[Federal Register: January 13, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 9)]
[Notices]
[Page 2384-2386]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13ja05-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the
Quality Samples Program
Announcement Type: New.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.605.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces the
availability of $2.5 million in funding for the 2005 Quality Samples
Program (QSP). The intended effect of this notice is to solicit
applications and award funds in June 2005. The QSP is administered by
personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). This notice
supercedes any prior notices concerning the QSP.
DATES: All proposals must be received by 5 p.m. eastern standard time,
March 14, 2005. Applications received after this date will be
considered only if funds are still available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Entities wishing to apply for funding
assistance should contact the Marketing Operations Staff, Foreign
Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 4932-S, STOP
1042, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-1042, phone:
(202) 720-4327, fax: (202) 720-9361, e-mail: mosadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Information is also available on the Foreign Agricultural Service Web
site at http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/QSP.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: The QSP is authorized under section 5(f) of the CCC
Charter Act, 15 U.S.C. 714c(f).
Purpose: The QSP is designed to encourage the development and
expansion of export markets for U.S. agricultural commodities by
assisting U.S. entities in providing commodity samples to potential
foreign importers to promote a better understanding and appreciation
for the high quality of U.S. agricultural commodities.
QSP participants will be responsible for procuring (or arranging
for the procurement of) commodity samples, exporting the samples, and
providing the technical assistance necessary to facilitate successful
use of the samples by importers. Participants that are funded under
this announcement may seek reimbursement for the sample purchase price
and the costs of transporting the samples domestically to the port of
export and then to the foreign port, or point, of entry. Transportation
costs from the foreign port, or point, of entry to the final
destination will not be eligible for reimbursement. CCC will not
reimburse the costs incidental to purchasing and transporting samples,
for example, inspection or documentation fees. Although providing
technical assistance is required for all projects, CCC will not
reimburse the costs of providing technical assistance. A QSP
participant will be reimbursed after CCC reviews its reimbursement
claim and determines that the claim is complete.
General Scope of QSP Projects: QSP projects are the activities
undertaken by a QSP participant to provide an appropriate sample of a
U.S. agricultural commodity to a foreign importer, or a group of
foreign importers, in a given market. The purpose of the project is to
provide information to an appropriate target audience regarding the
attributes, characteristics, and proper use of the U.S. commodity. A
QSP project addresses a single market/commodity combination.
As a general matter, QSP projects should conform to the following
guidelines:
Projects should benefit the represented U.S. industry and
not a specific company or brand;
Projects should develop a new market for a U.S. product,
promote a new U.S. product, or promote a new use for a U.S. product,
rather than promote the substitution of one established U.S. product
for another;
Sample commodities provided under a QSP project must be in
sufficient supply and available on a commercial basis;
The QSP project must either subject the commodity sample
to further processing or substantial transformation in the importing
country, or the sample must be used in technical seminars designed to
demonstrate to an appropriate target audience the proper preparation or
use of the sample in the creation of an end product;
Samples provided in a QSP project shall not be directly
used as part of a retail promotion or supplied directly to consumers.
However, the end product, that is, the product resulting from further
processing, substantial transformation, or a technical seminar, may be
provided to end-use consumers to demonstrate to importers consumer
preference for that end product; and,
Samples shall be in quantities less than a typical
commercial sale and limited to the amount sufficient to achieve the
project goal (e.g., not more than a full commercial mill run in the
destination country).
QSP projects shall target foreign importers and target audiences
who:
Have not previously purchased the U.S. commodity which
will be transported under the QSP;
Are unfamiliar with the variety, quality attribute, or
end-use characteristic of the U.S. commodity which will be transported
under the QSP;
Have been unsuccessful in previous attempts to import,
process, and market the U.S. commodity which will be transported under
the QSP (e.g., because of improper specification, blending, or
formulation; or sanitary or phytosanitary issues);
Are interested in testing or demonstrating the benefits of
the U.S. commodity which will be transported under the QSP; or,
Need technical assistance in processing or using the U.S.
commodity that will be transported under the QSP.
II. Award Information
Under this announcement, the number of projects per participant
will not be limited. However, individual project will be limited to
$75,000 of QSP reimbursement. Projects comprised of technical
preparation seminars, that is, projects that do not include further
processing or substantial
[[Page 2385]]
transformation, will be limited to $15,000 of QSP reimbursement as
these projects require smaller samples. Financial assistance will be
made available on a reimbursement basis; that is, cash advances will
not be made available to any QSP participant.
All proposals will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria
contained herein and funds will be awarded on a competitive basis.
Funding for successful proposals will be provided through specific
agreements. These agreements will incorporate the proposal as approved
by FAS. FAS must approve in advance any subsequent changes to the
project.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. Any United States private or government
entity with a demonstrated role or interest in exporting U.S.
agricultural commodities may apply to the program. Government
organizations consist of Federal, State, and local agencies. Private
organizations include non-profit trade associations, universities,
agricultural cooperatives, state regional trade groups, and profit-
making entities.
2. Cost Sharing. Although a minimum level of cost share
contribution is not required under the program, FAS does consider the
applicant's willingness to contribute resources, including cash and
goods and services of the U.S. industry and foreign third parties, when
determining which proposals are approved for funding.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package. Organizations can submit
applications to the FAS through the Unified Export Strategy (UES)
application Internet Web site. Applicants also have the option of
submitting electronic versions in the UES format (along with two paper
copies) of their applications to the FAS on diskette. However, the UES
format is not required.
Applicants planning to use the UES Internet-based system must
contact the FAS Marketing Operations Staff on (202) 720-4327 to obtain
site access information including a user ID and password. The UES
Internet-based application, including a Help file containing step-by-
step instructions for its use, may be found at the following URL
address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/cooperators.html.
Applicants who choose to submit applications on diskette can obtain
an application format by contacting the Marketing Operations Staff,
phone: (202) 720-4327, fax: (202) 720-9361, e-mail:
mosadmin@fas.usda.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission. To be considered for
the QSP, an applicant must submit to the FAS information detailed in
this notice. In addition, in accordance with the Office of Management
and Budget's issuance of a final policy (68 FR 38402) 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 1-866-
705-5711. Incomplete applications and applications which do not
otherwise conform to this announcement will not be accepted for review.
Applicants to the QSP are not required to submit proposals in any
specific format; however, FAS recommends that proposals contain, at a
minimum, the following:
(a) Organizational information, including:
Organization's name, address, Chief Executive Officer (or
designee), Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN), and DUNS number;
Type of organization;
Name, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of
the primary contact person;
A description of the organization and its membership;
A description of the organization's prior export promotion
experience; and
A description of the organization's experience in
implementing an appropriate trade/technical assistance component;
(b) Market information, including:
An assessment of the market;
A long-term strategy in the market; and
U.S. export value/volume and market share (historic and
goals) for 2001-2006;
(c) Project information, including:
A brief project title;
Amount of funding requested;
A brief description of the specific market development
trade constraint or opportunity to be addressed by the project,
performance measures for the years 2005-2007 which will be used to
measure the effectiveness of the project, a benchmark performance
measure for 2004, the viability of long term sales to this market, the
goals of the project, and the expected benefits to the represented
industry;
A description of the activities planned to address the
constraint or opportunity, including how the sample will be used in the
end-use performance trial, the attributes of the sample to be
demonstrated and its end-use benefit, and details of the trade/
technical servicing component (including who will provide and who will
fund this component);
A same description (i.e., commodity, quality, type, and
grade), including a justification for selecting a sample with such
characteristics (this justification should explain in detail why the
project could not be effective with a smaller sample);
An itemized list of all estimated costs associated with
the project for which reimbursement will be sought; and
The importer's role in the project regarding handling and
processing the commodity sample; and
(d) Information indicating all funding sources and amounts to be
contributed by each entity that will supplement implementation of the
proposed project. This may include the organization that submitted the
proposal, private industry entities, host government, foreign third
parties, CCC, FAS, or other Federal agencies. Contributed resources may
include cash or goods and services.
3. Submission Dates and Times. All applications must be received by
5 p.m. eastern standard time, March 14, 2005. Applications received
after this date will be considered only if funds are still available.
4. Funding Restriction. Proposals which request more than $75,000
of CCC funding for individual projects will not be considered. Projects
comprised of technical preparation seminars will be limited to $15,000
in QSP funding. CCC will not reimburse expenditures made prior to
approval of a proposal or unreasonable expenditures.
5. Other Submission Requirements. All applications on diskette
(with two accompanying paper copies) and any other form of application
must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard time, March 14, 2005, at
one of the following addresses:
Hand Deliver (including FedEx, UPS, etc.): U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff,
Room 4932-S, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-
1042.
U.S. Postal Delivery: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign
Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-1042.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria. FAS will use the following criteria in evaluating
proposals:
[[Page 2386]]
The ability of the organization to provide an experienced
staff with the requisite technical and trade experience to execute the
proposal;
The extent to which the proposal is targeted to a market
in which the United States is generally competitive;
The potential for expanding commercial sales in the
proposed market;
The nature of the specific market constraint or
opportunity involved and how well it is addressed by the proposal;
The extent to which the importer's contribution in terms
of handling and processing enhances the potential outcome of the
project;
The amount of reimbursement requested and the
organization's Willingness to contribute resources, including cash and
goods and services of the U.S. industry and foreign third parties; and
How well the proposed technical assistance component
assures that performance trials will effectively demonstrate the
intended end-use-benefit.
Highest priority for funding under this announcement will be given
to meritorious proposals that target countries that meet either of the
following criteria:
Per capita income less than $9,075 (the ceiling on upper
middle income economies as determined by the World Bank [World
Development Indicators 2005]); and population greater than 1 million.
Proposals may address suitable regional groupings, for example, the
islands of the Caribbean Basin; or
U.S. market share of imports of the commodity identified
in the proposal of 10 percent of less.
2. Review and Selection Process. Proposals will be evaluated by the
applicable FAS commodity division. The divisions will review each
proposal against the factors described above. The purpose of this
review is to identify meritorious proposals, recommend an appropriate
funding level for each proposal based upon these factors, and submit
the proposals and funding recommendations to the Deputy Administrator,
Commodity and Marketing Programs.
3. Anticipated Announcement Date. Announcements of funding
decisions for the QSP are anticipated during June 2005.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices. The FAS will notify each applicant in writing of
the final disposition of its application. The FAS will send an approval
letter and agreement to each approved applicant. The approval letter
and agreement will specify the terms and conditions applicable to the
project, including the levels of QSP funding and any cost-share
contribution requirements.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. The agreements
will incorporate the details of each project as approved by FAS. Each
agreement will identify terms and conditions pursuant to which CCC will
reimburse certain costs of each project. Agreements will also outline
the responsibilities of the participant, including, but not limited to,
procurement (or arranging for procurement) of the commodity sample at a
fair market price, arranging for transportation of the commodity sample
within the time limit specified in the agreement, (organizations should
endeavor to ship commodities within 6 months of effective date of
agreement), compliance with cargo preference requirements (shipment on
United States flag vessels, as required), compliance with the Fly
American Act requirements (shipment on United States air carriers, as
required), timely and effective implementation of technical assistance,
and submission of a written evaluation report within 90 days of
expiration of the agreement.
QSP agreements are subject to review and verification by the FAS
Compliance Review Staff. Upon request, a QSP participant shall provide
to CCC the original documents which support the participant's
reimbursement claims. CCC may deny a claim for reimbursement if the
claim is not supported by adequate documentation.
3. Reporting. A written evaluation report must be submitted within
90 days of the expiration of each participant's QSP agreement.
Evaluation reports should address all performance measures that were
presented in the proposal.
VII. Agency Contact(s)
For additional information and assistance, contact the Marketing
Operations Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Room 4932 South, STOP 1042, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-1042, Phone: (202) 720-4327, fax: (202) 720-9361,
e-mail: mosadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Dated: Signed at Washington, DC on January 4, 2005.
A. Ellen Terpstra,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 05-687 Filed 1-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-M