Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 23893 

regulatory or other non-tariff barriers) to 

the effectiveness of emerging market’s 

food and rural business systems 

previously identified by an EMP project 

that are to be implemented by the 

applicant, etc.; 

(m) Project objectives; 

(n) Performance measures: 

Benchmarks for quantifying progress in 

meeting the objectives; 

(o) Rationale: Explanation of the 

underlying reasons for the project 

proposal and its approach, the 

anticipated benefits, and any additional 

pertinent analysis; 

(p) Explanation as to what specifically 

could not be accomplished without 

Federal funding assistance and why the 

participating organization(s) would be 

unlikely to carry out the project without 

such assistance; 

(q) Timeline(s) for implementation of 

activity, including start and end dates; 

(r) Information on whether similar 

activities are or have previously been 

funded with USDA resources in the 

target country or countries (e.g., under 

MAP and/or Cooperator programs); 

(s) Detailed line item activity budget: 

• Cost items should be allocated 

separately to each participating 

organization; and 

• Expense items constituting a 

proposed activity’s overall budget (e.g., 

salaries, travel expenses, consultant 

fees, administrative costs, etc.), with a 

line item cost for each, should be listed, 

clearly indicating: 

(1) Which items are to be covered by 

EMP funding; 

(2) Which by the participating U.S. 

organization(s); and 

(3) Which by foreign third parties (if 

applicable). 

Cost items for individual consultant 

fees should show calculation of daily 

rate and number of days. Cost items for 

travel expenses should show number of 

trips, destinations, cost, and objective 

for each trip; and 

(t) Qualifications of applicant(s) 

should be included as an attachment. 

3. Funding Restrictions: Certain types 

of expenses are not eligible for 

reimbursement by the program, and 

there are limits on other categories of 

expenses, such as indirect overhead 

charges, travel expenses, and consulting 

fees. CCC will also not reimburse 

unreasonable expenditures or 

expenditures made prior to approval of 

a proposal. Full details of the funding 

restrictions are available in the EMP 

regulations. 

4. Submission Dates and Times: EMP 

proposals are reviewed on a rolling 

basis during the fiscal year as long as 

EMP funding is available as set forth 

below: 

• Proposals received by, but not later 

than, 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 

28, 2013, will be considered for funding 

with other proposals received by that 

date; 

• Proposals not approved for funding 

during the review period will be 

reconsidered for funding after the 

review period only if the applicant 

specifically requests such 

reconsideration in writing, and only if 

funding remains available; 

• Proposals received after 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 2013, 

will be considered in the order received 

for funding only if funding remains 

available. 

5. Other Submission Requirements: 

All Internet-based applications must be 

properly submitted by 5 p.m., Eastern 

Daylight Time, May 28, 2013, in order 

to be considered for funding; late 

submissions received after the deadline 

will be considered only if funding 

remains available. All applications 

submitted by email must be received by 

5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 

2013, at podadmin@fas.usda.gov in 

order to receive the same consideration. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria: Key criteria used in 

judging proposals include: 

• The objective of the activities is to 

develop, maintain, or expand markets 

for U.S. agricultural exports by 

improving the effectiveness of the food 

and rural business systems in emerging 

markets; 

• Appropriateness of the activities for 

the targeted market(s) and the extent to 

which the project identifies market 

barriers (e.g., a fundamental deficiency 

in the emerging market’s food and rural 

business systems, and/or a recent 

change in those systems); 

• Potential of the project to expand 

U.S. market share and increase U.S. 

exports or sales; 

• Quality of the project’s performance 

measures, and the degree to which they 

relate to the objectives, deliverables, and 

proposed approach and activities; 

• Justification for Federal funding; 

• Overall cost of the project and the 

amount of funding provided by the 

applicant and any partners; and 

• Evidence that the organization has 

the knowledge, expertise, ability, and 

resources to successfully implement the 

project, including timeliness and quality 

of reporting on past EMP activities. 

Please see 7 CFR part 1486 for 

additional evaluation criteria. 

2. Review and Selection Process: All 

applications undergo a multi-phase 

review within FAS, by appropriate FAS 

field offices, and, as needed, by the 

private sector Advisory Committee on 

Emerging Markets to determine the 

qualifications, quality, appropriateness 

of projects, and reasonableness of 

project budgets. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: FAS will notify 

each applicant in writing of the final 

disposition of the submitted 

application. 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 EMP funding and 

cost-share contribution requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: Interested parties should 

review the EMP regulations, which are 

available at the following URL address: 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/emmarkets/em-markets.asp. 

3. Reporting. Quarterly progress 

reports for all programs one year or 

longer in duration are required. Projects 

of less than one year generally require 

a mid-term progress report. Final 

performance reports are due 90 days 

after completion of each project. 

Content requirements for both types of 

reports are contained in the Project 

Agreement. Final financial reports are 

also due 90 days after completion of 

each project as attachments to the final 

reports. Please see 7 CFR part 1486 for 

additional reporting requirements. 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on 28 day of 

March 2013. 

Suzanne E. Heinen, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09460 Filed 4–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Market Access 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.601. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

23894 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2014 Market 

Access Program (MAP). The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from eligible applicants for 

fiscal year 2014 and to set out criteria 

for the award of funds under the 

program in October 2013. The MAP is 

administered by personnel of the 

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

The funding authority for MAP 

expires at the end of fiscal year 2013. 

This notice is being published at this 

time to allow awards to be made early 

in fiscal year 2014, provided that 

program funding is reauthorized prior to 

that time. In the event this program is 

not reauthorized, or is substantially 

modified, FAS will publish a notice in 

the Federal Register rescinding this 

Notice of Funds Availability. 

DATES: All applications must be 

received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time, May 28, 2013. Applications 

received after this date will not be 

considered. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service 

by courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the FAS Web site at 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/ 

map.asp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: The MAP is authorized 

under Section 203 of the Agricultural 

Trade Act of 1978, as amended. MAP 

regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1485. 

Purpose: The MAP is designed to 

create, expand, and maintain foreign 

markets for U.S. agricultural 

commodities and products through costshare assistance. Financial assistance 

under the MAP will be made available 

on a competitive basis, and applications 

will be reviewed against the evaluation 

criteria contained herein and in the 

MAP regulations. All U.S. agricultural 

commodities, except tobacco, are 

eligible for consideration. 

The FAS allocates funds in a manner 

that effectively supports the strategic 

decision-making initiatives of the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding 

whether a proposed project will 

contribute to the effective creation, 

expansion, or maintenance of foreign 

markets, the FAS considers whether the 

applicant provides 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 growth 

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. 

II. Award Information 

Under the MAP, the CCC enters into 

agreements with eligible Participants to 

share the cost of certain overseas 

marketing and promotion activities. 

MAP Participants may receive 

assistance for generic or brand 

promotion activities. For generic 

activities, funding priority is given to 

organizations that have the broadest 

possible producer representation of the 

commodity being promoted and that are 

nationwide in membership and scope. 

Only non-profit U.S. agricultural trade 

organizations, nonprofit state regional 

trade groups (SRTGs), U.S. agricultural 

cooperatives, and State government 

agencies can participate directly in the 

brand program. The MAP generally 

operates on a reimbursement basis. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: To participate 

in the MAP, an applicant must be a 

nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade 

organization, a nonprofit SRTG, a U.S. 

agricultural cooperative, or a State 

government agency. A small-sized U.S. 

commercial entity may participate 

through a MAP Participant. 

2. Cost Sharing: To participate in the 

MAP, an applicant must agree to 

contribute resources to its proposed 

promotional activities. The MAP is 

intended to supplement, not supplant, 

the efforts of the U.S. private sector. In 

the case of generic promotion, the 

contribution must be at least 10 percent 

of the value of resources provided by 

CCC for such generic promotion. In the 

case of brand promotion, the 

contribution must be at least 50 percent 

of the total cost of such brand 

promotion. 

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 MAP regulations, in 

section 1485.16, 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 are encouraged 

to submit their MAP applications to the 

FAS through the Unified Export 

Strategy (UES) application Internet Web 

site. The UES allows interested 

applicants to submit a single 

consolidated and strategically 

coordinated proposal that incorporates 

requests for funding and 

recommendations for virtually all of 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 they 

face, identify activities that would help 

overcome such impediments, consider 

the entire pool of complementary 

marketing tools and program resources, 

and establish realistic export goals. 

Applicants planning to use the Internetbased system must contact the FAS/ 

Program Operations Division to obtain 

Web site access information. The 

Internet-based application may be found 

at the following URL address: https:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/. 

The FAS highly recommends 

applying via the Internet-based 

application, as this format virtually 

eliminates paperwork and expedites the 

FAS processing and review cycle. 

However, applicants also have the 

option of submitting an electronic 

version of their application to FAS at 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: To be considered for the 

MAP, an applicant must submit to the 

FAS information required by the MAP 

regulations in section 1485.13. In 

addition, in accordance with the Office 

of Management and Budget’s policy (68 

FR 38402 (June 27, 2003)) 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. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 23895 

In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR 

Part 25, each entity that applies to MAP 

and does not qualify for an exemption 

under 2 CFR 25.110 must: 

(i) Be registered in the CCR prior to 

submitting an application or plan; 

(ii) Maintain an active CCR 

registration with current information at 

all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application or plan 

under consideration by CCC; and 

(iii) Provide its DUNS number in each 

application or plan it submits to CCC. 

Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR 

Part 170, each entity that applies to 

MAP and does not qualify for an 

exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b) must 

ensure it has the necessary processes 

and systems in place to comply with the 

applicable reporting requirements of 2 

CFR Part 170 should it receive MAP 

funding. 

Incomplete applications and 

applications that do not otherwise 

conform to this announcement will not 

be accepted for review. 

The FAS administers various other 

agricultural export assistance programs 

including the Foreign Market 

Development Cooperator (Cooperator) 

program, the Emerging Markets 

Program, the Quality Samples Program, 

and the Technical Assistance for 

Specialty Crops program. Any 

organization that is not interested in 

applying for the MAP, but would like to 

request assistance through one of the 

other programs mentioned should 

contact the Program Operations 

Division. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: All 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 2013. 

All MAP applicants, regardless of the 

method of submitting an application, 

must also submit by the application 

deadline, an original signed certification 

statement as specified in 7 CFR 

1485.13(a)(2)(i)(E) to the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 

6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. 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 also will not reimburse 

unreasonable expenditures or 

expenditures made prior to approval. 

Full details are available in the MAP 

regulations in section 1485.17. 

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 MAP 

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 

in sections 1485.12 and 1485.13 of the 

MAP regulations. Applications that 

meet the requirements then will be 

further evaluated by the appropriate 

Commodity Branch office of the FAS/ 

Cooperator Programs Division. The 

Commodity Branch will review each 

application against the criteria listed in 

section 1485.14(b) and (c) of the MAP 

regulations as well as in this Notice. 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, Office of Trade 

Programs, for the purpose of allocating 

available funds among the applicants. 

Applicants will compete for funds on 

the basis of the following allocation 

criteria as applicable (the number in 

parentheses represents a percentage 

weight factor): 

(a) Applicant’s Contribution Level (40) 

• The applicant’s 4-year average share 

(2011–2014) of all contributions under 

the MAP (cash and goods and services 

provided by U.S. entities in support of 

overseas marketing and promotion 

activities) compared to; 

• The applicant’s 4-year average share 

(2011–2014) of the funding level for all 

MAP Participants. 

(b) Past Performance (30) 

• The 3-year average share (2010– 

2012) of the value of exports promoted 

by the applicant compared to; 

• The applicant’s 2-year average share 

(2012–2013) of the funding level for all 

MAP Participants plus, for those groups 

participating in the Cooperator program, 

the 2-year average share (2012–2013) of 

all Cooperator program budgets. 

(c) Projected Export Goals (15) 

• The total dollar value of projected 

exports promoted by the applicant for 

2014 compared to; 

• The applicant’s requested funding 

level. 

(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15) 

• Actual exports for 2012 as reported 

in the 2014 MAP application compared 

to; 

• Past projections of exports for 2012 

as specified in the 2012 MAP 

application. 

The Commodity Branches’ 

recommended funding levels for each 

applicant are converted to percentages 

of the total MAP funds available and 

then multiplied by each weight factor as 

described above to determine the 

amount of funds allocated to each 

applicant. 

2. Anticipated Announcement Date: 

Announcements of funding decisions 

for the MAP are anticipated during 

October 2013. 

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 

program agreement to each approved 

applicant. The approval letter and 

program agreement will specify the 

terms and conditions applicable to the 

project, including the levels of MAP 

funding and cost-share contribution 

requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: Interested parties should 

review the MAP regulations, which are 

available at the following URL address: 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/ 

map.asp. Hard copies may be obtained 

by contacting the Program Operations 

Division. 

3. Reporting: The FAS requires 

various reports and evaluations from 

MAP Participants. Reporting 

requirements are detailed in the MAP 

regulations in section 1485.22 and 

1485.23. 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on the 28 of 

March 2013. 

Suzanne E. Heinen, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09447 Filed 4–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES