[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 219 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61814-61816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29656]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Announcement of the Quality Samples Program
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Commodity Credit Corporation is establishing, on a pilot
basis, a ``Quality Samples Program'' to help develop and expand markets
for U.S. agricultural commodities.
DATES: All proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time, December 15, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marketing Operations Staff, Foreign
Agricultural Service, Room 4932-S, Stop 1042, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-1042,
or telephone: (202) 720-4327.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that proposals may
be submitted for participation in a ``Quality Samples Program'' (QSP).
The QSP is a pilot program designed to encourage the development and
expansion of export
[[Page 61815]]
markets for U.S. agricultural commodities, under the authority of the
CCC Charter Act, 15 U.S.C. 714c(f). The QSP is designed to assist U.S.
entities in providing commodity samples to potential foreign importers
to promote a better understanding and appreciation for the high quality
of U.S. agricultural commodities. CCC will consider providing funds on
a grant basis to U.S. entities to assist them in providing such samples
if a proposal has been submitted by the interested U.S. entity and
accepted by CCC. CCC will review all proposals it receives against the
evaluation criteria contained herein and award QSP funds on a
competitive basis.
Under the QSP, CCC will enter into agreements with those entities
whose proposals have been accepted. QSP participants will be
responsible for procuring (or arranging for the procurement of)
commodity samples, exporting the samples, and providing the technical
assistance necessary to facilitate successful use of the samples by
importers. After completion of a QSP project, participants may submit
claims for reimbursement of the costs associated with providing the
samples to the extent that CCC has agreed to pay such costs. For
example, CCC may agree to reimburse the cost of procuring and exporting
the samples, including the commodity purchase price, document
preparation fees, and commodity transportation costs. CCC will not
reimburse the costs of providing technical assistance. The QSP
agreement between CCC and the participant will include a maximum amount
that may be reimbursed. A QSP participant will be reimbursed after CCC
reviews its claim and determines that the claim is complete. The QSP
activity will be subject to verification by the FAS Compliance Review
Staff. Upon request, a QSP participant shall provide to CCC the
original documents which support the participant's reimbursement
claims. CCC may deny a claim for reimbursement if the claim is not
supported by adequate documentation.
The QSP will be administered by personnel of the Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS). CCC will carefully monitor the operation of
the pilot QSP through Fiscal Year 2000. Based upon experience gained
during this pilot phase, CCC will, after opportunity for public
comment, consider continuing the program. CCC will not obligate more
than $2.5 million for the QSP during this pilot phase.
Proposal Process
To be considered for participation in the QSP, interested parties
should submit proposals to: Kent Sisson, Marketing Operations Staff,
Foreign Agricultural Service, Room 4932-S, Stop 1042, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-
1042. Telephone: (202) 720-4327. QSP proposals must contain complete
information about the proposed sample projects. Interested parties can
request a suggested format for proposals from the same address.
Organizations which submitted QSP-type proposals in their Unified
Export Strategy (UES) applications in March 1999 do not need to
resubmit those proposals as they will automatically be considered.
However, such applicants are welcome to modify and resubmit their
proposals after reading this announcement.
General Scope of QSP Projects
As a general matter, QSP projects should be designed to accomplish
the following goals:
Projects should benefit the represented industry and not a
specific company or brand;
Projects should promote a new use or market for a U.S.
product, or a new varietal type of a U.S. product, rather than promote
the substitution of one established U.S. product for another;
Sample commodities provided in a QSP project must be
readily available on a commercial basis;
Sample commodities must be subject to further processing
or substantial transformation in the importing country;
Samples provided in a QSP project shall not be used as
part of a retail promotion or supplied directly to consumers; and
Samples shall be in quantities less than a typical
commercial sale and limited to the amount sufficient to achieve the
project goal (e.g., not more than a full commercial mill run in the
destination country).
QSP projects shall target foreign importers who:
Have not previously purchased a particular U.S. commodity;
Are unfamiliar with a particular U.S. variety, quality
attribute, or end-use characteristic;
Have been unsuccessful in previous attempts to import,
process, and market a particular U.S. commodity (e.g., because of
improper specification, blending, or formulation; or sanitary or
phytosanitary (SPS) issues);
Are interested in testing or demonstrating the benefits of
a particular U.S. commodity; or
Need technical assistance in processing or using a
particular U.S. commodity.
Entities interested in participating in the QSP are not required to
submit proposals in any specific format; however, FAS recommends that
proposals contain, at a minimum, the following: (a) Organizational
information, including:
Organization's name, address, Chief Executive Officer (or
designee), and Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN);
Type of organization;
Name, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of
the primary contact person;
A description of the organization and its membership;
A description of the organization's prior export promotion
experience; and
A description of the organization's experience in
implementing an appropriate trade/technical assistance component;
(b) Market information, including:
An assessment of the market;
A long-term strategy in the market; and
U.S. export value/volume and market share (historic and
goals) for 1997-2005;
(c) Project information, including:
A brief project title;
Request for funding;
A brief description of the specific market development
trade constraint to be addressed by the project, performance measures
for the years 2000-2002 which will be used to measure the effectiveness
of the project, a benchmark performance measure for 1999, the viability
of long term sales to this market, the goals of the project, and the
expected benefits to the represented industry;
A description of the activities planned to address the
constraint, including how the sample will be used in the end-use
performance trial, the attributes of the sample to be demonstrated and
their end-use benefit, and details of the trade/technical servicing
component associated with the sample;
A sample description (i.e., commodity, quantity, quality,
type, and grade), including a justification for selecting a sample with
such characteristics;
An itemized list of all estimated costs associated with
the project for which reimbursement will be sought (e.g., commodity
costs, freight, inspection and weighing, freight forwarding services,
and document preparation fees); and
Ports of export and delivery;
(d) Importer information, including:
Name, address, and telephone of primary contact person;
[[Page 61816]]
The reason why the importer was selected for the project;
and
The importer's role in the project regarding handling and
processing the commodity sample; and
(e) Information indicating all funding sources, and amounts to be
contributed by each entity that will contribute to implementation of
the proposed project. This may include the organization that submitted
the proposal, private industry entities, host governments, foreign
third parties, CCC, FAS, or other Federal agencies. Contributed
resources may include cash, goods, and services.
Review Process
FAS will use the following criteria in evaluating proposals:
The overall quality of the proposal;
The ability of the organization to provide an experienced
staff with the requisite technical and trade experience to execute the
proposal;
The extent to which the proposal is targeted to a market
in which the United States is generally competitive;
The potential for expanding commercial sales in the
proposed market;
The nature of the specific market constraint involved and
how well it is addressed by the proposal;
The extent to which the importer's contribution in terms
of handling and processing enhances the potential outcome of the
project;
The amount of reimbursement requested and the
organization's willingness to contribute resources, including cash and
goods and services of the U.S. industry and foreign third parties; and
How well the proposed technical assistance component
assures that performance trials will effectively demonstrate the
intended end-use benefit.
FAS will establish a QSP Committee (Committee) for the purpose of
reviewing proposals for eligibility and completeness and allocating CCC
funds. The Committee will evaluate each proposal against the factors
described above. The purpose of this review is to identify meritorious
proposals, recommend an appropriate funding level for each proposal
based upon these factors, and submit the proposals and funding
recommendations to the Deputy Administrator, Commodity and Marketing
Programs.
Agreements
Following approval of a proposal, CCC will enter into an agreement
with the organization that submitted the proposal. Agreements will
incorporate the proposal as approved by FAS. Each agreement will
identify terms and conditions pursuant to which CCC will reimburse
certain costs of the project. Agreements will also outline the
responsibilities of the participant, including, but not limited to,
procurement (or arranging for procurement) of the commodity sample at a
fair market price, arranging for shipment of the commodity sample
within the time limit specified in the agreement (generally 90 days),
compliance with cargo preference requirements (shipment on United
States flag vessels, as may be required), timely and effective
implementation of technical assistance, and submission of a written
evaluation report within 6 months of completion of the project.
Evaluation reports should address the performance measures presented in
the proposal.
Closing Date for Proposals
All proposals must be submitted in triplicate and received by 5:00
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, [insert date 30 days after date of
publication in the Federal Register], at one of the following
addresses:
Hand Delivery (including FedEx, DHL, etc.): U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff,
Room 4932-S, 14th and Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20250-1042.
U.S. Postal Delivery: Marketing Operations Staff, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-1042.
Dated: November 4, 1999.
Timothy J. Galvin,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, Vice President, Commodity
Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 99-29656 Filed 11-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-P