CAP webinar Q&A clarifies equipment restrictions, eligibility and how to request technical assistance

Program staff from the National Lab of the Rockies clarified common applicant questions during the CAP solicitation webinar, emphasizing procurement rules, eligibility, and how awardees can access technical assistance.

Annie Corgan, CAP staff with the National Lab of the Rockies’ Alaska campus, told attendees that DOE-funded awards under this solicitation should not be used to purchase durable equipment or software licenses because DOE ownership rules would apply at project closeout. "If DOE purchases the equipment ... the department of energy owns that equipment," she said, and presenters urged applicants who need equipment to plan to provide it as applicant-funded cost share so project owners retain long-term control.

Eligibility and teaming
Corgan and Ian Baringold reiterated that topics 1–4 require U.S.-based prime offerors (nonprofits, cooperatives, state and local governments, and federally recognized tribes). Universities can participate as subcontractors, but they are not eligible to prime awards for topics 1–4. Topic 5 is limited to U.S. businesses with SAM.gov registration and carries a 20% cost-share requirement.

Technical assistance (TA) access
Speakers described two ways to access TA: applicants may request specific TA in their proposal (for example, control system review or independent engineering review), or awardees may request TA later if a technical barrier arises during implementation. Ian Baringold said TA is coordinated through NLR and partner organizations (examples cited include the Alaska Center for Energy and Power and regional partners) and that NLR can help identify lab or partner expertise to review engineering scopes, controller code, or other technical deliverables.

Other clarifications
- Population eligibility: topics 1–4 should benefit communities with populations of 10,000 or fewer (Census Bureau basis).
- Geographic scope: awards are limited to U.S. states (territories are excluded for this solicitation).
- Phasing: applicants may propose engineering and design work that covers multiple project phases even if equipment procurement is planned to be funded by the applicant later.
- Awards and contracting: selections become subcontracts to NLR; payments tied to a deliverable schedule (attachment four) and dispersed over the project term.

Presenters said unanswered questions or contract-specific questions would be aggregated and posted in an amendment to the solicitation on SAM.gov early next week, and that the webinar recording will be made available on the CAP website within several days.

Applicants are advised to consult the RFP attachments, use the SOW templates, and submit questions by the Q&A deadline noted in the solicitation.