Developing Best Practices and Training for Driver Education

Developing Best Practices and Training for Driver Education is sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This cooperative agreement seeks innovative and creative projects focused on identifying and developing best practices related to driver education for novice drivers, and training state driver licensing authorities on how to adopt such practices.

Questions and NHTSA Response 1. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Developing Best Practices and Training for Novice Driver Education uses the term Umbrella Cooperative Agreement (CA or Agreement). Please describe how this is different from an IDIQ -type of contract ?

IDIQ contracts result in awarding of Delivery Orders and Task orders, while Umbrella Agreements result in awarding Cooperative Agreement Projects (CAP). Please see the definitions of a Contract and Cooperative Agreement that follow: 1. Contract means a mutually binding legal relationship obligating the seller to furnish the supplies or services (including construction ) and the buyer to pay for them.

It includes all types of commitments that obligate the Government to an expenditure of appropriated funds and that, except as otherwise authorized, are in writing .

In addition to bilateral instruments, contracts include (but are not limited to) awards and notices of awards; job or ders or task letters issued under basic ordering agreements; letter contracts; orders, such as purchase orders , under which the contract becomes effective by written acceptance or performance; and bilateral contract modifications . Contracts do not include grants and cooperative agreements covered by 31 2.

Cooperative Agreements are legal instruments that facilitate the tra nsfer of something of value from federal executive agencies to states, local governments, and private recipients for a public purpose or benefit. 2.

Page 13 of the NOFO states that technical application cannot exceed thirty ( 30 ) pa ges (excluding resumes and appendices), with the technical application including the technical approach and understanding, the qualifications of the project personnel, and the corporate experie nce and past performance. On page one ( 1) of the appendix on the hypothetical project (A.

1), it is stated that the response to the hypothetical project is limited thirty ( 30 ) pages for all three requirements. please clarify whether the thirty ( 30 ) page limi t is for the entire technical application or just for the hypothetical project? The technical application applies to the entire application, not just the technical approach.

The Hypothetical Project is included in the technical application. The thirty ( 30 ) page limit is for the entire application , please re feren ce Section E, APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION . 3.

What start date should be use d for the Umbrella Cooperative Agreem ent and also for the hypothetical project , as a guide for timeline and budget planning? Please reference E. 4 Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Date.

NHTSA recommends using the performance period for the hypothetical project . There is no start date for the NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response hypothetical project , the Applicant shall provide the period they determine to accomplish the Hypothetical Proje ct, based on their proposed technical approach. 4.

The understanding from the NOFO is that the detailed budget required is for the hypothetical project only (e.g., labor personnel and categories). Is that correct , and if so, does there need to be a separate budget for each requirement or just one overall budget ? There should be a separate budget for each requirement within the Hypothetical Project , please review Section E.

1 Criteria . 5. Should the budget include personnel and labor categories only for the hypothetical under the awarded CA or will the recipient be limited to the personnel listed for the The budget is to include personnel and labor categories for the Hypothetical Project (s).

Future CAP s will be awarded separately . I f there are different personnel requirements, this will be decided under each CAP as part of the procedures for the Applicant to provide a separate Technical and Cost Application for that CAP . Please review E.

1 Criteria and sub section E. 1. D Evaluation Factor 4: Cost Bud get Evaluation .

6. Page 15 of the NOFO describes four (4) types of information that need to be included in the technical approach and understanding section (Factor 1) : background; objective; project management plan; and administrative priorities (e.g., safety, racial equity and barriers to opportunity ).

Given that the technical approach and understanding section will address the three (3) requirements for the hypothetical project separately, do the four (4) required types of information noted above need to be included/addressed in each requirement write -up or can they be addressed once more generally in the overall technical approach and unders tanding section?

The four (4) described types of information that need to be included (background, objective, project management plan, and administrative priorities (e.g., safety, racial equity, and barriers to opportunity)) could be addressed just once. However, the description of the Hypothetical Project A.

1, includes on page three ( 3) th e need to “Justify and describe how it would identify innovative demonstration, countermeasures, or training needs; prepare a proposed project management plan or approach to address the identified need…) ; s uch information may be different for each solution proposed by Applicants to address each of the three (3) Requirements included with the Hypothetical Project . Reference Appendix A.

1 Hypothetical Project . NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 7. Are letters of support permitted and encouraged?

There is no requirement for letters of support . Please review to Factor 3: Corporate Experience 8. In requirement 3 of the hypothetical project (Conduct research of issues or practices to driver education, licensing, training practices, and countermeasures), reference is made to “the curriculum developed for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

” Could NHTSA elaborate on this?

For example, it would be helpful to know if NHTSA is talking more generally about curriculum guidelines and resources at the national level (e.g., the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and the Role of the Driver Educator – Teacher/Ins tructor Training Materials) or if NHTSA is talking about specific curriculum at the state level that may have been adapted from national resources (and could vary This is a hypothetical study where the Government is interest ed in understanding how an Applicant would apply behavioral research theories and constructs to conduct research to study a training curriculum .

ADAS is a fictious topic and could have been replaced by another topic (e.g., mentoring). In preparing a response, A pplicants are to assume that some ADAS curriculum exists and that the study audiences include driver educators, driver licensing examiners, or other State driver licensing authorities.

The Government is interested to 1) know how applicant’s would reach the intended audiences; 2) how applicant’s would study the intended audience’s knowledge of, comfortability with, and readiness to adapt to using ADAS technologies; 3) explain how applicant’s would determine if developed curriculum content a nd delivery methods are appropriate for the audiences, and 4) how applicant’s would identify modifications needed to improve a training.

The Government is not interested in creating an inventory of what is being 9. The language in the description says a total ceiling amount of $1. 8M is available to award multiple discretionary Umbrella Cooperative Agreements under this NOFO.

Does thi s mean there are multiple $1. 8M awards or multiple awards totaling $1. 8M?

Please re ference B . 2 Fund ing and Type of Award, the ceiling amount posed is $1,817 ,560 . 00 and this includes multiple awards that each may have a ceiling of $1,817,560.

00 NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 10. In the hypothetical studies “Requirement 3” there is reference to curriculum developed for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Is this existing curriculum that NHTSA has developed or is this a general reference to publicly available materials?

This is a hypothetical study. The Government is interested in understanding how an Applicant would apply behavioral research theories and constructs to conduct research to study a training curriculum . For the Hypothetical Project, Requirement 3, ADA S is a fictious topic that could be replaced by another topic (e.g., teacher training) .

For the intents of this proposal, Applicants can assume this is a general reference to publicly available materials. a. The differences between the CAPA submission (C.

3), the application for the umbrella agreement (D. 2), and A. 1 Hypothetical Project CAPA is the process for issuing a CAP s once an Umbrella Agreement has been awarded .

Section C. 3 provides general details about the submission, review, and award procedures. Section D.

2 shares greater detail on ‘Content and Form of Application Submission. The information included in D. 2 is to b e used to respond to the Hypothetical Project and Requirement The Hypothetical Project is a fictious set of scenarios identified and called Requirement 1, 2, and 3.

Applicants are to consider and decide which Requirement(s) it can acceptab ly complete and respond using the instructions in Section D. 2. Each Requirement is to include a section for Factor 1 (Technical Approach and Understanding), Factor 2 (Qualifications of Project Personnel), and Factor 3 (Corporate Past Performance).

b. How do they correlate with each other? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D.

Application and Submission Information. c. Are the CAPAs their own separate piece?

If so: Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information. i.

Are these for an organization to propose other project opportunities that could be included within the CAP? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response ii. Is there a page limit for CAPAs? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D.

Application and Submission Information. . For each CAPA submitted to the Recipients to provide an Application will be described in the CAPS provided to the Recipients.

iii. Can multiple CAPAs be submitte d? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D.

Application and Submission Information. 12. Is C.

3 CAPA Submission Procedures directions for what is to be submitted in the Hypothetical Project Proposal? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

13. Is the CAPA part of the Technical Application (D. 2 a.)

which is limited to thirty (30) pages. Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

14. Is the Hypothetical Project to be included within the thirty (30) pages of the Technical Application or is it a separate thirty (pages) (i.e., thirty (30) pages for Hypothetical plus 30 pages for Technical Proposal for a total of sixty (60) pages)? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D.

Application and Submission Information. NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 15. The NOFO lists CAP Areas in B.

8 that correlate with the three requirements in A. 1 Hypothetical Project. Are these CAP areas 3 separate projects (as the NOFO im plies in B.

8) or are they task areas of one project as stated in A. 1 Hypothetical Project? From B.

8 Cooperative Agreement Projects (CAP) Areas – Page 10 “NHTSA may issue one or more projects in the following areas (this list may not be all From A. 1.

Hypothetical Project – Pages 2 -3 “The Applicant should discuss how it would conduct a project with the following requirements…” “The Applicant shall detail its approach that covers the following Applicants shou ld view the Hypothetical Project and each Requirement (e.g., Requirement 1, 2, and 3) as separate projects. Applicants should provide a response to all three (3) Hypothetical 16.

Does an organization have to respond to all three (3) requirements in the hypothetical project or can they respond to only one requirement? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

17 Should the work breakdown structure (WBS) cover the entire project, or should there be a WBS for each sub -task? The work breakdown structur e (WBS) should cover each Hypothetical Project (e.g., Requirements 1, 2, or 3) separately. 18.

Is information on the following needed for each project submitted or only a general approach for all projects? i. a plan for monitoring/managing quality control pr ocesses, ii.

where appropriate a clear marketing plan for dissemination of product(s) to appropriate target audience(s), iii. a risk mitigation strategy to identify risks and methods for addressing, mitigating or eliminating problems, and iv. identifying necessary trav el to complete the conditions, activities.

v. Administration Priorities – safety, racial equity, workforce development Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 19. If proposing utilization of a sub -contractor or Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), should qualifications, experience, or resumes be included for those individuals (Factors 2 and 3 of Technical Application)? Please reference E.

1 Evaluation Factor 2: Qualifications of Project Personnel and D. 2 Content and Form of Applicatio n Submission 20. Are the cover page and table of contents included in the thirty ( 30 ) page limit of the The application shall not exceed thirty (30) pages (not including resumes , appendices, table of contents or cover page).

Re ference Section D on page 1 3. 21. In general, what is the distinction between the Umbrella Agreement and the Hypothetical Project in terms of the content and structure of the Technical Proposal.

Are applicant’s require d to submit separate Technical Proposals or just one (1) thirty ( 30 ) page Technical Proposal that addresses both the Umbrella Agreement and the Hypothetical Project? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Sub mission Information.

. 22. Is the content of the Technical Approach and Understanding (Factor 1) section of the Technical Proposal intended to focus solely on the hypothetical project, as suggested in section D.

2 of the NOFO? Or should this section speak more broadly to the CAP areas under the umbrella agreement? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D.

Application and Submission Information. . 23.

Section D. 2 of the NOFO indicates that Qualifications of Project Personnel (Factor 2) should identify a Project Manager and discuss the ability of “included personnel” to complete the work outlined in the Umbrella Agreement and Hypothetical Project. Is the Project Manager the manager for the hypothetical project?

Should the personnel described in this section be those proposed for the hypothetical project or personnel who would be likely to work on CAPs under the umbrella agreement? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 24. The NOFO refers to the “hypothetical projects. ” However, only one (1) hypothetical project is included in Attachment A.

1. Should our response reflect a single project that addresses all requirements in attachment A. 1, or multiple distinct projects?

There are three (3) Requirements as stated in A. 1. Applicants shall provide a response to all three (3) hypothetical requirements .

Please see Ap pendi x A. 1 Hypothetical Project which p rovides three (3) r equirements . 25.

The NOFO requires a Recipient Cooperative Agreement Manager (RCAM) as a condition of the umbrella agreement and any CAP awarded under the agreement. Please provide a more detailed description of t his position and an estimated level of effort for The Recipient’s Cooperative Agreement Manager is the Recipient’s liaison with the federal government for technical and administrative matters concerning this Cooperative Ag reement.

For example, assuring all invoices and reports are submitted appropriately and timely. Please reference B. 5 A cro nyms.

26. Page 18 of the NOFO states that, “Travel will be reimbursed at cost in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. ” However, the Applicant defines travel costs as direct co sts that incur indirect.

Under 2 CFR § 200. 475, travel costs may be charged directly to a Federal award as long as participation of the traveling individual is necessary to the Federal award and the costs are reasonable and consistent with the entity’s est ablished travel policy. The Applicant has an established travel policy that adheres to FAR 31.

205 - 46. Would NHTSA consider allowing indirect on travel under this umbrella agreement? NHTSA concurs with the Applicant’s definition using 2 CFR § 200.

475 however Cooperative Agreement s are not Governed by the FAR, specifically, FAR 31. 205 -46 27. The NOFO requests that Recipients designate GPMs to serve as the point of contact for matters related to CAPs awarded under this umbrella agreement.

Can you please define Please refer to Section B. 7. 2.

B Statement of Responsibilities for GPM. NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 28. please provide clarification on what is meant on page 8 under funding and type of award - "NHTSA will only accept one (1) application from each eligible applicant.

Does this mean that only one application can only come out of a single institution such as a Applicants must refer to Section C. 1. Eligible Applicants.

29. What are the parameters for a proposed period of performance? For example, could one propose a period of performance of April 2025 – April 2028, or would that fall outside the permissible period for this funding opportunity?

Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information and section E. 4 Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates.

. 30. Is there a user guide that explains NHTSA’s various funding mechanisms (i.e., the difference between an umbrella cooperative agreement and a regular cooperative agreement, if any, etc.)?

Contract means a mutually binding legal relationship obligating the seller to furnish the supplies or services (including construction ) and the buyer to pay for them. It includes all types of commitments that obligate the Government to an expenditure of appropriated funds and that, except as otherwise authorized, are in writing .

In addition to bilateral instruments, contracts include (but are not limited to) awards and notices of awards; job orders or task letters issued under basic orderin g agreements; letter contracts; orders, such as purchase orders , under which the contract becomes effective by written acceptance or performance; and bilateral contract modifications .

Contracts do not include grants and cooperative agreements covered by 31 Cooperative Agreements are legal instruments that facilitate the transfer of something of value from federal executive agencies to states, local governments, and private recipients for a public 31. In preparing the budget, should one assign a dollar amount/value for each in -kind contribution, or is listing the various in -kind items sufficient?

Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information. NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response a) Is there any budget limitation for the proposal or any suggested budget heads with limiting values for the period of thirty -six ( 36 ) months?

For example, under what type of budget heads the costs related to project dissemination, public outreach activities and participant renumeration in such studies will be included? Applicants must refer to the instructions in section D. Application and Submission Information.

b) Even though the aggregate amount of approximately 1. 8M is mentioned in this NOFO please share information on how many projects will be funded (or are generally funded) through this NOFO? The total number of projects has not been determined.

Please refer to Section B. 8 Cooperative Agreement Projects (CAP) Areas. 33.

If there is no limiting budget, is there any recommended range of budget per year or overall project? Applicants must refer to section B. 2.

Funding and Type of Award. . 34.

Does the scope of the project application also include the following: a) Driver education for novice commercial vehicle operators/snow plough operators or drivers of vehicle categories other than passenger cars No, this NOFO does not apply to driver education for novice commercial vehicle operators, snowplow operators or drivers of vehicle categories other than passenger cars. 35.

Updating the driver education curriculum to prepare the driving workforce for transitions to automated vehicles specifically for the commercial vehicle operators. No, this NOFO does not apply to updating the driver education curriculum to prepare the driving workforce for transitions to automated vehicles specifically for commercial vehicle operators. 36.

What are the eligibility criteria or limiting number of project co-investigators for the applications for e.g., education level, current designation, type of employment, visa/residency/security check requirements, etc. Applicants must refer to E. 1. Criteria.

. NOFO: 693JJ923R000085 Questions and NHTSA Response 37. Who qualifies as a sub -recipient or consultant?

Applicants must refer to E. 1. Criteria