Opportunity Information: Apply for CEPD 2012 02
Apply for CEPD 2012 02
- The Farm Service Agency in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biomass Crop Assistance Program Project Area RFP 2012" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.087 Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 22, 2012 and posted on Mar 22, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2012 Submissions must be completed by 500 pm EDT on April 23, 2012. No grace period is allowed for this opportunity. Submissions must be complete. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. All proposals submitted under this opportunity are NEW proposals.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $17,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Project sponsors are eligible for submission of proposals. Project sponsors may either be a group of producers or a biomass conversion facility. Application will require the project sponsor to have a DUNS number (a unique nine digit identification number, for each physical location of your business. D U N S Number assignment is FREE for all businesses required to register with the US Federal government for contracts or grants.) The BCAP is not subject to E.O. 12372. To submit on grants.gov, project sponsor MUST down load application and complete the SF 424 first with project abstract key contacts in order to upload all BCAP forms. The SF 424 is not an application requirement, but is necessary to complete in order to upload the proposal on grants.gov. BCAP forms (BCAP 1, BCAP 20, BCAP 21, BCAP 22, AD 1047) are to be added as attachments. BCAP forms are retrievable under the Full Announcement. Click on Full Announcement at the top of the BCAP RFP synopsis page to access these BCAP forms.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Project Area RFP 2012 (Funding Opportunity Number CEPD 2012 02; CFDA 10.087) was a USDA Farm Service Agency funding opportunity tied to the BCAP authority created under the 2008 Farm Bill. It sought proposals to designate “project areas” where eligible biomass crops would be supported through producer-facing financial assistance. Although it appeared on Grants.gov as a grant opportunity for search and submission purposes, the core benefit of selection was not a traditional research or implementation grant to the applicant; instead, selection enabled direct payments to producers within the approved project area.
For FY2012, BCAP had a total program funding level of 17 million dollars, and that figure included administrative and support costs such as information technology, legal counsel, and technical assistance. The assistance available under an approved project area centered on two main payment types made to producers: (1) direct annual rental payments and (2) crop establishment cost-share reimbursements. Establishment payments could reimburse up to 75 percent of establishment costs for perennial crops, which is a key feature designed to reduce the upfront expense barrier for planting and establishing biomass feedstocks that take time to become productive.
The opportunity was categorized as mandatory and listed an award ceiling of 10,000,000 dollars and an award floor of 5,000,000 dollars, but those figures were described as suggested amounts used to support selection priority rather than strict limits. In other words, they were meant to guide how proposals might be prioritized or sized rather than to function as hard caps or minimums on what a project area could represent in practice.
Eligibility to submit proposals rested with “project sponsors,” defined as either a group of producers or a biomass conversion facility. Submitting through Grants.gov required the sponsor to have a DUNS number (a nine-digit identifier associated with a specific physical business location). The notice also emphasized that BCAP was not subject to Executive Order 12372 (intergovernmental review), which matters mainly for applicants used to state-level review processes for certain federal assistance programs.
The application process had several procedural requirements intended to ensure proposals were complete and properly uploaded. Applicants were instructed to download the application package and complete the SF-424 first, including the project abstract and key contacts, because the SF-424 served as the mechanism to upload the full set of BCAP materials in Grants.gov. Even though the SF-424 was described as not being an application requirement in the programmatic sense, it was practically required for electronic submission. Applicants also had to attach specific BCAP and USDA forms (BCAP-1, BCAP-20, BCAP-21, BCAP-22, and AD-1047), available through the Full Announcement link on the RFP page.
The RFP had a firm submission deadline of April 23, 2012, at 5:00 pm EDT, with no grace period. Proposals had to be fully complete by that time; incomplete submissions would not be reviewed. The notice also made clear that submissions under this posting were treated as new proposals.
On program timing and obligations, the RFP highlighted that BCAP authorization was set to expire on September 30, 2012. It also clarified how funding obligations worked for producer contracts tied to an approved project area: regardless of the length of an approved producer application, the contracts were obligated using current-year funds, and payments would be made according to the terms established in the producer applications. Producer participation terms could extend up to 5 years for herbaceous crops and up to 15 years for woody crops, reflecting the longer establishment and production cycles common for trees and other woody biomass feedstocks.
For support, the posting directed applicants to the BCAP website and provided a program contact for access issues with the full announcement: Kelly Novak, Energy Specialist and BCAP Manager at USDA/FSA/CEPD (202-720-4053).
Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Project Area RFP 2012 - FAQs
1) What is this funding opportunity?
The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Project Area RFP 2012 (Funding Opportunity Number CEPD 2012 02; CFDA 10.087) was a USDA Farm Service Agency opportunity connected to BCAP authority created under the 2008 Farm Bill. It invited proposals to designate approved "project areas" where eligible biomass crops would be supported through producer-facing financial assistance.
2) Is this a traditional grant that pays the applicant to run a project?
No. While it appeared on Grants.gov for search and submission purposes, selection was not primarily a research or implementation grant paid to the applicant. The main benefit of selection was that it enabled direct payments to producers within the approved project area.
3) What does it mean to be selected as a "project area"?
Selection meant USDA could designate the proposed geography as an approved BCAP project area. Once approved, eligible producers within that area could receive BCAP financial assistance (according to program rules and producer contracts) tied to establishing and producing eligible biomass crops.
4) Who received the financial assistance under an approved project area?
The assistance described in the RFP was made to producers (not to the sponsor as a conventional grant award). The payments were producer-facing and tied to producer participation and contracts within the approved project area.
5) What types of payments were available to producers?
The RFP described two main payment types for producers in approved project areas: (1) direct annual rental payments and (2) crop establishment cost-share reimbursements.
6) How much of establishment costs could BCAP reimburse?
Establishment payments could reimburse up to 75 percent of establishment costs for perennial crops. This feature was designed to reduce the upfront cost barrier for planting biomass feedstocks that take time to become productive.
7) How much total funding was available for FY2012?
For FY2012, BCAP had a total program funding level of 17 million dollars. The RFP noted that this figure included administrative and support costs such as information technology, legal counsel, and technical assistance.
8) Was this opportunity considered discretionary or mandatory?
The opportunity was categorized as mandatory in the posting.
9) What were the award ceiling and award floor listed on the opportunity?
The opportunity listed an award ceiling of 10,000,000 dollars and an award floor of 5,000,000 dollars.
10) Were the award ceiling and floor strict limits?
No. The RFP explained that these figures were suggested amounts used to support selection priority rather than strict limits. They were meant to guide how proposals might be prioritized or sized, not to function as hard caps or minimums on what a project area could represent in practice.
11) Who was eligible to submit a proposal?
Eligibility to submit proposals was limited to "project sponsors," defined as either (a) a group of producers or (b) a biomass conversion facility.
12) What identifier was needed to submit through Grants.gov?
A DUNS number was required for submission through Grants.gov. The RFP described DUNS as a nine-digit identifier associated with a specific physical business location.
13) Was the program subject to Executive Order 12372 (intergovernmental review)?
No. The notice emphasized that BCAP was not subject to Executive Order 12372, meaning the intergovernmental review process did not apply to this opportunity.
14) What was the deadline to submit the proposal?
The submission deadline was April 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm EDT.
15) Was there any grace period or flexibility on the deadline?
No. The RFP stated there was no grace period. Proposals had to be fully complete by the deadline, and incomplete submissions would not be reviewed.
16) Were submissions under this posting treated as new proposals?
Yes. The notice made clear that submissions under this posting were treated as new proposals.
17) What was the recommended first step when preparing the application package?
Applicants were instructed to download the application package and complete the SF-424 first, including the project abstract and key contacts.
18) Why was SF-424 important even if it was not a programmatic requirement?
The RFP indicated that, even though SF-424 was described as not being an application requirement in the programmatic sense, it was practically required because SF-424 served as the mechanism to upload the full set of BCAP materials in Grants.gov.
19) What specific BCAP and USDA forms were required as attachments?
The RFP directed applicants to attach specific forms: BCAP-1, BCAP-20, BCAP-21, BCAP-22, and AD-1047. These were available through the Full Announcement link on the RFP page.
20) Where were applicants supposed to find the required forms and full instructions?
The posting stated that the forms were available through the Full Announcement link on the RFP page. It also directed applicants to the BCAP website for program information.
21) When was BCAP authorization set to expire, according to the RFP?
The RFP highlighted that BCAP authorization was set to expire on September 30, 2012.
22) How did funding obligations work for producer contracts in an approved project area?
The RFP clarified that, regardless of the length of an approved producer application, the contracts were obligated using current-year funds, and payments would be made according to the terms established in the producer applications.
23) How long could producer participation terms last?
Producer participation terms could extend up to 5 years for herbaceous crops and up to 15 years for woody crops, reflecting the longer establishment and production cycles common for woody biomass feedstocks.
24) Who was listed as a contact for access issues with the full announcement?
The posting provided a program contact for access issues with the full announcement: Kelly Novak, Energy Specialist and BCAP Manager at USDA/FSA/CEPD, 202-720-4053.
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