Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce.
Notice and request for applications.
Pursuant to the Research and Evaluation program, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) seeks applications to research, develop, and disseminate metrics to enable policymakers and practitioners to more effectively understand how to assess the triple bottom line (economic, environmental, and social impacts) of various economic development activities. EDA's mission is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Through its Research and Evaluation program, EDA works towards fulfilling its mission by funding research and technical assistance projects to promote competitiveness and innovation in distressed rural and urban regions throughout the United States and its territories. By working in conjunction with its research partners, EDA will help States, local governments, and community-based organizations to achieve their highest economic potential.
To be considered timely, a completed application, regardless of the format in which it is submitted, must be either (a) transmitted and time-stamped at
Applications may be submitted (a) electronically or (b) in paper format. EDA will not accept facsimile transmissions of applications. The content of the application is the same for paper submissions as it is for electronic submissions. Applicants applying electronically may access the application package by following the instructions provided at
For additional information on the Research and Evaluation program or to obtain a paper application package for this notice, please contact Hillary Sherman-Zelenka via e-mail at
With the increased focus on sustainable economic development over the past several years, the triple bottom line concept has been adopted by a wide array of firms. Companies like Patagonia, General Electric, and Pepsi have successfully implemented triple bottom line accounting into their business models.
While the triple bottom line concept is becoming an increasingly common formula for corporations to utilize to assess their bottom line, it is rarely utilized by local jurisdictions to determine the impact economic development efforts have on a region. Instead, most economic development efforts are exclusively evaluated based on the impact that the initiative will have on the local tax base and the number of jobs that will be created. While these are undoubtedly important considerations, local decision-makers also should consider a range of other factors, such as whether the project will contribute to sprawl, whether jobs will go to the local population or whether labor will be in-sourced, and whether the economic development project utilizes existing vacant properties or will deplete additional natural resources.
In large part, development practitioners' and policymakers' lack of utilization of the triple bottom line concept is due to a lack of research on how the concept could be adapted from its original corporate focus to fit the needs of local governments. In order to rectify this, EDA solicits applications from qualified researchers to develop and disseminate metrics for assessing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of development efforts on a regional economy.
EDA solicits competitive applications from organizations or consortia that will build on the existing body of research and experience related to the triple bottom line concept to identify, develop, and disseminate appropriate metrics for practitioners and policymakers to utilize to assess the broad array of impacts that economic development efforts have in their regions. EDA solicits applications from qualified researchers to accomplish the project tasks and scope of work described in paragraphs (a)–(f) below:
a.
In preparing their applications, applicants are encouraged to examine how economic development efforts at the national, State/regional, and local levels have used the triple bottom line concept, challenges that have been encountered, and how these challenges have been overcome. Applicants should, where possible, examine international scenarios where the triple bottom line concept has been implemented to evaluate public development efforts.
The successful applicant will be required to conduct a literature review
b.
The successful applicant will be required to solicit input through surveys or focus groups from practitioners and policymakers on how they currently utilize the triple bottom line concept, and provide a summary of the information obtained to EDA in a format that can be made available on EDA's Web site at
The successful applicant should ascertain organizations both at local and at State/Federal levels that are currently using triple bottom line efforts to assess economic development impacts, and determine the method that will be used to assess best practices for implementing the triple bottom line concept. Applicants should propose a method to collect input from a diverse range of policymakers and practitioners and develop a broad spectrum of rural and urban best practices. EDA will work with the successful applicant to finalize the method for soliciting input and identifying and communicating best practices, as part of this phase of the project.
c.
The successful applicant is to identify the variables and data sources that will be used to determine the triple bottom line of economic development efforts. The applicant must consider the variety of types of economic development efforts, and as appropriate, distinguish the variables and data sources that would be needed to assess the triple bottom line of different types of projects.
In preparing an application, the applicant should consider whether variables for policymakers interested in determining the triple bottom line of a publicly funded initiative would be the same as those considered by local practitioners. If different variables are identified for the practitioner and policymaker groups, the applicant should specify why and how the variation will serve the needs of each group.
There is a growing body of work that describes ways to assess environmental impacts, social inclusion, and economic events. Examples of resources focused on one or more of these areas include: Ecological Footprint, eco-labels, and the United Nations International Council for Local Environmental Initiative's approach to triple bottom line using the ecoBudget metric. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has several accredited standards useful for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. There are a range of Federal data sources, including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis, which offer information on economic and social variables. Applications under this competitive solicitation should reflect a familiarity with the data and body of work referenced above, as well as the appropriate academic literature. EDA will work with the successful applicant to identify the universe of variables and data sources as part of this phase of the awarded cooperative agreement.
d.
The successful applicant will be expected to create an index that policymakers and practitioners can easily utilize to determine the triple bottom line of a particular economic development activity. The index should identify core variables and data sources in each of the three categories: social, environmental and economic. The successful applicant will be required to construct this index from publicly available data, where possible, to ensure that information can be accessible to the broadest array of stakeholders.
EDA will work with the successful applicant to consider implications of various variables as the index is constructed to ensure as unbiased a construction as possible. Information on the variables selected and data sources is to be submitted to EDA in a format that can be made available on EDA's Web site.
e.
As they are designing their proposals, applicants should refer to how the EDA-funded Innovation Index, created by the Indiana Business Research Center, makes data available in an easy-to-use format. The Innovation Index may be accessed at
To display the index of triple bottom line metrics, the successful applicant will be required to create and implement an interactive web-based display tool with search capability for determining the triple bottom line of economic development efforts, which can be housed on or linked to EDA's Web site at
f.
The successful applicant will produce a final report that highlights the major findings of this research, provides policy recommendations, and offers lessons learned on how both policymakers and local practitioners can create and implement triple bottom line metrics to more effectively evaluate the true impact of economic development efforts. The report shall be posted on EDA's Web site.
Any information disseminated to the public under this announcement is subject to the Information Quality Act (Pub. L. 106–554). For this reason, the successful applicant is required to comply with the Information Quality Guidelines issued by EDA pursuant to the Information Quality Act, which are designed to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by EDA. These guidelines can be found on EDA's Web site at
For the Research and Evaluation program, EDA is allocating $1,500,000 in FY 2010. EDA anticipates that the award made under this competitive solicitation will involve a single-year project period and has allocated $500,000 for this purpose.
Typically, the recipient submits a draft research report to EDA at least 90 days before the end of the project period for EDA's review. If the draft research report is approved, EDA will approve publication of a final research report, and the recipient will brief EDA senior management on research methods and report results.
EDA will consider the nature of the contribution (cash or in-kind), the amount of any matching share funds, and fairly assess any in-kind contributions in evaluating the cost to the Government and the feasibility of the project budget (
(1) Conformance with EDA's statutory and regulatory requirements, including the extent to which the proposed project satisfies the award requirements set out below and as provided in 13 CFR 306.2:
• Strengthens the capacity of local, State, or national organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective economic development programs targeted to regions of distress;
• Benefits distressed regions; and
• Demonstrates innovative approaches to stimulate economic development in distressed regions.
(2) The degree to which an EDA investment will have strong organizational leadership, relevant project management experience, and a significant commitment of human resources talent to ensure the project's successful execution (
(3) The ability of the applicant to successfully implement the proposed project (
(4) The feasibility of the budget presented.
(5) The cost to the Federal government.
(6) The inclusion of a plan to distribute the research and project data to development practitioners through a project Web site that can be accessed free of charge.
(7) The ability to complete key tasks within a timely manner.
(8) The inclusion of a solid plan for sustaining the project after close of the project period.
Under this competitive solicitation, EDA will consider applications submitted only by applicants with the current capacity to undertake research that advances innovation in economic development practice or theory, and that have the potential for impact on a regional or national scale.