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[Federal Register: January 13, 2005 (Volume 70,
Number 9)]
[Notices]
[Page 2380-2382]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the
Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
Announcement Type: New.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) announces that it is inviting proposals for the 2006 Foreign
Market Development Cooperator (Cooperator) Program. The intended effect of this
notice is to solicit applications from eligible applicants and award funds in
June 2005. The
Cooperator Program is administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS).
DATES: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. eastern standard time,
March 14, 2005. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
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-South, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., 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/fmd.html
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Authority: The Cooperator Program is authorized by
title VII of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as amended. Cooperator Program
regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.
Purpose: The Cooperator Program is designed to create,
expand, and maintain foreign markets for U.S. 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.
All agricultural commodities, except tobacco, are eligible for consideration.
The FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports
the strategic decisionmaking initiatives of the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 and the USDA's Food and Agricultural Policy (FAP). In
deciding whether a proposed project will contribute to the
effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of foreign markets, the FAS seeks
to identify a clear, long-term agricultural trade strategy and a program
effectiveness time line against which results can be
measured at specific intervals using quantifiable product or country goals. The
FAS also considers the extent to which a proposed project targets markets with
the greatest 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 and FAP.
II. Award Information
Under the Cooperator Program, the FAS enters into agreements
with nonprofit U.S. trade organizations which have the broadest possible
producer representation of the commodity being promoted and gives priority to
those organizations which are nationwide in membership and
scope. Cooperators may receive assistance only for the promotion of generic
activities that do not involve promotions targeted directly to consumers. The
program generally operates on a reimbursement basis.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. To participate in the
Cooperator Program an applicant must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade
organization.
2. Cost Sharing. To participate in the Cooperator
Program, an applicant must agree 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
stated in dollars and be at least 50 percent of the value of resources provided
by CCC 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 agreed cost share
contributions specified therein, is considered by the 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
design and execution of activities. The Cooperator Program regulations, in
sections 1484.50 and 1484.51,
provide detailed discussion of eligible and ineligible cost-share contributions.
3. 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.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package.
Organizations that are interested in applying for Cooperator Program funds are
encouraged to submit their requests using the Unified Export Strategy (UES)
format. The UES allows interested entities to submit a consolidated and
strategically coordinated single proposal that incorporates requests for funding
and recommendations for virtually all the FAS marketing programs, financial
assistance programs, and market access programs.
The suggested UES format encourages applicants to examine the constraints or
barriers to trade that the face, identify activities, which would help overcome
such impediments, consider the entire pool of
complementary marketing tools and program resources, and establish realistic
export goals. Applicants are not required, however, to use the UES format.
Organizations can submit applications in the EUS format by two methods. The
first allows an applicant to submit information directly to the FAS through the
Unified Export Strategy (UES) application Internet website. The FAS highly
recommends applying via the Internet, as this format virtually eliminates
paperwork and expedites the FAS processing and review cycle. Applicants also
have the option of submitting electronic versions (along with two paper copies)
of their applications to the FAS on diskette.
Applicants planning to use the Internet-based system must
contact the FAS Marketing Operations Staff on (202) 720-4327 to obtain site
access information. The 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 on
(202) 720-4327.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission. To be
considered for the Cooperator Program, an applicant must submit to the FAS
information required by the Cooperator Program regulations in section 1484.20.
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.
The FAS administers various other agricultural export
assistance programs, including the Marketing Access Program (MAP), Cochran
Fellowships, the Emerging Markets Programs, the Quality Samples Program,
Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Programs, and several
Export Credit Guarantee programs. Any organization that is not interested in
applying for the Cooperator Program but would like to request assistance through
one of the other programs mentioned should contact the Marketing Operations
Staff on (202) 720-4327.
3. Submission Dates and Times. All applications must be
received by 5 p.m. eastern standard time, March 14, 2005. All Cooperator Program
applicants, regardless of the method of submitting an application, also must
submit by the application deadline, via hand delivery or U.S. mail, an original
signed certification statement as specified in 7 CFR section 1484.20(a)(14).
Applications or certifications received after this date will not be considered.
4. Funding Restrictions. Certain types of expenses are not
eligible for reimbursement by the program, and there are limits on other
categories of expenses. CCC will not reimburse unreasonable
expenditures or expenditures made prior to approval. Full details are available
in the Cooperator Program regulations in sections 1484.54 and 1484.55.
5. Other Submission Requirements and Considerations. All
Internet-based applications must be properly submitted by 5 p.m. eastern
standard time, March 14, 2005. Signed certification statements also must be
received by that time at one of the addresses listed below.
All applications on diskette (with two accompanying paper
copies and a signed certification statement) and any other form of application
must be received by 5 p.m. eastern standard time, March 14, 2005, at one of the
following address:
Hand Delivery (including FedEx, DHL, 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 Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-1042.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria and Review Process. Following is a
description of the FAS process for reviewing applications and the criteria for
allocating available Cooperator Program funds.
(1) Phase 1--Sufficiency Review and FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by the FAS to
determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness
of the applications. These requirements appear at sections 1484.14 and 1484.20
of the Cooperator Program regulations. Applications that meet the requirements
then will be further evaluated by the proper FAS Commodity Division. The
Divisions will review each application against the criteria listed in sections
1484.21 and 1484.22 of the Cooperator Program regulations. The purpose of this
review is to identify meritorious proposals and to recommend an appropriate
funding level for each application based upon these criteria.
(2) Phase 2--Competitive Review
Meritorious applications then will be passed on to the Office
of the Deputy Administrator, Commodity and Marketing Programs, for the purpose
of allocating available funds among the applicants. Applications will compete
for funds on the basis of the following allocation criteria (the number in
parentheses represents a percentage weight factor):
(a) Contribution Level (40)
activities) compare to
(b) Past Export Performance (20)
(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance (20)
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals (10)
to
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion Projections (10)
The Commodity Divisions recommended funding levels for each
applicant are converted to percentages of the total Cooperator Program funds
available then multiplied by the total weight factor to determine the amount of
funds allocated to each applicant.
2. Anticipate Announcement Date: Announcements of funding
decisions for the Cooperator Program 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 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 Cooperator Program funding and cost-share
contribution requirements.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.
Interested parties should review the Cooperator Program regulations which are
available at the following URL address
http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/fmd.html. Hard copies may be obtained
by
contacting MOS at (202) 720-4327.
3. Reporting. The FAS requires various reports and
evaluations from Cooperators. Reporting requirements are detailed in the
Cooperator Program regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70, and 1484.72.
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 Ave., SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-1042, phone (202) 720-4327, fax: (202) 720-9351, email:
mosadmin@fas.usda.gov
Signed at Washington, DC on January 4, 2005.
A. Ellen Terpstra,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service and Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
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