Bill,

Convince your faculty/staff person to call the agency and talk to the program
manager.  This is standard, SOLID advice.  Unless the program manager is a
wimp, the PI should find out that their proposal is off base.

If all else fails, my suggestion would be to discreetly share your concerns
(and a copy of the proposal) with the faculty member's chairperson or dean
(depending on the personality).  A lousy proposal doesn't help the reputation
of the individual OR the institution.

Ruth Tallman
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Lehigh University
526 Brodhead Ave.
Bethlehem, PA  18015
Phone: 610-758-3024
E-Mail: xxxxxx@lehigh.edu