Technical Agricultural Assistance

To identify international agricultural issues and problems and apply the most appropriate solutions in agricultural technical assistance and research. Implement capacity building projects that help U.S. trading partners understand and implement scien

To identify international agricultural issues and problems and apply the most appropriate solutions in agricultural technical assistance and research. Implement capacity building projects that help U.S. trading partners understand and implement science-based international standards and practices.

State agricultural experiment stations, State cooperative extension services, all colleges and universities, other research or education institutions and organizations, Federal and private agencies and organizations, individuals, and any other organization, whether foreign or domestic. n.b. Individual Notices of Funding Opportunity may be made available to a subset of these organizations.

Technical assistance provided through these agreements generally benefits agricultural institutions in specified countries or multilateral institutions, or supports programming that does so.

Awards may support reasonable and necessary costs appropriate for the projects being undertaken. While this will vary from project to project, it may include (for example) personal compensation for technical experts; travel and subsistence expenses for participants; materials and supplies; consumables; equipment; etc.

Individual awards can range from 3 months to 5 years; extensions may be available under certain circumstances, except that in no case can an award exceed 5 years including extensions.

Applicants will be evaluated on the extent and quality to which they demonstrate that they have the capabilities, staff, resources, and equipment to successfully perform the project. Scoring will also be based on the level of detail and how clearly the applicant's capacities to address these factors are outlined in the proposal. Selection factors will be described in individual NOFOs, but generally include Technical Expertise and Experience, Overall Program Plan, Cost Effectiveness, and Quality of Submission.

USDA/FAS will convene a review panel, which may include both federal and non-federal reviewers, to review eligible applications. The reviewers will ensure that the applicant is capable of delivering the programs/activities as described in the announcement based on the applicant's project narrative and assign a score and provide summary comments. The review panel will make a recommendation list to the selecting official (generally, the Director or Senior Director for the cognizant operating group), who is not a member of the panel. The selecting official may select applications out of rank order in consideration of strategic program priorities, such as geographical distribution, incorporation of minority-serving institutions, or congressional directive. Selection determinations are final and cannot be appealed. Prior to selection, the agency may contact the highest-ranking applicants to seek clarification and to negotiate technical and programmatic aspects of the application. If an application includes a subaward, FAS may request to speak with all parties included in the application to ensure sufficient planning and coordination has taken place prior to making an award.