[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 130 (Friday, July 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-16479]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: July 8, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No.940560-4160; I.D. 042194C]
RIN: 0648-ZA07
Financial Assistance for Information on the Antarctic Marine
Ecosystem
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of financial assistance.
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SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of funds, NMFS issues this notice
describing funding for directed scientific research conducted under the
Antarctic Living Marine Resources program and the conditions under
which applications will be accepted and how NMFS will determine which
applications will be funded.
DATES: Applications for funding under this program will be accepted
between July 8, 1994, and 4:30 p.m. Pacific standard time on August 5,
1994. Applications received after that time will not be considered for
funding. No facsimile applications will be accepted. Awards are
expected to be made by November 1, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Send applications to: Dr. Roger P. Hewitt, Krill Studies and
Field Operations Director, Antarctic Ecosystem Research Group,
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service,
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Requests for application packages should be sent to: Jean West,
Chief, Grants Operation Branch, NOAA SSMC2, OA321, 1325 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, telephone 301-713-0926.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Roger P. Hewitt, 619-546-5602.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Authority
The Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act of 1984 (Act)
(Title III of Pub.L. 98-623, 16 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.) provides the
legislative authority necessary to implement, with respect to the
United States, the Antarctic Living Marine Resources (AMLR) program.
One of the principal tenets of the Act is that the harvest of Antarctic
marine living resources shall be managed with the goal of preserving
species diversity and stability of the entire Antarctic marine
ecosystem. The AMLR program was created to provide information needed
to advise the U.S. delegation to the Commission for the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), part of the Antarctic
treaty system.
II. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under program number 11.446 Antarctic Marine Living
Resources.
III. Program Description
The Act provides for Federal agency cooperation in carrying out the
policies and objectives of the Convention or to implement any decision
of CCAMLR. It further provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in
conjunction with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the
Secretary of State, and the heads of other appropriate Federal
agencies, shall design and conduct a program of directed scientific
research pursuant to a plan entered in accordance with the Act. The
plan is to describe priority directed research and identify needs to be
fulfilled by the United States. The research to be funded is pursuant
to 16 U.S.C. 2441 in support of the U.S. AMLR program, which provides
information needed to formulate U.S. policy on the conservation and
international management of resources living in the oceans surrounding
Antarctica.
The AMLR program monitors finfish and krill fisheries, projects
sustainable yields where possible, and formulates management advice and
options. In addition, the program conducts field research designed to
describe the functional relationships between krill, their predators,
and key environmental variables.
The field work to be funded will be accomplished during a research
cruise conducted in the vicinity of Elephant Island, Antarctica, during
the months of January, February, and March, 1995. A large-area survey
grid of approximately 90 stations and covering the area around
Elephant, Clarence, and the eastern end of King George Islands will be
occupied twice. In addition, station transects across hydrographic
features, directed net sampling, fine-scale acoustic surveys, and other
specialized studies will be conducted. Additional research details will
be provided to principal investigators prior to the cruise.
Sampling gear and supplies may be loaded aboard the NOAA Ship
Surveyor in Seattle in mid-November, 1994, and during a port call in
San Diego in late November, 1994. The scientific party will fly to
Punta Arenas, Chile, to meet the ship in late December, 1994. Proposals
should include cost of travel to and from Punta Arenas, Chile. Airline
tickets bought with cooperative agreement funds must be fully
refundable and reservations alterable due to last minute changes in
ship scheduling. There will be two mid-cruise port calls in Punta
Arenas, and a final Punta Arenas port call in late March, 1995, prior
to the ship's departure to return to Seattle.
Depending on funding availability, a post-cruise data workshop for
principal investigators may be held in San Diego at the end of May,
1995. The Government will provide travel reimbursement for this meeting
if it should occur; the cost of travel for this meeting should not be
included in proposals.
A report of accomplishments and tentative conclusions will be due
from each principal investigator by April 1, 1995. Copies of all data
sets on magnetic media will be due to the Southwest Fisheries Science
Center no later than June 1, 1995. At least one article summarizing the
field work will be prepared by each principal investigator for the
annual review issue of the U.S. Antarctic Journal and will be due to
the Southwest Fisheries Science Center by June 15, 1995. In addition,
it is expected that results will be published in peer-reviewed
journals. Proposals should include provisions for the preparation of
collaborative manuscripts, publishing costs, and presentation of
significant results at scientific meetings.
It is highly desirable that the principal investigators participate
in the field work. Minimum requirements for each of the three research
components are listed in this notice (see Funding Priorities).
Applicants are encouraged to propose research elements to be conducted
in addition to the minimum requirements; however, funding will not be
increased for these additional elements.
IV. Funding Availability
Under this solicitation, NMFS estimates that up to $185,000 will be
available to fund three cooperative agreements for research on the
Antarctic marine ecosystem for 1 year: (1) Physical oceanography, for
$65,000; (2) phytoplankton and primary productivity, $65,000; and (3)
krill (Euphausia superba) demographics, $55,000. Publication of this
notice does not obligate NMFS to award any specific cooperative
agreement or to obligate all or any part of the available funds.
V. Matching Requirements
Applications must reflect the total budget necessary to accomplish
the project, including contributions and/or donations by the applicant
or third parties. Cost sharing is not required for the AMLR program.
However, cost sharing is encouraged and may be considered in the final
selection of proposals.
The appropriateness of cost sharing will be determined on the basis
of guidance provided in applicable Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Circulars and Federal cost principles. If an applicant chooses to
cost-share, and if that application is selected for funding, the
applicant will be bound by the percentage of the cost share reflected
in the cooperative agreement award.
The non-Federal share may include the applicant's cash and/or in-
kind contributions or amounts received from private sources or from
state or local governments including the value of in-kind
contributions. Federal funds may not be used to meet the non-Federal
share of matching funds, except as provided by Federal statute. In-kind
contributions may be in the form of, but are not limited to, personal
services rendered in carrying out functions related to the project, and
use of real or personal property owned by others (for which
consideration is not required) in carrying out the project.
VI. Type of Funding Instrument
Cooperative agreements will be used to fund this program since NMFS
is substantially involved in developing program research and priorities
and will work closely with the recipient to carry out the contemplated
activity throughout the project period. Three cooperative agreements
will be awarded to conduct research on the Antarctic marine ecosystem
in a 15,000 square mile (38,850 km2) area around Elephant Island,
South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.
VII. Eligibility Criteria
A. Applications for cooperative agreements under the AMLR research
program may be made, in accordance with the procedures set forth in
this notice, by any individual, state agency, university or college,
institution, or laboratory, or any public or private nonprofit
institution or organization qualified to perform the research described
in this notice.
B. NOAA employees, including full-time, part-time, and intermittent
personnel (or their immediate families), and NOAA offices or centers
are not eligible to submit an application under this solicitation, or
aid in the preparation of an application.
VIII. Award Period
Awards under this program are normally for 1 year. Project dates
should be scheduled to begin November 1, 1994, and end October 31,
1995.
IX. Indirect Costs
The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program must not exceed 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. A copy of the current, approved or negotiated indirect cost rate/
agreement with the Federal Government should be included with the
application, if available. Otherwise, the applicant will be required to
submit documentation to its cognizant agency to establish an indirect
cost rate within 90 days of the award date or be precluded from drawing
down further indirect costs until the documentation is provided.
X. Application Forms
Applications for project funding must be complete. Applicants are
advised that failure to include all required information outlined in
this notice, or to complete required forms, may have a detrimental
effect on the evaluation of the application.
Applicants are encouraged to obtain application packages and forms
from the NOAA Grants Management Division (see ADDRESSES).
A. An original and two signed copies of all of the following items
are required from the applicant:
1. SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance;''
2. SF-424A, ``Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs;''
3. SF-424B, ``Assurances-Non-Construction Program;''
4. Budget with necessary supporting detail, i.e., budget narrative/
breakdown;
5. Copy of current approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate
Agreement, if available;
6. Financial Audit Information, signed and dated, including date of
organization's last financial audit and period covered by audit; any
negative findings indicated and if so, how they were resolved; date of
next scheduled audit and period to be covered by scheduled audit (copy
of financial statement should not be included);
7. CD-511, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and
Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and
Lobbying;''
8. CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and
Eligibility and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions
and Lobbying;''
9. SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities'' (if applicable);
and SF-LLL-A Continuation Sheet (if applicable);
10. Statement of Work (narrative description of proposed activity,
objectives, and milestones''; and
11. Proof of status for First Time Eligible Non-Profit Applicants
(any of the following is acceptable evidence of status):
a. A reference to the applicant organization in the IRS' most
recent list of tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c) of the IRS
code;
b. A copy of a currently valid IRS tax-exemption certificate;
c. A statement from a State taxing body or State Attorney General
certifying that the applicant organization has nonprofit status and
that none of the net earnings accrue to any private shareholders;
d. A certified copy of the organization's certificate of
incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes nonprofit
status; or,
e. Any of the above proof regarding a parent organization if one
exists, and a statement signed by the parent organization that the
applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate.
Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of NMFS as
to the relative merits of the project described by the application.
Applications are not to be bound in any manner and should be one-sided.
All proposals will be considered by NMFS. All incomplete proposals will
be returned to the applicant. Applicants must submit one signed
original and two copies of the complete application.
B. Project Description. Each project must be completely and
accurately described. Each project description may be up to 15 pages in
length. NMFS will make all portions of the project description
available to the public for review and comment; therefore, NMFS cannot
guarantee the confidentiality of any information submitted as part of
any project, nor will NMFS accept for consideration any project
requesting confidentiality of any part of the project.
Each project must be described as follows:
1. Identification of Research Discipline. State which of the three
research components (see Funding Priorities XI) is being applied for.
If the application is not in response to a funding priority, it should
be so stated.
2. Project Goals and Objectives. State what the proposed project
will accomplish and describe how this will contribute to the
description of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Describe the time frame
in which tasks would be conducted.
3. Need for Government Financial Assistance. Demonstrate the need
for assistance. Any appropriate database to substantiate or reinforce
the need for the project should be included. Explain why other funding
sources cannot fund all the proposed work. List all other sources of
funding that are or have been sought for the project.
4. Benefits or Results Expected. Identify and document the results
or benefits to be derived from the proposed activities.
5. Participation by Persons or Groups Other Than the Applicant.
Describe the level of participation required in the project by NOAA or
other government and non-government entities. Specific NOAA employees
should not be named in the proposal.
6. Federal, State, and Local Government Activities. List any
programs (Federal, state, or local government or activities) this
project would affect and describe the relationship between the project
and those plans or activities.
7. Project Statement of Work. The Statement of Work is the
scientific or technical action plan of activities that are to be
accomplished during each budget period of the project. This description
must include the specific methodologies, by project job activity,
proposed for accomplishing the proposal's objective. If the work
described in this section does not contain sufficient detail to allow
for proper technical evaluation, NMFS will not consider the application
for funding and will return it to the applicant. Identify specific
milestones that can be used to track project progress. The following
activities must be included as milestones: Submission of a report of
accomplishments and tentative conclusions by April 1, 1995; submission
of data sets on magnetic media by June 1, 1995; and submission of
article summarizing field work for annual review issue of the U.S.
Antarctic Journal by June 15, 1995. Each Statement of Work must include
the following information:
a. The applicant's name.
b. The inclusive dates of the budget period covered under the
Statement of Work.
c. The title of the proposal.
d. The scientific or technical objectives and procedures that are
to be accomplished during the budget period. Devise a detailed set of
objectives and procedures to answer who, what, how, when and where. The
procedures must be of sufficient detail to enable competent workers to
be able to follow them and to complete scheduled activities.
e. Location of the work.
f. A list of all project personnel and their responsibilities.
g. A milestone table that summarizes the procedures that are to be
attained in each month covered by the Statement of Work.
8. Project Management. Describe how the project will be organized
and managed. Include resumes of principal investigators. List all
persons directly employed by the applicant who will be involved in the
project, their qualifications, and their level of involvement in the
project.
9. Monitoring of Project Performance. Identify who will participate
in monitoring the project.
10. Project Impacts. Describe the impact of the project in terms of
anticipated improved management, social value enhancement, or any other
values that will be improved by this project. Describe how these
products or services will be made available to the fisheries and
management communities.
11. Evaluation of Project. The applicant is required to provide an
evaluation of project accomplishments at the end of each budget period
and in the final report. The application must describe the methodology
to be followed to determine technical feasibility.
12. Total Project Costs. Total project costs is the amount of funds
required to accomplish the proposed statement of work (SOW), and
includes contributions and donations. All costs must be shown in a
detailed budget. Cost sharing must not come from another Federal
source. Costs must be allocated to the Federal share and non-Federal
share provided by the applicant or other sources. Non-Federal costs are
to be divided into cash and in-kind contributions. A standard budget
form (SF-424A) is included in the applications package (see ADDRESSES).
NMFS will not consider fees or profits as allowable costs for grantees.
To support its budget, the applicant must describe briefly the basis
for estimating the value of the non-Federal funds derived from in-kind
contributions. Additional cost detail may be required prior to a final
analysis of overall cost allowability, allocability or reasonableness.
The date, period covered, and findings for the most recent financial
audit performed, as well as the name of the audit firm, the contact
person, and phone number and address, must also be provided. Costs for
the following categories must be detailed in the budget as follows:
a. Personnel. Names and titles must be included for all project
personnel. Abbreviated curricula vitae are to be submitted with each
proposal as part of the supporting documentation (see below).
Publication lists must be limited to all those documents prepared
within the last 3 years. Up to five other relevant documents which fall
outside this time frame will be accepted.
b. Salaries. Identify salaries by position and percentage of time
and annual/hourly salary of each individual dedicated to the project.
c. Fringe Benefits. Indicate benefits associated with personnel
working on the project. This entry should be the proportionate cost of
fringe benefits paid for the amount of time spent on the project. For
example, if an employee spends 20 percent of his/her time on the
project, 20 percent of his/her fringe benefits should be charged to
this project.
d. Consultants and Contract Services. Identify all consultant and/
or contractual service costs by specific task in relation to the
project. If a commitment has been made prior to application to contract
with a particular organization, explain how the organization was
selected. Describe the type of contract, budget, deliveries expected,
and time frame. A detailed budget must be submitted (with supporting
documentation) for the total amount of funding requested for a
subcontractor/consultant. All contracts must meet the standards
established in OMB circulars.
e. Travel and Transportation. Identify the number of trips to be
taken, purpose, and number of people to travel. Itemize estimated
costs, including the approximate cost of transportation (airfare at
coach rates), per diem rates, and any additional fees associated with
the trip.
f. Equipment, Space or Rental Costs. Identify equipment purchases
or rental costs with the intended use. Equipment purchases greater than
$500 are discouraged, since experienced investigators are expected to
have sufficient capital equipment on hand. Use of lease to purchase
(LTOP) or similar leases are prohibited. Identify space or rental costs
with specific uses.
g. Other Costs.
(1) Supplies. Identify specific supplies necessary for the
accomplishment of the project. Only consumable office supplies
purchased and used on this project may be treated as a direct cost to
the project.
(2) Postage and Shipping. Include postage for correspondence and
other project related material, as well as air freight, truck or rail
shipping of bulk materials.
(3) Printing Costs. Include costs associated with producing
materials in connection with the project.
(4) Long Distance Telephone and Telegraph. Identify estimated
monthly bills.
(5) Utilities. These costs should be included under indirect costs
unless identified as direct costs to the project. Identify costs of
utilities and percentage of use in conjunction with performance of
project.
(6) Additional Costs. Indicate any additional costs associated with
the project that are allowable under OMB circulars A-21, A-87, or A-
122, as applicable.
13. Geographic location. Field, laboratory, and office locations
must be identified for all project activities.
C. Supporting Documentation. This section should include any
required documents and any additional information necessary or useful
to the description of the project (e.g., curricula vitae, results from
prior funding). The amount of information given in this section will
depend on the type of project proposed, but should be no more than 20
pages. The applicant should present any information that would
emphasize the value of the project in terms of the significance of the
discipline addressed. Without such information, the merits of the
project may not be fully understood, or the value of the project may be
underestimated. The absence of adequate supporting documentation may
cause reviewers to question the assertions made in describing the
project and may result in a lower ranking of the project. Information
presented in this section should be clearly referenced in the project
description.
XI. Project Funding Priorities
A. Physical Oceanography
The objectives for this component are to: (1) Describe the
hydrography of the upper ocean waters in the vicinity of Elephant
Island throughout the 1995 austral summer; (2) describe the physical
setting in relation to the observed vertical and horizontal
distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton; and (3) provide a
continuous record of sea surface and atmospheric conditions annotated
by date, time, and ship's position.
Minimum observations should include: (1) Salinity, temperature, and
oxygen profiles at each station; and (2) continuous measurements of
solar irradiance, air temperature, wind speed and direction, relative
humidity, barometric pressure, sea surface temperature, and sea surface
salinity.
The Government will supply a Seabird thermosalinograph, a General
Oceanics rosette with 10-liter Niskin bottles equipped with teflon
springs, a Guideline salinometer, and a Seabird SBE-9 CTD (to be used
as a backup unit). All other equipment, supplies, and necessary
personnel must be provided by the recipient.
B. Phytoplankton and Primary Productivity
The objectives for this component are to: (1) Determine available
food sources for zooplankton, including particulate organic carbon,
phytoplankton organic carbon, cell size distribution, and dominant
species composition; (2) determine rates of primary production and
associated levels of incident radiation and light attenuation; (3)
describe the seasonal change of phytoplankton growth and standing
stock; and (4) estimate the relative importance of grazing, vertical
mixing, nutrient depletion, and settling on the distribution of
phytoplankton biomass.
Minimum observations should include: (1) Vertical profiles of
chlorophyll-a and inorganic nutrient content from discreet bottle
samples and solar irradiance, beam attenuation and fluorescence from
continuous measurements at each station; (2) primary production rates
from shipboard incubations and associated irradiance levels; (3)
continuous measurements between stations of sea surface fluorescence
and beam attenuation; (4) cell size distribution and floristics
composition of the phytoplankton; (5) organic carbon and nitrogen
content of the particulate material; and (6) total microbial biomass.
The Government will supply a General Oceanics rosette with 10-liter
Niskin bottles equipped with teflon springs. All other equipment,
supplies, and necessary personnel must be provided by the recipient.
Laboratory space is very limited; however, fresh water, salt water, and
electrical supplies can be provided to portable laboratory vans and
incubation arrays.
C. Krill Demographics
The objectives of this component are to: (1) Describe the
population structure and biological characteristics of krill collected
throughout the study area and over the duration of the cruise; and (2)
correlate and interpret the krill data with information on
phytoplankton biomass, primary production, circulation pattern, and
water mass boundaries.
Minimum observations should include distributions of animal length,
maturity stages, sex ratios, reproductive condition, moult stages, and
feeding condition. Specimen processing should be done at sea.
The Government will provide personnel and equipment necessary for
sample collection, as well as a small interior lab with fresh water,
salt water, and electrical supplies. All other equipment, supplies, and
necessary personnel must be provided by the recipient.
XII. Evaluation Criteria
Unless otherwise specified by statute, in reviewing applications
for cooperative agreements that include consultants and contracts, NOAA
will make a determination regarding the following:
A. Is the involvement of the consultant or contractor necessary to
the conduct of the project and the accomplishment of its goals and
objectives?
B. Is the proposed allocation of the consultant or contractors time
reasonable and commensurate with the his/her involvement in the
project?
C. Are the proposed costs for the consultant or contractors
involvement in the project reasonable and commensurate with the
benefits to be derived from his/her participation?
In accordance with OMB Circulars and NOAA Administrative Special
Award Conditions, grantees must request prior approval for all proposed
sole-source contracts or where only one bid or proposals is received in
which the aggregate expenditure is expected to exceed $25,000.
Proposals involving a consultant or contractor will be reviewed for
compliance with pertinent procurement standards, and this information
will be used in the proposal selection process.
XIII. Selection Procedures
Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those
applications which meet the requirements of this solicitation and the
following evaluation criteria: (1) Experience and qualifications of
personnel. Organization and management of the project (34 points); (2)
relevance to the objectives outlined in this notice (see Introduction
and Funding Priorities XI) (33 points); and (3) soundness of project
design and technical approach, especially whether the applicant
provided sufficient information to technically evaluate the project,
and, if so, the strengths and weaknesses of the technical design (33
points).
For applications meeting the requirements of this solicitation,
NMFS will conduct a technical evaluation of each proposal. The review
will be conducted by experts from non-NOAA, as well as NOAA,
organizations. All comments submitted to NMFS will be taken into
consideration in the technical evaluation of projects. NMFS will assign
point scores on proposals based on the evaluation criteria stated
above. Applications will be ranked into two groups (a) Recommended, and
(b) Not Recommended. Proposals ranked as Not Recommended will not be
given further consideration for selection and funding.
The ranked applications will be evaluated by a panel of experts
convened by NMFS. The panel will individually consider each proposal,
along with the technical evaluation and the need for funding. The panel
will provide individual recommendations to NMFS on each proposal ranked
as Recommended.
After the proposals have been evaluated by the panel, the Director
of the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, in consultation with
the NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, will ascertain which
projects do not substantially duplicate other projects that are funded
by NOAA or are approved for funding by other Federal offices, recommend
the projects to be funded, and the amounts available for the program.
Awards may not necessarily be made to applicants with the highest-
scored proposals. The exact amount of funds awarded to each project
will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant, the
NOAA Grants Office, and the NMFS program staff.
NMFS will make project descriptions available for review as
follows:
A. Consultation with Management Agencies, Environmental
Organizations, and Academic Institutions. NMFS shall, at its
discretion, request comments from groups, organizations and
institutions who have knowledge in the subject matter of a project or
who would be affected by a project.
B. Consultation with Government Agencies. Applications will be
reviewed in consultation with the Director, NMFS Southwest Fisheries
Science Center, and appropriate laboratory personnel, NOAA Grants
Officer and, as appropriate, Department of Commerce bureaus and other
Federal agencies, for elimination of duplicate funding.
XIV. Other Requirements
A. Federal Policies and Procedures
Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and
Federal and Departmental policies, regulations, and procedures
applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. Women and minority
individuals and groups are encouraged to submit applications under this
program.
B. Past Performance
Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in
an application not being considered for funding. Any first-time
applicant for Federal cooperative agreement funds may be subject to a
pre-award accounting survey prior to execution of the award. In
addition, any recipient and/or researcher who is past due for
submitting acceptable progress reports on any previous project funded
under this program may be ineligible to be considered for new awards
until the delinquent reports are received, reviewed and deemed
acceptable by NMFS.
C. Pre-Award Activities
If applicants 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 the Department to cover
pre-award costs.
D. No Obligation for Future Funding
If an application for an award is selected for funding, the
Department has no obligation to provide any additional prospective
funding in connection with that award. Renewal of an award to increase
funding or extend the period of performance is at the total discretion
of the Department.
E. Delinquent Federal Debts
No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has any
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 are made.
F. Name Check Review
All non-profit and for-profit applicants are subject to a name
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key
individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted of or are
presently facing criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or
other matters which significantly reflect on the applicants management
honesty or financial integrity.
G. Primary Applicant Certification
All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511,
``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and
Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided:
1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension
Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CFR 26.105) are subject
to 15 CFR part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies.
2. Drug-Free Workplace
Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, section 605) are subject to
15 CFR part 26, subpart F, ``Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free
Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section of the certification form
prescribed above applies;
3. Anti-Lobbying
Persons (as defined at 15 CFR 28.105) are subject to the lobbying
provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, ``Limitation on use of appropriated funds
to influence certain Federal contracting and financial transactions,''
and the lobbying section of the certification form prescribed above
applies to applications/bids for grants, cooperative agreements, and
contracts for more than $100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for
more than $150,000, or the single-family maximum mortgage limit for
affected programs, whichever is greater; and
4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosure
Any applicant that has paid or will pay for lobbying using any
funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as
required under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B.
H. Lower Tier Certifications
Recipients must require applicants/bidders for subgrants,
contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier-covered transactions at
any tier under the award to submit, if applicable, a completed Form CD-
512, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility
and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying''
and disclosure form SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form
CD-512 is intended for the use of recipients and should not be
transmitted to the Department. An SF-LLL submitted by any tier
recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to the Department in
accordance with the instructions contained in the award document.
I. False Statements
A false statement on the application is grounds for denial or
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
J. Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this program are not subject to the provisions
of E.O. 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
K. Requirement to Buy American-Made Equipment and Products
Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the
extent feasible, to purchase American-made equipment and products with
funding provided under this program, in accordance with Congressional
intent as set forth in the resolution contained in Public Law 103-121,
sections 606 (a) and (b).
Classification
Prior notice and an opportunity for public comments are not
required by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for this
notice concerning grants, benefits, and contracts. Therefore, a
regulatory flexibility analysis is not required for purposes of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act.
Cooperative agreements awarded pursuant to pertinent statutes shall
be in accordance with the Fisheries Research Plan (comprehensive
program of fisheries research) in effect on the date of the award.
This action has been determined to be not significant for purposes
of E.O. 12866.
This notice involves information collection requirements subject to
the Paperwork Reduction Act, which have been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control No. 0348-0043.
Dated: July 1, 1994.
C. Karnella,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 94-16479 Filed 7-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
