[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 76 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19790-19793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10507]
[[Page 19789]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part II
Department of Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
Economic Development Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
Research and Evaluation, National Technical Assistance--Request for
Grant Proposals; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 / Tuesday, April 21, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 19790]]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
[Docket No. 980331082-8082-01]
RIN 0610-ZA06
Research and Evaluation, National Technical Assistance--Request
for Grant Proposals
AGENCY: Economic Development Administration (EDA), Department of
Commerce (DoC).
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
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SUMMARY: A total of $340,000,000 is available to EDA for all of its
programs for FY 1998 (See Notice of Funding availability for FY 1998 at
63 FR 10116), of which approximately $1,600,000 is or will be available
for National Technical Assistance and for Research and Evaluation. EDA
is soliciting proposals for the specific projects described herein: (1)
Development and dissemination of cutting-edge and innovative techniques
in economic development; (2) evaluation of technology transfer and
commercialization efforts; (3) evaluation of the impact of EDA
revolving loan fund investments; (4) development of information on
effective Indian economic development projects and practices.
These projects will be funded if acceptable proposals are received.
Remaining funding, if any, may be used to fund additional projects. The
average funding level for a Research and Evaluation grant is $171,000
and for a National Technical Assistance grant is $176,000. Additional
funding may or may not be available. EDA issues this Notice describing
the conditions under which eligible applications for these National
Technical Assistance under 13 CFR Part 307, Subpart C, and Research and
Evaluation under 13 CFR Part 307, Subpart D, projects will be accepted
and selected for funding.
DATES: Prospective applicants are advised that EDA will conduct a pre-
proposal conference on May 7, 1998, at 10:00 a.m. EDT in the Department
of Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th and Constitution Avenue,
N.W., Washington, DC 20230, Room 1414, at which time questions on the
National Technical Assistance and Research and Evaluation projects can
be answered. Prospective applicants are encouraged to provide written
questions (See ADDRESSES section below) by May 4, 1998. Prospective
applicants unable to attend the pre-proposal conference may participate
by teleconference. Teleconference information may be obtained by
calling (202) 482-4085 between 9:00-4:00 EDT on May 6, 1998.
Initial proposals for funding under this program will be accepted
through May 28, 1998. Initial proposals received after 5:00 p.m. EDT in
Room 7005, on May 28, 1998, will not be considered for funding.
By June 16, 1998, EDA will advise successful proponents to submit
full applications (containing complete proposals as part of the
application), OMB Control Number 0610-0094. Completed applications must
be submitted to EDA by July 7, 1998. EDA will make these awards no
later than September 30, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Send initial proposals to John J. McNamee, Director,
Research and National Technical Assistance Division, Economic
Development Administration, Room 7005, U.S. Department of Commerce,
Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John J. McNamee, (202) 482-4085.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
A. Authority
The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA),
(Pub. L. 89-136, 42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.), as amended at Sec. 3151
authorizes EDA to provide technical assistance which would be useful in
reducing or preventing excessive unemployment or underemployment, and
enhancing the potential for economic growth in distressed areas (42
U.S.C. 3151 (a)); and a program of research to assist in the
formulation and implementation of national, state, and local programs
to raise income levels and other solutions to the problems of
unemployment, underemployment, underdevelopment and chronic depression
in distressed areas and regions (42 U.S.C. 3151 (c)(B)). Pub. L. 105-
119, makes funds available for these programs.
B. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
11.303 Economic Development--Technical Assistance Program; 11.312
Economic Development--Research and Evaluation Program.
C. Program Descriptions
For descriptions of these programs see PWEDA and EDA's regulations
at 13 CFR Chapter III.
D. Briefings and Workshops
Unless otherwise noted, each of the proposals requested below
includes a requirement that the applicant conduct a total of up to
seven briefings and/or training workshops for individuals and
organizations interested in the results of the project. These will take
place when the project is completed in all other respects and the
results known. Potential applicants should be aware that the completion
dates set forth below are for completion of the project and submission
of the final written report. Briefings/workshops will take place no
later than one year after completion of the project and submission of
the final report, at seven locations and on seven dates at EDA's
discretion. The locations include one in Washington, DC and one in each
of EDA's six regions.
E. Additional Information and Requirements
Applicants should be aware that if they incur any costs prior to an
award being made, they do so solely at their own risk of not being
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal or written
assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the
part of EDA to cover pre-award costs.
The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program must not exceed either the indirect cost
rate negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the
proposed effective date of the award, or 100 percent of the total
proposed direct costs dollar amount in the application, whichever is
less.
If an application is selected for funding, EDA has no obligation to
provide any additional future funding in connection with an award.
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of
performance is at the sole discretion of EDA.
Unless otherwise noted below, eligibility, program objectives and
descriptions, application procedures, selection procedures, evaluation
criteria, and other requirements for this program are set forth in
PWEDA and EDA's regulations at 13 CFR Chapter III, and EDA's Notice of
Availability of Funds for FY 1998 at 63 FR 10116.
No award of Federal funds will be made to an applicant who has an
outstanding delinquent federal debt until either: (1) the delinquent
account is paid in full; (2) a negotiated repayment schedule is
established and at least one payment is received; or (3) other
arrangements satisfactory to the Department of Commerce are made.
Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in
an application not being considered for funding.
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Applicants should be aware that a false statement on the
application is grounds for denial of the application or termination of
the grant award and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
Applicants are hereby notified that any equipment or products
authorized to be purchased with funding provided under this program
must be American-made to the maximum extent feasible.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person is required
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure
to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) unless that collection of
information displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number. This notice involves a collection of information
requirement subject to the provisions of the PRA and has been approved
by OMB under Control Number 0610-0094.
II. How to Apply
A. Eligible Applicants
National Technical Assistance--See 13 CFR 307.12. Eligible
applicants are as follows: public or private nonprofit organizations
including nonprofit national, state, area, district, or local
organizations; accredited educational institutions or nonprofit
entities representing them; public sector organizations; Native
American organizations, including American Indian tribes; local
governments and state agencies. Technical Assistance grant funds may
not be awarded to private individuals or for-profit organizations.
Research and Evaluation--See 13 CFR 307.17. Eligible
applicants are as follows: private individuals, partnerships,
corporations, associations, colleges and universities, and other
suitable organizations with expertise relevant to economic development
research.
B. Proposal Submission Procedures
The initial proposals submitted by potential applicants may not
exceed ten pages in length and should be accompanied by a proposed
budget, resumes/qualifications of key staff, and proposed time line.
EDA will not accept proposals submitted by fax. Proposals must be
received in Room 7005 at the address and by the submission deadline
indicated above, in order to be considered.
III. Areas of Special Emphasis
A. National Technical Assistance Program
Cutting-Edge and Innovative Practices in Economic
Development.
EDA invites proposals to examine successful cutting-edge and
innovative techniques in economic development that could be replicated
in, adapted to, or serve as models for local economic development
efforts; to develop a system for disseminating this information to the
broadest possible audience through reports, brochures, Internet access/
Web pages, etc.; to document in final hard copy and electronic
report(s) the results of the research; and to facilitate making the
results of EDA-funded research--already completed or currently
underway--available on the Internet. The target audience is the
economic development professional at the local level.
Background: A recent evaluation of the federal role in economic
development noted that the evidence of the past decade shows states and
localities do not have adequate incentive to invest in evaluation or in
sharing their learning with peers in other localities or states. Word
about cutting-edge and innovative economic development ideas and
practices that work well does spread to other localities and states.
However, the pace at which that information sharing takes place can be
significantly accelerated and the quality of the information developed
and shared can be significantly improved. The purpose of this grant is
to develop and/or accelerate dissemination of cutting-edge and
innovative practices in economic development.
One part of this goal will be achieved by systematically gathering
and assessing exemplary practices, developing case studies, and
facilitating dissemination of the results rapidly, particularly through
use of the Internet. Case studies of interest, in addition to ones of
general economic development, include ones in the following areas:
trade and export development, technology transfer and
commercialization, technology deployment in distressed areas,
sustainable development and brownfields redevelopment, and projects
that result from or demonstrate the positive value of regional
cooperation. Exemplary practices in economic development through
technology transfer or commercialization are the subject of a separate
proposal, below. The exemplary practices selected need not be limited
to EDA-funded projects, but they should, when possible, serve as
examples of what EDA can and might fund. Since the purpose for
collecting and disseminating the information is to highlight recent
developments, projects selected for review should be limited to ones
completed no earlier than 1994. Each case study should provide
sufficient information about the project to be of maximum use to
practitioners.
A second part of this goal is achieved by disseminating the results
of major EDA-funded studies. EDA studies funded in the past two years
have already produced (or shortly will produce) significant new
information on such issues as the impact of incubator investments, the
role of cluster-based economic development as a regional strategy, an
assessment of state and regional business incentives, etc. This
information has been or will be made available in written report form.
It should also be made available on the Internet, in order to be
readily accessible and available to the greatest number of economic
development practitioners.
Scope of Work: The successful applicant will (1) survey a broad
range of economic development practitioners and organizations at the
local, state, and federal levels to gather information on a variety of
cutting-edge and innovative practices in rural and urban economic
development; (2) convene a panel of practitioners to evaluate the
cases; (3) in a final report, describe the context, design,
implementation, and results of--including lessons learned from--each
exemplary practice, and provide the rationale for selecting it; (4)
review selected governmental and non-governmental economic development
Web sites for effectiveness of information dissemination to
practitioners, identify deficiencies, and recommend appropriate design
and technical specifications and provide technical assistance so that
selected EDA-funded studies that were completed since FY 96 or will be
completed in FY 98 and the cutting-edge and innovative practices
studies that will be developed under this grant can be readily accessed
by practitioners; (5) recommend ``hot links'' to other appropriate
economic development Web sites; (6) recommend other information
dissemination vehicles, such as targeted brochures to disseminate the
information to the broadest possible audience in the economic
development community; and (7) conduct briefings and/or training
workshops as set forth in Section I.D. above.
Cost: If properly justified, the Assistant Secretary may consider a
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waiver of the required 25 percent local share of the total project
cost.
Timing: The project should be completed and the final report
submitted by March 31, 1999.
Evaluation of Technology Transfer and Commercialization
Efforts.
EDA invites proposals to evaluate the state of technology transfer
and commercialization projects, report on best practices in the field,
and present models for developing and implementing such types of
projects at the local level, including in distressed areas.
Background: Technology represents 50 percent of the nation's
economic growth and is the most important enabling industry. There has
been extensive Federal and state funding for technology transfer and
commercialization projects. Growing technology-based enterprises,
however, poses unique challenges. One of the purposes of this proposal
is to determine what the key ingredients of a successful technology
transfer and commercialization project are. A second is to identify the
appropriate tools and models for technology transfer and
commercialization in varying economic situations, including in
economically distressed communities. What are the characteristics,
structures and practices that drive technology transfer and
commercialization to successful outcomes? How effective are they (or
could they be)?
Information about the process of development and implementation of
technology transfer and commercialization projects, and the kinds of
projects that have been successful, is not readily available to
economic development practitioners. There is a need to educate public
and private sector leaders, especially those in economically distressed
areas, about the economic benefits of science- and technology-based
jobs and the potential coupling of those jobs with unemployed or
underemployed workers. When considering technology transfer and
commercialization projects, local leaders and economic development
professionals need to know what kinds of projects have worked in
various settings, such as urban or rural economies, the major elements
of successful development and implementation, appropriate partners,
etc.
Scope of Work: The successful applicant will (1) survey economic
development practitioners and technology transfer and commercialization
projects and specialists to identify technology projects in diverse
settings for evaluation, including those that are appropriate examples
for distressed area economic development; (2) visit a variety of such
projects to determine the major elements involved in the project
development and implementation process; (3) determine what the goals of
successful projects were and whether the chosen strategies and
practices were successful in achieving those goals; (4) define what the
measures of success for technology commercialization at the local level
are (job creation, diversification of the local economy, creation of
high quality, better-paying jobs, international competitiveness, etc.);
(5) determine what the most pressing problems are which local
communities and entrepreneurs face in technology transfer and
commercialization; (6) identify models for adoption or adaptation in
economically distressed areas; (7) convene a panel of practitioners to
review the identified development and implementation process and
identify exemplary practices; (8) in a final report, describe the
development and implementation process and exemplary practices in
technology transfer and commercialization projects, as well as models
for their implementation in distressed areas; and (9) conduct briefings
and/or training workshops as set forth in Section I.D. above.
Cost: If properly justified, the Assistant Secretary may consider a
waiver of the required 25 percent local share of the total project
cost.
Timing: The project should be completed and the final report
submitted by June 30, 1999.
B. Research and Evaluation Program
Impact of EDA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Investments:
EDA invites proposals to evaluate the extent to which EDA RLF
grants achieve structural economic adjustment in the target community
and the length of time required to do so.
Background: EDA's Economic Adjustment Program, which was
established in 1974, helps communities design and implement strategies
for facilitating adjustment to economic changes that are causing or
threaten to cause serious structural damage to the underlying economic
base. Such changes may occur suddenly or over time, and result from
industrial or corporate restructuring, reductions in defense
expenditures, natural disasters, depletion of natural resources, or new
Federal laws or requirements. EDA grants provide such communities with
the critical resources necessary to organize and carry out an
adjustment strategy tailored to their particular economic problems and
opportunities. EDA economic adjustment assistance may fund strategic
planning, technical assistance, construction of critical infrastructure
or establishment of a revolving loan fund (RLF). This research effort
is limited to an evaluation of RLFs as an economic adjustment tool.
Each EDA RLF grantee must prepare a strategy which identifies the
approach it will use in providing RLF financing, as part of the broader
business development strategy designed to support achieving the goals
and objectives of the community's economic adjustment process. The
strategy incorporates the particular opportunities identified for
stimulating business investment and productivity, and defines the types
of RLF investments believed to be most effective in supporting the
objectives of the adjustment program. All RLF investments must be
consistent with the strategy.
The fundamental impact of an EDA RLF economic adjustment grant
should be the economic adjustment of the target area. Much of that
impact will occur a considerable time after the grant is made. The
proposed research should determine the extent to which target
communities have begun (or achieved) structural economic adjustment,
factors that affect the length of time needed to achieve full
adjustment, and the contribution that the RLF funding made (or did not
make) in stimulating/enabling positive structural economic change
within a community.
Scope of Work: The successful applicant will develop a methodology
for determining and evaluating the economic impact of RLF investments
in achieving structural economic adjustment. In doing so, it will
examine such issues as whether the RLF strategy was the appropriate
one, i.e., was the underlying adjustment strategy rational, realistic,
and responsive to the structural dislocation; was the community
committed to following the strategy; and were the loans made consistent
with the strategy, i.e., whether the potential categories of borrowers
identified in the strategy were in fact targeted for loans, and whether
initial and subsequent loans were made in a timely manner. The
applicant will examine briefly the distinctions among EDA-funded RLFs
and those funded by other federal agencies such as HUD, USDA, SBA, etc.
The applicant will make the evaluation using a sample group of RLF
projects. The sample should be stratified to include RLF grants funded
under EDA's (a) regular Economic Adjustment Program, (b) Defense
Adjustment Program, and (c)
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other special initiatives, including disaster relief. EDA expects the
methodology to consider the core performance measures that are
currently applied to RLF grants, as well as other relevant measures
suggested by the above-described analysis. It should determine whether
these measures in fact demonstrate the value of an RLF strategy in
achieving structural economic adjustment. The research should also
evaluate whether failure to achieve structural economic adjustment
correlates with failure to implement the RLF economic adjustment
strategy, or whether the strategy itself was an appropriate one. The
final report must fully document the methodology used for the project,
as well as revisions suggested by testing the methodology on the actual
projects. The results must be presented in briefings and/or training
workshops as set forth in Section I.D. above.
Cost: No local match is required for this project.
Timing: This project should be completed and the final report
submitted by September 30, 1999.
American Indian Economic development.
EDA invites proposals to develop and disseminate information on
effective economic development projects and practices in Indian
economic development.
Background: Economic development on American Indian reservations
presents a unique set of circumstances and opportunities, as well as
challenges. Successful projects do occur within the context of those
unique circumstances. The factors that contribute to their success,
however, often remain unknown outside a particular reservation or
tribe. This project will examine reservation economic development to
identify a wide variety of successful economic development projects,
determine the principal factors that contributed to their success,
document the results in case studies, and disseminate the results both
through the case studies and conferences. EDA has partnered with a
number of tribes in developing and implementing economic development
projects. This project will also examine EDA's effectiveness in doing
so.
Scope of Work: The successful applicant will:
1. Compile approximately 20 examples of practices in Indian
economic development that are viewed as successful by the local tribal
communities. These examples should be drawn from across the country and
from across the range of reservation settings. For example, the
examples could address telecommunications and technology, workforce
development, tourism, manufacturing, and microenterprise, among others.
2. Define the unique characteristics of each successful project,
and describe the major elements of the process for developing and
implementing such projects.
3. Study EDA's historic role in reservation economic development,
evaluate the success of that role, and identify the ways in which EDA
has been most effective.
4. Within the context of the above examples of effective EDA
involvement in reservation development, assemble several examples of
how partnerships were effective, and outside resources, as well as
tribal resources, were leveraged effectively.
5. Consider the option of creating a small panel of experts that
could further focus the issues.
6. At completion of the project, hold two conferences targeted to
economic development practitioners on Indian reservations to
disseminate the project results. These conferences will be held at
locations agreed to by EDA and take the place of the conferences set
forth in Section I.D. above.
Cost: No local match is required for this project.
Timing: This project should be completed and the final report
submitted by September 30, 1999.
IV. Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will receive initial reviews by EDA to assure that they
meet all requirements of this announcement, including eligibility and
relevance to the specified project as described herein. If a proposal
is selected, EDA will provide the proponent with an Application form,
and EDA will carry out its selection process and evaluation criteria as
described in 13 CFR Chapter III, Part 304 and Sections 307.13, 307.14,
307.18, and 307.19.
From the full proposals and application, EDA will select the
applicants it deems most qualified and cost effective. EDA anticipates
that more full proposals and applications will be invited than will
eventually be funded.
Dated: April 16, 1998.
Phillip A. Singerman,
Assistant Secretary for Economic Development.
[FR Doc. 98-10507 Filed 4-20-98; 8:45 am]
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