The Agency will award and administer RES and EEI grants in accordance with Departmental Regulations and with paragraphs (a) through (h) of this section.
(a) Letter of Conditions. A Letter of Conditions will be prepared by the Agency, establishing conditions that must be agreed to by the applicant before any obligation of funds can occur. Upon reviewing the conditions and requirements in the Letter of Conditions, the applicant must complete, sign, and return the Form RD 1942-46, “Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions,” and Form RD 1940-1, “Request for Obligation of Funds,” to the Agency if they accept the conditions of the grant; or if certain conditions cannot be met, the applicant may propose alternate conditions to the Agency. The Agency must concur with any changes proposed to the Letter of Conditions by the applicant before the application will be further processed.
(b) Insurance requirements. Agency approved insurance coverage must be maintained for 3 years after the Agency has approved the final performance report unless this requirement is waived or modified by the Agency in writing. Insurance coverage shall include, but is not limited to:
(1) Property insurance, such as fire and extended coverage, will normally be maintained on all structures and equipment.
(2) Liability.
(3) National flood insurance is required in accordance with 7 CFR part 1806, subpart B, if applicable.
(4) Business interruption insurance for projects with total project costs of more than $200,000.
(c) Forms and certifications. The forms specified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (5) of this section will be attached to the Letter of Conditions referenced in paragraph (a) of this section. The forms specified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (4) of this section and all of the certifications must be submitted prior to grant approval. The form specified in paragraph (c)(5) of this section, which is to be completed by contractors, does not need to be returned to the Agency, but must be kept on file by the grantee.
(1) Form RD 1942-46, “Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions.”
(2) Form RD 1940-1.
(3) Form SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” if the grant exceeds $100,000 and/or if the grantee has made or agreed to make payment using funds other than Federal appropriated funds to influence or attempt to influence a decision in connection with the application.
(4) Form RD 400-4, “Assurance Agreement,” or successor form.
(5) Form AD-1048, as signed by the contractor or other lower tier party.
(d) Evidence of matching funds and other funds. If an applicant submitted written evidence of matching funds and other funds with the application, the applicant is responsible for ensuring that such written evidence is still in effect (i.e., not expired) when the grant is executed. If the applicant did not submit written evidence of matching funds and other funds with the application, the applicant must submit such written evidence that is in effect before the Agency will execute the Financial Assistance Agreement. In either case, written evidence of matching funds and other funds needed to complete the project must be provided to the Agency before execution of the Financial Assistance Agreement and must be in effect (i.e., must not have expired) at the time Financial Assistance Agreement is executed.
(e) System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Before the Financial Assistance Agreement can be executed, the applicant's UEI number must be registered in the SAM and a valid (e.g. non-expired) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code must be submitted to the Agency.
(f) Financial Assistance Agreement. Once the requirements specified in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section have been met, the Financial Assistance Agreement can be executed by the grantee and the Agency. The Agreement should be signed as soon as possible, but no later than within 6 months of obligation of funds or grant funds may be de-obligated by the Agency. The grantee must abide by all requirements contained in the Financial Assistance Agreement, this subpart, and any other applicable Federal statutes or regulations. Failure to follow these requirements might result in termination of the grant and adoption of other available remedies.
(g) Grant approval. The grantee will be sent a copy of the executed Form RD 1940-1 and the Financial Assistance Agreement.
(h) Power purchase agreement. Where applicable, the grantee shall provide to the Agency a copy of the executed power purchase agreement within 12 months from the date that the Financial Assistance Agreement is executed, unless otherwise approved by the Agency.