[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21109-21112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08232]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number 130305199-3199-01]


Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center for Nebraska; 
Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United 
States Department of Commerce (DoC).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: NIST invites applications from eligible applicants for funding 
projects that provide manufacturing extension services to primarily 
small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the United States. 
Specifically, NIST seeks applications to re-establish an MEP center in 
Nebraska.

DATES: Electronic applications must be received no later than 11:59 
p.m. Eastern Time on June 10, 2013. Paper applications must be received 
by NIST by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 10, 2013.

ADDRESSES: For applicants without Internet access, the standard 
application package may be obtained by contacting Diane Henderson, 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4800, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800, 
phone (301) 975-5105, or by downloading the application package through 
Grants.gov. Paper submissions should be sent to: Diane Henderson, 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4800, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800. 
Electronic submissions should be submitted to www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Administrative, budget, cost-sharing, 
and eligibility questions and other programmatic questions should be 
directed to Diane Henderson at Tel: (301) 975-5105; Email: 
[email protected]; Fax: (301) 963-6556. Grants Administration 
questions should be addressed to: Scott McNichol, Grants and Agreements 
Management Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1650, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1650; Tel: (301) 
975-5603; Email: [email protected]; Fax: (301) 926-6458. For 
assistance with using Grants.gov contact Christopher Hunton at Tel: 
(301) 975-5718; Email: [email protected]; Fax: (301) 840-
5976. All questions and responses will be posted on the MEP Web site, 
www.nist.gov/mep.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Electronic access: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the 
corresponding Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement available 
at www.grants.gov for complete information about this program, 
including all program requirements and instructions for applying by 
paper or electronically. The FFO may be found by searching under the 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number provided below.
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 278k, as implemented in 15 CFR part 290
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership--11.611
    Webinar Information Session: NIST MEP will hold an information 
session for organizations considering applying to this opportunity. An 
information session in the form of a webinar will be held approximately 
14 business days after publication of this notice. The exact date and 
time of the webinar will be posted on the MEP Web site at www.nist.gov/mep. Organizations wishing to participate in the webinar must sign up 
by contacting Diane Henderson at [email protected].
    Program Description: NIST invites applications from eligible 
applicants for funding one (1) MEP center to provide manufacturing 
extension services to primarily small- and medium-sized manufacturers 
in the state of Nebraska. The MEP center will become part of the MEP 
national system of extension service providers, currently comprised of 
more than 400 centers and field offices located throughout the United 
States and Puerto Rico.
    The objective of an MEP center is to provide manufacturing 
extension services that enhance productivity, innovative capacity, and 
technological performance, and strengthen the global competitiveness of 
primarily small- and medium-sized U.S.-based manufacturing firms in its 
service region. Manufacturing extension services are provided by 
utilizing the most cost effective, local, leveraged resources for those 
services through the coordinated efforts of a regionally-based MEP 
center and local technology resources. The management and operational 
structure of an MEP center is not prescribed, but should be based upon 
the characteristics of the manufacturers in the region and locally 
available resources with demonstrated experience working with 
manufacturers.
    It is not the intent of this program that the centers perform 
research and development.
    Information regarding MEP and these centers is available at 
www.nist.gov/mep.
    Funding Availability: NIST anticipates funding one (1) application 
at the level of up to $600,000 for an MEP Center in the state of 
Nebraska. The project awarded under this notice and the corresponding 
FFO will have a budget and performance period of one (1) year. The 
award may be renewed on an annual basis subject to the review 
requirements described in 15 CFR 290.8.
    Cost Share Requirements: This Program requires a non-Federal cost 
share of at least 50 percent of the total project cost for the first 
year of operation. Any renewal funding of an award will require non-
Federal cost sharing as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Maximum NIST    Minimum non-
        Year of center operation               share       federal share
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-3.....................................           \1/2\           \1/2\
4.......................................           \2/5\           \3/5\
5 and beyond............................           \1/3\           \2/3\
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 21110]]

    Non-Federal cost sharing is that portion of the project costs not 
borne by the Federal Government. The applicant's share of the MEP 
center expenses may include cash, services, and third party in-kind 
contributions, as described at 15 CFR 14.23 or 24.24, as applicable, 
and the MEP program rule, 15 CFR 290.4(c). No more than 50% of the 
applicant's total non-Federal cost share may be third party in-kind 
contributions of part-time personnel, equipment, software, rental value 
of centrally located space, and related contributions, per 15 CFR. 
290.4(c)(5). The source and detailed rationale of the cost share, 
including cash, full- and part-time personnel, and in-kind donations, 
must be documented in the budget submitted with the application and 
will be considered as part of the evaluation review under Section 
V.1(d)(4) of the FFO.
    All non-Federal cost share contributions require a letter of 
commitment signed by an authorized official from each source.
    Any cost sharing must be in accordance with the ``cost sharing or 
matching'' provisions of 15 CFR part 14, Uniform Administrative 
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements with Institutions of 
Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Non-Profit, and Commercial 
Organizations or 15 CFR part 24, Uniform Administrative Requirements 
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments, 
as applicable.
    As with the Federal share, any proposed costs included as non-
Federal cost sharing must be an allowable/eligible cost under this 
Program and the following applicable Federal cost principles: (1) 
Institutions of Higher Education: 2 CFR part 220 (OMB Circular A-21); 
(2) Nonprofit Organizations: 2 CFR part 230 (OMB Circular A-122); and 
(3) State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments: 2 CFR part 225 (OMB 
Circular A-87).
    As with the Federal share, any proposed non-Federal cost sharing 
will be made a part of the cooperative agreement award and will be 
subject to audit if the project receives MEP funding.
    Eligibility: The eligibility requirements given in this section 
will be used in lieu of those published in the MEP regulations found at 
15 CFR part 290, specifically 15 CFR 290.5(a)(1). Each award recipient 
must be a U.S.-based nonprofit institution or organization. For the 
purpose of this notice and the corresponding FFO, nonprofit 
organizations include universities and state and local governments. An 
eligible organization may work individually or include proposed 
subawards or contracts with others in a project application, 
effectively forming a team. Existing MEP centers are eligible. However, 
as discussed in Section III.3.b. of the FFO, NIST will generally not 
consider applications for funding that propose an organizational or 
operational structure that, in whole or in part, delegates or transfers 
to another person, institution, or organization the applicant's 
responsibility for core MEP management and oversight functions.
    Application Requirements: Applications must be submitted in 
accordance with the requirements set forth in the corresponding FFO 
announcement.
    Application/Review Information: The evaluation criteria, selection 
factors, and review and selection process provided in this section will 
be used for this competition in lieu of that provided in the MEP 
regulations found at 15 CFR part 290, specifically 15 CFR 290.6 and 
290.7.
    The applications will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria 
described below, which are set in the context of the applicant's 
ability to align the application for accomplishing the objectives of 
NIST MEP's Next Generation Strategy: Continuous Improvement, Technology 
Acceleration, Supplier Development, Sustainability and Workforce. The 
NIST MEP Next Generation Strategy can be found at www.nist.gov/mep. As 
discussed further below, applications will be scored based on these 
factors, each of which will be given equal weight in the evaluation 
process, with a maximum score of 100.
    The evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating 
applications are as follows:
    a. Identification of Target Firms in Proposed Region. (20 pts) Does 
the application clearly address the entire service region, providing 
for a large enough population of target firms of small- and medium-
sized manufacturers that the applicant understands and can serve, and 
which is not presently served by an existing Center? Does the applicant 
describe the types of services and delivery approaches proposed for the 
region?
    (1) Market Analysis. Demonstrated understanding of the service 
region's manufacturing base, including business size, industry types, 
product mix, and technology requirements. Explain how the understanding 
will inform resources and services to be offered to firms in the 
region.
    (2) Geographical Location. Concentration of industry and economic 
significance of the service region's manufacturing base. Geographical 
diversity of the Center and its regional offices will be a factor in 
evaluation of applications. How does the applicant intend to reach 
manufacturing across the region?
    b. Technology Resources. (20 pts) Does the application assure 
strength in technical personnel and programmatic resources, full-time 
staff, facilities, equipment, and linkages to external sources of 
technology to develop and transfer technologies related to NIST 
research results and expertise in the objectives outlined in 15 CFR 
290.3 (b) (1-4) as well as the NIST MEP's Next Generation Strategies: 
Continuous Improvement, Technology Acceleration, Supplier Development 
(Supply Chain), Environmental Sustainability and Workforce? Does the 
application describe the partnership's contractual relationships and 
monitoring plans?
    c. Technology Delivery Mechanisms. (20 pts) Does the application 
clearly and sharply define an effective methodology for delivering 
advanced manufacturing technology to small- and medium-sized 
manufacturers and mechanism(s) for accelerating the adoption of 
technologies for both process improvement and new product adoption? 
Does the application describe the center business model?
    (1) Linkages. Development of effective partnerships or linkages to 
third parties such as industry, universities, nonprofit economic 
organizations, and state governments who will amplify the Center's 
technology delivery to reach a large number of clients in its service 
region.
    (2) Program Leverage. Provision of an effective strategy to amplify 
the Center's technology delivery approaches to achieve the proposed 
objectives as described in 15 CFR 290.3(e).
    d. Management and Financial Plan. (20 pts) Does the application 
define a management structure and assure management personnel to carry 
out development and operation of an effective Center? How do the 
management structure and personnel support achievements of the MEP 
mission and objectives?
    (1) Organizational Structure. Completeness and appropriateness of 
the organizational structure, and its focus on the mission of the 
Center. Assurance of local full-time top management of the Center. This 
includes a clearly presented Oversight Board structure with a 
membership representing small- and medium- sized manufacturers in the 
region. MEP has determined that centers clearly benefit when a majority 
or more of its Board members/Trustees compose a

[[Page 21111]]

membership representing principally small- and medium-sized 
manufacturers, as well as committed partners, and do not have dual 
obligations to more than one Center. Two-thirds of the members of the 
Center's oversight board must not be members of any other MEP Center 
boards. Center board members should not include MEP extension service 
delivery organizations receiving financial payments from the center.
    (2) Program Management. Effectiveness of the planned methodology of 
program management. This criterion includes the identification of 
committed local partners and demonstrated experience of the leadership 
team in manufacturing, outreach and partnership development.
    (3) Internal Evaluation. Effectiveness of the planned continuous 
internal evaluation of program activities. The application must provide 
the methodology and periodic activity for continuous internal 
evaluation of the program activities and demonstrate the effectiveness 
of defined methodology.
    (4) Plans for Financial Cost Share. Demonstrated stability and 
duration of the applicant's funding commitments. Identification of the 
sources of cost share and the general terms of funding commitments. The 
total level of cost share and detailed rationale of the cost share, 
including cash and in-kind, must be documented in the budget submitted 
with the application.
    e. Budget.(20 pts) Suitability and focus of the applicant's 
detailed one-year budget and budget outline for years two (2) through 
five (5).
    Selection Factors. The Selecting Official shall select applications 
for award based upon the rank order of the applications, and may select 
an application out of rank based on one or more of the following 
selection factors:
    a. The availability of Federal funds.
    b. The need to assure appropriate regional distribution.
    c. Whether the project duplicates other projects funded by DoC or 
by other Federal agencies.

Review and Selection Process

    a. Initial Administrative Review of Applications. An initial review 
of timely received applications will be conducted to determine 
eligibility, completeness, and responsiveness to this notice and the 
corresponding FFO and the scope of the stated program objectives. 
Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or non-
responsive may be eliminated from further review.
    b. Full Review of Eligible, Complete, and Responsive Applications. 
Applications that are determined to be eligible, complete, and 
responsive will proceed for full reviews in accordance with the review 
and selection processes below:
    (1) Evaluation and Review.
    NIST will appoint an evaluation panel, consisting of at least three 
technically qualified reviewers to evaluate each application based on 
the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of the FFO) and assign a 
numeric score for each application. If more than one non-Federal 
employee reviewer is used on the panel, the panel member reviewers may 
discuss the applications with each other, but scores will be determined 
on an individual basis, not as a consensus. Panelists will assign each 
application a score, based on the application's responsiveness to the 
criteria above, with a maximum score of 100. Applications with an 
average score of 70 or higher out of 100 will be deemed finalists.
    Finalists may receive written follow-up questions in order for the 
evaluation panel to gain a better understanding of the applicant's 
proposal. Once the evaluation panel has completed their review of the 
applicant's responses, a conference call or site visit may be deemed 
necessary. If deemed necessary, either all finalists will participate 
in a conference call or all finalists will receive site visits that 
will be conducted by the same evaluation panel reviewers referenced in 
the preceding paragraph. NIST may enter into negotiations with the 
finalists concerning any aspect of their application. Finalists will be 
reviewed and evaluated, and evaluation panel reviewers may revise their 
assigned numeric scores based on the evaluation criteria (see Section 
V.1. of the FFO) as a result of the conference call or site visit.
    (2) Ranking and Selection.
    Based on the panel member reviewers' final numeric scores, a rank 
order will be prepared and provided to the Selecting Official for 
further consideration. The Selecting Official, who is the Director of 
the NIST MEP Program, will then select funding recipients based upon 
the rank order and the selection factors (see Section V.2. of the FFO).
    In accordance with the Federal appropriations law expected to be in 
effect at the time of project funding, NIST anticipates that the 
selected applicant will be provided a form and asked to make a 
representation regarding any unpaid delinquent tax liability or felony 
conviction under any Federal law.
    NIST reserves the right to negotiate the budget costs with any 
applicant selected to receive an award, which may include requesting 
that the applicant remove certain costs. Additionally, NIST may request 
that the successful applicant modify objectives or work plans and 
provide supplemental information required by the agency prior to award. 
NIST also reserves the right to reject an application where information 
is uncovered that raises a reasonable doubt as to the responsibility of 
the applicant. NIST may select part, some, all, or none of the 
applications. The final approval of selected applications and issuance 
of awards will be by the NIST Grants Officer. The award decisions of 
the NIST Grants Officer are final.
    Anticipated Announcement and Award Date. Review, selection, and 
award processing is expected to be completed in August 2013. The 
earliest anticipated start date for awards made under this notice and 
the corresponding FFO is expected to be December 1, 2013.

Additional Information

    a. Application Replacement Pages. Applicants may not submit 
replacement pages and/or missing documents once an application has been 
submitted. Any revisions must be made by submission of a new 
application that must be received by NIST by the submission deadline.
    b. Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants. Unsuccessful applicants 
will be notified in writing.
    c. Retention of Unsuccessful Applications. One (1) copy of each 
non-selected application will be retained for three (3) years for 
record keeping purposes and the other two (2) copies will be destroyed. 
After three (3) years the remaining copy will be destroyed.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements: The 
DoC Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements, which are contained in the Federal Register notice of 
December 17, 2012 (77 FR 74634), are applicable to this notice and the 
corresponding FFO and are available at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/documents/Department%20of%20Commerce%20Financial%20Assistance%20Pre%20Award%20Notice%20-%2077%20FR%2074634.pdf.
    Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN), Dun and 
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), and System for Award

[[Page 21112]]

Management (SAM): All applicants for Federal financial assistance are 
required to obtain a universal identifier in the form of DUNS number 
and maintain a current registration in the Federal government's primary 
registrant database, SAM. On the form SF-424 items 8.b. and 8.c., the 
applicant's 9-digit EIN/TIN and 9-digit DUNS number must be consistent 
with the information in SAM (https://www.sam.gov/) and the Automated 
Standard Application for Payment System (ASAP). For complex 
organizations with multiple EINs/TINs and DUNS numbers, the EIN/TIN and 
DUNS numbers MUST be the numbers for the applying organization. 
Organizations that provide incorrect/inconsistent EIN/TIN and DUNS 
numbers may experience significant delays in receiving funds if their 
application is selected for funding. Confirm that the EIN/TIN and DUNS 
number are consistent with the information on the SAM and ASAP.
    Per 2 CFR part 25, each applicant must:
    (1) Be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) 
before submitting an application, noting the CCR now resides in SAM;
    (2) Maintain an active CCR registration, noting the CCR now resides 
in SAM, with current information at all times during which it has an 
active Federal award or an application under consideration by an 
agency; and
    (3) Provide its DUNS number in each application or application it 
submits to the agency.
    The applicant can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A 
DUNS number can be created within one business day. The CCR or SAM 
registration process may take five or more business days to complete. 
If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not need to make 
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with 
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update 
your CCR registration annually. This may take three or more business 
days to complete. Information about SAM is available at SAM.gov.
    See also 2 CFR part 25 and the Federal Register notice published on 
September 14, 2010, at 75 FR 55671.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit 
involve a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 have 
been approved by OMB under the respective Control Numbers 0348-0043, 
0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001. MEP program-specific 
application requirements have been approved by OMB under Control Number 
0693-0056.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the 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 Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
    Funding Availability and Limitation of Liability: Funding for the 
program listed in this notice and the corresponding FFO is contingent 
upon the availability of appropriations. In no event will NIST or DoC 
be responsible for application preparation costs if this program fails 
to receive funding or is cancelled because of agency priorities. 
Publication of this notice and the corresponding FFO does not oblige 
NIST or DoC to award any specific project or to obligate any available 
funds.
    Executive Order 12866: This funding notice was 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.
    Executive Order 12372: Proposals under this program are not subject 
to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and 
comment are not required under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) or any other law, for matters relating to public property, 
loans, grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553 (a)). Moreover, 
because notice and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any 
other law, for matters relating to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is not required and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: April 2, 2013.
Phillip Singerman,
Associate Director for Innovation & Industry Services.
[FR Doc. 2013-08232 Filed 4-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P