14. Can a project proposed for HOPE funding be a discrete scope of an ongoing bigger project and utilize an existing contract vehicle as long as all activities and billing is separate?

No. The HOPE program is intended to fund new planning, environmental, technical and environmental studies.  Each application for funding will be evaluated based upon its merits and how the project meets the criteria in the NOFO. A project that has already incurred costs will not be considered eligible for a HOPE award. However, feel free to describe in your application how your proposed HOPE-funded project, as a separate, new effort, may enhance the effectiveness of other, separately-funded, work.