[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41202-41204]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19554]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Minority Business Development Agency

[Docket No. 000724217-1193-03 ]
RIN 0640-ZA08


Solicitation of Applications for the Minority Business 
Development Center (MBDC) Program

AGENCY: Minority Business Development Agency, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is soliciting 
competitive applications, under its Minority Business Development 
Center (MBDC) Program, from organizations to operate MBDCs in Miami, 
Florida, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Honolulu, Hawaii. The prior 
solicitation for these three geographic service areas was unsuccessful. 
The intent of this solicitation is to provide business assistance to 
minority-owned companies in these three areas.

DATES: The closing date for applications for each MBDC is September 21, 
2001.

[[Page 41203]]

Anticipated time for processing of applications is 120 days. MBDA 
anticipates that awards for the MBDC program will be made with a start 
date of January 1, 2002. Completed applications for the MBDC program 
must be (1) mailed (USPS postmark) to the MBDC Program Office (see: 
ADDRESSES); or (2) received by MBDA (see: ADDRESSES) no later than 5 
p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

ADDRESSES: If the applicant or its representative mails the 
application, it must be mailed to: Minority Business Development Center 
Program Office, Office of Executive Secretariat, HCHB, Room 5063, 
Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230.
    If the application is hand-delivered by the applicant or its 
representative, the application must be delivered to Room 1874, which 
is located at Entrance #10, 15th Street, NW., between Pennsylvania and 
Constitution Avenues.
    To submit an application electronically (see: SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION), you must go to www.mbda.gov/egrants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact the 
MBDA Regional Office (see: Geographic Service Areas) in which the 
project will be located.
    Pre-Application Conference: A pre-application conference will be 
held for each MBDC solicitation. Contact the MBDA Regional Office (see: 
Geographic Service Areas) in which the project will be located to 
receive further information. Proper identification is required for 
entrance into any Federal building.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The prior solicitation for operators for 
MBDCs in Miami, Florida, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Honolulu, Hawaii, 
published in the Federal Register on August 28, 2000 (65 FR 52069), was 
unsuccessful. MBDA has elected to re-compete these service areas. The 
requirements and procedures contained in the August 28, 2000 
solicitation are applicable to this solicitation. For a copy of the 
August 28, 2000 solicitation, please go to www.mbda.gov.
    Applications postmarked later than the closing date or received 
after the closing date and time will not be considered.
    Applicants must submit one signed original plus two (2) copies of 
the application.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit their proposal electronically 
via the World Wide Web. However, the following paper forms must be 
submitted with original signatures in conjunction with any electronic 
submissions by the closing date and time stated above: (1) SF-424, 
Application for Federal Assistance; (2) the SF-424B, Assurances-Non-
Construction Programs; (3) the SF-LLL (Rev. 7-97) (if applicable), 
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; (4) Department of Commerce Form CD-
346 (if applicable), Applicant for Funding Assistance; and (5) the CD-
511, Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and Lobbying. 
MBDA's web site address to submit an application on-line is 
www.mbda.gov/egrants. All required forms are located at this web 
address.
    Failure to submit a signed, original SF-424 with the application, 
or separately in conjunction with submitting a proposal electronically, 
by the deadline will result in the application being rejected and 
returned to the applicant. Failure to sign and submit with the 
application, or separately in conjunction with submitting a proposal 
electronically, the other forms identified above by the deadline will 
automatically cause an application to lose two (2) points. Failure to 
submit other documents or information may adversely affect an 
applicant's overall score. MBDA shall not accept any changes, 
additions, revisions or deletions to competitive applications after the 
closing date for receiving applications, except through a formal 
negotiation process.

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

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)

    11.800  Minority Business Development Center Program.

Funding Availability

    MBDA anticipates that a total of approximately $800K will be 
available in FY 2002 for Federal assistance under this program. 
Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been 
appropriated for this program. In no event will MBDA or the Department 
of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if this 
program fails to receive funding or is canceled because of other agency 
priorities.
    Financial assistance awards under this program may range from 
$155,000 to $338,750 in Federal funding per year based upon minority 
population, the size of the market and its need for MBDA resources. 
Applicants must submit project plans and budgets for three years. The 
annual awards must have Scopes of Work that are clearly severable and 
can be easily separated into annual increments of meaningful work that 
will produce measurable programmatic objectives. Maintaining the 
severability of each annual funding request is necessary to ensure the 
orderly management and closure of a project in the event funding is not 
available for the second or third year continuation of the project. 
Projects will be funded for no more than one year at a time. Funding 
for subsequent years will be at the sole discretion of the Department 
of Commerce (DoC) and will depend on satisfactory performance by the 
recipient and the availability of funds to support the continuation of 
the project.

Geographic Service Areas

    An operator must provide services to eligible clients within its 
specified geographic service area. MBDA has defined the service area 
for each award below. To determine its geographic service areas, MBDA 
uses states, counties, Metropolitan Areas (MA), which comprise 
metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), consolidated metropolitan 
statistical areas (CMSA), and primary metropolitan statistical areas 
(PMSA) as defined by the OMB Committee on MAs (see: attachment to OMB 
Bulletin 99-04, Revised Statistical Definitions of Metropolitan Areas 
(MAs) and Guidance on Uses of MA Definitions (June 30, 1999), found at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/inforeg/index.html) and other demographic 
boundaries as specified herein. Services to eligible clients outside of 
an operator's specified service area may be requested, on a case-by-
case basis, through the appropriate MBDA Regional Director and granted 
by the Grants Officer.

1. MBDC Application: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

    Geographic Service Area: Miami--Fort Lauderdale, Florida MAs.
    Award Number: 04-10-02001-01.
    The recipient is required to maintain a satellite office in Fort 
Lauderdale, to service the Fort Lauderdale MA, while maintaining the 
MBDC principle office in the Miami MA. Contingent upon the availability 
of Federal funds, the cost of performance for each of the three 12-
month funding periods from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2004, is 
estimated at $398,529. The total Federal amount is $338,750. The 
application must include a minimum cost share of 15% or $59,779 in non-
Federal contributions.
    The minimum performance goals for the MBDC are:

[[Page 41204]]

    Completed Work Products: 188.
    Dollar Value of Transactions: $21,176,471.
    Number of New Clients: 221.
    Number of Client Service Hours: 3,750.
    Pre-Application Conference: For the exact date, time and place, 
contact the Atlanta Regional Office at (404) 730-3300.
    For Further Information and a copy of the application kit contact 
Robert Henderson, Regional Director.

2. MBDC Application: Oklahoma City

    Geographic Service Area: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma MA.
    Award Number: 06-10-02001-01.
    Contingent upon the availability of Federal funds, the cost of 
performance for each of the three 12-month funding periods from January 
1, 2002 to December 31, 2004, is estimated at $182,353. The total 
Federal amount is $155,000. The application must include a minimum cost 
share of 15% or $27,353 in non-Federal contributions.
    The minimum performance goals for the MBDC are:
    Completed Work Products: 106.
    Dollar Value of Transactions: $12,000,000.
    Number of New Clients: 125.
    Number of Client Service Hours: 2,125.
    Pre-Application Conference: For the exact date, time and place, 
contact the Dallas Regional Office at (214) 767-8001.
    For Further Information and a copy of the application kit, contact 
John Iglehart, Regional Director.

3. MBDC Application: Honolulu

    Geographic Service Area: Honolulu, Hawaii MA.
    Award Number: 09-10-02001-01.
    Contingent upon the availability of Federal funds, the cost of 
performance for each of the three 12-month funding periods from January 
1, 2002 to December 31, 2004, is estimated at $288,235. The total 
Federal amount is $245,000. The application must include a minimum cost 
share of 15% or $43,235 in non-Federal contributions.
    The minimum goals for the MBDC are:
    Completed Work Products: 162.
    Dollar Value of Transactions: $18,352,941.
    Number of New Clients: 191.
    Number of Client Service Hours: 3,250.
    Pre-Application Conference: For the exact date, time and place, 
contact the San Francisco Regional Office at (415) 744-3001.
    For Further Information and a copy of the application kit contact: 
Melda Cabrera, Regional Director.
    Executive Order 12866: This Notice was determined to be not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.

    Dated: July 26, 2001.
Ronald N. Langston,
Director, Minority Business Development Agency.
[FR Doc. 01-19554 Filed 8-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-21-P