[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 148 (Friday, August 1, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45215-45216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19618]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Advance Request for Proposals (Advance RFP) Inviting Applications 
for Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration Program Grants

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS or Agency) 
provides advance notice of the possible availability of up to 
$10,000,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2003 to fund the establishment of 
agriculture innovation centers that are to provide assistance to 
agriculture producers in the development of value-added businesses. 
Availability of FY 2003 funding is contingent on the publication of the 
final Agriculture Innovation Centers grant regulation in FY 2003 with 
sufficient time for applications to be submitted and acted on by the 
Agency during FY 2003. We anticipate that the publication date for the 
related final rule will provide a very limited amount of time to submit 
applications.
    Accordingly, this Advance RFP lists the information needed to 
submit an application for these funds to the extent the details can be 
provided today; the deadline for receipt and any substantive changes 
required by the final rule will be the subject of a future notice 
published as part of the final rule or in a contemporaneously published 
notice.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of an application is 4 p.m. e.s.t. on 
date which is five days after the publication date of the related final 
Agriculture Innovation Center rule in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Hand-delivered applications or applications submitted using 
an express mail or overnight courier service should be sent to: Marc 
Warman, USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 1400 Independence 
Ave., SW., Room 4016, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 720-8460. 
Applications sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be sent to: Marc 
Warman, USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, STOP 3252, 1400 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-3252. Applications sent 
via e-mail attachment must be sent to: [email protected]. Please 
note that due to recent security concerns, packages sent to the Agency 
have suffered significant delays. Entities wishing to apply for 
assistance should contact Marc Warman to receive further information 
and copies of the application package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Haskell, Acting Deputy 
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA, Stop 3250, 
Room 4016, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-3250, 
telephone: (202) 720-8460, or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Approval for the information collection requirements described in 
this Advance RFP was requested of the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) pursuant to a new collection request submitted before the 
publication of a related proposed rulemaking to provide for the 
policies and procedures relating, in part, to the agriculture 
innovation center demonstration program. This proposed regulation, and 
the related notice and request for comment on this information 
collection were published in the Federal Register on June 13, 2003, at 
68 FR 35321 (``Proposed Rule''). An OMB control number would ordinarily 
be published concurrent with publication of the related final rule 
(``Final Rule'') after consideration of comments received in response 
to this paperwork notice. Accordingly, no OMB control number has been 
assigned at this time and the paperwork requirements included in this 
Advance RFP will not be effective until such time as the collection is 
approved and the control number assigned.
    The deadline for the receipt of the application materials set forth 
in this RFP may not be earlier than the date the information collection 
is approved and the Final Rule is published. There is no guarantee that 
the information collection will be approved or that the related Final 
Rule will be published in time to obligate the funds available for 
Fiscal Year 2003.
    In the event that a final rule has been promulgated and the 
information collect has been approved by awards cannot be made by 
September 30, 2003, it is USDA's intention that applications submitted 
after the effective date of the final rule will be held and considered 
for the award of Fiscal 2004 funds if and when Fiscal 2004 funds become 
available for this purpose.

Notice of Intent To Participate; Relationship Between This Advance RFP 
and the Proposed Rule

    The policies and procedures proposed for this new demonstration 
program are outlined in the Proposed Rule. This Advance RFP must be 
read in conjunction with the Proposed Rule. Until such time as the 
policies and procedures are published as a final rule and the 
associated paperwork requirements are approved OMB, RBS may not accept 
applications.
    Parties interested in applying under this program are encouraged, 
but not required, to send a notice of intent to participate to the 
Agency conforming to the suggested template provided at the end of this 
Advance RFP (``Notice of Intent''). Those who submit a Notice of Intent 
will be sent an e-mail or fax by the Agency when the Final Rule is 
published and the Agency will accept applications. Submission of a 
Notice of Intent does not obligate a prospective applicant to apply. If 
a prospective applicant elects to avail themselves of this courtesy 
notification, the Notice of Intent to participate must be e-mailed to 
[email protected].
    This Advance RFP calls for applications that meet the requirements 
published in the Proposed Rule and includes cross references to the 
Proposed Rule in order to minimize a duplication of published material. 
In the event the RBS is not able to timely obligate FY 2003 funds, 
applications received will be held for consideration for FY 2004 
funding as and when available. It is not contemplated that a revised 
RFP will be issued for FY 2004 except as provided below. Only 
applications that are timely received in response to this Advance RFP 
will be eligible for either FY 2003 or FY 2004 funding, as applicable.
    In the event the Agency is successful in making FY 2003 awards, and 
is later in a position to make FY 2004 awards, a new RFP will be issued 
for FY 2004 funding. Applications received in response to this Advance 
RFP will be held and considered for FY 2004 funding if and only if it 
is not possible to make timely FY 2003 awards.

Performance Criteria

    The Proposed Rule contemplates that applicants will be asked to 
suggest performance goals against which the performance of their 
Centers and successes of their value added projects are to be measured. 
The Proposed Rule also sets forth evaluation criteria that are to be 
used in evaluating grant applications. It provides that a given RFP may 
supplement these evaluation

[[Page 45216]]

criteria. In this Advance RFP, USDA has included one supplemental 
evaluation criterion. This evaluation criterion looks at the quality of 
the performance criteria suggested by the applicant for evaluating the 
success of the proposed Center. Criteria which are ambitious, readily 
quantifiable and reflect serious consideration and seriousness of 
purpose will result in more points scored than proposed performance 
criteria that are superficial, reflect little or no challenge, and do 
not incorporate variables that reflect value-added results.

Background

    Section 6402 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
(Pub. L. 107-171) (2002 Farm Bill) authorizes the Secretary of 
Agriculture to establish up to 10 agriculture innovation demonstration 
centers (Agriculture Innovation Centers or AICs) in Fiscal Year 2003. 
The purpose of these centers is to foster the ability of agricultural 
producers to reap the benefits of producing and marketing value-added 
products.
    The Proposed Rule sets forth the proposed policies and procedures 
for this program. The Agency has elected not to wait until publication 
of a Final Rule before publishing this Advance RFP in order to alert 
potential applicants of the anticipated limited timing for the filing 
of application packages so as to maximize the possibility of awarding 
grants in FY 2003. While comments to the Proposed Rule may effect 
substantive changes to the final promulgated rule, it is the intention 
of this Advance RFP to give potential applicants as much lead time as 
possible to develop applications.

Restrictions on Awards

    1. RBS will not make more than ten grant awards for FY 2003.
    2. RBS will not make a grant to more than one entity in any one 
State.
    3. A grant award may not exceed the lesser of $1,000,000 or twice 
the dollar amount (in cash or in kind) of the resources committed to 
the Center's operations apart from the program grant funds.

Evaluation Criteria and Weights

    The reader is referred to the Proposed Rule for the proposed 
evaluation criteria listed there. Each criterion may be awarded up to 
five (5) points. This Advance Request for Proposals provides for the 
following, seventh, evaluation criterion:
Performance Criteria
    Criteria suggested by the applicant pursuant to proposed Sec.  
4284.1009(c)(5)(v) that are ambitious, relevant and quantifiable and 
reflect serious consideration and seriousness of purpose will score 
more points than superficial performance criteria that reflect little 
or no challenge or that do not incorporate variables that reflect 
value-added results.
    In the event of a tied score between two or more applications, the 
scores for the first individual criterion listed in the Proposed Rule 
will be compared, and the highest score for that individual criterion 
will break the tie. If the scores for the first criterion are tied, the 
scores for the second criterion will be compared, and so on.

Contents of Application Package

    Under the Proposed Rule at Sec.  4284.1009, applicants must file an 
original and one copy of the required forms and proposal.

Form of Submission

    After the information collection has been approved by OMB and the 
Proposed Rule becomes final, applicants are encouraged, but not 
required, to submit applications and reports in electronic form. A 
complete, original application may be electronically sent as an e-mail 
attachment to [email protected]. If applications are submitted 
electronically, a signature page must be submitted via facsimile to the 
attention of Marc Warman at (202) 720-4641 or in hard copy to Marc 
Warman at the address provided at the beginning of this notice. 
Alternatively, an original application package plus one paper copy may 
be submitted to the addresses provided at the beginning of this notice.

    Dated: July 25, 2003.
Thomas C. Dorr
Under Secretary, Rural Development.

Notice of Intent To Participate Suggested Template

Agriculture Innovation Center Grant Program

    The undersigned hereby expresses interest in applying for an 
agriculture innovation center grant pursuant to the Request for 
Proposals published by the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service 
(RBS) for Fiscal Year 2003. The purpose of this notice is solely to 
facilitate courtesy communication from RBS regarding the publication 
timing of the anticipated Final Rulemaking related to the Agriculture 
Innovation Center Grant Program.

 Applicant Entity:-----------------------------------------------------

 Applicant Address:----------------------------------------------------

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 Applicant Telephone:--------------------------------------------------

 Name of Individual Representative:------------------------------------

 Title:----------------------------------------------------------------

 Firm (if different from the Applicant):-------------------------------

 Address (if different than the Applicant):----------------------------

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The applicant must indicate the method by which notification will be 
sent and the complete address. Choose only one method. The Agency 
will not be responsible for any failure of the applicant to receive 
notifications sent by the selected method.

 Telephone:------------------------------------------------------------

 Email:----------------------------------------------------------------

Fax number:

 (Attention):----------------------------------------------------------

[FR Doc. 03-19618 Filed 7-31-03; 8:45 am]
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