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Offshore Wind ecosystem Fund RFP Questions & Responses

Defining Operational Expenses 

  • The RFP says that the funds will not cover operational expenditures. Can you go into a little more detail about what those expenditures are? 
    • Operational expenses refer to non-program expenses such as administrative expenses and fundraising expenses.  

Character Limits in Application Portal 

  • In regard to the online application system: I’m able to get into the system to see the questions, but I don’t see anything about response lengths. Are there character/word count limits to each question? 
    • There are no character limits in the form.  
  • Please confirm – there are no character, space or word limits in the online application? 
    • There are no character limits in the form.  

Clarification of Priority A 

  • For Priority A, page 6 of the Solicitation Guide, the first bullet under Desired Outcomes mentions training related to gaps in the workforce for offshore wind jobs. Does this training refer to general access concerns for adults in EJ areas/displaced workers, or does it refer to specific technical training for offshore wind roles, i.e. metal fabrication, metalworking, plant operations, etc.? 
    • This desired outcome refers to providing training for adults in the workforce to qualify for offshore wind roles. 

Clarification of Priority B 

  • For Priority B, is the Solicitation asking the applicant to provide training to an existing group of residents that Equinor has already identified, or is the Solicitation asking for the applicant to build capacity within target EJ communities and directly source residents to become competitive workforce participants? If it’s the latter, how many residents is the Solicitation targeting for the applicant to reach? 
    • The priority may be satisfied by providing career pathways to residents of environmental justice and marginalized communities in New York City. Additional emphasis on residents of Sunset Park, where the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is located, will receive preference from the Selection Committee. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of scale and depth of impact.  

Clarification of Number of Applications Permitted 

  • May an applicant submit two separate applications (one program addressing Priority A and one program addressing Priority B) and receive up to $300,000 for each Program / Priority? 
    • Applicants may submit multiple proposals and may not be awarded for more than $300,000 per disbursement year per applicant consortium. Applicants are encouraged to team with other partners but only one application should be submitted per consortium per proposal. No applicant may apply for the entire Fund amount. 

Clarification on MWBE Status 

  • How are applicants that are renewing or applying for MWBE and SDVOB certification to be considered for award of funds? 
    • Proof of application for certification or renewal of certification would aid the selection committee in evaluating business certification and would result in preferential consideration but is not required for applicants. 

Clarification of List of Funders 

  • Page 4 of the online application asks for a list of funders.  Can we submit the top 10 or 15 to verify organizational revenues?  Must we submit all funders over the three years? 
    • Please list the top ten funders and their proportion of total funding to your organization for the past five years. 

Clarification of Logic Model Placement 

  • Page 11 of the RFP requires a logic model.  There is no option to upload a separate logic model document.  Should it be included in the response to question #3 on page 6 of the online application?  Somewhere else? 
    • Logic model may be described in the following question, “What results are you committed to achieving during the grant period and what kind of metrics or qualitative assessments will be used to evaluate the program’s success?”. Responses may be submitted in other fields in the application portal. 
  • The application requirements include a logic model. When looking at the online application I don’t see a place to upload this information/document or the other attachments specified in the solicitation guide. Could you please advise as to how to proceed with doing this? 
    • Logic model may be described in the following question, “What results are you committed to achieving during the grant period and what kind of metrics or qualitative assessments will be used to evaluate the program’s success?”. Responses may be submitted in other fields in the application portal. 


Clarification of Team Experience and Capabilities Placement 

  • Page 14 of the RFP asks for team experience and capabilities.  There is no option to upload a qualifications package.  Should this information be included in the response to question 4 on page 6 of the online application?  Somewhere else? 
    • Team Capabilities and Experience may be described in the response to the following “What have you achieved in the past three years that contributes to your organization’s success?”. Responses may be submitted in other fields in the application portal. 

Clarification of Information Placement 

  • In general, how should applicants provide information required in the RFP that does not have clear submittal options in the online portal?   
    • Applicants may provide information required in the RFP in the response fields that fit best with the structure of their application. 

Clarification of Service Delivery 

  • When does Equinor/EDC expect service delivery to begin?  If awards are announced in August 2023, can services to recipients begin in Q2 or Q3 of 2024?  This would allow for hiring, training and other start up activities. 
    • Program(s)/Project(s) resulting from Fund disbursements should be implemented within one to three years of disbursement depending on allocated amount. 

South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Hiring Timeline 

  • Can Equinor provide an expected job availability and hiring timeline for the different phases of the SBMT project? 
    • Equinor is not able to provide a detailed timeline of hiring at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal at this time. Although preference will be given to applications originating in and/or focusing on Sunset Park, applicants based in, conduct programs and operations in New York City are eligible for funding.  

Clarifications on Attachments 

The OSW Ecosystem Fund Solicitation Guide indicates that several attachments (see below) are required to complete the application.  I am not able to find these forms on the website or linked to the Guide.  Can you please let me know where to find them? Also, how are they submitted?  I do not see an upload option in the online application portal. 

ATTACHMENTS 

  • Budget and Payment Schedule 
  • Assumption of Risk Form 
  • Integrity Due Diligence Questionnaire 
  • Permission form for the use of successful applicant’s name, project, progress and photographs in news releases, newsletters, and other public-facing materials. 
  • Conflict of Interest Document (see page 8, RFP) 

Applicants must provide their own template for Budget and Payment Schedule. Other templates will be provided to successful applicants. 

  • We wanted to clarify where we are supposed to upload some of the supplemental attachments that are listed as required in the RFP. We do see that there is a place to upload a budget and partnership letters, but do not see a place to provide such items as an organization chart, logic model, or the other required attachments listed on p. 9-10 of the RFP. Additionally, we wanted to ask where we can locate the templates for required attachments listed in the RFP (e.g. Assumption of Risk form), and whether there is a specific template we should utilize for the budget/payment schedule.  
    • Applicants must provide their own template for Budget and Payment Schedule. Other templates will be provided to successful applicants. 
    • Logic model may be described in the following question, “What results are you committed to achieving during the grant period and what kind of metrics or qualitative assessments will be used to evaluate the program’s success?”. Responses may be submitted in other fields in the application portal. 
    • Applicants may provide information required in the RFP in the response fields that fit best with the structure of their application.