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Notices Federal Register

21430 

Vol. 79, No. 73 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 

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. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2015 Market 

Access Program (MAP). The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from eligible applicants for 

fiscal year 2015 and to set out criteria 

for the award of funds under the 

program in October 2014. The MAP is 

administered by personnel of the 

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

DATES: All applications must be 

received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time, May 19, 2014. 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: 

uesadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the FAS Web site at 

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

market-access-program-map. 

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. 

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, 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. 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 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 

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 

Internet-based system must contact the 

FAS/Program Operations Division to 

obtain Web site access information. The 

Internet-based application may be found 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 16, 2014 / Notices 21431 

at the following URL address: https://

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

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 uesadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: To be considered for the 

MAP, an applicant must submit to 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. 

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 and the 

MAP regulations will not be accepted 

for review. 

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 19, 2014. 

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 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 

(2012–2015) 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 

(2012–2015) of the funding level for all 

MAP Participants. 

(b) Past Performance (30) 

• The 3-year average share (2011– 

2013) of the value of exports promoted 

by the applicant compared to; 

• The applicant’s 2-year average share 

(2013–2014) of the funding level for all 

MAP Participants plus, for those groups 

participating in the Cooperator program, 

the 2-year average share (2013–2014) of 

all Cooperator program budgets. 

(c) Projected Export Goals (15) 

• The total dollar value of projected 

exports promoted by the applicant for 

2015 compared to; 

• The applicant’s requested funding 

level; 

(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15) 

• Actual exports for 2013 as reported 

in the 2015 MAP application compared 

to; 

• Past projections of exports for 2013 

as specified in the 2013 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 2014. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: 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/programs/

market-access-program-map. Hard 

copies may be obtained by contacting 

the Program Operations Division. 

3. Reporting: FAS requires various 

reports and evaluations from MAP 

Participants. Reporting requirements are 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
21432 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 16, 2014 / Notices 

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: 

uesadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on the 18th of 

March 2014. 

Bryce Quick, 

Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, and Vice President, Commodity 

Credit Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2014–08621 Filed 4–15–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Quality Samples 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 10.605 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces it is 

inviting proposals for the 2015 Quality 

Samples Program (QSP). The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from eligible applicants for 

fiscal year 2015 and to set out the 

criteria for the award of funds under the 

program in October 2014. QSP is 

administered by personnel of the 

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

DATES: To be considered for funding, 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 19, 2014. 

Any applications received after this 

time will be considered only if funds are 

still available. 

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/programs/ 

quality-samples-program-qsp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: QSP is authorized under 

Section 5(f) of the CCC Charter Act, 15 U.S.C. 

714c(f). 

Purpose: QSP is designed to 

encourage the development and 

expansion of export markets for U.S. 

agricultural commodities by assisting 

U.S. entities in providing commodity 

samples to potential foreign importers to 

promote a better understanding and 

appreciation for the high quality of U.S. 

agricultural commodities. 

QSP participants will be responsible 

for procuring (or arranging for the 

procurement of) commodity samples, 

exporting the samples, and providing 

the on-site technical assistance 

necessary to facilitate successful use of 

the samples by importers. Participants 

that are funded under this 

announcement may seek reimbursement 

from QSP for the sample purchase price, 

the cost of transporting the samples 

domestically to the port of export, and 

then to the foreign port or point of entry. 

Transportation costs from the foreign 

port or point of entry to the final 

destination will not be eligible for 

reimbursement. CCC will not reimburse 

the costs incidental to purchasing and 

transporting samples, for example, 

inspection or documentation fees. 

Although providing technical assistance 

is required for all projects, QSP will not 

reimburse the costs of providing 

technical assistance. A QSP participant 

will be reimbursed after CCC reviews its 

reimbursement claim and determines 

that the claim is complete. 

General Scope of QSP Projects: QSP 

projects are the activities undertaken by 

a QSP participant to provide an 

appropriate sample of a U.S. agricultural 

commodity to a foreign importer, or a 

group of foreign importers, in a given 

market. The purpose of the project is to 

provide information to an appropriate 

target audience regarding the attributes, 

characteristics, and proper use of the 

U.S. commodity. A QSP project 

addresses a single market/commodity 

combination. 

As a general matter, QSP projects 

should conform to the following 

guidelines: 

• Projects should benefit the 

represented U.S. industry and not a 

specific company or brand; 

• Projects should develop a new 

market for a U.S. product, promote a 

new U.S. product, or promote a new use 

for a U.S. product, rather than promote 

the substitution of one established U.S. 

product for another; 

• Sample commodities provided 

under a QSP project must be in 

sufficient supply and available on a 

commercial basis; 

• The QSP project must either subject 

the commodity sample to further 

processing or substantial transformation 

in the importing country, or the sample 

must be used in technical seminars in 

the importing country designed to 

demonstrate to an appropriate target 

audience the proper preparation or use 

of the sample in the creation of an end 

product; 

• Samples provided in a QSP project 

shall not be directly used as part of a 

retail promotion or supplied directly to 

consumers. However, the end product, 

that is, the product resulting from 

further processing, substantial 

transformation, or a technical 

preparation seminar, may be provided 

to end-use consumers to demonstrate to 

importers consumer preference for that 

end product; and 

• Samples shall be in quantities less 

than a typical commercial sale and 

limited to the amount sufficient to 

achieve the project goal (e.g., not more 

than a full commercial mill run in the 

destination country). 

• Projects should be completed 

within one year of CCC approval. 

QSP projects shall target foreign 

importers and audiences who: 

• Have not previously purchased the 

U.S. commodity that will be transported 

under QSP; 

• Are unfamiliar with the variety, 

quality attribute, or end-use 

characteristic of the U.S. commodity; 

• Have been unsuccessful in previous 

attempts to import, process, and market 

the U.S. commodity (e.g., because of 

improper specification, blending, 

formulation, sanitary, or phytosanitary 

issues); 

• Are interested in testing or 

demonstrating the benefits of the U.S. 

commodity; or 

• Need technical assistance in 

processing or using the U.S. commodity. 

II. Award Information 

Under this announcement, the 

number of projects per participant will 

not be limited. However, individual 

projects will be limited to $75,000 of 

QSP reimbursement. Projects comprised 

of technical preparation seminars, that 

is, projects that do not include further 

processing or substantial 

transformation, will be limited to 

$15,000 of QSP reimbursement as these 

projects require smaller samples. 

Financial assistance will be made 

available on a reimbursement basis 

only; cash advances will not be made 

available to any QSP participant. 

All proposals will be reviewed against 

the evaluation criteria contained herein 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES