ita-mas-opcm-2011-2002910 v4.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): Manufacturing and Services (MAS), International Trade Administration (ITA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Market Development Cooperator Program 2011

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: ITA-MAS-OPCM-2011-2002910

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.112, Market Development Cooperator Program

Dates: Public Meeting: The Department will hold a public meeting to discuss MDCP proposal preparation, procedures, and selection process on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. The ninety-minute meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Room 4813, at the Herbert Clark Hoover Building, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. The Department will not discuss specific proposals at this meeting. Attendance is not required in order to apply or seek an eligibility determination. Interested parties may participate via telephone conference by dialing 888-730-9142. The pass code is 31859.

Applications:

Full proposals must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 5:00 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2011. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission.

Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S.

mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted.

Applicants whose applications have been received by the deadline will be notified via e-mail or fax within ten days of the submission deadline.

Funding Opportunity Description: The Department requests that eligible organizations submit proposals (applications) for the fiscal year (FY) 2011 competition for MDCP awards. The Department's International Trade Administration (ITA) creates economic opportunity for U.S.

workers and firms by promoting international trade and investment, strengthening industry competitiveness, and ensuring fair trade.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

Trade associations, state departments of trade and other regional associations, and other non-profit industry organizations are eligible to apply for an MDCP award. These organizations are particularly effective in reaching small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). Through MDCP cooperative agreements the Department provides technical and financial assistance that these organizations match. Organizations compete for a limited number of MDCP awards. (See III. Eligibility Information below.)

MDCP awards help to underwrite the start-up costs of new projects that organizations are often reluctant to undertake without federal government support. MDCP projects strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry by generating exports of non-agricultural goods and services produced in the United States.

1. Definitions

Several definitions are provided in VIII. Other Information.

2. Examples of Project Activity

Applicants should propose foreign market development activities tailored to strengthen the competitiveness of a U.S. industry. Examples from prior years are set forth below and, in greater detail, at www.trade.gov/mdcp . These are provided only for illustration. Applicants are not required to propose any of these activities

a. Promotion of standards that ensure market access for U.S. products;

b. Helping business leaders to leverage free trade agreements to the advantage of U.S. industry;

c. Demonstration of U.S. products abroad;

d. Creation of U.S.A. pavilions at foreign trade shows;

e. Establishment of technical servicing of U.S. products abroad;

f. Establishment of a trade association office in a target market;

g. Education of foreign users of U.S. technology concerning intellectual property rights;

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h. Training foreign staff for after-sale service of U.S. products in target markets;

i. Translation and publication of product brochures and company directories; and

j. Development of product quality standards and designations along with target-market promotion of same.

B. Program Priorities

ITA seeks to promote trade and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S.

industry. MDCP projects should be designed to meet this objective. As noted below in VIII.C.3.b. Performance Measures, the primary measurement of effectiveness of MDCP projects in meeting this objective are U.S. exports created or sustained by these projects.

Listed below are more specific priorities that help ITA to achieve this objective. Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed projects are compatible with or complementary to these ITA priorities. An applicant does not need to focus on a specific number of these priorities to qualify for an award. Strong compatibility or complementary on one priority can be sufficient for an application to score high enough to be funded.

The international trade priorities listed below are the priorities referred to in V.A.3.

Partnership and Priorities. The Department is interested in receiving proposals that include but are not limited to projects that:

1. Create or sustain U.S. jobs by increasing or maintaining exports;

2. Address impediments to innovation and reduction of the cost of doing business in foreign countries;

3. Address standards, intellectual property rights, and other non-tariff barriers, especially in large markets like China, India, and Brazil;

4. Help U.S. industry to capitalize on effective global supply chain management strategies;

5. Increase U.S. market share in China's clean energy sector and improve the business environment for U.S. companies in China;

6. Facilitate ease of travel to the United States and promote U.S. higher education and training opportunities to non-U.S. entities;

7. Increase overall export awareness and awareness of ITA programs and services among U.S. companies, by making SMEs export-ready or by facilitating deal-making; and

8. Expand exports of U.S. emerging technologies.

C. Program Authority

MDCP is provided for in 15 U.S.C. 4723. The program strengthens U.S. industry's competitiveness by developing, maintaining, and expanding foreign markets for non-agricultural goods and services produced in the United States.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Approximately $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 is expected to be available through this announcement for fiscal year 2011. The total number of awards made will depend on the amounts requested by top-scoring applicants and the availability of funds. No award will exceed $500,000. The Department anticipates concluding five to ten cooperative agreements.

B. Project/Award Period

The award period is the time-span established in the award document during which federal sponsorship begins and ends. The term "award period" is also referred to as "project period". Each applicant proposes an award period of up to three years in its application. The award period may be extended. Extensions usually do not exceed 12 months. All extensions must be approved in writing by the grants officer.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

MDCP awards are cooperative agreements. Accordingly, ITA expects to have substantial involvement with cooperators as they work on their MDCP projects. This involvement is discussed below in VIII.D. Working as a Team with ITA.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Entities that fall within the following categories are generally found to be eligible to apply for an MDCP award: trade associations; state departments of trade and their regional associations; and non-profit industry organizations, including organizations such as World Trade Centers, centers for international trade development and small business development centers. In cases where no entity described above represents the industry, private industry firms or groups of firms may be eligible to apply for an MDCP award. Such private industry firms or groups of firms must provide documentation in their applications, demonstrating that no entity in the first three categories listed below represents their industry.

1. Trade Association

A trade association is a fee-based organization consisting of member firms in the same industry, or in related industries, or which share common commercial concerns. The purpose of the trade association is to further the commercial interests of its members through the exchange of information, legislative activities, and the like.

2. Non-Profit Industry Organization

To be found eligible within this category an entity must be found to be:

a. A non-profit small business development center operating under agreement with the Small Business Administration; or

b. A non-profit World Trade Center chartered or recognized by the non-profit World Trade Centers Association; or

c. An organization granted status as a non-profit organization under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3), (4), (5), or (6), which operates as one of the following:

(1) Chamber of commerce,

(2) Board of trade,

(3) Business, export or trade council/interest group,

(4) Visitors bureau or tourism promotion group,

(5) Economic development group,

(6) Standards-developing or conformity-assessment organization,

(7) Small business development center, or

(8) Port authority.

3. State Departments of Trade and Their Regional Associations

To be eligible within this category an entity must be found to be a:

a. Department of a state government tasked with promoting trade, tourism, or other types of economic development; or

b. Association of the departments of trade (as defined above) of two or more states; or

c. Entity within a state or within a region that is associated with a state department of trade, tourism, or other types of economic development including non-profit, non-private, non-commercial entities which are at least partially funded by, directed by, or tasked by a state government to promote trade, tourism, or other types of economic development.

4. Special Note Regarding Educational Institutions

Educational institutions, such as schools, colleges, and universities, are not eligible.

However, organizations that are part of or affiliated with an educational institution for administrative, accounting, financial, legal, or logistical reasons may be eligible. Such organizations that are not independent legal entities for example, an unincorporated organization that otherwise may be classified above under 1. Trade Association, 2. Non- Profit Industry Association, or 3. State Departments of Trade and Their Regional Associations, are eligible.

In such a case, the eligible entity will include in its application a signed letter from the educational institution stating that MDCP funds will be used only by the eligible entity for the purposes outlined in its application and that no such funds will be used by or retained by the educational institution, even though the funds may need to go through the educational institution because of the eligible entity's lack of a separate accounting system or lack of status as a separate legal entity.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

A cooperator must contribute at least two dollars for each federal dollar received.

The first dollar's-worth of contribution must be cash, the second can be either cash or in-kind contribution worth one dollar. See VIII.B. Supplemental Explanation of Cost Share and Match.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

An applicant that fails to meet the eligibility criteria cannot receive an MDCP award even if its application is reviewed. An eligible entity may submit more than one application.

1. Eligibility of Current or Past Cooperators

ITA seeks to increase competitiveness enhancement activities by offering MDCP financial awards to encourage new initiatives. MDCP awards are not intended to replace funds from other sources, nor are they intended to replace previous MDCP awards. Current or past cooperators may propose a new project. See V.A.4. Creativity and Capacity below.

2. Determination of Eligibility

Prospective applicants that do not already have an MDCP eligibility letter from the Department should request an eligibility determination in writing accompanied by the most current version of all of the following documents that apply:

a. Articles of incorporation or state-level certificate of corporate good standing;

b. Charter;

c. Bylaws;

d. Information on types of members and membership fees;

e. Internal Revenue Service acknowledgment of non-profit status;

f. Annual report;

g. Audited financial statements;

h. Documentation of ties to state trade departments or their regional associations; and

i. If applicable, the letter described in III.A.4. Special Note Regarding Educational Institutions above.

Prospective applicants should submit eligibility determination requests as soon as possible if they wish to have determinations prior to the application deadline. They should send requests to Mr. Marvin Watkins, U.S. Department of Commerce, HCHB 3215, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. The Department encourages potential applicants to send their requests via e-mail to Marvin.Watkins@trade.gov or via fax to 202-482-4462.

The eligibility requirements above are also summarized on a table at www.trade.gov/mdcp . Applicants should continue to work on applications while awaiting the Department's eligibility determination. Applicants may submit applications even if they have not yet received an eligibility determination.

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IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are available at www.grants.gov and at www.trade.gov/mdcp .

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications via www.grants.gov . Hard-copy can be obtained via www.trade.gov/mdcp or by contacting Mr. Brad Hess, U.S.

Department of Commerce, HCHB 3215, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230.

B. Content and Form of Application

The Department strongly encourages applicants to submit their applications online at grants.gov. Applicants should register at grants.gov as soon as possible. Registration is not immediate. It often takes several days between registration on grants.gov and approval to submit an application. Accordingly, in order to be able to submit via grants.gov applicants should register on grants.gov by April 13, 2011.

Applicants will download forms from grants.gov. Applicants will complete the forms offline. However, over 95 percent of a complete MDCP application is made up of documents other than forms. This bulk of the application must be drafted, assembled, and saved as pdf files prior to attempting to submit via grants.gov. (An example of a complete MDCP application is available online at www.trade.gov/mdcp .) Simply downloading the forms, completing them, then posting them at grants.gov is not enough to constitute a complete MDCP application.

Applicants that choose to submit hard-copy applications must do so by delivering an unbound original and two bound copies to the agency contact listed below in VII. Agency Contacts. Applicants should submit via grants.gov or in hard-copy, not both. Applicants that choose to provide hard-copy must ensure that the service they use to deliver their applications can do so by the deadline. Due to security concerns, packages and envelopes sent to the Department via U.S. mail are often delayed several days. The delays affect all forms of the U.S. mail, including first-class, priority, and express. See IV.F. Other Submission Requirements.

Applicants organize their applications in accordance with the grants.gov filing protocols. Accordingly, each application will be organized into four parts: forms, project, budget, and other.

1. Forms (page limit: the number of forms required)

Each application must include the completed forms identified below. Applicants download these forms from grants.gov, complete them offline then submit them all together http://www.grants.gov/� http://www.trade.gov/mdcp� http://www.grants.gov/� at grants.gov.

a. SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance;

b. SF-424A Budget Information;

c. SF-424B Assurances - Non-Construction Programs; and

d. CD-511 Certifications Regarding Lobbying.

Prior to completing SF-424A most applicants find it helpful to use linked electronic spreadsheets to prepare a detailed project budget. Example spreadsheets are available in a document in the application kit at trade.gov/mdcp. Most applicants find it helpful to download this file and use it, with modifications as needed, to prepare their budgets. One of the spreadsheets in the document is an SF-424A that is automatically populated with required information as the budget detail is entered on other spreadsheets. Once the final budget information displays on the SF-424A spreadsheet in this document, applicants can enter that information on the SF-424A that they downloaded from grants.gov.

Some situations might require the use of additional forms. Applicants that plan to engage in lobbying the federal government as part of their MDCP project need to complete form SF-LLL "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities." Also, applicants that plan to sub-contract work or make sub-awards may determine that they need to complete form CD-512 "Certifications Regarding Lobbying-Lower Tier Covered Transactions." (Any applicants that determines that it needs to complete a CD-512 should complete it but should not submit it.

Instead, the applicant should keep it on file.) Forms SF-LLL and CD-512 are available for download at grants.gov as well as at www.trade.gov/mdcp as part of the application kit, which includes explanations of the forms.

2. Mandatory Project Narrative File (page limit: 30)

a. Executive Summary

In accordance with V.B. Review and Selection Process below, the Department will distribute applicants' one-page summaries to its experts to solicit comments. This summary should communicate the essence of the application proposal including the following:

(1) Applicant: entity name, headquarters city/state, and website;

(2) Partner(s): if applicable, name of any partner organization other than the U.S. Department of Commerce, that will work with applicant (omit if there are none);

(3) ITA and other federal collaborators: ITA and other federal entities, including names of staff and organization within the entities, with which applicant envisions working on the project;

(4) Federal share: amount of federal funds requested;

(5) Total project budget: all costs including the federal share;

(6) Award period: up to three years, proposed by applicant, can begin no sooner than the date the successful applicant accepts its award, which in no case can be earlier than July 1, 2011;

(7) Exports anticipated to be generated during the award period;

(8) Exports anticipated to be generated during the four years following the award period;

(9) Foreign markets targeted;

(10) U.S. industry to be promoted; and

(11) Project description: planned activities and methods.

b. Background

Applicants should rely on solid research and address appropriate considerations including any of the considerations listed below that are relevant.

(1) Current competitive position of the U.S. industry, including market potential for the industry's products;

(2) Local and third-country competitors in the target market(s);

(3) Target market economic conditions and the likelihood that potential buyers will purchase U.S. goods or services to be offered;

(4) U.S. industry resources that can be brought to bear on developing target market(s);

(5) U.S. industry's ability to meet potential market demand; and

(6) U.S. industry's after-sales service capability in target market(s).

c. Project Description

The background should make clear why the project is needed and has a good chance to succeed. The project description should include a work plan listing specific activities planned, including the different phases of the project identifying each milestone and activity in chronological order; and the location where activities will take place.

d. Performance Measurement

Each cooperator reports its performance on its own distinct performance measures as well as on ITA performance measures. The reports are due thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter. A report template is available at www.trade.gov/mdcp .

(1) ITA Performance Measures

Cooperators should be prepared to gather and report the effect of MDCP project activity on the performance measures below. Value of exports of services or goods delivered or contracted; and

(a) Exporter and Class

Report by name, city, state, and contact information of each U.S. exporter and the status of each as new-to-market, new-to-export, or increased-export-to-market, and the following: Value of other competitiveness developments including export-related agreements, loss avoided, trade complaints resolved; and

(i) Export Transaction Value

Value of exports of services or goods delivered or contracted; and

(ii) Export Related Developments

Value of other competitiveness developments including export-related agreements, loss avoided, trade complaints resolved, U.S. firm's investment in foreign assets that increase U.S. exports, cooperator's investment in foreign assets that increase U.S. exports; and

(b) Reporting by cooperator:

(i) Value of Target Market(s) and U.S. Share

Value of the target market for the target industry(s), and the current U.S. share of such market(s);

(ii) Exports Attributable to MDCP

Value of exports attributable to MDCP activity that cannot be reported individually under IV.B.2.b.(1)(a) above; and

(iii) Success Agreement

Each cooperator reports the date that it presents a success agreement to prospective U.S. participants in MDCP project activity. This agreement should be customized to the needs of the cooperator, but must include a requirement that companies that participate in the MDCP project activity agree to report their exports and other successes to the cooperator or to the Department.

(2) Applicant-Designed Performance Goals

Applicants should develop and utilize performance goals that reasonably gauge project success. All cooperators report on ITA performance measures; therefore, applicants should not duplicate ITA performance measures in their discussion of applicant-designed goals.

(3) Estimate Performance in the Application

In the application each applicant should estimate the performance level that it believes it will achieve for each of the measures.

(a) Applicant-Designed Performance Goals

An applicant proposes a measurement for each of its goals. The applicant should be able to measure progress during the award period. For example, a cooperator that plans to average a trade mission every six months during a three-year project would have a performance goal of six (6) for trade missions, two per year for three years.

(b) ITA Performance Measures

(i) Award Period

For each ITA measure the applicant shall estimate what the performance will be during the award period.

(ii) Post-Award Period

For value of exports of services or goods delivered or contracted, the applicant reports the performance projected to occur during the four years immediately following the award period.

(4) Performance Measure Recording and Reporting System

Each applicant describes its recording and reporting system in its proposal.

Ultimately, it is the success of individual companies that demonstrate an industry's strengthened competitiveness. Therefore, applicants should demonstrate how they plan to ensure that participant companies, and any other relevant sources, will report success information.

e. Partnership

Applications should display the imagination and innovation of the private sector working in partnership with the government to obtain the maximum market development impact. As noted under VIII.D.1. Project Team below, each cooperator will work with a project team leader and other ITA team members. Team members from other federal agencies also may be invited to participate. Applicants must describe in detail how they plan to work with ITA.

f. Credentials

Each cooperator must ensure adequate development, supervision, and execution of project activities for itself and for each non-federal partner with significant involvement in the project. Therefore, for itself and each such partner, each applicant must:

(1) Address its ability to provide a competent, experienced staff and other resources;

(2) Describe its structure and composition;

(3) Discuss the degree to which it represents the industry in question;

(4) Describe the role, if any, foreign membership plays in its affairs;

(5) Provide a resume for the project director and professional personnel; and

(6) Project the amount of time each professional will devote to the project.

g. Support Letters from U.S. Firms Interested in Participating

Perhaps the best indication of whether or not an MDCP project will generate exports is the level of interest among the companies of the U.S. industry that would export.

Applicants should provide letters of interest for potential U.S. exporters interested in leveraging the proposed MDCP project to generate exports.

h. Use of ITA Emblem

Each applicant must provide at least one mock-up example indicating how the applicant anticipates using the ITA emblem in the course of the project. Use of the ITA emblem is a graphic reminder that the project is backed by a partnership with ITA. The examples will help secure formal clearance for applicants that are selected for MDCP awards. An example of the proposed use of the ITA emblem is available at trade.gov/mdcp.

i. Success Agreement

Applicants that plan to solicit export or other performance measurement data from companies participating in project activity should append a draft success agreement. Such agreements generally include a list of the benefits that participants will receive and a notice that participants are obligated to report performance measurement information. An example is available at www.trade.gov/mdcp .

j. Eligibility Letter

Applicants do not need to submit letters they have received from the Department regarding determination of eligibility.

3. Budget Narrative Attachment Form (page limit: 20)

Applicants must provide a detailed budget for the project including the elements listed below.

a. Budget for Project Award Period

This spreadsheet breaks the budget into the categories used on the SF-424A and apportions it over the award period. This spreadsheet should allow an applicant to identify all of the figures needed to complete the SF-424A, which is submitted separately as described in IV.B.1 Forms above. Applicants are free to create their own way of accomplishing this, but an example spreadsheet is available for download at trade.gov/mdcp.

b. Supporting worksheets and explanations;

The figures summarized on the Budget for Project Award Period are derived from more detailed spreadsheets that must be provided. Applicants may organize these supporting spreadsheets in whatever manner supports the figures on the Budget for Project Award Period and SF-424A, and do so in a way that explains the details of the budget. For example, total travel expenses should be derived from adding up the cost of individual trips that take into account destination, number of travelers, and length of time. Most applicants find that it is helpful to group their supporting explanations on three worksheets: personnel, non-personnel direct expenses, and indirect expenses. Example spreadsheets are available for download at www.trade.gov/mdcp .

c. Financial Systems

Applicants should include a discussion of financial systems and projections that identify how, when, and from what sources the matching funds will be or have been raised.

This discussion should address any of the following items that are relevant.

(1) Specific reference to the source of funds as documented in applicant's financial statements or annual budget if the financial statements do not allow a sufficient level of specificity;

(2) Proof of past performance generating program income; and

(3) Letters of commitment from partners and others who have pledged to provide cash donations or in-kind resources.

d. Other Financial Assistance Awards

Any applicant that has received grants or similar financial assistance awards received in excess of $100,000 over the last five years must provide a summary of same. This should include the following information regarding the organization making the award: award reference number, contact name, title, telephone number, current email or fax, and mailing address.

e. Financial Statements

Applicants must include in their applications their most recent audited financial statements, even if they have recently submitted them as part of an eligibility determination request. If the applicant is a sub-unit of an audited entity, in addition to the financial statements of the audited entity, the applicant should provide financial statements at the most specific level available, whether or not these are audited. If the applicant's most recent financial statements are not audited, it should submit the most recent un-audited financial statements and a statement indicating whether it currently has an auditor and when it plans to issue audited financial statements.

f. Evidence Committing Cash or In-Kind Support

If a significant source of cash or in-kind support is coming from any entity other than the applicant, then the applicant must provide evidence that such support will be forthcoming in the event that the applicant wins an MDCP award. Examples of evidence of such support include a letter from an official in a position to pledge support, line items in official budget documents, and public laws.

g. Any Additional Evidence of Financial Responsibility.

In the event that none of the methods described above are sufficient to demonstrate applicant's financial responsibility, the applicant may choose to provide other suitable proof of same.

4. Mandatory Other Attachment (page limit: 15)

Although the term of art in grants.gov is "Mandatory Other Attachment," for many

MDCP applicants, this section will not be mandatory. The "Mandatory Other Attachment" should only be attached to the application in grants.gov if one or more of the elements listed below is relevant to an MDCP project application.

a. Project Comparison Table

Only current or past cooperators are required to provide a table comparing the proposed project to current or past projects. See V.A.4. Creativity and Capacity below.

b. Letters of Commitment from Partner Organizations

If an applicant's proposed MDCP project will rely upon input or support from a partner organization other than the U.S. Department of Commerce, the applicant should provide a letter of support from each partner that confirms the amount of support that the group will provide.

c. Letters of Support from Public Officials

Letters of support from public officials are not required or expected. However, the one exception as noted under V.B.3.f. is public officials who have pledged financial or in-kind support for the proposed project. Letters of support from such persons are directly relevant to the viability of the project. Applicants that choose to submit letters of support should secure them soon enough to include them as application appendices. This will ensure that the merit review panel and other reviewers will see the letters. It also reduces administrative burden because ITA does not respond to letters appended to MDCP applications.

Applicants should require that any authors of letters of support send the original or a copy to the applicant. Even though a letter of support may be addressed to the agency contact identified in VII. Agency Contacts, the letter does not need to be sent to the agency contact. If a letter of support is sent to the agency contact it is the responsibility of the applicant, not the agency contact, to include a copy of the letter in its application.

ITA officials are instructed not to provide letters of support for MDCP applications.

ITA officials have the opportunity to comment on applications as part of the review and selection process as set forth in V.B.

d. Other Documentation

Applicants may include anything else they feel is relevant for ITA reviewers to consider. There may be documents relevant to an application that are not specified under IV.B.1., 2. or 3. above, nor under IV.B.4.a.through c. above. Include any such documentation within the "Mandatory Other Documents" section. Any documentation provided should support or explain the other portions of the application and should be labeled so as to identify its relevance to the application.

Any "other documentation" provided under this section will be considered to constitute part of the application. As such it will undergo the same type of review as the rest of the application.

C. Submission Dates and Times

Full proposals must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 5:00 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2011. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission.

Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted.

Applicants whose applications have been received by the deadline will be notified via e-mail or fax within ten days of the submission deadline.

D. Intergovernmental Review

There are no intergovernmental review requirements beyond those already noted.

E. Funding Restrictions

1. Non-Construction Project

Neither MDCP awards nor matching funds are to be used for construction projects.

2. Pre-Award Activities

There is no obligation on the part of the Department to cover pre-award costs.

Except as noted above in VIII.G. Approved Pre-Award-Period Expenditure, 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.

3. Joint Ventures

Entities may join together to submit an application as a joint venture; however, only one eligible organization can be the designated cooperator. For example, two trade associations may pool their resources and submit one application, but only one of the two will be the cooperator. Foreign businesses and private groups also may join with eligible U.S. organizations to submit applications and to share project costs. Applicants should pay special attention to VIII.B.2. Supplemental Explanation of Cost Share and Match below when formulating a partnership or joint venture.

F. Other Submission Requirements

1. Number of Pages

Each of the four sections of the application has a page limit. The maximum number of pages for an entire application is 65 plus the number of pages for all required forms as identified in IV.B.1. Forms above. These page limits are summarized below.

a. Forms: limited to the number of required forms

b. Mandatory Project Narrative File: 30 pages

c. Budget Narrative Attachment Form: 20 pages

d. Mandatory Other Attachment: 15 pages

The page limits are not fungible. Over-limit pages from one section cannot take the place of under-limit pages from another. For example, if an applicant has 20 pages in the project section - ten less than the limit - it is not allowed to submit 30 budget section pages --ten over the 20-page limit for the budget section.

Every page counts towards the limit including cover pages. In order to stay within the page limits, applicants may need to omit irrelevant pages from financial statements, label the tops of pages instead of using cover pages, or omit reports and promotional brochures that aren't really necessary. Another way to reduce the number of pages in an application is to send eligibility determination documents directly to the Department rather than include them in the application. This can be done even after the deadline for submitting an MDCP application has passed.

Applicants that have already submitted their eligibility documents or that already have an eligibility determination from the Department do not have to submit anything with regard to eligibility other than their eligibility letter from the Department if they have received it. Nevertheless, all applicants must submit their most recent financial statements in their applications, even if they have submitted them separately with their eligibility determination request.

2. Method of Submission

In order to expedite the application evaluation process, the Department posts the applications electronically to internal reviewers and distributes hard-copy to each of the four merit review panelists.

a. Electronic Submissions

In order to facilitate the electronic access to applications by reviewers, applicants should submit their applications via grants.gov.

b. Hard-Copy Submissions

If, instead of submitting via grants.gov, the applicant submits hard copy, the Department will scan the unbound original with a pass-through scanner to create an electronic copy which can be easily transmitted to ITA reviewers or printed. The Department cannot guarantee that the electronic copy will include features that are not easily reproduced with a pass-through scanner. For example, tabs would likely not be seen, color pages might be reproduced in black and white, fold-out pages might be shrunken, and unusually sized (larger than 8.5" x 11") pages might be broken apart.

(1) Unbound Original

Applicants that choose hard-copy submission must present a signed unbound original application in addition to the two copies. It is important that the original be unbound in order to facilitate scanning.

(2) Possible Submission Problems

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure prompt delivery of its application to the Department. Applicants should not rely on first-class mail because this service has no guaranteed delivery time. Even if an applicant chooses an express delivery service, it must use one that represents that it can deliver the application to the Department by the deadline.

In the event that the guaranteed delivery time is not fulfilled, the applicant should contact the official listed in VII. below as soon as the delivery delay or failure is known. If the applicant can document that the chosen delivery service should have delivered the application on time, the Department will grant a reasonable amount of time to receive the application or allow the applicant to resend it in the event that the previously sent application was lost, destroyed, or mutilated. Otherwise, the Department will reject the application as untimely.

3. Retention of Applications

a. Award Winners

Copies of winning applications are made available to federal members of MDCP project team for their use in coordinating project work with cooperators. The Department will keep the submitted application on file for at least seven (7) years.

b. Unsuccessful and Ineligible Applicants

For each eligible applicant whose application is not selected for MDCP funding and for each ineligible application, the Department will retain the signed original or its electronic equivalent for seven years.

c. Late and Ineligible Applications

Late applications are not accepted. Late applications and applications submitted by ineligible applicants are destroyed if submitted as hardcopy and erased if submitted electronically. The Department may choose to retain a copy of the cover page, transmittal letter, or electronic equivalent. In such cases the Department's policy is to keep such documentation for seven years.

d. Limitation of Liability

In no event will the Department of Commerce or ITA be responsible for proposal preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not obligate the Department of Commerce or ITA to award funds for any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

Applicants should apply online at www.grants.gov. However, hard copy submissions will be accepted if addressed to: Mr. Brad Hess, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave., N.W., Room 3215, Washington, DC 20230.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

The Department is interested in projects that demonstrate the possibility of both significant progress during the award period and lasting benefits extending beyond the award period. To that end, the merit review panel reviews each application for financial assistance under MDCP based upon the evaluation criteria listed below.

1. Potential to Strengthen Competitiveness (20 points)

A project's potential to strengthen competitiveness is evaluated primarily on the likelihood that it will result in export initiatives by U.S. firms, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises. Such initiatives are normally characterized by significant effort by companies in the active pursuit of export sales. As noted above in I.A.2. Examples of Project Activity, many different kinds of activity can strengthen the competitiveness of U.S.

industry; however, an applicant can earn the maximum number of points under this criterion only by demonstrating how its proposed project is expected to result in increased export initiatives by individual U.S. firms and exports by those firms.

2. Performance Measurement (20 points)

Applicants must provide quantifiable estimates of projected export and market share increases and explain how they are derived. No application that lacks an estimate of exports can receive a performance measurement score that exceeds ten (10). Applicants must detail the methods they will use to gather and report performance information.

3. Partnership and Priorities (20 points)

The Department will consider the degree to which the project initiates or enhances partnership with ITA and the degree to which the proposal furthers or is compatible with ITA's priorities stated under I.B. Program Priorities above.

4. Creativity and Capacity (20 points)

Creativity, innovation, and realism displayed by the work plan as well as the institutional capacity of the applicant to carry out the work plan.

a. Demonstrating Creativity

Applicants might propose ideas not previously tried to promote a particular industry in a market. Creativity can be demonstrated by the manner in which techniques are customized to meet the specific needs of certain client groups.

b. Table Comparing Proposal to Current or Past MDCP Projects

Applicants that have received an MDCP award in the past must submit a table comparing their current or past MDCP project(s) and their proposed project. The need for this table and the requested format are described below. As noted above in I. Funding Opportunity Description, MDCP awards are designed to help underwrite the start-up costs of new projects. Accordingly, current or past cooperators can be in a position to earn the maximum number of points under this criterion only if they propose projects that are entirely new.

In determining the number of points under this criterion, the merit review panel will consider the level to which a particular applicant has incorporated elements of its previously funded MDCP projects. To do this, current or past cooperators must submit a table wherein they estimate the amount of resources devoted to each project element. See VIII.C. Example Table Comparing Proposal to Current or Past MDCP Projects. Current or past cooperators that propose projects that are not entirely new will receive fewer points under this criterion than they would receive otherwise.

c. Institutional Capacity

The Department measures institutional capacity by what each applicant submits. A current or past cooperator should not assume that success with a prior MDCP project will automatically be taken into account by the Department when reviewing its application. Each applicant must document its institutional capacity in its application.

5. Budget and Sustainability (20 points)

This criterion encompasses the reasonableness of the itemized budget for project activities, the amount of the cash match that is readily available at the beginning of the project, and the probability that the project can be continued on a self-sustained basis after the completion of the award. Current or past cooperators must show how the proposed project will achieve self-sustainability independent of any current or past MDCP projects.

The Department does not assume that prior MDCP projects are self-sustaining. As noted in V.A.4.c. Creativity and Capacity above, the Department assesses each application based on what each applicant chooses to include in its application. If an applicant wants the Department to consider the self-sustainability of a prior project when evaluating a new project proposal, it should include relevant information in its application.

Each of the above criteria is worth a maximum of 20 points. The five criteria together constitute the application score. At 20 points per criterion, the total possible score is 100.

B. Review and Selection Process

The applicant is responsible for submitting a complete application in a timely manner. Prior to selection, each complete application receives a thorough evaluation as set forth below.

1. Eligibility Determination

The MDCP staff of the Office of Planning, Coordination and Management (OPCM) in ITA's Manufacturing and Services (MAS), in consultation with the Department's Office of General Counsel, reviews all applications to determine the eligibility of each applicant.

Applicants should request eligibility determinations before submitting their applications. The Department accepts applications from organizations that have not yet requested an eligibility determination. An applicant may request an eligibility determination after the deadline for submitting applications. If an applicant does so, it should submit its eligibility determination request directly to the Department as set forth in III.C.2. Determination of Eligibility within a few days of the application deadline. After the application deadline has passed the Department will decide which applications are from eligible entities and which are not. If the Department lacks sufficient evidence for making an eligibility determination it may have to determine that an entity is not eligible.

2. Program Area Review

Relevant program areas, including ITA's MAS, Market Access and Compliance (MAC), and Commercial Service, have the opportunity to review the submitted applications.

This allows experts in the industry sector or geographical region to assess applicant claims.

These reviewers provide insights into both the potential benefits and the potential difficulties associated with the applications.

3. OPCM Review

Representatives of OPCM review and comment on applications using the evaluation criteria identified above. These representatives may be joined in their review by other ITA staff. OPCM prepares for the merit review panel a review packet including the applications and reviewer comments. The OPCM staff and program area comments afford the merit review panel the insights and breadth of experience of Department professionals. However, the merit review panel is free to consider or disregard them as it sees fit.

4. Merit Review Panel Composition

The MDCP Director forwards all of the eligible applications, along with all related materials, to the merit review panel of at least three senior ITA managers. This panel is chaired by the OPCM Director and typically includes three other members, one each from MAS, MAC, and the Commercial Service. Panel members are office directors or higher.

5. Merit Review Panel Scoring

Each merit review panel member reviews each eligible application and assigns a score for each of the five criteria stated above. The scores of each panel member for each application reviewed are maintained in the files for seven years. The individual criteria scores are averaged to determine the total score for each application. The evaluation criteria scores assigned by the panel determine which applications are recommended for funding.

6. Ranked Recommendation:

Based on the scores assigned by merit review panel members, the panel forwards the applications with the ten highest total scores ("top-ranked applications") to the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services and recommends which of the top applications should receive funding. If the amount of funds requested by the top ten applicants is less than the funding available, the merit review panel recommends additional applications for funding in rank order.

The merit review panel's recommendation will not deviate from the rank order. This means, for example, that the panel cannot recommend funding for the application ranked seventh without recommending funding for applicants ranked first through sixth. The merit review panel recommendation includes the panel's written assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the top-ranked applications.

C. Selection Factors

From the top-ranked applications forwarded by the merit review panel, the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services selects those applications that will receive funding. In addition to the criteria in V.A. Evaluation Criteria above, the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services may consider the selection factors listed below:

1. The merit review panel's written assessments;

2. Degree to which applications satisfy the ITA priorities established under I.B.3.d. Project Funding Priorities above;

3. Geographic distribution of the proposed awards;

4. Diversity of industry sectors and overseas markets covered by the proposed awards;

5. Diversity of project activities represented by the proposed awards;

6. Avoidance of redundancy and conflicts with the initiatives of other federal agencies;

7. Availability of funds; and

8. Past performance.

D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Applications are reviewed simultaneously. The Department anticipates announcing the awards no sooner than July 2011.

VI.…