[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30051-30054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11639]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Request for Proposals: Fiscal Year 2000 Funding Opportunity for 
Research on Rural Cooperative Opportunities and Problems

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the 
availability of approximately $300,000 in competitive cooperative 
agreement funds allocated from FY 2000 appropriations. RBS hereby 
requests proposals from institutions of higher education or nonprofit 
organizations interested in applying for competitively awarded 
cooperative agreements for research related to agricultural and 
nonagricultural cooperatives serving rural communities. The intent of 
the funding is to encourage research on critical issues vital to the 
development and sustainability of cooperatives as a means of improving 
the quality of life in America's rural communities.

DATES: Cooperative agreement applications must be postmarked no later 
than June 30, 2000. Proposals postmarked after June 30, 2000, will not 
be considered for funding.

ADDRESSES: Send Proposals and other required materials to Dr. Thomas H. 
Stafford, Director, Cooperative Marketing Division, Rural Business-
Cooperative Service, USDA, Stop 3252, Room 4204, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3252. Telephone: (202) 690-0368.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Thomas H. Stafford, Director, 
Cooperative Marketing Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 
USDA, Stop 3252, Room 4204, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-3252. Telephone: (202) 690-0368.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Information

    This solicitation is issued pursuant to the Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 2000 making appropriations for programs 
administered by USDA's RBS for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2000. The mission of RBS is to improve the quality of life in rural 
America by financing community facilities and businesses, providing 
technical assistance and creating effective strategies for rural 
development. RBS has authority to enter into cooperative agreements 
pursuant to section 607(b)(4) of the Rural Development Act of 1972, as 
amended by section 759A of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996.
    The primary objective of this funding is to encourage research 
through cooperative agreements on critical issues vital to the 
development and sustainability of user-owned cooperatives as a means of 
improving the quality of life in America's rural communities. Issue 
areas on which proposals should focus are:
    (1) Equity management issues in new generation cooperatives 
including alternatives to appreciated delivery rights: the challenges, 
benefits, and pitfalls;
    (2) Cooperatives and e-commerce: how the internet is changing the 
competitive landscape for farmer-owned businesses and their adaptation 
to it;
    (3) Marketing-agencies-in-common: a case-study examination of 
successes and failures;
    (4) The role of social capital in generating positive market 
outcomes for cooperatively owned agribusinesses;
    (5) Governance and control issues in evolving cooperative 
structures and environments;
    (6) Cooperatives as a means of putting global markets within reach 
of small farmers;
    (7) The roles of cooperatives contracting and helping producers of 
identity-preserved crops match the needs of end-users and negotiate 
acceptable terms of trade; and
    (8) Evaluation of cooperatives' roles in the changing market 
structure of the food and fiber system.
    A cooperative agreement reflects a relationship between the United 
States Government and an eligible recipient where (1) The principal 
purpose of the relationship is the transfer of money, property, 
services, or anything of value to the eligible recipient to carry out 
research related to rural cooperatives; and (2) substantial involvement 
is anticipated between RBS acting for the United States Government, and 
the eligible recipient during the performance of the research in the 
agreement. A cooperative agreement is not a grant. Cooperative 
agreements are to be awarded on the basis of merit, quality, and 
relevance to advancing the purpose of federally-supported rural 
development programs that increase economic opportunities in farming 
and rural communities.
    All forms required to apply are available from the Cooperative 
Services Program web-site at www.usda.gov/rbs/coops/rrcop.htm, 

[[Page 30052]]

by calling (202) 690-0368, or faxing (202) 690-2723. 
Forms may also be requested via Internet by sending a message with your 
name, mailing address (not E-mail), and phone number to 
``[email protected]''. When calling or e-mailing Cooperative 
Services, please indicate that you are requesting forms for Fiscal Year 
2000 (FY 2000) Research on Rural Cooperative Opportunities and Problems 
(RRCOP). Forms will be mailed to you (not e-mailed or faxed) as quickly 
as possible. Forms are also usually available from the local university 
grants office.

Use of Funds

    Funds may be used to pay up to 75 percent of the total cost 
(Federal plus non-Federal) for carrying out relevant projects. 
Applicants' contributions may be in cash or in-kind contribution and 
must be from nonfederal funds. Funds may not be used to: (1) Pay more 
than 75 percent of relevant project or administrative costs; (2) pay 
costs of preparing the application package; (3) fund political 
activities; or (4) pay costs incurred prior to the effective date of 
the cooperative agreement. Indirect costs may not exceed 10 percent of 
direct costs.

Available Funds and Award Limitations

    The amount of funds available for cooperative agreements in FY 2000 
is approximately $300,000. The actual number of cooperative agreements 
funded will depend on the quality of proposals received and the amount 
of funding requested. Maximum amount of Federal funds awarded for any 
one proposal will be $100,000. In 1999, the 15 awards may ranged from 
$15,000 to $100,000, with an average award of $59,000.

Eligible Applicants

    Proposals may be submitted by public or private colleges or 
universities, research foundations maintained by a college or 
university, or private nonprofit organizations. Under the Lobbying 
Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4)), which 
engages in lobbying activities, is not eligible to apply.

Methods for Evaluating and Ranking Applications

    Applications will be evaluated by a panel of RBS technical experts. 
Applications also will be evaluated competitively and points awarded as 
specified in the Evaluation Criteria and Weights section of this 
notice. After assigning points upon those criteria, applications will 
be listed in rank order and presented, along with funding level 
recommendations, to the Administrator of RBS, who will make the final 
decision on awarding of agreements. Applications will then be funded in 
rank order until all available funds have been expended. RBS reserves 
the right to make selections out of rank order to provide for a 
geographic or subject matter distribution of funded projects. In 
addition, timely completion of past cooperative agreements with RBS may 
be considered in awarding funds. With respect to any approved proposal, 
the amount of funding and the project period during which the project 
may be funded and will be completed, are subject to negotiation prior 
to finalization of the cooperative agreement.

Evaluation Criteria and Weights

    RBS will initially determine whether the submitting organization is 
eligible and whether the application contains the information required 
by this notice. Prior to technical examination, each proposal will be 
reviewed for responsiveness to the funding solicitation. Proposals 
focusing on technical assistance, consulting, or problem solving for 
the benefit of a single cooperative are not encouraged. Submissions 
that do not fall within the guidelines as stated in the solicitation 
will be eliminated from the competition and will be returned to the 
applicant.
    After this initial screening, RBS will use the following criteria 
to rate and rank proposals received in response to this notice of 
funding availability. The maximum number of points is 100. Failure to 
address any of the following criteria will disqualify the proposal:
    (1) Relevance: Focuses on cooperatives serving rural areas and 
demonstrates a clear relationship with the research topics contained in 
this notice (maximum 20 points);
    (2) Demonstrates potential to contribute innovative ideas or 
solutions to identified problems or issues (maximum 20 points);
    (3) Shows capacity for broad applicability in facilitating new or 
improved cooperative development or new or improved cooperative 
approaches (maximum 15 points);
    (4) Outlines a sound plan of work and appropriate methodology to 
accomplish the stated objective of the research (maximum 15 points);
    (5) Adequately documents the need for and clearly defines the 
objectives of the research (maximum 10 points);
    (6) Demonstrates cost effectiveness (maximum 10 points); and
    (7) Identifies qualified resources and personnel, including a 
demonstrated track record of similar research (maximum 10 points).

Deliverables

    Upon completion of the project, recipients will deliver the results 
of the research to RBS, in the form of a document of publishable 
quality, accompanied by all applicable supporting data. Publishable 
documents include, but are not limited to, manuscripts, videotapes, or 
software, or other media, as may be identified in approved proposals. 
RBS retains publishing rights to such documents, as well as rights to 
any raw or preliminary data collected as part of the project.

Content of a Proposal

    A proposal should contain the following:
    (1) Form SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance.''
    (2) Form SF-424A, ``Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs.''
    (3) Form SF-424B, ``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs.''
    (4) Form AD-1047, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 
and Other Responsibility Matters.''
    (5) Form AD-1049, ``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements.''
    (6) Table of Contents: For ease of locating information, each 
proposal must contain a detailed Table of Contents immediately 
following the required forms. The Table of Contents should include page 
numbers for each component of the proposal. Pagination should begin 
immediately following the Table of Contents.
    (7) Project Summary. A summary of the Project Proposal, not to 
exceed one-page, should include the following: title of the project; 
names of principal investigators and applicant organization; and a 
description of the overall goals and relevance of the project.
    (8) Project Proposal: The application must contain a narrative 
statement describing the nature of the proposed research. The proposal 
must include at least the following:
    (i) Project Title. The title of the proposed project must be brief, 
yet represent the major thrust of the project.
    (ii) Project Leaders. List the names and contact information for 
the principal investigators. Minor collaborators or consultants should 
be so designated and not listed as principal investigators.

[[Page 30053]]

    (iii) Need for the Project. A concisely worded rationale for the 
research must be presented. Included should be a summarization of the 
body of knowledge (literature review) which substantiates the need for 
the research. The need for the proposed research must be clearly and 
directly related to the facilitation of new or improved cooperative 
approaches.
    (iv) Objectives of the Project. Discuss the specific objectives of 
the project and the impact of the research on end-users.
    (v) Procedures. Discuss the hypotheses or questions being asked and 
the methodology or approach to be used in carrying out the proposed 
research and accomplishing the objectives. A description of any 
subcontracting arrangements to be used in carrying out the project must 
be included.
    (vi) Time Table. A tentative schedule for conducting the major 
steps of the research must be included.
    (vii) Expected Output. Describe how the results will be presented 
and disseminated. Include who will be responsible for any published 
output.
    (viii) Coordination and Management Plan. Describe how the project 
will be coordinated among various participants and the nature of the 
collaborations. Describe plans for management of the project to ensure 
its proper and efficient administration. Describe scope of RBS 
involvement in the project.
    (9) Personnel Support. To assist reviewers in assessing the 
competence and experience of proposed principal investigators, the 
following must be included for each:
    (i) Estimated time commitment to the project;
    (ii) A one-page curriculum-vitae;
    (iii) A chronological list of all publications during the past 5 
years.

What To Submit

    An original and two copies must be submitted in one package.

When and Where To Submit

    Proposals must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2000. Proposals 
must be sent to Dr. Thomas H. Stafford, Director, Cooperative Marketing 
Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA, Stop 3252, Room 
4204, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-3252.

Other Federal Statutes and Regulations That Apply

    Several other Federal statutes and regulations apply to proposals 
considered for review and to cooperative agreements awarded. These 
include but are not limited to:
    7 CFR part 15, subpart A--Nondiscrimination in Federally-Assisted 
Programs of the Department of Agricultureu--Effectuation of Title VI of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
    7 CFR part 3015--Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations.
    7 CFR part 3017--Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension 
(Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free 
Workplace (Grants).
    7 CFR part 3018--New Restrictions on Lobbying.
    7 CFR part 3019--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Nonprofit Organizations.
    7 CFR part 3052--Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-
Profit Organizations.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The collection information in this notice have received temporary 
emergency clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under 
Control Number 0570-0028. However, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, RBS will seek standard OMB approval of the 
reporting requirements contained in the Notice and hereby opens a 60-
day comment period.
    Abstract: Approximately $300,000 in cooperative agreement funds has 
been allocated from the FY 2000 appropriations for programs 
administered by USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) to 
encourage research related to rural cooperatives. The funds will be 
available to institutions of higher education and nonprofit 
organizations for research on issues vital to the development and 
sustainability of cooperatives as a means of improving the quality of 
life in America's rural communities. These issues include:
    (1) Equity management issues in new generation cooperatives 
including alternatives to appreciated delivery rights: the challenges, 
benefits, and pitfalls;
    (2) Cooperatives and e-commerce: how the internet is changing the 
competitive landscape for farmer-owned businesses and their adaptation 
to it;
    (3) Marketing-agencies-in-common: a case-study examination of 
successes and failures;
    (4) Roles of social capital in generating positive market outcomes 
for cooperatively owned agribusinesses;
    (5) Governance and control issues in evolving cooperative 
structures and environments;
    (6) Cooperatives as a means of putting global markets within reach 
of small farmers;
    (7) Roles of cooperatives contracting and helping producers of 
identity-preserved crops match the needs of end-users and negotiate 
acceptable terms of trade; and
    (8) Evaluation of cooperatives' roles in the changing market 
structure of the food and fiber system.
    The funds will be awarded on a competitive basis using specific 
selection criteria.

Public Burden in This Notice

Form SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance''

    This application is used by applicants as a required face sheet for 
applications for Federal funding.

Form SF-424A, ``Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs''

    This form must be completed by applicants to show the project's 
anticipated budget breakdown in terms of expense categories and 
division of Federal and non-Federal sources of funds. Identifying the 
project's requested funding by expense category is necessary to assure 
that the expense is necessary for successful conduct of the project, is 
allowable under applicable Federal cost principles, and is not 
prohibited under any applicable Federal statute or regulation.

SF-424B, ``Assurances-Non-Construction Programs''

    This form must be completed by the applicant to provide the Federal 
government certain assurances of the applicant's legal authority to 
apply for Federal assistance and financial capability to pay the non-
Federal share of project costs. The applicant also assures compliance 
with various legal and regulatory requirements as described in the 
form.

Project Proposal

    All applicants must submit a project proposal containing the 
elements described in the notice and in the format prescribed. This 
allows for in-depth evaluation, as well as for consistency, 
organization, and clarity. The elements of the proposal are:

Reporting Requirements

    Funding recipients will be required to submit written project 
performance reports on a quarterly basis. The project performance 
reports will include, but are not limited to: (1) A comparison of 
actual accomplishments to established objectives; (2) reasons 
established objectives were not met; (3) problems,

[[Page 30054]]

delays, or adverse conditions which will materially affect attainment 
of planned project objectives; (4) objectives for the next reporting 
period; and (5) status of compliance with any special conditions on the 
use of awarded funds.

Record-Keeping Requirements

    Regulations require that financial records, supporting documents, 
statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award will 
be retained for a period of at least 3 years after the agreement 
closing. The exception that records will be retained beyond 3 years is 
if audit findings have not been resolved.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated to range from 15 minutes to 15 hours per response.
    Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 240.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: Roman 1,140.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Cheryl 
Thompson, Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch, Support Services 
Division, (202) 692-0043.

Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden to 
collect the required information, including the validity of the 
strategy used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized, included in the 
request for OMB approval, and will become a matter of public record. 
Comments on the paperwork burden may be sent to Cheryl Thompson, 
Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch, Rural Development, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Stop 0742, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC 20250-0742.

    Dated: May 4, 2000.
Wilbur T. Peer,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 00-11639 Filed 5-9-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-U