DOE Industrial Training & Assessment Centers (ITAC) Implementation Grants - Open Solicitation

Workstream 1: Implementation Grants

This workstream involves collecting grant applications from SMMs to implement recommendations made in ITAC, CHP/Onsite Energy TAP, or qualified equivalent assessments that meet the eligibility and prioritization criteria described below.  

Note: For entities who have received ITAC energy assessments with additional assessment recommendations (AARs): The DOE and ENERGYWERX can help you obtain further cost and energy savings calculations for those AARs so that you can apply for funding to implement them through the ITAC Implementation Grant Program.

GRANT AMOUNTS:

Eligible SMMs can now receive a maximum of $300,000 of funding per unique assessment recommendation. Multiple grants per quarter are allowable, provided each grant is dedicated solely to a unique project recommendation from a qualifying assessment. There is no limit to the number of grants per funding round per applicant, provided each assessment recommendation has not been previously funded.

Additionally, the program will require a minimum grant funding request threshold of $5,000, or in other words, a minimum of $10,000 in total project costs. This minimum threshold aims to focus this program's resources on helping manufacturers implement larger capital projects that are less likely to be feasible without the federal funding.

Note: Eligible potential applicants must submit one (1) form FOR EACH FACILITY in which grant support is requested.

NEW:

ISO 50001 and 50001 Ready-certified manufacturing facilities can now apply for grant funding, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements, by following these steps:

• ISO 50001/50001 Ready-certified facility conducts a self-assessment as part of the certification protocol
• The facility fills out this form detailing the self-assessment and converting it into the standard ITAC assessment format: Click Here to View
• The facility sends the form to their regional ITAC Center of Excellence (CoE), who reviews it and approves or rejects it
• Facilities with CoE-approved forms can upload it as part of their ITAC implementation grant application (in the section “Please upload your ITAC, CHP/Onsite Energy TAP, or qualified third-party assessment report here.”)

Any ITAC implementation grant recipient paying internal staff and/or external contractors to conduct “construction, alteration, or repair work” must comply with Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) requirements to pay workers at least the prevailing wage (average wage for similarly employed workers in a given occupation in an area). ENERGYWERX & the DOE team will help you understand how to comply with the wage and reporting requirements and are working to make it as straightforward as possible. The trickiest part is generally submitting weekly payrolls for those doing the work to the free online LCP tracker. Note that DBA will apply only for weeks where construction/alteration/repair work is actually taking place. Many external contractors are familiar with the DBA process; additional costs incurred to comply with DBA can be included in project budgets and the grant application and reimbursed, up to 50%, by grant funding. For more information, please visit this DOE webpage.‍

Workstream 2: Third-Party Assessor Qualification

This workstream involves collecting applications from entities interested in having their assessments qualify as "equivalent to ITAC assessments" in accordance with 42 USC§17116(a)(2)(C), so that their eligible clients can apply for implementation grants.

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The current quarterly submission deadline is October 1, 2024. DOE will host monthly Informational Office Hours to answer any questions from potential applicants before the next quarterly submission deadline. We expect the next round to open early in October 2024. View the dates below and click the links to RSVP.

• July 11, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET: COMPLETE
• August 15, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET: COMPLETE
• September 19, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET: COMPLETE

Submissions are due NLT October 1, 2024 by 3:00 PM ET

Workstream 1 Timeline (Estimated)

• Applications Open: July 7, 2024
• Office Hours Sessions:
  • July 11, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
  • August 15, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
  • September 19, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
• Application Deadline: October 1, 2024 NLT 3:00 PM ET [Click Here to Submit]
• Review and Selection: Fall 2024
• Awarding and Implementation: Selected SMMs will finalize awards with ENERGYWERX and begin implementation

Workstream 2 Timeline (Estimated)

• Applications Open: July 7, 2024
• Office Hours Sessions:
  • July 11, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
  • August 15, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
  • September 19, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET
• Application Deadline: October 1, 2024 NLT 3:00 PM ET [Click Here to Submit]
• Review and Selection: Fall 2024‍
• Awarding and Implementation: Selected assessment providers will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding with DOE spelling out the terms of the qualification. Once the MOU is signed, eligible clients can apply for implementation grants.

Workstream 1

Complete the Submission Form: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT October 1, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET)

Workstream 2

Complete the Submission Form: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT October 1, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET)

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Applications in this round of funding must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Applicant is a domestic entity. [1]

2. Applicant is a manufacturer – that is, an entity that engages in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components; or applicant is a water or wastewater treatment facility.

• ‍Eligible applicants may fall under the following NAICs Codes
  - NAICS Code: 31-33 (Manufacturing)
  - NAICS Code: 1114 (Controlled Environment Agriculture)
  - NAICS Code: 22131-22132 (Water Supply Systems and Sewage Treatment Facilities)

3. Applicant had gross annual sales of less than $100 million in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).

4. Applicant annual energy bills were between $100,000 and $3.5 million in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).

5. There were fewer than 500 employees at the assessed plant site in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).

6. All proposed projects address recommendation(s) made in an ITAC or CHP/Onsite Energy TAP assessment conducted since January 1, 2018, or another qualified assessment since January 1, 2021.

7. No proposed project efforts already have been implemented.

8. Minimum total project(s) implementation cost of $10,000.

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Applications in this round of funding will be evaluated and prioritized using the following criteria:

‍Impact and Feasibility (50%)

1. The degree to which the proposed project(s) has the potential to improve the assessed plant site’s energy efficiency and productivity.

2. The degree to which the proposed project(s) is likely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (higher priority for projects that align with the goal of achieving a net-zero economy).

3. The likelihood that the project will improve the applicant’s competitiveness, given the payback period and expected return on investment (cost savings/implementation cost) over a 10-year period after implementation.

4. The adequacy of the proposed project management approach, including the clarity of project scope, cost, work plan, and key milestones to ensure project objectives are met, as well as the availability of sufficient Project Manager and team time.

Need for Financial Assistance and Cost Share (25%)

5. The degree to which the applicant demonstrates the need for financial assistance to implement the proposed project, considering available funding sources, upfront costs, and estimated payback period.

6. Whether the grant will supplement, not supplant, any private or State funds available to the eligible entity to carry out the covered project.

7. Whether the applicant leverages and demonstrate successful securement of alternative funding sources (e.g., Private Banks, State & Utility Programs, Energy Performance Saving Contracts, SBA) to carry out the covered project.

Community Benefits (25%)

8. Whether the facility is located in, and/or the extent to which the proposed project(s) provides economic and/or environmental benefits to, (1) a disadvantaged/underserved community, as defined by the Justice40 Initiativeand Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, or (2) an energy community.

9. Whether the applicant is a Minority Owned Business [2], Woman Owned Business, Veteran Owned Business, or Small Business Administration-qualified HUBzone business or Section 8(a) Business Development program participant, or the degree to which the applicant demonstrates concrete plans to work with those businesses as vendors or contractors in the implementation of the funded project(s).

10. The degree to which the applicant demonstrates that they are a responsible employer that offers and/or retains high-quality jobs with employer-sponsored benefits, consistent with the Department of Commerce and Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Principles; operates pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, formal labor management partnership, or other approach to supporting worker’s access to collective bargaining (e.g., allows a card-check process or pledges neutrality in unionization drives); participates formally in a registered apprenticeship program; and/or demonstrates existing partnerships with organizations serving workers facing barriers to employment.

In addition, DOE may consider portfolio-wide program policy factors in determining which full applications to select for awards, including:

• The degree to which the proposed project contributes to a diversity of applicant types and sizes of applicant organizations and represents diversity in the technical area when compared to the existing DOE project portfolio and other projects selected from this FOA.
• The degree to which the proposed project optimizes the use of available DOE funding to achieve programmatic objectives.
• The degree to which the project contributes to the overall portfolio’s impact on the strength of the American domestic manufacturing base across the nation.
• The degree to which the project will employ procurement of U.S. iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials.
• The degree to which the proposed project is likely to lead to increased high-quality employment and manufacturing in the United States.
• The degree to which the project focuses on repurposing, reusing, or decarbonizing existing industrial infrastructure and/or facilities.
• The degree to which the proposed project, or group of projects, represent a desired geographic distribution (considering past awards and current applications).
• The degree to which the proposed project supports complementary efforts or projects, which, when taken together, will best achieve the statute’s goals, objectives, and direction.

[1] To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States.

[2] Minority owned business is defined as a business of which not less than 51% is owned by one or more individuals who are: (A) citizens of the U.S.; and (B) Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or Alaska Native.  

Applications in this round of qualification must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Applicant is a domestic entity (mandatory) [3]
2. Applicant’s protocol and implementation recommendations are vendor-agnostic for implementation-related products and services.
3. Applicant's assessments are not limited to one or a small set of technology areas or interventions.
4. Applicant is willing, if selected for qualification, to provide its assessment protocols and details on calculations when requested, and to interact with, DOE, the Industrial Assessment Centers, and other key program stakeholders to share best practices and ensure quality.

Applications in this round of qualification will be evaluated and prioritized using the following criteria:‍

1. The degree to which the assessor demonstrates substantial experience with comprehensive industrial energy assessments [4], either longitudinally (through a long-running track record of industrial energy assessments) or as a demonstrably major focus of recent work (e.g., at least 25-50% of assessments provided in the last two years).

2. The degree to which assessments are free or demonstrably affordable to small- and medium-sized manufacturers.

3. The degree to which the assessor incorporates input from key site personnel (e.g., Plant Manager, Energy Manager, Engineering Personnel) – including gathering pre-assessment data and input – to ensure its assessment is addressing specialized characteristics and challenges of assessed the site.

4. Whether the assessor executes assessments in person at plant sites, or conducts assessments virtually but with demonstrable equivalent efficacy to that of in-person assessments.

5. The degree to which the entity’s assessments generate final reporting that captures information and transparent calculations on (1) engineering and financial analysis of implementation costs and benefits, and (2) detailed overviews of plant operation, assessment activities, and identified recommendations.
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‍Note: Assessment results, and the associated recommendations, cost estimates, and benefits, should be based upon 1-2 years’ worth of actual utility data (electricity, gas, water, etc.) for the facility being assessed‍

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6. The degree to which the assessor demonstrates a commitment to the ITAC Program’s dual missions of (1) workforce development and (2) strengthening small- and medium-sized manufacturers, as well as a commitment to community and labor engagement; job quality; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and the Justice40 initiative.

7. The degree to which the assessor’s capabilities, client base, and/or geographic coverage helps extend, or fill important gaps in, the ITAC Network’s capacity and reach.

8. The indicated commitment of the assessor to conducting yearly follow-up surveys to collect implementation data as prescribed by the DOE (e.g., whether implementation occurred, actual implementation costs, realized energy savings, total reduction of GHG emissions, etc.), and to sharing survey results data with the DOE.

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Qualified third-party assessors are required to meet and maintain the eligibility criteria above and maintain a consistent level of performance on the review criteria above to maintain their qualification as a non-ITAC or DOE CHP assessor whose assessments will enable participating SMMs to receive ITAC Implementation Grants. DOE retains the prerogative to request renewal evaluations of, or additional information from, third-party assessors to ensure continued eligibility, quality, and ITAC equivalence.

[3] To qualify as a domestic entity, the entity must be organized, chartered or incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular state or territory of the United States; have majority domestic ownership and control; and have a physical place of business in the United States

[4] “Energy assessments” refer to assessments that are conducted to improve industrial energy efficiency, material efficiency, productivity, or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and non-greenhouse gas pollution.

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If you have any additional questions, please contact ENERGYWERX: info@energywerx.org