[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 164 (Thursday, August 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-20586]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: August 25, 1994]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Business for Russia
ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Russia/Eurasia Division of the Office of Citizen Exchanges
of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Education and
Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an assistance award
program. Public or private non-profit organizations meeting the
provisions described in IRS regulation 501(c)(3) may apply to conduct
at least three five-week, U.S.-based internship programs for Russian
business people and local government officials. A minimum of ten
Russian participants must be included in each internship cycle.
Programs may not begin any earlier than March 1995. Pending the
availability of funds, the program may be extended through December
1997.
This program is a continuation of a pilot project conducted in 1994
and seeks to provide Russian business people with knowledge of a market
economy and promote a supportive business environment for the
participants upon their return to Russia. The participants will be
recruited, through an open and competitive process, from selected
regions of Russia and will begin arriving in the United States in March
1995.
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended,
Public Law 87-256, 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.''
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Application Package. USIA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/P-95-15.
DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, October
15, 1994. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents
postmarked on October 14 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathie Guroff or Gene Draschner, Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/PN),
Rm. 216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20547, telephone: (202) 401-6884, fax: (202) 260-0437, internet
addresses: [email protected], [email protected] to request an
Application Package, which includes more detailed award criteria; all
application forms; and guidelines for preparing proposals, including
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Please
specify USIA Program Officers Kathie Guroff or Gene Draschner on all
inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the
complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to
the Office of Citizen Exchanges or submitting their proposals. Once the
RFP deadline has passed, the Office of Citizen Exchanges may not
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until after the
Bureau proposal review process has been completed.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S.
Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-95-15, Office of Grants Management, E/XE,
Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.
Overview
The ``Business for Russia'' program has been developed in full
partnership with the Russian Government and various Russian
organizations. It has been designed as a working partnership between
U.S. federal, state, and local governments, NGOs, and private
enterprises and their counterpart institutions in Russia. Pending the
availability of fund, approximately 1,000 Russian business people and
local government officials will be recruited from selected regions of
Russia through an open competition coordinated in Russia by an
experienced, Moscow-based U.S. grantee organization in conjunction with
the Russian government and Russian partner organizations. Participants
will be screened for proficiency in English prior to final selection.
Operating in accordance with guidelines established by USIA, the
recruitment/selection organization will also cooperate with the U.S.
Embassy, Peace Corps, American private organizations and businesses,
and the Russian government and business organizations to select Russian
participants.
This announcement seeks American grantee organizations to organize
and implement business internships in the United States that will
enhance the Russians' ability to develop their own businesses upon
returning to Russia. USIA is interested in proposals that provide a
professional business experience and, secondarily, expose the
participants to American life and culture. USIA is not interested in
programs that are academic in nature; this program is designed to
provide practical, hands-on training in the American business
environment that can be transferred to the individual's employment
situation in Russia.
Participant Profile
Russian participants will be predominantly business managers in
existing small or medium-sized firms and entrepreneurs who manage their
own businesses, mostly in the 25-40 age group. A small number of local
government officials may also be recruited for participation in the
program. All participants will be required to have a working knowledge
of English. Depending on the results of this selection process, the
Agency may request that the U.S.-based grantee organizations modify the
number of individual interns assigned to their local region to meet the
demands of the program. The Office of Citizen Exchanges will be
responsible for matching interns with the appropriate US host
organizations.
Interns will be placed in geographic ``clusters'' in the U.S.
(i.e., areas within two hours' driving time of a central meeting point)
in order to maximize local resources and strengthen the effectiveness
of all aspects of the training program. Every effort will be made to
group the interns by Russian region of origin in order to permit them
to share common experiences and to develop networks and professional
associations upon their return home. Proposals should explain how the
grantee organizations will utilize the cluster to improve Russians'
exchange experience.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Participants will
be covered by the Agency's self-insurance policy.
Proposed Budget
Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on
the specific guidance provided in the Budget Guidelines section of the
Application Package. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less
than four years of experience in conducting international exchange
programs will be limited to $60,000. Allowable costs for the program
include the following:
(1) International and domestic air fares; transit costs; ground
transportation costs.
(2) Housing. Participants are to be housed with volunteer US
homestay families. There are no provisions for reimbursing homestay
families for their hosting costs. Participants may be housed in hotels
for a maximum of five nights, at a rate not to exceed $100/night.
(3) Per diems. Participants may be compensated for meals and
incidental expenses a rate not to exceed $25/day for the duration of
the program.
(4) Book and Cultural Allowances. Participants are entitled to a
one-time book allowance payment of $150 and a cultural allowance of
$100 per person. Accompanying staff are not eligible for these
benefits.
(5) Consultants. Consultants may be used to provide specialized
expertise or to make presentations. Daily honoraria may not exceed
$250/day.
(6) Room rental. Generally not to exceed $250/day.
(7) One working meal per project. Per capita costs may not exceed
$15-20 for a lunch and $20-30 for a dinner. The number of invited
guests may not exceed the number of participants by more than a factor
of two. This includes room rental if applicable.
(8) Administrative costs. The costs necessary for the effective
administration of the program, including salaries for grant
organization employees; staff travel for local community organizers;
benefits and other indirect costs, per detailed instructions in the
Application package.
Cost-sharing and enhancement of the basic package provided by USIA
is encouraged. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or
increase the proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the
program. Please refer to the Application Package for complete budget
guidelines.
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
Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the budget and contracts offices, as well as the USIA
Office of Eastern Europe and the NIS and the USIA post in Russia.
Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or
by other Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of
the USIA Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for grant awards resides with the USIA grants
officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the following criteria:
1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.
2. Program planning and ability to achieve program objectives: The
proposal should clearly show how the grantee institution will meet the
program's objectives. The proposal should include a detailed agenda and
work plan that illustrate logistical capacity. The project content
should be substantive and the planned execution realistic.
3. Institutional ability/record: Interested institutions should
demonstrate their potential for program excellence and/or provide
documentation of successful programs. If an organization is a previous
USIA grant recipient, responsible fiscal management and full compliance
with all reporting requirements from past Agency grants, as determined
by USIA's Office of Contracts (M/KG), will be considered. Pertinent
evaluation results of previous projects are a part of this assessment.
4. Thematic and area expertise: Proposals should reflect the
institution's expertise in the subject area and should address the
specific issues of concern facing the Russian Federation.
5. Project personnel: Personnel's thematic and logistical expertise
should be relevant to the proposed program. Resumes should be suited to
the specific proposal and no longer than two pages.
6. Cross-cultural sensitivity: Proposals should show evidence of
sensitivity to historical, linguistic, and other cross-cultural
factors, as well as appropriate knowledge of Russia's geography, and
should show how this sensitivity will be used in practical aspects of
the program, such as pre-departure orientations or briefing of American
hosts.
7. Multiplier effect/follow-on activities: Proposed programs should
strengthen long-term mutual understanding, to include maximum sharing
of information and establishment of long-term institutional and
individual ties. Proposals should also reflect an institutional
commitment for continued exchange activity beyond the term of the USIA
grant.
8. Cost-effectiveness/cost-sharing: The overhead and administrative
components should be kept as low as possible. Costs to USIA per
exchange participant should be reasonable, and all items proposed for
USIA funding must be necessary and appropriate to achieve the program's
objectives. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other
private sector support as well as direct funding contributions and/or
in-kind support from the prospective grantee institution.
9. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the project's success.
10. Support of diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished through
documentation (such as a written statement or account) summarizing past
and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of
diversity within both their organization and their activities.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by 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 needs of the program may require the award
to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made until
funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about January 16, 1995. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: August 17, 1994.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-20586 Filed 8-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M