[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63531-63534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30444]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Summer Institute for Economic Policy Officials: American
Institutions and the Formulation of U.S. International Economic Policy;
Request for Proposals (RFP).
SUMMARY: The U.S. Information Agency's Branch for the Study of the
United States announces an open competition for an assistance award
program entitled: ``Summer Institute for Economic Policy Officials:
American Institutions and the Formulation of U.S. International
Economic Policy.'' Public and private non-profit organizations meeting
the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501 (C) may apply
to develop and implement a three-week post-graduate level program
designed for a multinational group of 15 experienced mid-level economic
affairs professionals.
The program is intended to provide participants with a deeper
understanding of U.S. economic policies in the international arena,
with particular reference to how the political, economic, social and
cultural institutions of American life affect the formulation of those
policies. Tentative program dates are any three week period between
June 6 and August 14, 1999.
USIA is seeking detailed proposals from colleges, universities,
consortia of colleges and universities, and other not-for-profit
academic organizations that have an established reputation in a
scholarly discipline related to the subject of the institute and that
can demonstrate expertise in conducting post-graduate programs for
foreign educators. Applicant institutions must have a minimum of four
years experience in conducting international exchange programs. The
project director or one of the key program staff responsible for the
academic program must have an advanced degree in a relevant discipline.
Staff escorts traveling under the USIA cooperative agreement support
must have demonstrated qualifications for this service.
Programs must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines
outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA programs are subject to the
availability of funds.
Program Information:
Overview and Objectives
``The Summer Institute for Economic Policy Officials: American
Institutions and the Formulation of U.S. International Economic
Policy,'' is intended to provide mid-career
[[Page 63532]]
economic affairs professionals from abroad with the opportunity to
increase their understanding of the economy, politics, society, and
culture of the United States at the end of the 20th century.
Specifically, the Institute seeks to provide grantees with a deeper
understanding of how U.S. international economic policy is formulated,
with special reference to how the political, economic, social and
cultural institutions of American life affect the formulation of those
policies. Our working assumption is that the economic policy decisions
of the United States and its actions in the international arena are to
a significant degree a reflection of fundamental, albeit shifting,
cultural values, embedded in U.S. institutions, public and private, and
that a fuller understanding of those institutions will lead in turn to
a better understanding of U.S. policies and actions abroad.
Accordingly, the program should provide participants with an
overview of the major issues in international economic policy, together
with both a broad-gauged historical overview of major U.S.
institutional and cultural trends--not only economic, but political,
social, and cultural. In addition, grantees should have the opportunity
to explore particular issues and themes as they bear on the formulation
of economic policies, both globally and regionally. At the program's
end, participants should have a fuller and more nuanced understanding
of the diversity and complexity of contemporary American life, as well
as a greater appreciation of the manifold ways in which contemporary
American institutional arrangements and cultural values influence U.S.
decisions and actions in the international economic arena.
The Institute should be designed as a coherent, thoughtfully
integrated and academically stimulating program that presents a multi-
dimensional view of the United States through a series of lectures,
readings, panel presentations, and round table discussions. While the
program is intended to be a intensive academic seminar designed for a
non-academic audience, the program organizers are encouraged to include
a mix of presenters, including university scholars as well as other
professionals from government, the private sector, and the media.
The program should be three weeks in length, including at least two
weeks of residency at a U.S. college or university, and, depending on
the program's design, an integrated study tour segment not to exceed
one week in length. Part of that study tour should include a trip to
Washington, DC. All travel should substantively extend and complement
the residency portion of the program.
Program Dates
Tentative program dates are any three-week period between June 6
and August 21, 1999. The institute must be a total of 21 program days
in length.
Participants
The program should be designed for 15 highly-motivated and
experienced mid-level professionals whose day-to-day work focuses on
some aspect of their country's bilateral economic relationship with the
United States. Many will come from their country's Ministry of Economic
Affairs; others will be professionals employed by universities or other
non-governmental organizations concerned with international economic,
commercial and trade issues. While participants will not be required to
possess either a formal or in-depth knowledge of American life and
institutions, most are likely to have a working understanding of the
United States by virtue of their professional work. Some may have had
substantial prior study or work experience in U.S. Participants will be
drawn from all regions of the world and will be fluent in English.
Participants will be nominated by U.S. Information Service posts
abroad, and selected by the staff of USIA's Branch for the Study of the
United States in Washington, D.C. USIA will cover all international
travel costs directly.
Program Guidelines
The conception, design, structure and, ultimately, the content of
the institute program is entirely the responsibility of the organizers.
However, given the many possible approaches to the development of such
a program, organizers are expected to submit proposals that articulate
in concrete detail now they intend to organize and implement the
institute.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to the
Solicitation Package for further details on program design and
implementation, as well as additional information on all other
requirements.
Budget Guidelines: Unless special circumstances warrant, based on a
group of 15 participants, the total USIA-funded budget (program and
administrative) should not exceed $131,000, and USIA-funded
administrative costs as defined in the budget details section of the
solicitation package should not exceed $39,500. Justifications for any
costs above these amounts must be clearly indicated in the proposal
submission. Any grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than
four years of experience in conducting international exchange programs
will be limited to $60,000. Applicant proposals should try to maximize
cost-sharing in all facets of the program and to stimulate U.S. private
sector, including foundation and corporate, support. Applicants must
submit a comprehensive budget for the entire program.
The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase
proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program, and
availability of U.S. government funding.
Please refer to the ``POGI'' in the Solicitation Package for
complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions for the
institute program.
Announcement Name and Number: All communications with USIA
concerning this announcement should refer to the above title and
reference number E/AES-99-12.
for further information: To request a Solicitation Package containing
more detailed award criteria, required application forms, specific
budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation,
applicants should contact:
U.S. Information Agency, Office of Academic Programs, Branch for the
Study of the United States, E/AES--Room 252, 301 4th Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20547, Attention: William Bate. Telephone number: (202)
619-4557. Fax number: (202) 619-6790. Internet address: [email protected].
Please specify USIA Program Officer William Bate on all inquiries
and correspondence. Interested applicants should read the complete
Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the office
listed above or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, USIA staff may not discuss this competition in any way with
applicants until after the proposal review process has been completed.
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 requested from the Bureau's ``Grants
Information Fax on Demand System,'' which is accessed by calling 202/
401-7616. The ``Table of Contents'' listing available documents
[[Page 63533]]
and order numbers should be the first order when entering the system.
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington DC time on Friday, January
29, 1999. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked January 29, 1999 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposal submissions
arrive by the deadline.
Submissions: Applicants must follow all instructions in the
Solicitation Package. The original and 13 copies of the complete
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Reference: E/
AES-99-12, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street,
SW, Washington, DC 20547.
Applicants should also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters.
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. Pub. L. 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 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 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 years 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: 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. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the program office, as well as the USIA Geographic Area
Offices. Eligible proposals will then be forwarded to panels of senior
USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by
the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. Final
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.
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. Overall Quality: Proposals should exhibit originality and
substance, consonant with the highest standards of American teaching
and scholarship. Program design should reflect the main currents as
well as the debates within the subject discipline of each institute.
Program should reflect an overall design whose various elements are
coherently and thoughtfully integrated. Lectures, panels, field visits
and readings, taken as a whole, should offer a balanced presentation of
issues, reflecting both the continuity of the American experience as
well as the diversity and dynamism inherent in it.
2. Program Planning: Proposals should demonstrate careful planning.
The organization and structure of the institute should be clearly
delineated and be fully responsive to all program objectives. A program
syllabus (noting specific sessions and topical readings supporting each
academic unit) should be included, as should a calendar of activities.
The travel component should not simply be a tour, but should be an
integral and substantive part of the program, reinforcing and
complementing the academic segment.
3. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel, including faculty
and administrative staff as well as outside presenters, should be fully
qualified to achieve the project's goals. Library and media resources
should be accessible to participants; housing, transportation and other
logistical arrangements should be fully adequate to the needs of
participants and should be conducive to a collegial atmosphere.
4. Support for Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. This can be accomplished
through documentation, such as a written statement, summarizing past
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within the organization and its activities. Program
activities that address this issue should be highlighted.
5. Experience: The proposal should demonstrate an institutional
record of successful exchange program activity, indicating the
experience that the organization and its professional staff have had in
working with foreign educators.
6. Evaluation and Follow-up: The proposal should include a plan for
evaluating activities during the Institute and at its conclusion.
Proposals should comment on provisions made for follow-up with returned
grantees as a means of establishing longer-term individual and
institutional linkages.
7. Administration and Management: The proposals should indicate
envidence of continuous on-site administrative and managerial capacity
as well as the means by which program activities will be implemented.
8. Cost Effectiveness: The proposals should maximize cost-sharing
through direct institutional contributions, in-kind support, and other
private sector support. Overhead and administrative components of the
proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as low as
possible.
Authority: Overall grant making authority for this program is
contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961,
Pub. L. 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
[[Page 63534]]
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.''
Notice: The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding
and may not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory
information provided buy 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 made will be
subject to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification: Final awards cannot be made until funds have been
appropriated by Congress, and allocated and committed through internal
USIA procedures.
Dated: November 6, 1998.
Judith Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-30444 Filed 11-12-98; 8:45 am]
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