[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34253-34254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-13599]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No. 080609747-8749-01]


Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP)

AGENCY: International Trade Administration (ITA), Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for applications.

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SUMMARY: ITA is soliciting projects to strengthen U.S. competitiveness 
to be conducted by eligible entities for periods of up to three years. 
Project award periods normally begin between October 1, 2008 and 
January 1, 2009, but may begin as late as April 1, 2009. MDCP awards 
help to underwrite the start-up costs of new competitiveness-
strengthening ventures that industry groups are often reluctant to 
undertake without federal support. MDCP aims to develop, maintain and 
expand foreign markets for non-agricultural goods and services produced 
in the United States.

DATES: Proposals must be received by ITA no later than 5 p.m. EDT, 
Thursday, July 31, 2008. A public meeting to discuss the competition 
will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at 2 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to ITA, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, HCHB Rm. 3215; Washington, DC 20230, or via e-mail to 
[email protected]. The full funding opportunity announcement and 
the application kit for this request for applications are available at 
http://www.trade.gov/mdcp, or by contacting Brad Hess at 202-482-2969. 
The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 
HCHB, 14th & Constitution, NW., Washington, DC in Room B 841-B.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties who are unable to 
access information via Internet or who have questions may contact Mr. 
Brad Hess by mail (see ADDRESSES), by phone at 202-482-2969, by fax at 
202-482-4462, or via Internet at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Electronic Access: The full funding opportunity announcement for 
MDCP is available at http://www.trade.gov/mdcp.
    Funding Availability: Approximately $600,000 will be available 
through this announcement for fiscal year 2008. No award will exceed 
$250,000. ITA anticipates making a minimum of two awards. Additional 
awards might be made depending on the amounts requested and the 
availability of funds.
    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 4723.
    CFDA: 11.112, Market Development Cooperator Program.
    Eligibility: Trade associations, state departments of trade and 
their regional associations, and non-profit industry organizations, 
including organizations such as World Trade Centers, centers for 
international trade development and small business development centers 
are eligible to apply for an MDCP award. In cases where no entity 
described above represents the industry, private industry firms or 
groups of firms may be eligible to apply for an MDCP award. Such 
private industry firms or groups of firms must provide in their 
applications, documentation demonstrating that no entity in the first 
three categories listed below represents their industry.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Applicants must contribute two dollars 
for every federal dollar received. At least 50% of the applicant's cost 
share must be cash. The remaining percentage of the applicant's cost 
share may be cash or in kind.
    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 the Department of 
Commerce or ITA be responsible for proposal preparation costs if this 
program fails to receive funding or is cancelled because of other 
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not obligate 
the Department of Commerce or ITA to

[[Page 34254]]

award funds for any specific project or to obligate any available 
funds.
    Evaluation and Selection Procedures: After receiving the 
applications, ITA will screen each one to determine the applicant's 
eligibility to receive an award. After receiving all applications, a 
selection panel composed of at least three ITA managers will review the 
applications using the evaluation criteria below, score them, and 
forward a ranked funding recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for 
Manufacturing and Services. The evaluation criteria scores assigned by 
the panel determine which applications are recommended for funding. The 
Assistant Secretary makes the final selection of award winners, 
justifying any deviation from the selection panel's ranked 
recommendation by application of the selection factors listed below.
    Evaluation Criteria: The selection panel reviews each eligible 
application based on five evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria 
are listed below.
    (1) Potential to Strengthen Competitiveness (20%). This is the 
likelihood that a project will result in export initiatives by U.S. 
firms, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises.
    (2) Performance Measures (20%). Applicants must provide 
quantifiable estimates of export and market share increases, explain 
how they are derived, and detail the methods they will use to gather 
and report performance information.
    (3) Partnership and Priorities (20%). This criterion indicates the 
degree to which the project initiates or enhances partnership with ITA 
and the degree to which the proposal furthers or is compatible with 
ITA's priorities.
    (4) Creativity and Capacity (20%). Applicants demonstrate 
creativity, innovation, and realism in the project work plan as well as 
their institutional capacity to carry out the work plan.
    (5) Budget and Sustainability (20%). This criterion indicates the 
reasonableness and effectiveness of the itemized budget for project 
activities, the amount of the cash match that is readily available, and 
the probability that the project can be continued on a self-sustained 
basis after the completion of the award.
    The five criteria together constitute the application score. At 20 
points per criterion, the total possible score is 100.
    Selection Factors: The Assistant Secretary may deviate from the 
selection panel's ranked recommendation only based on the following 
factors: (1) The selection panel's written assessments, (2) Degree to 
which applications satisfy ITA priorities, (3) Geographic distribution 
of the proposed awards, (4) Diversity of industry sectors and overseas 
markets covered by the proposed awards, (5) Diversity of project 
activities represented by the proposed awards, (6) Avoidance of 
redundancy and conflicts with the initiatives of other federal 
agencies, and (7) Availability of funds.
    The ITA priorities referred to under Evaluation Criteria (3) and 
Selection Factor (2) are listed below. ITA is interested in receiving 
proposals to promote U.S. exports that include, but are not limited to, 
projects that: (1) Improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing 
and service industries by addressing impediments to innovation and 
reducing the cost of doing business in foreign countries; (2) Increase 
competitiveness of U.S. industries in large markets like China, India, 
and Brazil by addressing non-tariff barriers, especially those related 
to standards and intellectual property rights; (3) Help U.S. industry 
to capitalize on effective global supply chain management strategies; 
(4) Advance market-based approaches to energy, clean development, and 
commercialization of nuclear and alternative energy technologies; (5) 
Facilitate ease of travel to the United States and promote U.S. higher 
education and training opportunities to non-U.S. entities; (6) 
Capitalize on trade opportunities resulting from trade agreements; (7) 
Increase overall export awareness and awareness of ITA programs and 
services among U.S. companies, by making small- and medium-size 
enterprises export-ready or by facilitating deal-making; and (8) 
Support the Administration's broader foreign policy objectives through 
competitiveness-related initiatives.

The 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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7697) are applicable to this 
solicitation.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This document contains collection-of-information requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 
424 and 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 has been approved by OMB under 
the respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-
0046, and 0605-0001. 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 requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information 
displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comments are not 
required by the Administrative Procedure Act for rules concerning 
public property, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. section 
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. section 601 et seq.) are 
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not 
required and has not been prepared.

    Dated: June 11, 2008.
Robert W. Pearson,
Director, Office of Planning, Coordination and Management, 
Manufacturing and Services, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E8-13599 Filed 6-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P