85 FR 49539, Aug. 13, 2020, unless otherwise noted.
Sections 200.201 through 200.216 prescribe instructions and other pre-award matters to be used by Federal awarding agencies in the program planning, announcement, application and award processes.
(a) Federal award instrument. The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity must decide on the appropriate instrument for the Federal award (i.e., grant agreement, cooperative agreement, or contract) in accordance with the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act (31 U.S.C. 6301-08).
(b) Fixed amount awards. In addition to the options described in paragraph (a) of this section, Federal awarding agencies, or pass-through entities as permitted in § 200.333, may use fixed amount awards (see Fixed amount awards in § 200.1) to which the following conditions apply:
(1) The Federal award amount is negotiated using the cost principles (or other pricing information) as a guide. The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may use fixed amount awards if the project scope has measurable goals and objectives and if adequate cost, historical, or unit pricing data is available to establish a fixed amount award based on a reasonable estimate of actual cost. Payments are based on meeting specific requirements of the Federal award. Accountability is based on performance and results. Except in the case of termination before completion of the Federal award, there is no governmental review of the actual costs incurred by the non-Federal entity in performance of the award. Some of the ways in which the Federal award may be paid include, but are not limited to:
(i) In several partial payments, the amount of each agreed upon in advance, and the “milestone” or event triggering the payment also agreed upon in advance, and set forth in the Federal award;
(ii) On a unit price basis, for a defined unit or units, at a defined price or prices, agreed to in advance of performance of the Federal award and set forth in the Federal award; or,
(iii) In one payment at Federal award completion.
(2) A fixed amount award cannot be used in programs which require mandatory cost sharing or match.
(3) The non-Federal entity must certify in writing to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity at the end of the Federal award that the project or activity was completed or the level of effort was expended. If the required level of activity or effort was not carried out, the amount of the Federal award must be adjusted.
(4) Periodic reports may be established for each Federal award.
(5) Changes in principal investigator, project leader, project partner, or scope of effort must receive the prior written approval of the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity.
The Federal awarding agency must design a program and create an Assistance Listing before announcing the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The program must be designed with clear goals and objectives that facilitate the delivery of meaningful results consistent with the Federal authorizing legislation of the program. Program performance shall be measured based on the goals and objectives developed during program planning and design. See § 200.301 for more information on performance measurement. Performance measures may differ depending on the type of program. The program must align with the strategic goals and objectives within the Federal awarding agency's performance plan and should support the Federal awarding agency's performance measurement, management, and reporting as required by Part 6 of OMB Circular A-11 (Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget). The program must also be designed to align with the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-264).
(a) The Federal awarding agency must notify the public of Federal programs in the Federal Assistance Listings maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA).
(1) The Federal Assistance Listings is the single, authoritative, governmentwide comprehensive source of Federal financial assistance program information produced by the executive branch of the Federal Government.
(2) The information that the Federal awarding agency must submit to GSA for approval by OMB is listed in paragraph (b) of this section. GSA must prescribe the format for the submission in coordination with OMB.
(3) The Federal awarding agency may not award Federal financial assistance without assigning it to a program that has been included in the Federal Assistance Listings as required in this section unless there are exigent circumstances requiring otherwise, such as timing requirements imposed by statute.
(b) For each program that awards discretionary Federal awards, non-discretionary Federal awards, loans, insurance, or any other type of Federal financial assistance, the Federal awarding agency must, to the extent practicable, create, update, and manage Assistance Listings entries based on the authorizing statute for the program and comply with additional guidance provided by GSA in consultation with OMB to ensure consistent, accurate information is available to prospective applicants. Accordingly, Federal awarding agencies must submit the following information to GSA:
(1) Program Description, Purpose, Goals, and Measurement. A brief summary of the statutory or regulatory requirements of the program and its intended outcome. Where appropriate, the Program Description, Purpose, Goals, and Measurement should align with the strategic goals and objectives within the Federal awarding agency's performance plan and should support the Federal awarding agency's performance measurement, management, and reporting as required by Part 6 of OMB Circular A-11;
(2) Identification. Identification of whether the program makes Federal awards on a discretionary basis or the Federal awards are prescribed by Federal statute, such as in the case of formula grants.
(3) Projected total amount of funds available for the program. Estimates based on previous year funding are acceptable if current appropriations are not available at the time of the submission;
(4) Anticipated source of available funds. The statutory authority for funding the program and, to the extent possible, agency, sub-agency, or, if known, the specific program unit that will issue the Federal awards, and associated funding identifier (e.g., Treasury Account Symbol(s));
(5) General eligibility requirements. The statutory, regulatory or other eligibility factors or considerations that determine the applicant's qualification for Federal awards under the program (e.g., type of non-Federal entity); and
(6) Applicability of Single Audit Requirements. Applicability of Single Audit Requirements as required by subpart F of this part.
For discretionary grants and cooperative agreements that are competed, the Federal awarding agency must announce specific funding opportunities by providing the following information in a public notice:
(a) Summary information in notices of funding opportunities. The Federal awarding agency must display the following information posted on the OMB-designated governmentwide website for funding and applying for Federal financial assistance, in a location preceding the full text of the announcement:
(1) Federal Awarding Agency Name;
(2) Funding Opportunity Title;
(3) Announcement Type (whether the funding opportunity is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity or a modification of a previously announced opportunity);
(4) Funding Opportunity Number (required, if applicable). If the Federal awarding agency has assigned or will assign a number to the funding opportunity announcement, this number must be provided;
(5) Assistance Listings Number(s);
(6) Key Dates. Key dates include due dates for applications or Executive Order 12372 submissions, as well as for any letters of intent or pre-applications. For any announcement issued before a program's application materials are available, key dates also include the date on which those materials will be released; and any other additional information, as deemed applicable by the relevant Federal awarding agency.
(b) Availability period. The Federal awarding agency must generally make all funding opportunities available for application for at least 60 calendar days. The Federal awarding agency may make a determination to have a less than 60 calendar day availability period but no funding opportunity should be available for less than 30 calendar days unless exigent circumstances require as determined by the Federal awarding agency head or delegate.
(c) Full text of funding opportunities. The Federal awarding agency must include the following information in the full text of each funding opportunity. For specific instructions on the content required in this section, refer to appendix I to this part.
(1) Full programmatic description of the funding opportunity.
(2) Federal award information, including sufficient information to help an applicant make an informed decision about whether to submit an application. (See also § 200.414(c)(4)).
(3) Specific eligibility information, including any factors or priorities that affect an applicant's or its application's eligibility for selection.
(4) Application Preparation and Submission Information, including the applicable submission dates and time.
(5) Application Review Information including the criteria and process to be used to evaluate applications. See also §§ 200.205 and 200.206.
(6) Federal Award Administration Information. See also § 200.211.
(7) Applicable terms and conditions for resulting awards, including any exceptions from these standard terms.
For discretionary Federal awards, unless prohibited by Federal statute, the Federal awarding agency must design and execute a merit review process for applications, with the objective of selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives outlined in section § 200.202. A merit review is an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications in accordance with written standards set forth by the Federal awarding agency. This process must be described or incorporated by reference in the applicable funding opportunity (see appendix I to this part.). See also § 200.204. The Federal awarding agency must also periodically review its merit review process.
(a) Review of OMB-designated repositories of governmentwide data.
(1) Prior to making a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency is required by the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019, 31 U.S.C. 3301 note, and 41 U.S.C. 2313 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of governmentwide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information as appropriate. See also suspension and debarment requirements at 2 CFR part 180 as well as individual Federal agency suspension and debarment regulations in title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(2) In accordance 41 U.S.C. 2313, the Federal awarding agency is required to review the non-public segment of the OMB-designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) prior to making a Federal award where the Federal share is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, defined in 41 U.S.C. 134, over the period of performance. As required by Public Law 112-239, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, prior to making a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency must consider all of the information available through FAPIIS with regard to the applicant and any immediate highest level owner, predecessor (i.e.; a non-Federal entity that is replaced by a successor), or subsidiary, identified for that applicant in FAPIIS, if applicable. At a minimum, the information in the system for a prior Federal award recipient must demonstrate a satisfactory record of executing programs or activities under Federal grants, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards; and integrity and business ethics. The Federal awarding agency may make a Federal award to a recipient who does not fully meet these standards, if it is determined that the information is not relevant to the current Federal award under consideration or there are specific conditions that can appropriately mitigate the effects of the non-Federal entity's risk in accordance with § 200.208.
(b) Risk evaluation.
(1) The Federal awarding agency must have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. This evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant's eligibility or the quality of its application. If the Federal awarding agency determines that a Federal award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the Federal award. Criteria to be evaluated must be described in the announcement of funding opportunity described in § 200.204.
(2) In evaluating risks posed by applicants, the Federal awarding agency may use a risk-based approach and may consider any items such as the following:
(i) Financial stability. Financial stability;
(ii) Management systems and standards. Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in this part;
(iii) History of performance. The applicant's record in managing Federal awards, if it is a prior recipient of Federal awards, including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements, conformance to the terms and conditions of previous Federal awards, and if applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards;
(iv) Audit reports and findings. Reports and findings from audits performed under subpart F of this part or the reports and findings of any other available audits; and
(v) Ability to effectively implement requirements. The applicant's ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities.
(c) Risk-based requirements adjustment. The Federal awarding agency may adjust requirements when a risk-evaluation indicates that it may be merited either pre-award or post-award.
(d) Suspension and debarment compliance.
(1) The Federal awarding agency must comply with the guidelines on governmentwide suspension and debarment in 2 CFR part 180, and must require non-Federal entities to comply with these provisions. These provisions restrict Federal awards, subawards and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal programs or activities.
[85 FR 49539, Aug. 13, 2020, as amended at 86 FR 10439, Feb. 22, 2021]
(a) Paperwork clearances. The Federal awarding agency may only use application information collections approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and OMB's implementing regulations in 5 CFR part 1320 and in alignment with OMB-approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead. Consistent with these requirements, OMB will authorize additional information collections only on a limited basis.
(b) Information collection. If applicable, the Federal awarding agency may inform applicants and recipients that they do not need to provide certain information otherwise required by the relevant information collection.
(a) Federal awarding agencies are responsible for ensuring that specific Federal award conditions are consistent with the program design reflected in § 200.202 and include clear performance expectations of recipients as required in § 200.301.
(b) The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity may adjust specific Federal award conditions as needed, in accordance with this section, based on an analysis of the following factors:
(1) Based on the criteria set forth in § 200.206;
(2) The applicant or recipient's history of compliance with the general or specific terms and conditions of a Federal award;
(3) The applicant or recipient's ability to meet expected performance goals as described in § 200.211; or
(4) A responsibility determination of an applicant or recipient.
(c) Additional Federal award conditions may include items such as the following:
(1) Requiring payments as reimbursements rather than advance payments;
(2) Withholding authority to proceed to the next phase until receipt of evidence of acceptable performance within a given performance period;
(3) Requiring additional, more detailed financial reports;
(4) Requiring additional project monitoring;
(5) Requiring the non-Federal entity to obtain technical or management assistance; or
(6) Establishing additional prior approvals.
(d) If the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity is imposing additional requirements, they must notify the applicant or non-Federal entity as to:
(1) The nature of the additional requirements;
(2) The reason why the additional requirements are being imposed;
(3) The nature of the action needed to remove the additional requirement, if applicable;
(4) The time allowed for completing the actions if applicable; and
(5) The method for requesting reconsideration of the additional requirements imposed.
(e) Any additional requirements must be promptly removed once the conditions that prompted them have been satisfied.
Unless prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, Federal statutes or regulations, each Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity is authorized to require the non-Federal entity to submit certifications and representations required by Federal statutes, or regulations on an annual basis. Submission may be required more frequently if the non-Federal entity fails to meet a requirement of a Federal award.
For requirements on costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of performance of the Federal award, see § 200.458.
A Federal award must include the following information:
(a) Federal award performance goals. Performance goals, indicators, targets, and baseline data must be included in the Federal award, where applicable. The Federal awarding agency must also specify how performance will be assessed in the terms and conditions of the Federal award, including the timing and scope of expected performance. See §§ 200.202 and 200.301 for more information on Federal award performance goals.
(b) General Federal award information. The Federal awarding agency must include the following general Federal award information in each Federal award:
(1) Recipient name (which must match the name associated with its unique entity identifier as defined at 2 CFR 25.315);
(2) Recipient's unique entity identifier;
(3) Unique Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN);
(4) Federal Award Date (see Federal award date in § 200.201);
(5) Period of Performance Start and End Date;
(6) Budget Period Start and End Date;
(7) Amount of Federal Funds Obligated by this action;
(8) Total Amount of Federal Funds Obligated;
(9) Total Approved Cost Sharing or Matching, where applicable;
(10) Total Amount of the Federal Award including approved Cost Sharing or Matching;
(11) Budget Approved by the Federal Awarding Agency;
(11) Federal award description, (to comply with statutory requirements (e.g., FFATA));
(12) Name of Federal awarding agency and contact information for awarding official,
(13) Assistance Listings Number and Title;
(14) Identification of whether the award is R&D; and
(15) Indirect cost rate for the Federal award (including if the de minimis rate is charged per § 200.414).
(c) General terms and conditions.
(1) Federal awarding agencies must incorporate the following general terms and conditions either in the Federal award or by reference, as applicable:
(i) Administrative requirements. Administrative requirements implemented by the Federal awarding agency as specified in this part.
(ii) National policy requirements. These include statutory, executive order, other Presidential directive, or regulatory requirements that apply by specific reference and are not program-specific. See § 200.300 Statutory and national policy requirements.
(iii) Recipient integrity and performance matters. If the total Federal share of the Federal award may include more than $500,000 over the period of performance, the Federal awarding agency must include the term and condition available in appendix XII of this part. See also § 200.113.
(iv) Future budget periods. If it is anticipated that the period of performance will include multiple budget periods, the Federal awarding agency must indicate that subsequent budget periods are subject to the availability of funds, program authority, satisfactory performance, and compliance with the terms and conditions of the Federal award.
(v) Termination provisions. Federal awarding agencies must make recipients aware, in a clear and unambiguous manner, of the termination provisions in § 200.340, including the applicable termination provisions in the Federal awarding agency's regulations or in each Federal award.
(2) The Federal award must incorporate, by reference, all general terms and conditions of the award, which must be maintained on the agency's website.
(3) If a non-Federal entity requests a copy of the full text of the general terms and conditions, the Federal awarding agency must provide it.
(4) Wherever the general terms and conditions are publicly available, the Federal awarding agency must maintain an archive of previous versions of the general terms and conditions, with effective dates, for use by the non-Federal entity, auditors, or others.
(d) Federal awarding agency, program, or Federal award specific terms and conditions. The Federal awarding agency must include with each Federal award any terms and conditions necessary to communicate requirements that are in addition to the requirements outlined in the Federal awarding agency's general terms and conditions. See also § 200.208. Whenever practicable, these specific terms and conditions also should be shared on the agency's website and in notices of funding opportunities (as outlined in § 200.204) in addition to being included in a Federal award. See also § 200.207.
(e) Federal awarding agency requirements. Any other information required by the Federal awarding agency.
(a) In accordance with statutory requirements for Federal spending transparency (e.g., FFATA), except as noted in this section, for applicable Federal awards the Federal awarding agency must announce all Federal awards publicly and publish the required information on a publicly available OMB-designated governmentwide website.
(b) All information posted in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) on or after April 15, 2011 will be publicly available after a waiting period of 14 calendar days, except for:
(1) Past performance reviews required by Federal Government contractors in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 48 CFR part 42, subpart 42.15;
(2) Information that was entered prior to April 15, 2011; or
(3) Information that is withdrawn during the 14-calendar day waiting period by the Federal Government official.
(c) Nothing in this section may be construed as requiring the publication of information otherwise exempt under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C 552), or controlled unclassified information pursuant to Executive Order 13556.
(a) If a Federal awarding agency does not make a Federal award to a non-Federal entity because the official determines that the non-Federal entity does not meet either or both of the minimum qualification standards as described in § 200.206(a)(2), the Federal awarding agency must report that determination to the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS), only if all of the following apply:
(1) The only basis for the determination described in this paragraph (a) is the non-Federal entity's prior record of executing programs or activities under Federal awards or its record of integrity and business ethics, as described in § 200.206(a)(2) (i.e., the entity was determined to be qualified based on all factors other than those two standards); and
(2) The total Federal share of the Federal award that otherwise would be made to the non-Federal entity is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold over the period of performance.
(b) The Federal awarding agency is not required to report a determination that a non-Federal entity is not qualified for a Federal award if they make the Federal award to the non-Federal entity and include specific award terms and conditions, as described in § 200.208.
(c) If a Federal awarding agency reports a determination that a non-Federal entity is not qualified for a Federal award, as described in paragraph (a) of this section, the Federal awarding agency also must notify the non-Federal entity that—
(1) The determination was made and reported to the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM, and include with the notification an explanation of the basis for the determination;
(2) The information will be kept in the system for a period of five years from the date of the determination, as required by section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313), then archived;
(3) Each Federal awarding agency that considers making a Federal award to the non-Federal entity during that five year period must consider that information in judging whether the non-Federal entity is qualified to receive the Federal award when the total Federal share of the Federal award is expected to include an amount of Federal funding in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold over the period of performance;
(4) The non-Federal entity may go to the awardee integrity and performance portal accessible through SAM (currently the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)) and comment on any information the system contains about the non-Federal entity itself; and
(5) Federal awarding agencies will consider that non-Federal entity's comments in determining whether the non-Federal entity is qualified for a future Federal award.
(d) If a Federal awarding agency enters information into the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM about a determination that a non-Federal entity is not qualified for a Federal award and subsequently:
(1) Learns that any of that information is erroneous, the Federal awarding agency must correct the information in the system within three business days; and
(2) Obtains an update to that information that could be helpful to other Federal awarding agencies, the Federal awarding agency is strongly encouraged to amend the information in the system to incorporate the update in a timely way.
(e) Federal awarding agencies must not post any information that will be made publicly available in the non-public segment of designated integrity and performance system that is covered by a disclosure exemption under the Freedom of Information Act. If the recipient asserts within seven calendar days to the Federal awarding agency that posted the information that some or all of the information made publicly available is covered by a disclosure exemption under the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal awarding agency that posted the information must remove the posting within seven calendar days of receiving the assertion. Prior to reposting the releasable information, the Federal awarding agency must resolve the issue in accordance with the agency's Freedom of Information Act procedures.
Non-Federal entities are subject to the non-procurement debarment and suspension regulations implementing Executive Orders 12549 and 12689, 2 CFR part 180. The regulations in 2 CFR part 180 restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities.
Federal awarding agencies and recipients are subject to the regulations implementing Never Contract with the Enemy in 2 CFR part 183. The regulations in 2 CFR part 183 affect covered contracts, grants and cooperative agreements that are expected to exceed $50,000 within the period of performance, are performed outside the United States and its territories, and are in support of a contingency operation in which members of the Armed Forces are actively engaged in hostilities.
(a) Recipients and subrecipients are prohibited from obligating or expending loan or grant funds to:
(1) Procure or obtain;
(2) Extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain; or
(3) Enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. As described in Public Law 115-232, section 889, covered telecommunications equipment is telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).
(i) For the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).
(ii) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment.
(iii) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of the National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.
(b) In implementing the prohibition under Public Law 115-232, section 889, subsection (f), paragraph (1), heads of executive agencies administering loan, grant, or subsidy programs shall prioritize available funding and technical support to assist affected businesses, institutions and organizations as is reasonably necessary for those affected entities to transition from covered communications equipment and services, to procure replacement equipment and services, and to ensure that communications service to users and customers is sustained.
(c) See Public Law 115-232, section 889 for additional information.
(d) See also § 200.471.