RFAs: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products – US

This program seeks to improve transparency and disclosure of embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data associated with construction materials and products to facilitate the procurement of lower embodied carbon construction materials and products throughout the United States.

Goals and Objectives

• The Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products grant program will advance the goals of EPA’s EPD Assistance Program as follows:
  • Increase the robustness of greenhouse gas emissions data associated with the production, use, and disposal of construction materials and products;
  • Assist businesses in disclosing and verifying these data via robust EPDs, as well as states, Indian tribes and non-profit organizations that assist these businesses; and
  • Spur market demand for construction materials and products that have lower embodied greenhouse gas emissions.
• Applicants interested in applying for funding under this grant program should describe in their project narratives how projects will advance these goals.

Scope of Work and Eligible Projects

The Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products grant program will advance standardization and transparency in EPDs which will support procurement decisions accounting for embodied carbon of construction materials and products. Applicants should demonstrate how they will invest in projects and activities that provide support for industry data preparation, reporting, and analysis; provide financial and technical assistance to develop, update, digitize, and verify EPDs; improve standards and verifications for PCRs and EPDs; provide financial support for mid-cycle updates to PCRs to reflect new datasets/guidance; and amplify EPD educational resources.

EPA envisions funded projects to fall under five broad categories:

• Robust Data for EPDs: Projects that contribute new and/or improve critical data, analysis, or feedback for producing robust EPDs.
• Robust Product Category Rule (PCR) Standard Development, PCRs, and Associated Conformity Assessment Systems: Projects that encourage the development of robust, standardized PCRs, including identifying what data needs to be collected for EPDs, how that data should be collected, how it should be reported in EPDs, and what transparency and verification needs to be in place to ensure credible EPDs.
• Robust Tools & Resources to Support & Incentivize Development and Verification of EPDs: Projects that contribute to the development of tools and resources to make it easier, faster, and more cost effective to produce and disclose robust EPDs.
• EPD Development and Verification: Projects that offer construction material and product manufacturers assistance in producing robust EPDs, or in which a construction material or product manufacturer is producing robust EPDs.
• Robust EPD Data Platforms and Integration: Projects that support EPD reporting, availability, and verification; support the standardization of disparate EPD systems; and support future EPD integration into construction design and procurement systems.

The following are the categories of assistance agreements that will be awarded under this funding opportunity:

• Direct Grants and Cooperative Agreements: Grants or cooperative agreements may be made to eligible entities to directly carry out the proposed work. These applications would not include a plan to manage a subaward program to carry out the work. Direct grants and cooperative agreements may utilize contracted services to support discrete technical aspects of the project workplan.
• Pass-through Cooperative Agreements: Pass-through cooperative agreements would develop a subaward program to carry out the proposed work, in accordance with their subaward plan. Subawards must be consistent with the definition of that term in 2 CFR 200.1 and comply with EPA’s Subaward Policy.

Funding Information

• EPA anticipates awarding up to $100 million in FY2024, subject to the availability of funds, the quantity and quality of applications received, Agency priorities, and other considerations.
• EPA anticipates awarding up to 40 grant and/or cooperative agreement awards under this announcement. Federal funding amounts for individual grant and cooperative agreements are anticipated to be in the range of $250,000 to $10 million. In addition, EPA will consider subranges of grants in the amounts of $250,000 to $749,999; $750,000 to $4.99 million dollars; and $5 million to $10 million dollars.
  • Partial Funding – In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.
  • Additional Awards – EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this solicitation, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, as additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions.
  • Award Funding and Incremental/Full – Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

Period of Performance

• The estimated period of performance for awards resulting from this solicitation will be up to five years.

Eligible Applicants

• Entities eligible to apply for this funding opportunity include businesses that manufacture, remanufacture, and refurbish construction materials and products, and States, Indian Tribes, and nonprofit organizations that will support such businesses.
• Consistent with Assistance Listing No. 66.721 and EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements (EPA Order 5700.5A1), competition under this solicitation is available to the following:
  • Businesses (for profit or nonprofit) that manufacture, remanufacture, or refurbish construction materials and products.
  • States, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof (including port authorities) exclusive of local governments.
  • Indian tribes are defined as any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native Village or regional or Village Corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. Chapter 33), which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).
  • Nonprofits, consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, mean any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a non- profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this NOFO. Private universities who can demonstrate that they qualify as nonprofits based on the nature of how they are incorporated under state law or through their federal tax-exempt status are eligible.

Ineligible applicants include entities who are not incorporated in the United States, for profit firms who do not manufacture construction materials and products (e.g., consulting firms and individual consultants, management firms, architectural and engineering firms, information technology vendors, proprietary colleges, universities and trade schools), and Local governments as defined in 2 CFR § 200.1.

For more information, visit EPA.