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FY13 Suggestion Submittal and Review Process |
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Section 10201
FY13 Suggestion Submittal and Review Process
From November 12th through December 12th, 2012, APHIS will be gathering input and suggestions to implement Section 10201 of the 2008 Farm Bill. This input will be used to inform the development of an FY13 Spending Plan. As in previous years, the FY13 Spending Plan will be organized around six goal areas:
- Enhance plant pest/disease analysis and survey
- Target domestic inspection activities at vulnerable points in the safeguarding continuum
- Enhance and strengthen pest identification and technology
- Safeguard nursery production
- Conduct outreach and education to increase understanding, acceptance, and support of plant pest and disease eradication and control efforts
- Enhance mitigation capabilities
While the goal areas remain the same, several of the strategies have been updated. We have also introduced categories under each goal area to help submitters align suggestions with areas that represent a critical need or unexplored opportunity to strengthen prevention, detection, and/or mitigation efforts. For a complete discussion of the goal areas and their related strategies and categories, please see the FY13 Overview of Section 10201 Goals, Strategies, and Categories.
Please note that the FY13 suggestion submittal and review process will remain much the same as in previous years. The APHIS team has worked diligently to introduce improvements to this process for 2013. Please see links below for detailed instructions on submitting a suggestion.
Submission Instructions
Stakeholders interested in submitting a suggestion should do so no later than 11:59 pm EST on December 12, 2012. All suggestions shall be submitted using the FY13 Farm Bill Suggestion online application.
For FY13, APHIS will continue to receive Farm Bill Section 10201 suggestions using a web-based tool, called Metastorm. To access the FY13 Farm Bill Suggestion application system, users must first request a user name and password from APHIS by completing the Access Request Form located by clicking HERE. Once the access request form is completed and submitted, you should receive a user name and password within 48 hours. Stakeholders that already have a Metastorm user name and password do not need to request a new user name and password, but will need to request access to the Farm Bill Suggestion system.
Note:Users who utilized the Metastorm system in FY12 will NOT have to register again. However, if they have not used their account recently, they may have to refresh or reset their password by contacting ATAC, the APHIS Technical Application Center.
For detailed, step-by-step instructions on accessing the online suggestion system, please see the Quick Start Guide: Submitting a FY13 Farm Bill Section 10201 Suggestion.
When submitting a suggestion, users will be asked to:
- Provide a suggestion title
- Identify the goal area and category addressed by the suggestion
- Indicate if the suggestion represents a new idea (something that has not been done in the past) or if it supports the continuation of work already underway
- Indicate if the activities proposed in the suggestion could be completed in one, two or three years and provide budget estimates for current and future years
- Provide contact information for the individual submitting the suggestion
- Provide information about the primary cooperators or other institutions that would likely participate in carrying out the suggestion
Submitters also are asked to provide information succinctly describing:
- How the suggestion aligns with Section 10201 goals, strategies, categories (as defined in the FY13 Overview of Section 10201 Goals, Strategies, and Categories)
- The potential/expected impact of the suggestion
- The technical approach
- The roles and responsibilities of any cooperators or institutions in carrying out the suggestion. Federal cooperators also need to indicate the percentage of total funding that would be provided to each non-Federal cooperator or participating institution
- The budget plan
- Relevant prior experience
- Any accomplishments if a continuation of a project previously funded
All information related to the suggestion should be submitted using the online system according to the instructions listed above. Any information provided in addition to what is captured online (whether in email or as an attachment to an email) will not be considered during the evaluation process.
When a suggestion is submitted, the State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO) and the State Plant Health Director (SPHD) will be notified that a suggestion originating from their state has been received. SPHDs and SPROs will be able to log into the system and view those suggestions.
Please do not include any confidential business information in your suggestion as each suggestion may be shared with multiple subject matter and/or technical experts.
Subject matter and/or technical experts may include USDA employees, both at APHIS and at other USDA agencies as appropriate, scientific and technical experts from universities and other organizations, and State Plant Regulatory Officials.
Approximate Funding Levels
APHIS anticipates that FY13 funding levels by goal area will be as follows:
Goal Area |
Approximate FY13 Funding Level |
Percentage of |
Number of |
1. Survey & Analysis |
$ 16,500,000 |
33.3% |
427 |
2. Domestic Inspection |
$ 6,500,000 |
12.7% |
40 |
3. Pest Identification & |
$ 6,500,000 |
12.2% |
171 |
4. Safeguarding Nursery |
$ 3,000,000 |
5.5% |
89 |
5. Outreach & Education |
$ 4,000,000 |
8.0% |
128 |
6. Enhanced Mitigation |
$ 13,500,000 |
28.3% |
185 |
The FY13 funding levels are approximate and are based on the level of funding provided by goal area between fiscal years 2009 and 2012. These funding levels are not absolute targets or thresholds. As APHIS evaluates needs based upon changing pest situations, the actual funding level for each goal area may change.
Note: The submission of a suggestion does not guarantee that it will be included in the final Spending Plan. Suggestions that are consistent with the goals of Section 10201 of the Farm Bill and that strongly meet or exceed the criteria outlined below will be considered for funding. The intent of seeking suggestions from stakeholders is to facilitate the development of a comprehensive plan to address early pest detection and rapid response that takes into consideration a diversity of expert opinions on the types of efforts and initiatives that are likely to accomplish the goals of Section 10201. This is not a competitive grant program, and APHIS, in consultation with stakeholders, reserves significant flexibility in the administration of Section 10201.
Evaluation Process
Suggestions will be evaluated by Section 10201 Goal Teams. Teams include representatives from APHIS, USDA, the National Plant Board, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance.
Goal Teams will be using the criteria described below to evaluate suggestions. After all Goal Teams have completed their evaluations, the Teams will meet to discuss preliminary funding priorities in an effort to identify synergies across goal areas and to ensure that critical needs or unexplored opportunities to strengthen prevention, detection, and/or mitigation efforts are addressed through the FY13 Spending Plan.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation team members will evaluate the technical factors of the individual suggestions using the evaluation criteria described below.
Strategic Alignment
This criterion is used to assess the extent to which the suggestion aligns with the strategic objectives of Section 10201 of the Farm Bill and the revised strategies and goal-specific categories outlined in FY13 stakeholder guidance documents.
Impact
This criterion is used to assess the extent to which the suggestion will make an impact and produce results in areas of priority as defined by the individual goal area. This may include, but is not limited to, facilitating trade through the reporting of negative survey data, solving phytosanitary and trade issues in a sustainable manner, mitigating risky behaviors, and/or improving emergency response capacity. Impact might also be measured in terms of ability to succeed on a larger scale than in the past.
Feasibility
This criterion is used to assess the extent to which the suggestion can be accomplished based on key factors such as (but not limited to) availability of resources, best utilization of partner relationships, and existence of a clearly defined process.
Past Performance, Best Practices and Innovation
This criterion is used to assess the extent to which the suggestion will be successful based on past success in similar endeavors or the extent to which the suggestion utilizes best practices and innovation to offer new and improved approaches to achieving success.
Key Dates
| November 12, 2012 |
Suggestion submittal period opens |
December 12, 2012 |
Suggestion period closes |
December 10, 2012 |
Evaluation process begins |
February 2013 (tentative) |
Spending Plan released |
Questions?
If you have any questions about the FY13 suggestions submittal and review process, please consult our FAQ document or send them to the following email address: PPQ.Section.Farmbill-10201@aphis.usda.gov