[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6644-6646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2984]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Minority Business Development Agency

[Docket No. 000724218-4041-08]


Solicitation of Applications for the Native American Business 
Development Center (NABDC) Program

AGENCY: Minority Business Development Agency, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is soliciting 
competitive applications from organizations to operate a Native 
American Business Development Centers (NABDC) under its Native American 
Business Development Center (NABDC) Program. The NABDC geographic 
service area being solicited in this Notice: The States of Minnesota/
Iowa. The prior solicitation for this geographic service area was 
unsuccessful. The anticipated start date is April 1, 2004. The total 
award period for awards will be two years and nine months. Funding will 
be provided initially for a nine-month period, and provided annually 
thereafter. Future funding will be at the discretion of MBDA and the 
Department of Commerce, and will depend upon satisfactory performance 
by the award recipient, availability of funds, and Agency priorities.
    The NABDC Program requires project operators to deploy standardized 
business assistance services to the Native American business public 
directly, to develop a network of strategic partnerships and to provide 
strategic business consulting within the geographic service area. These 
requirements will be used to generate increased results with respect to 
financing and contracts awarded to Native American and minority-owned 
firms and thus, are a key component of this program.

DATES: The closing date for submission of applications is March 12, 
2004. Completed applications must be (1) mailed (USPS Postmark) to the 
address below; or (2) received by MBDA no later than 5 p.m. eastern 
standard time.

[[Page 6645]]


ADDRESSES: If the application is mailed by the applicant or its 
representative, they must submit one signed original plus two (2) 
copies of the application. Completed application packages must be 
mailed to: Office of Business Development, 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 his/her 
representative, one signed original plus two (2) copies of the 
application must be delivered to Room 1874, which is located at 
Entrance 10, 15th Street, NW., between Pennsylvania and Constitution 
Avenues.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the full Notice and/or 
an application package, contact the specified MBDA National Enterprise 
Center (NEC) for the geographic service area in which the project will 
be located (see Geographic Service Areas), or via MBDA's Minority 
Business Internet Portal at http://www.mbda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The prior solicitation for operators for the 
NABDC in the State of Minnesota published in the Federal Register on 
August 29, 2003 (68 FR 51965), as amended on September 30, 2003 (68 FR 
56267), was unsuccessful. MBDA has elected to re-compete this service 
area, expanding the service area to include the State of Iowa. The 
evaluation criteria and selection procedures contained in the August 
29, 2003 notice are applicable to this solicitation. For a copy of the 
August 29, 2003 notice, please go to http://www.mbda.gov.
    Electronic Access: The full Notice for the NABDC program is 
available via Web site http://www.mbda.gov or by contacting the program 
official identified above. This announcement will also be available 
through Grants.gov at http://www.Grants.gov.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit their entire proposal 
electronically via the Internet and mail or hand-deliver only the pages 
that require original signatures by the closing date and time stated 
above. Applicants may submit their applications on MBDA's Web site: 
http://www.mbda.gov. All required forms are located at this Web 
address. 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.
    Pre-Application Conference: A pre-application conference will be 
held for the NABDC project solicitation. Contact the specified MBDA NEC 
for the geographic service area in which the project will be located to 
receive further information, (see Geographic Service Areas). Picture 
identification is required for entrance into any Federal building. 
Notice of the pre-application conference will be available on MBDA's 
Internet Portal at http://www.mbda.gov.
    Funding Availability: Approximately $120,000 will be available in 
FY 2004 for Federal assistance under this program.
    The Financial assistance award under this program is $120,000 for 
the first nine months of the award and $300,000 in the second and third 
year of the award in Federal funding based upon Native American and 
minority population, the size of the market and its need for MBDA 
resources.
    Geographic Service Areas: An operator is required to serve the 
Native American and minority business community throughout the states 
of Minnesota and Iowa. MBDA has defined the service area for this 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 http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins and 
other demographic boundaries as specified herein. Service 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.
    The NABDC geographic service area being solicited in this Notice 
is: The States of Minnesota/Iowa.

1. MBDC Application: Minnesota/Iowa NABDC.
Geographic Service Area: States of Minnesota/Iowa.
Award Number: 05-10-04004-01.

    The recipient is required to have the NABDC physically located in 
only one of these states; however, if the operator does not have 
physical presence in both states, it must specify in detail how it 
plans to service the geographic service area. Contingent upon the 
availability of Federal funds, the cost of performance for the first 
funding period from April 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004 is estimated at 
$120,000. The total Federal amount is $120,000. The minimum cost share 
of 15% is not required.
    Contingent upon the availability of Federal funds, the cost of 
performance for each of two (2) remaining 12-month funding periods from 
January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2006, is estimated at $300,000. The 
total Federal amount is $300,000. The minimum cost share of 15% is not 
required.
    Pre-Application Conference: For the exact date, time and place, 
contact the Chicago National Enterprise Center at (312) 353-0182 or 
visit MBDA's Web site at http://www.mbda.gov.
    For Further Information and a copy of the application kit, contact 
Eric Dobyne, Regional Director at the number listed above.

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

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.801 Native 
Business Development Center (NABDC) Program.

    Eligibility Criteria: For-profit entities (including sole-
proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations), and non-profit 
organizations, state and local government entities, American Indian 
Tribes, and educational institutions are eligible to operate NABDCs.
    Matching Requirements: None.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Limitation of Liability: In no event will MBDA or the Department of 
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these 
programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other 
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige 
MBDA or the Department of Commerce to award any specific project or to 
obligate any available funds.
    Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 
contained in the Federal Register notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 
49917), as amended by the Federal Register notice published on October 
30, 2002 (67 FR 66109), are applicable to this solicitation.
    Executive Order 12866: This notice has been determined to be not 
significant for purposes of E.O. 12866.

[[Page 6646]]

    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior 
notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the 
Administrative Procedure Act for rules concerning public property, 
loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because 
notice and opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. 
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required and has 
not been prepared.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: This document contains collection-of-
information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, CD 346, and SF-LLL have been 
approved by OMB under the respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-
0044, 0348-0040, 0605-0001, and 0348-0046. Notwithstanding any other 
provision of 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 Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 
collection displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Ronald N. Langston,
National Director, Minority Business Development Agency.
[FR Doc. 04-2984 Filed 2-10-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-21-P