[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6555-6564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2454]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration


Job Training Partnership Act, Title IV, Part D, Section 451

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for grant 
application (SGA).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA), under Title IV, Part D, section 451 of the Job 
Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is soliciting proposals to conduct a 
national level multi-state program to train and employ people with 
disabilities. The Department anticipates that $4.1 million will be 
available for Program Year 1995 and intends to award between 8-10 
grants. These grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. The 
purpose of this program is to increase the number and 

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quality of job opportunities for people with disabilities and assist in 
eliminating barriers by providing specialized training and outreach 
services, job development, and unsubsidized employment. This notice 
describes the process that eligible entities must use to apply for 
demonstration funds, the subject area for which application will be 
accepted for funding, how grantees are selected, and the 
responsibilities of grantees. All information required to submit a 
proposal is contained in this announcement. Compliance with DOL's 
assurances and certifications, which are described at 29 CFR Parts 33, 
34, 93, 95, 96, 98, and in the Employment and Training Assurances 
Certifications and Special Conditions, will be required prior to the 
award. This package of assurances and certifications is available upon 
request at the address listed below.

dATES: Applications for grant awards will be accepted commencing 
February 2, 1995. The closing date for receipt of proposals will be 
March 20, 1995 at 2:00 p.m. Easter time at the address below. It is 
anticipated that awards will be made be July 1, 1995.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Awards under this solicitation will be made to 
nonprofit organizations that administer training and employment 
programs on a national (multi-state) level. Therefore, only 
applications from those organizations meeting the above requirements 
will be accepted. Individuals are not eligible to apply.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL: An original and three (3) copies of the 
proposal shall be submitted. The proposal shall consist of two (2) 
separate and distinct parts.
    Section I--Technical Proposal shall contain a detailed proposal 
that demonstrates the offeror's capabilities in accordance with the 
Statement of Work in Part II. No costs data or reference to costs shall 
be included in the Technical Proposal.
    Section II--Cost Proposal shall contain the Standard Form(s) 424, 
``Application for Federal Assistance'', and SGA ``Budget'' (Appendix 
A). In addition, the budget shall include on a separate page(s) a 
detailed cost analysis of each line item in the budget.

LATE PROPOSALS: Any proposal not reaching the designated address, by 
the specified time and date of delivery will not be considered, unless 
mailed and post marked five (5) days prior to the closing date. The 
term ``postmark'' means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed 
impression (exclusive of postage meter machine impression) that is 
readily identifiable without further action as having been supplied or 
affixed on the date of mailing by employees of the U.S. Postal Service.

HAND DELIVERED PROPOSALS: The proposal should be mailed five (5) days 
prior to the closing date. However, hand delivered proposals must be 
received by 2:00 P.M., Eastern Time, March 20, 1995 at the address 
noted in this solicitation. Telegraphed and/or facsimile proposals will 
not be honored. Failure to the adhere to above instruction will be a 
basis for a determination of non-responsiveness.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance will be 12 months from 
the date of grant execution.

OPTION TO EXTEND: Based on the availability of funds, effective program 
operation and the needs of the Department, grant(s) may be extended for 
up to three additional years.

DEFINITIONS: The term ``individual with a disability'' means any 
individual who has a physical or mental disability which for such 
individual constitutes or results in a substantial handicap to 
employment [JTPA, section 4(10)(A)]. The term ``placement'' shall mean 
entered into unsubsidized employment.

ADJUSTMENT OF FUNDING REQUEST: The Department of Labor reserves the 
right to award a project at level which is different than the proposal.

ADDRESSES: Application shall be mailed to: U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Acquisition and 
Assistance, Attention: Mr. David Houston, Reference: SGA/DAA 94-22, 
2000 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-4203, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Houston, Division of 
Acquisition and Assistance, Telephone: (202) 219-8702 (This is not a 
toll-free number).

Part I. Background

    Over the past 15 years, ETA has awarded grants to organizations 
that provided employment and training and related services to people 
with disabilities. Currently nine programs are funded to serve people 
with disabilities. Authorization for these programs comes from JTPA 
Title IV, section 451(c)(3) in language that established ``programs 
which require technical expertise at the national level and which serve 
specialized needs of particular client groups, * * *'' People with a 
disability are identified as one such group.
    In accordance with the designation of people with disabilities as 
one of the client groups requiring special assistance, ETA has 
supported the nine ongoing programs because they provide customized 
training and outreach services, job development, and job placement 
assistance through national organizations having special expertise in 
addressing the problems of those who are disabled. The ongoing national 
program are linked to local rehabilitation agencies and employer 
organizations. In addition, these programs relate to each of the major 
disabled conditions which constitute barriers to labor market 
participation such as blindness, hearing, physical impairments. The 
nine ongoing programs are:
    A. Goodwill Industries of America--This project provides multi-
occupational in-house training and jobs, to physically and emotionally 
disabled, mentally retarded, deaf, blind people, as well as other 
people with disabilities.
    B. America Rehabilitation Association--This project provides on-
the-job training and job placement in rehabilitation facilities to 
people with disabilities.
    C. Epilepsy Foundation of America--This project provides a national 
outreach screening and pre-employment evaluation, support service, job-
seeking skills training, job search assistance and job placement 
tailored to the special needs of the underemployed.
    D. Electronic Industries Foundation--This project provides a 
national outreach, pre-employment counseling and job placement program 
and fosters new employment opportunities for people with disabilities, 
providing a centralized job referral service with the electronic and 
other industries and rehabilitation agencies.
    E. Mainstream, Inc.--This project conducts promotional activities 
to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities and to provide 
information on workplace accommodations. It recruits and places people 
with disabilities through a variety of services and a computerized job 
bank system.
    F. Association for Retarded Citizen (The ARC)--This project 
provides on-the-job training in a variety of occupations for people 
with mental retardation through subgrants with public and private 
employers.
    G. National Federation of the Blind--This project provides an 
applicant registry, job announcements, counseling, job referrals and 
employer education seminars, and operates a job bank to promote the 
interests of the blind and place them in employment opportunities.
    H. International Association of Machinists--This project provides 
training, supportive service and job 

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development for unemployed or underemployed persons with disabilities. 
It provides follow-up services to assure placement success and career 
advancement for those individuals.
    I. Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities--This project 
is a transitional school-to-work program for youth with disabilities. 
It provides job training and placement that enhances their current and 
future and future employment prospects as they prepare to leave high 
school.

Part II--Statement of Work

    The offeror must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the 
purpose and objective of people with disabilities training and 
employment needs. Therefore, DOL/ETA, through this SGA intends to 
provide grants to organizations that train the disabled and place them 
in unsubsidized employment.
    A. The proposal must include a Statement of Work that demonstrates 
the offeror's complete understanding of methods used to place people 
with disabilities into unsubsidized employment. the Statement of Work 
shall include, but not be limited to:
    1. The number of eligible individuals the offeror will train and 
place into unsubsidized employment,
    2. The location of the training and/or project sites (by state, 
county and city) and the estimated number of individuals to be trained 
and placed in unsubsidized employment,
    3. Type of recruitment methods to be used, including organizations 
that will assist in the recruitment effort,
    4. Evaluation tests or screening tests or screening techniques and 
methods that will be used to determine employment,
    5. Type of recruitment methods to be used, including organizations 
that will assist in the recruitment effort,
    6. Evaluation tests or screening tests or screening techniques and 
methods that will be used to determine participants needs, aptitude or 
occupational strength,
    7. A plan for gauging customer (both employer and participant) 
satisfaction with services provided, and
    8. Any supportive services that will be provided to participants, 
which will enhance their ability to obtain employment, e.g. counseling, 
employability planning, etc.
    B. Where training (on-the-job training) is proposed, the offeror 
shall describe:
    1. Type of occupational training to be provided, and
    a. Training outlines
    b. Timeframes established (not to exceed six months)
    c. Measurements of the participant's progress
    d. Methods to be used to determine job readiness
    C. For Placement Services, the offeror shall describe:
    1. Methods and strategies to be used for developing job 
opportunities for participating,
    2. Offeror's special capabilities for establishing effective 
relationship with private-for-profit as well as non-profit employers 
what will result in the unsubsidized employment of people with 
disabilities,
    3. Follow-up service planned, to include frequency and type of 
services provided, and
    4. Activities related to the American with Disabilities Act.
    D. Project Performance Indicators (Measurable Deliverables).
    1. Placements. Indicate the number of trainees who will be trained 
and indicate those placed in unsubsidized employment upon completion of 
the services provided (which cannot be less than 120).
    2. Average Hourly Wage. Indicate the expected hourly wage that will 
be received by trainees upon completion of the program.
    3. Projected Performance Indicators shall be provided on a 
quarterly basis and for each project site.

Part III--Rating Criteria for Award

    Offerors are advised that the selection of prospective grantee(s) 
for award is to be made after careful evaluation of proposals by a 
panel of specialists. Each panelist will evaluate the proposals for 
acceptability with emphasis on the various factors enumerated below. 
The evaluation criteria are as follows:
    A. Program Design (30 points).
    Proposals will be evaluated on the bases in which they reflect 
sound program designs and methods. Areas that will be examined include 
the following:
    (1) The offeror's understanding of the basic aims and objectives of 
training and employment programs for people with disabilities including 
methods for gauging customer (employer and participant) satisfaction 
with the services provided,
    (2) The appropriateness of the offeror's approaches and methods for 
recruiting, screening, training, placing into unsubsidized employment 
and providing follow-up services to people with disabilities,
    (3) The total number of states and localities in which projects are 
to be operated and the total number of individuals to be trained and of 
this number indicate those placed into unsubsidized employment,
    (4) The offeror's description of its current multistage training 
and employment delivery system for people with disabilities, and
    (5) The offeror's description of its current linkages with local 
rehabilitation agencies and other human resources programs including 
JTPA Title II-A, state employment services and state vocational 
education agencies.
    B. Administrative Capability (30 points).
    Proposals will be evaluated based on the:
    (1) Offeror's capability for managing the business aspects of a 
national multi-state project for people with disabilities,
    (2) Timeliness of the offeror's proposed schedule for putting the 
program into full operation, and
    (3) Offeror's institutional capabilities for working cooperatively 
and successfully with private employers, rehabilitation agencies and 
other organizations in maximizing the services to people with 
disabilities and improving their job prospects.
    C. Staff Capability (15 points).
    Proposals will be evaluated based upon:
    (1) The duties outline for key executive, managerial, and technical 
positions appear appropriate to the work to be conducted under the 
award, and
    (2) The qualifications of the persons designated for key executive, 
managerial, and technical positions including their experiences in 
administering a recent training and employment program for people with 
disabilities.
    D. Previous Experience (25 points).
    The proposals will be evaluated on the degree to which the offeror 
demonstrates that it has successfully carried out national level multi-
state training and employment programs for the disabled. Applicants are 
advised that discussions may be necessary to clarify any inconsistences 
in their applications. The final decision on the award will be based on 
what is most advantageous to the Federal Government as determined by 
the ETA Grant Officer.

Part IV--Reporting Recruitment

    A. Quarterly Financial Reports SF 269.
    B. Quarterly Progress Reports. Offerors shall submit to the project 
officer an original and one copy of a quarterly progress report (not to 
exceed three pages) of work accomplishments during each quarter of the 
grant period. This report shall be in both narrative and statistical 
for and received not later 

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than 30 calendar days following the end of each quarter.

    Signed at Washington, D.C. this 26th day of January, 1995.
Paul Mayrand,
Director of Special Targeted Programs.
James C. Deluca,
Grant Officer, Office of Grants and Contracting Management, Division of 
Acquisition and Assistance.

Attachments

(1) Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424)
(2) Part II--Budget Information
(3) Financial Status Report Form (Standard Form 269)

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[FR Doc. 95-2454 Filed 2-1-95; 8:45 am]
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