This page of the website is dedicating to answer questions that prospective grant applicants have regarding grant opportunities. It is updated on a regular basis and as applicants generate questions.

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1. [For the data portal RFQ] - Can you provide guidance on the quote format that the Trust prefers (e.g., simple itemized budget, summary of effort needs, scope of work narrative, etc.)?

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Responses to the Request for Quotation for the Oregon Nearshore Data Management, Portals, and Hubs Assessment should include an itemized budget, a narrative describing the scope of work to be completed, the methodology that will be used to complete the scope of work, the timeline to achieve the scope of work, the individuals and organizations that will be involved in completing the work, including one-page resumes for each involved. Conflict of Interest form(s) (included in the RFP package) are required to be submitted (one per member of the project team). You are NOT eligible if you have a current appointment to the OOST. You MAY have a conflict of interest if you have a past appointment to the OOST.

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2. Is the title page with the project abstract, partner names, affiliations, and contact information, project timeline, and total cost included in the six-page limit?

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You may choose to include the title page in the six-page limit, or include it as an additional page.

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3.  Where would you like to see our leverage items (personnel, equipment, resources, etc.)? Since I do not see a space for that in the budget template, should it go in the 1-page budget justification? If we list leverage components in the justification, should we create an additional “Leverage” section?

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Yes, you can create an additional leverage section that identifies any budget leverage in personnel, equipment, resources, etc. You can also include that information in the budget narrative. 

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4. I believe this COI Disclosure Form is being submitted in response to the “Agency RFP” category—what is the RFP# for nearshore data collection RFP? Is the “Firm” each individual team member that submits a form, or our institution? If all questions in PART II are marked “no” and the team member submitting the form has not been employed by OOST, can PART III be left blank?

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There is no RFP number for the Nearshore RFP. This form is a state form, and could not be modified. You may simply write, or type in, OOST Nearshore RFP, if you would like. But this line does not need to be filled in because you are including your form with your grant proposal. If your organization is a university, the "firm" would be the name of the university, and then each individual associated with the project would need to submit a COI form and sign on the signature line. Yes, Part III should be left blank if no team members have been employed by the Oregon Department of State Lands.

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5. May we include letters of support in our proposal?

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Yes, you may include letters of support in your proposal.

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6. Does the cover sheet with the abstract count toward the 6 page limit for the main narrative? Also, when it comes time to submit the proposal, do we email to your email address (oostgrants@dsl.oregon.gov)?

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No, the cover sheet is not included in the 6-page limit, and yes, please email proposals to oostgrants@dsl.oregon.gov.

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7. Question #1 on the COI form asks - Is any Associate of the Firm a former employee of Agency within the last year?" Is the referenced "Agency" the Department of State Lands, as the home agency for the OOST? Or is it asking for any state agency service? 

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The referenced agency is the Department of State Lands.

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8. Question #3 on the COI form asks, "Did the Firm or any Associate of the Firm conduct prior work on the Project described in the Procurement, or participate in preparing any part of the Procurement or any documents or reports related to the Procurement or to which the Procurement refers?" How do we answer this accurately?

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If your firm, or any associate of the firm, conducted prior work on the project described in the procurement, or participated in preparing any part of the procurement, or any documents or reports related to the procurement, or to which the procurement refers, answer yes, and provide the details. If your firm, or any associate of the firm, did not conduct prior work on the project described in the procurement, or did not participate in preparing any part of the procurement or any documents or reports related to the procurement or to which the procurement refers, answer no.

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9. A state agency will submit a proposal to this grant opportunity as firm/contractor, so the agency will need to complete the COI disclosure form. Our agency has about 1200 employees. Based on the questions of the disclosure form, can the answers to the questions be narrowed down to the principal investigators involved in the proposed projects instead of at the agency level?

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Yes, the COI form is intended for the principal investigators and other key investigators associated with your project, not the entirety of the agency/organization you represent.

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10. Can the Gantt chart count in the 2 pages of figures and tables, or does it need to be in the main text?

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You can place the Gantt chart in either the 2 pages of figures and tables, or in the main text - whichever works better for you.

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11. The RFP states that “Applicants may include up to 15% of the total project cost for indirect project costs” and “Total Indirect Cost: Percentage of total direct costs”.

 

You may include up to 15% of the direct project costs for indirect project costs. For example, if the total in direct costs for the project is $100,000, the total indirect cost cannot exceed $15,000. Total project cost is considered all direct costs, plus indirect cost (calculated as up to 15% of total direct costs). In this example the total project costs would be $115,000.
 

Example

Direct costs: $100,000

Indirect costs (not to exceed 15% of direct costs): $15,000

Total Project Cost: $115,000

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12. Can you clarify the distinction between data dissemination and outreach? For "data dissemination", does the RFP refer to communicating the research via publications, presentations, less formal means of communication, or data archiving and open access via data archive websites (such as Dryad), etc.?

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For the purposes of this RFP, data dissemination refers to sharing data by providing access to that data. These data can be shared directly with colleagues, be incorporated into web-based platforms, added to online data portals (regional and national, e.g.), and shared with agencies and others, as examples. Outreach is meant to include less formal means of communication, such as engaging the general public through the interpretation of that data via community presentations, storymaps, and public presentations as well as sharing the data with entities that share information through their public networks.

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