Solicitation of Applications for the North Carolina, New Mexico and Oklahoma Native American Business Enterprise Centers (NABECs), 26783-26787 [E7-9096]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 91 / Friday, May 11, 2007 / Notices
Operations, Office 9, titled 2005/2006
antidumping Duty New Shipper Review
of the Antidumping Duty Order on
Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat from the
People’s Republic of China: Bona Fide
analysis of the Sale(s) Reported by
Weishan Hongrun Aquatic Food Co.,
Ltd. (February 22, 2007). The
Department received no comments on
its preliminary decision to rescind the
new shipper review of Weishan
Hongrun, based on the totality of the
circumstances of the sale and the nonbona fide nature of the transaction.
Additionally, prior to the Preliminary
Rescission, Leping Lotai, Nanjing Merry,
and Shanghai Strong all submitted
letters to the Department indicating they
would not permit verification of the
information placed on the record of the
reviews. By not permitting the
Department to verify the accuracy of the
information each submitted to the
Department, Leping Lotai, Nanjing
Merry, and Shanghai Strong each failed
to establish that they qualified for a
separate rate. See Memorandum to
James C. Doyle, Director, AD/CVD
Operations, Office 9, from Scot T.
Fullerton and Prentiss Lee Smith, Case
Analysis, through Christopher D. Riker,
Program Manager, titled Freshwater
Crawfish Tail Meat from The People’s
Republic of China: Intent to Rescind the
New Shipper Review of Leping Lotai
Foods Co. (February 22, 2007);
Memorandum to James C. Doyle,
Director, AD/CVD Operations, Office 9,
from Scot T. Fullerton and Prentiss Lee
Smith, Case analysts, through
Christopher D. Riker, Program Manager,
titled Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat
from The People’s Republic of China:
Intent to Rescind the New Shipper
Review of nanjing Merry Trading Co.,
Ltd. (February 22, 2007); Memorandum
to James C. Doyle, Director, AD/CVD
Operations, Office 9, from Scot T.
Fullerton and Prentiss Lee Smith, Case
analysts, through Christopher D. Riker,
Program Manager, titled Freshwater
Crawfish Tail Meat from The People’s
Republic of China: Intent to Rescind the
New Shipper Review of Shanghai
Strong International Trading Co., Ltd.
(February 22, 2007).
To establish whether a company
operating in a non-market economy
(‘‘NME’’) is sufficiently independent
from the Government to be eligible for
a separate rate, the Department analyzes
each exporting entity under the test
established in the Final Determination
of Sales at Less Than Fair Value:
Sparklers From the People’s Republic of
China, 56 FR 20588 (May 6, 1991), as
amplified by the Notice of Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than
Fair Value: Silicon Carbide from the
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People’s Republic of China, 59 FR 22585
(May 2, 1994). Under the separate rates
criteria, the Department assigns separate
rates in NME cases only if the
respondent can demonstrate the absence
of both de jure and de facto
governmental control over export
activities.
By failing to allow the Department to
verify the accuracy of their submissions,
Leping Lotai, Nanjing Merry, and
Shanghai Strong did not demonstrate
that they are free of government control
and, therefore, are not eligible to receive
a separate rate. In the notices of
initiation, the Department stated that an
exporter unable to demonstrate the
company’s eligibility for a separate rate
does not meet the requirements of 19
CFR 351.214(b)(2)(iii) and its new
shipper review will be rescinded. See
Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat From the
People’s Republic of China: Initiation of
Antidumping Duty New Shipper
Reviews, 71 FR 26453 (May 5, 2006)
(‘‘May 5, 2006, Initiation Notice’’); see
also Freshwater Crawfish Tail Meat
From the People’s Republic of China:
Initiation of Antidumping Duty New
Shipper Review, 71 FR 30866 (May 31,
2006). Therefore, the Department
preliminarily rescinded the new shipper
reviews of Leping Lotai, Nanjing Merry,
and Shanghai Strong. The Department
received no comments on its
preliminary decision that Leping
Lotai’s, Nanjing Merry’s, and Shanghai
Strong’s reviews should be rescinded as
they did not qualify for a separate rate.
Changes Since the Preliminary Results
We have made no changes to our
preliminary decision to rescind the new
shipper reviews of Weishan Hongrun,
Leping Lotai, Nanjing Merry and
Shanghai Strong.
Assessment of Antidumping Duties
A cash deposit of 223.01 percent ad
valorem shall be collected for any
entries produced/exported by Leping
Lotai/Leping Lotai, Anhui Hengda
Foodstuffs Co. Ltd./Nanjing Merry,
Weishan Hongrun/Weishan Hongrun,
and Jiangsu Hongda Aquatic Food Co.,
Ltd./Shanghai Strong.2 The Department
will issue appropriate assessment
instructions directly to CBP within 15
days of the publication of this notice.
Notification to Importers
This notice serves as a final reminder
to importers of their responsibility
2 The Preliminary Rescission erroneously
indicated that Nanjing Merry produced the subject
merchandise it exported during the POR. This
merchandise, in fact, was produced by Anhui
Hengda Foodstuffs Co. Ltd. See, e.g., May 5, 2006,
Initiation Notice.
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26783
under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a
certificate regarding the reimbursement
of antidumping duties prior to
liquidation of the relevant entries
during this review period. Failure to
comply with this requirement could
result in the Secretary’s presumption
that reimbursement of antidumping
duties occurred and the subsequent
assessment of double antidumping
duties.
These reviews and notice are in
accordance with sections 751(a)(1),
751(a)(2)(B) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and
19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).
Dated: May 4, 2007.
Stephen J. Claeys,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. 07–2340 Filed 5–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–M
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Minority Business Development
Agency
[Docket No: 070503107–7108–01]
Solicitation of Applications for the
North Carolina, New Mexico and
Oklahoma Native American Business
Enterprise Centers (NABECs)
Minority Business
Development Agency, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with 15 U.S.C.
1512 and Executive Order 11625, the
Minority Business Development Agency
(MBDA) is soliciting competitive
applications from organizations to
operate a Native American Business
Enterprise Center (NABEC) in the
specified locations and geographical
service areas (see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION). The NABEC operates
through the use of business consultants
and provides a range of technical
assistance services directly to Native
American- and other minority-owned
businesses. Responsibility for ensuring
that applications in response to this
competitive solicitation are complete
and received by MBDA on time is the
sole responsibility of the applicant.
Applications submitted must be to
operate a NABEC and to provide
business consultation to eligible clients.
Applications that do not meet these
requirements will be rejected. This is
not a grant program to help start an
individual business.
DATES: The closing date for receipt of
applications is Friday, June 15, 2007.
Completed applications must be
received by MBDA no later than 5 p.m.
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Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) at
the address below for paper submission
or at www.Grants.gov for electronic
submission. The due date and time is
the same for electronic submissions as
it is for paper submissions. The date
that applications will be deemed to have
been submitted electronically shall be
the date and time received at
Grants.gov. Applicants should save and
print the proof of submission they
receive from Grants.gov. Applications
received after the closing date will not
be considered. Anticipated time for
processing is ninety (90) days from the
date of publication of this notice. MBDA
anticipates that awards for the North
Carolina NABEC, New Mexico NABEC
and the Oklahoma NABEC will be made
with a start date of August 1, 2007.
Pre-Application Conference: In
connection with this solicitation, a preapplication teleconference will be held
on Friday, May 18, 2007. Participants
must register at least 24 hours in
advance of the teleconference. Please
visit the MBDA Internet Portal at
www.mbda.gov (MBDA Portal) for
registration instructions. A copy of the
MBDA panel evaluation tool and a
summary of the questions and answers
from the pre-application conference will
be available through the MBDA Portal as
soon as practicable following the
conference.
(1a) Paper Submission—If
Mailed: If the application is sent by
postal mail or overnight delivery service
by the applicant or its representative,
one (1) signed original plus two (2)
copies of the application must be
submitted. Completed application
packages must be mailed to: Office of
Business Development—NABEC
Program, Office of Executive Secretariat,
HCHB, Room 5063, Minority Business
Development Agency, U.S. Department
of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20230.
Applicants are advised that
Department of Commerce mail security
measures may delay receipt of United
States Postal Service mail for up to two
weeks. Applicants may wish to use a
guaranteed overnight delivery service.
Department of Commerce delivery
policies for Federal Express, UPS, and
DHL overnight services require the
packages to be sent to the address above.
(1b) Paper Submission—If HandDelivered: If the application is handdelivered by the applicant or his/her
representative, one (1) signed original
plus two (2) copies of the application
must be delivered to: U.S. Department
of Commerce, Minority Business
Development Agency, Office of Business
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ADDRESSES:
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Development—NABEC Program
(extension 1940), HCHB, Room 1874,
Entrance #10, 15th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC (Between Pennsylvania
and Constitution Avenues).
U.S. Department of Commerce ‘‘handdelivery’’ policies state that Federal
Express, UPS, and DHL overnight
services submitted to the address listed
above (Entrance #10) cannot be
accepted. These policies should be
taken into consideration when utilizing
their services. MBDA will not accept
applications that are submitted by the
deadline but rejected due to
Departmental hand-delivery policies.
The applicant must adhere to these
policies in order for his/her application
to receive consideration for award.
(2) Electronic Submission: Applicants
are encouraged to submit their proposal
electronically at https://www.Grants.gov.
Electronic submissions should be made
in accordance with the instructions
available at Grants.gov (see https://
www.grants.gov/ForApplicants for
detailed information). MBDA strongly
recommends that applicants not wait
until the application deadline date to
begin the application process through
Grants.gov, in some cases, the process
for completing an online application
may require 3–5 working days.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information, please visit
MBDA’s Minority Business Internet
Portal at https://www.mbda.gov. Paper
applications and Standard Forms (SF)
may be obtained by contacting the
MBDA National Enterprise Center (NEC)
for the area where the Applicant is
located (see Agency Contacts below) or
by visiting the MBDA Portal at
www.mbda.gov. Standard Forms 424,
424A, 424B can also be obtained at
https://www.Grants.gov. Forms CD–511
and CD–346 may be obtained at
www.doc.gov/forms. Form SF–LLL can
be obtained at www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/grants.
Agency Contacts:
1. Office of Business Development,
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Room 5075, Washington, DC 20230.
Contact: Efrain Gonzalez, Program
Manager at 202–482–1940.
2. Dallas National Enterprise Center
(DNEC), 1100 Commerce Street, Room
726, Dallas, TX 75242. This region
covers the states of Arkansas, Colorado,
Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North
Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas,
Utah and Wyoming. Contact: John
Iglehart, Regional Director, DNEC at
214–767–8001.
3. Atlanta National Enterprise Center
(ANEC), 401 W. Peachtree Street, NW.,
Suite 1715, Atlanta, GA 30308. This
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region covers the states of North
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida,
Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina
and Tennessee. It also covers Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Contact: John Iglehart, Acting Regional
Director, ANEC at 404–730–3300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
MBDA published a Federal Register
notice on August 29, 2003 (68 FR
51981), as amended on September 30,
2003 (68 FR 56267), February 11, 2004
(69 FR 6644) and February 19, 2004 (69
FR 7726), soliciting competitive
applications for operators of the
following eight NABDCs (now
NABECs): Arizona Statewide NABDC,
California Statewide NABDC,
Minnesota/Iowa Statewide NABDC,
New Mexico Statewide NABDC, North
Carolina/Cherokee/Ashville NABDC,
North/South Dakota Statewide NABDC,
Northwest NABDC and the Oklahoma
Statewide NABDC. This competition
resulted in financial assistance awards
(cooperative agreements) being issued
for all eight locations, with a three-year
award period of January 1, 2004 through
December 31, 2006.
On September 6, 2006, MBDA
published a Federal Register notice (71
FR 52529) soliciting competitive
applications for operators of four
regional NABECs (in place of the eight
prior NABECs) for the next three-year
award period commencing January 1,
2007. However, on October 25, 2006,
MBDA published a Federal Register
notice (71 FR 62420) (i) cancelling the
September 6, 2006 solicitation and (ii)
amending the original competitive
solicitation to extend the total project
award period for all eight of the original
NABECs from three years to four years.
MBDA took these actions in order to
provide the Agency with a sufficient
opportunity to solicit input from its
stakeholders regarding any proposed
program changes to be implemented
during the next three-year award period.
Operators of five of the eight NABECs
accepted MBDA’s invitation to extend
the original award period for an
additional year, while the operators of
the North Carolina/Ashville/Cherokee
NABEC, New Mexico Statewide NABEC
and Oklahoma Statewide NABEC
declined MBDA’s invitation.
This Notice solicits competitive
applications for the North Carolina
NABEC, New Mexico NABEC and the
Oklahoma NABEC. This Notice replaces
in its entirety the previously published
competitive solicitation for the North
Carolina NABEC, New Mexico NABEC
and Oklahoma NABEC projects,
although it generally adheres to
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previous programmatic requirements
with updates being made to the
computer requirements.
Geographic Service Areas
The NABEC will be located and will
provide services in the following
geographic areas:
NABEC name
Location of NABEC
North Carolina NABEC ......................................
Cherokee/Asheville, Charlotte, Lumberton or
Pembroke, NC.
Albuquerque, Farmington or Gallup, NM .........
Oklahoma City or Tulsa, OK ............................
State of North Carolina.
may require additional time (e.g., 3–5
working days). The date that
applications will be deemed to have
been submitted electronically shall be
the date and time received at
Grants.gov. Applicants should save and
print the proof of submission they
receive from Grants.gov. Applications
received after the closing date and time
will not be considered.
(c) Applicants who demonstrate an
innovative approach (consistent with
overall NABEC program requirements)
to limit barriers to market and capital
access for Native American- and other
eligible minority-owned businesses.
New Mexico NABEC .........................................
Oklahoma NABEC .............................................
Electronic Access
A link to the full text of the
Announcement of Federal Funding
Opportunity (FFO) for this solicitation
may be accessed at https://
www.Grants.gov, at https://
www.mbda.gov, or by contacting the
appropriate MBDA representative
identified above. The FFO contains a
full and complete description of the
NABEC Program requirements. In order
to receive proper consideration,
applicants must comply with all
information and requirements contained
in the FFO. Applicants will be able to
access, download and submit electronic
grant applications for the NABEC
Program in this announcement at
https://www.Grants.gov. MBDA strongly
recommends that applicants not wait
until the application deadline date to
begin the application process through
Grants.gov as in some cases the process
for completing an online application
Geographic service area
Funding Priorities
Preference may be given during the
selection process to applications which
address the following MBDA funding
priorities:
( a) Applicants who submit proposals
with a scope of work for the project
exceeding the minimum work
requirements in the FFO;
(b) Applicants who submit proposals
that include performance goals that
exceed the minimum performance goal
requirements in the FFO; or
State of New Mexico.
State of Oklahoma.
Funding Availability
MBDA anticipates that a total of
approximately $611,000 will be
available in FY 2007 for financial
assistance awards under this
competition. Specific funding levels for
the North Carolina NABEC, New Mexico
NABEC and Oklahoma NABEC are set
forth in the below table. The anticipated
start date for all awards under this
competition is August 1, 2007 and the
total award period is anticipated to be
twelve (12) months (e.g., August 1, 2007
through July 31, 2008). The maximum
Federal funding amount for each
NABEC project is as follows:
August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008
Project name
Estimated program cost
North Carolina NABEC ................................................................................................................
New Mexico NABEC ....................................................................................................................
Oklahoma NABEC .......................................................................................................................
Federal share
$188,000
188,000
235,000
$188,000
188,000
235,000
Non-Federal
share *
N/A
N/A
N/A
* Encouraged, but not required.
Publication of this notice does not
obligate the Department of Commerce or
MBDA to award any specific
cooperative agreement or to obligate all
or any part of available funds.
Authority: Executive Order 11625 and 15
U.S.C. 1512.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA): 11.801, Native American Business
Enterprise Centers.
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Eligibility
For-profit entities (including soleproprietorships, partnerships, and
corporations), non-profit organizations,
state and local government entities,
American Indian Tribes, and
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educational institutions are eligible to
operate NABECs.
Program Description
MBDA is soliciting competitive
applications from organizations to
operate Native American Business
Enterprise Centers (formerly known as
Native American Business Development
Centers) (NABDC)) under its Native
American Business Enterprise Center
(NABEC) Program. The NABEC will
operate through the use of trained
professional business consultants who
will assist Native American and other
minority entrepreneurs through direct
client engagements. Entrepreneurs
eligible for assistance under the NABEC
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Program are Native Americans, Eskimos,
African Americans, Puerto Ricans,
Spanish-speaking Americans, Aleuts,
Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Indians
and Hasidic Jews. References
throughout this notice regarding a
NABEC’s provision of services and
assistance to Native American clients
also includes the eligible non-Native
American clients listed in the preceding
sentence. No service may be denied to
any member of the eligible groups listed
above.
The NABEC Program requirements
increase the impact of the project by
requiring that project operators deploy
standardized business assistance
services to the Native American and
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minority business public directly,
develop a network of strategic
partnerships and provide strategic
business consulting within the
geographic service area. These
requirements will be used to generate
increased results with respect to
financing and contracts awarded to
Native American and minority-owned
firms and thus, are a key component of
this program.
The NABEC Program also
incorporates an entrepreneurial
approach to building market stability
and improving quality of services
delivered. This strategy expands the
reach of the NABECs by requiring
project operators to develop and build
upon strategic alliances with public and
private sector partners, as a means of
reaching out and serving Native
American and minority-owned firms
with rapid growth potential within the
project’s geographic service area. The
NABEC Program leverages the full
benefit of telecommunications
technology, including the Internet and a
variety of online computer-based
resources, to dramatically increase the
level of service that the NABECs
provide to Native American and
minority-owned firms. In addition,
MBDA will establish specialized
advanced programs for growth
assistance to clients with the capacity to
grow and expand. These programs are
designed to foster growth assistance for
its clients. The NABEC will also
encourage collaboration and referrals of
clients and non-clients that meet the
requirements of these specialized
programs and other MBDA sponsored
networks. This will provide a
comprehensive approach to serving the
emerging sector of the Native American
business community.
MBDA’s new strategic growth
initiative is focused on serving emerging
Native American and minority firms
capable of impacting economic growth
and employment. MBDA wants to
ensure that NABEC clients are receiving
a consistent level of service throughout
its funded network. To that end, MBDA
will require NABEC consultants to
attend a series of training courses
designed to achieve standardized
services and quality expectations.
Please refer to the FFO for this
competitive solicitation for additional
programmatic information.
Match Requirements
It is not required that an applicant for
a NABEC award propose a non-Federal
cost share contribution. An applicant
may, however, propose a cost-share
contribution in any of the following four
means or in any combination thereof: (1)
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Client fees; (2) cash contributions; (3)
non-cash applicant contributions; and/
or (4) third party in-kind contributions.
The NABEC may (but is not required to)
charge client fees for services rendered.
Client fees (if imposed) shall be used
towards meeting cost share
requirements and must be used in
furtherance of the program objectives.
Applicants will be awarded up to five
(5) bonus points to the extent that the
proposed project budget includes a nonFederal cost-share contribution,
measured as a percentage of the overall
project budget (see Evaluation Criteria
below).
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated and
selected for funding based on the
following criteria. An application must
receive at least 70% of the total points
available for each evaluation criterion,
in order for the application to be
considered for funding. The maximum
number of total points for each
evaluation criterion is provided below.
The number of points assigned to each
evaluation criterion will be determined
on a competitive basis by the MBDA
review panel based on the quality of the
application with respect to each
criterion. The maximum total of points
that can be earned is 105, including a
maximum of five (5) bonus points for
applications proposing a non-federal
cost share.
1. Applicant Capability (45 Points)
The applicant’s proposal will be
evaluated with respect to the applicant
firm’s experience and expertise in
providing the work requirements listed.
Specifically, the proposals will be
evaluated as follows:
• Native American Community—
experience in and knowledge of the
Native American and minority business
sector and strategies for enhancing its
growth and expansion (5 points);
• Business Consulting—experience in
and knowledge of business consulting of
Native American and minority firms (10
points);
• Financing—experience in and
knowledge of the preparation and
formulation of successful financial
transactions (5 points);
• Procurements and Contracting—
experience in and knowledge of the
public and private sector contracting
opportunities for Native American and
minority businesses (5 points);
• Financing Networks—resources and
professional relationships within the
corporate, banking and investment
community that may be beneficial to
Native American and minority-owned
firms (5 points);
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• Native American Advocacy—
experience and expertise in advocating
on behalf of Native American
businesses, both as to specific
transactions in which a Native
American business seeks to engage, and
as to broad market advocacy for the
benefit of the Native American
community at large (5 points); and
• Key Staff—assessment of the
qualifications, experience and proposed
role of staff who will operate the
NABEC. In particular, an assessment
will be made to determine whether
proposed staff possesses the expertise in
utilizing information systems as
contemplated under the heading
entitled, ‘‘Computer Requirements’’ (10
points).
2. Resources (20 Points)
The applicant’s proposal will be
evaluated according to the following
criteria:
• Resources—discuss those resources
(not included as part of the cost-sharing
arrangement) that will be used (10
points);
• Partners—discuss how you plan to
establish and maintain the network of
five (5) Strategic Partners (5 points);
• Equipment—discuss how you plan
to accomplish the computer hardware
and software requirements (5 points).
3. Techniques and Methodologies (25
Points)
The applicant’s proposal will be
evaluated as follows:
• Performance Measures—relate each
performance measure to the financial,
information and market resources
available in the geographic service area
to the applicant and how the
performance goals will be met. Specific
attention should be placed on the Dollar
Value of Transactions. This goal
represents the sum of (a) Dollar Value of
Financial Transactions and (b) Dollar
Value of Gross Receipts. Dollar Value of
Transactions, Dollar Value of Financial
Transactions and Dollar Value of Gross
Receipts are defined in Section I.F. of
the FFO under Performance Measures.
When proposing the minimum goal
under Dollar Value of Transactions, the
applicant is given the flexibility to
address the percentage breakdown for
items (a) and (b) above within a specific
range—not more than 60% and not less
than 40%. The applicant should
consider existing market conditions and
its strategy to achieve the goal. The
applicant may vary the percentage
breakdown for items (a) and (b) above as
long as the sum meets the required
performance goal as provided in the
FFO (15 points);
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• Plan of Action—provide specific
detail on how the applicant will start
operations. NABECs have thirty (30)
days to become fully operational after
an award is made. Fully operational
means that all staff are hired, all signs
are up, all items of furniture and
equipment are in place and operational,
all necessary forms are developed (e.g.,
client engagement letters, other standard
correspondence, etc.), and the center is
ready to open its doors to the public (5
points);
• Work Requirement Execution
Plan—The applicant will be evaluated
on how effectively and efficiently all
staff time will be used to achieve the
work requirements (5 points).
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4. Proposed Budget and Supporting
Budget Narrative (10 Points)
The applicant’s proposal will be
evaluated on the following sub-criteria:
• Reasonableness, allowability and
allocability of costs. All of the proposed
expenditures must be discussed and the
budget line item narrative must match
the proposed budget. Fringe benefits
and other percentage item calculations
must match the proposed budget lineitem (5 points); and
• Performance Based Budget. Discuss
how the budget is related to the
accomplishment of the work
requirements and the performance
measures. Provide a budget narrative
that clearly shows the connections (5
points).
Bonus for Non-Federal Cost Sharing
(maximum of 5 points): Non-Federal
cost sharing is not required under the
NABEC program. However, applicants
will be awarded bonus points to the
extent that the proposed overall project
budget includes non-Federal
contributions, measured as a percentage
of the overall project budget (i.e.,
Federal and non-Federal shares).
Specifically, a maximum of five (5)
bonus points will be awarded based on
the following scale: more than 0—less
than 5%—1 point; 5% or more—less
than 10%—2 points; 10% or more—less
than 15%—3 points; 15% or more—less
than 20%—4 points; and 20% or more—
5 points. The non-Federal contributions
(if proposed) may consist of one or more
of the following: (1) Client fees; (2) cash
contributions; (3) non-cash applicant
contributions; and/or (4) third party inkind contributions, and must be
adequately identified and documented
in the application
Review and Selection Process
1. Initial Screening—Prior to the
formal paneling process, each
application will receive an initial
screening to ensure that all required
VerDate Aug<31>2005
21:09 May 10, 2007
Jkt 211001
forms, signatures and documentation
are present.
2. Panel Review—Each application
will receive an independent, objective
review by a panel qualified to evaluate
the applications submitted. MBDA
anticipates that the review panel will be
made up of at least three independent
reviewers who are Federal employees
who will review all applications based
on the above evaluation criteria. Each
reviewer will evaluate and provide a
score for each proposal. In order for an
application to be considered for
funding, it shall need to achieve 70% of
the available points for each evaluation
criterion. Failure to achieve the
minimum required points will deem the
application as unsuccessful.
3. Final Recommendation—The
MBDA National Director makes the final
recommendation to the Department of
Commerce Grants Officer regarding the
funding of applications, taking into
account the selection criteria as outlined
in this notice and the following:
A. Evaluations and rankings of the
independent review panel;
B. Funding Priorities. The National
Director (or his designee) reserves the
right to conduct a site visit (subject to
the availability of funding) to applicant
organizations receiving at least 70% of
the total points available for each
evaluation criterion, in order to make a
better assessment of the organization’s
capability to achieve the funding
priorities for this competition; and
C. Availability of funding.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are
not subject to Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
Limitation of Liability
In no event will the Department of
Commerce or MBDA be responsible for
proposal preparation costs if this
program is cancelled because of other
Agency priorities. Publication of this
announcement does not oblige the
Department of Commerce or MBDA to
award any specific project or to obligate
any available funds.
Universal Identifier
Applicants should be aware that they
will be required to provide a Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
system (DUNS) number during the
application process. See the June 27,
2003 Federal Register notice (68 FR
38402) for additional information.
Organizations can receive a DUNS
number at no cost by calling the
dedicated toll-free DUNS Number
request line at 1–866–705–5711 or by
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
26787
accessing the Grants.gov Web site at
https://www.Grants.gov.
Department of Commerce Pre-Award
Notification Requirements for Grants
and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice
of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) are
applicable to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The
use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B,
SF–LLL, and CD–346 have been
approved by OMB under the respective
control numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0044,
0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, no person is required to respond to,
nor shall any person be subject to a
penalty for failure to comply with a
collection of information subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act unless that
collection displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be
not significant for purposes of E.O.
12866.
Administrative Procedure Act/
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notice and an opportunity for
public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act for rules
concerning public property, loans,
grants, benefits, or contracts (5 U.S.C.
533(a)(2)). Because notice and
opportunity for comment are not
required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 533 or any
other law, the analytical requirements of
the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C
601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore,
a regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required and has not been prepared.
Dated: May 8, 2007.
Ronald N. Langston,
National Director, Minority Business
Development Agency.
[FR Doc. E7–9096 Filed 5–10–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–21–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Department of
Commerce.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\11MYN1.SGM
11MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 91 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26783-26787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9096]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Minority Business Development Agency
[Docket No: 070503107-7108-01]
Solicitation of Applications for the North Carolina, New Mexico
and Oklahoma Native American Business Enterprise Centers (NABECs)
AGENCY: Minority Business Development Agency, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with 15 U.S.C. 1512 and Executive Order 11625,
the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is soliciting
competitive applications from organizations to operate a Native
American Business Enterprise Center (NABEC) in the specified locations
and geographical service areas (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). The
NABEC operates through the use of business consultants and provides a
range of technical assistance services directly to Native American- and
other minority-owned businesses. Responsibility for ensuring that
applications in response to this competitive solicitation are complete
and received by MBDA on time is the sole responsibility of the
applicant. Applications submitted must be to operate a NABEC and to
provide business consultation to eligible clients. Applications that do
not meet these requirements will be rejected. This is not a grant
program to help start an individual business.
DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, June 15,
2007. Completed applications must be received by MBDA no later than 5
p.m.
[[Page 26784]]
Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) at the address below for paper
submission or at www.Grants.gov for electronic submission. The due date
and time is the same for electronic submissions as it is for paper
submissions. The date that applications will be deemed to have been
submitted electronically shall be the date and time received at
Grants.gov. Applicants should save and print the proof of submission
they receive from Grants.gov. Applications received after the closing
date will not be considered. Anticipated time for processing is ninety
(90) days from the date of publication of this notice. MBDA anticipates
that awards for the North Carolina NABEC, New Mexico NABEC and the
Oklahoma NABEC will be made with a start date of August 1, 2007.
Pre-Application Conference: In connection with this solicitation, a
pre-application teleconference will be held on Friday, May 18, 2007.
Participants must register at least 24 hours in advance of the
teleconference. Please visit the MBDA Internet Portal at www.mbda.gov
(MBDA Portal) for registration instructions. A copy of the MBDA panel
evaluation tool and a summary of the questions and answers from the
pre-application conference will be available through the MBDA Portal as
soon as practicable following the conference.
ADDRESSES: (1a) Paper Submission--If Mailed: If the application is sent
by postal mail or overnight delivery service by the applicant or its
representative, one (1) signed original plus two (2) copies of the
application must be submitted. Completed application packages must be
mailed to: Office of Business Development--NABEC Program, Office of
Executive Secretariat, HCHB, Room 5063, Minority Business Development
Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230.
Applicants are advised that Department of Commerce mail security
measures may delay receipt of United States Postal Service mail for up
to two weeks. Applicants may wish to use a guaranteed overnight
delivery service. Department of Commerce delivery policies for Federal
Express, UPS, and DHL overnight services require the packages to be
sent to the address above.
(1b) Paper Submission--If Hand-Delivered: If the application is
hand-delivered by the applicant or his/her representative, one (1)
signed original plus two (2) copies of the application must be
delivered to: U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business
Development Agency, Office of Business Development--NABEC Program
(extension 1940), HCHB, Room 1874, Entrance 10, 15th Street,
NW., Washington, DC (Between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues).
U.S. Department of Commerce ``hand-delivery'' policies state that
Federal Express, UPS, and DHL overnight services submitted to the
address listed above (Entrance 10) cannot be accepted. These
policies should be taken into consideration when utilizing their
services. MBDA will not accept applications that are submitted by the
deadline but rejected due to Departmental hand-delivery policies. The
applicant must adhere to these policies in order for his/her
application to receive consideration for award.
(2) Electronic Submission: Applicants are encouraged to submit
their proposal electronically at https://www.Grants.gov. Electronic
submissions should be made in accordance with the instructions
available at Grants.gov (see https://www.grants.gov/ForApplicants for
detailed information). MBDA strongly recommends that applicants not
wait until the application deadline date to begin the application
process through Grants.gov, in some cases, the process for completing
an online application may require 3-5 working days.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please visit
MBDA's Minority Business Internet Portal at https://www.mbda.gov. Paper
applications and Standard Forms (SF) may be obtained by contacting the
MBDA National Enterprise Center (NEC) for the area where the Applicant
is located (see Agency Contacts below) or by visiting the MBDA Portal
at www.mbda.gov. Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B can also be obtained at
https://www.Grants.gov. Forms CD-511 and CD-346 may be obtained at
www.doc.gov/forms. Form SF-LLL can be obtained at www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/grants.
Agency Contacts:
1. Office of Business Development, 14th and Constitution Avenue,
NW., Room 5075, Washington, DC 20230. Contact: Efrain Gonzalez, Program
Manager at 202-482-1940.
2. Dallas National Enterprise Center (DNEC), 1100 Commerce Street,
Room 726, Dallas, TX 75242. This region covers the states of Arkansas,
Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Contact: John Iglehart, Regional
Director, DNEC at 214-767-8001.
3. Atlanta National Enterprise Center (ANEC), 401 W. Peachtree
Street, NW., Suite 1715, Atlanta, GA 30308. This region covers the
states of North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky,
Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. It also covers Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Contact: John Iglehart, Acting Regional
Director, ANEC at 404-730-3300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
MBDA published a Federal Register notice on August 29, 2003 (68 FR
51981), as amended on September 30, 2003 (68 FR 56267), February 11,
2004 (69 FR 6644) and February 19, 2004 (69 FR 7726), soliciting
competitive applications for operators of the following eight NABDCs
(now NABECs): Arizona Statewide NABDC, California Statewide NABDC,
Minnesota/Iowa Statewide NABDC, New Mexico Statewide NABDC, North
Carolina/Cherokee/Ashville NABDC, North/South Dakota Statewide NABDC,
Northwest NABDC and the Oklahoma Statewide NABDC. This competition
resulted in financial assistance awards (cooperative agreements) being
issued for all eight locations, with a three-year award period of
January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2006.
On September 6, 2006, MBDA published a Federal Register notice (71
FR 52529) soliciting competitive applications for operators of four
regional NABECs (in place of the eight prior NABECs) for the next
three-year award period commencing January 1, 2007. However, on October
25, 2006, MBDA published a Federal Register notice (71 FR 62420) (i)
cancelling the September 6, 2006 solicitation and (ii) amending the
original competitive solicitation to extend the total project award
period for all eight of the original NABECs from three years to four
years. MBDA took these actions in order to provide the Agency with a
sufficient opportunity to solicit input from its stakeholders regarding
any proposed program changes to be implemented during the next three-
year award period. Operators of five of the eight NABECs accepted
MBDA's invitation to extend the original award period for an additional
year, while the operators of the North Carolina/Ashville/Cherokee
NABEC, New Mexico Statewide NABEC and Oklahoma Statewide NABEC declined
MBDA's invitation.
This Notice solicits competitive applications for the North
Carolina NABEC, New Mexico NABEC and the Oklahoma NABEC. This Notice
replaces in its entirety the previously published competitive
solicitation for the North Carolina NABEC, New Mexico NABEC and
Oklahoma NABEC projects, although it generally adheres to
[[Page 26785]]
previous programmatic requirements with updates being made to the
computer requirements.
Geographic Service Areas
The NABEC will be located and will provide services in the
following geographic areas:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geographic service
NABEC name Location of NABEC area
------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina NABEC............ Cherokee/ State of North
Asheville, Carolina.
Charlotte,
Lumberton or
Pembroke, NC.
New Mexico NABEC................ Albuquerque, State of New
Farmington or Mexico.
Gallup, NM.
Oklahoma NABEC.................. Oklahoma City or State of Oklahoma.
Tulsa, OK.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Access
A link to the full text of the Announcement of Federal Funding
Opportunity (FFO) for this solicitation may be accessed at https://
www.Grants.gov, at https://www.mbda.gov, or by contacting the
appropriate MBDA representative identified above. The FFO contains a
full and complete description of the NABEC Program requirements. In
order to receive proper consideration, applicants must comply with all
information and requirements contained in the FFO. Applicants will be
able to access, download and submit electronic grant applications for
the NABEC Program in this announcement at https://www.Grants.gov. MBDA
strongly recommends that applicants not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov as in
some cases the process for completing an online application may require
additional time (e.g., 3-5 working days). The date that applications
will be deemed to have been submitted electronically shall be the date
and time received at Grants.gov. Applicants should save and print the
proof of submission they receive from Grants.gov. Applications received
after the closing date and time will not be considered.
Funding Priorities
Preference may be given during the selection process to
applications which address the following MBDA funding priorities:
( a) Applicants who submit proposals with a scope of work for the
project exceeding the minimum work requirements in the FFO;
(b) Applicants who submit proposals that include performance goals
that exceed the minimum performance goal requirements in the FFO; or
(c) Applicants who demonstrate an innovative approach (consistent
with overall NABEC program requirements) to limit barriers to market
and capital access for Native American- and other eligible minority-
owned businesses.
Funding Availability
MBDA anticipates that a total of approximately $611,000 will be
available in FY 2007 for financial assistance awards under this
competition. Specific funding levels for the North Carolina NABEC, New
Mexico NABEC and Oklahoma NABEC are set forth in the below table. The
anticipated start date for all awards under this competition is August
1, 2007 and the total award period is anticipated to be twelve (12)
months (e.g., August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008). The maximum
Federal funding amount for each NABEC project is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008
-----------------------------------------------
Project name Estimated Non-Federal
program cost Federal share share *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina NABEC............................................ $188,000 $188,000 N/A
New Mexico NABEC................................................ 188,000 188,000 N/A
Oklahoma NABEC.................................................. 235,000 235,000 N/A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Encouraged, but not required.
Publication of this notice does not obligate the Department of Commerce
or MBDA to award any specific cooperative agreement or to obligate all
or any part of available funds.
Authority: Executive Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. 1512.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.801, Native
American Business Enterprise Centers.
Eligibility
For-profit entities (including sole-proprietorships, partnerships,
and corporations), non-profit organizations, state and local government
entities, American Indian Tribes, and educational institutions are
eligible to operate NABECs.
Program Description
MBDA is soliciting competitive applications from organizations to
operate Native American Business Enterprise Centers (formerly known as
Native American Business Development Centers) (NABDC)) under its Native
American Business Enterprise Center (NABEC) Program. The NABEC will
operate through the use of trained professional business consultants
who will assist Native American and other minority entrepreneurs
through direct client engagements. Entrepreneurs eligible for
assistance under the NABEC Program are Native Americans, Eskimos,
African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Spanish-speaking Americans, Aleuts,
Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Indians and Hasidic Jews. References
throughout this notice regarding a NABEC's provision of services and
assistance to Native American clients also includes the eligible non-
Native American clients listed in the preceding sentence. No service
may be denied to any member of the eligible groups listed above.
The NABEC Program requirements increase the impact of the project
by requiring that project operators deploy standardized business
assistance services to the Native American and
[[Page 26786]]
minority business public directly, develop a network of strategic
partnerships and provide strategic business consulting within the
geographic service area. These requirements will be used to generate
increased results with respect to financing and contracts awarded to
Native American and minority-owned firms and thus, are a key component
of this program.
The NABEC Program also incorporates an entrepreneurial approach to
building market stability and improving quality of services delivered.
This strategy expands the reach of the NABECs by requiring project
operators to develop and build upon strategic alliances with public and
private sector partners, as a means of reaching out and serving Native
American and minority-owned firms with rapid growth potential within
the project's geographic service area. The NABEC Program leverages the
full benefit of telecommunications technology, including the Internet
and a variety of online computer-based resources, to dramatically
increase the level of service that the NABECs provide to Native
American and minority-owned firms. In addition, MBDA will establish
specialized advanced programs for growth assistance to clients with the
capacity to grow and expand. These programs are designed to foster
growth assistance for its clients. The NABEC will also encourage
collaboration and referrals of clients and non-clients that meet the
requirements of these specialized programs and other MBDA sponsored
networks. This will provide a comprehensive approach to serving the
emerging sector of the Native American business community.
MBDA's new strategic growth initiative is focused on serving
emerging Native American and minority firms capable of impacting
economic growth and employment. MBDA wants to ensure that NABEC clients
are receiving a consistent level of service throughout its funded
network. To that end, MBDA will require NABEC consultants to attend a
series of training courses designed to achieve standardized services
and quality expectations.
Please refer to the FFO for this competitive solicitation for
additional programmatic information.
Match Requirements
It is not required that an applicant for a NABEC award propose a
non-Federal cost share contribution. An applicant may, however, propose
a cost-share contribution in any of the following four means or in any
combination thereof: (1) Client fees; (2) cash contributions; (3) non-
cash applicant contributions; and/or (4) third party in-kind
contributions. The NABEC may (but is not required to) charge client
fees for services rendered. Client fees (if imposed) shall be used
towards meeting cost share requirements and must be used in furtherance
of the program objectives. Applicants will be awarded up to five (5)
bonus points to the extent that the proposed project budget includes a
non-Federal cost-share contribution, measured as a percentage of the
overall project budget (see Evaluation Criteria below).
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated and selected for funding based on
the following criteria. An application must receive at least 70% of the
total points available for each evaluation criterion, in order for the
application to be considered for funding. The maximum number of total
points for each evaluation criterion is provided below. The number of
points assigned to each evaluation criterion will be determined on a
competitive basis by the MBDA review panel based on the quality of the
application with respect to each criterion. The maximum total of points
that can be earned is 105, including a maximum of five (5) bonus points
for applications proposing a non-federal cost share.
1. Applicant Capability (45 Points)
The applicant's proposal will be evaluated with respect to the
applicant firm's experience and expertise in providing the work
requirements listed. Specifically, the proposals will be evaluated as
follows:
Native American Community--experience in and knowledge of
the Native American and minority business sector and strategies for
enhancing its growth and expansion (5 points);
Business Consulting--experience in and knowledge of
business consulting of Native American and minority firms (10 points);
Financing--experience in and knowledge of the preparation
and formulation of successful financial transactions (5 points);
Procurements and Contracting--experience in and knowledge
of the public and private sector contracting opportunities for Native
American and minority businesses (5 points);
Financing Networks--resources and professional
relationships within the corporate, banking and investment community
that may be beneficial to Native American and minority-owned firms (5
points);
Native American Advocacy--experience and expertise in
advocating on behalf of Native American businesses, both as to specific
transactions in which a Native American business seeks to engage, and
as to broad market advocacy for the benefit of the Native American
community at large (5 points); and
Key Staff--assessment of the qualifications, experience
and proposed role of staff who will operate the NABEC. In particular,
an assessment will be made to determine whether proposed staff
possesses the expertise in utilizing information systems as
contemplated under the heading entitled, ``Computer Requirements'' (10
points).
2. Resources (20 Points)
The applicant's proposal will be evaluated according to the
following criteria:
Resources--discuss those resources (not included as part
of the cost-sharing arrangement) that will be used (10 points);
Partners--discuss how you plan to establish and maintain
the network of five (5) Strategic Partners (5 points);
Equipment--discuss how you plan to accomplish the computer
hardware and software requirements (5 points).
3. Techniques and Methodologies (25 Points)
The applicant's proposal will be evaluated as follows:
Performance Measures--relate each performance measure to
the financial, information and market resources available in the
geographic service area to the applicant and how the performance goals
will be met. Specific attention should be placed on the Dollar Value of
Transactions. This goal represents the sum of (a) Dollar Value of
Financial Transactions and (b) Dollar Value of Gross Receipts. Dollar
Value of Transactions, Dollar Value of Financial Transactions and
Dollar Value of Gross Receipts are defined in Section I.F. of the FFO
under Performance Measures. When proposing the minimum goal under
Dollar Value of Transactions, the applicant is given the flexibility to
address the percentage breakdown for items (a) and (b) above within a
specific range--not more than 60% and not less than 40%. The applicant
should consider existing market conditions and its strategy to achieve
the goal. The applicant may vary the percentage breakdown for items (a)
and (b) above as long as the sum meets the required performance goal as
provided in the FFO (15 points);
[[Page 26787]]
Plan of Action--provide specific detail on how the
applicant will start operations. NABECs have thirty (30) days to become
fully operational after an award is made. Fully operational means that
all staff are hired, all signs are up, all items of furniture and
equipment are in place and operational, all necessary forms are
developed (e.g., client engagement letters, other standard
correspondence, etc.), and the center is ready to open its doors to the
public (5 points);
Work Requirement Execution Plan--The applicant will be
evaluated on how effectively and efficiently all staff time will be
used to achieve the work requirements (5 points).
4. Proposed Budget and Supporting Budget Narrative (10 Points)
The applicant's proposal will be evaluated on the following sub-
criteria:
Reasonableness, allowability and allocability of costs.
All of the proposed expenditures must be discussed and the budget line
item narrative must match the proposed budget. Fringe benefits and
other percentage item calculations must match the proposed budget line-
item (5 points); and
Performance Based Budget. Discuss how the budget is
related to the accomplishment of the work requirements and the
performance measures. Provide a budget narrative that clearly shows the
connections (5 points).
Bonus for Non-Federal Cost Sharing (maximum of 5 points): Non-
Federal cost sharing is not required under the NABEC program. However,
applicants will be awarded bonus points to the extent that the proposed
overall project budget includes non-Federal contributions, measured as
a percentage of the overall project budget (i.e., Federal and non-
Federal shares). Specifically, a maximum of five (5) bonus points will
be awarded based on the following scale: more than 0--less than 5%--1
point; 5% or more--less than 10%--2 points; 10% or more--less than
15%--3 points; 15% or more--less than 20%--4 points; and 20% or more--5
points. The non-Federal contributions (if proposed) may consist of one
or more of the following: (1) Client fees; (2) cash contributions; (3)
non-cash applicant contributions; and/or (4) third party in-kind
contributions, and must be adequately identified and documented in the
application
Review and Selection Process
1. Initial Screening--Prior to the formal paneling process, each
application will receive an initial screening to ensure that all
required forms, signatures and documentation are present.
2. Panel Review--Each application will receive an independent,
objective review by a panel qualified to evaluate the applications
submitted. MBDA anticipates that the review panel will be made up of at
least three independent reviewers who are Federal employees who will
review all applications based on the above evaluation criteria. Each
reviewer will evaluate and provide a score for each proposal. In order
for an application to be considered for funding, it shall need to
achieve 70% of the available points for each evaluation criterion.
Failure to achieve the minimum required points will deem the
application as unsuccessful.
3. Final Recommendation--The MBDA National Director makes the final
recommendation to the Department of Commerce Grants Officer regarding
the funding of applications, taking into account the selection criteria
as outlined in this notice and the following:
A. Evaluations and rankings of the independent review panel;
B. Funding Priorities. The National Director (or his designee)
reserves the right to conduct a site visit (subject to the availability
of funding) to applicant organizations receiving at least 70% of the
total points available for each evaluation criterion, in order to make
a better assessment of the organization's capability to achieve the
funding priorities for this competition; and
C. Availability of funding.
Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Limitation of Liability
In no event will the Department of Commerce or MBDA be responsible
for proposal preparation costs if this program is cancelled because of
other Agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not
oblige the Department of Commerce or MBDA to award any specific project
or to obligate any available funds.
Universal Identifier
Applicants should be aware that they will be required to provide a
Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering system (DUNS) number during
the application process. See the June 27, 2003 Federal Register notice
(68 FR 38402) for additional information. Organizations can receive a
DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number
request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by accessing the Grants.gov Web site
at https://www.Grants.gov.
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants
and Cooperative Agreements
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register
notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) are applicable to this
solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This document contains collection-of-information requirements
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms
424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 have been approved by OMB under the
respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046,
and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person
is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection displays a currently
valid OMB Control Number.
Executive Order 12866
This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes
of E.O. 12866.
Administrative Procedure Act/ Regulatory Flexibility Act
Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required
by the Administrative Procedure Act for rules concerning public
property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts (5 U.S.C. 533(a)(2)).
Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to
5 U.S.C. 533 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C 601 et seq.) are inapplicable.
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required and has
not been prepared.
Dated: May 8, 2007.
Ronald N. Langston,
National Director, Minority Business Development Agency.
[FR Doc. E7-9096 Filed 5-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-21-P
