(a) Issuance of a Notice of Violation and Assessment (NOVA). Prior to the initiation of an administrative proceeding through issuance of a NOVA, the Bureau of Industry and Security will issue a letter of intent to charge. The letter of intent to charge will advise a respondent that BIS has conducted an investigation. The letter will give the respondent a specified period of time to contact BIS to discuss settlement of the allegations set forth in the letter of intent to charge. If the respondent does not contact BIS in the time period specified in the letter of intent to charge, the Director of the Office of Export Enforcement, or such other Department of Commerce representative designated by the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, may initiate an administrative enforcement proceeding under this § 785.3 by issuing a NOVA.

(b) Content of a NOVA. The NOVA shall constitute a formal complaint and will set forth the alleged violation(s) and the essential facts with respect to the alleged violation(s), reference the relevant statutory, regulatory or other provisions, and state the maximum amount of the civil penalty that could be assessed. The NOVA also will inform the respondent of the requirement to request a hearing pursuant to § 785.4 of the APR.

(c) Service of a NOVA. Service of the NOVA shall be made by certified mail or courier delivery with signed acknowledgment of receipt. The date of signed acknowledgment of receipt shall be the effective date of service of the NOVA. One copy of each paper shall be provided to each party in the delivery. BIS files the NOVA with the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the same time that it is sent to the respondent. The ALJ, in turn, will place the case on its docket and will notify both the respondent and BIS of the docket information.