Application Notes:

Mandatory concept papers must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on January 12, 2024.

Concept papers must be submitted online at infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov.

Concept papers must include:

• Project overview
• Project details
• Project impacts
• Community benefits plan

Concept papers must be submitted in .pdf format and must be formatted on standard-sized pages with margins no smaller than one inch on every side. Concept papers must be formatted in black Calibri font no smaller than 12-point, although figures and tables may be 10-point. References must be included as footnotes or endnotes, which will count toward the maximum page requirements, in a font no smaller than 10-point. Page numbers must be included in the footer of every page.

Concept papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The proposed work, if successfully accomplished, would clearly meet the objectives of this program and component
• The proposed work aligns with and supports state, local, tribal, and/or regional resilience; decarbonization; or other energy strategies and plans
• The applicant has identified risks and challenges to project success, and outlined possible mitigation strategies for each risk
• The applicant has identified technical, operational, and administrative risks to the security of the applicant's assets and outline possible mitigation strategies for each risk
• The applicant has thoroughly explained the impact of program funding
• The applicant has proposed strategies and accountability mechanisms to ensure meaningful community and labor engagement; quality jobs and workforce development; support for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and support for the goals of the Justice40 Initiative
• The applicant has the qualifications, experience, capabilities, and other resources necessary to complete the proposed project
• The applicant has provided an estimated total project cost, characterized the project's economic viability, and demonstrated that the project provides enhanced system value and/or provides improved current and future system cost effectiveness and delivers economic benefit

The funding agency is expected to issue responses to concept papers in February 2024. The funding agency will encourage a subset of applicants to submit full applications; other applicants will be discouraged from submitting a full application. An applicant that receives a discouraged notification may still submit a full application, as the funding agency will review all eligible full applications; however, by discouraging the submission of a full application, the funding agency intends to convey its lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project in an effort to save the applicant the time and expense of preparing a full application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations.

Full applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on May 22, 2024.

Full applications must be submitted online at infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov.

Full applications must include:

• SF 424
• Technical volume (25 pages max)
• Resumes (3 pages max per resume)
• Letters of commitment (1 page max per letter)
• Community partnership documentation (1 page max per document; 10 pages max)
• Statement of project objectives (5 pages max)
• Budget justification workbook
• Summary/abstract for public release (2 pages max)
• Summary slide (3 pages max)
• Subrecipient budget justification (if applicable)
• Environmental questionnaire
• SF LLL
• Foreign entity waiver requests and foreign work waiver requests (if applicable)
• Community benefits plan: job quality and equity (12 pages max)
• Community benefits plan budget justification workbook
• Current and pending support
• Potentially duplicative funding notice (if applicable)
• Transparency of foreign connections
• Locations of work
• Project description and assurances document (PDAD)

Full applications must be formatted on standard-sized pages with margins no smaller than one inch on every side, and must be formatted in black Calibri font no smaller than 12-point, although figures and tables may be 10-point. References must be included as footnotes or endnotes, which will count toward the maximum page requirements, in a font no smaller than 10-point. Page numbers must be included in the footer of every page. The maximum file size that may be uploaded is 10 MB. If a file exceeds 10 MB but is still within the maximum page limit, it must be broken into parts and denoted to that effect. Files must be formatted and named according to the specifications detailed on pages 53-54 of the NOFA file.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

An optional webinar will be held for this program as follows:

November 20, 2023
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: www.energy.gov/gdo/events

As part of the evaluation and selection process, the funding agency may invite one or more applicants to participate in pre-selection interviews, which are expected to take place from July to August 2024. The funding agency may also determine that pre-selection clarifications are necessary from one or more applicants. Refer to pages 97-98 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding pre-selection interviews and clarifications.

Full applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Impact, transformation, and technical merit (40 percent)
• Project management team, financial feasibility, project plan, and statement of project objectives (SOPO) (20 percent)
• Viability, replicability, and additionality (20 percent)
• Community benefits plan (20 percent)

Refer to the NOFA file and Application folder for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Applicants must provide at least 50 percent of the total project costs via cash or in-kind contributions.

Matching contributions may include funding or property received from state or local governments, so long as the funding was not provided to the state or local government by the federal government.

Matching contributions may be provided by the prime recipient, subrecipients, or third parties. Vendors/contractors may not provide matching contributions, and any partial donations of goods or services is considered a discount and is not allowable.

Matching contributions may not include:

• Revenues or royalties from the prospective operation of an activity beyond the project period
• Proceeds from the prospective sale of an asset of an activity
• Federal funding or property
• Expenditures that were reimbursed under a separate federal program
• The same cash or in-kind contributions used to meet the cost-share requirements of another project or program

Funding Notes:

Approximately $3.9 billion is available to support 40 to 100 awards for this program overall, with approximately $1.08 billion available through this component to support an anticipated 25 to 40 awards. In general, the maximum award amount is anticipated to be $50 million; however, for projects that aggregate multiple utility service territories, the maximum award amount is anticipated to be $100 million, and for projects that deploy advanced conductors for transmission line capacity improvement at scale, the maximum award amount is anticipated to be $250 million.

The funding agency will invest approximately $10.5 billion for this program overall for the five-year period encompassing FY 2022 through FY 2026.

Funds will be provided on a reimbursement basis.

Award notifications are expected to be made in summer/fall 2024, and award negotiations are expected to take place in winter 2024/2025.

The project period will be 60 months and will be comprised of one or more budget periods. Project continuation will be contingent upon several elements, including satisfactory performance, a go/no-go decision by the funding agency, and the availability of appropriated funds.

Applicants selected for award negotiations must request prior written approval to charge pre-award costs. In addition, award recipients must obtain written authorization from their contracting officer before incurring any major construction costs.

Funds may not be used for:

• Investments or expenditures for smart grid technologies, devices, or equipment that utilize specific tax credits or deductions under the Internal Revenue Code, as amended
• Expenditures for electricity generation, transmission, or distribution infrastructure or equipment not directly related to enabling smart grid functions
• After the final date for state consideration of the smart grid information standard under section 2621(d)(17) of title 16, an investment that is not in compliance with such standard
• After the development and publication of protocols and model standards for interoperability of smart grid devices and technologies, an investment that fails to incorporate any of such protocols or model standards
• Expenditures for physical interconnection of generators or other devices to the grid except those that are directly related to enabling smart grid functions
• Expenditures for ongoing salaries, benefits, or personnel costs not incurred in the initial installation, training, or startup of smart grid functions
• Expenditures for travel, lodging, meals, or other personal costs
• Ongoing or routine operation, billing, customer relations, security, and maintenance expenditures
• Other expenditures that the funding agency determines not to be qualifying smart grid investments by reason of the lack of ability to perform smart grid functions or lack of direct relationship to smart grid functions
• Projects that fall outside the technical parameters of this program
• Technologies that are not based on sound scientific principles
• Projects that dedicate a significant budget allocation towards funding customer rebate or incentive programs
• Foreign travel costs
• Lobbying

For FY 2024/2025, 24 awards ranging from $10,918,827 to $160,296,888 were issued through this component. For FY 2023, 34 awards ranging from $1,116,174 to $50 million were issued. Refer to the Award file for details.

November 7, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and appended to the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.

April 29, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.

April 9, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.

March 13, 2024
A revised full solicitation for this program has been released and attached as the NOFA file. A required form for the submission of the application community benefits plan has been released and attached as the CommunityBenefitsPlan file in the Application folder. Additionally, a list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

November 29, 2023
A revised full solicitation for this program containing an updated due date for the application has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Application section has been updated accordingly. In addition, a revised form for submission has been released and appended to the Application folder as the ConceptPaper file.