Future Supply Actions (FSA) Funding Program 2018 Answers to Questions Received During RFP Webinar and by

Transcription

1 Future Supply Actions (FSA) Funding Program 2018 Answers to Questions Received During RFP Webinar and by (Questions Received as of August 3, 2018) 1. Will this webinar be archived for later viewing? Yes, the webinar is posted on the homepage of the FSA website: 2. Member Agencies may submit proposal funding requests of up to $500,000 per agency or up to $500,000 for a single proposal. Does this limit the maximum to $500,000 total? Yes, the maximum will be $500,000 per Member Agency, regardless of the number of studies a member agency submits or partners in. Please remember Member Agencies are restricted to submitting a maximum of three proposals as the lead agency. 3. Please elaborate on the subcontractor/consultant roles or limitations. For example, can a consultant be designated as a key individual? Yes, consultants and other stakeholders can be designated as one of the key individuals. Metropolitan is encouraging Member Agencies to partner on their studies with other Member Agencies and stakeholders. However, all communication with Metropolitan staff must go through Metropolitan s Member Agency s representative. 4. Which Member Agencies received funding as part of the 2013 Foundational Actions Program? The 2013 Foundational Actions Program website contains a complete list of the Member Agencies that participated in the program and includes all the reports and presentations developed through the studies: 5. The RFP document states the PDF size is limited to 20MB; the presentation specified 15MB. Which is correct? The maximum size of the FSAfundingprogram@mwdh2o.com inbox is 20 MB. However, to ensure proposals are received without any problem, please try to limit the proposal size to 15 MB.

2 6. Is there a contractual issue if we write in specific consultants/experts into the proposal? The "Key Individuals" list only referred to Member Agencies or other cooperating agencies but not consultants. Consultants can be designated as one of the key individuals. However, all communication with Metropolitan staff must go through Metropolitan s Member Agency s representative. 7. Will the PowerPoint presentation from the webinar be available? Yes, the presentation is posted on the homepage of the FSA website: 8. Does the term "groundwater enhancement" also refer to brackish desalination? Yes, groundwater enhancement includes brackish desalination, as well as related issues such as brine disposal and brine line management. 9. Can the deadline to submit questions regarding the RFP be extended to a date closer to the proposal submittal deadline of August 31? We are extending the questions for clarification deadline to Monday, August 13, 2018 at 5:00 pm. 10. Is it acceptable to use a quote from a consultant for the proposal but choose a different consultant to complete the study? Yes, that could be acceptable, though Metropolitan reserves the right to determine if the new consultant is qualified to perform the work. Metropolitan will not increase any funding awards based on a quote from a new consultant. Please note that the agreement will be signed with the Member Agency, and consultants will not be part of the agreement. 11. Is the draft/sample agreement with MWD available now to review just to ensure that we and our partners can meet the requirements? No we do not have a draft/sample agreement available. Please refer to Section 1.13 Agreement Process of the RFP. 12. Does this program require adoption of resolution of the agency board? Metropolitan does not require an adoption of resolution for this Program; however, please check the policy of the Member Agency submitting the proposal. 13. How flexible are you with the two year time frame as projects often have delays?

3 Since the intent of the program is to encourage short term studies, our goal is for the studies to be completed within two years. The study proposals must reflect a two year or shorter timeframe. If a study experiences unavoidable delays, we will evaluate these occurrences on a case by case basis. 14. Will the FSA Program be available next year for bidding? The Program or RFP will not be available next year. Please contact us next year for information on a future FSA Program. 15. If the cover letter is coming from a public agency utility, should the letter be from the mayor, city manager, or director? The cover letter should be signed by an individual with authority and knowledge of the proposal, and is authorized to bind the proposing Member Agency as stated in the RFP on Page 7. For example, the letter could be signed by the Member Agency s Water Department Head or General Manager. 16. Section G Work Plan / Schedule of the RFP specifies that every task must have a specific deliverable and due date. Is it acceptable to have multiple tasks showing the same deliverable? Yes, it s acceptable to have multiple tasks showing or feeding into the same deliverable as long as each task is associated with a deliverable. 17. To whom should the support letters be addressed to? Are there any requirements / suggestions for content of the support letters? The support letters should be addressed to Mr. Warren Teitz. At a minimum, the support letters must reference the proposal and provide the reasons for support. The letters can also provide specific benefits of the proposal to the supporting entity, the Member Agencies, Sub agencies, and to the region. In addition, the letters should include the following: The support letters should clearly reference: 1. Member Agency submitting the proposal 2. Name of the proposal 3. Proposal is for Metropolitan s Future Supply Actions Program If the support letter is from a partnering Member Agency or Sub agency, it should indicate if the agency is contributing part of the funding match. Include a brief description (not deviating from the one in the proposal) of the study and reasons for support. Deviations or changes will not be considered selection criteria and will not influence the criteria and weighting as described in the RFP.

4 The support letter can describe any assistance that the Member Agency, Sub agency, or other agency intends to provide to the study (i.e. leading the effort, or providing staff/equipment support, etc.) In kind services cannot be part of the Member Agency match. 18. If a Member Agency is submitting proposals which total less than $500,000 maximum, does a priority ranking still need to be provided? Will a proposal be rejected if it comes from a member agency with multiple submittals and is not priority ranked? ** Updated Answer: Proposals are no longer required to be ranked. Please see the amended RFP. 19. The RFP requires that proposals are formatted for white 8 ½ x 11 size paper with black text. Does this mean all text must be black only (not grey scale or color)? Additionally, do figures and graphs need to be black only? The goal here is to facilitate the printing and sharing of hard copies of the proposal. It is not our intent to require all content of the proposal to be in black. The use of grey scale and color graphics or images is acceptable; however, please make sure all text, graphics, and figures are clear and readable. 20. Are there any restrictions on location of the projects? The studies must be in Metropolitan s service area and submitted by a Metropolitan Member Agency. (Questions as of August 13, 2018) 21. Is it required to have a 50:50 match for every single task in the cost table or is it ok as long as the grand total sums up to a 50:50 match? It is required to have at least a 50:50 match for each task or deliverable that Metropolitan funding is requested. Not all tasks are required to have a requested Metropolitan match. Some tasks could be fully funded by the Member Agency or partnering agencies. 22. Can the person who signs the executive summary letter be different than the person identified as the contact person within the letter? Yes, the person who signs the letter (authorized to bind the agency) does not need to be the identified contact. However, both persons must be from the lead member agency submitting the proposal. 23. When does Metropolitan plan to award the grant?

5 The study selection is contingent upon Metropolitan Board approval. We plan to bring funding recommendations to the Board in the late fall. Metropolitan will negotiate agreements with the Member Agencies after Board approval. Our goal is to have all agreements signed by the start of Are there any agreements that will need to be signed after grant award? Yes, each FSA study requires an agreement between Metropolitan and the lead Member Agency on the study. Metropolitan will negotiate the funding agreement for approved studies with the Member Agencies after Board approval. As a reminder, the funding provided to the Member Agencies is based on invoices submitted as the study proceeds. 25. If a Member Agency has multiple projects to include in their proposal, does each project have a 20 page limit or does the entire proposal (including the three projects) have a 20 page limit? Each study should be submitted as a separate proposal and each proposal has a 20 page limit. Support letters are not included in the 20 page limit. 26. Has a date been set for the concluding workshop where Member Agencies will be required to share the results of their studies? A date has not been set for the symposium. Once the studies have been completed and final reports are submitted in 2021, a date will be set soon after. 27. How will funding be provided by Metropolitan to selected projects (e.g. through checks or credit on bills)? Metropolitan will provide funding through checks to the selected studies upon review and approval of submitted invoices. As a reminder, the funding provided to the Member Agencies are based on invoices submitted as the study proceeds. 28. When can costs start to count towards local match funding? Metropolitan s policy is to not to back date agreements. Costs can start to count towards local match funding after the study agreements are signed and executed. 29. What does the verification of matching funds process look like? The RFP requires that the proposals specify what the source and status of the matching funds are. Please see page 10 of the RFP document for more information. 30. Can other grants count towards local match? The funding match can come from other non Metropolitan grants and monetary contributions from study partners. Note that Metropolitan is co funding seven specific

6 Water Research Foundation studies focusing on water reuse. Those seven studies are not eligible to be funded under this RFP. 31. On page 10 of the RFP, it states Also, provide a list summarizing all sources of the funding match, their respective monetary contribution, and status of the funding match (e.g., funding budgeted and approved by the Member Agency s Board of Directors, grant received, applying for grant, etc.). Can we supply a draft of the Board Resolution when we submit our proposal? For this section, please provide a description in narrative form of the source, amount and status of the funds. Please refer to question number 12 for additional information. 32. Would an integrated water resources master plan be an eligible project for funding consideration? An integrated water resources master plan (IRP) would likely not be eligible as it is an industry standard for water resource planning. Additionally, IRPs typical benefit a single agency and would likely not meet the criteria of providing a regional benefit. 33. Can you further define the types of projects that may be eligible especially the demonstration studies? For instance, does this refer to a physical demonstration that would include equipment or can this also include desktop studies to demonstrate that a particular process is feasible whether through modeling efforts or research? Demonstration studies may include physical demonstrations or desktop studies. Please visit the 2013 Foundational Actions Funding (FAF) Program website for examples of pilot and demonstration studies previously approved If multiple Member Agencies are partnering with another Member Agency on a proposal do both partners need to submit their own proposal or can one proposal be submitted asking for the appropriate shares? Only one proposal should be submitted by the lead Member Agency. Please refer to Section 2 of the RFP for additional information. 35. How are in kind services defined? All matching contributions must be monetary and dollar for dollar. In kind services of any kind will not be matched by Metropolitan in this program. In kind services include but are not limited to: staff time and overhead, in house lab work and resources such as equipment. 36. What is a system integration study?

7 An eligible system integration study would likely involve multiple agencies and should have a regional benefit. Additionally the study should address a resource development barrier such as water quality issues or blending approaches, for example. The Recycled Water Intertie Study completed in the 2013 FAF Program is one example of a system integration study. 37. The RFP states that Metropolitan may have the applicant interview or give an oral presentation. Did Metropolitan do presentations in the last round of funding? Metropolitan did not conduct interviews or ask for presentations during the 2013 FAF Program. 38. How many other agencies have you heard from regarding this RFP? There is a strong interest in this funding program which is why we strongly encourage Member Agencies to partner.