Questions and Answers: Rubberized Pavement Grant Program (FY 2022–23)

Questions about the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program grant application are accepted in writing only, no later than September 21, 2022. Similar or related questions may be grouped together or reworded for clarity and responded to as one question.

All questions and answers will be posted during the application period and are subject to updates. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check this website for the latest information regarding this grant cycle.

General | Eligibility | Materials |Funding | Application

General

  1. How is this grant solicitation different from last year?
    CalRecycle adopted several eligibility criteria and evaluation process changes. As specified in the approved Criteria Request for Approval (RFA), changes are as follows:

    • Provide priority ranking, funding changes, and lower material minimums to Qualifying Tribal Entities
    • Provide priority ranking to “first-time” grantees

    Two additional changes included:

    • Changing the Term “Joint” Application to “Regional” Application in our grant documents. (Joint Powers Authorities (JPA) remain a separate entity type during the application period.); and
    • Reinstating the Project Summary and Calculation sheet during application and the Payment Calculation Summary form (CalRecycle 748-TRP) during the grant term. These two required documents were reinstated after conducting a two-cycle trial and evaluation period.
  2. When will the Notice to Proceed be issued?
    We anticipate approving eligible applications in December 2022 and sending out Grant Agreements in January 2023. Once we have a “fully executed” Grant Agreement (meaning all parties have signed the agreement), we will issue the Notice to Proceed (NTP). The sooner that CalRecycle receives the Grant Agreement signed by your Signature Authority, the sooner a grantee will receive the NTP.
  3. Has the Notice to Proceed for the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program been released yet?  Per the CalRecycle website, “Construction of the RAC portion of any project must commence on or after the date indicated in the Notice to Proceed and be completed by April 1, 2025.”  I noticed the grant is awarded in December of 2022 and wanted to know if I could list the dates of upcoming projects when applying for the grant. For example, would projects in December 2022 be counted in the grant or only those in the year 2023?
    A Notice to Proceed (NTP) is issued individually to those that are awarded and have a fully executed grant agreement. The NTPs are normally sent in the spring following the award in December. Therefore, projects in December 2022 and so on would not be eligible until a NTP is issued to your jurisdiction. This issuance date is when your jurisdiction can start incurring grant-eligible costs.
  4. Between what dates can we list projects that would qualify for the grant? The website mentions fiscal year 2022–23, but in a previous email I was told it had to be projects starting after spring 2023. Therefore, would it be acceptable to list projects starting between spring 2023 to spring 2024? If it depends on the issuance of the Notice to Proceed, how are we supposed to know when we’ll get to start to list the appropriate projects?
    This grant has an approximately two-year grant term, meaning it can be used for two paving seasons. The earliest you can list eligible projects is spring 2023, however keep in mind that no grant eligible costs may be incurred prior to the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (NTP). You may plan and bid the project; however, the placement/installation of the hot-mix or chip seal material may not occur prior to the date indicated in the NTP. All otherwise eligible costs that are incurred prior to the date indicated in the NTP will not be reimbursed. For more information, see page 6 of the Procedures and Requirements document under the Grant Term section.
  5. Our city is considering applying for the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program, specifically for chip seal. Are there any requirements related to going out to bid for a contractor? We already have an on-call contract with a vendor that we established through a competitive bid a few years ago. Would it be necessary to go out for another bid if we are awarded the grant? Are there any other bid-related requirements that we need to consider?
    CalRecycle does not involve itself in an agency’s bidding process. However, one of the project requirements is that the binder material used in all project(s) must contain a minimum of 300 pounds (or equivalent to [15%] by weight) of the tire-derived crumb rubber per ton of rubberized binder. Additionally, the tire-derived crumb rubber must be from only California-generated waste tires processed in California. Potential applicants should examine the requirements of this grant carefully to ensure they are met.
  6. Hypothetically, can a project qualify for this program if it was awarded Tuesday, September 20, 2022, and expected to be completed in December, prior to award notification and issuance of the notice to proceed (NTP)? There is verbiage on page 6 of the Procedures and Requirements document that states “costs incurred prior to the NTP date… are not eligible.”
    The project as described is not eligible under this grant program. Projects that start construction of the RAC paving portion and completed prior to the date that CalRecycle sends the Notice to Proceed do not qualify.

 

Eligibility

  1. Our city has reached the maximum number of grants for hot-mix projects (six grants) and for chip seal projects (six grants). How long is the city restricted from individually applying for funds for either type of projects?
    The eligibility criteria and evaluation process for the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program for fiscal years (FYs) 2022–23 and 2023–24 limits eligible applicants to a maximum of six asphalt rubber hot-mix or six rubberized chip seal grants. Once a jurisdiction reaches its maximum, it can no longer apply for that project type unless it is a participant in a regional application.
  2. Are city-owned, city-maintained, but no public access (due to gated area) roadways eligible for this grant? How about privately-owned, but city-maintained?
    Page 6 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions document states that eligible projects must be owned and maintained by the applicant and accessible to the general public.
  3. Are public parking lots and public alleys eligible locations for the Rubberized Pavement Grant? Can this grant be used for our tribal office parking lot? The parking lot is used six days a week by tribal members, vendors, and the general public to access our office.
    Parking lots and alleys are eligible. However, CalRecycle does not recommend the use of gap-graded rubberized pavement in these applications due to the highly resilient nature of the material, which is more conducive to dynamic loading (roadways) instead of the static loading typically encountered in parking lots and alleys. Additionally, vehicles and heavy trucks making tight turns in a parking lot/alley will cause premature rutting and failure of the pavement. Also, note that parking lot and alley applications will probably result in small tonnages and higher costs. Because of the smaller tonnages used, applicants may combine these projects with eligible roadway projects to satisfy Program minimums.
  4. Can a member of a JPA apply individually, if the JPA itself also applies in the same fiscal year?
    Yes, page 5–6 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions document states that members of the JPA are also eligible to apply individually, as long as the member is seeking funds for projects within its own jurisdiction and not for projects that are part of the JPA’s application.
  5. Are out of state universities eligible to apply for this program? Do public charter schools qualify for this grant?
    No, eligible applicants are limited to entities within the state of California. The Eligible Applicants list does not include charter schools. For a full list of eligible applicants, see page 4 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions document.
  6. My city is rebidding a pavement project and in the past our small city was not planning to use enough asphalt to qualify. Is there a minimum quantity?
    As stated on page 6 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions document, project(s) must use a minimum of 2,000 tons of RAC hot-mix (1,000 tons for Tribal Entities) for hot-mix projects. For chip seal projects, project(s) must use a minimum area of 40,000 square yards of chip seal material (20,000 square yards for Tribal Entities).
  7. We are a council of governments, JPA, and are considering applying on behalf of our member jurisdictions, however one of the member jurisdictions has applied (individually) for this grant and can no longer apply, would they be able to participate under a regional application?
    Yes, a member jurisdiction (who can no longer apply individually) can apply as a participant of a regional application.
  8. In the Eligibility section of the grant cycle website, it mentions if we have received six grants previously for RAC that we are ineligible to receive anymore. However, on the same website under the Criteria section, there is a downloadable PDF that shows a table of the grant category and the corresponding number of previous RAC grants with the limit going to five. If our city has received five RAC grants previously, can we receive a sixth grant, and if so, what grant category would that fall under? The information on the website is conflicting.
    Admittedly, this can be confusing. However, it is stating the same. If your city has received six prior grants, you are no longer eligible to apply. If your City has no more than five previous grants, it is eligible to apply. If your city received five RAC grants previously, the city can receive a sixth grant. The application would be under the RAC-3 category.

Materials

  1. Are rubberized slurry seal projects eligible for funding under the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program or is it only rubberized chip seal projects?
    Is a slurry seal project without the chip seal an eligible project?
    Page 8 of the Procedures and Requirements document states that slurry seal is not eligible under this grant program.
  2. Is there an easy way to convert square yards of material into the amount of tires used for a project, or an equation to figure this out?
    Page 12 of the Procedures and Requirements document provides the following information.

    For Hot-Mix Projects: the total pounds of crumb rubber can be derived by multiplying the total tons of RAC hot-mix material used in the project(s) by the percent of crumb rubber in the binder and the percent binder in the mix multiplied by 2,000 (pounds per ton).  The subsequent passenger tire equivalent (PTE) can be derived by dividing the total pounds of crumb rubber by 12 (pounds per tire).

    For Chip Seal Projects: the total pounds of crumb rubber can be derived by multiplying the total square yards of chip seal material used in the project(s) by the percent of crumb rubber in the binder and the spread rate multiplied by 8 (pounds per gallon).  The subsequent PTE can be derived by dividing the total pounds of crumb rubber by 12 (pounds per tire).

Funding

  1. How much money is allocated for the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program? And what is the grant maximum?
    We currently expect a total of $4,209,703 to be available for Fiscal Year 2022–23, subject to availability. The maximum grant award for hot-mix and/or chip seal project(s) is $250,000 ($500,000 for Tribal Entities). If applying as a regional applicant, the maximum grant award is $350,000. The Lead or a Non-Lead Participant is limited to no more than $250,000 of the grant award.
  2. If the actual bid results that we receive for our next paving project reveal a cost differential that is different from the bid estimates at the time of application, how much will we be reimbursed?
    Reimbursement is at a flat rate, as approved on the application based on Table 1 on Page 7 of the Procedures and Requirements. This is regardless of whether the cost difference indicated at the time of application is greater or less than, up to the grant award amount.
  3. Are matching funds required? What percentage is supposed to be local match?
    No, matching funds are not required, therefore local percentage does not apply.

Application

  1. What is the purpose of a Resolution? Please advise or provide a sample resolution? We checked the available online forms but didn’t see a Resolution sample to follow. Can you provide one?
    A Resolution is required for any entity which is subject to a governing body. The purpose of a Resolution is to provide:

    • Authorization from your governing body to submit an application(s).
    • Designation of the job title of the individual authorized to sign all documents necessary to implement the program (Signature Authority).
    • If permitted and/or authorized by your jurisdiction, authorization for the Signature Authority to delegate his/her signature authority to another.
    • The number of years that these authorizations are effective, up to a maximum of five years.

    Refer to the Applicant’s Required Authorization Documents section on page 23–25 on the Application Guidelines and Instructions document. You may go to the Resolution and Letter Examples webpage for example Resolutions.

  2. We have an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Practices (EPPP) policy in place, but what is an EPPP Notification Document? Is there an example you can provide or direct me to find online?
    Our city has a Green Purchasing Administrative Procedure. Does this meet the EPPP requirement?
    The EPPP Notification document is only required for organizations that do not have a policy or adopt a new policy during the application process. The EPPP Policy Notification document is available on the Summary tab of the application. Requirements on EPPP Policy is included in our Application Guidelines and Instructions. In addition, EPPP Information, which includes links to examples of existing EPPP Policies and concepts that CalRecycle encourages organization to include, is available in the Summary tab of the application. Do not upload a copy of your organization’s policy.
  3. What is the EPPP Policy requirement for JPAs? Is it required for every member of the JPA?
    The JPA is required to have an EPPP Policy. The participating jurisdiction(s) is/are encouraged, but not required, to have in place (or adopt, as appropriate) an EPPP Policy.
  4. Can a public works project (e.g., pavement management/improvement, street widening) currently in the design or bidding phase be allowed for inclusion as part of a grant application under the program?
    We have a few projects that are in the planning phase and construction is expected to begin around this time next year. Will CalRecycle accept an application with forecasted project information? Can and how would we update our application to reflect specifics when they become available?
    Yes, public works projects that are in the design or bidding phase can be included in the application. Any necessary pre-construction activities (i.e., project planning and design, bidding, milling operations, pavement repairs) are allowed during the application period prior to award. However, all construction and installation using the rubberized paving material must occur within the grant term to be a grant-eligible cost.
    You can update previously forecasted project information with the specifics by submitting a proposed revision for CalRecyle’s approval. See page 8 of the Procedures and Requirements under the Modifications section.
  5. Can an applicant include past and completed projects which have utilized the RAC material, as well as upcoming projects, or does it only need to be upcoming projects? In other words, can we include completed projects within the last few years as well as upcoming projects in our application to request funding for the FY 2022–23?
    No, the applicant cannot include previously completed projects. On page 7–8 of the Procedures and Requirements document, it states the following:

    Eligible Costs: Eligible costs include expenditures incurred and paid for eligible paving material delivered and installed during the Grant Term (from the date of the Notice to Proceed through April 1, 2025).

    Ineligible Costs: Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to:

    • Costs incurred for projects that start construction of the RAC paving portion prior to the date that CalRecycle sends the Notice to Proceed, or end construction after April 1, 2025.
  6. I self-registered and created a new account so that I can take the required TDA Training Course. I don’t see the automated email in my inbox to confirm my account, therefore I can’t proceed with the course. What do I do?
    Because it is an automated email message, it may be in your junk email folder. We recommend that you inform your IT Department to add noreply@ce.ecst.csuchico.edu to your whitelist email or approved sender list. If you still can’t find the confirmation email, please send an email to dxcheng@csuchico.edu for technical support. For more details, please refer to the document titled “Instruction to Self-Register”. You can find it on the Summary Tab under Resource Documents section of GMS and within the login website.
  7. I have discovered several TDA videos on YouTube prepared by CalRecycle. Will viewing these videos meet the TDA Training Course requirement? Please advise.
    Please read page 9 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions under the TDA Training Course Requirement section. This section provides specific instructions on how to meet the requirement. Applicants must access the Chico State website to see the required video(s), take the quiz, and upload a completion certificate by the application due date.
  8. One of the latest requirements to be eligible for the grant is for applicants to implement best management practices regarding its vehicle and equipment fleet. Does that require us to adopt a policy and upload it to GMS? If so, do you have samples for references?
    No, CalRecycle does not need to review a policy, nor must a policy be uploaded into the online application. However, Applicants must certify on the Detail Tab of GMS that their organization acknowledges and implements these types, or other applicable fleet management practices that maximize fleet tire life. Pages 9–10 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions document provides a list that includes examples of common vehicle and equipment best management practices that are used to maximize fleet tire life.
  9. How does the ranking inducement work? I am currently categorized as RAC-2 with three previous RAC hot-mix grants. Where would my city be in the ranking order if we met one of the two conditions?
    A city currently ranked in the RAC-2 category would be elevated to the RAC-1 category but placed in the bottom segment. In other words, your projects will be funded after all initially qualified RAC-1 projects, but prior to RAC-2 projects. Keep in mind, however, that a ranking inducement does not guarantee funding, nor does it increase the reimbursement rate or amount. It does increase an applicant’s chance of being awarded if the cycle is oversubscribed.
  10. Does my entity get more inducement if we adopt all three policies? For example, does an entity that adopts all three areas get more inducement than an entity with two areas or does two areas earn more inducement than just one?
    No, if you adopt at least one of the three policies, your application will receive a ranking inducement.
  11. I am unclear what document is required to qualify for the optional ranking inducement. Please advise.
    According to the application guidelines, to satisfy the Inducement of environmental goals we would need a letter from the signature authority committing to one of the three commitments (in our case we would likely look towards the retread tires commitment). The second requirement is that we would need to have adopted this retread tire policy as a board resolution. To meet the requirements of this inducement, is the commitment letter and resolution all we need for the retread tire policy?
    There are two methods to qualify for the inducement. As stated on pages 10–13 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions, you may either:

    1. Submit a Letter from the Signature Authority, if your entity commits to objectively reviewing and evaluating the use of RAC, TDA material, or the use of Retread Tires, or
    2. Adopt a Policy (or procedure) for our review.

    The Letter or Policy must be uploaded to your application by November 9, 2022.

  12. Can we upload our existing EPPP Policy or our Purchasing Policy in lieu of the documents specified, to qualify for the optional ranking inducement?
    No, existing EPPP and Purchasing Policies will not be accepted in lieu of the documents specified.
  13. Do we need to take the online TDA training again? We applied last cycle, however, we were not awarded due to insufficient funds available. Can we upload the training certificate from that training session?
    As stated on page 9 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions, you must recertify every time you apply for the grant. Training certificates from previous grant applications will not be accepted. You must also re-register to take the course again.
  14. Can more than one individual from our municipality take the Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA) Training Course?
    Yes, more than one individual can take the course. If the individual(s) taking the course are other than those listed as contacts in the application, you must indicate their name and title in the Project Summary/Statement of Use field under the Detail tab of GMS, For detailed information, please refer to page 9 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions.
  15. My agency submitted a Letter with our application last year with the intent to get a ranking inducement. Our application was recommended for an award, however there were not enough funds available. Therefore, we were not awarded. Are we still eligible for a ranking inducement via a Letter for this year’s application? We understand that the Letter method is a one-time basis only.
    Since our city was not awarded in last year’s solicitation, can we use the same Letter for this year’s application?
    Page 13 of the Application Guidelines and Instructions states that an entity requesting a ranking inducement via a Letter will only be allowed once. Since you have not yet received a ranking inducement via the Letter method, you are still eligible to do so. However, an updated Letter is required. A Letter submitted with a previous TRP application will not be accepted with your TRP15 application.
  16. May you provide examples of completed rubberized pavement grant applications from a previous cycle?
    If you have access to GMS and your jurisdiction has had previous grants under this grant program, you should be able to view past applications. You may need to contact us at grantassistance@calrecycle.ca.gov to get access to previous applications within your jurisdiction. If you are requesting access to other jurisdictions’ completed applications, you may request copies of public records by using the Optional Request Form on CalRecycle’s website or sending an email to PubRecReq@CalRecycle.ca.gov.