[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52822-52824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25333]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
NIS Educational Advising Centers; Notice; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs/Advising, Teaching, and
Specialized Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs of the United States Information Agency announces an open
competition to operate educational advising centers in the NIS,
including: Erevan, Armenia; Baku, Azerbaijan; Minsk, Belarus; Tbilisi,
Georgia; Almaty, Kazakstan; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Chisinau, Moldova;
Moscow, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok, Russia; Dushanbe,
Tajikistan; Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Tashkent,
Uzbekistan. Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501C may submit
proposals for administering advising centers in the NIS. The
educational advising centers would be part of USIA's worldwide network
of over 450 affiliated centers. These centers provide comprehensive and
unbiased information to interested students, scholars, and other
individuals about study opportunities in the U.S.
For applicants' information, on October 1, 1999, the Bureau will
become part of the United States Department of State without affecting
the content of this announcement or the nature of the program
described. At that time, the Advising, Teaching, and Specialized
Programs Division will be renamed the Office of Global Educational
Programs.
Program Information
Overview
The advising centers in the NIS should provide access to
comprehensive and unbiased information about study opportunities in the
U.S. Services provided by the centers must include group and/or
individual advising informational sessions. The advising centers should
provide accurate information and advising on the following topics: all
U.S. colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions;
accreditation; the application process to a U.S. university; majors and
fields of study; testing requirements; life in the U.S.; scholarship
programs and financial aid; and pre-departure orientation. Advising
centers should also provide information on grant opportunities
sponsored by the USG and other institutions and organizations. Advisers
will be eligible for training opportunities sponsored by the Bureau,
which will also provide a limited selection of reference books and
materials to the center.
Guidelines
The period of this grant is January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000.
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to
Solicitation Package for further information.
Budget Guidelines
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for each advising
center in their proposal. Applicants may submit a proposal for one,
several, or all of the advising centers listed. Awards may not exceed
the following amounts for each educational advising center:
Erevan, Armenia--$21,000
Baku, Azerbaijan--$12,000
Minsk, Belarus--$15,000
Tbilisi, Georgia--$11,000
Almaty, Kazakstan--$12,000
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan--$12,000
Chisinau, Moldova--$6,000
Moscow, Russia--$169,000
Novosibirsk, Russia--$17,000
St. Petersburg, Russia--$21,000
Vladivostok, Russia--$18,000
Dushanbe, Tajikistan--$7,000
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan--$8,000
Kyiv, Ukraine--$33,000
Tashkent, Uzbekistan--$18,000.
All administrative and indirect costs must be included in the
maximum award amount for each center. There must be a summary budget as
well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program budgets.
Allowable costs for the program include the following:
(1) Salaries and benefits.
(2) Office supplies and expenses, including rent, communications,
postage and shipping.
(3) Outreach and publicity costs.
(4) Indirect costs.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with USIA
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number E/ASA-
00-07.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Education Information and Services
Branch--ECA/ASA, (formerly known as the Advising and Student Services
Branch--E/ASA), Room 349, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20547, phone: (202) 619-4731, email:
ssheehan@usia.gov to request a Solicitation Package. The Solicitation
Package contains detailed award criteria, required application forms,
specific budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal
preparation. Please specify Bureau Program Officer Sharen Sheehan on
all other inquiries and correspondence.
Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at
http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before
downloading.
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC
time on Monday, November 8, 1999. Faxed documents will not be accepted
at any time. Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later
date will not be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the
proposals are received by the above deadline.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 6 copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S.
[[Page 52823]]
Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.:
E/ASA-00-07, Program Management Staff, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 301 4th
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. The Bureau will
transmit these files electronically to public diplomacy sections at
U.S. Embassies overseas for their review, with the goal of reducing the
time it takes to get Embassy comments for the Bureau's grants review
process.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs 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 program
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, the Bureau shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries. Proposals should reflect
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 the Bureau. 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.
The Bureau therefore requires all organizations use Y2K complaint
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.
Review Process
The Bureau 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. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office, as well as the U.S. Department of
State's Office of the Senior Coordinator for the Newly Independent
States and the public affairs sections overseas, where appropriate.
Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of Bureau officers for
advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by other Bureau
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of Department
of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Final technical authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative
agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Agency's
mission.
2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described
above.
3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual
linkages.
5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant
features should be cited in both program administration and program
content.
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
7. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful programs in international education,
including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all
reporting requirements for past USIA grants as determined by the
Bureau's Office of Contracts. The Bureau will consider the past
performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new
applicants.
8. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be
expected to submit intermediate reports quarterly.
9. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components
of the proposal should be kept as low as possible. All other items
should be necessary and appropriate.
10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
11. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should receive positive assessments by Bureau's geographic area
officers and overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and
significance in the partner countries.
Authority
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
[[Page 52824]]
the world.'' The funding authority for the program above is provided
through the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and
Open Markets Support Act of 1993 (Freedom Support Act).
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made 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 Department of State
procedures.
Dated: September 21, 1999.
William P. Kiehl,
Acting Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-25333 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
