a high-risk 
project.

(2) Review and Selection Process

    An FTA technical evaluation committee will evaluate proposals based 
on the published project evaluation criteria. Members of the technical 
evaluation committee will rate the applications and may seek 
clarification about any statement in an application. The FTA 
Administrator will determine the final selection and amount of funding 
for each project after consideration of the findings of the technical 
evaluation committee. Geographic diversity, diversity of the project 
type, the amount of local match to be provided, and the applicant's 
receipt and management of other Federal transit funds may be considered 
in FTA's award decisions. Prior fare payment innovation efforts may 
receive priority consideration. The FTA Administrator will consider the 
following key DOT objectives:
    a. Utilizing alternative funding sources and innovative financing 
models to attract non-Federal sources of investment;
    b. Whether the project is located in or supports public 
transportation service in a qualified opportunity zone designated 
pursuant to 26.U.S.C. 1400Z-1; and
    c. The extent to which the project addresses challenges specific to 
the provision of rural public transportation.

(3) FAPIIS Review

    Prior to making a grant award, FTA is required to review and 
consider any information about the applicant that is in the Federal 
Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) 
accessible through SAM. An applicant may review and comment on 
information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously 
entered.
    FTA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the 
other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgment about the applicant's 
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal 
awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as 
described in 2 CFR 200.205 Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed 
by Applicants.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

(1) Federal Award Notices

    FTA will announce the final project selections on the FTA website. 
Project recipients should contact their FTA Regional Office for 
additional information regarding allocations for

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projects. At the time project selections are announced, FTA will extend 
pre-award authority for the selected projects. There is no blanket pre-
award authority for these projects before announcement.
    There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount, but FTA intends 
to fund as many meritorious projects as possible. FTA only will 
consider proposals from eligible recipients for eligible activities. 
Due to funding limitations, projects selected for funding may receive 
less than the amount originally requested. In those cases, applicants 
must be able to demonstrate that the proposed projects are still viable 
and can be completed with the amount awarded.

(2) Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. Pre-Award Authority
    FTA will issue specific guidance to recipients regarding pre-award 
authority at the time of selection. FTA does not provide pre-award 
authority for competitive funds until projects are selected, and there 
are Federal requirements that must be met before costs are incurred. 
For more information about FTA's policy on pre-award authority, see the 
FY 2020 Apportionments Notice published on June 3, 2020, at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-06-03/pdf/2020-11946.pdf.
b. Grant Requirements
    Selected applicants will submit a grant application through FTA's 
electronic grant management system and adhere to the customary FTA 
grant requirements for research project (insert Circular name). All 
competitive grants, regardless of award amount, will be subject to the 
Congressional notification and release process. FTA emphasizes that 
third-party procurement applies to all funding awards, as described in 
FTA Circular 4220.1F, ``Third Party Contracting Guidance.'' However, 
FTA may approve applications that include a specifically identified 
partnering organization(s) (2 CFR 200.302(f)). When included, the 
application, budget, and budget narrative should provide a clear 
understanding of how the selection of these organizations is critical 
for the project and give sufficient detail about the costs involved.
c. Planning
    FTA encourages applicants to engage the appropriate State 
Departments of Transportation, Regional Transportation Planning 
Organizations, or Metropolitan Planning Organizations in areas to be 
served by the project funds available under this program.
d. Standard Assurances
    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, 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. The applicant must submit the 
Certifications and Assurances before receiving a grant if it does not 
have current certifications on file.
e. Free Speech and Religious Liberty
    In connection with any program or activity conducted with or 
benefiting from funds awarded under this notice, recipients of funds 
must comply with all applicable requirements of Federal law, including, 
without limitation, the Constitution of the United States; statutory, 
regulatory, and public policy requirements, including without 
limitation, those protecting free speech, religious liberty, public 
welfare, the environment, and prohibiting discrimination; the 
conditions of performance, non-discrimination requirements, and other 
assurances made applicable to the award of funds in accordance with 
regulations of the Department of Transportation; and applicable Federal 
financial assistance and contracting principles promulgated by the 
Office of Management and Budget. In complying with these requirements, 
recipients must ensure that no concession agreements are denied or 
other contracting decisions made on the basis of speech or other 
activities protected by the First Amendment. If the Department 
determines that a recipient has failed to comply with applicable 
Federal requirements, the Department may terminate the award of funds 
and disallow previously incurred costs, requiring the recipient to 
reimburse any expended award funds.

(3) Reporting

    The post-award reporting requirements include submission of the 
Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Milestone Progress Report in TrAMS. 
An evaluation of the grant will occur at various points in the 
demonstration process and at the end of the project. In addition, FTA 
is responsible for producing an Annual Report to Congress that compiles 
evaluation of selected projects, including an evaluation of the 
performance measures identified by the applicants. All applicants must 
develop an evaluation plan to measure the success or failure of their 
projects and describe any plans for broad-based implementation of 
successful projects. FTA may request data and reports to support the 
evaluation and Annual Report.
a. Independent Evaluation
    To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the impacts and 
implications of each proposed COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program, 
projects funded under this announcement will require the recipient to 
conduct a third party independent evaluation of their project. 
Recipients will be required to contract with a third party independent 
evaluator to assist in developing an evaluation plan, and collecting, 
storing and managing data required to fulfill the evaluation 
requirement. No more than 10 percent of the Federal share of the 
project may be used to hire the third-party independent evaluator and 
the inclusion of a third-party independent evaluation should be 
described in the grant application. If the project duration is more 
than two years, an interim evaluation report would need to be submitted 
to FTA, otherwise the evaluation report should be included as part of 
the final project report.
b. COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program Evaluation
    Projects funded under this announcement will be required to 
establish a set of performance metrics set by the third-party 
independent evaluator and shared with FTA.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts Information

    For questions about applying, please contact Jamel El-Hamri email: 
[email protected] phone: 202-366-8985. A TDD is available at 1-
800-877-8339 (TDDFIRS). To ensure that applicants receive accurate 
information about eligibility or the program, applicants are encouraged 
to contact FTA directly with questions, rather than through 
intermediaries or third parties.

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    FTA staff also may conduct briefings on the competitive grants 
selection and award process upon request.

K. Jane Williams,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-22316 Filed 10-7-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P