:: Federal Government Grant

Calibration Program, $7,725,000 total funding from government grant


USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS
Provides traceability to the National Standards for measurements that are used for assurance of interchangeability and uniformity of manufactured items, for process control, for informational and scientific purposes, and for fairness and objectivity in commerce and regulation. There are no use restrictions.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Eligibility
Calibrations and tests are provided on a fee basis to state and local governments, academic institutions, scientific laboratories, industrial firms, corporations, and individuals.

Beneficiary Eligibility
Not applicable.

Credentials/Documentation
None.

11.601 CALIBRATION PROGRAM


FEDERAL AGENCY
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

AUTHORIZATION
National Bureau of Standards Organic Act, Public Law 56-177, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.

OBJECTIVES
To provide a consistent system of physical measurement in the United States of America.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE
Provision of Specialized Services.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS

Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure
Submission of purchase order to appropriate office for service of interest: Calibration Program, 100 Bureau Drive Stop 2330, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2330; or to M.C. 818.01, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, Boulder, CO 80303.

Award Procedure
Not applicable.

Deadlines
Not applicable.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Not applicable.

Appeals
Not applicable.

Renewals
Not applicable.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Not applicable.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

Reports
Not applicable.

Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133, (Revised, June 27, 2003), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal Awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for the year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records
Not applicable.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Account Identification
13-4650-0-4-376.

Obligations
(Operating expenses) FY 06 est $7,864,100; FY 07 est $7,877,400; and FY 08 est not available.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not applicable.

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In fiscal year 2006, it is estimated that approximately 12,000 tests will be performed on standards and measuring devices.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE
National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 250 "Calibration and Related Measurement Services of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and NIST 250 appendix, "Fee Schedule"" available on the web. Program Literature: The NIST Technical Notes (TN's), Special Publications (SP's), and Monographs listed in SP 250, may be obtained at the price indicated from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402; or from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22151.

INFORMATION CONTACTS

Regional or Local Office
Not applicable.

Headquarters Office
Calibration Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2330, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2330. Telephone: (301) 975-2092. E-mail: calibrations@nist.gov. Fax: (301) 869-3548.

Web Site Address
http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/233/calibration

RELATED PROGRAMS
11.603, National Standard Reference Data System; 11.604, Standard Reference Materials; 11.606, Weights and Measures Service.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS
Not applicable.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS
Not applicable.


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:: Federal Government Grant

Bonding Assistance Program, $15,000,000 total funding


Purpose of this program:

To enhance and further the opportunity for Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (SDBEs) to obtain bid, performance and payment bonds for transportation-related contracts emanating from the DOT, its grantees, recipients, their contractors and subcontractors.

Possible uses and use restrictions...

The bonds are issued in support of transportation-related contracts. Transportation-related means a contract for the maintenance, rehabilitation, restructuring, improvement, or revitalization of any of the Nation's modes of transportation with any public or commercial provider of transportation or any Federal, State or local transportation agency.

Who is eligible to apply...

The recipient of a bond must be a certified DBE, minority-owned business enterprise or women-owned business enterprise. These certifications must be performed by an agency using DOT guidelines, 49 CFR Part 26. All firms certified by the Small Business Administration as 8(a) companies are eligible to participate in the DOT Bonding program.

Eligible Applicant Categories:

* Minority Group
* Profit Organization

Eligible Functional Categories:

* Minority Business Enterprises

Credentials/Documentation

Application and supplemental information, including a certification letter from the recipient agency(s), using DOT guidelines 49 CFR Part 26.

Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:

This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy. For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree, 3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible. Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they must satisfy.

Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs, the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.

How to apply...
Application Procedure:


Completed applications should be submitted to Pilot Bonding Program Agents for underwriting and bonds are issued by one of DOT's Participating Sureties. Applicants may obtain a copy of the application and a list for the Pilot Bonding Agents on the OSDBU internet site at: http://osdbuweb.dot.gov or by contacting OSDBU.

Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.

Award Procedure:

All bonds are approved and issued directly to the DBE by the Sureties.

Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check. Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office, or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.

Related federal programs

* 8(a) Business Development
* Bond Guarantees for Surety Companies
* Women's Business Ownership Assistance

Deadlines and process...
Deadlines

Based upon bid or contract documents.

Note: When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received. When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Bonds are issued on-site by local agents as representatives of the Sureties.

Preapplication Coordination

Information and consultation is available from the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), Telephone: (202) 366-1169. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Note: This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.

Appeals

Not applicable.

Note: In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Renewals

Bonds are issued on a project by project basis.

Note: In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.

Who can benefit...

Certified Minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises.

Beneficiaries

* Minority group
* Profit organization
* Women

About this section:

This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.

What types of assistance...
Insurance


Financial assistance provided to assure reimbursement for losses sustained under specified conditions. Coverage may be provided directly by the Federal government or through private carriers and may or may not involve the payment of premiums.

How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance


Average dollar amount of bonds issued is $330,000.

Note: This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.

Obligations

(Guaranteed Surety Bonds) FY 03 $15,000,000; FY 04 $15,000,000; and FY 05 est $15,000,000.

Note: The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.

Account Identification

69-0102-0-1-407.

Note: Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program. This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.

Examples of funded projects...

Not applicable.

About this section

This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.

Program accomplishments...


During the last 3 fiscal years, an average of 70 performance and payment bonds were issued annually, averaging a total of $15 million a year.


Criteria for selecting proposals...

Not applicable.


Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance


Guarantees run to termination of bond (usually 1 year after completion of contract).

Formula and Matching Requirements

Not applicable.

Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.

Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.

In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.

Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.

Post assistance requirements...
Reports


Monthly, internal OSDBU reports; Reports to the Secretary of Transportation on all bond approvals.

Note: This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.

Audits

DOT has the right to audit its accounts with the Participating Sureties.

Note: This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency. The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133. These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year, as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period, rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records

OSDBU and the surety agents maintain records of current applicant files, such as approvals. Bond approvals will be maintained by the participating sureties, with a copy provided to DOT.

Note: This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require. Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office. For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C. For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements

Regulations...
Authorization


Public Law 97-449, 49 U.S.C. 332.

Note: This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).

Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature

Public Law 97-449, 49 U.S.C.332.

Contact information...
Web Sites

* osdbuweb.dot.gov
* www.dot.gov/ost
* www.dot.gov

Regional Or Local Office

Not applicable.

Note: This section lists the agency contact person, address and telephone number of the Federal Regional or Local Office(s) to be contacted for detailed information regarding a program such as: (1) current availability of funds and the likelihood of receiving assistance within a given period; (2) pre-application and application forms required; (3) whether a pre-application conference is recommended; (4) assistance available in preparation of applications; (5) whether funding decisions are made at the headquarters, regional or local level; (6) application renewal procedures (including continuations and supplementals) or appeal procedures for rejected applications; and (7) recently published program guidelines and material. However, for most federal programs, this section will instruct the reader to consult the so-called Appendix IV of the Catalog due to the large volume of Regional and Local Office Contacts for most agencies. This information is provided in Additional Contact Information (see below).

Headquarters Office

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, S-40, Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Contact: Bonding Manager. Telephone: (800) 532-1169 or (202) 366-2852. Website: http://osdbuweb.dot.gov.

Note: This section lists names and addresses of the office at the headquarters level with direct operational responsibility for managing a program. A telephone number is provided in cases where a Regional or Local Office is not normally able to answer detailed inquiries concerning a program. Also listed are the name(s) and telephone number(s) of the information contact person(s) who can provide additional program information to applicants.

Additional Contact Information (Appendix IV)

Due to the large volume of regional and local office contacts for most agencies, full contact information is also provided separately here in a PDF format:

* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by Agency (PDF file)
* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by State (PDF file)

Administered by:
US Federal Government Agency (see all agencies)
Department of Transportation , Office of the Secretary
CFDA #: 20.904




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