35804 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 108 / Monday, June 5, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration

[Docket No. 000515144–0144–01]

RIN: 0610–ZA15

National Technical Assistance,

Training, Research, and Evaluation—

Request for Grant Proposals

AGENCY: Economic Development

Administration (EDA), Department of

Commerce (DoC).

ACTION: Request for Grant Proposals

(RFP) upon availability of funds.

SUMMARY: As part of its mission to assist

economically distressed areas, EDA

promotes dissemination of quality,

accessible, and timely information to

economic development practitioners

nationally. EDA is soliciting proposals

for information dissemination projects

as described herein. EDA issues this

Notice to describe the conditions under

which eligible applications for these

projects will be accepted and selected

for funding. Projects will be funded if

acceptable proposals are received.

DATES: Prospective applicants are

advised that EDA will conduct a preproposal conference on June 16, 2000, at

10 a.m. EDT in the Department of

Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover Building,

1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20230, Room 1412, at

which time questions on these projects

can be answered. Potential applicants

are encouraged to provide written

questions by June 14, 2000 (See

ADDRESSES section below). Prospective

applicants unable to attend this preproposal conference may participate by

telephone conference. Teleconference

information may be obtained by calling

(202) 482–4085 between 8:30–4:30 EDT

on June 15, 2000.

Proposals for funding under this

program will be accepted through July

6, 2000, at one of the addresses

provided below. Proposals received

after 5 p.m. EDT, on July 6, 2000, will

not be considered for funding.

By July 20, 2000, EDA will notify

proposers whether or not they will be

given further funding consideration.

Each successful proponent will be

invited to submit an Application for

Federal Assistance, OMB Control

Number 0610–0094. The completed

application must be submitted to EDA

by August 1, 2000. Projects will be

funded no later than September 30,

2000.

ADDRESSES: 1. Proposals may be mailed

to: John J. McNamee, Director, Research

and National Technical Assistance

Division, Economic Development

Administration, Room 7019, U.S.

Department of Commerce, 1401

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

D.C. 20230, or

2. Proposals may be hand-delivered

to: John J. McNamee, Director, Research

and National Technical Assistance

Division, Economic Development

Administration, Room 1874, U.S.

Department of Commerce, 1401

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

D.C. 20230, or

3. Proposals may be submitted via email to rntapubs@doc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

J. McNamee (202) 482–4085; email:

jmcnamee@doc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Areas of Special Interest

A. Background

As part of its ongoing mission to assist

economically distressed areas, EDA

supports projects that disseminate

information to economic development

practitioners serving distressed

communities nationally (see paragraph

IV.C. for EDA’s definition of distress).

Historically, these projects have

consisted mainly of newsletters targeted

to a national audience. At this time,

EDA is soliciting proposals in order to:

• Continue serving the economic

development information needs of distressed

rural and urban areas;

• Take greater advantage of new

technologies for information dissemination

(including Internet, videoconferencing, email, etc.); and

• Identify and provide information in new

or emerging areas of economic development

needed by practitioners serving distressed

areas.

EDA anticipates funding a variety of

information dissemination projects.

These may include one-time projects of

a year or less duration and/or multi-year

projects. These projects may use printed

or electronic media or a combination of

both to disseminate economic

development information. Current EDA

information dissemination grantees are

encouraged to submit proposals and

will be evaluated based on the same

criteria as all other proposals.

Organizations or individuals may

submit more than one proposal for

consideration under this RFP.

B. Scope of Work

The successful applicants will:

(1) Undertake information

dissemination activities targeted at a

national audience of economic

development practitioners working in

America’s distressed communities.

(2) Do one or more of the following:

• Identify and cultivate understanding of

the causes of excessive unemployment,

underemployment, low income, outmigration

and/or other forms of economic distress in

areas and regions of the Nation;

• Support the development and greater

understanding of new economic

development tools and national, State, and

local programs designed to relieve economic

distress;

• Promote knowledge and understanding

of effective programs, projects and

techniques that alleviate economic distress.

(3) Influence economic development

outcomes by improving the quality,

accessibility, and timeliness of critical

information available to economic

development practitioners.

C. Additional Requirements

(1) Proposed projects should not be

primarily for the benefit of the grantee,

narrowly focused organizations, or

localized geographic areas.

(2) Grantees shall attend and

participate in three EDA conferences

each year. Locations and dates of the

conferences attended are at EDA’s

discretion.

D. Cost

A total of $550,000 is available for all

projects funded under this RFP. EDA

anticipates funding multiple projects.

Ordinarily, the applicant is expected to

provide a 50% non-federal share of

project costs. However, EDA may reduce

or waive the required 50% matching

share of the total project costs, provided

the applicant can demonstrate: (1) the

project is not feasible without, and the

project merits such a reduction or

waiver, or (2) the project is addressing

major causes of distress in the area

serviced and requires the unique

characteristics of the applicant, which

will not participate if it must provide all

or part of a 50% non-federal share, or

(3) the project is for the benefit of local,

state, regional, or national economic

development efforts, and will be of no

or only incidental benefit to the

recipient, or (4) the requirements of 13

CFR 301.4(b) (table) are satisfied (See 13

CFR 307.11; 64 FR 69878).

E. Timing

Awards made under this RFP are for

up to one year. However, some of these

awards may be eligible for multi-year

funding, i.e., renewable for two

additional years after the initial award

is made, at the same or lower annual

project cost, subject to funding

availability, satisfactory performance

under the initial or subsequent award,

and at the sole discretion of EDA. The

intent of this renewal option is to

provide grantees somewhat more

predictable funding necessary to

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 108 / Monday, June 5, 2000 / Notices 35805

develop, implement, and improve their

information dissemination projects.

EDA, at its sole discretion, will make

the final determination of whether an

award may be renewable for two

additional years, based on the abovedescribed criteria, at the time of project

approval.

II. How To Apply

A. Eligible Applicants

See EDA’s interim final rule and final

rule at 13 CFR 300.2 (64 FR 5347, 5352;

64 CFR 69868). Eligible applicants are

as follows: institutions of higher

education, consortiums of institutions of

higher education; public or private

nonprofit organizations or associations

acting in cooperation with officials of a

political subdivision of a state, for-profit

organizations, and private individuals;

areas meeting requirements under 13

CFR 301.2; Economic Development

Districts; Indian tribes; consortiums of

Indian Tribes; states, cities or other

political subdivisions of a state;

consortiums of political subdivisions of

states.

B. Proposal Submission Procedures

Each proposal submitted must

include:

(1) A description of how the

researcher(s) intend(s) to carry out the

scope of work (not to exceed 10 pages

in length). This description must

address the following issues:

• Identify and describe the target

audience, and the reason(s) why the

proposed information dissemination

activity is necessary;

• Describe how the organization

plans to achieve the proposed target

audience penetration;

• Describe the types of information

that will be disseminated;

• Justify why the proposed activity

should be federally funded;

• Describe the economic development

outcomes or activities that will be

influenced by the information

dissemination efforts;

• For activities proposed for multiyear funding (up to three years

maximum), justify the need for such

funding.

(2) A proposed budget and

accompanying explanation;

(3) Resumes/qualifications of key staff

(not to exceed two pages per individual,

with an additional 2 pages allowed for

a single summary description of all

organizations/consultants named in the

proposal), and

(4) A proposed time line for

implementation of the project.

E-mailed proposals should be in

WordPerfect for Windows or .pdf

(Adobe) format. EDA will not accept

proposals submitted by FAX. Proposals

received after 5 p.m. EDT on July 6,

2000, at the street or email addresses

provided in the ADDRESSES section

above, will not be considered.

III. Selection Process and Evaluation

Criteria

All proposals must meet EDA’s

statutory and regulatory requirements.

Proposals will receive initial review by

EDA to assure that they meet all

requirements of this RFP and 13 CFR

Chapter III (64 FR 5347, 5357; 64 FR

69868, 69874), including eligibility and

relevance to the specified project as

described herein. EDA’s general

selection process and criteria are set out

in 13 CFR 304.1, 304.2 (64 FR

5347,5357; 64 FR 69868, 69874–69875)

and current 13 CFR 307.10 (§ 307.8 in

the interim rule), (64 FR 5347, 5429; 64

FR 69868, 69878). Proposals that do not

substantially address all items required

or that exceed the page limitations of

Part II.B. of this RFP, will be ruled

nonresponsive and not considered for

funding. Proposals that meet these

requirements will be evaluated by a

review panel comprised of at least three

members. EDA will carry out its

selection process using the following

criteria:

(1) The quality of a proposal’s response to

the Scope of Work and Additional

Requirements described in Parts I.B. and I.C.

above;

(2) The ability of the prospective applicant

to successfully carry out the proposed

activities; and

(3) Cost to the Federal government.

If a proposal is selected, EDA will

provide the proponent with an

Application for Federal Assistance

(OMB Control Number 0610–0094).

Notwithstanding any other provision of

law, no person is required to respond 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 Paperwork

Reduction act unless that collection of

information displays a currently valid

OMB Control Number.

IV. Additional Information

A. Authority

The Public Works and Economic

Development Act of 1965, as amended

(P. L. 89–136, 42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.),

including the comprehensive

amendments by the Economic

Development Administration Reform

Act of 1998 (Pub.L. 105–393) (PWEDA)

authorizes EDA to make grants for

training, research, and technical

assistance, including grants for program

evaluation and project impact analyses,

that would be useful in alleviating or

preventing conditions of excessive

unemployment or underemployment

(42 U.S.C. 3147, 207). Public Law 106–

113 makes funds available for this

program.

B. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance

11.303 Economic Development

Technical Assistance

C. Program Description

For a description of this program see

PWEDA and 13 CFR Chapter III, § 307

(64 FR 5347; 64 FR 69867).

EDA assistance is focused on areas

experiencing significant economic

distress, defined principally as per

capita income of 80 percent or less of

the national average; or an

unemployment rate that is, for the most

recent 24-month period for which data

are available, at least one percent greater

than the national average; or a special

need, as determined by EDA.

D. Website

See 64 FR 3763–3769 for additional

information and requirements (available

on the Internet at http://www.doc.gov/

eda/html/notice.htm, under the heading

‘‘Research, Evaluation, and National

Technical Assistance: Request for Grant

Proposals.’’ This notice has been

determined to be not significant for

purposes of Executive Order 12866.

Dated: May 30, 2000.

David L. McIlwain,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic

Development.

[FR Doc. 00–13964 Filed 6–2–00; 8:45 am]

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