[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
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From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12792]


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[Federal Register: May 25, 1994]


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[CFDA No.: 84.199J]

 

Cooperative Demonstration Program (Manufacturing Technologies); 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1994

Note to Applicants

    This notice is a complete application package. Together with the 
statute authorizing the program and applicable regulations governing 
the program, including the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR), the notice contains all of the information, 
application forms, and instructions needed to apply for a grant under 
this competition.

Purpose of Program

    The Cooperative Demonstration Program (Manufacturing Technologies) 
provides financial assistance to applicants that propose to develop and 
demonstrate a national training model to overcome skill shortages in 
the application of new technologies to the manufacturing process within 
the American machine tool industry. The Secretary wishes to highlight 
for potential applicants that this program can help to further the 
National Education Goals. Specifically, the manufacturing technologies 
priority announced by this notice directly supports the National 
Education Goal, that by the year 2000, every adult American will be 
literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete 
in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of 
citizenship.

Eligible Applicants

    State educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
postsecondary educational institutions, institutions of higher 
education, and other public and private agencies, organizations, and 
institutions.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review:
    Available Funds: $3,455,280 for 24 months.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $1,500,000--2,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,728,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.
    Applicable Regulations:
    (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations 
(EDGAR) as follows:
    (1) 34 CFR Part 74 (Administration of Grants to Institutions of 
Higher Education, Hospitals and Nonprofit Organizations).
    (2) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).
    (3) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that Apply to Department 
Regulations).
    (4) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental Review of Department of 
Education Programs and Activities).
    (5) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments).
    (6) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education Provisions Act-- 
Enforcement).
    (7) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).
    (8) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension 
(Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free 
Workplace (Grants)).
    (9) 34 CFR Part 86 (Drug-Free Schools and Campuses).
    (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR Parts 400 and 426.

Priority

    The priority in the notice of final priority for this program, as 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, applies to 
this competition.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary uses the following selection 
criteria to evaluate applications for new grants under this 
competition. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. 
The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. For 
this competition, the Secretary assigns the fifteen points, reserved in 
34 CFR 426.20(b), as follows:
    Program factors (34 CFR 426.21(a)). Ten points are added to this 
criterion for a possible total of 20 points.
    Demonstration and Dissemination (34 CFR 426.21(b)). Five points are 
added to this criterion for a possible total of 15 points.
    (a) Program factors. (20 points) The Secretary reviews the 
application to assess the quality of the proposed project, including 
the extent to which the project will provide--
    (1) Vocational education to meet current and projected occupational 
needs; and
    (2) For adequate and appropriate involvement and cooperation of the 
public and private sectors in the project, including--
    (i) A clear identification of the public and private sector 
entities involved in the project;
    (ii) A description of public and private sector involvement in the 
planning of the project; and
    (iii) A description of public and private sector involvement in the 
operation of the project.
    (b) Educational significance. (10 points) The Secretary reviews 
each application to determine the extent to which the applicant--
    (1) Bases the proposed project on successfully designed, 
established, and operated model vocational education programs that 
include components similar to the components required by this program, 
as evidenced by empirical data from those programs in such factors as--
    (i) Student performance and achievement;
    (ii) High school graduation;
    (iii) Placement of students in jobs, including military service; 
and
    (iv) Successful transfer of students to a variety of postsecondary 
education programs;
    (2) Proposes project objectives that contribute to the improvement 
of education; and
    (3) Proposes to use unique and innovative techniques to produce 
benefits that address educational problems and needs that are of 
national significance.
    (c) Plan of operation. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the 
project, including--
    (1) The quality of the project design, especially the establishment 
of measurable objectives for the project that are based on the 
project's overall goals;
    (2) The extent to which the plan of management is effective and 
ensures proper and efficient administration of the project over the 
award period;
    (3) How well the objectives of the project relate to the purpose of 
the program;
    (4) The quality of the applicant's plan to use its resources and 
personnel to achieve each objective; and
    (5) How the applicant will ensure that project participants who are 
otherwise eligible to participate are selected without regard to race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (d) Evaluation plan. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the project's evaluation plan, 
including the extent to which the plan--
    (1) Is clearly explained and is appropriate to the project;
    (2) To the extent possible, is objective and will produce data that 
are quantifiable;
    (3) Identifies expected outcomes of the participants and how those 
outcomes will be measured;
    (4) Includes activities during the formative stages of the project 
to help guide and improve the project, as well as a summative 
evaluation that includes recommendations for replicating project 
activities and results;
    (5) Will provide a comparison between intended and observed 
results, and lead to the demonstration of a clear link between the 
observed results and the specific treatment of project participants; 
and
    (6) Will yield results that can be summarized and submitted to the 
Secretary for review by the Department's Program Effectiveness Panel as 
defined in 34 CFR 400.4(b).
    (e) Demonstration and dissemination. (15 points) The Secretary 
reviews each application for information to determine the effectiveness 
and efficiency of the plan for demonstrating and disseminating 
information about project activities and results throughout the project 
period, including--
    (1) High quality in the design of the demonstration and 
dissemination plan and procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of 
the dissemination plan;
    (2) Disseminating the results of the project in a manner that would 
meet the requirement in 34 CFR 426.31;
    (3) Identification of target groups and provisions for publicizing 
the project at the local, State, and national levels by conducting or 
delivering presentations at conferences, workshops, and other 
professional meetings and by preparing materials for journal articles, 
newsletters, and brochures;
    (4) Provisions for demonstrating the methods and techniques used by 
the project to others interested in replicating these methods and 
techniques, such as by inviting them to observe project activities;
    (5) A description of the types of materials the applicant plans to 
make available to help others replicate project activities and the 
methods for making the materials available; and
    (6) Provisions for assisting others to adopt and successfully 
implement the project or methods and techniques used by the project.
    (f) Key personnel. (10 points)
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality 
of key personnel the applicant plans to use on the project, including--
    (i) The qualifications, in relation to project requirements, of the 
project director;
    (ii) The qualifications, in relation to project requirements, of 
each of the other key personnel to be used in the project;
    (iii) The appropriateness of the time that each person referred to 
in paragraphs (f)(1) (i) and (ii) of this section will commit to the 
project; and
    (iv) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment 
practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected for employment 
without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability.
    (2) To determine personnel qualifications under paragraphs (f)(1) 
(i) and (ii) of this section, the Secretary considers--
    (i) The experience and training of key personnel in project 
management and in fields related to the objectives of the project; and
    (ii) Any other qualifications of key personnel that pertain to the 
quality of the project.
    (g) Budget and cost effectiveness. (10 points) The Secretary 
reviews each application to determine the extent to which the budget--
    (1) Is cost effective and adequate to support the project 
activities;
    (2) Contains costs that are reasonable and necessary in relation to 
the objectives of the project; and
    (3) Proposes using non-Federal resources available from appropriate 
employment, training, and education agencies in the State to provide 
project services and activities and to acquire project equipment and 
facilities.
    (h) Adequacy of resources and commitment. (5 points)
    (1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent 
to which the applicant plans to devote adequate resources to the 
project. The Secretary considers the extent to which the--
    (i) Facilities that the applicant plans to use are adequate; and
    (ii) Equipment and supplies that the applicant plans to use are 
adequate.
    (2) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the 
commitment to the project, including whether the--
    (i) Uses of non-Federal resources are adequate to provide project 
services and activities, especially resources of community 
organizations and State and local educational agencies; and
    (ii) Applicant has the capacity to continue, expand, and build upon 
the project when Federal assistance under 34 CFR Part 426 ends.

Additional Factors

    After evaluating applications according to criteria in 34 CFR 
426.21, the Secretary may fund other than the most highly rated 
applications if doing so would improve the geographical distribution of 
projects funded under 34 CFR Part 426.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    The objective of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying 
on State and local processes for State and local government 
coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of 
Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process 
under Executive Order 12372. Applicants proposing to perform activities 
in more than one State should immediately contact the Single Point of 
Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established 
in each State under the Executive order. If you want to know the name 
and address of any State Single Point of Contact, see the list 
published in the Federal Register on September 24, 1993 (58 FR 50162-
50164).
    In States that have not established a process or chosen a program 
for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit 
comments directly to the Department.
    Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a 
State Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, areawide, 
regional, and local entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the 
date indicated in this notice to the following address: The Secretary, 
E.O. 12372--CFDA #84.199J, U.S. Department of Education, room 4181, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.
    Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as 
applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be 
hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date 
indicated in this notice.
    Please note that the above address is not the same address as the 
one to which the applicant submits its completed application. Do not 
send applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

    (a) If an applicant wants to apply for a grant, the applicant 
shall--
    (1) Mail the original and six copies of the application on or 
before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application 
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA #84.199J), Washington, DC 20202-4725 
or
    (2) Hand deliver the original and six copies of the application by 
4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the deadline date to: U.S. 
Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA 
#84.199J), room #3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D Streets 
SW., Washington, DC 20202-4725.
    (b) An applicant must show one of the following as proof of 
mailing:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.
    (c) If an application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, 
the Secretary does not accept either of the following as proof of 
mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

    Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a 
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should 
check with its local post office.

    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application 
Receipt Acknowledgement to each applicant. If an applicant fails to 
receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from 
the date of mailing the application, the applicant should call the 
U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 
708-9494.
    (3) The applicant must indicate on the envelope and--if not 
provided by the Department--in Item 10 of the Application for 
Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA number--and suffix 
letter, if any--of the competition under which the application is 
being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

    To apply for an award under this program competition, your 
application must be organized in the following order and include the 
following five parts:
    Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 (Rev. 
4-88)).
    Part II: Budget Information.
    Part III: Budget Narrative.
    Part IV: Program Narrative.
    Part V: Additional Assurances and Certifications:
    a. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B).
    b. Certification regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 
80-0013) and Instructions.
    c. Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and 
Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 9/90) 
and Instructions. (NOTE: ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees 
and should not be transmitted to the Department.)
    d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if 
applicable) and Instructions, and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 
Continuation Sheet (Standard Form LLL-A).
    All forms and instructions are included as Appendix A of this 
notice. Questions and answers pertaining to this program are included, 
as Appendix B, to assist potential applicants.
    An applicant may submit information on a photostatic copy of the 
forms in Appendix A. However, each of the pertinent documents must 
include an original ink signature. All applicants must submit ONE 
original signed application, including ink signatures on all forms and 
assurances and SIX copies of the application. Please mark each 
application as original or copy. Local or State agencies may choose to 
submit two copies with the original. No grant may be awarded unless a 
complete application form has been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jackie L. Friederich, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., (room 4512--MES), Washington, DC 
20202-7242. Telephone (202) 205-9071. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can 
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at 
GOPHER.ED.GOV. (under Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases). 
However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant 
competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2420a.

    Dated: May 17, 1994.
Augusta S. Kappner,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P

Appendix A

TN25MY94.002


TN25MY94.003


TN25MY94.004


TN25MY94.005


Billing Code 4000-01-C

Instructions for Part III--Budget Narrative

    The budget narrative should explain, justify, and, if needed, 
clarify your budget summary. For each line item (personnel, fringe 
benefits, travel, etc.) in your budget, explain why it is there and how 
you computed the costs.
    Please limit this section to no more than five pages. Be sure that 
each page of your application is numbered consecutively.

Instructions for Part IV--Program Narrative

    The program narrative will comprise the largest portion of your 
application. This part is where you spell out the who, what, when, 
where, why, and how of your proposed project.
    Although you will not have a form to fill out for your narrative, 
there is a format. This format is the selection criteria. Because your 
application will be reviewed and rated by a review panel on the basis 
of the selection criteria, your narrative should follow the order and 
format of the criteria.
    Before preparing your application, you should carefully read the 
legislation and regulations of the program, eligibility requirements, 
information on any priority set by the Secretary, and the selection 
criteria for this competition.
    Your program narrative should be clear, concise, and to the point. 
Begin the narrative with a one page abstract or summary of your 
proposed project. Then describe the project in detail, addressing each 
selection criterion in order.
    The Secretary strongly requests you limit the program narrative to 
no more than 30 double-spaced, typed pages (on one side only), although 
the Secretary will consider your application if it is longer. Be sure 
to number consecutively ALL pages in your application.
    You may include supporting documentation as appendices. Be sure 
that this material is concise and pertinent to this program 
competition.
    You are advised that:
    (a) The Department considers only information contained in the 
application in ranking applications for funding consideration. Letters 
of support sent separately from the formal application package are not 
considered in the review by the technical review panels. (EDGAR Sec. 
75.217)
    (b) The technical review panel evaluates each application solely on 
the basis of the established technical review criteria. Letters of 
support contained in the application will strengthen the application 
only insofar as they contain commitments which pertain to the 
established technical review criteria, such as commitment and 
resources.

Additional Materials

Instructions for Estimated Public Reporting Burden

    Under terms of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, as amended, and 
the regulations implementing that Act, the Department of Education 
invites comment on the public reporting burden in this collection of 
information. Public reporting burden for this collection of information 
is estimated to average 90 hours per response, including the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. You may send comments regarding this burden 
to the U.S. Department of Education, Information Management and 
Compliance Division, Washington, DC 20202-4651; and to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, OMB 1830-0013, 
Washington, DC 20503. (Information collection approved under OMB 
control number 1830-0013. Expiration date:
2/28/95.)

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Appendix B

TN25MY94.006


TN25MY94.007


TN25MY94.008


TN25MY94.009


TN25MY94.010


TN25MY94.011


TN25MY94.012


TN25MY94.013


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Appendix C

    Potential applicants frequently direct questions to officials of 
the Department regarding application notices and programmatic and 
administrative regulations governing various direct grant programs. To 
assist potential applicants the Department has assembled the following 
most commonly asked questions.
    Q. Can we get an extension of the deadline?
    A. No. A closing date may be changed only under extraordinary 
circumstances. Any change must be announced in the Federal Register and 
apply to all applications. Waivers for individual applications cannot 
be granted regardless of the circumstances.
    Q. How many copies of the application should I submit and must they 
be bound?
    A. Our new policy calls for an original and six copies to be 
submitted. The binding of applications is optional.
    Q. We just missed the deadline for the XXX competition. May we 
submit under another competition?
    A. Yes, however, the likelihood of success is not good. A properly 
prepared application must meet the requirements of the competition to 
which it is submitted.
    Q. I'm not sure which competition is most appropriate for my 
project. What should I do?
    A. We are happy to discuss any questions with you and provide 
clarification on the unique elements of the various competitions.
    Q. Will you help us prepare our application?
    A. We are happy to provide general program information. Clearly, it 
would not be appropriate for staff to participate in the actual writing 
of an application, but we can respond to specific questions about 
application requirements, evaluation criteria, and the priorities. 
Applicants should understand that preapplication consultation is not 
required, nor will it in any way influence the success of an 
application.
    Q. When will I find out if I'm going to be funded?
    A. You can expect to receive notification within 3 to 4 months of 
the application closing date, depending on the number of applications 
received and the number of competitions with closing dates at about the 
same time.
    Q. Once my application has been reviewed by the review panel, can 
you tell me the outcome?
    A. No. Every year we are called by a number of applicants who have 
legitimate reasons for needing to know the outcome of the review prior 
to official notification. Some applicants need to make job decisions, 
some need to notify a local school district, etc. Regardless of the 
reason, because final funding decisions have not been made at that 
point, we cannot share information about the review with anyone.
    Q. Will my application be returned if I am not funded?
    A. We no longer return unsuccessful applications. Thus, applicants 
should retain at least one copy of the application.
    Q. Can I obtain copies of reviewers' comments?
    A. Upon written request, reviewers' comments will be mailed to 
unsuccessful applicants.
    Q. Is travel allowed under these projects?
    A. Travel associated with carrying out the project is allowed. 
Because we will request the project directors and evaluators of funded 
projects to attend an annual project directors meeting, you should 
include annual trips for each to Washington, D.C., in the travel 
budget. Travel to conferences is sometimes allowed when it is for 
purposes of dissemination.
    Q. If my application receives high scores from the reviewers, does 
that mean that I will receive funding?
    A. Not necessarily. It is often the case that the number of 
applications scored highly by the reviewers exceeds the dollars 
available for funding projects under a particular competition. The 
order of selection, which is based on the scores of all the 
applications and other relevant factors, determines the applications 
that can be funded.
    Q. What happens during negotiations?
    A. During negotiations technical and budget issues may be raised. 
These are issues that have been identified during the panel and staff 
reviews that require clarification. Sometimes issues are stated as 
``conditions.'' These are issues that have been identified as so 
critical that the award cannot be made unless those conditions are met. 
Questions may also be raised about the proposed budget. Generally, 
these issues are raised because there is inadequate justification or 
explanation of a particular budget item, or because the budget item 
seems unimportant to the successful completion of the project. If you 
are asked to make changes that you feel could seriously affect the 
project's success, you may provide reasons for not making the changes 
or provide alternative suggestions. Similarly, if proposed budget 
reductions will, in your opinion, seriously affect the project 
activities, you may explain why and provide additional justification 
for the proposed expenses. An award cannot be made until all 
negotiation issues have been resolved.
    Q. How do I provide an assurance?
    A. Except for SF-424B, ``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs,'' 
simply state in writing that you are meeting a proscribed requirement.
    Q. Where can copies of the Federal Register, program regulations, 
and Federal statutes be obtained?
    A. Copies of these materials can usually be found at your local 
library. If not, they can be obtained from the Government Printing 
Office by writing to: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government 
Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Telephone: (202) 783-3238. 
When requesting copies of regulations or statutes, it is helpful to use 
the specific name, public law number, or part number. The material 
referenced in this notice should be referred to as follows: (1) Carl D. 
Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (Perkins Act) 
(Public Law 101-392, 104 Stat. 753 (1990)). (2) State Vocational and 
Applied Technology Education Programs and National Discretionary 
Programs of Vocational Education Final Regulations, 34 CFR parts 400 
and 426. (3) Education Department General Administrative Regulations, 
34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86.
    Q. What are the Department of Education's Program Effectiveness 
Panel and National Diffusion Network?
    A. The Program Effectiveness Panel (PEP) is the Department of 
Education's primary mechanism for validating the effectiveness of 
educational programs developed by schools, universities, and other 
agencies. The National Diffusion Network (NDN) is a Federally funded 
dissemination system that helps public and private schools, colleges, 
and other educational institutions improve by sharing successful 
education programs, products, and processes.
    Regulations governing PEP and NDN are codified at 34 CFR Parts 785-
789. For information about PEP, prospective applicants may wish to read 
Making the Case: Evidence of Effectiveness in Schools and Classrooms, 
which contains criteria and guidelines for submitting project results 
to PEP. This publication, as well as information about NDN, is 
available from RMC Research Corporation, 1000 Market Street, 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801. Telephone 1-800-258-0802. RMC Research 
Corporation can also provide information about consultants who have 
conducted evaluations that have been approved by PEP.

[FR Doc. 94-12792 Filed 5-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P