Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices 18557 

disclaimers_pr.html), the data contained 

therein regarding the Marine Protected 

Areas Inventory does not comply with 

the Information Quality Act (IQA). The 

respondent states that in light of the 

disclaimer language, the public ‘‘has no 

reason to believe that any of these data 

are accurate, reliable, and complete or 

they have any utility.’’ If true, 

dissemination of such information 

would violate NOAA’s Information 

Quality (IQ) guidelines, published 

pursuant to the IQA. In support of this 

assertion, the respondent cites NOAA’s 

IQA guidelines as follows: ‘‘Information 

quality is composed of three elements: 

utility, integrity and objectivity. Quality 

will be ensured and established at levels 

appropriate to the nature and timeliness 

of the information to be disseminated. 

NOAA will conduct a pre-dissemination 

review of information it disseminates to 

verify quality. Information quality is an 

integral part of the pre-dissemination 

review * * * .’’ 

Response 

NOAA’s MPA Inventory information 

is reliable and complies with the NOAA 

IQ guidelines standards for utility, 

integrity, and objectivity. The content of 

the initial Marine Managed Area (MMA) 

Inventory and its successor Marine 

Protected Areas Inventory (MPA 

Inventory) were developed and 

designed in cooperation with federal, 

state and territorial agencies and were 

the subject of public comment under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. The 

definition of ‘‘MPA’’ was the subject of 

Federal Register comment processes as 

part of the inventory development 

process, and three additional times as 

part of the development and publication 

of the Framework for the National 

System of Marine Protected Areas of the 

United States of America. Data were 

collected directly from primary sources, 

and from the Federal, State, or territorial 

agency programs that designate and 

manage MPAs. Once initial data were 

collected, inventory information for 

each site was sent by the MPA Center 

to the pertinent MPA management 

agency for verification prior to posting 

on the www.mpa.gov Web site as part of 

the quality assurance/quality control 

process. 

In addition, on November 20, 2008 

the MPA Center Director sent a letter to 

MPA program managers providing each 

with a set of potential nominee sites 

from the pertinent program. The MPA 

program managers reviewed and 

verified the accuracy of the information 

provided. As a result of these review 

processes, the agencies believe NOAA’s 

MPA inventory and related information 

disseminated through the MPA Center 

Web site meet the applicable NOAA IQ 

standards. 

Regarding the disclaimer language 

posted on the MPA Center Web site (at: 

http://mpa.gov/helpful_resources/ 

disclaimers_pr.html), the agency has 

taken the respondent’s comments into 

consideration and will replace the 

existing disclaimer with more 

appropriate language regarding 

limitations on the use of the data 

contained on the MPA Center Web site. 

Comment Category 9: Gap Analysis 

Summary 

Two respondents noted the 

importance of the gap analysis 

described in the Framework document, 

and urged that the agencies move 

forward with the gap analysis to identify 

areas meeting the conservation 

objectives of the national system in need 

of additional protection. 

Response 

The regional gap analysis process 

described in the Framework will 

complement the nominations of existing 

sites to the National System of MPAs by 

providing information on areas in need 

of additional protection to MPA 

management agencies. NOAA and DOI 

are currently in the design phase of the 

gap analysis process; information on the 

process will continue to be posted on 

http://www.mpa.gov. 

Dated: April 17, 2009. 

John H. Dunnigan, 

Assistant Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E9–9335 Filed 4–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Minority Business Development 

Agency 

[Docket No.: 090416673–9681–01] 

Solicitation of Applications for the 

Minority Business Enterprise Center 

(MBEC) Program 

AGENCY: Minority Business 

Development Agency, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with 15 U.S.C. 

1512 and Executive Order 11625, the 

Minority Business Development Agency 

(MBDA) is soliciting competitive 

applications from organizations to 

operate a Minority Business Enterprise 

Center (MBEC) in the two locations and 

geographical service areas specified in 

this notice. The MBEC operates through 

the use of business consultants and 

provides a range of business consulting 

and technical assistance services 

directly to eligible minority-owned 

businesses. Responsibility for ensuring 

that applications in response to this 

competitive solicitation are complete 

and received by MBDA on time is the 

sole responsibility of the applicant. 

Applications submitted must be for the 

operation of a MBEC and to provide 

business consultation services to 

eligible clients. Applications that do not 

meet these requirements will be 

rejected. This is not a grant program to 

help start or to further an individual 

business. 

A link to the full text of the 

Announcement of Federal Funding 

Opportunity (FFO) for this solicitation 

may be accessed at: http:// 

www.Grants.gov, http://www.mbda.gov, 

or by contacting the appropriate MBDA 

representative identified above. The 

FFO contains a full and complete 

description of the application and 

programmatic requirements under the 

MBEC Program. In order to receive 

proper consideration, applicants must 

comply with the requirements 

contained in the FFO. 

DATES: The closing date for receipt of 

applications is June 4, 2009 at 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). 

Completed applications must be 

received by MBDA at the address below 

for paper submissions or at http:// 

www.Grants.gov for electronic 

submissions. 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 is seventy-five (75) days 

from the closing date for receipt of 

applications. MBDA anticipates that one 

award under this notice will be made 

with a start date of September 1, 2009. 

Pre-Application Conference: In 

connection with this solicitation, a preapplication conference is scheduled for 

May 7, 2009. The time and location of 

the pre-application conference have yet 

to be determined. Participants must 

register at least 24 hours in advance of 

the conference and may participate in 

person or by telephone. Please visit the 

MBDA Internet Portal at http:// 

www.mbda.gov (MBDA Portal) or 

contact an MBDA representative listed 

below for the specific time and location 

of the pre-application conference and 

for registration instructions. 

ADDRESSES:


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1. Electronic Submission: Applicants 

are highly 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 as, in some cases, the process 

for completing an online application 

may require 3–5 working days. 

2a. Paper Submission—If Mailed: If 

the application is sent by postal mail or 

overnight delivery service by the 

applicant or its representative, one (1) 

signed original plus two (2) copies of 

the application must be submitted. 

Applicants are encouraged to also 

submit an electronic copy of the 

proposal, budget and budget narrative 

on a CD–ROM to facilitate the 

processing of applications. Complete 

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, 1401 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230. 

Applicants are advised that MBDA’s 

receipt of mail sent via the United States 

Postal Service may be substantially 

delayed or suspended in delivery due to 

security measures. Applicants may 

therefore wish to use a guaranteed 

overnight delivery service. Department 

of Commerce delivery policies for 

overnight delivery services require all 

packages to be sent to the address above. 

2b. Paper Submission—If HandDelivered: If the application is handdelivered by the applicant or by its 

representative, one (1) signed original 

plus two (2) copies of the application 

must be delivered. Applicants are 

encouraged to also submit an electronic 

copy of the proposal, budget and budget 

narrative on a CD–ROM to facilitate the 

processing of applications. Complete 

application packages 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. (between 

Pennsylvania and Constitution 

Avenues), Washington, DC. MBDA will 

not accept applications that are 

submitted by the deadline, but that are 

rejected due to the applicant’s failure to 

adhere to Department of Commerce 

protocol for hand-deliveries set forth in 

Section IV.D.2 of the accompanying 

FFO. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or for an application 

package, please visit MBDA’s Minority 

Business Internet Portal at http:// 

www.mbda.gov. Paper applications may 

also be obtained by contacting the 

MBDA Office of Business Development 

or the MBDA National Enterprise Center 

(NEC) in the region in which the MBEC 

will be located (see below Agency 

Contacts). In addition, Standard Forms 

(SF) may be obtained by accessing 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants 

or http://www.grants.gov and 

Department of Commerce (CD) forms 

may be accessed at http://www.doc.gov/ 

forms. 

Agency Contacts: 

1. MBDA Office of Business 

Development, 1401 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Room 5075, Washington, 

DC 20230. Contact: Efrain Gonzalez, 

Chief, 202–482–1940. 

2. MBDA Dallas National Enterprise 

Center (DNEC), 1100 Commerce Street, 

Room 726, Dallas, Texas, 75242. This 

region covers the states of Arkansas, 

Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New 

Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South 

Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. 

Contact: John F. Iglehart, Regional 

Director, 214–767–8001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: The MBEC Program is a 

key component of MBDA’s overall 

minority business development 

assistance program and promotes the 

growth and competitiveness of eligible 

minority-owned businesses. MBEC 

operators leverage project staff and 

professional consultants to provide a 

wide-range of direct business assistance 

services to eligible minority-owned 

firms, including but not limited to 

initial consultations and assessments, 

business technical assistance, and 

access to Federal and non-Federal 

procurement and financing 

opportunities. 

MBDA currently funds a network of 

thirty MBEC projects located throughout 

the United States. Pursuant to this 

notice, and as set forth more fully in the 

corresponding FFO, competitive 

applications for new awards are being 

solicited for the two MBEC projects 

identified below. 

Geographical Service Areas: MBDA is 

soliciting competitive applications from 

organizations to operate a MBEC and to 

provide services in the following 

geographical service areas: 

Name of MBEC Location of MBEC MBEC geographical service area* 

Houston MBEC ................................................... Houston, TX ..................................................... Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA.** 

New Orleans MBEC ........................................... New Orleans, LA .............................................. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA.** 

** Metropolitan Statistical Area, please see OMB Bulletin No. 09–01, Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses (November 20, 2008) at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins. 

Electronic Access: Applicants will be 

able to access, download and submit 

electronic grant applications for the 

MBEC Program through http:// 

www.Grants.gov. MBDA strongly 

recommends that applicants not wait 

until the application deadline date to 

begin the application process through 

Grants.gov as in some cases the process 

for completing an Online application 

may require additional time (e.g., 3–5 

working days). 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. 

Funding Priorities: Preference may be 

given during the selection process to 

applications which address one or more 

of the following MBDA funding 

priorities: 

(a) Proposals that include 

performance goals that exceed by 10% 

or more the minimum performance goal 

requirements in the FFO; 

(b) 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; 

(c) Applicants who demonstrate an 

exceptional ability to identify and work 

with minority firms seeking to obtain 

large-scale contracts and/or insertion 

into supply chains with institutional 

customers; 

(d) Proposals that take a regional 

approach in providing services to 

eligible clients; or 

(e) Proposals from applicants with 

pre-existing operations in the identified 

geographic service area. 


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Funding Availability: A total of 

$582,000 of FY 2009 funds is available 

under the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 

2009, Public Law 111–8, to fund 

financial assistance awards for the two 

(2) MBEC projects referenced in this 

solicitation. MBDA anticipates that this 

amount will also be available in each of 

FYs 2010 and FYs 2011 to provide 

continuation funding for these projects. 

The total award period for awards made 

under this competitive solicitation is 

anticipated to be three years and all 

awards are expected to be made with a 

start date of September 1, 2009. The 

anticipated amount of the financial 

assistance award for each MBEC project, 

including the minimum 20% nonfederal cost share is set forth in the 

below table, although actual award 

amounts may vary depending on the 

availability of funds: 

Project name 

September 1, 2009 through August 

31, 2010 

September 1, 2010 through August 

31, 2011 

September 1, 2011 through August 

31, 2012 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share ($) 

Non-federal share 

($) (20% 

min.) 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share ($) 

Non-federal share 

($) (20% 

min.) 

Total cost 

($) 

Federal 

share ($) 

Non-federal share 

($) (10% 

min.) 

Houston MBEC ........................................... $363,750 $291,000 $72,500 $363,750 $291,000 $72,500 $363,750 $291,000 $72,500 

New Orleans MBEC .................................... 363,750 291,000 72,500 363,750 291,000 72,500 363,750 291,000 72,500 

Applicants must submit project plans 

and budgets for each of the three (3) 

funding periods under this award 

(September 1, 2009–August 31, 2010, 

September 1, 2010–August 31, 2011, 

and September 1, 2011–August 31, 

2012). Projects will be funded for no 

more than one year at a time. Project 

proposals accepted for funding will not 

compete for funding in subsequent 

budget periods within the approved 

award period. However, operators that 

fail to achieve a ‘‘satisfactory’’ or better 

performance rating for the preceding 

program year may be denied second- or 

third-year funding (as the case may be). 

Recommendations for second- and 

third-year funding are generally 

evaluated by MBDA based on a midyear performance rating and/or 

combination of mid-year and 

cumulative third quarter performance 

rating. In making such continued 

funding determinations, MBDA and the 

Department of Commerce will consider 

all the facts and circumstances of each 

case, such as but not limited to market 

conditions, most recent performance of 

the operator and other mitigating 

circumstances. 

The funding periods and funding 

amounts referenced in this solicitation 

are subject to the availability of funds, 

as well as to Department of Commerce 

and MBDA priorities at the time of 

award. In no event will the Department 

of Commerce or MBDA be responsible 

for proposal preparation costs if this 

program fails to receive funding or is 

cancelled because of other MBDA or 

Department of Commerce priorities. 

Publication of this notice does not 

obligate the Department of Commerce or 

MBDA to award any specific 

cooperative agreement or to obligate all 

or any part of available funds. 

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512 and Executive 

Order 11625. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA): 11.800, Minority 

Business Enterprise Centers. 

Eligibility: For-profit entities 

(including but not limited to soleproprietorships, partnerships, and 

corporations), non-profit organizations, 

State and local government entities, 

American Indian Tribes, and 

educational institutions are eligible to 

operate an MBEC. 

Program Description: The MBEC 

Program requires project staff to provide 

standardized business assistance 

services directly to eligible ‘‘minority 

business enterprises,’’ with an emphasis 

on those firms with $500,000 or more in 

annual revenues and/or with ‘‘rapid 

growth potential’’ (‘‘Strategic Growth 

Initiative’’ or ‘‘SGI’’ firms); develop and 

maintain a network of strategic 

partnerships; provide collaborative 

consulting services with MBDA and 

other MBDA funded programs and 

strategic partners; and to provide 

referral services (as necessary) for client 

transactions. For this purpose, minority 

business enterprises are business 

concerns that are owned or controlled 

by the following persons or groups of 

persons: African Americans, Puerto 

Ricans, Spanish-speaking Americans, 

Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, 

Native Americans (including Alaska 

Natives, Alaska Native Corporations and 

tribal entities), Eskimos, Aleuts, Asian 

Indians, and Hasidic Jews. See 15 CFR 

1400.1 and Executive Order 11625. 

The MBEC Program incorporates an 

entrepreneurial approach to building 

market stability and improving the 

quality of client services. This 

entrepreneurial strategy expands the 

reach of the MBECs by requiring project 

operators to develop and build upon 

strategic alliances with public and 

private sector partners as a means of 

serving minority-owned firms within 

each MBEC’s geographical service area. 

The MBEC Program is also designed to 

effectively leverage MBDA resources, 

including but not limited to: MBDA 

Office of Business Development and 

MBDA National Enterprise Centers; 

MBDA’s Business Internet Portal; and 

MBDA’s nationwide network of MBECs, 

Native American Business Enterprise 

Centers (NABECs) and Minority 

Business Opportunity Centers (MBOCs). 

MBEC operators are also required to 

attend a variety of MBDA training 

programs designed to increase 

operational efficiencies and the 

provision of value-added client services. 

MBEC operators are generally 

required to provide the following four 

client services: (1) Client Assessment— 

identifying clients’ immediate and longterm needs and establishing projected 

growth tracks; (2) Strategic Business 

Consulting—providing intensive 

business consulting services that can be 

delivered as personalized consulting or 

group consulting; (3) Access to 

Capital—assisting clients with securing 

necessary financial capital; and (4) 

Access to Markets—assisting clients to 

identify and access opportunities for 

increased sales and revenues. 

Please refer to the FFO pertaining to 

this competitive solicitation for a full 

and complete description of the 

application and programmatic 

requirements under the MBEC Program. 

Match Requirements: The MBEC 

Program requires a minimum nonFederal cost share of 20%, which must 

be reflected in the proposed project 

budget. Non-Federal cost share is the 

portion of the project cost not borne by 

the Federal Government. Applicants 

must satisfy the non-Federal cost 

sharing requirements by one or more of 

the following four means or any 

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

applicant cash contributions; (3) 

applicant in-kind (i.e., non-cash) 

contributions; or (4) third-party in-kind 

contributions. The MBEC is required to 

charge client fees for services rendered 


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18560 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices 

based upon a sliding scale of client 

revenues as set forth in Section III.B. of 

the accompanying FFO and such fees 

must be used by the operator towards 

meeting the non-federal cost share 

requirements under the award. 

Applicants will be awarded up to five 

(5) bonus points to the extent that the 

proposed project budget includes a nonFederal cost share contribution, 

measured as a percentage of the overall 

project budget, exceeding 20% (see 

Evaluation Criterion below). 

Evaluation Criterion: Proposals will 

be evaluated and one applicant may be 

selected based on the below evaluation 

criterion. The maximum total number of 

points that an application may receive 

is 105, including the bonus points for 

exceeding the minimum required nonFederal cost share, except when oral 

presentations are made by applicants. If 

oral presentations are made (see below: 

Oral Presentation By MBDA Selected 

Applicants), the maximum total of 

points that can be earned is 115. The 

number of points assigned to each 

evaluation criterion will be determined 

on a competitive basis by the MBDA 

review panel based on the quality of the 

application with respect to each 

evaluation criterion. 

1. Applicant Capability (40 points) 

Proposals will be evaluated with 

respect to the applicant’s experience 

and expertise in providing the work 

requirements listed. Specifically, 

proposals will be evaluated as follows: 

(a) Community—Experience in and 

knowledge of the minority community, 

minority business sector, and strategies 

for enhancing its growth and expansion; 

particular emphasis shall be on 

expanding SGI firms. Consideration will 

be given to whether the applicant has a 

physical presence in the geographic 

service area at the time of its application 

(4 points); 

(b) Business Consulting—Experience 

in and knowledge of business 

consulting with respect to minority 

firms, with emphasis on SGI firms in the 

geographic service area (5 points); 

(c) Financing—Experience in and 

knowledge of the preparation and 

formulation of successful financial 

transactions, with an emphasis on the 

geographic service area (5 points); 

(d) 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 clients into supply chains (5 

points); 

(e) Financing Networks—Resources 

and professional relationships within 

the corporate, banking and investment 

community that may be beneficial to 

minority-owned firms (5 points); 

(f) Establishment of a Self-Sustainable 

Service Model—Summary plan to 

establish a self-sustainable model for 

continued services to the MBE 

communities beyond the MBDA award 

period (3 points); 

(g) MBE Advocacy—Experience and 

expertise in advocating on behalf of 

minority communities and 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 

(h) Key Staff—Assessment of the 

qualifications, experience and proposed 

role of staff that will operate the MBEC. 

In particular, an assessment will be 

made to determine whether proposed 

key staff possess the expertise in 

utilizing information systems and the 

ability to successfully deliver program 

services. At a minimum the applicant 

must identify a proposed project 

director (10 points). 

2. Resources (20 points) 

Proposals will be evaluated under this 

criterion as follows: 

(a) Resources—Resources (not 

included as part of the non-federal cost 

share) that will be used in implementing 

the program, including but not limited 

to existing prior and/or current data lists 

that will serve in fostering immediate 

success for the MBEC (8 points); 

(b) Location—Assessment of the 

applicant’s strategic rationale for the 

proposed physical location of the 

MBEC. Applicant is encouraged to 

establish a location for the MBEC that is 

in a building which is separate and 

apart from any of the applicant’s 

existing offices in the geographic service 

area (2 points); 

(c) Partners—How the applicant plans 

to establish and maintain the network of 

strategic partners and the manner in 

which these partners will support the 

MBEC in meeting program performance 

goals (5 points); and 

(d) Equipment—How the applicant 

plans to satisfy the MBEC information 

technology requirements, including 

computer hardware, software 

requirements and network map (5 

points). 

3. Techniques and Methodologies (20 

points) 

Proposals will be evaluated under this 

criterion as follows: 

(a) Performance Measures—For each 

funding period, the manner in which 

the applicant relates each performance 

measure to the financial information 

and market resources available in the 

geographic service area (including 

existing client list); how the applicant 

will create MBEC brand recognition 

(marketing plan); and how the applicant 

will satisfy program performance goals. 

In particular, emphasis will be placed 

on the manner in which the applicant 

matches MBEC performance goals with 

client service hours and how it accounts 

for existing market conditions in its 

strategy to achieve such goals (10 

points); 

(b) Start-up Phase—How the 

applicant will commence MBEC 

operations within the initial 30-day 

period. The MBEC shall have thirty (30) 

days to become fully operational after 

an award is made (3 points); and 

(c) Work Requirement Execution 

Plan—The applicant will be evaluated 

on how effectively and efficiently staff 

time will be used to achieve the MBEC 

programmatic requirements set forth 

more fully in the FFO, particularly with 

respect to periods beyond the start-up 

phase (7 points). 

4. Proposed Budget and Budget 

Narrative (20 points) 

The applicant’s proposal will be 

evaluated as follows: 

(a) Reasonableness, Allowability and 

Allocability of Proposed Program Costs. 

All of the proposed program costs 

expenditures should be discussed and 

the budget line-item narrative must 

match the proposed budget. Fringe 

benefits and other percentage item 

calculations should match the proposed 

budget line-item and narrative (5 

points); 

(b) Non-Federal Cost Share. The 

required 20% non-Federal share must 

be adequately addressed and properly 

documented, including but not limited 

to how client fees (if proposed) will be 

used by the applicant in meeting the 

non-Federal cost-share (5 points); and 

(c) Performance-Based Budgeting. The 

extent to which the line-item budget 

and budget narrative relate to the 

accomplishment of the MBEC 

programmatic requirements and 

performance measures (i.e., 

performance-based budgeting) (10 

points). 

5. Bonus Points for Exceeding the 

Minimum Required Non-Federal Cost 

Share (5 points) 

Proposals with non-Federal cost 

sharing exceeding 20% of the total 

project costs will be awarded bonus 

points on the following scale: more than 

20%—less than 25% = 1 point; 25% or 

more—less than 30% = 2 points; 30% or 

more—less than 35% = 3 points; 35% or 

more—less than 40% = 4 points; and 


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40% or more = 5 points. Non-Federal 

cost sharing of at least 20% is required 

under the MBEC Program. Non-Federal 

cost sharing is the portion of the total 

project cost not borne by the Federal 

Government and may be met by the 

applicant by any one or more of the 

following four means (or a combination 

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

contributions; (3) non-cash applicant 

contributions; or, (4) third party in-kind 

contributions. 

6. Oral Presentation by MBDA Selected 

Applicants (10 points) 

Oral presentations are held only when 

requested by MBDA. This action may be 

initiated for the top two (2) ranked 

applications for a project and will be 

applied on a consistent basis for each 

project competition. Oral presentations 

will be used to establish a final 

evaluation and ranking. 

The applicant’s presentation will be 

evaluated as to the extent to which the 

presentation demonstrates: 

(a) How the applicant will effectively 

and efficiently assist MBDA in the 

accomplishment of its mission (2 

points); 

(b) Business operating priorities 

designed to manage a successful MBEC 

(2 points); 

(c) A management philosophy that 

achieves an effective balance between 

micromanagement and complete 

autonomy for its Project Director (2 

points); 

(d) Robust search criteria for the 

identification of a Project Director (1 

point); 

(e) Effective employee recruitment 

and retention policies and procedures (1 

point); and 

(f) A competitive and innovative 

approach to exceeding performance 

requirements (2 points). 

Review and Selection Process: 

1. Initial Screening 

Prior to the formal paneling process, 

each application will receive an initial 

screening to ensure that the applicant is 

eligible and the application is complete 

and that all required forms, signatures 

and documentation are present. An 

application will be considered nonresponsive and will not be evaluated by 

the review panel if it is received after 

the closing date for receipt of 

applications, the applicant fails to 

submit an original, signed Form SF–424 

by the application closing date (paper 

applications only), or the application 

does not provide for the operation of a 

MBEC. Other deficiencies, while not 

rendering the application nonresponsive, will be considered during 

panel review and may result in point 

deductions. 

2. Panel Review 

Each responsive application will 

receive an independent, objective 

review by a panel qualified to evaluate 

the applications submitted. The review 

panel will consist of at least 3 persons, 

all of whom will be full-time federal 

employees and at least one of whom 

will be an MBDA employee, who will 

review the applications for a specified 

project based on the above evaluation 

criterion. Each reviewer shall evaluate 

and provide a score for each proposal. 

Each project review panel (through the 

panel Chairperson) shall provide the 

MBDA National Director 

(Recommending Official) with a ranking 

of the applications based on the average 

of the reviewers’ scores and shall also 

provide a recommendation regarding 

funding of the highest scoring 

application. 

3. Oral Presentation by MBDA Selected 

Applicants 

MBDA may request that the two (2) 

top-ranked applicants to develop and 

make an oral presentation. If an oral 

presentation is requested, the selected 

applicants will receive a formal 

communication (via standard mail, email or fax) from MBDA informing them 

of the time and date of the oral 

presentation. In-person presentations 

are not mandatory but are encouraged; 

telephonic presentations are acceptable. 

MBDA will provide the teleconference 

dial-in number and pass code. 

Oral presenters will be required to 

submit to MBDA, at least 24 hours 

before the scheduled date and time for 

the oral presentation, a PowerPoint (or 

equivalent) presentation that addresses 

the oral presentation criteria set forth 

above. The oral presentation will be 

made to the MBDA National Director (or 

his/her designee) and up to three senior 

MBDA staff who did not serve on the 

original review panel. The oral panel 

members may ask follow-up questions 

after the presentation. Each applicant 

will present to MBDA staff only and 

applicants will not be permitted to 

listen to or attend presentations made 

by other applicants. 

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 criterion provided 

above. An average score shall be 

compiled and added to the score of the 

original panel review. 

4. Final Recommendation 

The MBDA National Director makes 

the final recommendation to the Grants 

Officer regarding the funding of one 

application under this competitive 

solicitation. MBDA expects to 

recommend for funding the highest 

ranking application, as evaluated and 

recommended by the review panel and 

taking into account oral presentations 

(as applicable). However, the MBDA 

National Director may not make any 

selection, or he/she may select an 

application out of rank order for either 

or both of the following reasons: 

(a) A determination that a lower 

ranked application better addresses one 

or more of the funding priorities for this 

competition. The National Director (or 

his/her designee) reserves the right to 

conduct one or more site visits to better 

assess an applicant’s capability to 

achieve the program and funding 

priorities; or 

(b) The availability of MBDA funding. 

Prior to making a final 

recommendation to the Grants Officer, 

MBDA may request that the apparent 

winner of the competition provide 

written clarifications (as necessary) 

regarding its application. 

Intergovernmental Review: 

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ 

Limitation of Liability: In no event 

will MBDA or the Department of 

Commerce be responsible for proposal 

preparation costs if the MBEC Program 

fails to receive funding or is cancelled 

because of Department of Commerce or 

MBDA priorities. All funding periods 

under the award are subject to the 

availability of funds to support the 

continuation of the project. Publication 

of this notice does not obligate MBDA 

or the Department of Commerce to 

award any specific project or to obligate 

any available funds. 

Universal Identifier: All applicants 

will be required to provide a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

system (DUNS) number during the 

application process. See the June 27, 

2003 Federal Register notice (68 FR 

38402) 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 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
18562 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices 

Department of Commerce Pre-Award 

Notification Requirements for Grants 

and Cooperative Agreements contained 

in the Federal Register notice of 

February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696) 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 

and an opportunity for public comment 

are not required by the Administrative 

Procedure Act for rules concerning 

public property, loans, grants, benefits, 

or 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: April 17, 2009. 

Efrain Gonzalez, 

Chief, Office of Business Development, 

Minority Business Development Agency. 

[FR Doc. E9–9297 Filed 4–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–21–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Minority Business Development 

Agency 

[Docket No.: 090416670–9679–01] 

Solicitation of Applications for the 

Native American Business Enterprise 

Center (NABEC) Program 

AGENCY: Minority Business 

Development Agency, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with 15 U.S.C. 

Section 1512 and Executive Order 

11625, the Minority Business 

Development Agency (MBDA) is 

soliciting competitive applications from 

organizations to operate a Native 

American Business Enterprise Center 

(NABEC) in the four locations and 

geographical service areas specified in 

this notice. The NABEC operates 

through the use of business consultants 

and provides a range of business 

consulting and technical assistance 

services directly to Native American 

and other eligible minority-owned 

businesses. Responsibility for ensuring 

that applications in response to this 

competitive solicitation are complete 

and received by MBDA on time is the 

sole responsibility of the applicant. 

Applications submitted must be for the 

operation of a NABEC and to provide 

business consultation services to 

eligible clients. Applications that do not 

meet these requirements will be 

rejected. This is not a grant program to 

help start or to further an individual 

business. 

A link to the full text of the 

Announcement of Federal Funding 

Opportunity (FFO) for this solicitation 

may be accessed at: http:// 

www.Grants.gov, http://www.mbda.gov, 

or by contacting the appropriate MBDA 

representative identified below. The 

FFO contains a full and complete 

description of the application and 

programmatic requirements under the 

NABEC Program. In order to receive 

proper consideration, applicants must 

comply with the requirements 

contained in the FFO. 

DATES: The closing date for receipt of 

applications is June 4, 2009 at 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). 

Completed applications must be 

received by MBDA at the address below 

for paper submissions or at http:// 

www.Grants.gov for electronic 

submissions. 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 is seventy-five (75) days 

from the close of the competition 

period. MBDA anticipates that awards 

under this notice will be made with a 

start date of September 1, 2009. 

Pre-Application Conference: In 

connection with this solicitation, a preapplication teleconference will be held 

on May 4, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (EDT). 

Participants must register at least 24 

hours in advance of the teleconference 

and may participate in person or by 

telephone. Please visit the MBDA 

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

(MBDA Portal) or contact an MBDA 

representative listed below for 

registration instructions. 

ADDRESSES: 1. Electronic Submission: 

Applicants are highly 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 as, in some cases, the process 

for completing an online application 

may require 3–5 working days. 

2a. Paper Submission—If Mailed: If 

the application is sent by postal mail or 

overnight delivery service 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—NABEC Program, Office 

of Executive Secretariat, HCHB Room 

5063, Minority Business Development 

Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce, 

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20230. 

Applicants are advised that MBDA’s 

receipt of mail sent via the United States 

Postal Service may be substantially 

delayed or suspended in delivery due to 

security measures. Applicants may 

therefore wish to use a guaranteed 

overnight delivery service. Department 

of Commerce delivery policies for 

overnight delivery services require all 

packages to be sent to the address above. 

2b. Paper Submission—If HandDelivered: If the application is handdelivered by the applicant or by its 

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—NABEC Program 

(extension 1940), HCHB—Room 1874, 

Entrance #10, 15th Street, NW. (between 

Pennsylvania and Constitution 

Avenues), Washington, DC. MBDA will 

not accept applications that are 

submitted by the deadline, but that are 

rejected due to the applicant’s failure to 

adhere to Department of Commerce 

protocol for hand-deliveries set forth in 

Section IV.D.2. of the accompanying 

FFO. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or for an application 

package, please visit MBDA’s Minority 

Business Internet Portal at http:// 

www.mbda.gov. Paper applications may 

also be obtained by contacting the 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES