[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 113 (Friday, June 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33579-33582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14347]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Announcement of Startup in a Day Competition--Start Small Model

AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announces the 
2015 Startup in a Day Competition--Start Small Model, pursuant to the

[[Page 33580]]

America Competes Act, to spur the development, implementation, and 
improvement of online tools that will let entrepreneurs learn about the 
business startup process in their area, including how to register and 
apply for all required local licenses and permits--all in one day or 
less.

DATES: The submission period for entries begins 12:00 p.m. EDT, June 
11, 2015 and ends July 13, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Winners will be 
announced no later than August 31, 2015.

ADDRESSES: For further information, please contact the U.S. Small 
Business Administration, Startup in a Day--IGA, 409 Third Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20416, (202) 205-7364, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Competition Details

    1. Subject of Competition: The SBA is seeking to support 
entrepreneurs who are navigating the requirements to start a business. 
Currently many of these requirements are in multiple locations and a 
streamlined approach could help entrepreneurs startup more easily. The 
Startup in a Day Competition--Start Small Model is designed to spur the 
development, implementation, and improvement of online tools that will 
let entrepreneurs learn about the business startup process in their 
area, including how to register and apply for all required local 
licenses and permits, in one day or less. In order to maximize the 
success of this Competition, SBA will work with the National League of 
Cities (NLC), an advocacy organization representing thousands of 
municipalities, to establish a formal mechanism by which all Startup in 
a Day Competition winners will be able to collaborate and share best 
practices.
    In conjunction with the Startup in a Day Competition, President 
Barack Obama is asking cities and Native American Communities across 
America to take a pledge to support entrepreneurs in their area by 
making it easier to start a business (for the text of this pledge, see 
sba.gov/startup). While it is not required to enter this Competition, 
all cities and Native American Communities are encouraged to take the 
pledge. As an additional encouragement, entries submitted by cities and 
Native American Communities that do take the pledge will receive five 
(5) bonus points during the evaluation process, as stipulated in Item 
3: Part V below. Furthermore, all Startup in a Day Competition--Start 
Small Model winners will be required to take the pledge prior to 
receiving their prizes.
    An additional aim of this competition is to stimulate economic 
development in certain Priority Communities. For purposes of the 
Startup in a Day Competition--Start Small Model, Priority Communities 
are those cities that fall into one or more of the following categories 
(Note: Under the Startup in a Day Competition--Start Small Model, 
prizes for Native American Communities are being funded and scored 
separately and are not eligible for Priority Community consideration. 
However, both cities and Native American Communities are eligible for 
additional points for agreeing to the Startup in a Day Pledge. See Item 
3: Part V below for more details.):
     Rural/Non-Metropolitan: Cities having a population of less 
than 50,000. Please reference http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html.
     High Poverty: Cities where 20 percent or more of residents 
are below the poverty level. Please reference http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html.
     Veterans Economic Community: Being an official participant 
in the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative. To view the list of 
participating cities, please go to http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/20015/va-launches-campaign-increase-veterans-economic-potential/.
     Promise Zone: Being officially designated as a Promise 
Zone. To view the list of designated Promise Zones and lead 
organizations, please go to www.hud.gov/promisezones.
    2. Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Competition: This 
Competition is open only to the local governments of United States 
cities (referred to as municipalities and townships by the U.S. Census 
Bureau \1\) or American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian 
communities, or their constituent agencies and subdivisions. No city or 
Native American Community may submit more than one entry to the Startup 
in a Day Competition--Start Small Model. However, cities and Native 
American Communities are allowed to apply to both the Startup in a Day 
Competition--Start Small Model and to the Startup in a Day 
Competition--Dream Big Model (see separate announcement). Cities and 
Native American Communities must submit a separate application for each 
competition. However, please note that a city or Native American 
Community cannot win a prize under both announcements. If a city or 
Native American Community is a finalist for both competitions, the city 
or Native American Community will be awarded the larger prize. No city 
or Native American Community that is currently suspended or debarred by 
the Federal government is eligible to take part in this Competition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ U.S. Census Bureau, Governments Division, Lists and 
Structure of Governments, Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. 
Accessed May 18, 2015, http://www.census.gov/govs/go/municipal_township_govs.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Registration Process for Contestants: Contestants in the Startup 
in a Day Competition--Start Small Model must submit their entries 
online using the link designated for that purpose on challenge.gov, 
either by filtering search criteria to ``Small Business 
Administration'' or going to sba.gov/startup, where the link will be 
posted. In addition to the basic details collected in that short 
application form, contestants must also complete and submit via 
challenge.gov a proposal and attachments that addresses all of the 
items identified below:

Authorization Statement (Not to exceed one (1) page)

     A letter or signed statement by the city or Native 
American Community representative, council, or equivalent approving or 
authorizing the entry on behalf of the city or Native American 
Community.

Proposal (Parts I-III not to exceed two (2) pages)

     Part I: City or Native American Community Description (20 
points)
    (i) Briefly describe your city or Native American Community and its 
story (include applicable data from the most current source (i.e. U.S. 
Census Bureau's ACS)). If your city qualifies as a Priority Community 
as defined in Item 1, also see Part IV below.
    (ii) Describe the demand for registering and obtaining permits, 
resources, etc. for small businesses in your city or Native American 
Community (include quantitative analysis).
     Part II: Problem(s) and Solution(s) (40 points)
    (i) Describe the current process, including the problems/obstacles, 
an entrepreneur experiences while trying to register and obtain 
permits, resources, etc. as a small businesses in your city or Native 
American Community.
    (ii) Describe the solution that would solve the problems/obstacles 
described above, if awarded a prize.
     Part III: Implementation (40 points)
    (i) Outline the anticipated timeframe for implementing the solution 
described above.
    (ii) Describe the top five (5) metrics relevant to outputs and 
outcomes that

[[Page 33581]]

would measure your city's or Native American Community's success in 
solving the stated problems/obstacles.
    (iii) Describe any additional resources that will need to be 
leveraged, including partnerships, to fully implement the proposed 
solution.

Optional Proposal Addenda (Parts IV and V not to exceed one (1) page 
for each part)

     Part IV: Service to Priority Communities as Defined in 
Item 1 (up to 10 bonus points . . . five (5) points for each eligible 
Priority Community to be served, up to two (2) communities)
    (i) State the Priority Community to be served.
    (ii) Briefly describe the Priority Community in your city (include 
applicable data from the most current sources (i.e., U.S. Census 
Bureau's ACS)).
    (iii) Describe the demand from the Priority Community for 
registering small businesses and/or obtaining permits, resources, etc. 
in your city (include quantitative analysis).
     Part V: Taking the Startup in a Day Pledge (five (5) bonus 
points). Cities and Native American Communities that agree to the 
Startup in a Day Pledge (for the text of the pledge, see sba.gov/startup) will receive five (5) bonus points. Applicants only need to 
provide a statement that they agree to the Startup in a Day Pledge.
    Proposals may not include any confidential and/or proprietary 
information and must be formatted as follows:
    [cir] Length: No more than two (2) pages to answer Parts I-III. No 
more than one (1) page to answer Part IV and one (1) page to answer 
Part V.
    [cir] Spacing: 1.5 lines
    [cir] Paper Size: 8.5 x 11 with three-quarter (.75) inch margins on 
all sides
    [cir] Font and Font Size: Calibri, 11 point
    4. Prizes for Winners: In total, SBA will award up to $1.35 million 
in prizes under this announcement. SBA will award up to $1.25 million 
and no more than 25 prizes of up to $50,000 each to cities that are 
selected as winners. Due to the use of additional funding sources with 
different constraints, SBA will also separately award no more than two 
(2) prizes of up to $50,000 each to winning entries submitted by Native 
American Communities.
    Because the subject of this competition is not just the development 
of online tools to streamline the business startup process, but also 
the implementation and improvement of such tools, prizes will be 
disbursed in two payments. The first payment, equal to 80 percent of a 
winner's total prize amount, will be disbursed once all initial 
requirements (i.e. taking the Startup in a Day pledge, etc.) have been 
met. The remaining 20 percent of the total prize amount will be 
disbursed after a winner submits a written assessment that includes, 
but is not limited to, the outcomes and outputs of its Startup in a Day 
activities as measured by the metrics outlined in its proposal, a 
summary of any lessons learned and best practices, and suggestions for 
any improvements to the design or implementation of similar 
competitions in the future. Winners must base this assessment on a 
period of live operation of their Startup in a Day Web tools that is at 
least six (6) months and no more than twelve (12) months in length.
    Regardless of the length of the period of operation on which they 
are based, the written assessment must be submitted to SBA no later 
than 15 months after a winner receives its first prize payment. The 
written assessments, or portions thereof, may be made public. Further 
guidance regarding the format and means of submission of these 
assessments will be provided to winners prior to their acceptance of 
prizes.
    All prizes will be paid via the Automated Clearing House (ACH) and 
winners will be required to create an account in the System for Award 
Management (SAM) in order to receive their prizes.
    5. Selection of Winners: Competition entries will be evaluated by a 
review committee that may be comprised of SBA officials, employees of 
other Federal agencies, and/or private sector experts. Winners will be 
selected based on the quality, clarity, completeness, and feasibility 
of their proposals in addressing the issues outlined in Item 3 of this 
Competition announcement. In addition, in order to achieve nationwide 
distribution of prizes for the purpose of assisting business startups 
across the entire United States, SBA may take into account contestants' 
geographic locations and areas of service when selecting winners. For 
the announcement of winners, any travel or related expenses to attend 
an event will be the responsibility of the winner and may not be paid 
with prize funds.
    6. Applicable Law: This Competition is being conducted by SBA 
pursuant to the America Competes Act (15 U.S.C. 3719) and is subject to 
all applicable federal laws and regulations. By participating in this 
Competition, each contestant gives its full and unconditional agreement 
to the Official Rules and the related administrative decisions 
described in this notice, which are final and binding in all matters 
related to the Competition. A contestant's eligibility for a prize 
award is contingent upon their fulfilling all requirements identified 
in this notice. Publication of this notice is not an obligation of 
funds on the part of SBA. SBA reserves the right to modify or cancel 
this Competition, in whole or in part, at any time prior to the award 
of prizes.
    7. Conflicts of Interest: No individual acting as a judge at any 
stage of this Competition may have personal or financial interests in, 
or be an employee, officer, director, or agent of any contestant or 
have a familial or financial relationship with a contestant.
    8. Intellectual Property Rights: All entries submitted in response 
to this Challenge will remain the sole intellectual property of the 
individuals or organizations that developed them. By registering and 
entering a submission, each contestant represents and warrants that it 
is the sole author and copyright owner of the submission, and that the 
submission is an original work of the contestant, or if the submission 
is a work based on an existing application, that the contestant has 
acquired sufficient rights to use and to authorize others to use the 
submission, and that the submission does not infringe upon any 
copyright or upon any other third party rights of which the contestant 
is aware.
    9. Publicity Rights: By registering and entering a submission, each 
contestant consents to SBA's and its agents' use, in perpetuity, of its 
name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state 
information for promotional or informational purposes through any form 
of media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.
    10. Liability and Insurance Requirements: By registering and 
entering a submission, each contestant agrees to assume any and all 
risks and waive claims against the Federal Government and its related 
entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, 
death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether 
direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their participation in 
this Competition, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises 
through negligence or otherwise. By registering and entering a 
submission, each contestant further represents and warrants that it 
possesses sufficient liability insurance or financial resources to 
cover claims by a third party for death, bodily injury, or property 
damage or loss resulting from any activity it carries out in connection 
with its

[[Page 33582]]

participation in this Competition, or claims by the Federal Government 
for damage or loss to Government property resulting from such an 
activity. Competition winners should be prepared to demonstrate proof 
of insurance or financial responsibility in the event SBA deems it 
necessary.
    11. Record Retention and Disclosure: All submissions and related 
materials provided to SBA in the course of this Competition 
automatically become SBA records and cannot be returned. Contestants 
should identify any confidential commercial information contained in 
their entries at the time of their submission.
    Award Approving Official: Christopher L. James, Associate 
Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 Third Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20416.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: June 8, 2015.
Christopher L. James,
Associate Administrator, Small Business Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-14347 Filed 6-11-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8025-01-P