80 FR 48289 - Request for Information: SNAP and WIC Seeking Input Regarding Procurement and Implementation of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Services; Extension of Comment Period
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 155 (August 12, 2015)
Food and Nutrition Service
Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 155 (August 12, 2015)
| Page Range | 48289-48292 | |
| FR Document | 2015-19794 |
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 155 (Wednesday, August 12, 2015)] [Notices] [Pages 48289-48292] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2015-19794] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service [FNS-2015-0013] Request for Information: SNAP and WIC Seeking Input Regarding Procurement and Implementation of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Services; Extension of Comment Period AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA. ACTION: Notice; Extension of Comment Period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is interested in identifying ways to stimulate increased competition in the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) marketplace and identify procurement or systems features that are barriers to new entrants. FNS is also seeking suggestions which will improve procurement of the delivery of EBT transaction processing services through modifications to, or replacement of, the existing business model. The procurement and implementation of EBT systems by State agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) needs to be sustainable for all parties involved. The landscape of EBT is in a heightened state of change, due in part to the recent decision by one of three primary companies providing EBT transaction processing services for SNAP and WIC to no longer solicit or accept any new prepaid card business, including for SNAP and WIC EBT services. In addition, there are numerous EBT projects moving toward the October 1, 2020, statutorily-mandated deadline for WIC Program implementation. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks to obtain input from EBT stakeholders and other financial payment industry members and interested parties, regarding options and alternatives available to improve the procurement and current operational aspects of EBT. In this document, FNS has posed various questions to prompt stakeholder responses. We intend to consider and follow up on the alternatives and suggestions that appear to be most viable from both a technical and a cost/benefit standpoint. Interested stakeholders are invited to respond to any or all of the questions that follow, and to identify issues which may not be listed. FNS is extending the comment period to provide additional time for interested parties to review this Request for Information. DATES: The comment period for the notice that was published on June 23, 2015 (80 FR 35932) has been extended from August 24, 2015 to October 24, 2015. To be assured of consideration, comments must be received on or before October 24, 2015. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically. Comments can also be mailed or delivered to: Andrea Gold, Director, Retailer Policy and Management Division, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 424, Alexandria, Virginia 22302. All comments submitted in response to this notice will be included in the record and will be made available to the public at www.regulations.gov. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and the identity of the individuals or entities commenting will be subject to public disclosure. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Gold, Director, Retailer Policy and Management Division, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (703) 305-2434, or via email at andrea.g[email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background All SNAP State agencies and some WIC State agencies conduct EBT using magnetic stripe cards similar to debit or credit cards. Almost all EBT systems today are integrated such that all of the service requirements are provided within a single system to the relevant State agencies, often referred to as a turnkey system. Over the years, some States have obtained SNAP EBT services by contracting for individual EBT service components to one or more service providers (such as authorization platform, retailer management, transaction switching, client help desk services, and card production). A few State agencies have performed certain EBT services themselves, to control costs or meet the needs of State operations. These State-operated services may include such functions as transaction authorization, retailer training and management, EBT card distribution, and management and customer service. In the WIC Program, several of the State agencies use smart card or chip [[Page 48290]] card systems, sometimes referred to as off-line systems, while others have chosen an on-line system using a magnetic stripe reader. The trend in WIC, for State agencies choosing both mag-stripe and smart card solutions, is toward contracted EBT services via a turnkey processor. Contractors compete for State EBT business in a comparatively small marketplace. FNS has long encouraged healthy competition in this marketplace because the Agency believes it helps to control costs, ensures a level playing field for businesses who are interested in supporting EBT delivery processes, and encourages innovation. Two of the biggest concerns for FNS and State agencies with the limited competition within the EBT market, are the increased risk for sustainability of the industry over time, and the impact limited competition could have on pricing. Up until most recently, in the SNAP EBT environment, there have been three dominant primary EBT contractors with State agency EBT contracts. In the WIC EBT environment, these same three on-line EBT SNAP contractors have also provided EBT on-line services for WIC. There are also two other off-line EBT contractors for WIC. In January 2014, one of the primary contractors announced that the firm would no longer solicit or accept any new prepaid card business, which includes their EBT services. The firm is in the process of fulfilling its existing contracts but is not pursuing any further business in this area. As a result, only two of those three active primary EBT contractors remain in the market. There has been a new entrant to the SNAP market, a company that has been active in the WIC market; however, at this time, it is unclear whether any other firms will choose to enter this market. State agencies have acquired EBT service through one of two major approaches: Procurements dedicated to a single State agency, and multi-state procurements. The latter approach leverages pricing through economies of scale and standardizes requirements and contract provisions in a way that can reduce the burden on contractors of responding to separate contract solicitations by many State agencies. Typical contracts have a base period such as 5 years with several optional extension years, but there are situations where State procurement rules dictate a shorter timeframe with limited renewals. Due to the burden to develop re-procurements and manage the potential transition to a new contractor when an incumbent does not win award, it is not unusual to see a State agency choose to exercise the optional years, resulting in contract lengths of 7-10 years. It is safe to say that FNS and State agencies are interested in the best value and service for EBT projects regardless of the size of a specific State agency. The Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79 (the Act) has also brought important changes to the SNAP EBT landscape that impacts States and SNAP EBT contractors looking forward. That legislation removed the requirement for States and their contractors to provide no cost point-of-sale (POS) devices to all authorized SNAP retailers who were not already using a commercial payment provider. The Act also changed manual voucher processing used when retailer sales do not warrant the cost to receive a POS device from the government and for back up during system outages and disasters. On the WIC side, while there is no new legislation at play, most of the 90 WIC State agencies are beginning to convert to an EBT delivery model to meet the October 1, 2020, deadline mandated by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Public Law 111-296. These State agencies are acquiring services from the on-line and off-line contractors. In sum, EBT services have developed a pricing model that has evolved since the early projects were initiated in the 1980s. Currently, contractors will bid to provide all the services, including cards, benefit account management, purchase authorization, customer service, retailer equipage and settlement to food retailers for a single cost for each household or case served in a month. Sometimes retailer equipage, pay-phone surcharges for toll-free calls and other fees have been separated from the case-month price. This pricing model allows for fluctuations in caseload related to economic changes or other growth factors. To the degree other pricing models exist, they have not taken root within either SNAP or WIC to date. Pricing can be, and often is, set up in tiers to reduce the case-month fee when certain caseload thresholds are reached either due to increases (or decreases) in household participation or if multiple State agencies have contracted together for economies of scale with the same requirements and contract standards. The major functional components of on-line EBT for SNAP and WIC are outlined in Appendix A, and off-line smart card WIC EBT is described in Appendix B. Request for Information This RFI seeks to obtain input from EBT stakeholders, other financial payments industry members and other interested parties regarding options and alternatives available to improve the procurement and operational aspects of EBT. FNS has posed various questions below to prompt stakeholder responses, and, before those, has also noted a few primary concerns and key objectives for this effort. Primary ConcernsLess available competition and potential that smaller State agencies may not receive affordable proposals, or even any proposals, in response to State agency solicitations. An increase in procurement activity and system conversions by SNAP State agencies as those using the services of the departing company migrate to the remaining processors. Significant increase in procurement activity and system implementation by WIC State agencies leading up to the October 1, 2020, deadline for WIC State agencies to convert to an EBT delivery system. Management of risks associated with greater activity in a shorter period of time. Main Objectives FNS is inviting stakeholder input on how the opportunities and risks associated with these changes can best be recognized and managed. There are two main objectives: 1. Increased competition for EBT services, including that which can possibly be achieved through changes or alternatives to the current business model. 2. More stability and sustainability for this market, including that which can possibly be achieved through alternative pricing models and contract terms. Questions The Agency will consider all comments, and plans to follow up on alternatives and suggestions that appear to be most viable from both a technical and a cost/benefit standpoint. Responses will help inform any future actions or guidance issued by the Agency, including guidance to States on issuing EBT Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Interested stakeholders are invited to respond to any or all of the following questions, and to identify other issues which may not be listed. Responses which clearly reference the pertinent question below would facilitate FNS' review of the stakeholder feedback. [[Page 48291]] Procurement 1. Do State agency procurements provide sufficient information about the operational characteristics of their EBT projects for new entrants to the EBT market? If not, are there alternatives for potential vendors to obtain the information needed? 2. How do State Agency requirements, (such as call center response standards, transaction processing requirements, card issuance timeframes and adjustment policies), compare to commercial practices? Would adjusting some of these requirements to closely resemble the commercial world increase the interest of potential new vendors, or impact contract costs or willingness of current vendors to bid? If so, what requirements or practices should be considered? 3. Are the amounts for liquated damages and penalty clauses currently required by State agencies reasonable? If not, what would be more reasonable amounts or ways for State agencies to safeguard against such problems as project delays, unscheduled system downtime, and below-standard processing times, etc.? 4. Can more economies of scale be realized without increasing complexity through any of the following: a. Multi-state shared services for commercial call center services, card production and delivery, training and other services? b. The inclusion of more agencies/programs? 5. Are there requirements for vendor experience that are necessary to establish minimum qualifications to bid to provide EBT services? Are there requirements you have seen that should not be used because you believe that they unnecessarily limit competition? 6. Would any vendors be interested in providing select service components (i.e. call centers, transaction processing, training, etc.) if there were an option to offer proposals for one or some rather than all of the service components? What pricing model(s) would work best for separate services when not bundled into the cost per case month pricing (CPCM)? 7. What alternative procurement models might State Agencies consider to ensure they receive viable competitive bids? 8. Should State agencies pursue coalition procurements with the benefits they bring, such as economies of scale, or does it tend to limit competition or discourage new entrants into the marketplace? Pricing 9. Does the impact of the EBT vendor assuming development and implementation costs before they begin processing transactions pose a major barrier to entering the market? 10. Are there ways to separate EBT system development/startup costs from operational costs to reduce risk for new entrants when bidding on a project? If so, what are they? \1\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ SNAP procurements involve acquiring an operational process with costs for start-up activities included in the monthly operational cost-per-case-month. WIC procurements are conversions from paper to electronic delivery with deliverables and milestones for start-up that may be priced separately. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Are there other changes to the CPCM pricing model that would encourage potential vendors to enter the EBT market? 12. The tiered pricing model involves tiers within the CPCM pricing model, adjusted at smaller or larger intervals for different caseload levels. How can State consortia which want to procure together better realize economies of scale given their varying caseload sizes, and still benefit from a blended CPCM price based on their collective caseload volumes? 13. Are there pricing models other than the CPCM model that would be advantageous in reducing pricing risk to the vendor and still maintain sustainable prices for the State agencies? How can the disadvantages to State agencies in forecasting expenses be overcome, if costs are no longer tied to caseload levels? Managing Risk Several stakeholders have advised FNS that too many procurements occurring in close succession may increase the risk that smaller State Agencies may receive fewer or even no bids, as vendors will devote scarce resources to preparing proposals for the most potentially profitable customers. Similarly, if too many implementations or conversions are scheduled in close succession, it may mean that vendors will not have sufficient technical resources to assign their top team to each one. Both of these situations represent risks which FNS would like to help State Agencies manage and mitigate. 14. Besides sharing known and estimated RFP release dates and conversion dates, what can FNS do to help State Agencies manage these risks and ensure smooth transitions? Other Questions 15. Are there other areas or issues that we have not specifically asked for a response on which you would like to offer comment related to the two main objectives of this RFI? Dated: August 6, 2015. Audrey Rowe, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service. Attached: Appendix A: EBT Functions for Online SNAP and WIC EBT Appendix B: EBT Functions for Offline WIC EBT Cards (Smart Cards) Appendix C: Web sites to RFP and other EBT information: Appendix A--EBT Functions for On-Line SNAP and WIC EBT (1) Account setup and benefit authorization--support for on-line accounts for SNAP or WIC households authorized to receive benefits; (2) Card issuance and participant training--provide cards, equipment (PIN pads, card readers and training materials); (3) Participant account maintenance--receive daily and monthly benefit updates from State agency systems, aging benefits and reporting; (4) Transaction processing--approval or denial of food purchases made at authorized SNAP and WIC retailers/vendors; WIC processing includes, but is not limited to, matching of food item UPC, price and quantity; (5) Customer service--24 x 7 toll-free call support with help desk customer service representatives and Interactive Voice Response and web portal services inquiries related to purchase activities and balances from cardholders, merchants and State agency staff; (6) Retailer participation--support commercial third party switching services and installation and maintenance of payment terminals in smaller retail locations. Manual backup vouchers for authorizations during system interruptions or for low volume SNAP merchants; (7) EBT settlement--daily payment to authorized retailers for approved purchases; reconciliation via reports and data file exchanges, WIC also includes food item detail; (8) EBT reporting--administrative and batch data exchange for reporting card account activities by card number and retail location; daily financial settlement reporting and reconciliation; and, (9) Disaster Benefit Services (SNAP only)--providing card and benefit services for natural disasters. Appendix B--EBT Functions for Offline WIC EBT (Smart Cards) WIC off-line EBT processing relies on State agencies to load a smart card chip with WIC food balances that can be read in grocery store lanes. Card and Personal Identification Number (PIN) support is provided by the State agency using the clinic system that tracks and determines participant benefits. Purchases are authorized off- line in the grocery lane (without an on-line authorization) and a daily claim file is sent to the WIC EBT host for processing payment [[Page 48292]] to the WIC vendors. A hot card file, reconciliation file and authorized product list (APL) (containing the list of approved Universal Product Codes (UPC) and price look-up (PLU) codes called the APL file) are provided to the WIC grocer via the EBT host (an FTP server). (1) EBT host processing--processing of daily WIC claim files containing WIC transaction purchases, editing for Not-to-Exceed price limits, and pick-up of hot card, APL and reconciliation files to authorized WIC retail vendors. (2) Retail vendor equipage & integrated support (State agency option) (3) Customer Service (State agency option)--toll-free call center support including customer service representatives, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and/or web portal services for cardholder and retailer and State agency staff inquiries. (4) EBT Reporting--administrative and batch data to support all processing and authorization activities. (5) Settlement and Reconciliation--similar to SNAP settlement but also includes food product information. Appendix C--Web sites to RFP and Other EBT Information SNAP EBT Status--http://www.fns.usda.gov/ebt/general-electronic-benefit-transfer-ebt-information WIC EBT Status--http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-ebt-activities WIC Technology Partners (Provides links to new and updated solicitations)--http://www.wictechnologypartners.com/solicitations/RFP-B2Z12017/index.php [FR Doc. 2015-19794 Filed 8-11-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-30-P
![Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 155 / Wednesday, August 12, 2015 / Notices 48289
available for inspection in the FSIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FNS is extending the comment period
Docket Room. to provide additional time for interested
Food and Nutrition Service parties to review this Request for
Additional Public Notification
Information.
FSIS will announce this notice online [FNS–2015–0013]
DATES: The comment period for the
through the FSIS Web page located at notice that was published on June 23,
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/ Request for Information: SNAP and
WIC Seeking Input Regarding 2015 (80 FR 35932) has been extended
fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/ from August 24, 2015 to October 24,
federal-register-notices. Procurement and Implementation of
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) 2015. To be assured of consideration,
FSIS also will make copies of this
Services; Extension of Comment comments must be received on or before
Federal Register publication available
Period October 24, 2015.
through the FSIS Constituent Update,
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
which is used to provide information
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service submitted through the Federal
regarding FSIS policies, procedures,
(FNS), USDA. eRulemaking Portal at
regulations, Federal Register notices,
FSIS public meetings, and other types of ACTION: Notice; Extension of Comment www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
information that could affect or would Period. instructions for submitting comments
be of interest to constituents and electronically. Comments can also be
SUMMARY: The Food and Nutrition mailed or delivered to: Andrea Gold,
stakeholders. The Update is Service (FNS) is interested in
communicated via Listserv, a free Director, Retailer Policy and
identifying ways to stimulate increased Management Division, Supplemental
electronic mail subscription service for competition in the Electronic Benefit
industry, trade groups, consumer Nutrition Assistance Program, Food and
Transfer (EBT) marketplace and identify Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of
interest groups, health professionals, procurement or systems features that are
and other individuals who have asked Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,
barriers to new entrants. FNS is also Room 424, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
to be included. The Update also is seeking suggestions which will improve All comments submitted in response
available on the FSIS Web page. In procurement of the delivery of EBT to this notice will be included in the
addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail transaction processing services through record and will be made available to the
subscription service, which provides modifications to, or replacement of, the public at www.regulations.gov. Please be
automatic and customized access to existing business model. The advised that the substance of the
selected food safety news and procurement and implementation of comments and the identity of the
information. This service is available at EBT systems by State agencies individuals or entities commenting will
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/ administering the Supplemental be subject to public disclosure.
fsis/programs-and-services/email- Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
subscription-service. Options range from and Special Supplemental Nutrition
recalls to export information to Andrea Gold, Director, Retailer Policy
Program for Women, Infants, and and Management Division,
regulations, directives, and notices. Children (WIC) needs to be sustainable
Customers can add or delete Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
for all parties involved. Program, (703) 305–2434, or via email at
subscriptions themselves and have the The landscape of EBT is in a
option to password protect their andrea.gold@fns.usda.gov.
heightened state of change, due in part SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
accounts. to the recent decision by one of three
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement primary companies providing EBT Background
USDA prohibits discrimination in all transaction processing services for All SNAP State agencies and some
its programs and activities on the basis SNAP and WIC to no longer solicit or WIC State agencies conduct EBT using
of race, color, national origin, gender, accept any new prepaid card business, magnetic stripe cards similar to debit or
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, including for SNAP and WIC EBT credit cards. Almost all EBT systems
sexual orientation, and marital or family services. In addition, there are today are integrated such that all of the
status (Not all prohibited bases apply to numerous EBT projects moving toward service requirements are provided
all programs). Persons with disabilities the October 1, 2020, statutorily- within a single system to the relevant
who require alternative means for mandated deadline for WIC Program State agencies, often referred to as a
communication of program information implementation. turnkey system. Over the years, some
(Braille, large print, and audiotape) This Request for Information (RFI) States have obtained SNAP EBT services
should contact USDA’s Target Center at seeks to obtain input from EBT by contracting for individual EBT
(202) 720–2600 (voice and TTY). To file stakeholders and other financial service components to one or more
a written complaint of discrimination, payment industry members and service providers (such as authorization
write USDA, Office of the Assistant interested parties, regarding options and platform, retailer management,
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 alternatives available to improve the transaction switching, client help desk
Independence Avenue SW., procurement and current operational services, and card production). A few
Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call aspects of EBT. In this document, FNS State agencies have performed certain
(202) 720–5964 (voice and TTY). USDA has posed various questions to prompt EBT services themselves, to control
is an equal opportunity provider and stakeholder responses. We intend to costs or meet the needs of State
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
employer. consider and follow up on the operations. These State-operated
alternatives and suggestions that appear services may include such functions as
Done at Washington, DC on: August 6, to be most viable from both a technical transaction authorization, retailer
2015. and a cost/benefit standpoint. training and management, EBT card
Alfred V. Almanza, Interested stakeholders are invited to distribution, and management and
Acting Administrator. respond to any or all of the questions customer service.
[FR Doc. 2015–19748 Filed 8–11–15; 8:45 am] that follow, and to identify issues which In the WIC Program, several of the
BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P may not be listed. State agencies use smart card or chip
VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:16 Aug 11, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\12AUN1.SGM 12AUN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/80_FR_48444/page/1.svg)
![48292 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 155 / Wednesday, August 12, 2015 / Notices
to the WIC vendors. A hot card file, opportunities in rural communities, Department of Commerce (the
reconciliation file and authorized product list maintain the health and resiliency of the Department) initiated an administrative
(APL) (containing the list of approved Nation’s forests, and advance review of the antidumping duty order
Universal Product Codes (UPC) and price
sustainability in the built environment. on polyethylene terephthalate film,
look-up (PLU) codes called the APL file) are
provided to the WIC grocer via the EBT host On October 10, 2014, USDA sheet and strip (PET film) from Brazil.1
(an FTP server). published official competition rules in On February 6, 2015, the Department
(1) EBT host processing—processing of the Federal Register in Notice 79 FR published, in the Federal Register, a
daily WIC claim files containing WIC 61275. The competition rules note that notice of revocation of the antidumping
transaction purchases, editing for Not-to- the Prize Purse is a combined pool from duty order on PET film from Brazil,
Exceed price limits, and pick-up of hot card, the Competition Partners of $2 million effective November 10, 2013.2
APL and reconciliation files to authorized and that the Prize Purse may increase, Accordingly, this administrative review
WIC retail vendors. covers Terphane Ltda. and Terphane
but will not decrease. The rules also
(2) Retail vendor equipage & integrated
support (State agency option) state that any increases in the Prize Inc. (collectively, Terphane) for the
(3) Customer Service (State agency Purse will be posted on the period of review (POR) November 1,
option)—toll-free call center support Competition Web site 2013, through November 9, 2013. As we
including customer service representatives, (www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org) currently have no evidence of any
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and/or web and published in the Federal Register. reviewable entries, shipments or sales of
portal services for cardholder and retailer The Softwood Lumber Board has subject PET film by Terphane during the
and State agency staff inquiries. committed an additional $1 million to POR, we are issuing a preliminary no
(4) EBT Reporting—administrative and shipment determination.3
support the competition. By way of this
batch data to support all processing and
authorization activities. notice, USDA is informing the public FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
(5) Settlement and Reconciliation—similar that the combined competition prize Tyler Weinhold or Robert James, AD/
to SNAP settlement but also includes food purse is now $3 million in accordance CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement
product information. with the competition’s official rules. and Compliance, International Trade
The Prize Purse will be used to fund Administration, U.S. Department of
Appendix C—Web sites to RFP and one or more awards; the number of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Other EBT Information awards made will depend on the Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230;
SNAP EBT Status—http://www.fns.usda.gov/ estimated amount of Eligible Expenses telephone: (202) 482–1121 or (202) 482–
ebt/general-electronic-benefit-transfer-ebt- proposed by the winning Project 0649, respectively.
information Proponent Team(s). Award(s) will be SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
WIC EBT Status—http://www.fns.usda.gov/ made to the winning Project Proponent
wic/wic-ebt-activities
Team(s) to cover incremental costs of Scope of the Order
WIC Technology Partners (Provides links to
new and updated solicitations)—http:// transitioning their building from a The products covered by this order
www.wictechnologypartners.com/ traditional structure to a wood structure, are all gauges of raw, pre-treated, or
solicitations/RFP-B2Z12017/index.php i.e., those costs incurred only because of primed PET film, whether extruded or
[FR Doc. 2015–19794 Filed 8–11–15; 8:45 am]
the Project Proponent Team’s innovative co-extruded. PET film is classifiable
use of wood products in the under subheading 3920.62.00.90 of the
BILLING CODE 3410–30–P
demonstration structure. Additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
details may be found in the original United States.4
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Federal Register Notice. Methodology
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
Rural Business-Cooperative Service The Department is conducting this
Dated: August 7, 2015. review in accordance with section
Notice of Change to Announcement of Lillian Salerno, 751(a)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
Requirements and Registration for the Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative amended (the Act). For a full
U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Service. description of the methodology
Competition [FR Doc. 2015–19820 Filed 8–11–15; 8:45 am] underlying our conclusions, see
BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative The Preliminary Decision Memorandum
Service, USDA. is a public document and is on file
ACTION: Notice of change to electronically via Enforcement and
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for the U.S. Tall Wood International Trade Administration 1 See Initiation of Antidumping and
Building Prize Competition. Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews, 79 FR
[A–351–841] 76956 (December 23, 2014).
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 2 See Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and
Agriculture (USDA) in a cooperative Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet Strip From Brazil, the People’s Republic of China,
and the United Arab Emirates: Continuation and
partnership with the Softwood Lumber and Strip From Brazil: Preliminary Revocation of Antidumping Duty Orders, 80 FR
Board and the Binational Softwood Results of Antidumping Duty 6689 (February 6, 2015) (Notice of Revocation).
Lumber Council is conducting a prize Administrative Review; 2013–2014 3 Terphane is the only respondent in this review.
competition funding initiative to 4 For a full description of the scope of the order,
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, see ‘‘Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
support the demonstration of tall wood
buildings in the United States. The U.S. International Trade Administration, Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative
Department of Commerce. Review of Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet
Tall Wood Building Prize Competition and Strip from Brazil: 2013–2014,’’ from Christian
(the ‘‘Competition’’) is being conducted DATES: Effective Date: August 12, 2015. Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping
to showcase the architectural and SUMMARY: In response to requests from and Countervailing Duty Operations, to Paul
Piquado, Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
commercial viability of advanced wood DuPont Teijin Films, Mitsubishi Compliance (Preliminary Decision Memorandum),
products in tall building construction in Polyester Film, Inc., and SKC, Inc. dated concurrently with these results and hereby
order to support employment (collectively, Petitioners), the adopted by this notice.
VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:16 Aug 11, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\12AUN1.SGM 12AUN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/80_FR_48444/page/4.svg)
Document Created: 2016-09-27 22:26:47
Document Modified: 2016-09-27 22:26:47
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice; Extension of Comment Period. | |
| Dates | The comment period for the notice that was published on June 23, 2015 (80 FR 35932) has been extended from August 24, 2015 to October 24, 2015. To be assured of consideration, comments must be received on or before October 24, 2015. | |
| Contact | Andrea Gold, Director, Retailer Policy and Management Division, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (703) 305-2434, or via email at [email protected] | |
| FR Citation | 80 FR 48289 |
2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR