Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices 21617

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Outreach and Assistance for Socially

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers

Program

AGENCY: Office of Outreach, USDA.

ACTION: Notice

SUMMARY: The USDA Office of Outreach

announces the availability of Grants for

the Outreach and Assistance for Socially

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers

Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001.

Proposals are hereby requested from

eligible institutions and organizations

for competitive consideration of

Outreach and Assistance cooperative

agreement awards. This program aims to

promote diversified ownership of

agricultural land and farm operations by

encouraging and assisting socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to

participate in Federal technical and

financial assistance programs. The

intended outcome is to encourage and

assist socially disadvantaged farmers

and ranchers to own and operate farms

and ranches, participate in agricultural

programs, and thus allow them to

become an integral part of the

agricultural community.

This notice sets out the objectives for

the cooperative agreement funds, the

eligibility criteria for projects and

applicants, the application procedures

and instructions, and the project

selection process and evaluation

criteria.

DATES: Proposals must be received on or

before June 29, 2001. Proposals received

after June 29, 2001 will not be

considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: Submit proposals to the

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office

of Outreach, Ag STOP 1710, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250. Applicants may

request application packages from the

above address marked to the attention

of: Geraldine Herring, by telephone on

1–800–880–4183, or by E-mail at

2501rfp@usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Director, USDA Office of Outreach,

Telephone 202–720–6350, Facsimile

(202) 720–7489 or Geraldine Herring,

Special Outreach Program Coordinator,

Telephone 202–720–1637, Facsimile

202–720–7489.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Stakeholder Input:

The USDA Office of Outreach is

soliciting comments regarding this

request for proposals from any

interested party. These comments will

be considered in the development of the

next request for proposals for this

program. Such comments will be

forwarded to the Secretary or her

designee for use in meeting the

requirements of section 2501 of the

Food, Agriculture, Conservation and

Trade Act of 1990. Written comments

should be submitted by first-class mail

to: USDA Office of Outreach, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW., Ag Stop

1710, Washington, DC 20250, or via email to 2501rfp@usda.gov. In your

comments, please include the name of

the program and the fiscal year of the

request for proposals to which you are

responding. Comments are requested

within six months from the issuance of

the request for proposals. Comments

received after that date will be

considered to the extent practicable.

Table of Contents

Part I—General Information

A. Authority

B. Definitions

C. Eligibility

D. Program Application Materials

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose of Program

B. Available Funding

C. Indirect Costs

D. Substantial Federal Involvement

Part III—Proposal Content

A. Cover Page

B. Project Summary

C. Project Narrative

D. Scope of Program

E. Delivery

F. Collaborative Arrangements

G. Budget

H. Personnel

I. Current and Pending Support

Part IV—Submission of a Proposal

A. What to Submit

B. When and Where to Submit

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

Part V—Proposal Review, Selection Process

and Evaluation Criteria

A. Proposal Review

B. Evaluation Criteria and Weight

C. Selection Process

Part VI—Program Administration

Information

A. Access to Peer Review Information

B. Cooperative Agreement Awards

C. Use of Funds; Changes

D. Obligation of the Federal Government

E. Environmental and Other Applicable

Federal Statutes and Regulations

F. Confidential Aspects of Proposals and

Awards

G. Standards of Conduct for Employees of

an Awardee

Part I—General Information

A. Authority

Section 2501 (a) of the Food,

Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade

Act of 1990, 7 U.S.C. 2279 (a),

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture,

who has delegated the authority to the

Director of the USDA Office of

Outreach, to make awards to eligible

institutions and organizations for

outreach and technical assistance to

encourage and assist socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to

own and operate farms and ranches and

to participate in agricultural programs.

The program is administered by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Office of

Outreach under the Outreach and

Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged

Farmers and Ranchers Program.

USDA Office of Outreach published

in this same edition of the Federal

Register proposed regulations governing

the administration of this program. The

proposed regulations set forth how the

USDA Office of Outreach will

administer this program, including

procedures to be followed when

submitting proposals, rules governing

the evaluation of proposals and the

awarding of cooperative agreements,

and regulations relating to the postaward administration of projects. The

USDA Office of Outreach anticipates

finalizing the proposed regulations prior

to the award of cooperative agreements

under this Notice of Request for

Proposals (RFP). Awards resulting from

this RFP will be subject to the final

regulations.

Currently, the RFP and the proposed

regulations are consistent. Because of

the nature of the rule making process,

these requirements are subject to change

based upon comments received.

Applicants whose proposals are

recommended for funding must agree to

be bound by the final rule as a condition

of receiving an award under this

program.

B. Definitions

For this program, the following

definitions apply:

1890 Land-Grant Colleges means one

of those institutions eligible to receive

funds under the Act of August 30, 1890,

as amended (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.),

including Tuskegee University.

Agricultural programs means those

activities established or authorized by:

The Agricultural Act of 1949; the

Consolidated Farm and Rural

Development Act; the Agricultural

Adjustment Act of 1938; the Soil

Conservation Act; the Domestic

Allotment Assistance Act; the Food

Security Act of 1985; and other such

Acts as determined by the Director,

USDA Office of Outreach, on a case-bycase basis either at the Director’s

initiative or in response to a written

request with supporting explanation for

inclusion of an Act. Covered programs

include, but are not limited to,

agricultural conservation program,

21618 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices

programs comprising the environmental

conservation acreage reserve program

(ECARP), conservation technical

assistance program, emergency

conservation program, forestry

incentives program, Great Plains

Conservation Program, integrated farm

management option program, price

support and production adjustment

programs, rural environmental

conservation program, soil survey

program, and water bank program; and

the farm loan programs (farm

ownership, operating, soil and water,

and emergency loans).

Alaska Native means a citizen of the

United States who is a person of onefourth degree or more Alaska Indian

(including Tsimshian Indians not

enrolled in the Metlaktla Indian

Community) Eskimo, or Aleut blood, or

combination thereof. It also includes, in

the absence of proof of a minimum

blood quantum, any citizen of the

United States who is regarded as an

Alaska Native by the Native village or

Native group of which he claims to be

a member and whose father or mother

is (or, if deceased, was) regarded as

Native by any village or group.

Alaska Native cooperative colleges

means any post-secondary education

institution that at the time of

application, has an enrollment of

undergraduate students that is at least

20 percent Alaska Native students.

Authorized organizational

representative means the president or

chief executive officer of the applicant

organization or the official, designated

by the president or chief executive

officer of the applicant organization,

who has the authority to commit the

resources of the organization.

Awardee means the recipient

designated in the cooperative agreement

as the responsible legal entity to which

the Federal assistance is awarded.

Awarding official means the Director

of the USDA Office of Outreach or the

Director’s designee, who has been

delegated the authority to issue or

modify program agreements on behalf of

the Secretary of Agriculture for this

program.

Budget Period means the interval of

time (usually 12 months) into which the

project period is divided for budgetary

and reporting purposes.

Community-based organization

means a nonprofit, nongovernmental

organization with a well-defined

constituency that includes all or part of

a particular community, e.g.,

communities consisting of socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Cooperative agreement means an

award of funds to an eligible entity with

the following characteristics:

(1) The principal purpose of the

award is to transfer a thing of value to

the awardee to accomplish a public

purpose of support or stimulation

authorized by statute, rather than

acquisition, by purchase, lease, or

barter, of property or services for the

direct benefit or use of the Federal

Government; and

(2) At the time of award, substantial

involvement is anticipated between the

USDA Office of Outreach and the

awardee in performing the activity

under the agreement.

Department or USDA means the

United States Department of

Agriculture.

Enrollment of needy students means

an enrollment at an institution with

respect to which:

(1) At least 50 percent of the degree

students so enrolled are receiving needbased Federal financial assistance,

including the Federal work-study

program, in the second fiscal year

preceding the fiscal year for which the

determination is made (other than loans

for which an interest subsidy is paid

pursuant to section 1078 of this title); or

(2) A substantial percentage of the

students so enrolled are receiving

Federal Pell Grants in the second fiscal

year preceding the fiscal year for which

determination is made, compared to the

percentage of students receiving Federal

Pell Grants at all such institutions in the

second fiscal year preceding the fiscal

year for which the determination is

made.

Full-time equivalent students means

the sum of the number of students

enrolled full time at an institution, plus

the full-time equivalent of the number

of students enrolled part time

(determined on the basis of the quotient

of the sum of the credit hours of all parttime students divided by 12) at such

institution.

Grant means an award of funds to an

awardee with the following

characteristics:

(1) The principal purpose of the

award is to accomplish a public purpose

authorized by statute, rather than

acquisition, by purchase, lease, or

barter, of property or services for the

direct benefit or use of the Federal

Government; and

(2) At the time an award is made, no

substantial involvement is anticipated

between OR and the awardee.

Hispanic Serving Post-Secondary

Educational Institutions means a postsecondary educational institution that:

(1) At the time of application, has an

enrollment of undergraduate full-time

equivalent students that is at least 25

percent Hispanic students; and

(2) Provides assurances that not less

than 50 percent of the institution’s

Hispanic students are low-income

individuals.

Indian Tribal Community Colleges

means a post-secondary educational

institution which:

(1) Is formally controlled, or has been

formally sanctioned, or chartered, by the

governing body of an Indian tribe or

tribes, except that no more than one

such institution shall be recognized

with respect to any such tribe; and

(2) Includes an institution listed in

the Equity in Educational Land Grant

Status Act of 1994, as amended (7

U.S.C. 301 note). The 1994 Land-Grant

Institutions are: Bay Mills Community

College, Blackfeet Community College,

Cankdeska Cikana Community College,

Cheyenne River Community College,

Dine Community College, D-Q

University, Dullknife Memorial College,

Fond Du Lac Community College, Fort

Belknap Community College, Fort

Berthold Community College, Fort Peck

Community College, LacCourte Orielles

Ojibwa Community College, Little Big

Horn Community College, Little Priest

Community College, Nebraska Indian

Community College, Northwest Indian

College, Oglala Lakota College, Salish

Kootenai College, Sinte Gleska

University, Sisseton Wahpeton

Community College, Sitting Bull

College, Stonechild Community College,

Turtle Mountain Community College,

United Tribes Technical College,

Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute,

Institute of American Indian Arts,

Crownpoint Institute of Technology,

Haskell Indian Nations University,

Leech Lake Tribal College, and College

of the Menominee Nation.

Junior or community college means an

institution of higher education:

(1) That admits as regular students

persons who are beyond the age of

compulsory school attendance in the

State in which the institution is located

and who have the ability to benefit from

the training offered by the institution;

(2) That does not provide an

educational program for which the

institution awards a bachelor’s degree

(or an equivalent degree); and

(3) That—

(i) provides an educational program of

not less than 2 years in duration that is

acceptable for full credit toward such a

degree; or

(ii) offers a 2-year program in

engineering, mathematics, or the

physical or biological sciences, designed

to prepare a student to work as a

technician or at the semiprofessional

level in engineering, scientific, or other

technological fields requiring the

understanding and application of basic

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices 21619

engineering, scientific, or mathematical

principles of knowledge.

Low-income individual means an

individual from a family whose taxable

income for the preceding year did not

exceed 150 percent of an amount equal

to the poverty level determined by using

criteria of poverty established by the

Bureau of the Census.

Peer Reviewers means experts from

public and private sectors qualified by

training and experience in particular

fields and designated by the Director,

USDA Office of Outreach or other

designated official to evaluate eligible

proposals.

Post-Secondary Educational

Institutions means an institution of

higher education in any State which:

(1) Admits as regular students only

persons having a certificate of

graduation from a school providing

secondary education, or the recognized

equivalent of such a certificate;

(2) Is a public or other nonprofit

institution;

(3) Has an enrollment of needy

students as defined above;

(4) The average educational and

general expenditures of which are low,

per full-time equivalent undergraduate

student, in comparison with the average

educational and general expenditures

per full-time equivalent undergraduate

student of institutions that offer similar

instruction;

(5) Is—

(i) legally authorized to provide, and

provides within the State, an

educational program for which such

institution awards a bachelor’s degree;

(ii) a junior or community college; or

(iii) the College of the Marshall

Islands, the College of Micronesia/

Federated States of Micronesia, and

Palau Community College;

(6) Is accredited by a nationally

recognized accrediting agency or

association determined by the Secretary

to be reliable authority as to the quality

of training offered or which is,

according to such an agency or

association, making reasonable progress

toward accreditation;

(7) Meets such other requirements as

the Secretary may prescribe; and

(8) Is located in a State. Any branch

of any institution of higher education

described above which satisfies criteria

(3) and (4) above. For purposes of the

determination of whether an institution

is an eligible institution under this

paragraph, the factor (3) shall be given

twice the weight of the factor (4).

Prior approval means written, prior

consent by the awarding official.

Project means the total activities

within the scope of the program as

identified in the grant or cooperative

agreement.

Project Director means the individual

responsible for the technical direction

and management of the project, as

designated by the awardee in the

proposal and approved by the awarding

official. The project director will devote

full time to the administration of the

project.

Project Period means the total time

approved by the awarding official for

conducting the proposed project as

outlined in an approved project

proposal or the approved portions

thereof and as specified in the

cooperative agreement.

Recipient means an entity as defined

in § 26.5 of this part that has entered

into a grant or cooperative agreement

with the USDA Office of Outreach.

Requests for Proposals (RFP) means

an invitation to submit proposals for

consideration for funding under this

program.

Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or

Rancher means a farmer or rancher who

is a member of a socially disadvantaged

group.

Socially Disadvantaged Group means

a group whose members have been

subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice

because of their identity as members of

a group without regard to their

individual qualities. Socially

disadvantaged groups include, but are

not limited to, African Americans,

Native Americans, Alaskan Natives,

Hispanics, Asians, and Pacific Islanders.

The Secretary will determine on a caseby-case basis whether additional groups

qualify under this definition, either at

the Secretary’s initiative or in response

to a written request with supporting

explanation.

C. Eligibility

1. Proposals may be submitted by:

a. 1890 Land-Grant Colleges,

including Tuskegee University, Indian

tribal community colleges and Alaska

native cooperative colleges, Hispanic

serving post-secondary educational

institutions, and other post-secondary

educational institutions with

demonstrated experience in providing

agricultural education or other

agriculturally related services to socially

disadvantaged family farmers and

ranchers in their region; and

b. Any community-based organization

that:

(i) has demonstrated experience in

providing agricultural education or

other agriculturally related services to

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers;

(ii) provides documentary evidence of

its past experience in working with

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers during the two years preceding

its application for assistance.

Documentary evidence shall include a

narrative providing specific information

regarding the scope of past projects

(including the number of socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

served or in the area served by the

organization), activities conducted, and

community involvement and copies of

prior agreements, press releases, news

articles, and other contemporaneous

documents supporting the narrative;

and

(iii) does not engage in activities

prohibited under section 501(c)(3) of the

Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

2. In addition to the above, an

applicant must qualify as a responsible

applicant. Applicants not qualifying as

responsible may be subject to special

award conditions pursuant to 7 CFR

3019.14. To qualify as responsible, an

applicant must meet the following

standards:

(a) Adequate financial resources for

performance, the necessary experience,

organizational and technical

qualifications, and facilities, or a firm

commitment, arrangement, or ability to

obtain same (including any to be

obtained through sub-agreement(s));

(b) Ability to comply with the

proposed or required completion

schedule for the project;

(c) Adequate financial management

system and audit procedures that

provide efficient and effective

accountability and control of all funds,

property, and other assets;

(d) Satisfactory record of integrity,

judgment, and performance, including,

in particular, any prior performance

under grants and contracts from the

Federal government; and

(e) Otherwise be qualified and eligible

to receive an award under the

applicable laws and regulations.

Although an applicant may be eligible

to compete for an award based on its

status as an eligible entity, other factors

may exclude an applicant from

receiving Federal assistance under this

program (e.g., debarment and

suspension, a determination of nonresponsibility based on the information

submitted).

D. Program Application Materials

Program application materials will be

made available upon request. These

materials include information on the

purpose of the program, how the

program will be conducted, the required

contents of a proposal, and the forms

needed to prepare and submit

applications.

21620 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose of Program

Proposals are requested for

cooperative agreements for outreach and

assistance to socially disadvantaged

farmers and ranchers. Cooperative

agreements will be awarded

competitively to eligible organizations

and institutions for a one-year project to

conduct outreach and technical

assistance to encourage and assist

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers to own and operate farms and

ranches, and to provide information on

application and bidding procedures,

farm management, and other essential

information to participate in agricultural

programs.

Agricultural programs include but are

not limited to the following, identified

by the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance number and program title:

(10.054) Emergency Conservation

Program; (10.055) Production Flexibility

Payments for Contract Commodities;

(10.064) Forestry Incentives Program;

(10.069) Conservation Reserve Program;

(10.404) Emergency Loans; (10.406)

Farm Operating Loans; (10.407) Farm

Ownership Loans; (10.900) Great Plains

Conservation; and (10.903) Soil Survey.

B. Available Funding

For fiscal year (FY) 2001, $3 million

has been appropriated for this program.

An additional $3 million has been

authorized from the Fund for Rural

America. Therefore, the total funds

available for this program in FY 2001

are about $6 million and the total of all

awards will not exceed this amount.

The amount of funds available for this

program in subsequent years is not fixed

and may vary considerably from the

current funding level.

C. Indirect Costs

Section 708 of the Agriculture, Rural

Development, Food and Drug

Administration, and Related Agencies

Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law

106–387, limits indirect costs under

cooperative agreements between USDA

and non-profit institutions, including

institutions of higher education, to ten

percent of the total direct costs of the

agreement. Section 708 authorizes an

exception to the ten percent limit for

institutions that compute indirect cost

rates on a similar basis for all agencies

for which the Act makes appropriations.

If requested, indirect costs must be

justified and may not exceed the ten

percent limitation or the current rate

negotiated with the cognizant Federalnegotiating agency. Applications from

colleges and universities must provide a

statement in the budget narrative

verifying that the indirect costs

requested are in accordance with

institutional policies.

D. Substantial Federal Involvement

The USDA Office of Outreach will

award cooperative agreements under

this RFP. By statute, the Federal

awarding agency must be substantially

involved in the project to enter into a

cooperative agreement to provide

assistance. The USDA Office of

Outreach anticipates the following

involvement, which it has deemed

substantial, in carrying out projects

funded with Federal assistance

provided through a cooperative

agreement under this program:

(a) The USDA Office of Outreach will

serve as liaison and coordinate the close

collaboration between awardees and

USDA agencies that administer

agricultural programs targeted for

outreach under the project;

(b) The USDA Office of Outreach will

facilitate and coordinate training and

continuing updates for awardees

regarding the regulatory requirements,

application procedures, and compliance

for targeted agricultural programs;

(c) USDA Office of Outreach will

assist awardees in planning workshops

for targeted socially disadvantaged

groups, including coordinating the

provision of available information (e.g.,

application forms and instructions) from

USDA necessary to accomplish

workshop objectives;

(d) The USDA Office of Outreach

must approve position descriptions and

the selection of key personnel as

identified in the project proposal if such

personnel are hired or replaced during

the project period;

(e) The USDA Office of Outreach will

work closely with awardees to obtain

the significant amounts of information

necessary for the USDA Office of

Outreach to comply with its statutory

requirements to provide reports

regarding this program to the Congress;

and

(f) The USDA Office of Outreach will

monitor projects closely and may

request changes in project direction as

necessary.

Part III—Proposal Content

A. Cover Page

1. Complete the ‘‘Application for

Funding’’ form in its entirety.

2. Note that providing a Social

Security Number is voluntary.

3. One copy of the ‘‘Application for

Funding’’ form must contain the pen

and ink signatures of the project director

and authorized organizational

representative for the applicant

organization.

4. Note that by signing the

‘‘Application for Funding’’ form the

applicant is providing the required

certifications set forth in 7 CFR Part

3017 regarding Debarment and

Suspension and Drug-Free Workplace,

and 7 CFR Part 3018, regarding

Lobbying.

5. Provide the name, address,

telephone and fax numbers of applicant

and project director.

6. The title of the proposal must be

brief (80-character maximum) yet

represent the major thrust of the project.

B. Project Summary

Each proposal must contain a concise

project summary, which may not exceed

two (2) pages in length. The project

summary should contain the following:

1. Brief summary of the needs

(including the estimated numbers

expected to be served) of socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in

the area to be served to enhance their

ability to participate in agricultural

programs;

2. Goals of the one-year plan and

overall project goal(s) and supporting

objectives with proposed outcomes; and

3. Relevance or significance of the

one-year plan to enhancing the

participation of socially disadvantaged

farmers and ranchers in agriculture and

USDA agricultural programs.

C. Project Narrative

The specific aims of the project must

be included in all proposals. The text of

the project narrative may not exceed

fifteen (15) pages and must contain the

following components:

1. Introduction: A clear statement of

the goal(s) and supporting objectives

with proposed outcomes of the

proposed project should preface the

project description.

2. Background and Existing Situation:

Provide a detailed description of the

circumstances giving rise to the need for

the proposed activity to assist socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

within the State or region.

3. Objectives: The objectives of the

one-year plan should be clear, complete,

and logically arranged. The statements

should detail the major steps necessary

to develop the plan with specific

milestones and planned

accomplishments. The objectives should

contain details of how the

accomplishments will advance the goal

for assisting socially disadvantaged

farmers and ranchers in obtaining

information on application and bidding

procedures, farm management, and

other essential information to

participate in agricultural programs. List

the specific agricultural programs for

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices 21621

which the proposed project will provide

outreach and assistance.

4. Procedures. Describe the steps

necessary to implement the proposed

one-year plan including the methods or

plan of action to attain the stated

objectives.

5. Evaluation: Describe the evaluation

plan for the proposed activity, including

impact factors and indicators of

effectiveness and efficiency in

accomplishing objectives.

D. Scope of Program

All projects must contain explicit

information indicating how results from

the project will be measured, evaluated,

and reported. The indicators used to

measure results of the project should be

clear and objective and focus on the

anticipated impacts on socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

E. Program Delivery

Program delivery is providing

instruction and materials directly to the

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers. A successful proposal will

include the use of strong organizational

skills to reach the socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in a

specific region. Proposals should show

how public or private sector (or both)

delivery points would be used to reach

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers.

F. Collaborative Arrangements

If the nature of the proposed project

requires collaboration or

subcontractural arrangements with other

entities, the applicant must identify the

collaborator or subcontractor and

provide a full explanation of the nature

of the relationship.

G. Budget

A budget and a detailed narrative in

support of the budget are required for

the overall project period. Show all

funding sources and itemized costs by

the following line items on the budget

form: personnel, equipment, material

and supplies, travel and all other costs.

Funds may be requested under any of

the line items listed above provided that

the item or service for which support is

requested is identified as necessary for

successful conduct of the proposed

project, is allowable under the

authorizing legislation and the

applicable Federal cost principles, and

is not prohibited under any applicable

Federal statute. Salaries of project

personnel who will be working on the

project may be requested in proportion

to the effort that they will devote to the

project.

H. Personnel

Summarize the relevant experience of

key project personnel that will enable

them to successfully complete the

project. Include brief vitae, which

provide enough information so that

proposal reviewers can make an

informed judgment as to their

capabilities and experience. An

organizational chart for the project

should be provided, if available.

I. Current and Pending Support

All proposals must list any other

current public or private support to

which key personnel identified in the

proposal have committed portions of

their time, whether or not salary support

for person(s) involved is included in the

budget. Analogous information must be

provided for any pending proposals that

are being considered by, or that will be

submitted in the near future to, other

possible sponsors, including other

USDA programs or agencies. Concurrent

submission of identical or similar

proposals to other possible sponsors

will not prejudice proposal review or

evaluation for this program.

Part IV—Submission of Proposal

A. What To Submit

An original and two (2) copies of the

proposal must be submitted. Each copy

of each proposal must be stapled

securely in the upper left-hand corner

(Do Not Bind). All copies of the

proposal including all necessary forms

must be submitted in one package.

B. When and Where To Submit

Proposals must be received by close of

business on (DATE). A proposal’s

postmark date is not a factor in whether

an application is timely received. The

applicant assumes the risk of any delays

in proposal delivery. Proposals sent by

First Class mail must be sent to the

following address: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Office of Outreach, Ag

STOP 1710, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250.

Hand-delivered proposal and those

delivered by overnight express mail or

courier service should be brought to the

following address: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Office of Outreach, 501

School Street, SW., 1st Floor,

Washington, DC 20024.

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

The receipt of all proposals will be

acknowledged in writing and this

acknowledgment will contain an

identifying proposal number. Once a

proposal has been assigned an

identification number, the number

should be referred to in future

correspondence.

Part V—Proposal Review, Selection

Process and Evaluation Criteria

A. Proposal Review

Prior to technical examination, a

preliminary review will be made by the

USDA Office of Outreach staff for

responsiveness to this solicitation.

Proposals that do not fall within the

solicitation guidelines will be

eliminated from competition. All

responsive proposals will be reviewed

by peer reviewers using the evaluation

criteria stated below. The peer reviewers

will be selected to provide maximum

expertise and objective judgment in the

evaluation of proposals.

The USDA Office of Outreach staff

will use the views of the individual

reviewers to determine which proposals

to recommend to the Director, USDA

Office of Outreach for funding.

Evaluated proposals will be ranked by

the USDA Office of Outreach staff based

on merit. Final approval for those

proposals will be made by the Director.

B. Evaluation Criteria and Weight

The USDA Office of Outreach

considers all applications received in

response to this solicitation as outreach,

training and technical assistance project

applications. All responsive proposals

will be reviewed based on the following

criteria:

1. Institutional Commitment and

Resources (20 points)

Degree to which the institution or

organization is committed to the project.

Experience, qualifications, competence,

and availability of personnel and

resources to direct and carry out the

project.

2. Feasibility and Policy Consistency (20

points)

Degree to which the proposal clearly

describes its objectives and evidences a

high level of feasibility and consistency

with the USDA policy and mission. This

criterion relates to the adequacy,

soundness of the proposed approach to

the solution of the problem and

evaluates the plan of operation,

timetable, evaluation and dissemination

plans.

3. Number of Socially Disadvantaged

farmers and Ranchers Served and

Collaboration (20 points)

Degree to which the proposal reflects

partnerships and collaborative

initiatives with other agencies or

organizations to enhance the quality and

effectiveness of the program.

Additionally, the areas and number of

21622 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers who would benefit from the

services offered.

4. Socially Disadvantaged Applicants—

Outreach (20 points)

Degree to which the proposal contains

efforts to reach persons identified as

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers in targeted counties. Potential

for encouraging and assisting socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to

own and operate farms and ranches and

to participate in agricultural programs.

Elements considered include impact,

continuation plans, innovation, and

expected products and results.

5. Preparatory Features—Statement of

Work (15 points)

Degree to which the proposal reflects

innovative strategies for reaching the

population targeted in the proposal and

achieving the project objectives.

Elements evaluated include originality,

practicality, and creativity in

developing and testing innovative

solutions to existing or anticipated

issues or problems of socially

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Responsiveness to the need to provide

socially disadvantaged farmers and

ranchers with information and

assistance on application and bidding

procedures, farm management, other

essential information to enhance

participation of agricultural programs

and conducting a successful farming

operation.

6. Overall Quality of the Proposal (5

points)

Degree to which the proposal

complies with the Application

Guidelines and is of high quality.

Elements considered include adherence

to instructions, accuracy and

completeness of forms, clarity and

organization of ideas, thoroughness and

sufficiency of detail in the budget

narrative, specificity of allocations

between targeted areas if the proposal

addresses more than one area, and

completeness of vitae for all key

personnel associated with the project.

C. Selection Process

When the peer reviewers have

completed their individual evaluations,

the USDA Office of Outreach staff,

based on the individual reviews will

make recommendations to the Director,

USDA Office of Outreach that each

responsive proposal be (a) approved for

support from currently available funds

or (b) declined due to insufficient funds

or unfavorable review (low evaluation

score). The Director, USDA Office of

Outreach, reserves the right to make

awards to ensure variety among both

successful applicants and the nature of

the projects funded in order to

accomplish the program objectives. The

Director, USDA Office of Outreach also

reserves the right to negotiate with an

applicant whose project is

recommended for funding regarding

project revisions (e.g., reductions in

scope of work), funding level, or period

of support prior to any award. A

proposal may be withdrawn at any time

before a final funding decision is made.

Part VI—Program Administration

A. Access to Peer Review Information

After the final decisions have been

announced, the Director, USDA Office

of Outreach will, upon request, inform

the applicant of the basis for the

decision on a proposal. Copies of

summary reviews, not including the

identity of the reviewers, will be made

available to respective project directors.

B. Cooperative Agreement Awards

1. General

Within the limit of funds available for

such purpose, the Director, USDA Office

of Outreach shall enter into cooperative

agreements with successful applicants.

The date specified by the Director,

USDA Office of Outreach as the

effective date of the award shall not be

later than September 30 of the federal

fiscal year in which the project is

approved for support and funds are

appropriated for such purpose, unless

otherwise permitted by law. It should be

noted that the project period need not

be initiated on the award effective date,

but as soon as practicable thereafter so

that project goals may be attained

within the funded project period. All

funds awarded and administered by the

USDA Office of Outreach under this

request for proposals shall be expended

solely for the purpose for which the

funds are awarded in accordance with

the approved application and budget,

the terms and conditions of any

resulting award, the applicable Federal

cost principles, and the USDA Federal

assistance regulations. Funds for fiscal

year 2001 are limited to proposals with

a one-year plan for outreach and

technical assistance to socially

disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.

2. Cooperative Agreement Award

Document

The cooperative agreement shall

include at a minimum the following:

(a) Legal name and address of

performing organization or institution to

whom the Director, USDA Office of

Outreach has entered into a cooperative

agreement under the terms of this

request for proposals;

(b) Title of Project;

(c) Name(s) and address(es) of project

director(s) chosen to direct and control

approved activities;

(d) Identifying cooperative agreement

number assigned by the USDA Office of

Outreach;

(e) Project period; specifying the

amount of time the USDA Office of

Outreach intends to support the project

without requiring recompetition for

funds;

(f) Total amount of the financial

assistance approved by the USDA Office

of Outreach during the project period.

(g) Legal authority(ies) under which

the cooperative agreement is awarded.

(h) Approved budget plan for

categorizing allocable project funds to

accomplish the stated purpose of the

cooperative agreement; and

(i) Other information or provisions

deemed necessary by the USDA Office

of Outreach to carry out its assistance

activities or to accomplish the purpose

of a particular cooperative agreement.

3. Notice of Award

The notice of award, in the form of a

letter, will be prepared and will provide

pertinent instructions or information to

the awardee that is not included in the

cooperative agreement.

C. Use of Funds; Changes

1. Delegation of Fiscal Responsibility

The awardee may not in whole or in

part delegate or transfer to another

person, institution, or organization the

responsibility for use or expenditure of

cooperative agreement award funds.

2. Changes in Project Plans

(a) The permissible changes by the

awardee, project director(s), or other key

project personnel in the approved

project cooperative agreement shall be

limited to changes to aspects of the

project to expedite achievement of the

project’s approved goals. If the awardee

is uncertain as to whether a change

complies with this provision, the

question must be referred to the

Director, USDA Office of Outreach for

final determination.

(b) Changes in approved goals or

objectives shall be requested by the

awardee and approved in writing by the

Director, USDA Office of Outreach prior

to effecting such changes. In no event

shall requests for such changes be

approved which are outside the scope of

the original approved project.

(c) Changes in approved project

leadership or the replacement or

reassignment of other key project

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices 21623

personnel shall be requested by the

awardee and approved in writing by the

Director, USDA Office of Outreach prior

to effecting such changes.

(d) Changes in Project Period: An

awardee is obligated to complete the

proposed project within the specified

project period. However, if additional

time is needed to complete activities

under the agreement, the Director,

USDA Office of Outreach has authority

to extend one time the duration of an

agreement for an additional period of up

to 12 months. Entities desiring an

extension of the agreement project

period must request such extensions in

writing at least ten (10) days prior to the

expiration of the agreement project

period. The request will include the

reason for the requested extension, the

requested period of extension, a

description of the effect(s) on the

program if the extension is not granted,

and a statement that no additional

federal funds would be necessary to

support the agreement activities during

the extension period. No additional

Federal funds will be provided for the

extension period. This one-time

extension is not available merely for this

purpose of using unobligated balances.

(e) Changes in Approved Budget:

Changes in an approved budget must be

requested by the awardee and approved

in writing by the Director, USDA Office

of Outreach prior to instituting such

changes if the revision will:

(1) Involve transfers of amounts

budgeted for indirect costs to absorb an

increase in direct costs.

(2) Involve transfers of amounts

budgeted for direct costs to

accommodate changes in indirect cost

rates negotiated during a budget period

and not approved when a cooperative

agreement was awarded; or

(3) Involve transfers or expenditures

of amounts requiring prior approval as

set forth in the applicable Federal cost

principles, Departmental regulations, or

the cooperative agreement.

D. Obligation of the Federal Government

Neither the approval of any

application nor the award of any

cooperative agreement commits or

obligates the United States to provide

further support of a project or any

portion thereof. Acceptance by the

USDA Office of Outreach of any

proposal pursuant to this program does

not ensure further support of a project

or any portion thereof.

E. Environmental and Other Applicable

Federal Statutes and Regulations

1. Environmental requirements: The

policies and regulations contained in 7

CFR part 1b apply to cooperative

agreements made under this RFP.

2. Several other Federal statutes and

regulations apply to this program. These

include, but are not limited to the

following:

7 CFR Part 3—USDA implementation

of OMB Circular A–129 regarding debt

collection;

7 CFR Part 1, subpart A—USDA

implementation of the Freedom of

Information Act;

7 CFR Part 15, subpart A—USDA

implementation of Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act of 1964;

7 CFR Part 3015—USDA Uniform

Federal Assistance Regulations,

implementing OMB directives (i.e.,

Circular Nos. A–110, A–21, and A–122)

and incorporating provisions of 31

U.S.C. 6301–6308, as well as general

policy requirements applicable to

recipients of Departmental financial

assistance;

7 CFR Part 3017—USDA

implementation of Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension

(nonprocurement) and Governmentwide

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

(Grants);

7 CFR Part 3018—USDA

implementation of New Restrictions on

Lobbying. Imposes prohibitions and

requirements for disclosure and

certification related to lobbying on

recipients of Federal contracts, grants,

cooperative agreements, and loans;

7 CFR Part 3019—USDA Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Agreements with Institutions of

Higher Education, Hospitals and Other

Non-Profit Organizations;

29 U.S.C. 794, section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 7 CFR

Part 15b (USDA implementation of the

statute), prohibiting discrimination

based upon physical or mental handicap

in Federally assisted programs;

48 CFR Part 31—Contract Cost

Principles and Procedures of the Federal

Acquisition Regulation; and

35 U.S.C. 200 et seq.—Bayh-Dole Act,

controlling allocation of rights to

inventions made by employees of small

business firms and domestic nonprofit

organizations, including universities, in

Federally assisted programs

(implementing regulations are contained

in 37 CFR Part 401).

F. Confidential Aspects of Proposals

and Awards

When a proposal results in a

cooperative agreement, it becomes a part

of the record of the Agency’s

transactions, available to the public

upon specific request. Information that

the Director, USDA Office of Outreach

determines to be of a privileged nature

will be held in confidence to the extent

permitted by law. Therefore, any

information that the applicant wishes to

have considered as privileged should be

clearly marked as such and sent in a

separate statement, two copies of which

should accompany the proposal.

The original copy of each proposal

that is not selected for funding

(including those that are withdrawn)

will be retained by the USDA Office of

Outreach for one year. Other copies will

be destroyed. After one year, the

retained copy will be destroyed.

G. Standards of Conduct for Employees

of Awardee

1. Awardees must establish safeguards

and guidelines for the award and

administration of contracts in order to

prevent employees, consultants, or

members of governing bodies from using

their positions for purposes that are, or

give the appearance of being, motivated

by a desire for private financial gain for

themselves or others such as those with

whom they have family, business, or

other ties. Therefore, awardees receiving

financial support must have written

policy guidelines on conflict of interest

and the avoidance thereof. These

guidelines should reflect State and local

laws and must cover financial interests,

gifts, gratuities and favors, nepotism,

and other areas such as political

participation and bribery. These rules

must also indicate the conditions under

which outside activities, relationships,

or financial interests are proper or

improper, and provide for notification

of these kinds of activities,

relationships, or financial interests to a

responsible and objective awardee

official. For the requirements of a code

of conduct applicable to procurements

under grants and cooperative

agreements, see the procurement

standards prescribed by 7 CFR 3015.181

and 7 CFR 3019.42.

2. The rules of conduct must contain

a provision for prompt notification of

violations to a responsible and objective

awardee official and must specify the

type of administrative action that may

be taken against an individual for

violations.

21624 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2001 / Notices

3. A copy of the rules of conduct must

be given to each officer, employee,

board member, and consultant of the

awardee who is working on the USDA

Office of Outreach financed project, and

the rules must be enforced to the extent

permissible under State and local law or

to the extent to which the awardee

determines it has legal and practical

enforcement capacity. The rules need

not be formally submitted and approved

by the awarding official; however, they

must be made available for review upon

request, for example, during a site visit.

Done at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of

April 2001.

Ann M. Veneman,

Secretary of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 01–10524 Filed 4–27–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–U