Yes.  The Technical Proposal is limited to twenty (20) double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 inch x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and one-inch margins.  Any pages over the 20 page limit will not be reviewed.  In addition, in attachments which may not exceed ten (10) pages, the applicant may provide resumes, a list of staff positions to be funded by the grant, statistical information, general letters of support, and other related material.  The required letters of commitment from partners must be submitted as additional attachments and will not count against the allowable 10-page limit on attachments.  Please note that applicants should not send letters of commitment or support separately to ETA because letters are tracked through a different system and will not be attached to the application for review.  Additionally, the applicant must reference grant partners by organizational name in the text of the Technical Proposal.  Except for the discussion of any leveraged resource to address the evaluation criteria, no cost data or reference to prices should be included in the Technical Proposal.  In addition, the following information is required:

• A one to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project and applicant profile information including: applicant name, project title, industry focus, partnership members, proposed training and capacity building activities, funding level requested, the amount of leveraged resources, the target group(s), and a project description as described in the evaluation criteria section at Section V(A) of this solicitation. The abstract should also clearly note whether the application is being submitted under the exception detailed in Section III(C)(5) of the SGA.  If the application is being submitted by a One-Stop Career Center, the applicant should note that they are the One-Stop Career Center operator and provide the name of the One-Stop Career Center.
• A one- to three-page listing of all projected training, employment, and capacity building outcomes that includes the elements listed on 72 Fed. Reg. 44583
• A table of contents listing the application sections; and
• A one- to two-page time line outlining project activities and an anticipated schedule for deliverables.

Please note that the abstract, summary of outcomes, table of contents, and time line are not included in the Technical Proposal page limitation, but have their own page limitations, listed above.  Applications that do not provide the Technical Proposal of the application may be removed from consideration prior to the technical review process. 

Because we do not know the exact date these grants will be awarded and executed, applicants are not expected to use specific calendar/date references (i.e., January, March 13, April 2008, etc.) in the timeline of grant activities.  Instead, applicants are advised to refer to general time periods (i.e., first 3 months, x number of weeks, first year, second year, etc.).

Yes.  Each proposal will be rated based on the following evaluation criteria: (1) statement of need; (2) linkages to key partners; (3) training and capacity building plan; (4) outcomes, benefits, and impact; (5) program management and organization capacity, and (6) integration with regional economic and talent development strategies, plus the one bonus point section. 

Yes.  There is one opportunity for bonus points identified in the SGA at 72 Fed. Reg. 44587 (August 8, 2007): Integration of Workforce Investment Act funds
ETA will award 5 bonus points to applications that demonstrate with evidence the integration of WIA training funds into grant activities.  Examples of WIA training funds include, but are not limited to, Individual Training Accounts, customized training, and Career Advancement Accounts, as applicable.  To receive 5 bonus points, applicants must provide a detailed description of the role of Workforce Investment Act training resources in the CBJTG project that includes:  1) the type of WIA training funds leveraged; 2) the dollar amount leveraged; 3) the workforce system partner involved; 4) the role of the resources in the project; and 5) the impact of the Workforce Investment Act training funds.  An example of 5-point description is:  “The One Stop Career Center will leverage from its WIA resources $X in ITA's for our CBJTG project   The impact will be that the One-Stop Career Center will assess and refer a minimum of X candidates for training and provide them with ITA's for training under the CBJTG.”  This information should also be included in the letter of commitment from the workforce system partner.  No bonus points will be awarded to applicants for simply stating that WIA funds will be integrated into the project.  Bonus Points are awarded on an up or down basis with applicants receiving either five bonus points or zero points.