IPTD-446
Climate Mitigation Funding navigation tool
Description
Development of a web-based Climate Funding One Stop Shop interactive tool (Tool). The Tool will be a public facing, user friendly, searchable tool that the public can query to locate information on available climate mitigation related federal and state grants, incentives, and programs. The vendor (bidder) must have expertise in developing public-facing web materials and tracking federal and state funding programs.
Project Justification
New Jersey faces a massive and costly challenge to meet climate emission reduction targets and seeks to maximize the deployment of funding to New Jersey which may otherwise be allocated out of state or go entirely unused.
Activity
Show:
Program is satisfied with product and needs no further support.
PO was cut on 12/5/24 for the acquisition of the needed services.
Knute checking with Jim M. on the last procurement hold-up.
Discussed today at DOIT manager’s meeting.
Jim reminded me of the Carrolton work to mock-up a grants finding tool which we can share with Peg’s team.
For proceeding with an RFP, the main points were about the need to:
navigate the NJOIT SAR process
ensure inclusion of all NJ and DEP web standards.
spell out the intention NOT to take over or provide support to the tool, or otherwise we will need fairly deep conversations about the architecture and technology used to build and support the tool, these include a web front, database back, and communication/notification aspects.
Consideration of how far forward this be supported at what annual cost?
Next steps
internal DOIT meeting on how to navigate the RFP, working from attached draft toward DOIT approval asap.
Knute to share feedback (awareness of SAR) and Carrolton info with Peg’s team in the interim.
meeting today with Hanna, Peg [DEP] Peg.Hanna@dep.nj.gov; Evanego, Melissa [DEP] Melissa.Evanego@dep.nj.gov; Leavey, Meghan [DEP] Meghan.Leavey@dep.nj.gov; Connor, Ashley [DEP] Ashley.Connor@dep.nj.gov; Zanfini, Arthur [DEP] Arthur.Zanfini@dep.nj.gov and Knute Jensen
We clarified the differences between this project and the linked #436, concluding that there is no anticipated overlap other than that some umbrella funding sources (IRA for example) offering funds, will be the ultimate source of the funding for both, although specific programs applied to at state and federal levels are expected to be distinct.
#436 is proceeding with contractor Dewbery and may be able to consider some ideas uncovered today which will be explored as possible additions/ clarifications to the draft RFP attached. These include:
opening the possibility of a tool optimally leveraging the rapidly evolving LLM capabilities to skip most development of any new repository and perhaps rely on all existing web-based information on the funding sources (ie train an LLM to expertly find and make sense and advice around already published funding information) Failing this, the desired tool should optimize for simplicity and avoid lots of user-selection of filters or views.
Including a sign-up feature that is as simple and intelligent as possible so that future useful funding notifications can optionally be alerted to the user. This might anticipate “usefulness” beyond just similar opportunities searched for or requested.
ensuring the eventual location, and promotion of tools is coherent, clear and navigable throughout all offerings between this tool, #436, this sort of content NJDEP| Grant and Loan Programs | Local Government Assistance Grants and Loans and other existing information at all levels.