Program manager solicitation. 2001

March 22, 2001

Dear Colleague:

The Administrative Committee of the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) and USEPA have decided to solicit proposals to direct and operate the P2Rx network for two years beginning January 2002, with a "transition period" starting October 2001. The purpose of this solicitation is to obtain proposals from organizations that are interested in serving as Program Manager and cooperatively pursuing both growth and stable funding for the P2Rx network.

Eligible applicants include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the united States, public and private universities and colleges and other public or private nonprofit institutions. EPA expects to fund one proposal for approximately $90,000.00 per year. Proposals may include up to 2 years in their schedule and budget. There is a match requirement of 5% of the total cooperative agreement project costs. The number assigned to this program in the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance is 66.606.

Federal forms that should be included for this grant program are: Application for Federal assistance OMB form 424; Budget information form 424A; Construction assurances form 424B: Certification regarding debarment, etc form 5700-49; Certification regarding lobbying; and EPA Civil rights form 4700-4. The proposal should not exceed ten pages in length (exclusive of attachments). The basic contents of a proposal should include:

1) Statement of Work - The core functions of the host organization, as identified by the P2Rx Administrative Committee, include serving as Project Manager, facilitating communication and consensus among regional centers, operating the P2Rx web site, and seeking stable funding for the P2Rx network. An explanation and example of tasks and deliverables entitled "P2Rx Program Manager Guidance Document" is enclosed.

A. Background/Benefits - This section should describe the organization's understanding of the P2Rx network and the involvement of the proposers in related organizations. The reasons why the proposer desires to direct and operate the P2Rx network should be described as well as the benefits to P2Rx and pollution prevention organizations in the United States.
B. Goals and Tasks - The proposed plan for directing and operating the P2Rx network, serving as Program Manager, and cooperatively pursuing both growth and stable funding for the P2Rx network should be described in detail. Tasks should include estimated cost and completion dates. This section should include a description of the approach that will be pursued to solicit additional funding from other organizations for the P2Rx national network.

C. Deliverables - Major deliverables including progress reports should be described. A description of measures or activities that will be reported to reflect the effectiveness of each of the proposed tasks should be included.

2) Qualifications of Organization - The relevant experience, capabilities, resources available, and institutional suitability of the host organization should be clearly described in detail. The amount of effort that each proposed staff person will devote to the project should be clearly listed.

3) Funding Plan - A detailed budget should be presented and include costs for personnel services, fringe benefits, operations (itemized by travel, equipment, supplies and contractual services), and indirect costs or overhead.

4) Schedule - A schedule for the project should be presented. This schedule should begin by October 2001 and show efforts that will be undertaken to secure funding, hiring additional staff (if any), and directing and operating the P2Rx network through December of 2003 including a three month transition period at the end. The period from October through December 2001 will primarily be used to transfer functions from the existing host organization, Illinois Waste Management and Research Center, to the newly selected organization as necessary. By January 2002 it is anticipated that the new host will take on full responsibility for directing and operating the P2Rx network.

5) Attachments - Resumes of key staff, details of the qualifications of the proposer(s), and other supplementary materials should be included as attachments.

Process for Evaluation of Proposals A national panel, comprised of EPA representatives from Headquarters and the Regions, and P2Rx centers will evaluate each proposal. Acceptable proposals, meeting the eligibility requirements above, will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

1) Experience, capabilities, past involvement in the P2Rx network and institutional suitability of the host organization.

2) Feasibility of the activities being proposed.

3) Appropriateness of the proposed budget and completion dates for each task and deliverable.

4) Ability of the host organization to receive funding from a broad range of sources and efficiently subcontract with other organizations including technical contractors and members of the P2Rx network. Experience of applicant in obtaining funding and successfully completing similar projects will also be considered.

5) Proposed activities that address participation in a voluntary network of grantees, measures of customer satisfaction, and reporting P2 information services.

An original and two copies of the proposal should be mailed to: Beth Anderson, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Mail Code 7409, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St. SW., Washington, DC 20460, (202) 260-2602, e-mail Anderson.Beth@epa.gov. Proposals should be post marked by May 1, 2001 . Please contact Beth Anderson with any questions about this solicitation.

Sincerely,

John F. Cross, Acting Division Director
Pollution Prevention Division

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