WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Permanent Designations for Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties

Transcription

1 WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Permanent Designations for Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham Counties Solicitation No. 2012DFGRR Addendum #2: The purpose of this Addendum is to answer questions submitted in Information Session that was held on March 27, 2012 and to answer questions submitted online from March 14, 2012 through April 13, SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 ADDENDUM #2 ISSUE DATE: Friday, April 13, 2012 Solicitation No.2012DFGRR Addendum 2 Page 1 of 5

2 INFORMATION SESSION MARCH 27, Will there be a program manual for Lead, Radon, Asbestos testing and remediation? ANSWER: The North Carolina Weatherization Installation Standards includes guidance on lead, asbestos, and radon. The Standards have been posted with this Addendum. 2. Can sub grantees leverage SEO funds and add funds (such as CDBG or Lead) to them to do a better, more complete package/job? ANSWER: Subgrantees are encouraged to leverage weatherization funds with other funding sources. 3. Where can we find the priority lists of measures? ANSWER: The Priority Lists of Measures are available in the North Carolina Weatherization Installation Standards. The Standards have been posted with this Addendum. 4. What is the theory behind not changing fuel source? ANSWER: Weatherization Program Notice 12-1 strictly prohibits the general practice of nonrenewable fuel switching when replacing furnace/appliances. However, DOE does allow the changing of fuel on a limited case by case basis. 5. Does units served change based on counties served? ANSWER: Yes. A Subgrantee is required to serve counties in its territory in proportion to the number of households in poverty based on the most recently completed Census. Counties with more households in poverty have more units completed in its territory. 6. Are the designations locked? ANSWER: Yes. The designation of weatherization territory is a long process and typically not done unless required by an agency giving up its territory or being de-funded by SEO. 7. Can you explain indirect rate proposal and provided example of approval letter for Federal COG agency; the same for contractors? ANSWER: A cognizant Federal agency is responsible for approving indirect cost rates for recipients based on an indirect cost proposal submission. For local governments, OMB Circular A-87 can provide further guidance on how to prepare a submission. The method of approval for a contractor would depend on its structure and its funding sources. 8. Are the insurance requirements for coordinating agency the same for contractors? ANSWER: Yes, for shell subcontractors. Trade subcontractors, HVAC, electricians, and plumbers, have slightly reduced requirements. 9. When will an award decision be announced? ANSWER: As stated in the solicitation, the decision should be announced within 90 days of the close out date of May 4, Solicitation No.2012DFGRR Addendum 2 Page 2 of 5

3 10. Can program expenses incurred prior to July 1, 2012 for implementation and ramp up of the program be covered by the funding? Or just those expenses incurred July 1 st or later? ANSWER: SEO cannot reimburse for expenses that are incurred before a contract is signed. 11. Are the unit goals based upon a first year program with built in time for ramping up capacity for work? Or are they mature year numbers that the state expects completed from an established WAP provider? ANSWER: The allocation and the estimated unit goals are based on the standard allocation formula and have not been reduced for this solicitation. 12. Is HARRP a separate funding source or does it come out of the WAP amounts in this proposal? ANSWER: As stated in the solicitation, it is a separate funding source. 13. Does the State have a standard WAP assistance application for individuals requesting services? ANSWER: No. 14. Does the State define what needs to be specifically documented in the files? Or do we define our processes and procedures which get approved by the State? ANSWER: Required documentation is specified by SEO. 15. Can we solicit and approve our own list of subcontractors to work with for certain weatherization services? Or do we have to use the state s approved list? ANSWER: SEO reviews all shell subcontractor agreements before the agreements can be signed by the subgrantee. While all other subcontractors must meet the criteria specified in our guidelines, the agreements are not required to be submitted to our office. 16. Can the weatherization provider do their own test in and test out if properly certified, or do they need to be separate contractors outside of the agency? ANSWER: Subgrantees are expected to do initial audits and final inspections with internal staff. Delegating these tasks to a third party is permissible; however, the subgrantee is still held responsible to ensure that these activities comply with SEO guidelines. 17. Can BPI certifications be substituted instead of Auditor training listed in Appendix A? ANSWER: No. BPI guidelines differ from our guidelines in several areas. 18. Is there a current waiting list of potential WAP individuals interested in these services since RCS has not been providing these services for a period of time? ANSWER: Yes. The waitlists will be made available to Subgrantee(s). 19. Are there different criteria for who qualifies for DOE or LIHEAP weatherization services? Are there different scopes of work? ANSWER: No. The eligibility criteria and scope of work for DOE and LIHEAP weatherization are the same. Solicitation No.2012DFGRR Addendum 2 Page 3 of 5

4 20. Are there different criteria for the HARRP services? What about scopes of work? ANSWER: Yes. HARRP eligibility criterion is based solely on a household income being at or below 150% of the current poverty line. The scope of work is limited to repair and replacement of the heating and/or cooling system in the dwelling. 21. Does the projected number of units consist of both WAP and HARRP services? ANSWER: There are three sets of projected number of units; one each for DOE WAP, LIHEAP WAP, and HARRP. 22. Is there a process in place to review property addresses for Historic Preservation Section 106? ANSWER: Yes. SEO has a programmatic agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office that exempts most of our measures from review. In cases where a review is necessary, there is an expedited process that is followed. 23. Is there a comprehensive list of what is considered a covered measure under the scope of work? ANSWER: Yes. The North Carolina Weatherization Installation Standards includes allowable measures. The Standards have been posted with this Addendum. 24. With the testing out, are you looking for the work to all have been completed to what was requested or are you looking for an energy savings percentage or dollar amount? ANSWER: The final inspection verifies all required work as been done and all materials are in place. 25. What will be the requirements be for staffing, office, warehousing in each county? ANSWER: Requirements for staffing, office, and warehouse space will depend on the subgrantee selected and if they choose to use subcontractors or an in-house crew to do the work. SEO will work with subgrantee(s) to determine the solution that works best. 26. Under Submission process; submission checklist; page 11 of 14: recent monitoring/assessment/evaluation reports, do you want this for all programs or just reports from the last year? ANSWER: The reports should be for all programs and for the most recent report. Some programs are monitored once every 2-3 years so the most recent may not be in the last year. 27. Could one entity oversee and administer for all 5 counties and allocate funds to multiple partners and agencies? ANSWER: No. The subgrantee may not sub-grant any funds to another organization. Solicitation No.2012DFGRR Addendum 2 Page 4 of 5

5 28. Can we get a copy of this PowerPoint? ANSWER: The presentation as been posted with this addendum. Online Questions 1. We are trying to compile all the information to submit our application electronically, and we cannot get our file to be 10MB. Currently it is at 29.7MB and that is with a compressed file. Can I get some guidance on how to get all the required documents into 1 searchable PDF that is only 10MB? ANSWER: Ensure that charts, graphs, and pictures are compressed before they are converted to the PDF Format. If you are using a standard version of Adobe Acrobat, select reduce file size and remove compatibility access with versions older than Upon reviewing the application it appears to be more geared toward "for profit" or "private entities", not a local government municipality. Are there any questions or parts that local government municipalities are exempt from completing? For example, we do not have a Board of Directors, the Financing and Surety, the insurance coverage, etc. ANSWER: A for profit entity is ineligible to become a subgrantee. A Municipality is eligible to apply; however, it must understand that allocations are based on county needs and that it could not just serve the city in which it is incorporated. For local units of government, functional equivalents are permissible. For instance, a City Manager, County Manager, or Mayor may function in the role as a Board Chairperson. The City Council or Board of Commissioners may function in the role of a Board of Directors. The insurance coverage cannot be waived. 3. Can a designated subgrantee form a partnership with entitlement communities and/or other low-income housing organizations within the proposed 5-county service area, to leverage federal HOME, CDBG and Lead Abatement funds with WAP funds? ANSWER: The subgrantee may not sub-grant any funds to another organization. A subgrantee may enter in a sub contractual agreement in which another organization with a SEO specified scope of work. These types of agreements are limited to shell, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing subcontractors. SEO does not allow subcontractors to further subcontract out work to another organization. Forming partnerships to leverage resources with other organizations is encouraged; however, such partners would not be permitted to hire organizations on the subgrantee s behalf for the purposes of doing weatherization work. Solicitation No.2012DFGRR Addendum 2 Page 5 of 5