Requests for Proposals/Qualifications

Financial

Q: What is included in “overhead”?

A: Overhead is defined as ongoing operating costs associated with an organization that are not attributed to a specific project but are necessary for the business to function. This includes cost of rent, utilities, insurance, etc. These are all items that are not charged separately when submitting a project budget but are nonetheless necessary for a business to operate. Overhead should not exceed 10% of labor costs.

Q: What do I do when the overhead charge required by my organization exceeds 10%?

A: Cost-effectiveness is the ultimate goal of this program and proposals will not be judged solely on the amount of overhead charged. Submit the proposal with the amount of overhead required by your organization, even if it exceeds 10%, with a written narrative explaining and justifying why overhead exceeds 10%.

Q: If this is a multi-year project, how will funding be handled?

A: Funding is guaranteed for the first year of a project only.

Topics of study

Q: For Topic 5 (Pond, Slough, and Bay Water Quality Interactions), should proposals be broader than the questions posed in Questions 4, 5 and 6 since the Shellenbarger 2008 reference already provided initial answers to those questions?

A: In this topic area as well as all others, proposals should seek to build on any work already performed as documented in the references. In this particular case, broader proposals that more completely address Questions 4, 5, and 6 while addressing some combination of the first three questions are definitely welcome.

Q: Regarding Topic Area 1 (Measuring Habitat Evolution Utilizing Satellite Imagery), is imagery from an aerial platform that will house sensors comparable to or better than IKONOS resolution a suitable substitute?

A: Yes, such performance would be an acceptable substitute, however key considerations include the ability to a) repeat the imagery annually, particularly at a similar low tide stage, and b) provide satisfactory imagery with respect to degree of cloud cover and other potential variables.

Q: For Topic 3 (Waterbird Nesting and Foraging in Managed Ponds), what if islands in ponds SF2 and A16 are not yet built during the lifespan of this funding cycle?

A: The same parameters (nesting species and densities, foraging species and densities, and reproductive success, island configuration and density) can be measured in comparable ponds.

Q: For Topic 8 (California Gull Displacement Study), the questions are in regards to predation rather than displacement of gulls. How are these two related?

A: An additional study question for Topic 8 should be: How will the displacement of gulls off current colonies (particularly the largest colony at Pond A6) affect the reproductive success of other nesting birds in the South Bay.

Q: If the research encompasses more than one topic area, how should the proposal be written, as one all-encompassing proposal or as separate proposals that discuss the integration of topic questions?

A: Proposals that cover more than one topic area should be written in a manner that best articulates what is proposed to be accomplished. For example, if the integration between two areas is to address one topic area in depth and simply collect some ancillary data that will inform the second topic area, it should be written as a proposal on the primary area with indications of how it will inform the second area. If the integration is more in depth, a single proposal covering more than one topic area would be acceptable and the page limit expanded by each topic area that is addressed.

Collaboration

Q: Would graduate student work on a related project be considered collaboration?

A: Yes.

Graduate fellows

Q: For the “open call for graduate fellows,” is admission to graduate school in the semester following the award date sufficient, or must one be currently enrolled to apply?

A: Admission following the award date is sufficient as long as the application is accompanied by a future advisor stating that the advisor will indeed be accepting the student.

Data management

Q: How will data will be handled, stored, and made accessible?

A: See the Data Conventions section of the RFP website, coming soon.