§ 4280.231 Application requirements.
This section identifies the items required for a complete application. Each Applicant can only submit one application for EA or for REDA.
(a) Applicant Eligibility. The following requirements must be submitted to support Applicant eligibility:
(1) Form SF-424. The Applicant must submit the Form SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance.”
(2) Entity Type. Applicant must demonstrate how they qualify as one of the following entity types:
(i) A unit of State government, Indian Tribal government, or Local Government;
(ii) An Institution of Higher Education; including land grant colleges and universities;
(iii) A Rural electric cooperative;
(iv) A Public Power Entity;
(v) An Instrumentality; or
(vi) A Council.
(3) Conflict of interest. The Applicant must identify whether or not the Applicant or its individual owners has a known relationship or association with an Agency or Rural Development employee. If there is a known relationship, the Applicant must identify each Agency or Rural Development employee with whom the Applicant has a known relationship. The Applicant must also certify that there is no conflict of interest, as described in § 4280.206.
(4) Summary of REAP awards. The Applicant must describe any current or previous awards received through the REAP EA REDA and REAP TAG programs. The description must include the Period of Performance, the amount, and a summary of the Project.
(b) Project Eligibility. The following requirements must be submitted to support Project eligibility.
(1) Work plan. A proposed work plan for the proposed Project, including the following items:
(i) Project title. Provide a title for the proposed Project.
(ii) Project description. The Project description must include a brief summary of the type of service(s) to be provided, the service area, and the type and number of Ultimate Beneficiaries to be served.
(iii) Goals. Provide a description of the goals of the Project.
(iv) Service area. Provide the following information about the proposed service area:
(A) Description of the service area, including the State(s) served, the total number of counties in the State(s), as well as the number of counties served in each State;
(B) The reason(s) the service area was selected; and
(C) The needs of the service area.
(v) Ultimate Beneficiaries. Provide the following information about the Ultimate Beneficiaries:
(A) If selected at the time of application, a list of Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses to be served, including which type of Ultimate Beneficiary they are and the names and locations (city, state) of the Ultimate Beneficiaries;
(B) The methodology used or that will be used to select the Ultimate Beneficiaries; and
(C) Written commitments from Ultimate Beneficiaries, if selected at the time of application.
(vi) Services. Provide the following information for each proposed service.
(A) A description of the service;
(B) The time period during which the service is expected to be accomplished;
(C) The Key Personnel who will be responsible for completing the service; and
(D) The potential environmental benefits from the proposed services.
(vii) Outreach plan. Provide an outreach plan that describes the actions the Applicant plans to take to ensure that the proposed services are marketed to Agricultural Producers and/or Rural Small Businesses in the service area. This must include the marketing and outreach strategies and goals. The Applicant must provide data that supports these strategies and goals. If the Ultimate Beneficiaries are already selected, describe how the services were marketed to select those entities.
(viii) Applicant experience. Provide the following information regarding the Applicant's experience.
(A) Past services. Provide a description of similar services completed in the past, including the following:
(1) The number of commercial EA or REDA provided directly to Agricultural Producers and/or Rural Small Businesses in the past;
(2) A description of the energy savings or energy generation resulting from previous EA or REDA activities with Agricultural Producers and/or Rural Small Businesses. The energy savings or energy generation must be quantified in units of the appropriate energy measurement;
(3) The time period that the Applicant performed the similar services.
(B) Example of past service. Provide a copy of at least one EA, Renewable Energy Site Assessment, Resource Assessment, or Feasibility Studies that the Applicant has completed within the last year. If the example provided does not meet one of the definitions identified in the previous sentence, the application will be considered incomplete and not eligible for funding. See § 4280.240 for how these examples will be used for the merit evaluation.
(ix) Budget. The Applicant must provide a detailed breakdown of all estimated Project Costs including the Federal Award and Cost Sharing, including the following:
(A) The names of Key Personnel and each individual's salaries and fringe benefits, including hourly rate/annual salary and what is included in fringe benefits;
(B) Descriptions of trips to be taken, including who is traveling, the purpose of the travel, and the cost of each trip;
(C) An itemized list of office supplies to be purchased and their purpose; and
(D) An itemized list of contracts, including vendor, purpose, and amount.
(2) Cost Sharing. Cost Sharing is not required for the program, but it is considered as part of the merit evaluation process (see § 4280.240(d) for more information). Cost Sharing must be in cash from the Applicant or from a third-party and must be committed in writing to the Project at the time of application. The commitment must demonstrate that funds will be available during the proposed Period of Performance, can be used for allowable costs identified in the proposed scope of work, and be signed by an authorized representative of the source of the funding.
(3) Financial statements. The Applicant must provide the following business-level financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows, from the Applicant's most recent completed fiscal year prior to the date of application.