[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 43 (Friday, March 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10210-10213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4715]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[Docket No. 100301119-0119-01; I.D. GF001]
Market Development Cooperator Program 2010
AGENCY: Office of Planning, Coordination and Management (OPCM),
Manufacturing and Services (MAS), International Trade Administration
(ITA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: ITA requests that eligible organizations submit proposals
(applications) for the fiscal year (FY) 2010 competition for Market
Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards. ITA creates economic
opportunity for U.S. workers and firms by promoting international trade
and investment, strengthening industry competitiveness, and ensuring
fair trade.
DATES: Applications: The Department must receive completed applications
by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, April 19, 2010. Late applications will
not be accepted. Applicants whose applications have been accepted will
be notified via e-mail or fax within ten days of the submission
deadline.
Public Meeting: The Department will hold a public meeting to
discuss MDCP proposal preparation, procedures, and selection process on
Tuesday, March 16, 2010. The ninety-minute meeting will begin at 2 p.m.
in Room 6029, at the Herbert Clark Hoover Building, 14th and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The Department will not
discuss specific proposals at this meeting. Attendance is not required.
Interested parties may participate via telephone conference. Dial-in
instructions will be posted on the Internet at trade.gov/mdcp.
Interested parties can also obtain dial-in instructions from Ms.
Catherine Land at 202-482-3858.
ADDRESSES: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their
applications via http://www.grants.gov. Application packages are
available from http://www.grants.gov or may obtained at trade.gov/mdcp
or by contacting Mr. Brad Hess, U.S. Department of Commerce, HCHB 3215,
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230. This is
also the address where applicants may submit an application if they
cannot submit online or choose not to submit online.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brad Hess, Manager, Market
Development Cooperator Program, Manufacturing and Services, ITA, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Room
3215, Washington, DC 20230. E-mail address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through Market Development Cooperator
Program (MDCP) cooperative agreements, the Department provides
technical and financial assistance to trade associations, state
departments of trade, and other non-profit industry organizations to
help to underwrite the start-up costs of new ventures that
organizations are often reluctant to undertake without federal
government support. These organizations are particularly effective in
reaching small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). The mission goals
of the MDCP strengthens the competitiveness of U.S. industry by
fostering projects that result in increased exports and/or market share
for non-agricultural goods and services produced in the United States.
As an active partner, ITA will, as appropriate, guide and assist
organizations in achieving project objectives.
ITA publishes this notice to solicit applications for MDCP funds.
ITA encourages organizations to propose projects that: (1) Best
strengthen their industry through market development; and (2) leverage
the partnership between the organization and ITA.
1. Definitions
Several definitions are provided in section VIII. Other Information
of the Federal Funding Opportunity announcement (see Electronic
Access).
2. Examples of Project Activity
Applicants should propose market development activities tailored to
strengthen the competitiveness of a U.S. industry. Examples from prior
years are set forth below and, in greater detail, at trade.gov/mdcp.
These are provided only for illustration: Promotion of standards that
ensure market access for U.S. products; helping business leaders to
leverage free trade agreements to the advantage of U.S. industry;
demonstration of U.S. products abroad; development of a shared
Internet-based distribution system in a target market; establishment of
technical servicing of U.S. products abroad; joint promotion of U.S.
products with foreign partners; establishment of a trade association
office in a target market; education of foreign users of U.S.
technology concerning intellectual property rights; training foreign
staff for after-sale service of U.S. products in target markets;
increasing trust in U.S. products in foreign markets by safeguarding
non-U.S. elements of the supply chain with an ingredient testing
system; publication of product brochures and company directories; and
development of product quality standards and designations along with
target-market promotion of same.
Electronic Access: The full text of the Federal funding opportunity
(FFO) announcement for this program can be accessed via the Grants.gov
Web site at http://www.grants.gov. The FFO announcement will also be
available by contacting the program officials identified under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must comply with all
requirements contained in the FFO announcement.
Statutory Authority: MDCP is provided for in 15 U.S.C. 4723. The
program strengthens U.S. industry's competitiveness by developing,
maintaining, and expanding foreign
[[Page 10211]]
markets for non-agricultural goods and services produced in the United
States.
CFDA: 11.112, Market Development Cooperator Program
Funding Availability: Approximately $1,500,000 is expected to be
available through this announcement for fiscal year 2010. The total
number of awards made will depend on the amounts requested by top-
scoring applicants and the availability of funds. No award will exceed
$500,000. The Department anticipates concluding three to thirty
cooperative agreements.
Program Priorities
ITA seeks to promote trade and strengthen the global
competitiveness of U.S. industry. MDCP projects should be designed to
meet this objective. The primary measurements of effectiveness of MDCP
projects in meeting this objective are exports and U.S. jobs created or
sustained by these exports. Listed below are more specific priorities
that help ITA to achieve this objective. Applicants should demonstrate
how their proposed projects are compatible with or complementary to
these ITA priorities. An applicant does not need to focus on a specific
number of these priorities to qualify for an award. Strong
compatibility or complementarity on one priority can be sufficient for
an application to score high enough to be funded. The Department is
interested in receiving proposals that include but are not limited to
projects that:
1. Create or sustain U.S. jobs by increasing or maintaining
exports;
2. Address impediments to innovation and reduce the cost of doing
business in foreign countries;
3. Address standards, intellectual property rights, and other non-
tariff barriers, especially in large markets like China, India, and
Brazil;
4. Help U.S. industry to capitalize on effective global supply
chain management strategies;
5. Increase U.S. market share in China's clean energy sector and
improve the business environment for U.S. companies in China;
6. Facilitate ease of travel to the United States and promote U.S.
higher education and training opportunities to non-U.S. entities;
7. Increase overall export awareness and awareness of ITA programs
and services among U.S. companies, by making SMEs export-ready or by
facilitating deal-making; and
8. Expand exports of U.S. emerging technologies.
Eligibility: Trade associations, state departments of trade and
their regional associations, and non-profit industry organizations,
including organizations such as World Trade Centers, centers for
international trade development and small business development centers
are eligible to apply for an MDCP award. Private industry firms or
groups of firms may be eligible to apply for an MDCP award in cases
where an entity listed above does not exist to represent the industry.
Such private industry firms or groups of firms must provide in their
applications, documentation demonstrating that a trade association,
non-profit industry organization, or state department of trade or their
regional association does not exist to represent the industry.
Definitions of each eligible entity are provided below:
1. Trade Association: A fee-based organization consisting of member
firms in the same industry, or in related industries, or which share
common commercial concerns. The purpose of the trade association is to
further the commercial interests of its members through the exchange of
information, legislative activities, and other forms of representation.
2. Non-Profit Industry Organization
a. A non-profit small business development center operating under
agreement with the Small Business Administration; or
b. A non-profit World Trade Center chartered or recognized by the
non-profit World Trade Centers Association; or
c. An organization granted status as a non-profit organization
under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3), (4), (5), or (6), which operates as one of
the following: (1) Chamber of commerce; (2) Board of trade; (3)
Business, export or trade council/interest group; (4) Visitors bureau
or tourism promotion group; (5) Economic development group; (6) Small
business development center; or (7) Port authority. Organizations with
501(c)(4) status that engage in lobbying are not eligible.
3. State Departments of Trade and Their Regional Associations
a. Department of a state government tasked with promoting trade,
tourism, or other types of economic development; or
b. Associations of the departments of trade (as defined above) of
two or more states; or
c. Entities within a state or within a region that are associated
with a state department of trade, tourism, or other types of economic
development including non-profit, non-private, non-commercial entities
which are at least partially funded by, directed by, or tasked by a
state government to promote trade, tourism, or other types of economic
development.
Clarification Regarding Eligibility of Educational Institutions
Educational institutions, such as schools, colleges, and
universities, are generally not eligible. However, organizations that
are part of or affiliated with an educational institution for
administrative, accounting, financial, legal, or logistical reasons may
be eligible. Such organizations that are not independent legal
entities--for example, an unincorporated organization--that otherwise
may be classified as a trade association; non-profit industry
association; or. state department of trade or their regional
association are eligible. In such a case, the eligible entity will
include in its application a signed letter from the educational
institution stating that MDCP funds will be used only by the eligible
entity for the purposes outlined in its application, and that no such
funds will be used by or retained by the educational institution, even
though the funds may need to go through the educational institution
because of the eligible entity's lack of a separate accounting system
or lack of status as a separate legal entity.
Cost Sharing Requirements: A cooperator must contribute at least
two dollars for each Federal dollar received. The first dollar's-worth
of contribution must be cash, the second can be either cash or in-kind
contribution worth one dollar. See section VIII.B. Supplemental
Explanation of Cost Share and Match of the FFO announcement for more
information.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures: The general evaluation
criteria and selection factors that apply to full applications to this
funding opportunity are summarized below. Further information about the
evaluation criteria and selection factors can be found in the FFO
announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects: The Department is interested in
projects that demonstrate the possibility of both significant progress
during the award period and lasting benefits extending beyond the award
period. To that end, the selection panel reviews each application for
financial assistance under MDCP based upon the evaluation criteria
listed below.
1. Potential to Strengthen Competitiveness (20 points):
A project's potential to strengthen competitiveness is evaluated
primarily on the likelihood that it will result in export initiatives
by U.S. firms, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises. Such
initiatives are
[[Page 10212]]
normally characterized by a significant expenditure of resources by the
chief executive officer of a company in the active pursuit of export
sales. As noted in the Examples of Project Activity, many different
kinds of activity can strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry;
however, an applicant can earn the maximum number of points under this
criterion only by demonstrating how its proposed project is expected to
result in increased export initiatives by individual U.S. firms and
exports by those firms.
2. Performance Measurement (20 points):
Applicants must provide quantifiable estimates of projected export
and market share increases and explain how they are derived. No
application that lacks an estimate of exports can receive a performance
measurement score that exceeds ten (10). Applicants must detail the
methods they will use to gather and report performance information. The
Department will evaluate each applicant's proposed performance measures
and proposed performance goals to determine how reasonable they are and
to determine the likelihood that the applicant will gather and report
useful data.
3. Partnership and Priorities (20 points):
This criterion evaluates the degree to which the project initiates
or enhances partnership with ITA and the degree to which the proposal
furthers or is compatible with ITA's priorities stated under Program
Priorities above.
4. Creativity and Capacity (20 points):
This criterion evaluates the creativity, innovation, and realism
displayed by the work plan as well as the institutional capacity of the
applicant to carry out the work plan.
a. Demonstrating Creativity: Applicants might propose ideas not
previously tried to promote a particular industry in a market.
Creativity can be demonstrated by the manner in which techniques are
customized to meet the specific needs of certain client groups.
b. Table Comparing Proposal to Current or Past MDCP Projects:
Applicants that have received an MDCP award in the past must submit a
table comparing their current or past MDCP project(s) and their
proposed project. The need for this table and the requested format are
described below. MDCP awards are designed to help underwrite the start-
up costs of new projects. Accordingly, current or past cooperators can
be in a position to earn the maximum number of points under this
criterion only if they propose projects that are entirely new. In order
to determine whether a project is entirely new, the current or past
cooperator must provide, as a separate appendix, a comparison between
the elements of the proposed project and the elements of its current or
past MDCP-funded projects. Current or past cooperators that propose
projects that are not entirely new will receive fewer points under this
criterion than they would receive otherwise. In determining the number
of points under this criterion, the selection panel will consider the
level to which a particular applicant has incorporated elements of its
previously funded MDCP projects. To do this, current or past
cooperators should submit a table wherein they approximate the amount
of resources devoted to each project element. See VIII.C. Example Table
Comparing Proposal to Current or Past MDCP Projects of the FFO
announcement for more information.
c. Institutional Capacity: The Department measures institutional
capacity by what each applicant submits. A current or past cooperator
should not assume that success with a prior MDCP project will
automatically be taken into account by the Department when reviewing
its application. Each applicant must document its institutional
capacity in its application.
5. Budget and Sustainability (20 points):
This criterion encompasses the reasonableness of the itemized
budget for project activities, the amount of the cash match that is
readily available at the beginning of the project, and the probability
that the project can be continued on a self-sustained basis after the
completion of the award. Current or past cooperators must show how the
proposed project will achieve self-sustainability independent of any
current or past MDCP projects. ITA does not assume that prior MDCP
projects are self-sustaining. As noted in the section entitled
Institutional Capacity, ITA assesses each application based on what
each applicant chooses to include in its application. If an applicant
wants ITA to consider the self-sustainability of a prior project when
evaluating a new project proposal, it should include relevant
information in its application.
Each of the above criteria is worth a maximum of 20 points. The
five criteria together constitute the application score. At 20 points
per criterion, the total possible score is 100.
Review and Selection Process: The applicant is responsible for
submitting a complete application in a timely manner. Prior to
selection, each complete application receives an evaluation as set
forth below.
Eligibility Determination
The MDCP staff of the Office of Planning, Coordination and
Management (OPCM) in ITA's Manufacturing and Services (MAS), in
consultation with the Department's Office of General Counsel, reviews
all applications to determine the eligibility of each applicant.
Program Area Review
All eligible applicants are forwarded to the relevant program
areas, including ITA's MAS, Market Access and Compliance (MAC), and
Commercial Service, for review. This allows experts in the industry
sector or geographical region to assess applicant claims. These
reviewers provide insights into both the potential benefits and the
potential difficulties associated with the applications.
OPCM Review
Representatives of OPCM will also review and comment on
applications using the evaluation criteria identified above.
Selection Panel
The MDCP Manager prepares for the selection panel a review packet
including the applications and OPCM reviewer and program area reviewer
comments. The OPCM reviewer and program area review comments afford the
selection panel the insights and breadth of experience of Department
professionals. Although their comments are made available to the
selection panel, it is only the selection panel's scores that determine
the top ranked applications that are forwarded to the Assistant
Secretary for Manufacturing and Services with the recommendation for
selection as award recipients. The MDCP Manager forwards all of the
eligible applications, along with all related materials, to the
selection panel, which is comprised of at least three senior ITA
managers, for review and selection recommendation. This panel is
chaired by the OPCM Director and typically includes three other
members, one each from MAS, MAC, and the Commercial Service. Panel
members are office directors or higher.
Each selection panel member reviews each eligible application using
the evaluation criteria and assigns a score for each of the five
criteria stated above. Panel members have the discretion to take into
consideration the OPCM staff and program area comments when assigning a
score for each application. The scores of each selection panel member
for each application reviewed are maintained in the files for three
years. The individual criteria scores are
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averaged to determine the total score for each application. The
evaluation criteria scores assigned by the panel determine which
applications are recommended for funding.
Based on the scores assigned by selection panel members and
deliberations by the selection panel, the selection panel ranks all
applications based on scores and forwards the applications with the ten
highest total scores (``top-ranked applications'') to the Assistant
Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, and recommends which of the
top applications should receive funding. If the amount of funds
requested by the top ten applicants is less than the funding available,
the selection panel recommends additional applications for funding in
rank order. The selection panel's recommendation will not deviate from
the rank order. For example, the selection panel cannot recommend
funding for the application ranked seventh without recommending funding
for applicants ranked first through sixth. The selection panel
recommendation includes the panel's written assessment of the strengths
and weaknesses of the top-ranked applications.
Selection Factors for Projects: From the top-ranked applications
forwarded by the selection panel, the Assistant Secretary for
Manufacturing and Services selects those applications that will receive
funding. In addition to the evaluation criteria, the Assistant
Secretary for Manufacturing and Services may consider the selection
factors listed below:
1. The selection panel's written assessments;
2. Degree to which applications satisfy the ITA priorities
established under Program Priorities;
3. Geographic distribution of the proposed awards;
4. Diversity of industry sectors and overseas markets covered by
the proposed awards;
5. Diversity of project activities represented by the proposed
awards;
6. Avoidance of redundancy and conflicts with the initiatives of
other federal agencies; and
7. Availability of funds.
Intergovernmental Review: There are no intergovernmental review
requirements beyond those already noted.
Limitation of Liability: In no event will NOAA or the Department of
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these
programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
The 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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR
7696), 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, and SF-LLL and CD-346 has
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046,
and 0605-0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the
PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid
OMB control number.
Executive Order 12866: This notice has been determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that
this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning
public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C.
553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: March 2, 2010.
Robert W. Pearson,
Director, Office of Planning, Coordination and Management,
Manufacturing and Services, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2010-4715 Filed 3-4-10; 8:45 am]
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