Is it expected that we would have fully analyzed reused components before applying?

As outlined in the Solicitation Notice and reflected in our evaluation criteria (Section 6B), applicants must research and consider available technologies and IT components prior to submitting a project proposal. Applicants must then either: (1) explicitly identify which EN data and technology management resources as developed by prior EN grantees will be reused or repurposed in their proposed project within the ‘Commitment to Reuse’ section of their project narrative; OR (2) (if no items are deemed appropriate for reuse (and this is okay and applicable for many projects!)), explicitly state this and provide a detailed justification explaining why available technologies/components will not be used.

For this scenario, the EN Grant Program recommends stating in the Commitment to Reuse section that you have identified items for reuse, and provide all the requisite information as detailed in the overview of the project narrative in Appendix E. But add language detailing the fact that your organization plans to do additional research to ensure these IT Components are a good fit, and if they aren’t, provide a brief overview of the approach you would take instead. (What you might develop if you are unable to reuse an existing product, for example.) And if you are successful and awarded an assistance agreement, and you end up unable to use these products, you simply would reflect this in a simple change request (which you would do through your Regional Exchange Network Coordinator) where you detail what you are doing instead, and also provide a line or two on this change in your semi-annual reports. This is quite common for our grantees (as technology is ever changing), and as long as it is documented and the replacement approach is still within scope, it is a very simple process.