Simplified Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Procedure

Simplified FOA notification procedure to ensure Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR) 970.5127-1

“Work for Others Program (WFO)” (non-DOE programs), is included in the Prime Contract. The DEAR requires that LANS formally notify the LASO Contracting Officer of its intent to respond to an FOA before submitting a proposal in response to the FOA.  

An FOA may also include a Broad Agency Announcement from a U.S. federal agency or other forms of general research solicitations posted by non-federal organizations. For proposals in response to DOE solicitations, please contact the appropriate LANL program office to follow their procedures for notifying DOE and/or obtaining DOE CO authorization.*

This required FOA notification procedure works as follows:

• The affected Program Director/Program Manager (PD/PM) along with the Principal Investigator (PI) reviews the FOA and the FOA Notification Process Flow Chart (below).
• If the FOA is deemed appropriate for LANL response, the PD/PM completes and signs the FOA Notification memorandum template (doc).
• The PD/PM will attach the signed memo, FOA, and other supporting documentation (single PDF) and email it to the appropriate LASO Contracting Officer.
• A single FOA Notification is valid for all proposals LANS may submit in response to a specific FOA.
• Once the notification has been submitted to the LASO CO, the LANL Principle Investigator(s) may submit a proposal in response to an FOA.

FAQs Program Directors, PIs, and Laboratory staff

• Q. What if the WFO FOA requires pre-approval by the Contracting Officer?
  A. Then,
  1. In the FOA Notification Memorandum, replace the Subject line with “Request Contracting Officer Approval to respond to . . .”
  2. Modify “Part 3 – FOA Special Requirements,” to indicate the FOA requires Contracting Officer approval, and;
  3. Modify the text in the text box adjacent to the Program Director’s signature to reflect “Signature” and “Approved by” and insert Contracting Officer’s name. Ensure your email to the appropriate Contracting Officer clearly indicates “CO Approval” is required.
• Q. Can a Group Leader or other managers sign the FOA Notification Memorandum?
  A. No. Only a Program Director/Program Manager who has jurisdiction for funds that may come from the sponsoring entity must sign the FOA Notification Memorandum and email it to the Contracting Officer.
• Q. What happens if I submit my proposal before notifying DOE through the appropriate Program Director?
  A. LASO will reject any funds awarded to LANS as a result of your proposal.
• Q. What if I really cannot, in good faith, answer all these FOA Notification questions to my advantage?
  A. If all of the criteria in the FOA Notification cannot be satisfied, LANS should not submit a proposal in response to the FOA.

Tips for Program Directors/Program Managers, PIs, and Laboratory staff

• Review the DOE Mission to see the DOE Strategic Themes and Goals to ensure the proposed work will leverage the DOE Mission as you will state this in the FOA Notification Memorandum.
• Engage the appropriate Program Director/Program Manager early to determine whether it is in the best interest of the Laboratory and Program to respond to an FOA.
• While LASO does not approve of the FOA Notification Memorandum, it is extremely important that you carefully and accurately answer the questions in the event the Notification is challenged at a later date.

Program Office Contacts

If you have any other questions, please contact the Program Office responsible for the area of research described in the FOA.

• Department of Health & Human Services (National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, etc.), e-mail FOA to proposals@lanl.gov.
• Non-Federal Entities (e.g. foundation grants, state grants, etc.) where LANL intends to receive the funding from a non-federal entity under a Work-for-Others Non-Federal-Entity agreement or CRADA, e-mail the FOA to nonfederalproposals@lanl.gov.
• Other Federal Agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, etc.), contact the Global Security Program Office (5-2421).
• *DOE solicitations from the offices of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, or Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability programs, contact the Applied Energy Program Office (663-5537); Civilian Nuclear Programs Office, contact SPO-CNP (5-8126); Office of Science, contact SPO-SC (5-0481); other Science, Technology and Engineering Programs, see for the appropriate program contact information.

Please be aware that the NNSA may disapprove of any new project that is awarded if the required notification process is not followed.