SC Rural Infrastructure Authority Announces Policy Change for SCIIP Applications

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SCIIP grantees will have three options for funding engineering services going forward

Option 1: Local Funds

Pay for all engineering costs with local (non-SCIIP, non-RIA) funds. Procurement procedures will not be reviewed by RIA.

Option 2: RIA State Grant Funds

Pay for some/all engineering costs with RIA state grant funds awarded in conjunction with SCIIP funds (available only to small or Tier III/IV utilities). This is a reversal of a longstanding policy to exclude engineering costs from state grant funding eligibility and only applies to state grant funds requested in conjunction with SCIIP grants. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposals (RFP) must be used to competitively procure engineering services, following the grantee’s local procurement code. In the absence of local procurement requirements, state procurement requirements will be used as a guide. Under these guidelines, consulting firms/engineers that provided preliminary cost estimates/maps for the proposed SCIIP project CAN respond to the RFQ/RFP if all relevant preliminary engineering information is posted or published online for public access at the time of the RFQ/RFP. The grant application has been revised to allow the request of RIA funds for non-construction costs.

Option 3: SCIIP Grant Funds

Pay for some/all engineering costs with federal SCIIP grant funds. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposals (RFP) must be used to competitively procure engineering services. As under state procurement guidelines, consulting firms/engineers that provided preliminary cost estimates/maps for the proposed SCIIP project CAN respond to the RFQ/RFP if all relevant preliminary engineering information is posted or published online for public access at the time of the RFQ/RFP. This is a change to guidance previously emailed and published in FAQs on August 19.

SC RIA has decided to make these changes to help smaller and more disadvantaged utilities that may struggle to cover engineering with local funds or comply with federal procurement requirements for engineering services.

Please see Version 4 of the FAQs for more details about procurement requirements that apply when grant funds are used as well as the eligibility of Viability Planning funds for stormwater. Please contact the grant manager for your area if you have any questions.

Application Deadline and Delivery Reminders

Deadline: September 12th by 5:00 PM

Hard copy and electronic submissions are required.

  • Paper copies: Two hard copies of the signed application & attachments. One of these must contain original signatures.
  • Electronic files: Unsigned pdf of the application form AND a single PDF of all attachments, in order.

Delivery

Hand-delivered application packages should be brought to the RIA office located in Suite 1740 at 1201 Main Street in Columbia. The office will be open Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Contact SC RIA with any questions:  ria.sc.gov | 803.737.0390 | info@ria.sc.gov