Is it appropriate to use consultants and/or vendors of hardware and software in the preparation of grant proposals?

The NOFA specifically provides for the use of consultants in the design and implementation of one-call centers—but such expenses are considered eligible for reimbursement only if incurred after the applicant is selected to receive a grant award. Otherwise, if an applicant wishes to use a consultant to help prepare the proposal, FTA will not pay for those services under this grant, since there is no "pre-award authority" in this discretionary program as there is with other FTA formula transit capital grants.
Eligible applicants developing grant proposals may, on the other hand, ask vendors of hardware, software, and services to voluntarily provide technical information on products and their costs as a basis for the independent cost estimates required by FTA. Note that these documents may not be used to develop specifications that arbitrarily exclude other vendors from responding to a competitive procurement for products or services that may be funded by the grant. Nor can this assistance be construed as a quid pro quo for assisting in the preparation of the grant application. Refer to FTA Circular 4220.1F, "Third Party Contracting Guidance" for details.