[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12090]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 18, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[Docket No. 940529-4129]

 

Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT)

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces availability of funds for the Special 
American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT), for training 
business executives and scientists (also referred to as ``interns'') 
from the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union 
(Independent States). The Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA) established the SABIT program in September 1990 to 
assist the former Soviet Union's transition to a market economy. Since 
that time, SABIT has been matching business executives and scientists 
from the Independent States with U.S. firms which sponsor them for 
short-term management training programs.
    Under this program, qualified U.S. firms will receive funds through 
a cooperative agreement with ITA to help defray the cost of hosting 
interns. ITA will interview and recommend eligible interns to 
participate in SABIT. Interns may be from any of the following 
Independent States: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan. The U.S. firms will be expected to provide the interns with 
a hands-on, non-academic, executive training program designed to 
maximize their exposure to management or commercially-oriented 
scientific research operations. At the end of the training program, 
interns must return to the NIS.

DATES: The closing date for applications is September 15, 1994. An 
original and two copies of the application (Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4-
92) and supplemental material) are to be received at the address 
designated in the Application Kit no later than 3 p.m., September 15, 
1994. Applications will be considered on a ``rolling'' basis as they 
are received, subject to the availability of funds. All awards are 
expected to be made prior to October 1, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Request for Applications: Competitive Application kits will 
be available from ITA starting on the day this notice is published. To 
obtain a copy of the Application Kit please telephone (202) 482-0073, 
or facsimile (202) 482-2443 (these are not toll free numbers) or send a 
written request with two self-addressed mailing labels to Cynthia M. 
Anthony, Director, Special American Business Internship Training 
Program, room 3413 HCHB, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, 20230. Only one copy of the 
Application Kit will be provided to each organization requesting it, 
but it may be reproduced by the requester.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Anthony, Director, Special 
American Business Internship Training Program, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, phone - (202) 482-0073, 
facsimile - (202) 482-2443. These are not toll free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SABIT exposes business managers and 
scientists from the Independent States to a completely new way of 
thinking in which demand, consumer satisfaction, and profits drive 
production. Senior-level interns visiting the U.S. for internship 
programs with public or private sector companies will be exposed to an 
environment which will provide them with practical knowledge for 
transforming their countries' enterprises and economies to the free 
market. The program provides first-hand, eye-opening experience to 
managers and scientists which cannot be duplicated by American managers 
travelling to their territories.
    Managers: The expanded SABIT program assists economic restructuring 
of the Independent States by providing business managers with exposure 
to American ways of innovation and management through three to six 
month management internships in U.S. firms. ITA reserves the right to 
allow an intern to stay for a shorter period if the U.S. company agrees 
and the intern demonstrates a need for a shorter internship based on 
his or her management responsibilities. Sponsoring U.S. firms will 
benefit by establishing relationships with key managers in similar 
industries who are uniquely positioned to assist their U.S. sponsors do 
business in the Independent States.
    Scientists: The goals of the SABIT program for scientists are to 
provide opportunities for gifted scientists to apply their skills to 
peaceful, commercially-oriented research and development in areas such 
as defense conversion, pharmaceutical and other medical research, 
energy, and environment, and expose them to the role of scientific 
research in a market economy where applicability of the research 
relates to the success of the firm. Sponsoring firms in the U.S. 
scientific community also will benefit from the exchange of information 
and ideas, and different approaches to new technologies. As with the 
managers, internships are for three to six months; however, ITA 
reserves the right to allow an intern to stay for a shorter period if 
the U.S. company agrees and the intern demonstrates a need for a 
shorter internship based on his or her management responsibilities.
    Funding Availability: Pursuant to section 632(a) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (the ``Act'') funding for the 
program will be provided by the Agency for International Development 
(A.I.D). ITA will award financial assistance and administer the program 
pursuant to the authority contained in section 635(b) of the Act. The 
maximum amount of financial assistance available for the program is 
$2,400,000.
    Funding Instrument and Project Duration: Federal assistance will be 
awarded pursuant to a cooperative agreement between ITA and the 
recipient firm. ITA will reimburse companies for the roundtrip air 
travel of each intern from Moscow (or other cities in the NIS as 
approved in advance by ITA) to the U.S. internship site, upon 
submission to ITA of the travel invoice. Travel under the program is 
subject to the Fly America Act. Recipient firms provide $30 per day 
directly to interns; ITA will reimburse companies for this stipend of 
$30 per day per intern for up to six months. Reimbursement of funds for 
reimbursement of the stipend will be made upon certification by the 
companies that the internship program has been completed, and 
submission of a report on the training program. Each award will have a 
cap of $7,500 per intern for total cost of airline travel and stipend. 
There are no specific matching requirements for the awards. Host firms, 
however, are expected to bear the costs beyond those covered by the 
award, including housing, insurance, any food and incidentals costs 
beyond $30 per day, and any training-related travel within the U.S. 
Host firms provide training for the interns.
    Federal funding will be provided for this program for not more than 
eighteen months from the date of this Notice. U.S. firms wishing to 
utilize SABIT in order to be matched with an intern without applying 
for financial assistance may do so. Such firms will be responsible for 
all costs, including travel expenses, related to sponsoring the intern.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants for SABIT will be any for profit 
or non-profit U.S. corporation, association, organization or other 
public or private entity.
    Evaluation Criteria: Consideration for financial assistance will be 
given to those SABIT proposals which:
    1. Demonstrate a commitment to the intent and goals of the program 
to provide practical, on-the-job, non-academic, non-classroom, 
training: In the case of manager interns, an appropriate management 
training experience, or, in the case of scientist interns, a practical, 
commercially-oriented scientific research training experience.
    2. Respond to the priority needs of senior business managers and 
scientists respectively in the Independent States, as determined by 
ITA. Note that host firms must be solidly committed to interns' return 
to their own countries upon completion of the internships.
    3. Present a realistic work plan describing in detail the training 
program to be provided to the SABIT intern(s). Workplans must include 
the following:
    (a) Names of division(s) in which the intern(s) will be placed;
    (b) The individual(s) in the U.S. company under whose supervision 
the intern will train, and the name of the internship coordinator;
    (c) The proposed internship training activities. The components of 
the training activities must be described in as much detail as 
possible, preferably on a week-by-week basis. The description of the 
training activities should include an accounting of what the 
intern's(s') duties and responsibilities will be during the training;
    (d) The location(s) of the internship;
    (e) The anticipated housing arrangements to be provided for the 
intern(s). Note that housing arrangements should be suitable for mid- 
and senior- level professionals, and that each intern must be provided 
with a private room;
    (f) A brief objectives section indicating why the Applicant wishes 
to provide an internship to a manager(s) or scientist(s) from the 
former Soviet Union, and how the proposed internship would further the 
purpose of the SABIT program as described above; and
    (g) A general description of the profile of the manager(s) or 
scientist(s) the Applicant would like to host, including: educational 
background; occupational/ professional background (including number of 
years and areas of experience and expertise); size and nature of the 
organization at which the intern(s) is/are presently employed); and 
preference for the region of the Independent States where the intern(s) 
is/are employed.
    4. Are proposed by Applicants that operate in one or more of the 
following business sectors: a. Agribusiness (including food processing 
and distribution, and agricultural equipment and machinery); b. Defense 
conversion; c. Energy; d. Environment, including environmental clean-
up; e. Financial services (including banking and accounting); f. 
Housing; g. Medical equipment, supplies, pharmaceuticals, and health 
care management; h. Product standards and quality control; i. 
Telecommunications; and j. Transportation.
    5. Are proposed by Applicants open to sponsoring interns from a 
variety of eligible NIS countries. Evaluation criteria 1-5 will be 
weighted equally. ITA does not guarantee it will match the Applicant 
with the profile provided to SABIT.

D. Additional Information

1. The Applicant Must Provide Evidence of the Following

    (a) Adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain such 
resources as required during the internship period. As evidence of such 
resources, Applicants should submit financial statements audited by an 
outside organization. If these are not available, a letter should be 
provided from the Applicant's bank attesting to the financial 
capability of the firm to undertake the scope of work involved in 
training an intern under the SABIT program.
    (b) A satisfactory record of performance in grants, contracts and/
or cooperative agreements with the Federal Government, if applicable. 
(Applicants who are or have been deficient in current or recent 
performance in their grants, contracts, and/or cooperative agreements 
with the Federal Government shall be presumed to be unable to meet this 
requirement).
    (c) Applicants must provide a statement that they will provide 
medical insurance coverage for interns during their internships. 
Recipients will be required to submit proof of the interns' medical 
insurance coverage to the Federal Program Officer, before the interns' 
arrivals. The insurance coverage must include an accident and 
comprehensive medical insurance program as well as coverage for 
accidental death, emergency medical evacuation, and repatriation.

Selection Procedures

    Each application will receive an independent, objective review by 
one or more three or four-member ITA review panels qualified to 
evaluate applications submitted under the program. Applications will be 
evaluated on a competitive, ``rolling'' basis as they are received in 
accordance with the selection criteria set forth above. Awards will be 
made to those applications which successfully meet the selection 
criteria, with decisions made by the ITA evaluation panels in the order 
the applications are received. If funds are not available for all those 
applications which successfully meet the criteria, awards will be made 
to the first applications received which successfully do so. ITA review 
panel(s) reserve(s) the right to reject any application; to limit the 
number of interns per applicant; to waive informalities and minor 
irregularities in applications received; and to consider other than 
competitive procedures to distribute assistance under this program and 
in accordance with the law. ITA review panel(s) reserve(s) the right to 
make awards based on U.S. geographic and organization size diversity 
among applicants. Recipients may be eligible, pursuant to an amendment 
to the award, to host additional interns under the program.
    Other Requirements: All applicants are advised of the following:
    1. No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has 
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either the delinquent 
account is paid in full, a negotiated repayment schedule is established 
and at least one payment is received, or other arrangements 
satisfactory to DOC are made.
    2. A false statement on the application is grounds for denial or 
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or 
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    3. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and 
Federal and Departmental regulations, policies and procedures 
applicable to financial assistance awards.
    4. Participating companies will be required to comply with all 
relevant U.S. tax and export regulations. Export controls may relate 
not only to licensing of products for export, but also to technical 
data transfer.
    5. Applications under this program are not subject to Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    6. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they 
do solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government. 
Notwithstanding any verbal or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of DOC to cover preaward 
costs.
    7. Past Performance: Unsatisfactory performance by an applicant 
under prior Federal awards may result in an application not being 
considered for funding.
    8. No Obligation for Future Funding: If an application is selected 
for funding, DOC has no obligation to provide any additional future 
funding in connection with that award. Renewal of an award to increase 
funding or extend the period of performance is at the total discretion 
of DOC.
    9. Primary Applicant Certifications: All primary applicants must 
submit a completed Form CD-511, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements and Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby 
provided:
    (a) Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension: Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, section 105) are subject to 
15 CFR part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies.
    (b) Drug Free Workplace: Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, 
section 605) are subject to 15 CFR part 26, subpart F, ``Governmentwide 
Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section 
of the certification form prescribed above applies.
    (c) Anti-Lobbying: Funds provided under the SABIT program may not 
be used for lobbying activities. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR part 28, 
section 105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, 
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal 
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of 
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids 
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than 
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the 
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever 
is greater.
    (d) Anti-Lobbying Disclosures: Any applicant that has paid or will 
pay for lobbying in connection with this award using any funds must 
submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as required 
under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B.
    10. Lower Tier Certifications: Recipients shall require applicants/
bidders for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier 
covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, if 
applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding 
Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier 
Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL, 
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the 
use of recipients and should not be transmitted to DOC. SF-LLL 
submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to 
DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in the award 
document.
    11. Indirect Costs: Indirect costs are not allowed under the SABIT 
program.
    12. Buy-American-Made Equipment or Products: Applicants are hereby 
notified that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased with 
funding provided under this program must be American-made to the 
maximum extent feasible in accordance with Public Law 103-121, sections 
606. (a) and (b).
    13. The following statutes apply to this program: Restriction on 
Assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan (section 907 of the Freedom 
Support Act, Pub. L. 102-511); Chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, including notably section 498A (b), 
regarding ineligibility for assistance; Provisions in annual Foreign 
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
including the following provisions contained in Public Law 103-87: Use 
of American Resources (section 559 of the Foreign Operation, Export 
Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1994, Pub. L. 103-
87); Impact on Jobs in the United States (section 547 of the Foreign 
Operation, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
1994, Pub. L. 103-87); Bumpers Amendment (section 513(b) of the Foreign 
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 
1994, Pub. L. 103-87); Lautenberg Amendment (section 513(b) of the 
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 1994, Pub. L. 103-87); and section 660(a) of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
Cynthia M. Anthony,
Director, Special American Business Internship Training Program.
[FR Doc. 94-12090 Filed 5-17-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HE-P