Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 45773 

deposit requirements, when imposed, 

shall remain in effect until publication 

of the final results of the next 

administrative review. 

Notification to Importers 

This notice also serves as a 

preliminary reminder to importers of 

their responsibility under 19 C.F.R. 

351.402(f) to file a certificate regarding 

the reimbursement of antidumping 

duties prior to liquidation of the 

relevant entries during this review 

period. Failure to comply with this 

requirement could result in the 

Secretary’s presumption that 

reimbursement of antidumping duties 

occurred and the subsequent assessment 

of double antidumping duties. 

We are issuing and publishing these 

preliminary results of administrative 

review in accordance with sections 

751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, as 

well as 19 C.F.R. 351.221(b)(4) and 19 

C.F.R. 351.213(d)(4). 

Dated: August 2, 2006. 

David M. Spooner, 

Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E6–13038 Filed 8–9–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory 

Board: Conference Call Meeting of the 

U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory 

Board 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of an open conference 

call meeting. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Travel and Tourism 

Advisory Board (Board) will hold an 

open conference call meeting to discuss 

topics related to the travel and tourism 

industry. The Board was established on 

October 1, 2003, and reconstituted 

October 1, 2005, to advise the Secretary 

of Commerce on matters relating to the 

travel and tourism industry. 

DATES: August 23, 2006. 

Time: TBD. 

For the Conference Call-In Number 

and Further Information Contact: The 

U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory 

Board Executive Secretariat, Room 4043, 

Washington, DC, 20230, telephone: 202–

482–4501, e-mail: 

Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. 

Marc Chittum, U.S. Travel and Tourism 

Advisory Board, Room 4043, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC, 20230, telephone: 202–482–4501, email: Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

Dated: August 4, 2006. 

J. Marc Chittum, 

Executive Secretary, U.S. Travel and Tourism 

Advisory Board. 

[FR Doc. 06–6842 Filed 8–7–06; 3:34 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration, 

North American Free-Trade Agreement 

(NAFTA), Article 1904 Binational Panel 

Reviews 

AGENCY: NAFTA Secretariat, United 

States Section, International Trade 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of decision of panel. 

SUMMARY: On July 28, 2006, the 

binational panel issued its decision in 

the review of the final determination 

made by the International Trade 

Administration, respecting Oil Country 

Tubular Goods from Mexico Final 

Results of Sunset Review of 

Antidumping Duty Order, Secretariat 

File No. USA–MEX–2001–1904–03. The 

binational panel remanded the 

redetermination on remand to the 

International Trade Administration. 

Copies of the panel decision are 

available from the U.S. Section of the 

NAFTA Secretariat. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Caratina L. Alston, United States 

Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat, Suite 

2061, 14th and Constitution Avenue, 

Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482–5438. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chapter 

19 of the North American Free-Trade 

Agreement (‘‘Agreement’’) establishes a 

mechanism to replace domestic judicial 

review of the final determinations in 

antidumping and countervailing duty 

cases involving imports from a NAFTA 

country with review by independent 

binational panels. When a Request for 

Panel Review is filed, a panel is 

established to act in place of national 

courts to review expeditiously the final 

determination to determine whether it 

conforms with the antidumping or 

countervailing duty law of the country 

that made the determination. 

Under Article 1904 of the Agreement, 

which came into force on January 1, 

1994, the Government of the United 

States, the Government of Canada and 

the Government of Mexico established 

Rules of Procedure for Article 1904 

Binational Panel Reviews (‘‘Rules’’). 

These Rules were published in the 

Federal Register on February 23, 1994 

(59 FR 8686). The panel review in this 

matter has been conducted in 

accordance with these Rules. 

Panel Decision: The Panel concluded 

and ordered the Department as follows: 

The Department is directed to 

reconsider its likelihood determination 

and either issue a determination of no 

likelihood or give a reasoned analysis to 

support a conclusion that TAMSA’s 

dumping is likely to continue or recur. 

In particular, the Department is directed 

to explain why TAMSA’s high financial 

expense ratio is likely to recur 

considering the decrease in TAMSA’s 

foreign currency denominated debt 

during the sunset review period as 

evidenced by the actual financial 

expense ratio established in the record 

of this proceeding. 

The Department was directed to 

report the results of its remand decision 

within 20 days of the date of the 

opinion, or not later than August 17, 

2006. 

Dated: August 3, 2006. 

Caratina L. Alston, 

United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat. 

[FR Doc. E6–13020 Filed 8–9–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–GT–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Minority Business Development 

Agency 

[Docket No: 000724217–6209–13] 

Amendment to the Solicitation of 

Applications for the Minority Business 

Enterprise Center (MBEC) (Formerly 

Minority Business Development Center 

(MBDC)) 

AGENCY: Minority Business 

Development Agency, DOC. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with Executive 

Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. Section 

1512, the Minority Business 

Development Agency (MBDA) is 

amending its solicitation, originally 

published on July 26, 2006, for 

competitive applications from 

organizations to operate a Minority 

Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) 

(formerly Minority Business 

Development Center). This amendment 

separates the Alabama/Mississippi 

MBEC into two geographic service areas, 

creating the Mississippi MBEC and the 

Alabama MBEC. The geographic service 

area for the Mississippi MBEC will be 

limited to the State of Mississippi only. 

All programmatic requirements, 

including funding levels, length of 

award and competition/selection 

processes, for the Mississippi MBEC 


rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
45774 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 

will be the same as that published for 

the Alabama/Mississippi MBEC in the 

July 26, 2006 solicitation. 

The newly created Alabama MBEC 

geographic service area will service 

Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita 

impacted minority-owned firms from 

the State of Alabama. The Alabama 

MBEC shall adhere to separate program 

requirements as outlined below (please 

refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section of this Notice) and a newly 

created Federal Funding Opportunity 

(FFO) Announcement. 

This is not a grant program to help 

start a business. Applications submitted 

must be to operate a Minority Business 

Enterprise Center and to provide 

business consultation to eligible 

minority clients. Applications that do 

not meet these requirements will be 

rejected. 

DATES: The closing date for receipt of 

applications for the Alabama MBEC is 

September 11, 2006. The closing date 

for receipt of applications for the 

modified Mississippi MBEC remains as 

September 20, 2006. Completed 

applications must be received by MBDA 

no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Savings Time at the address below for 

paper submission or at http:// 

www.Grants.gov for electronic 

submission. The due date and time is 

the same for electronic submissions as 

it is for paper submissions. The date 

that applications will be deemed to have 

been submitted electronically shall be 

the date and time received at 

Grants.gov. Applicants should save and 

print the proof of submission they 

receive from Grants.gov. Applications 

received after the closing date and time 

will not be considered. Anticipated time 

for processing of the Alabama MBEC is 

approximately sixty days (60) days from 

the date of publication of this 

Announcement. MBDA anticipates that 

awards for the Alabama MBEC program 

will be made with a start date of October 

1, 2006, whereas the award for the 

Mississippi MBEC will remain with a 

start date of January 1, 2007. 

Pre-Application Conference: A preapplication teleconference will be held 

for the Alabama MBEC on August 25, 

2006, in connection with this 

solicitation Announcement. The 

Mississippi pre-application 

teleconference will be held on August 

17, 2006, in connection with the 

original Announcement. The preapplication conference information will 

be available on MBDA’s Portal (MBDA 

Portal) at http://www.mbda.gov. 

Interested parties to the pre-application 

conference must register at MBDA’s 

Portal at least 24 hours in advance of the 

event. 

ADDRESSES: 

(1)(a) Paper Submission—If Mailed: If 

the application is mailed/shipped 

overnight by the applicant or its 

representative, one (1) signed original 

plus two (2) copies of the application 

must be submitted. Completed 

application packages must be mailed to: 

Office of Business Development—MBEC 

Program, Office of Executive Secretariat, 

HCHB, Room 5063, Minority Business 

Development Agency, U.S. Department 

of Commerce, 14th Street and 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230. 

U.S. Department of Commerce delivery 

policies for Federal Express, UPS, and 

DHL overnight services require the 

packages to be sent to the address above. 

(1)(b) Paper Submission—If HandDelivered: If the application is handdelivered by the applicant or his/her 

representative, one (1) signed original 

plus two (2) copies of the application 

must be delivered to: U.S. Department 

of Commerce, Minority Business 

Development Agency, Office of Business 

Development—MBEC Program 

(extension 1940), HCHB, Room 1874, 

Entrance #10, 15th Street, NW., 

Washington, DC, (Between 

Pennsylvania and Constitution 

Avenues). 

U.S. Department of Commerce ‘‘handdelivery’’ policies state that Federal 

Express, UPS, and DHL overnight 

services submitted to the address listed 

above (Entrance #10) cannot be 

accepted. These policies should be 

taken into consideration when utilizing 

their services. MBDA will not accept 

applications that are submitted by the 

deadline but rejected due to 

Departmental hand-delivery policies. 

The applicant must adhere to these 

policies in order for his/her application 

to receive consideration for award. 

(2) Electronic Submission: Applicants 

are encouraged to submit their proposal 

electronically at http://www.Grants.gov. 

Electronic submissions should be made 

in accordance with the instructions 

available at Grants.gov (see http:// 

www.grants.gov/ForApplicants for 

detailed information). MBDA strongly 

recommends that applicants not wait 

until the application deadline date to 

begin the application process through 

Grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please visit 

MBDA’s Minority Business Internet 

Portal at http://www.mbda.gov. Paper 

applications and Standard Forms may 

be obtained by contacting the MBDA 

National Enterprise Center (NEC) for the 

area where the Applicant is located (See 

Agency Contacts section) or visiting 

MBDA’s Portal at http://www.mbda.gov. 

Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and 

SF–LLL can also be obtained at http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants, or 

http://www.Grants.gov. Forms CD–511 

and CD–346 may be obtained at http:// 

www.doc.gov/forms. 

Responsibility for ensuring that 

applications are complete and received 

BY MBDA on time is the sole 

responsibility of the Applicant. 

Agency Contacts: 

1. Office of Business Development, 

14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Room 5073, Washington DC 20230. 

Contact: Efrain Gonzalez, Program 

Manager at 202–482–1940. 

2. Atlanta National Enterprise Center 

(ANEC) is located at 401 W. Peachtree 

Street, NW., Suite 1715, Atlanta, GA 

30308–3516. This region covers the 

states of North Carolina, South Carolina, 

Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 

and Tennessee. 

Contact John Iglehart Acting Regional 

Director, ANEC at 404–730–3300. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On July 26, 2006, MBDA published a 

solicitation for competitive applications 

from organizations to operate a Minority 

Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) 

(formerly Minority Business 

Development Center) (71 FR 42351). 

The July 26, 2006 solicitation listed the 

Alabama/Mississippi MBEC as a 

combined geographic service area. 

This notice amends the July 26, 2006 

solicitation by separating the Alabama/ 

Mississippi MBEC into two geographic 

service areas, creating the Mississippi 

MBEC and the Alabama MBEC. The 

geographic service area for the 

Mississippi MBEC will be limited to the 

State of Mississippi. The geographic 

service area for the Alabama MBEC will 

be limited to the State of Alabama. 

Geographic Service Areas 

The MBEC will provide services in 

the following revised geographic areas: 

MBEC name Location of MBEC Geographic service area 

Alabama MBEC ................................................................ Mobile, AL .......................... State of Alabama. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 45775 

MBEC name Location of MBEC Geographic service area 

Mississippi MBEC (changed from Alabama/Mississippi 

MBEC).

Biloxi, MS ........................... State of Mississippi (changed from states of Alabama 

and Mississippi). 

Electronic Access 

A link to the full text of the Federal 

Funding Opportunity (FFO) 

Announcements for the MBEC Program 

can be found at http://www.Grants.gov 

or by downloading at http:// 

www.mbda.gov or by contacting the 

appropriate MBDA representative 

identified above. The FFO contains a 

full and complete description of the 

MBEC program requirements. In order 

to receive proper consideration, 

applicants must comply with all 

information and requirements contained 

in the FFO. Applicants will be able to 

access, download and submit electronic 

grant applications for the MBEC 

Program in this announcement at 

Grants.gov. MBDA strongly 

recommends that applicants not wait 

until the application deadline date to 

begin the application process through 

Grants.gov. The date that applications 

will be deemed to have been submitted 

electronically shall be the date and time 

received at Grants.gov. Applicants 

should save and print the proof of 

submission they receive from 

Grants.gov. Applications received after 

the closing date and time will not be 

considered. 

Mississippi MBEC (Formerly Alabama/ 

Mississippi MBEC) 

This notice amends the July 26, 2006 

solicitation by: (a) Changing the name of 

the Alabama/Mississippi MBEC to the 

Mississippi MBEC and (b) modifying the 

geographic service area from the States 

of Alabama/Mississippi to Mississippi 

only. All prior programmatic 

requirements, including funding levels, 

length of award and competition/ 

selection process originally published 

on July 26 2006 (71 FR 42351–42356) 

remain the same. 

Alabama MBEC 

This amendment creates a new 

geographic service area, the Alabama 

MBEC, which will service Hurricanes 

Katrina and/or Rita impacted minorityowned firms from the State of Alabama. 

The information in this section outlines 

program general and specific 

requirements for the Alabama MBEC. 

Funding Priorities—Alabama MBEC: 

Preference may be given to applications 

during the selection process which 

address the following MBDA funding 

priorities: 

(a) Applicants who submit proposals 

that include work activities that exceed 

the minimum work requirements in this 

Announcement. 

(b) Applicants who submit proposals 

that include performance goals that 

exceed the minimum performance goal 

requirements in this Announcement. 

(c) Applicants who demonstrate an 

exceptional ability to identify and work 

towards the elimination of barriers 

which limit the access of minority 

businesses to markets and capital. 

(d) Applicants who demonstrate an 

exceptional ability to identify and work 

with minority businesses seeking to 

obtain large-scale contracts and/or 

insertion into supply chains with 

institutional customers. 

(e) Applicants that utilize fee for 

service models and those that 

demonstrate an exceptional ability to 

charge and collect fees from clients. 

(f) Applicants who demonstrate 

special expertise in disaster assistance. 

Funding Availability—Alabama 

MBEC: The total award period is one (1) 

year. Renewal of the award for two 

additional year options is at the sole 

discretion of the MBDA and the 

Department of Commerce. A total of 

approximately $200,000 is available in 

FY 2006 for Federal assistance under 

this program and it is anticipated that 

$200,000 may be available for each of 

the two option years in FY 2007 and FY 

2008. Applicants are hereby given 

notice that funds have been 

appropriated for FY 2006 only. Funds 

for FY 2007 and 2008 have not been 

appropriated for this program. 

Projects will be funded for no more 

than one year at a time. A project 

proposal accepted for funding in the 

first year is not required to re-compete 

in order to receive funding in optional 

years two (2) and three (3). Funding for 

the subsequent second and third year 

will be at the sole discretion of the 

MBDA and the Department of 

Commerce, and provided the MBEC 

achieved a ‘‘Satisfactory’’ performance 

rating for the first year and ‘‘Good’’

performance rating for the second year 

(as outlined below), the award recipient 

will be eligible for renewed funding. 

Failure to achieve the required 

minimum performance rating may be 

cause for project termination. 

• Recommendations for second year 

funding are evaluated based on a 

‘‘Satisfactory’’ mid-year performance 

rating and/or combination of mid-year 

and cumulative third quarter 

performance ‘‘Satisfactory’’ performance 

rating in Year 1. 

• Recommendations for third year 

funding are evaluated based on a 

‘‘Good’’ mid-year performance rating 

and/or combination of mid-year and 

cumulative third quarter performance 

‘‘Good’’ performance rating in Year 2. 

All funding periods are subject to the 

availability of funds to support the 

continuation of the project, and the 

Department of Commerce’s and MBDA’s 

priorities. Publication of this Notice 

does not obligate MBDA or the 

Department to award any specific 

cooperative agreement or to obligate all 

or any part of available funds. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

Federal funds, the cost of performance 

for each of the program funding years is 

estimated in the chart below. The 

application must include a minimum 

cost share of 10% in non-Federal 

contributions. 

Project 

Name 

September 1, 2006 through August 31, 

2007 

Optional—Year 2 September 1, 2007 

through August 31, 2008 

Optional—Year 3 September 1, 2008 

through August 31, 2009 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share 

($) 

Non-federal 

share ($) 

(10% min.) 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share 

($) 

Non-federal 

share ($) 

(10% min.) 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share 

($) 

Non-federal 

share ($) 

(10% min.) 

Alabama 

MBEC ... 222,500 200,000 22,500 222,500 200,000 22,500 222,500 200,000 22,500 


rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
45776 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 

Authority: Executive Order 11625 and 

15 U.S.C. 1512. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA): 11.800 Minority 

Business Enterprise Center Program 

(formerly Minority Business 

Development Center (MBDC) Program). 

Eligibility: For-profit entities 

(including sole-proprietorships, 

partnerships, and corporations), and 

non-profit organizations, state and local 

government entities, American Indian 

Tribes, and educational institutions are 

eligible to operate MBECs. Applicants 

receiving three (3) consecutive funding 

award cycles (beginning 2007 through 

2015) will not be eligible to receive an 

award in 2016 (and thereafter). 

Program Description—Alabama 

MBEC: In accordance with Executive 

Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. Section 

1512, the Minority Business 

Development Agency (MBDA) is 

soliciting applications from 

organizations to operate a Minority 

Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) 

(formerly Minority Business 

Development Center). The MBEC 

Program requires the Alabama MBEC 

staff to provide standardized business 

assistance services to minority firms 

impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and/or 

Rita or those with $500,000 or more in 

annual revenues and/or ‘‘rapid-growth 

potential’’ minority businesses 

(‘‘Strategic Growth Initiative or ‘‘SGI’’

firms) directly; to develop a network of 

strategic partnerships; and to provide 

strategic business consulting. These 

requirements will be used to generate 

increased results with respect to 

financing and contracts awarded to 

minority-owned firms and thus, are a 

key component of this program. 

The Alabama MBEC Program will 

concentrate on serving firms impacted 

by Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita or 

SGI firms capable of generating 

significant employment and long-term 

economic growth. The MBEC program 

shall continue to leverage 

telecommunications technology, 

including the Internet, and a variety of 

online/computer-based resources to 

dramatically increase the level of 

service that the MBEC can provide to 

minority-owned firms. 

The MBEC program incorporates an 

entrepreneurial approach to building 

market stability and improving the 

quality of services delivered. This 

strategy expands the reach of the MBEC 

by requiring the project operator to 

develop and build upon strategic 

alliances with public and private sector 

partners, as a means of serving clients 

within the project’s geographic service 

area. 

In addition, MBDA will establish 

specialized business consulting training 

programs to support the MBEC client 

assistance services. These MBEC 

training programs are designed 

specifically to foster growth assistance 

to its clients. The MBEC will also 

encourage increased collaboration and 

client/non-client referrals among the 

MBDA-sponsored networks. This will 

provide a comprehensive approach to 

serving the emerging sector of the 

minority business community. 

The MBEC will operate through the 

use of trained professional business 

consultants who will assist minority 

entrepreneurs through direct client 

engagements. Entrepreneurs eligible for 

assistance under the MBEC Program are 

African Americans, Puerto Ricans, 

Spanish-speaking Americans, Aleuts, 

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, 

Asian Indians, Native Americans, 

Eskimos and Hasidic Jews. As part of its 

strategy for continuous improvement, 

the MBEC shall expand its delivery 

capacity to all minority firms (as 

defined in the FFO). MBDA wants to 

ensure that MBEC clients are receiving 

a consistent level of service throughout 

its funded network. To that end, MBDA 

will require MBEC consultants to attend 

training course(s) designed to achieve 

standardized services and quality 

expectations. Further programmatic 

information can be found in the FFO. 

Match Requirements—Alabama 

MBEC: Cost sharing of at least 10% is 

required. Cost sharing is the portion of 

the project cost not borne by the Federal 

Government. Applicants must meet this 

requirement through one or more of the 

following means or a combination 

thereof: (1) Client fees; (2) cash 

contributions; (3) non-cash applicant 

contributions; and/or (4) third party inkind contributions. Bonus points will be 

awarded for cost sharing exceeding 10 

percent that is applied on the following 

scale: more than 10%-less than 15%—

1 point; 15% or more-less than 20%—

2 points; 20% or more-less than 25%—

3 points; 25% or more-less than 30%—

4 points; and, 30% or more—5 points. 

Applicants must provide a detailed 

explanation of how the cost-sharing 

requirement will be met. The MBEC 

may charge client fees for services 

rendered. Client fees, if charged, shall 

be used towards meeting cost share 

requirements. Client fees applied 

directly to the award’s cost sharing 

requirement must be used in 

furtherance of the program objectives. 

Evaluation Criteria—Alabama MBEC: 

Proposals will be evaluated and 

applicants will be selected based on the 

following criteria. An application must 

receive at least 70% of the total points 

available for each evaluation criterion, 

in order for the application to be 

considered for funding. The maximum 

total of points that can be earned is 105 

including bonus points for related nonfederal cost sharing, except when oral 

presentations are made by applicants. If 

oral presentations are made (see 

paragraph 5 below), the maximum total 

of points that can be earned is 115. 

1. Applicant Capability (40 points). 

The applicant’s proposal will be 

evaluated with respect to the applicant 

firm’s experience and expertise in 

providing the work requirements listed. 

Specifically, the proposals will be 

evaluated as follows: 

• MBE Community—experience in 

and knowledge of the minority business 

sector and strategies for enhancing its 

growth and expansion; particular 

emphasis shall be on expanding 

Hurricane Katrina and/or Rita impacted 

minority companies and/or SGI firms in 

the State of Alabama(4 points); 

• Business Consulting—experience in 

and knowledge of business consulting of 

Hurricane Katrina and/or Rita impacted 

minority companies and/or SGI firms in 

the State of Alabama (5 points); 

• Financing—experience in and 

knowledge of the preparation and 

formulation of successful financial 

transactions (5 points); 

• Procurements and Contracting—

experience in and knowledge of the 

public and private sector contracting 

opportunities for minority businesses, 

as well as demonstrated expertise in 

assisting MBEs into supply chains (5 

points); 

• Financing Networks—resources and 

professional relationships within the 

corporate, banking and investment 

community that may be beneficial to 

minority-owned firms (5 points); 

• Establishment of a Self-Sustainable 

Service Model—summary plan to 

establish a self-sustainable model for 

continued services to the MBE 

community beyond the MBDA funding 

cycle (3 points); 

• MBE Advocacy—experience and 

expertise in advocating on behalf of 

minority businesses, both as to specific 

transactions in which a minority 

business seeks to engage, and as to 

broad market advocacy for the benefit of 

the minority community at large (3 

points); and 

• Key Staff—assessment of the 

qualifications, experience and proposed 

role of staff who will operate the MBEC. 

In particular, an assessment will be 

made to determine whether proposed 

key staff possesses the expertise in 

utilizing information systems and the 

ability to successfully deliver services 

(10 points). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 45777 

2. Resources (20 points). The 

applicant’s proposal will be evaluated 

according to the following criteria: 

• Resources—discuss those resources 

(not included as part of the cost-sharing 

arrangement) that will be used, 

including (but not limited to) existing 

prior and/or current data lists that will 

serve in fostering immediate success for 

the MBEC (8 points); 

• Location—Applicant must indicate 

if it shall establish a location for the 

Center that is separate and apart from 

any existing offices in the geographic 

service area (2 points); 

• Partners—discuss how you plan to 

establish and maintain the network of 

five (5) Strategic Partners and how these 

partners will support the MBEC to meet 

its performance objectives (5 points); 

and 

• Equipment—discuss how you plan 

to accomplish the computer hardware 

and software requirements (5 points). 

3. Techniques and Methodologies (20 

points). The applicant’s proposal will be 

evaluated as follows: 

• Performance Measures—relate each 

performance measure to the financial, 

information and market resources 

available in the geographic service area 

to the applicant (including existing 

client list) and how the goals will be 

met (marketing plan). Specific attention 

should be placed on matching 

performance outcomes (as described 

under ‘‘Geographic Service Areas and 

Performance Goals’’ of the FFO) with 

client service (billable) hours. The 

applicant should consider existing 

market conditions and its strategy to 

achieve the goal (10 points); 

• Plan of action—provide specific 

detail on how the applicant will start 

operations. The MBEC shall have thirty 

(30) days to become fully operational 

after an award is made. Fully 

operational means that all staff are 

hired, all signs are up, all items of 

furniture and equipment are in place 

and operational, all necessary forms are 

developed (e.g., client engagement 

letters, other standard correspondence, 

etc.), and the center is ready to open its 

doors to the public (5 points); and 

• Work Requirement Execution 

Plan—The applicant will be evaluated 

on how effectively and efficiently all 

staff time will be used to achieve the 

work requirements (5 points). 

4. Proposed Budget and Supporting 

Budget Narrative (20 points). The 

applicant’s proposal will be evaluated 

on the following sub-criteria: 

• Reasonableness, allowability and 

allocability of costs. All of the proposed 

expenditures must be discussed and the 

budget line item narrative must match 

the proposed budget. Fringe benefits 

and other percentage item calculations 

must match the proposed line item on 

the budget. (5 points); 

• Proposed cost sharing of 10% is 

required. The non-Federal share must be 

adequately documented, including, if 

client fees will be charged, how they 

will be used to meet the cost-share (5 

points); and 

• Performance Based Budget. Discuss 

how the budget is related to the 

accomplishment of the work 

requirements and the performance 

measures. Provide a budget narrative 

that clearly shows the connections (10 

points). 

Proposals with cost sharing which 

exceeds 10% will be awarded bonus 

points on the following scale: more than 

10% –less than 15%—1 point; 15% or 

more–less than 20%—2 points; 20% or 

more–less than 25%—3 points; 25% or 

more–less than 30%—4 points; and 

30% or more—5 points. 

5. Oral Presentation—Optional (10 

points). Oral presentations are held only 

when determined by MBDA. When the 

merit review by the panel results in 

applications scoring 70% or more of the 

available points for each criterion, 

MBDA may request all those applicants 

to develop and provide an oral 

presentation. This presentation will be 

used to establish a final evaluation and 

rating. 

The applicant’s presentation will be 

evaluated on the following sub-criteria: 

(a) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates how the 

applicant will effectively and efficiently 

assist MBDA in the accomplishment of 

its mission (2 points); 

(b) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates business 

operating priorities designed to manage 

a successful MBEC (2 points); 

(c) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates a 

management philosophy that achieves 

an effective balance between 

micromanagement and complete 

autonomy for its Project Director (2 

points); 

(d) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates robust search 

criteria for the identification of a Project 

Director (1 point); 

(e) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates effective 

employee recruitment and retention 

policies and procedures (1 point); and 

(f) The extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates a competitive 

and innovative approach to exceeding 

performance requirements (2 points). 

Review and Selection Process—

Alabama MBEC: 

1. Initial Screening. Prior to the 

formal paneling process, each 

application will receive an initial 

screening to ensure that all required 

forms, signatures and documentation 

are present. 

2. Panel Review. Each application will 

receive an independent, objective 

review by a panel qualified to evaluate 

the applications submitted. MBDA 

anticipates that the review panel will be 

made up of at least three independent 

reviewers (all Federal employees) who 

will review all applications based on the 

above evaluation criteria. Each reviewer 

will evaluate and provide a score for 

each proposal. In order for an 

application to be considered for 

funding, it shall need to achieve 70% of 

the available points for each criterion. 

Failure to achieve these results will 

automatically deem the application as 

unsuccessful. 

3. Oral Presentation—Optional. When 

the merit review by the panel results in 

applications scoring 70% or more of the 

available points for each criterion, 

MBDA may request all those applicants 

to develop and provide an oral 

presentation. The applicants may 

receive up to 10 additional points based 

on the presentation and content 

presented. 

If a formal presentation is requested, 

the applicants will receive a formal 

communication (via standard mail, email or fax) from MBDA indicating the 

time and date for the presentation. In 

person presentations are not mandatory 

but are encouraged; telephonic 

presentations are acceptable. Applicants 

will be asked to submit a power point 

presentation (or equivalent) to MBDA 

that addresses the oral presentation 

criteria (see above, Evaluation Criteria, 

item 5. Oral Presentation—Optional). 

This presentation must be submitted at 

least 24 hours before the scheduled date 

and time of the presentation. The 

presentation will be made to the 

National Director (or his/her designee) 

and/or up to three senior MBDA staff 

who did not serve on the merit 

evaluation panel. The oral panel 

members may ask follow-up questions 

after the presentation. MBDA will 

provide the teleconference dial-in 

number and pass code. Each finalist will 

present to MBDA staff only; other 

applicants are not permitted to listen 

(and/or watch). 

All costs pertaining to this 

presentation shall be borne by the 

applicant. MBEC award funds may not 

be used as a reimbursement for this 

presentation. MBDA will not accept any 

requests or petitions for reimbursement. 

The oral panel members shall score 

each presentation in accordance with 

the oral presentation criteria. An 

average score shall be compiled and 


rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
45778 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 154 / Thursday, August 10, 2006 / Notices 

added to the original score of the panel 

review. 

4. Final Recommendation. The 

National Director of MBDA makes the 

final recommendation to the 

Department of Commerce Grants Officer 

regarding the funding of applications, 

taking into account the selection criteria 

as outlined in this Announcement and 

the following: 

(a) The evaluations and rankings of 

the independent review panel and the 

evaluation(s) of the oral presentations, if 

applicable; 

(b) Funding priorities. The National 

Director (or his/her designee) reserves 

the right to conduct a site visit (subject 

to the availability of funding) to 

applicant organizations receiving at 

least 70% of the total points available 

for each evaluation criterion, in order to 

make a better assessment of the 

organization’s capability to achieve the 

funding priorities; and, 

(c) The availability of funding. 

Intergovernmental Review: 

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

Limitation of Liability—Alabama 

MBEC: Applicants are hereby given 

notice that funds have been 

appropriated for this program for Fiscal 

Year 2006 only. In no event will MBDA 

or the Department of Commerce be 

responsible for proposal preparation 

costs if this program fails to receive 

funding in FY 2007 or 2008 or is 

cancelled because of other agency 

priorities. Publication of this 

announcement does not oblige MBDA or 

the Department of Commerce to award 

any specific project or to obligate any 

available funds. 

Universal Identifier: Applicants 

should be aware that they will be 

required to provide a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

system (DUNS) number during the 

application process. See the June 27, 

2003 (68 FR 38402) Federal Register 

notice for additional information. 

Organizations can receive a DUNS 

number at no cost by calling the 

dedicated toll-free DUNS Number 

request line at 1–866–705–5711 or by 

accessing the Grants.gov Web site at 

http://www.Grants.gov. 

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 

December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389) are 

applicable to this solicitation. 

Paperwork Reduction Act: This 

document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 

use of standard forms 424, 424A, 424B, 

SF–LLL, and CD–346 have been 

approved by OMB under the respective 

control numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0044, 

0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001. 

Notwithstanding any other provisions 

of law, no person is required to respond 

to, nor shall any person be subject to a 

penalty for failure to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 

collection displays a currently valid 

OMB control Number. 

Executive Order 12866: This notice 

has been determined to be not 

significant for purposes of E.O. 12866. 

Administrative Procedure Act/ 

Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior notice 

for an opportunity for public comment 

are not required by the Administrative 

Procedure Act for rules concerning 

public property, loans, grant, benefits 

and contracts (5 U.S.C. 533(a)(2)). 

Because notice and opportunity for 

comment are not required pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 533 or any other law, the 

analytical requirements of the regulatory 

flexibility Act (5 U.S.C 601 et seq.) are 

inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 

flexibility analysis is not required and 

has not been prepared. 

Dated: August 10, 2006. 

Ronald J. Marin, 

Financial Management Officer, Minority 

Business Development Agency. 

[FR Doc. 06–6820 Filed 8–9–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–21–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 080206D] 

Marine Mammals; File No. 1097–1859 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Coral World (V.I.), Inc., 6450 Estate 

Smith Bay, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 

00802–1800, (Gertrude J. Prior, 

Responsible Party) has applied in due 

form for a permit to import four South 

American (Patagonian) sea lions (Otaria 

flavescens) for public display. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

September 11, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office(s): 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; and 

Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 

33701; phone (727)824–5312; fax 

(727)824–5309. 

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing on this application 

should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 

individuals requesting a hearing should 

set forth the specific reasons why a 

hearing on this particular request would 

be appropriate. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile at (301)427–2521, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

e-mail. The mailbox address for 

providing e-mail comments is 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: File No. 1097–1859. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate 

Swails or Jennifer Skidmore, (301)713–

2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216). 

The applicant requests authorization 

to import four male South American sea 

lions from International Sea Lion Search 

and Rescue, Koh Samui, Thailand to 

Coral World Ocean Park in St. Thomas, 

Virgin Islands. The applicant requests 

this import for the purposes of public 

display. The receiving facility is aware 

of the public display criteria for holding 

marine mammals for public display and 

their obligation to demonstrate said 

criteria prior to acquiring these animals. 

Coral World’s programs are open to the 

public on regularly scheduled basis 

with access that is not limited or 

restricted other than by charging for an 

admission fee. Coral World offers an 

educational program based on 

professionally accepted standards and is 

in the process of receiving an 


rwilkins on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES