This is PSS2003 Version A 1/27/2003.

• Download the software
  (http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2003guid/pss2003/setup.exe)

This file consists of the following sections:

Software for submittals is available on the GLNPO Web site at:

<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2003guid/pss2003/index.html>

or by calling Tony Kizlauskas (312-353-8773) or

Pranas Pranckevicius (312-353-3437).

Technical Support is available by Email at: glnpo.funding@epa.gov

or call Tony Kizlauskas (312-353-8773).

Deadline. Proposals must be received by 8 a.m. (CST) on March 31, 2003; except that the portion of RFP 3 for Ecological Conferences, Printing, and General Conferences (Categories 3A, 3B, and 3C) allows Proposals to be submitted at any time until funding is exhausted. GLNPO will post a notice at <http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund> when funding is exhausted.

Submit a copy of the data file, "APL2003.TPS," from the electronic version to

the following Email address: glnpo.funding@epa.gov

Or by sending the data file, APL2003.TPS, on a disk to:

This disk contains the Proposal Submission System (PSS2003) for paperless submission of GLNPO Proposals. PSS2003 can also be downloaded from <http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2003guid/pss2003/index.html>. PSS2003 is intended to be used with the criteria and other information contained in this Great Lakes Funding Guidance.

PSS2003 requires Windows 95 or better and a screen display of at least 800x600x16 colors (256 colors or better is preferred). Windows supplies a number of different display driver options that are accessed from the Start->Settings->Control Panel->Display->Settings panel. See your Windows manual or call Tony Kizlauskas (312-353-8773) or Pranas Pranckevicius (312-353-3437) if you need help with the display settings or any other technical question about the PSS2003 software.

After downloading the self-extracting archive file SETUP.EXE, receiving it as an Email attachment, or receiving it on disk, to install PSS2003, you can do either of the following:

1. Run the program SETUP.EXE (a self-extracting archive file) by double-

clicking on it in Windows Explorer or

2. Run the program SETUP.EXE from the "Run" command from the "Start" Button.

Either way, Click "Install" at the Welcome Screen, then wait. Click "OK" at the Installation Completed Screen. The program will create a new subdirectory (C:\PSS2003) and install itself there. It also creates a Program Group, PSS2003, to allow quick access to both the Program and the User's Manual (which you are now reading).

The User's Manual is accessible from within the PSS2003 program by selecting "Help ->Read User's Manual", or outside the program by:

To run PSS2003:

After the program starts (there may be a short delay), click on the menu item "Create/Edit->Proposals." This will allow you to enter proposals and to view proposals already entered. The table lists basic information about any proposals you have entered. (See Section L for Project Category Abbreviations used in the table.)

To enter a new proposal, click on the "Create" button. To Edit or Delete ones you have already entered, select (highlight) the appropriate line in the table by clicking on it and then press the "Edit" or "Delete" keys, respectively.

Once in the data entry window, called either "Creating a Proposal" or "Editing a Proposal" depending upon whether you are entering a new proposal or editing one that you had worked on previously, you move to the appropriate data fields by clicking on the numbered tabs at the top of the data entry form. Where and what data are to be entered is fairly straightforward and "hint balloons" give further hints if you hover your Windows cursor over a particular data field.

Most data are entered by simply clicking your Windows cursor in the appropriate field and typing in the information.

Data for some fields, such as "Title" or "Type of Organization," are entered by selecting the appropriate value from the drop-down list which one accesses by clicking on the down arrow to the right of these fields.

Some fields, such as "Abstract," will contain more lines of text than will initially be displayed on the data entry screen. Use the vertical scroll controls on the right side of these data fields to view the other lines or use the usual Windows navigation controls (arrows, PageUp, PageDown, etc.) once you have clicked within the field to place your cursor within the field.

You can use the Windows clipboard to cut, copy and paste information between a Windows text document you have already created and PSS2003, or within PSS2003 itself. To copy from your document, select the text you wish to copy and choose "Edit->Copy" from the main window menu of your program. Now switch to PSS2003, place your cursor (click) in the field you wish to paste the information, and choose "Edit->Paste" from the main PSS2003 window menu. Caution: Some Windows software embeds non-printing formatting codes that you can't see on the screen, but which might get included in the text you are trying to copy to PSS2003. This may cause PSS2003 to crash. To be safe, copy and paste information only from a simple ASCII text editor such as Notepad (which comes with Windows). If you already have the information in another program, such as a word-processor, you can save the text as an ASCII text file, then open it in Notepad and copy it from there into the appropriate fields in PSS2003.

Data for some fields, such as the Lakes, States, and Geographic Initiatives on TAB3 Geographic Applicability, are selected by clicking on the appropriate selection box to toggle the selection on or off.

To move between the fields within a particular data entry panel, use the Tab key or move the cursor to the field and click on or in it. Do not use the "Enter" key to move between fields, use it only at the end when done entering or changing information.

To move between the different data entry panels click on the tabs at the top of the data entry form.

When you are done entering or editing information for a proposal, either use the "Enter" key, or click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the data entry form to save your work.

If you wish to stop entering information and not save the information or changes you have been working on, click on the "Cancel" button at the bottom of the data entry form. If you have made any changes or entered any information, you will be given a warning allowing you to either save your work before leaving the data entry screens (the "Yes" button), not save the changes (the "No" button), or resume working on the form without saving (the "Cancel" button).

PSS2003 will not let you save the information you entered unless you have completed the following: Name of Organization, Contact First and Last Names, Phone Number, and Project Title. If you wish to perform the data entry over several sessions, you must at least enter this information the first time you begin entering information for a particular project. If you try to exit without saving the required information, your cursor will be automatically placed in the missing field, allowing you to enter the required information. You may, of course, go back and edit the saved session by highlighting the appropriate line in the "Browse Proposals" window and clicking on the "Edit" button.

If you submit multiple proposals, see the note, entitled "Multiple Proposals" later in this document.

Applicant. This information will be used for notifying applicants of the results of the Proposal reviews and should be filled out as a mailing address. Enter name of the Organization applying for funds; Applicable Department, Division, or Unit; Address; City; State (choose one from the drop-down list); and Zip Code.

Contact Information. Contact Name, Contact Person's Title (choose one from the drop-down list), Contact Person's Name, Phone, Fax, and E-mail. For Phone and Fax numbers, enter the 10-digit number without any punctuation, spaces, etc.

Type of Organization. Choose one from a drop-down list including: State; Interstate Agency or Commission; Sub-state or Special Purpose District; County; Municipality; Federal Agency; College or University; Tribal Organization; Federally-Funded Research and Development Center; or Other.

Project Title. There is a 60 character limit for this field.

Abstract. One paragraph synopsis. Write as if this narrative is all the reviewer will know about the project. Do not combine distinct projects into a single proposal. (There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.)

Duration. Specify project duration from 0.5 years up to 2 years (select from the spin-box list).

Category. Select one category from the pull-down list. Do not submit the same project to multiple categories. Make sure that you are eligible for the category that you select. Please read the Funding Guidance for eligibility details and see Section L of this User's Manual for a summary of eligibility limitations.

Rank Within Category (optional). This field should only be filled in by an Applicant submitting multiple proposals within the same project category. To only be filled in after rank is assigned by the organization's coordinator.

Applicable State. Select Great Lakes State(s) which would be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes.

Applicable Lake Basin. Identify Lake Basin(s) which would be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes. Negative reviewer comments may result from inappropriate choices.

Applicable Geographic Initiative. Identify USEPA Geographic Initiative Area(s) which would be most impacted by this project by clicking on appropriate selection boxes.

Applicable Areas of Concern. Identify the Areas of Concern affected by the Project: Choose the primary affected Area of Concern from the drop-down list. List any others in the field entitled "Other Affected AOCs". (There is a 1,000 character limit for this field.)

Problem Statement. Describe the issue that will be addressed and its relevance to the Great Lakes, particularly to needs and priorities (especially in LaMPs and RAPs) for Lakes, AOCs, and other geographic initiatives. (There is a 4,500 character limit for this field.)

Proposed Work/Outcome. Outline what will be done and how. Describe anticipated environmental results, referencing affected pollutants, industry sectors, economic impacts, habitats, and/or species. (There is a 11,000 character limit for this field.)

Proposed Quantification. Applicants for Pollution Prevention projects should list the pollutants to be addressed and quantities proposed to be collected or prevented from entering the environment. Applicants for Habitat projects should estimate the net number of acres of habitat to be positively impacted by the project. Contaminated Sediments remediation/demonstration projects should estimate the cubic yards of sediments to be remediated/treated and list the pollutants involved and their estimated mass. This information entry box is hidden from Applicants for other categories of funding. (There is a 1,000 character limit for this field.)

Milestones. Specify milestones and/or final products and projected due dates (Month/Year, in MM/YYYY format). You may describe up to 8 milestones/final products, including Project Start and End. If you would submit a full proposal in May, your project could begin in May or June; however, most usually begin in September or October.

Environmental Justice. Check box and include a narrative description if some part of the project addresses "Environmental Justice." Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies. (There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.)

Education/Outreach Component. Check box, if the project includes an education/outreach component. If applicable, describe the target audience and how that group would be impacted by the project in the field entitled "Education/Outreach Description". (There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.)

Budget. Fill in the applicable budget items in the table to show how USEPA funds (USEPA Share) and non-USEPA matching funds (Applicant's Match) will be used for personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contract costs, and other costs. You may include a separate line for indirect costs if your organization has in place (or will negotiate) an "indirect cost rate" from a cognizant Federal agency. The USEPA share represents the total which the Applicant expects to request from USEPA for the project's duration (up to two years). Funding will be awarded as a "lump sum" and is not assured for subsequent years. Do not include commas when entering the budget amounts. Totals will be calculated automatically. Pressing "Calculate Totals" displays intermediate results.

Other Funding. If funds are being pursued or have been committed to your Project by other providers, list the Name of the Providers, Amounts Provided, and Commitments made by each. (There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.)

Collaboration/Community Based Support. Describe plans and status of collaboration amongst the public, private, and independent sectors. Evidence of support will be required for full proposals. (There is a 2,000 character limit for this field.)

When you are done entering or editing information for a proposal, SAVE the information by either using the "Enter" key, or clicking on the "Save" button at the bottom of the data entry form. (See the "Saving Information" section above.)

To print out the proposal information that you have entered, close any open proposal editing windows ("Creating a Proposal" or "Editing a Proposal") and select "File->Print Proposals" from the main menu of PSS2003. After the records are processed, you will be taken to a print preview window to allow you to preview your printout and to select which pages to print before you actually print them. The functions of the various icons on the print preview toolbar are explained below. (Here, as elsewhere in PSS2003, "hint balloons" give further hints if you hover your Windows cursor over a particular toolbar icon.)

When you move your cursor over the previewed page, it changes to a magnifying glass shape to signify that it can be used to rapidly zoom the preview in or out. By clicking the mouse when the cursor is the magnifying glass shape, the zoom will toggle between the "No Zoom" and "Page Width" view settings.

Please also use the Proposal Submission System to submit multiple proposals. If your organization submits more than one Proposal, please identify an overall Contact Person (including phone, e-mail, and address) and send a single, coordinated submittal, prioritizing the proposals. PSS2003 provides this capability -- see the section "Merging Multiple Proposals into a Single Data File" below for how to do this.

Also, please be sure to merge all of the proposals your organization is submitting into a single data file, then please fill in the assigned "Rank Within Category" for each proposal on "PSS2003 TAB (2) Project Summary Information." See instructions below for how to merge proposals.

Individuals from the following organizations have offered to serve as coordinators for proposals from their organizations. Please contact your coordinator first if you plan on submitting a proposal on behalf of one of the following organizations:

- Indiana DEM: Kathy Luther (219-881-6730)

- Indiana DNR: Laurie Rounds (317-233-0132)

- Michigan DEQ: Rick Hobrla (517-335-4173)

- Minnesota PCA: Pat Carey (218-723-4744)

- Minnesota DNR: Pat Collins (218-834-6612)

- New York DEC: Donald Zelazny (716-851-7130)

- Ohio EPA: Julie Letterhos (614-644-2871)

- Pennsylvania DEP: Lori Boughton (814-332-6155)

- Wisconsin DNR: Linda Talbot (608-266-8148)

- Army Corps of Engineers: Jan Miller (312-353-6354)

- Great Lakes Commission: Michael Donahue (734-971-9135)

PSS2003 allows you to merge proposals from different APL2003.TPS data files into a single data file. This means that the proposals can be prepared by different people at different locations (home, office, laptop, etc.) and they can later be combined into a single data file for submission. This is especially relevant when multiple proposals are being prepared by different individuals but being submitted by a single organization overall contact who also assigns the organization's rankings to the various projects (see above).

To merge proposals prepared using PSS2003:

If you wish to use a proposal that you prepared in PSS1 / PSS2 / PSS2000 / PSS2001 / PSS2002 previously as a starting point for this year's submittal, PSS2003 allows you to import proposals from the old format (APPLY.TPS / APPLY2.TPS / APL2000.TPS / APL2001.TPS / APL2002.TPS) into PSS2003.

To import proposals prepared using PSS1 / PSS2 / PSS2000 / PSS2001 / PSS2002:

When you no longer need PSS2003, you can uninstall it using the following steps:

If you have your computer setup with standard Windows Internet and Email access shortcuts, you can access some helpful Internet sites and/or send Email to Technical Support with your questions, directly from PSS2003. To do so:

In case your PC isn't set up for direct access to the Internet or Email, the relevant Web addresses for information and support are as follows:

The main Great Lakes National Program Office Internet address is:

<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo>

The address for general information about the proposal process:

<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2003guid/index.html>

The address for news on PSS2003 or for downloading PSS2003 or updates is:

<http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2003guid/pss2003/index.html>

The Email address for PSS Technical Support is:

glnpo.funding@epa.gov

Here are some common problems you may run into and suggested solutions. If you run into problems, please inform us of them so that we can pass on the solutions to others and/or update PSS2003 to correct the problem.

If you've tried everything you can think of and are still having trouble using PSS2003, please contact Tony Kizlauskas by phone at (312) 353 - 8773,

or by E-mail at "glnpo.funding@epa.gov".

The following is a list of the Abbreviations used for the Project Categories for use when viewing the tabular list of all entered proposals.

1A: Contaminated Sediments

1B: Pollution Prevention and Reduction

1C: Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration

1D: Invasive Species

1E: Strategic or Emerging Issues

2Aia: L. Erie - LaMP Outreach

2Aib: L. Erie - Human Health Dialogue

2Aic: L. Erie - Technical Transfer

2Aid: L. Erie - Land-use Assessment Methodology

2Aie: L. Erie - Coastal Community BMP

2Aii: L. Huron - Binational Partnership / RAP Support

2Aiiia: L. Michigan - LaMP Implementation

2Aiiib: L. Michigan - Watershed Training and Implementation

2Aiiic: L. Michigan - Environmental Education/Boat Tour

2Aiiid: L. Michigan - RAP/Tributary Monitoring

2Aiva: L. Ontario - Habitat Prioritization

2Aivb: L. Ontario - RAP Coordination/Management

2Aivc: L. Ontario - Contaminant Source Trackdown

2Aivd: L. Ontario - Tributary Load Monitoring

2Aive: L. Ontario - Atmospheric Mercury Deposition

2Ava: L. Superior - LaMP Implementation

2Avb: L. Superior - RAP Habitat Recommendations

2Avc: L. Superior - Community Awareness

2Avd: L. Superior - Energy Conservation

2Bia*: L. Erie - Cooperative Partnerships: LaMP Development -

Aquatic System

2Bib*: L. Erie - Cooperative Partnerships: LaMP Development -

Detroit River

2Bic*: L. Erie - Cooperative Partnerships: LaMP Development -

Ohio AOCs

2Bid*: L. Erie - Cooperative Partnerships: LaMP Development -

General

2Biia*: L. Michigan - Cooperative Partnerships: State LaMP/RAP

Development/Implementation

2Biib*: L. Michigan - Cooperative Partnerships: Implement LaMP Human

Health, Habitat, Toxics Reduction

2Biic*: L. Michigan - Cooperative Partnerships: Tribal LaMP

Development and Implementat

2Biid*: L. Michigan - Cooperative Partnerships: LaMP

Implementation through LMMCC

2Biiia*: L. Superior - Cooperative Partnerships: State LaMP/RAP

Implementation

2Biiib*: L. Superior - Cooperative Partnerships: Tribal LaMP/RAP

Implementation

3A: Ecological (habitat) Conferences, Workshops, Meetings

3B: Printing of Ecological (habitat) educational environmental materials

3C: General Conference, Workshop, Meeting, and Printing under GLWQA

3D: State of Lake Michigan Basin Conference

3E: Basin-wide RAP Priorities

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Version A, Released 1/27/2003: Original Release