[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41382-41383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19516]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Minority Business Development Agency
[Docket No. 990713191-9191-01]
RIN 0640-ZA05


Identification of Currently Funded Projects Eligible to be 
Extended for an Additional Year of Funding in Light of MBDA's Intent to 
Revise Its Client Service-Delivery Programs

AGENCY: Minority Business Development Agency, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces the Minority Business Development 
Agency's (MBDA) identification of certain currently funded Minority 
Business Development Centers (MBDC) and Native American Business 
Development Centers (NABDC) which will be eligible for an additional 
year of funding beyond the normal three years allowed between 
competitions.

[[Page 41383]]

Providing an additional year of funding will permit MBDA needed time to 
develop a revision of the work requirements for its client service-
delivery programs. It is MBDA's intent to revise the methods and scope 
of its client service-delivery programs to include use of extensive 
state-of-the-art information technology to collect and disseminate 
information for and about minority businesses and markets.

DATES: July 30, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Juanita Berry at (202) 482-3262.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under Executive Order 11625, MBDA provides 
business development services 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 deliver 
these services, MBDA intends to broaden the work requirements under its 
client service-delivery programs. Such programs include the MBDC, 
NABDC, and the Native American Business Consultant (NABC) programs, all 
of which are funded through cooperative agreements. The work 
requirements under these programs will include a less labor-intensive 
approach with more electronic/digital business information centers for 
providing business development services. The scope of work for MBDA's 
broadened client service-delivery programs will include an extensive 
state-of-the-art information technology to collect and disseminate 
information for and about minority businesses and markets. The focus of 
this business information will be in such areas as effective public/
private sector partnership strategies; sources of information and their 
acquisition; organization of information for and about minority 
business; and operation of on-line business information centers. MBDA 
intends to implement the new work requirements for its client service-
delivery programs through a competition published in the Federal 
Register in the Summer/Fall of 2000, with new cooperative agreements 
effective 1/1/2001. Consequently, there will be no new competition for 
MBDCs, NABDCs, and the NABC during 1999.
    As part of the transition to the revised client service-delivery 
programs, MBDA intends to provide an additional year of funding, on a 
non-competitive basis, to current, eligible MBDCs and NABDCs which will 
be completing the third year or more of operation on 12/31/99. Such 
additional funding will be at the total discretion of MBDA based on 
such factors as the MBDCs' and NABDCs' performance, the availability of 
funds and Agency priorities. Normally, such Centers would undergo a new 
competition after three years of operation; however these Centers were 
funded beyond that period of time in order to establish their 12-month 
award cycles on a calendar year basis. The additional year of funding, 
as announced in this Notice, will allow MBDA the necessary time to 
develop its revised programs and to apply the new work requirements to 
all MBDCs and NABDCs, effective 1/1/2001. Therefore, the following 
MBDCs and NABDCs are affected by this notice and will be eligible for 
an additional year (1/1/2000 through 12/31/2000) of funding on a non-
competitive basis: the Alaska MBDC, 60 FR 8636 (February 15, 1995); the 
New Mexico NABDC, 60 FR 9665 (February 21, 1995); the Mississippi 
Statewide MBDC, 61 FR 19046 (April 30, 1996); the Newark MBDC, 61 FR 
28851 (June 6, 1996); the East Los Angeles, the Cincinnati, the West 
Los Angeles, and the Oklahoma City MBDCs, 61 FR 29731 (June 12, 1996); 
the Arizona and the California NABDCs and the Hampton Roads MBDC, 61 FR 
43043 (August 20, 1996); the Louisville and the South Carolina 
Statewide MBDCs, 61 FR 48128 (September 12, 1996); and the New Mexico 
Statewide MBDC, 61 FR 28850 (June 6, 1996). In conjunction with the 
eligibility for an additional year of funding, the Ventura County MBDC, 
61 FR 29733 (June 12, 1996, under the name Oxnard) will be eligible for 
a two-month extension (11/1/99 through 12/31/99) in order to establish 
its 12-month award cycle on a calendar year basis. In addition, the 
MBDCs located in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, 60 FR 8639 (February 15, 1995) 
and in Raleigh/Durham, 60 FR 37877 (June 24, 1995), will be eligible 
for another year of funding, for the same reasons described above. 
These MBDCs had previously received an additional year (1/1/99 through 
12/31/99) after competitions for the Centers were unsuccessful.
    This notice also amends MBDA's prior notices, 63 FR 14900 (March 
27, 1998), and 63 FR 14903 (March 27, 1998), in which it was indicated 
that, after their first year of funding, MBDC and NABDC operators may 
be eligible to receive up to two additional twelve-month budget 
periods. In view of MBDA's transition to revise its client service-
delivery programs, MBDCs and NABDCs receiving new cooperative agreement 
awards, which were effective 1/1/99, under the aforementioned Federal 
Register solicitations, will be eligible to receive only one additional 
budget period (1/1/2000 through 12/31/2000). Such additional funding 
will also be at the total discretion of MBDA based on such factors as 
the MBDC's and NABDCs' performance, the availability of funds and 
Agency priorities. Limiting the eligibility of such Centers to two 
years of operation will allow MBDA to include all MBDCs and NABDCs and 
the NABC in the competition under the revised programs which are 
planned for implementation by 1/1/2001. Accordingly, the following 
MBDCs and NABDCs are affected by this notice and will be limited to two 
years of eligibility for operation of Centers: the El Paso, the 
Philadelphia, the Williamsburg, and the San Jose MBDCs, and the 
Minnesota, the North Dakota and the Oklahoma NABDCs.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice was determined to be not significant for purposes of 
E.O. 12866.

Administrative Procedure Act

    The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act requiring notice 
of proposed rulemaking, the opportunity for public participation, and a 
delay in effective date, are inapplicable because this notice is a 
matter relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits, or 
contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Because a notice of proposed rulemaking and opportunities for 
public comments are not required to be given for this notice by 5 
U.S.C. 553 or by any other law, the analytical requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, are inapplicable.

Executive Order 12612

    This notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications 
sufficient to warrant preparation of a Federalism assessment under 
Executive order 12612.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512 and Executive Order 11625.

    Dated: July 23, 1999.
Juanita E. Berry,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, Minority Business Development Agency.
Courtland Cox,
Director, Minority Business Development Agency.
[FR Doc. 99-19516 Filed 7-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-21-M