ESTCP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
GENERAL FAQs
- 1. Can I contact the ESTCP office to determine if you are interested in my idea?
- 2. How do you deal with intellectual property rights?
- 3. Our proposal will include proprietary information. Will this information be protected when we submit our proposal?
- 4. It seems that there are several places where proposals dealing with water issues could be submitted. How do I know where mine should go?
PROPOSAL AND ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL FAQs
- 5. I am not from a DoD organization. Do I need to have a DoD partner or have a site identified to submit a pre-proposal?
- 6. For a non-DoD government organization with a private sector partner, to which solicitation should we respond?
- 7. I am from a state government. To which solicitation should I respond?
- 8. Is there an advantage to having a proposal submitted through a DoD or private sector partner?
- 9. Can I submit a full proposal if I did not submit a pre-proposal?
- 10. Can foreign organizations submit proposals to ESTCP?
- 11. Can I submit more than one proposal?
- 12. We have DoD support for several sites. Should separate pre-proposals be submitted?
- 13. Can I submit a proposal by e-mail or facsimile?
- 14. Can I get an extension on the deadline for proposal submittal?
- 15. What font and size should be used in the pre-proposals and proposals?
- 16. Does an Authorizing Representative have to sign the pre-proposal?
- 17. Where do I get the D-U-N-S number and CAGE code?
- 18. I submitted a proposal last year that was not selected for funding. I have continued to improve the technology and would like to resubmit it. How can I do this?
- 19. For the pre-proposal, does the 5-page limit include references, curriculum vitae, or cover page?
- 20. Should the Gantt chart be part of the 5-page proposal or part of the three pages of supporting data?
- 21. Can I submit letters of support from installations? If so, where should I put them?
- 22. My cover page says “SAVED” with a number in box 2. Is that the ESTCP proposal number?
- 23. I get an error message when completing my budget numbers on the cover page. Can you advise on what the problem might be?
- 24. How do I verify that my proposal has been uploaded? Will I receive an e-mail?
- 25. If I need to revise my uploaded proposal, how do I do that?
- 26. There are two cover pages on my electronic proposal in WebPTS. Is this an error?
COST AND FUNDING FAQs
- 27. As a foreign proposer, should I cost the proposal in U.S. dollars or in my local currency?
- 28. There is no specific annual funding or total funding limit identified in the solicitation. How do I address the financial needs?
- 29. If I am selected for funding, when can I expect to receive my funds?
- 30. Will I receive all of the funds for the entire project at one time?
INSTALLATION ENERGY SOLICITATION SPECIFIC FAQs
- 31. Past solicitations have also asked for proposals addressing distributed generation, energy efficient components, and decision tools. Can I submit a proposal on those topics this year?
- 32. Would you clarify the definition of installations?
- 33. Would demonstrations for non-permanent and/or Forward Operating Base (FOB) power systems be relevant to this solicitation?
- 34. Is there a specific technology readiness level (TRL) that is targeted?
- 35. Is a technology that is being sold outside the U.S., but that hasn't been adopted or isn't available yet in the U.S., responsive to this solicitation?
- 36. Is technology that is already designed for one region or application that now could be validated through ESTCP in another region or application acceptable?
- 37. Are there any exclusions to technologies developed in other countries?
- 38. Will pre-proposals that seek to demonstrate advanced technologies at U.S. military housing units (either base owned barracks, or privatized housing) be considered responsive to the solicitation?
- 39. Is a state-owned military installation considered a DoD installation for the purposes and intent of the Solicitation?
- 40. What kind of third party financing should we consider and what proportion of the project needs to be third party financed?
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1. Can I contact the ESTCP office to determine if you are interested in my idea?
No. The purpose of the pre-proposal is to allow investigators to see if ESTCP wishes to see a full proposal. However, if you have questions regarding the solicitation process, please feel free to contact the ESTCP office.
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2. How do you deal with intellectual property rights?
We follow standard DoD procedures concerning intellectual property rights in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations. The creator will control commercial rights but the government reserves the right to use and develop the technology for its own purposes.
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3. Our proposal will include proprietary information. Will this information be protected when we submit our proposal?
All proprietary information in proposals is protected. Everyone who handles proposals has signed non-disclosure agreements or is bound to non-disclosure as terms of their employment.
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4. It seems that there are several places where proposals dealing with water issues could be submitted. How do I know where mine should go?
Proposals addressing water resources issues (e.g., watershed processes) should be submitted under Resource Conservation and proposals for remediation or treating contaminated groundwater, surface water, and waste water should be submitted under Environmental Restoration.
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5. I am not from a DoD organization. Do I need to have a DoD partner or have a site identified to submit a pre-proposal?
No. Pre-proposals from the private sector or non-DoD federal agencies do not require a DoD partner. If we request a full proposal, ESTCP will identify a DoD partner to assist in the identification of an appropriate demonstration site and aid in developing the full proposal.
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6. For a non-DoD government organization with a private sector partner, to which solicitation should we respond?
The lead organization determines which call to respond to. For example, a non-DoD government organization lead with a private sector partner would respond to the non-DoD Federal Call for Proposals. A private sector lead with a non-DoD government organization partner would respond to the BAA.
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13. Can I submit a proposal by e-mail or facsimile?
No, proposals will not be accepted if received via e-mail or facsimile. All proposals must be submitted electronically via the SERDP and ESTCP Management System (SEMS) at https://sems.serdp-estcp.org in accordance with the instructions for the solicitation to which you are responding. Detailed instructions may be found on the SERDP and ESTCP web site at www.serdp-estcp.org/Funding-Opportunities/ESTCP-Solicitations.
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16. Does an Authorizing Representative have to sign the pre-proposal?
The only signature that we require on a pre-proposal is that of the principal investigator. Your organization may have other specific restrictions concerning this issue. Only the full proposal requires the signature of an individual empowered to bind your organization.
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18. I submitted a proposal last year that was not selected for funding. I have continued to improve the technology and would like to resubmit it. How can I do this?
If the technology is applicable to a topic area in the current solicitation, please feel free to submit a pre-proposal. Pre-proposals that do not address a topic area will not be considered.
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22. My cover page says “SAVED” with a number in box 2. Is that the ESTCP proposal number?
No, you must first submit your cover page. A proposal number that starts with a “14” will be assigned and will show in box 2 when you view your cover page. Print the submitted cover page. Sign before scanning and place it into your electronic proposal as the first page.
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24. How do I verify that my proposal has been uploaded? Will I receive an e-mail?
You will receive an e-mail and an on screen message in WebPTS stating that your proposal was successfully uploaded. In addition, in WebPTS go to “My Cover Pages.” If you see your “proposal number-Submitted” as part of the file name, you have successfully uploaded it. You can click on the file name to open and view the file submitted.
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28. There is no specific annual funding or total funding limit identified in the solicitation. How do I address the financial needs?
It is true that there are no funding limits specified. You should determine how much money you will require to adequately fund the work you have proposed. ESTCP funds projects ranging in size from under $100,000 up to $1 million per year.
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33. Would demonstrations for non-permanent and/or Forward Operating Base (FOB) power systems be relevant to this solicitation?
No, demonstrations for non-permanent and/or FOB power systems are not relevant to the ESTCP energy solicitation. The ESTCP energy solicitation is for fixed facilities under the policy oversight of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations & Environment). Operational locations such as Afghanistan are not eligible, while fixed facilities in places such as Germany or Korea are acceptable.
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38. Will pre-proposals that seek to demonstrate advanced technologies at U.S. military housing units (either base owned barracks, or privatized housing) be considered responsive to the solicitation?
Yes. Energy technologies for barracks on installations are considered a higher priority than privatized housing energy. Both are candidates for ESTCP Energy Demonstrations.
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40. What kind of third party financing should we consider and what proportion of the project needs to be third party financed?
Third party financing could involve private sector funding in the form of an Energy Savings Performance Contract or an Enhanced Use Lease. Leveraging government funding associated with a DoD or Department of Energy (DOE) project on a military installation may also be appropriate. In these cases, the third party financing would provide the majority of the funding, and ESTCP would provide funding for analysis that may not normally occur.