29738 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Notices

responsive will then be evaluated by the

Director of MBDA. Final award

selections shall be based on the number

of points received, the demonstrated

responsibility of the applicant, and the

determination of those most likely to

further the purpose of the MBDA

program. Negative audit findings and

recommendations and unsatisfactory

performance under prior Federal awards

may result in an application not being

considered for award. The applicant

with the highest point score will not

necessarily receive the award. Periodic

reviews culminating in year-to-date

evaluations will be conducted to

determine if funding for the project

should continue. Continued funding

will be at the total discretion of MBDA

based on such factors as the MBDC’s

performance, the availability of funds

and Agency priorities.

The MBDC shall be required to

contribute at least 15% of the total

project cost through non-federal

contributions. To assist in this effort, the

MBDC may charge client fees for

services rendered. Fees may range from

$10 to $60 per hour based on the gross

receipts of the client’s business.

Anticipated processing time of this

award is 120 days. Executive order

12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Federal Programs,’’ is not applicable to

this program. Federal funds for this

project include audit funds for non-CPA

recipients. In event that a CPA firm

wins the competition, the funds

allocated for audits are not applicable.

Questions concerning the preceding

information can be answered by the

contact person indicated above, and

copies of application kits and applicable

regulations can be obtained at the above

address. The collection of information

requirements for this project have been

approved by the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) and assigned OMB

control number 0640–0006.

Awards under this program shall be

subject to all Federal laws, and Federal

and Departmental regulations, policies,

and procedures applicable to Federal

financial assistance awards.

Pre-Award Costs—Applicants are

hereby notified that if they incur any

costs prior to an award being made, they

do so solely at their own risk of not

being reimbursed by the Government.

Notwithstanding any verbal assurance

that an applicant may have received,

there is no obligation on the part of the

Department of Commerce to cover preaward costs.

Outstanding Account Receivable—No

award of Federal funds shall be made to

an applicant who has an outstanding

delinquent Federal debt until either the

delinquent account is paid in full,

repayment schedule is established and

at least one payment is received, or

other arrangements satisfactory to the

Department of Commerce are made.

Name Check Policy—All non-profit

and for-profit applicants are subject to a

name check review process. Name

checks are intended to reveal if any key

individuals associated with the

applicant have been convicted of or are

presently facing criminal charges such

as fraud, theft, perjury or other matters

which significantly reflect on the

applicant’s management honesty or

financial integrity.

Award Termination—The

Departmental Grants Officer may

terminate any grant/cooperative

agreement in whole or in part at any

time before the date of completion

whenever it is determined that the

award recipient has failed to comply

with the conditions of the grant/

cooperative agreement. Examples of

some of the conditions which can cause

termination are failure to meet costsharing requirements; unsatisfactory

performance of the MBDC work

requirements; and reporting inaccurate

or inflated claims of client assistance.

Such inaccurate or inflated claims may

be deemed illegal and punishable by

law.

False Statements—A false statement

on an application for Federal financial

assistance is grounds for denial or

termination of funds, and grounds for

possible punishment by a fine or

imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C.

1001.

Primary Applicant Certifications—All

primary applicants must submit a

completed Form CD–511,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying.’’

Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension—Prospective participants

(as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section

26.105) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26,

‘‘Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension’’ and the related section of

the certification form prescribed above

applies.

Drug Free Workplace—Grantees (as

defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section

26.605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26,

Subpart F, ‘‘Governmentwide

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

(Grants)’’ and the related section of the

certification form prescribed above

applies.

Anti-Lobbying—Persons (as defined at

15 CFR Part 28, Section 28.105) are

subject to the lobbying provisions of 31

U.S.C. 1352, ‘‘Limitation on use of

appropriated funds to influence certain

Federal contracting and financial

transactions,’’ and the lobbying section

of the certification form prescribed

above applies to applications/bids for

grants, cooperative agreements, and

contracts for more than $100,000, and

loans and loan guarantees for more than

$150,000 or the single family maximum

mortgage limit for affected programs,

whichever is greater.

Anti-Lobbying Disclosures—Any

applicant that has paid or will pay for

lobbying using any funds must submit

an SF-LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities,’’ as required under 15 CFR

Part 28, Appendix B.

Lower Tier Certifications—Recipients

shall require applications/bidders for

subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or

other lower tier covered transactions at

any tier under the award to submit, if

applicable, a completed Form CD–512,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered

Transactions and Lobbying’’ and

disclosure form, SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities.’’ Form CD–512 is

intended for the use of recipients and

should not be transmitted to DOC. SFLLL submitted by any tier recipient or

subrecipient should be submitted to

DOC in accordance with the

instructions contained in the award

document.

Buy American-made Equipment or

Products—Applicants are hereby

notified that they are encouraged, to the

extent feasible, to purchase Americanmade equipment and products with

funding provided under this program in

accordance with Congressional intent as

set forth in the resolution contained in

Public Law 103–121, Sections 606 (a)

and (b).

11.800 Minority Business Development

Center

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)

Dated: June 6, 1996.

Donald L. Powers

Federal Register Liaison Officer, Minority

Business Development Agency.

[FR Doc. 96–14777 Filed 6–11–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–21–P

Solicitation of Business Development

Center Applications for Brownsville,

Corpus Christi, and Oklahoma City

AGENCY: Minority Business

Development Agency, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with Executive

Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. 1512, the

Minority Business Development Agency

(MBDA) is soliciting competitive

applications from organizations to

operate the Minority Business
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Notices 29739

Development Centers (MBDC) listed in

this document.

The purpose of the MBDC Program is

to provide business development

assistance to persons who are members

of groups determined by MBDA to be

socially or economically disadvantaged,

and to business concerns owned and

controlled by such individuals. To this

end, MBDA funds organizations to

identify and coordinate public and

private sector resources on behalf of

minority individuals and firms; to offer

a full range of client services to minority

entrepreneurs; and to serve as a conduit

of information and assistance regarding

minority business.

In accordance with the Interim Final

Policy published in the Federal Register

on May 31, 1996, the cost-share

requirement for the MBDCs listed in this

notice has been increased to 40%. The

Department of Commerce will fund up

to 60% of the total cost of operating an

MBDC on an annual basis. The MBDC

operator is required to contribute at

least 40% of the total project cost (the

‘‘cost-share requirement’’).

Cost-sharing contributions may be in

the form of cash, client fees, third party

in-kind contributions, non-cash

applicant contributions or combinations

thereof. In addition to the traditional

sources of an MBDC’s cost-share

contribution, the 40% may be

contributed by local, state and private

sector organizations. It is anticipated

that some organizations may apply

jointly for an award to operate the

center. For administrative purposes, one

organization must be designated as the

recipient organization.

DATES: The closing date for applications

for each MBDC is July 15, 1996.

Pre-Application Conference: Proper

identification is required for entrance

into any Federal building.

ADDRESSES: Completed application

packages should be submitted to the

U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority

Business Development Agency, MBDA

Executive Secretariat, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room 5073,

Washington, D.C. 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

following are MBDCs for which

applications are solicited:

1. MBDC Application: Brownsville

Metropolitan Area Serviced:

Brownsville, Texas

Award Number: 06–10–96003–01

Pre-Application Conference: A preapplication conference will be held on

Tuesday, June 25, 1996, from 9:00 a.m.

to 12:00 noon, at the International Plaza,

3505 Boca Chica Boulevard, Suite 200,

Brownsville, Texas 78521.

For Further Information and an

Application Package, Contact: Bobby

Jefferson at (214) 767–8001. Contingent

upon the availability of Federal funds,

the cost of performance for the first

budget period (13 months) from October

1, 1996 to October 31, 1997, is estimated

at $281,875. The total Federal amount is

$169,125 and is composed of $165,000

plus the Audit Fee amount of $4,125.

The application must include a

minimum cost share of 40%, $112,750

in non-federal (cost-sharing)

contributions for a total project cost of

$281,875.

2. MBDC Application: Corpus Christi

Metropolitan Area Serviced: Corpus

Christi, Texas

Award Number: 06–10–96004–01

Pre-Application Conference: A preapplication conference will be held on

Wednesday, June 26, 1996, from 9:00

a.m. to 12:00 noon, at City Hall, 1201

Leopard Avenue, First Floor Meeting

Room, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401.

For Further Information and an

Application Package, Contact: Bobby

Jefferson at (214) 767–8001. Contingent

upon the availability of Federal funds,

the cost of performance for the first

budget period (13 months) from October

1, 1996 to October 31, 1997, is estimated

at $281,875. The total Federal amount is

$169,125 and is composed of $165,000

plus the Audit Fee amount of $4,125.

The application must include a

minimum cost share of 40%, $112,750

in non-federal (cost-sharing)

contributions for a total project cost of

$281,875.

3. MBDC Application: Oklahoma City

Metropolitan Area Serviced:

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Award Number: 06–10–96005–01

Pre-Application Conference: A preapplication conference will be held on

Thursday, June 27, 1996, from 11:00

a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Oklahoma City

Chamber of Commerce, 2nd Floor

Conference Room, 123 Park Avenue,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102.

For Further Information and an

Application Package, Contact: Bobby

Jefferson at (214) 767–8001. Contingent

upon the availability of Federal funds,

the cost of performance for the first

budget period (13 months) from October

1, 1996 to October 31, 1997, is estimated

at $281,875. The total Federal amount is

$169,125 and is composed of $165,000

plus the Audit Fee amount of $4,125.

The application must include a

minimum cost share of 40%, $112,750

in non-federal (cost-sharing)

contributions for a total project cost of

$281,875.

Standard Paragraphs

The following information and

requirements are applicable to the listed

MBDCs: Brownsville, Corpus Christi,

and Oklahoma City.

The funding instrument for this

project will be a cooperative agreement.

If the recommended applicant is the

current incumbent organization, the

award will be for 12 months. For those

applicants who are not incumbent

organizations or who are incumbents

that have experienced closure due to a

break in service, a 30-day start-up

period will be added to their first budget

period, making it a 13-month award.

Competition is open to individuals,

non-profit and for-profit organizations,

state and local governments, American

Indian tribes and educational

institutions.

Applications will be evaluated on the

following criteria: the knowledge,

background and/or capabilities of the

firm and its staff in addressing the needs

of the business community in general

and, specifically, the special needs of

minority businesses, individuals and

organizations (45 points), the resources

available to the firm in providing

business development services (10

points); the firm’s approach (techniques

and methodologies) to performing the

work requirements included in the

application (25 points); and the firm’s

estimated cost for providing such

assistance (20 points). In accordance

with Interim Final Policy published in

the Federal Register on May 31, 1996,

the scoring system will be revised to

add ten (10) bonus points to the

application of community-based

organizations. Each qualifying

application will receive the full ten

points. Community-based applicant

organizations are those organizations

whose headquarters and/or principal

place of business within the last five

years have been located within the

geographic service area designated in

the solicitation for the award. Where an

applicant organization has been in

existence for fewer than five years or

has been present in the geographic

service area for fewer than five years,

the individual years of experience of the

applicant organization’s principals may

be applied toward the requirement of

five years of organization experience.

The individual years of experience must

have been acquired in the geographic

service area which is the subject of the

solicitation. An application must

receive at least 70% of the points

assigned to each evaluation criteria

category to be considered

programmatically acceptable and

responsive. Those applications
29740 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Notices

determined to be acceptable and

responsive will then be evaluated by the

Director of MBDA. Final award

selections shall be based on the number

of points received, the demonstrated

responsibility of the applicant, and the

determination of those most likely to

further the purpose of the MBDA

program. Negative audit findings and

recommendations and unsatisfactory

performance under prior Federal awards

may result in an application not being

considered for award. The applicant

with the highest point score will not

necessarily receive the award. Periodic

reviews culminating in year-to-date

evaluations will be conducted to

determine if funding for the project

should continue. Continued funding

will be at the total discretion of MBDA

based on such factors as the MBDC’s

performance, the availability of funds

and Agency priorities.

The MBDC shall be required to

contribute at least 40% of the total

project cost through non-federal

contributions. To assist in this effort, the

MBDC may charge client fees for

services rendered. Fees may range from

$10 to $60 per hour based on the gross

receipts of the client’s business.

Anticipated processing time of this

award is 120 days. Executive order

12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Federal Programs,’’ is not applicable to

this program. Federal funds for this

project include audit funds for non-CPA

recipients. In event that a CPA firm

wins the competition, the funds

allocated for audits are not applicable.

Questions concerning the preceding

information can be answered by the

contact person indicated above, and

copies of application kits and applicable

regulations can be obtained at the above

address. Notwithstanding any other

provision of the 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 requirements

of the PRA, unless that collection of

information displays a currently valid

OMB Control Number. The collection of

information requirements for this

project have been approved by the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) and assigned OMB control

number 0640–0006.

Awards under this program shall be

subject to all Federal laws, and Federal

and Departmental regulations, policies,

and procedures applicable to Federal

financial assistance awards.

Pre-Award Costs—Applicants are

hereby notified that if they incur any

costs prior to an award being made, they

do so solely at their own risk of not

being reimbursed by the Government.

Notwithstanding any verbal assurance

that an applicant may have received,

there is no obligation on the part of the

Department of Commerce to cover preaward costs.

Outstanding Account Receivable—No

award of Federal funds shall be made to

an applicant who has an outstanding

delinquent Federal debt until either the

delinquent account is paid in full,

repayment schedule is established and

at least one payment is received, or

other arrangements satisfactory to the

Department of Commerce are made.

Name Check Policy—All non-profit

and for-profit applicants are subject to a

name check review process. Name

checks are intended to reveal if any key

individuals associated with the

applicant have been convicted of or are

presently facing criminal charges such

as fraud, theft, perjury or other matters

which significantly reflect on the

applicant’s management honesty or

financial integrity.

Award Termination—The

Departmental Grants Officer may

terminate any grant/cooperative

agreement in whole or in part at any

time before the date of completion

whenever it is determined that the

award recipient has failed to comply

with the conditions of the grant/

cooperative agreement. Examples of

some of the conditions which can cause

termination are failure to meet costsharing requirements; unsatisfactory

performance of the MBDC work

requirements; and reporting inaccurate

or inflated claims of client assistance.

Such inaccurate or inflated claims may

be deemed illegal and punishable by

law.

False Statements—A false statement

on an application for Federal financial

assistance is grounds for denial or

termination of funds, and grounds for

possible punishment by a fine or

imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C.

1001.

Primary Applicant Certifications—All

primary applicants must submit a

completed Form CD–511,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying.’’

Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension—Prospective participants

(as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section

26.105) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26,

‘‘Nonprocurement Debarment and

Suspension’’ and the related section of

the certification form prescribed above

applies.

Drug Free Workplace—Grantees (as

defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section

26.605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26,

Subpart F, ‘‘Governmentwide

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

(Grants)’’ and the related section of the

certification form prescribed above

applies.

Anti-Lobbying—Persons (as defined at

15 CFR Part 28, Section 28.105) are

subject to the lobbying provisions of 31

U.S.C. 1352, ‘‘Limitation on use of

appropriated funds to influence certain

Federal contracting and financial

transactions,’’ and the lobbying section

of the certification form prescribed

above applies to applications/bids for

grants, cooperative agreements, and

contracts for more than $100,000, and

loans and loan guarantees for more than

$150,000 or the single family maximum

mortgage limit for affected programs,

whichever is greater.

Anti-Lobbying Disclosures—Any

applicant that has paid or will pay for

lobbying using any funds must submit

an SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities,’’ as required under 15 CFR

Part 28, Appendix B.

Lower Tier Certifications—Recipients

shall require applications/bidders for

subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or

other lower tier covered transactions at

any tier under the award to submit, if

applicable, a completed Form CD–512,

‘‘Certifications Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered

Transactions and Lobbying’’ and

disclosure form, SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities.’’ Form CD–512 is

intended for the use of recipients and

should not be transmitted to DOC. SFLLL submitted by any tier recipient or

subrecipient should be submitted to

DOC in accordance with the

instructions contained in the award

document.

Buy American-made Equipment or

Products—Applicants are hereby

notified that they are encouraged, to the

extent feasible, to purchase Americanmade equipment and products with

funding provided under this program.

11.800 Minority Business Development

Center

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)

Dated: June 7, 1996.

Donald L. Powers,

Federal Register Liaison Officer, Minority

Business Development Agency.

[FR Doc. 96–14886 Filed 6–11–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–21–P