Notice of Funding Availability: Inviting Applications for the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program, 21269-21272 [2018-09867]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 9, 2018 / Notices
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market share for the agricultural
commodity/product; and the
demonstration of how a proposed
project will benefit the industry as a
whole; and
• Completeness and Viability of the
proposal (20%), including evidence that
the organization has the knowledge,
expertise, ability, and resources to
successfully implement the project, the
entity’s willingness to contribute
resources to the project, and the
applicant’s reported past EMP results
and evaluations, if applicable.
3. Other Review Information: FAS,
prior to making a Federal award with a
total amount of Federal share greater
than the simplified acquisition
threshold, is required to review and
consider any information about the
applicant that is in the designated
integrity and performance system
accessible through SAM (currently
FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313). An
applicant, at its option, may review
information in the designated integrity
and performance systems accessible
through SAM and comment on any
information about itself that a Federal
awarding agency previously entered and
is currently in the designated integrity
and performance system accessible
through SAM. FAS will consider any
comments by the applicant, in addition
to the other information in the
designated integrity and performance
system, in making a judgment about the
applicant’s integrity, business ethics,
and record of performance under
Federal awards when completing the
review of risk posed by applicants as
described in 2 CFR 200.205 ‘‘Federal
awarding agency review of risk posed by
applicants.’’
F. Federal Award Administration
Information
1. Award Notices: FAS will notify
each applicant in writing of the final
disposition of the submitted proposal.
FAS will send an approval letter and
project agreement to each approved
applicant. The approval letter and
agreement will specify the terms and
conditions applicable to the project,
including the levels of EMP funding and
cost-share contribution requirements.
All successful applicants for all grant
and cooperative agreements are required
to comply with the Standard
Administrative Terms and Conditions,
which are available online at: https://
www.fas.usda.gov/grants/general_
terms_and_conditions/default.asp. The
applicable Standard Administrative
Terms and Conditions will be for the
last year specified at that URL, unless
the application is to continue an award
first awarded in an earlier year. In that
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event, the terms and conditions that
apply will be those in effect for the year
in which the award was originally made
unless explicitly stated otherwise in
subsequent mutually-agreed
amendments to the award.
Before accepting the award the
potential awardee should carefully read
the award package for instructions on
administering the grant award and the
terms and conditions associated with
responsibilities under Federal Awards.
Recipients must accept all conditions in
this NOFA as well as any special terms
and conditions in the approval letter
and program agreement to receive an
award under this program.
2. Reporting. EMP participants must
provide interim and final performance
reports for each approved project. An
interim report must be submitted after
each program year, and a separate final
report no later than 90 days after the
activity is completed. All performance
reports must be submitted through the
UES. In addition, a final financial report
must be submitted no later than 90 days
after completion of the project. This
report must provide a final accounting
of all project expenditures by cost
category and include the accounting of
actual contributions made to the project
by the applicant and all other
participating entities.
G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)
1. Application Submission Contact(s)
and Program Support: For additional
information and assistance, contact the
Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
by courier: Room 6512, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327,
or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Grants Management Contact(s):
Eric Bozoian, Grants Management
Specialist, Foreign Agricultural Service,
United States, Department of
Agriculture, Email: Eric.Bozoian@
fas.usda.gov, Office: (202) 378–1054.
Signed at Washington, DC on 26th day of
April, 2018.
James Higgiston,
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural
Service and Acting Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2018–09866 Filed 5–8–18; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Foreign Agricultural Service
Notice of Funding Availability: Inviting
Applications for the Foreign Market
Development Cooperator Program
The Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) announces that it is
inviting proposals for the 2019 Foreign
Market Development Cooperator
(Cooperator) program. The Cooperator
program is administered by personnel of
the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
on behalf of CCC. The intended effect of
this notice is to solicit applications from
eligible applicants for fiscal year 2019
and to set out criteria for the awarding
of funds under the program.
DATES: All applications must be
received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time, on Friday, June 8, 2018.
Applications received after this date
will not be considered. FAS anticipates
that the initial funding selections will
be made by the end of October 2018,
with the initial award dates estimated to
be by the end of December 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Applicants needing assistance should
contact the Program Operations
Division, Office of Trade Programs,
Foreign Agricultural Service by courier:
Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave
SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by
phone: (202) 720–4327, or by fax: (202)
720–9361, or by email: uesadmin@
fas.usda.gov. Information, including a
copy of the program regulations, is also
available on the FAS website at the
following URL address: https://
www.fas.usda.gov/programs/foreignmarket-development-program-fmd.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
A. Funding Opportunity Description
Announcement Type: New.
Award Instrument: Grant.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.
Authority: The Cooperator program is
authorized by Title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C.
5722), as amended. Cooperator program
regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.
Purpose: The Cooperator program is
designed to maintain and develop
foreign markets for United States
agricultural commodities and products
through cost-share assistance. Financial
assistance under the Cooperator
program will be made available on a
competitive basis and applications will
be reviewed against the evaluation
criteria contained herein and in the
Cooperator program regulations. All
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U.S. agricultural commodities, except
tobacco, are eligible for consideration.
FAS allocates funds in a manner that
effectively supports the strategic
decision-making initiatives of the
Government Performance and Results
Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding
whether a proposed project will
contribute to the effective creation,
expansion, or maintenance of foreign
markets, FAS considers whether the
applicant provides a clear, long-term
agricultural trade strategy and an
effective program time line against
which results can be measured at
specific intervals using quantifiable
product or country goals. FAS also
considers the extent to which a
proposed project targets markets with
the greatest growth potential. These
factors are part of the FAS resource
allocation strategy to fund applicants
who can demonstrate performance and
address the objectives of the GPRA.
Funding Available: The Agricultural
Trade Act of 1978, as amended,
provided up to $34.5 million annually
for the Cooperator program through FY
2018. Congress has not yet determined
funding levels for FY 2019. This NOFA
is being released prior to Congress
appropriating funding for the
Cooperator program for FY 2019. USDA
makes no commitment to fund any
particular application or to make a
specific number of awards regardless of
whether or at what level program
funding for FY 2019 is provided.
B. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Organizations: To
participate in the Cooperator program,
an applicant must be a nonprofit U.S.
agricultural trade organization. Funding
priority is given to organizations that
have the broadest possible producer
representation of the commodity being
promoted and that are nationwide in
membership and scope.
2. Eligible Activities: Under the
Cooperator program, FAS enters into
agreements with eligible nonprofit U.S.
trade organizations to share the cost of
certain overseas marketing and
promotion activities. Cooperators may
receive assistance only for generic
activities that do not involve
promotions targeted directly to
consumers purchasing in their
individual capacity. The Cooperator
program generally operates on a
reimbursement basis.
3. Limits on Activities: Cooperator
program activities are approved for a
single program year, with the approval
dates specified in the allocation
approval letter that is provided as part
of the award approval package. Only
those Cooperator program activities that
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are approved in each applicant’s
allocation approval letter may be
implemented, and those activities must
be implemented during the 12-month
program year specified in the allocation
approval letter. Requests for activity
changes during the program year must
be approved in advance by FAS.
Cooperator program participants must
re-apply for the program every year.
4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types
of expenses are not eligible for
reimbursement by the program, and
there are limits on other categories of
expenses. FAS also will not reimburse
unreasonable expenditures or
expenditures made prior to approval.
Full details are available in sections
1484.54 and 1484.55 of the Cooperator
program regulations.
5. Cost-Sharing: To participate in the
Cooperator program, an applicant must
agree to contribute resources to its
proposed promotional activities. The
Cooperator program is intended to
supplement, not supplant, the efforts of
the U.S. private sector. The contribution
must be at least 50 percent of the value
of resources provided by FAS for
activities conducted under the project
agreement.
The degree of commitment of an
applicant to the promotional strategies
contained in its application, as
represented by the cost-share
contributions specified therein, is
considered by FAS when determining
which applications will be approved for
funding. Cost-share may be actual cash
invested or in-kind contributions, such
as professional staff time spent on the
design and implementation of activities.
The Cooperator program regulations,
including sections 1484.50 and 1484.51,
provide detailed discussion of eligible
and ineligible cost-share contributions.
6. Other: Applications should include
a justification for funding assistance
from the program—an explanation as to
what specifically could not be
accomplished without federal funding
assistance and why participating
organization(s) are unlikely to carry out
the project without such assistance.
7. Intergovernmental Review: An
intergovernmental review may be
required. Applicants must contact their
state’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to
comply with their state’s process under
Executive Order 12372 (see https://
www.fws.gov/policy/library/
rgeo12372.pdf). To ensure currency, the
names and addresses of the SPOCs are
maintained at the Office of Management
and Budget’s home page at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.
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C. Award Information
It is anticipated that FAS will award
approximately 25 awards under the
2019 Cooperator program, subject to
programmatic approval and available
funding. In general, all qualified
proposals received before the
submission deadline will compete for
funding. FAS will review all proposals
against the evaluation criteria contained
in the program regulations.
Funding for successful proposals will
be provided through specific
agreements. FAS must approve in
advance any subsequent changes to the
agreement. FAS or another Federal
agency may be involved in the
implementation of approved
agreements.
Once an award reaches its completion
date, FAS will confirm that the
participant has provided all of the
required reports and will review the
reports for completeness and content.
Once the required reports are approved,
FAS will prepare a closeout letter that
advises the participant of the award
closeout procedures. Once the closeout
procedures have been completed, any
remaining funding on the agreement
will be deobligated.
D. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Submit Application
Package: Organizations should submit
their Cooperator program applications
to FAS through the web–based Unified
Export Strategy (UES) system. The UES
allows applicants to submit a single
consolidated and strategically
coordinated proposal that incorporates
requests for funding under all of the
FAS market development programs. The
suggested UES format encourages
applicants to examine the constraints or
barriers to trade that they face, identify
activities that would help overcome
such impediments, consider the entire
pool of complementary marketing tools
and program resources, and establish
realistic export goals. Applicants
planning to use the UES must first
contact FAS’ Program Operations
Division to obtain site access
information. The web–based application
may be found at the following URL
address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/ues/
webapp/.
Applicants experiencing difficulty or
otherwise needing assistance applying
to the program should contact the
Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural
Service by courier: Room 6512, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327,
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or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by e–mail:
uesadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission: To be considered for the
Cooperator program, an applicant must
submit to FAS the information required
by section 1484.20 of the Cooperator
program regulations. Incomplete
applications or applications that do not
otherwise conform to this
announcement or the Cooperator
program regulations will not be
accepted for review.
3. Other Required Information: In
accordance with the Office of
Management and Budget’s policy (68 FR
38402 (June 27, 2003)) regarding the
need to identify entities that are
receiving government awards, all
applicants must submit a Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number. An applicant
may request a DUNS number at no cost
by calling the dedicated toll–free DUNS
number request line at (866) 705–5711.
In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR
part 25, each entity that applies to the
Cooperator program and does not
qualify for an exemption under 2 CFR
25.110 must:
(i) Be registered in the System for
Award Management (SAM) prior to
submitting an application or plan; and
(ii) Maintain an active SAM
registration with current information at
all times during which it has an active
Federal award or an application or plan
under consideration by FAS; and
(iii) Provide its DUNS number in each
application or plan it submits to FAS.
FAS may not make an award to an
applicant until the applicant has
complied with all applicable unique
entity identifier and SAM requirements,
and, if an applicant has not fully
complied with the requirements by the
time FAS is ready to make the award,
FAS may determine that the applicant is
not qualified to receive an award and
use that determination as a basis for
making an award to another applicant.
Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR
part 170, each entity that applies to the
Cooperator program and does not
qualify for an exception under 2 CFR
170.110(b) must ensure it has the
necessary processes and systems in
place to comply with the applicable
reporting requirements of 2 CFR part
170 should it receive funding under the
Cooperator program.
4. Submission Dates and Times: All
applications must be received by 5 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, on Friday, June
8, 2018. By the application deadline, all
Cooperator program applicants must
also submit to FAS a signed certification
statement as specified in 7 CFR
1484.20(a)(14). The completed
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certification statements can be sent via
courier/delivery service to the Program
Operations Division, Office of Trade
Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room
6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250. Applicants can
also send a scanned copy of the signed
certification statement via e–mail to:
uesadmin@fas.usda.gov. Applications
or certifications received after the
deadline will not be considered.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria and Review and Selection
Process: A description of the FAS
process for reviewing applications and
the criteria for allocating available
Cooperator program funds is as follows:
(1) Phase 1––Sufficiency Review and
FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing
date will be reviewed by FAS to
determine the eligibility of the
applicants and the completeness of the
applications. These requirements appear
in sections 1484.14 and 1484.20 of the
Cooperator program regulations as well
as in this Notice. Applications that meet
the requirements will be further
evaluated by the appropriate
Commodity Branch office of FAS’
Cooperator Programs Division. The
Commodity Branch will review each
application against the criteria listed in
section 1484.21 of the Cooperator
program regulations as well as in this
Notice. The purpose of this review is to
identify meritorious proposals. The
Commodity Branch then recommends
an appropriate funding level for each
application for consideration by the
Office of the Deputy Administrator,
Office of Trade Programs.
(2) Phase 2––Competitive Review
Meritorious applications are passed
on to the Office of the Deputy
Administrator, Office of Trade
Programs, for the purpose of allocating
available funds among those applicants.
Applicants will compete for funds on
the basis of the following allocation
criteria as appropriate (the number in
parentheses represents the percentage
weight factor):
(a) Applicant’s Contribution Level
(40): The applicant’s 6-year average
share (2014–2019) of all contributions
under the Cooperator program
compared to the applicant’s 6-year
average share (2014–2019) of the
funding level for all Cooperator program
participants.
(b) Past U.S. Export Performance (20):
The 6-year average share (2013–2018) of
the value of U.S. exports promoted by
the applicant compared to the
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21271
applicant’s 6-year average share (2013–
2018) of the funding level for all
Cooperator participants plus, for those
groups participating in the MAP
program, the 6-year average share
(2013–2018) of all MAP budgets.
(c) Past Demand Expansion
Performance (20): The 6-year average
share (2013–2018) of the total value of
world trade of the commodities
promoted by the applicant compared to
the applicant’s 6-year average share
(2013–2018) of all Cooperator program
expenditures plus, for those groups
participating in the MAP program, a 6year average share (2013–2018) of all
MAP expenditures.
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals
(10): The total dollar value of projected
world trade of the commodities being
promoted by the applicant for the year
2024 compared to the applicant’s
requested funding level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand
Expansion Projections (10): The actual
dollar value share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the
applicant for the year 2017 as reported
in the 2019 Cooperator program
application compared to the projection
of world trade of the commodities being
promoted by the applicant for 2017 as
specified in the applicant’s 2014
Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Branches’
recommended funding levels for each
applicant are adjusted by each weight
factor as described above to determine
the amount of funds allocated to each
applicant.
In addition, FAS, prior to making a
Federal award with a total amount of
Federal share greater than the simplified
acquisition threshold, is required to
review and consider any information
about the applicant that is in the
designated integrity and performance
system accessible through SAM
(currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313).
An applicant, at its option, may review
information in the designated integrity
and performance systems accessible
through SAM and comment on any
information about itself that a Federal
awarding agency previously entered and
is currently in the designated integrity
and performance system accessible
through SAM. FAS will consider any
comments by the applicant, in addition
to the other information in the
designated integrity and performance
system, in making a judgment about the
applicant’s integrity, business ethics,
and record of performance under
Federal awards when completing the
review of risk posed by applicants as
described in 2 CFR 200.205 ‘‘Federal
awarding agency review of risk posed by
applicants.’’
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F. Award Administration Information
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1. Award Notices: FAS will notify
each applicant in writing of the final
disposition of its application. FAS will
send an approval letter and project
agreement to each approved applicant.
The approval letter and project
agreement will specify the terms and
conditions applicable to the project,
including the levels of Cooperator
program funding and cost–share
contribution requirements. All
successful applicants for all grant and
cooperative agreements are required to
comply with the Standard
Administrative Terms and Conditions,
which are available online at: https://
www.fas.usda.gov/grants/general_
terms_and_conditions/default.asp. The
applicable Standard Administrative
Terms and Conditions will be for the
last year specified at that URL, unless
the application is to continue an award
first awarded in an earlier year. In that
event, the terms and conditions that
apply will be those in effect for the year
in which the award was originally made
unless explicitly stated otherwise in
subsequent mutually–agreed
amendments to the award.
Before accepting the award the
potential awardee should carefully read
the approval letter and program
agreement for instructions on
administering the grant award and the
terms and conditions associated with
responsibilities under Federal Awards.
Recipients must accept all conditions in
this NOFA as well as any special terms
and conditions in the approval letter
and program agreement to receive an
award under this program.
2. Reporting: FAS requires various
reports and evaluations from
Cooperators. Required reports include
an annual contributions report that
identifies contributions made by the
Cooperator and the U.S. industry during
that marketing plan year. All
Cooperators must also complete at least
one program evaluation each year and
must provide program success stories on
an annual basis, or more often when
appropriate or required by FAS. There
are additional reporting requirements
for trip reports, evaluation reports, and
research reports. Reporting
requirements are detailed in the
Cooperator program regulations in
sections 1484.53, 1484.70, and 1484.72.
G. Agency Contact(s)
1. Application Submission Contact(s)
and Program Support: For additional
information and assistance, contact the
Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
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by courier: Room 6512, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327,
or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by e–mail:
podadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Grants Management Contact(s):
Eric Bozoian, Grants Management
Specialist, Foreign Agricultural Service,
United States, Department of
Agriculture, Email: Eric.Bozoian@
fas.usda.gov, Office: (202) 378–1054.
Signed at Washington, DC on the 26th of
April, 2018.
James Higgiston
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural
Service, and Acting Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2018–09867 Filed 5–8–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–10–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
[Docket No. 180319295–8295–01]
National Cybersecurity Center of
Excellence (NCCoE) Securing Picture
Archiving and Communication System
(PACS) Cybersecurity for the
Healthcare Sector
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
invites organizations to provide
products and technical expertise to
support and demonstrate security
platforms for the Securing Picture
Archiving and Communication System
(PACS) Cybersecurity for the healthcare
sector. This notice is the initial step for
the National Cybersecurity Center of
Excellence (NCCoE) in collaborating
with technology companies to address
cybersecurity challenges identified
under the healthcare sector program.
Participation in the use case is open to
all interested organizations.
DATES: Collaborative activities will
commence as soon as enough completed
and signed letters of interest have been
returned to address all the necessary
components and capabilities, but no
earlier than June 8, 2018.
ADDRESSES: The NCCoE is located at
9700 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville,
MD 20850. Letters of interest must be
submitted to HIT_NCCOE@nist.gov or
via hardcopy to National Institute of
Standards and Technology, NCCoE,
9700 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville,
MD 20850. Organizations whose letters
SUMMARY:
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of interest are accepted in accordance
with the process set forth in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this notice will be asked to sign a
consortium Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (CRADA) with
NIST. An NCCoE consortium CRADA
template can be found at: https://
nccoe.nist.gov/node/138.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrea Arbelaez via email to HIT_
NCCOE@nist.gov; by telephone 301–
975–0214; or by mail to National
Institute of Standards and Technology,
NCCoE, 9700 Great Seneca Highway,
Rockville, MD 20850. Additional details
about the healthcare sector program are
available at https://nccoe.nist.gov/
projects/use-cases/health-it/pacs.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested
parties must contact NIST to request a
letter of interest template to be
completed and submitted to NIST.
Letters of interest will be accepted on a
first come, first served basis. When the
use case has been completed, NIST will
post a notice on the NCCoE healthcare
sector program website at https://
nccoe.nist.gov/projects/use-cases/
health-it/pacs announcing the
completion of the use case and
informing the public that it will no
longer accept letters of interest for this
use case.
Background: The NCCoE, part of
NIST, is a public-private collaboration
for accelerating the widespread
adoption of integrated cybersecurity
tools and technologies. The NCCoE
brings together experts from industry,
government, and academia under one
roof to develop practical, interoperable
cybersecurity approaches that address
the real-world needs of complex
Information Technology (IT) systems.
By accelerating dissemination and use
of these integrated tools and
technologies for protecting IT assets, the
NCCoE will enhance trust in U.S. IT
communications, data, and storage
systems; reduce risk for companies and
individuals using IT systems; and
encourage development of innovative,
job-creating cybersecurity products and
services.
Process: NIST is soliciting responses
from all sources of relevant security
capabilities (see below) to enter into a
Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) to provide
products and technical expertise to
support and demonstrate security
platforms for the Securing Picture
Archiving and Communication System
(PACS) Cybersecurity for the healthcare
sector. The full use case can be viewed
at: https://nccoe.nist.gov/projects/usecases/health-it/pacs.
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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21269-21272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09867]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Foreign Agricultural Service
Notice of Funding Availability: Inviting Applications for the
Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is
inviting proposals for the 2019 Foreign Market Development Cooperator
(Cooperator) program. The Cooperator program is administered by
personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) on behalf of CCC.
The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from
eligible applicants for fiscal year 2019 and to set out criteria for
the awarding of funds under the program.
DATES: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time, on Friday, June 8, 2018. Applications received after this date
will not be considered. FAS anticipates that the initial funding
selections will be made by the end of October 2018, with the initial
award dates estimated to be by the end of December 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Applicants needing assistance should
contact the Program Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs,
Foreign Agricultural Service by courier: Room 6512, 1400 Independence
Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720-4327, or by fax:
(202) 720-9361, or by email: [email protected]. Information,
including a copy of the program regulations, is also available on the
FAS website at the following URL address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/foreign-market-development-program-fmd.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Funding Opportunity Description
Announcement Type: New.
Award Instrument: Grant.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.
Authority: The Cooperator program is authorized by Title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5722), as amended. Cooperator
program regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.
Purpose: The Cooperator program is designed to maintain and develop
foreign markets for United States agricultural commodities and products
through cost-share assistance. Financial assistance under the
Cooperator program will be made available on a competitive basis and
applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria contained
herein and in the Cooperator program regulations. All
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U.S. agricultural commodities, except tobacco, are eligible for
consideration.
FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports the
strategic decision-making initiatives of the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding whether a proposed project will
contribute to the effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of
foreign markets, FAS considers whether the applicant provides a clear,
long-term agricultural trade strategy and an effective program time
line against which results can be measured at specific intervals using
quantifiable product or country goals. FAS also considers the extent to
which a proposed project targets markets with the greatest growth
potential. These factors are part of the FAS resource allocation
strategy to fund applicants who can demonstrate performance and address
the objectives of the GPRA.
Funding Available: The Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as amended,
provided up to $34.5 million annually for the Cooperator program
through FY 2018. Congress has not yet determined funding levels for FY
2019. This NOFA is being released prior to Congress appropriating
funding for the Cooperator program for FY 2019. USDA makes no
commitment to fund any particular application or to make a specific
number of awards regardless of whether or at what level program funding
for FY 2019 is provided.
B. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Organizations: To participate in the Cooperator
program, an applicant must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade
organization. Funding priority is given to organizations that have the
broadest possible producer representation of the commodity being
promoted and that are nationwide in membership and scope.
2. Eligible Activities: Under the Cooperator program, FAS enters
into agreements with eligible nonprofit U.S. trade organizations to
share the cost of certain overseas marketing and promotion activities.
Cooperators may receive assistance only for generic activities that do
not involve promotions targeted directly to consumers purchasing in
their individual capacity. The Cooperator program generally operates on
a reimbursement basis.
3. Limits on Activities: Cooperator program activities are approved
for a single program year, with the approval dates specified in the
allocation approval letter that is provided as part of the award
approval package. Only those Cooperator program activities that are
approved in each applicant's allocation approval letter may be
implemented, and those activities must be implemented during the 12-
month program year specified in the allocation approval letter.
Requests for activity changes during the program year must be approved
in advance by FAS. Cooperator program participants must re-apply for
the program every year.
4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types of expenses are not eligible
for reimbursement by the program, and there are limits on other
categories of expenses. FAS also will not reimburse unreasonable
expenditures or expenditures made prior to approval. Full details are
available in sections 1484.54 and 1484.55 of the Cooperator program
regulations.
5. Cost-Sharing: To participate in the Cooperator program, an
applicant must agree to contribute resources to its proposed
promotional activities. The Cooperator program is intended to
supplement, not supplant, the efforts of the U.S. private sector. The
contribution must be at least 50 percent of the value of resources
provided by FAS for activities conducted under the project agreement.
The degree of commitment of an applicant to the promotional
strategies contained in its application, as represented by the cost-
share contributions specified therein, is considered by FAS when
determining which applications will be approved for funding. Cost-share
may be actual cash invested or in-kind contributions, such as
professional staff time spent on the design and implementation of
activities. The Cooperator program regulations, including sections
1484.50 and 1484.51, provide detailed discussion of eligible and
ineligible cost-share contributions.
6. Other: Applications should include a justification for funding
assistance from the program--an explanation as to what specifically
could not be accomplished without federal funding assistance and why
participating organization(s) are unlikely to carry out the project
without such assistance.
7. Intergovernmental Review: An intergovernmental review may be
required. Applicants must contact their state's Single Point of Contact
(SPOC) to comply with their state's process under Executive Order 12372
(see https://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf). To ensure
currency, the names and addresses of the SPOCs are maintained at the
Office of Management and Budget's home page at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.
C. Award Information
It is anticipated that FAS will award approximately 25 awards under
the 2019 Cooperator program, subject to programmatic approval and
available funding. In general, all qualified proposals received before
the submission deadline will compete for funding. FAS will review all
proposals against the evaluation criteria contained in the program
regulations.
Funding for successful proposals will be provided through specific
agreements. FAS must approve in advance any subsequent changes to the
agreement. FAS or another Federal agency may be involved in the
implementation of approved agreements.
Once an award reaches its completion date, FAS will confirm that
the participant has provided all of the required reports and will
review the reports for completeness and content. Once the required
reports are approved, FAS will prepare a closeout letter that advises
the participant of the award closeout procedures. Once the closeout
procedures have been completed, any remaining funding on the agreement
will be deobligated.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Submit Application Package: Organizations should
submit their Cooperator program applications to FAS through the web-
based Unified Export Strategy (UES) system. The UES allows applicants
to submit a single consolidated and strategically coordinated proposal
that incorporates requests for funding under all of the FAS market
development programs. The suggested UES format encourages applicants to
examine the constraints or barriers to trade that they face, identify
activities that would help overcome such impediments, consider the
entire pool of complementary marketing tools and program resources, and
establish realistic export goals. Applicants planning to use the UES
must first contact FAS' Program Operations Division to obtain site
access information. The web-based application may be found at the
following URL address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/.
Applicants experiencing difficulty or otherwise needing assistance
applying to the program should contact the Program Operations Division,
Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service by courier: Room
6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by phone:
(202) 720-4327,
[[Page 21271]]
or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by e-mail: [email protected].
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: To be considered for
the Cooperator program, an applicant must submit to FAS the information
required by section 1484.20 of the Cooperator program regulations.
Incomplete applications or applications that do not otherwise conform
to this announcement or the Cooperator program regulations will not be
accepted for review.
3. Other Required Information: In accordance with the Office of
Management and Budget's policy (68 FR 38402 (June 27, 2003)) regarding
the need to identify entities that are receiving government awards, all
applicants must submit a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number. An applicant may request a DUNS number at no cost
by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at (866)
705-5711.
In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, each entity that
applies to the Cooperator program and does not qualify for an exemption
under 2 CFR 25.110 must:
(i) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to
submitting an application or plan; and
(ii) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information
at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an
application or plan under consideration by FAS; and
(iii) Provide its DUNS number in each application or plan it
submits to FAS.
FAS may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has
complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM
requirements, and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the
requirements by the time FAS is ready to make the award, FAS may
determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and
use that determination as a basis for making an award to another
applicant.
Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, each entity that
applies to the Cooperator program and does not qualify for an exception
under 2 CFR 170.110(b) must ensure it has the necessary processes and
systems in place to comply with the applicable reporting requirements
of 2 CFR part 170 should it receive funding under the Cooperator
program.
4. Submission Dates and Times: All applications must be received by
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on Friday, June 8, 2018. By the
application deadline, all Cooperator program applicants must also
submit to FAS a signed certification statement as specified in 7 CFR
1484.20(a)(14). The completed certification statements can be sent via
courier/delivery service to the Program Operations Division, Office of
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC
20250. Applicants can also send a scanned copy of the signed
certification statement via e-mail to: [email protected].
Applications or certifications received after the deadline will not be
considered.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria and Review and Selection Process: A description of the
FAS process for reviewing applications and the criteria for allocating
available Cooperator program funds is as follows:
(1) Phase 1--Sufficiency Review and FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by FAS
to determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness of
the applications. These requirements appear in sections 1484.14 and
1484.20 of the Cooperator program regulations as well as in this
Notice. Applications that meet the requirements will be further
evaluated by the appropriate Commodity Branch office of FAS' Cooperator
Programs Division. The Commodity Branch will review each application
against the criteria listed in section 1484.21 of the Cooperator
program regulations as well as in this Notice. The purpose of this
review is to identify meritorious proposals. The Commodity Branch then
recommends an appropriate funding level for each application for
consideration by the Office of the Deputy Administrator, Office of
Trade Programs.
(2) Phase 2--Competitive Review
Meritorious applications are passed on to the Office of the Deputy
Administrator, Office of Trade Programs, for the purpose of allocating
available funds among those applicants. Applicants will compete for
funds on the basis of the following allocation criteria as appropriate
(the number in parentheses represents the percentage weight factor):
(a) Applicant's Contribution Level (40): The applicant's 6-year
average share (2014-2019) of all contributions under the Cooperator
program compared to the applicant's 6-year average share (2014-2019) of
the funding level for all Cooperator program participants.
(b) Past U.S. Export Performance (20): The 6-year average share
(2013-2018) of the value of U.S. exports promoted by the applicant
compared to the applicant's 6-year average share (2013-2018) of the
funding level for all Cooperator participants plus, for those groups
participating in the MAP program, the 6-year average share (2013-2018)
of all MAP budgets.
(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance (20): The 6-year average
share (2013-2018) of the total value of world trade of the commodities
promoted by the applicant compared to the applicant's 6-year average
share (2013-2018) of all Cooperator program expenditures plus, for
those groups participating in the MAP program, a 6-year average share
(2013-2018) of all MAP expenditures.
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals (10): The total dollar value of
projected world trade of the commodities being promoted by the
applicant for the year 2024 compared to the applicant's requested
funding level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion Projections (10): The actual
dollar value share of world trade of the commodities being promoted by
the applicant for the year 2017 as reported in the 2019 Cooperator
program application compared to the projection of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for 2017 as specified in
the applicant's 2014 Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Branches' recommended funding levels for each
applicant are adjusted by each weight factor as described above to
determine the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
In addition, FAS, prior to making a Federal award with a total
amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition
threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the
applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system
accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313). An
applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated
integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on
any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously
entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance
system accessible through SAM. FAS will consider any comments by the
applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated
integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the
applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under
Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants
as described in 2 CFR 200.205 ``Federal awarding agency review of risk
posed by applicants.''
[[Page 21272]]
F. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: FAS will notify each applicant in writing of the
final disposition of its application. FAS will send an approval letter
and project agreement to each approved applicant. The approval letter
and project agreement will specify the terms and conditions applicable
to the project, including the levels of Cooperator program funding and
cost-share contribution requirements. All successful applicants for all
grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with the
Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions, which are available
online at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/grants/general_terms_and_conditions/default.asp. The applicable Standard
Administrative Terms and Conditions will be for the last year specified
at that URL, unless the application is to continue an award first
awarded in an earlier year. In that event, the terms and conditions
that apply will be those in effect for the year in which the award was
originally made unless explicitly stated otherwise in subsequent
mutually-agreed amendments to the award.
Before accepting the award the potential awardee should carefully
read the approval letter and program agreement for instructions on
administering the grant award and the terms and conditions associated
with responsibilities under Federal Awards. Recipients must accept all
conditions in this NOFA as well as any special terms and conditions in
the approval letter and program agreement to receive an award under
this program.
2. Reporting: FAS requires various reports and evaluations from
Cooperators. Required reports include an annual contributions report
that identifies contributions made by the Cooperator and the U.S.
industry during that marketing plan year. All Cooperators must also
complete at least one program evaluation each year and must provide
program success stories on an annual basis, or more often when
appropriate or required by FAS. There are additional reporting
requirements for trip reports, evaluation reports, and research
reports. Reporting requirements are detailed in the Cooperator program
regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70, and 1484.72.
G. Agency Contact(s)
1. Application Submission Contact(s) and Program Support: For
additional information and assistance, contact the Program Operations
Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture by courier: Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave.
SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720-4327, or by fax: (202)
720-9361, or by e-mail: [email protected].
2. Grants Management Contact(s): Eric Bozoian, Grants Management
Specialist, Foreign Agricultural Service, United States, Department of
Agriculture, Email: [email protected], Office: (202) 378-1054.
Signed at Washington, DC on the 26th of April, 2018.
James Higgiston
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Acting Vice
President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2018-09867 Filed 5-8-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-P
