[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63524-63526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30441]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Administrative Services to the NIS College and University
Partnerships Program (NISCUPP)
ACTION: Request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs' Specialized Programs Branch
of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs announces an open competition to assist in the
administration of the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and University
Partnerships Program (NISCUPP) competition. Public and private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation
26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to assist in the administration of the
technical and academic review of approximately 65 to 85 proposals for
the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and University Partnerships Program
competition (E/ASU-99-05).
The NISCUPP supports linkages between U.S. institutions of higher
education and institutions of higher edcuation from the New Independent
States in specified fields and disciplines.
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the
program cited above is provided through the Freedom for Russia and
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992
(Freedom Support Act).
Projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines
outlined in the Scolicitation Package. USIA projects are subject to the
availability of funds.
Announcement Title and Number: All communications with USIA
concerning this RFP should refer to the announcement's title and
reference number, E/ASU-99-06.
Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, December
21, 1998. Faxed application documents will not be accepted.
Documents postmarked by the due date but received at a later date
will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of each applicant to
ensure compliance with the deadline.
Approximate Program Dates: Grant should begin on or about February
15, 1999 and end approximately five months later.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Specialized Programs Branch (E/
ASU), Room 349, U.S. Information Agency,
[[Page 63525]]
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, phone: (202) 619-4126,
fax: (202) 401-1433. Send a message via Internet to: jcebra@usia.gov to
request a Solicitation Package containing more detailed award criteria.
Please request required application forms and standard guidelines for
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the
proposal budget.
To Download a Solicitation Package via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before
downloading.
To receive a Solicitation Package Via Fax on Demand: The entire
Solicitation Package may be received via the Bureau's ``Grants
Information Fax on Demand System'', which is accessed by calling 202-
401-7616. Please request a ``Catalog'' of available documents and order
numbers when first entering the system.
Please specify USIA Program Officer Jonathan Cebra on all inquiries
and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the complete
Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting
proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff may not
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau
proposal review process has been completed.
Submissions: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 7 copies of the application
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU-99-06, Office
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20547.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the
Bureau's authorizing legislation, projects must maintain a non-
political character and should be balanced and representative of the
diversity of American political, social, and cultural life.
``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass
differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,
religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and physical
challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the
advancement of this principle both in programs administration and in
program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the
``Support for Diversity'' section for specific suggestions on
incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public Law 104-319
provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and cultural
exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom and
democracy,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should account for
advancement of this goal, in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement): The Year 2000
(Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting problem that could
potentially prohibit organizations from processing information in
accordance with Federal management and program specific requirements
including data exchange with USIA. The inability to process information
in accordance with Federal requirements could result in grantees' being
required to return funds that have not been accounted for properly.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Objectives
The recipient of this award will administer the technical and
independent academic reviews for the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and
University Partnerships Program. The NISCUPP is designed to support
linkages between U.S. and NIS institutions of higher education in the
fields of business/economics, law, journalism/communications,
education, and public administration/public policy/political science.
The NISCUPP supports curriculum development, faculty and staff
development, educational reform, community outreach and collaborative
research through three-year grants of up to $300,000 each.
Guidelines
Project Description
The recipient of this award shall review proposals for compliance
with the technical requirements published in the Request for Proposals
(RFP) for the FY 1999 NISCUPP competition. (The FY 1999 NISCUPP RFP
will be provided in the application packet mailed to applicants, and
also is available upon request by the applicant, and on the Internet
via USIA's website at http://www.usia.gov/education/rfps).
The recipient will also coordinate the academic review of
technically eligible, comprehensive proposals and provide the Agency
with a detailed academic appraisal report on each eligible proposal,
extensively summarizing the panel discussion in terms of the academic
review criteria published in the FY 1999 NISCUPP RFP. The recipient
shall arrange for the review of applications regionally or thematically
by panels of experts representing eligible fields and themes. These
experts should be highly familiar with the New Independent States.
In preparing a submission, the applicant shall designate a
coordinator, subject to Agency approval, to implement and chair all the
technical and academic reviews, and to provide detailed summaries of
the academic review discussions. The applicant should plan to prepare
correspondence to be sent to NISCUPP applicants by the Agency in
response to inquiries regarding the technical and academic review of
their proposals, and to notify applicants of the status of their
proposals. All official documents should highlight the U.S.
Government's role as program sponsor and funding source.
Eligibility
Only non-profit organizations based in the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area, with experience in international education and
educational exchanges, are eligible to compete for this cooperative
agreement award from the Agency.
Proposed Budget
Please provide a detailed line-item budget as part of your grant
proposal, which translates the activities described in the proposal
narrative into specific cost requirements. Please use explanatory notes
where necessary to describe the costs included in specific line items
and how the amounts were derived. Applicants must submit a
comprehensive budget for the entire program. There must be a summary
budget as well as a break-down reflecting both the administrative
budget and the program budget.
For further clarification, applicants may provide separate sub-
budgets for each program component, phase, location, or activity in
order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
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Review Process
USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office. Proposals may be reviewed by the Office
of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Funding decisions
are at the discretion of the USIA Associate Director for Educational
and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the USIA grants
officer. Technical Format Requirements for this competition are
included in the check list in the PSI accompanying this RFP.
Panelists will review proposals received in response to this
solicitation according to the following criteria:
1. Quality of Program Plan/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives:
Proposal agendas and plans should adhere to the program overview and
guidelines described above and in the Application Package. Objectives
should be reasonable, feasible, and flexible. A proposal should clearly
demonstrate how an organization will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
2. Institution's Record/Ability/Capacity: Proposed personnel and
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve
the project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate responsible fiscal
management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for any
past Agency grants the applicants have administered, as determined by
USIA's Office of Contracts.
3. Cost-Effectiveness/Cost-Sharing: The overhead and administrative
components of proposals, including salaries and honoraria, should be
kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and
appropriate. Proposals should attempt to maximize cost-sharing through
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
4. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include an effective
evaluation plan which defines and articulates a list of anticipated
outcomes clearly related to the project goals and activities, and
provide procedures for ongoing project monitoring and mid-term
corrective action.
5. Suport of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
applicant's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity.
Application Submission
The complete proposal for this competition (E/ASU 99-06) must meet
the due date of December 21, 1998. There will be no exception to this
deadline.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. The Agency reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.
Dated: December 2, 1998.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-30441 Filed 11-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
