[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 542-544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-183]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 3193]
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Bosnia and
Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program; Notice: Request for
Proposals
Summary
The Office of Academic Exchange Programs of the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition
for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program. Four-
year colleges and universities meeting the provisions described in IRS
regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to host between two and
five Bosnian students in a one-year, non-degree undergraduate program
for the academic year 2000-2001. Organizations with less than four
years of experience in hosting international exchange students are not
eligible for this competition. Recruitment and selection will be
conducted by the U.S. Embassy Office of Public Affairs, Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Program Information
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program is
designed to allow Bosnian students an opportunity to obtain knowledge,
insight and cultural enrichment through their academic studies at
American colleges and universities. ECA strongly encourages
institutions to guide students to courses in American studies, or other
courses which emphasize democracy, market economy, and civic society
per the intent of the Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act
funding. ECA is holding an open competition for four-year universities
and colleges giving preference to those that meet the following
criteria:
Has demonstrated experience in hosting Bosnian (or Balkan
regional) students, partnerships with Bosnian higher education
institutions, or expertise and interest in the region
Strong international student advising offices with
experience dealing with cultural, educational and adjustment issues for
foreign students
Accessibility to and opportunities for cultural and social
activities on- and off-campus with access to public transportation
Mid-size institutions (generally between 5,000-15,000
enrollement) that offer all or most of the eligible fields of study for
this program
Diverse student populations with substantial foreign
student representation
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Substantial cost-sharing toward tuition, fees, room and
board expenses, other direct participant expenses, and administrative
expenses
Subject to the availability of funds, the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) expects to make up to four
awards for the administration of the Bosnia and Herzegovina
Undergraduate Development Program for the 2000-2001 academic year. The
duration of the grants will be August 1, 2000 through July 15, 2001 and
programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to
Solicitation Package for further information.
The proposed funding will support one academic year of study in the
fields of agriculture, American studies, business administration,
criminal justice, economics, education, environmental resource
management, journalism/mass communications, political science, and
public administration. The academic-year program will be followed by a
four-to-twelve week internship in the students' field of
specialization. The program will also include a mid-year workshop to be
hosted by one of the grantee institutions, and an end-of-year workshop
in Washington, DC.
Budget Guidelines
Organizations with less than four years of experience in hosting
international exchange students are not eligible for this competition .
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program based on the specific guidelines listed in the Solicitation
Package. Per participant costs should be below $25,000 in order to be
competitive. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification. Please note that
indirect rates are considered part of the administrative costs and
should be kept to a minimum or cost-shared as possible.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number
All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFP should
reference the following code ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06.
For Further Information
Please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
Office of Academic Exchange Programs, ECA/A/E/EUR, SA-44, Room 246,
U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547,
(202) 205-0525, fax (202) 260-7985, E-Mail: [email protected] 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 Manager Sondra Govatski 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, D.C. time on Tuesday,
February 22, 2000. 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 nine copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, SA-44
Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 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 the Public Affairs section at
the U.S. Embassy, Sarajevo, for its 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 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.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 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.
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 Public
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Affairs section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be
forwarded to panels of Department of State officers for advisory
review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal
Adviser or by other elements of the Department. Final funding decisions
are at the discretion of the Department of State's Under Secretary for
Public Diplomacy and Public 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. International Student and Academic Support: Proposals should
describe support services provided by the institution and department/
school for international students including monitoring and evaluation
of students and program.
2. Ability to Provide Cultural Enrichment and Community Outreach
Opportunities: Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to planning,
implementing, and supporting the Bosnian students in participating in
cultural, social, and community outreach opportunities.
3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
both geographic and ethnic diversity.
4. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of strong academic programs and successful
exchange programs. This includes responsible fiscal management and full
compliance with all reporting requirements for past ECA (formerly USIA)
grants as determined by ECA's Office of Contracts. The Bureau will
consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated
potential of new applicants.
5. Cost Effectiveness: Proposals should indicate a high level of
cost sharing and a competitive level of cost per individual student for
the ECA.
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 the world.''
The funding authority for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate
Development Program is provided through the Support for East European
Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989. The SEED Act targets assistance funds to
advance the democratic and economic transition of Central and Eastern
Europe. Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. ECA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
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 Bureau procedures.
Dated: December 28, 1999.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S.
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-183 Filed 1-4-00; 8:45 am]
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