[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 139 (Thursday, July 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37495-37498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17880]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/P) of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award program. Public 
and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described 
in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply to develop programs to 
administer the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). Since 
this is a bilateral agreement, Germany is also holding a simultaneous 
open competition to select the German counterpart organizations that 
will administer the program in Germany.
    The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX), known in 
Germany as the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP), is an 
official exchange program of the Congress of the United States, 
administered by the U.S. Information Agency, and the German Bundestag 
(Parliament), administered by PB4. The actual number of participants 
selected each year is dependent on the amount of funding made available 
by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. The program provides a 
full scholarship for an academic year experience of living and studying 
in the host country. Part of the exchange involves students aged 16-18, 
who live with host families, attend high school (``Gymnasium'' in 
Germany) and participate in community life. Other components involve 
young professionals and vocational school graduates. Each government 
provides funding through grant awards for the costs of recruiting, 
selecting, orienting, and debriefing of its nationals; their 
international airfare; and most hosting costs. The final determination 
of exchange numbers for each academic year is made in the preceding 
December when representatives of both governments hold annual 
discussions. Participants are chosen according to procedures and 
criteria established by each government.
    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 
program cited above is provided through legislation.
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation 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-96-9. Please refer to title and number in all correspondence or 
telephone calls to USIA.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday September 1, 
1995. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked September 1, 1995, be received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.
    Selection decisions will be made by December 31, 1995, in 
coordination with the Government of Germany, which will simultaneously 
select the German counterpart organizations that will administer the 
program in Germany. Final budgets, based on guidance to be provided by 
the Agency, will be required from the selected organizations by October 
30, 1996.
    Duration: Organizations that are successful in this competition 
will be awarded grants in FY 1997 to administer the exchange for 
academic year 1997-98 and will also be eligible for grants in FY 1998, 
1999, and 2000. No grant funds may be expended until the grant 
agreement is signed. The initial grant periods will be from January 1, 
1997 to July 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested organizations/institutions 
should contact the Office of Citizen Exchanges, E/PE, Room 220, United 

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States Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
telephone (202) 619-5319, fax (202) 619-4350, internet 
{[email protected]}, to request a Solicitation Package, which includes 
award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for preparing 
proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal 
budget. Please direct inquiries and correspondence to USIA Program 
Officer, Christina Miner. Interested applicants should read the 
complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to 
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 the Bureau proposal 
review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and 8 copies of the complete 
application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-96-9, 
Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547.
    Applicants must also submit to E/XE the ``Executive Summary,'' 
``Proposal Narrative,'' and ``Budget'' sections of each proposal on a 
3.5'' diskett, formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in 
ASCII text (DOS) format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. 
USIA will transmit these files electronically to USIS posts overseas 
for their review, with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get 
posts' comments for the Agency's grants review process.

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

    There are four parts to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange 
Program (CBYX):
    1. Administration Component: One grant will be awarded to an 
organization to administer the recruitment and selection process on 
behalf of, and in cooperation with, the other grantee organizations. It 
will be responsible for preparing and distributing informational 
material, student selection criteria and applications to a wide 
audience including all public and private secondary schools, the media, 
and key networks such as the American Association of Teachers of 
German. Innovative methods of publicizing the program are welcome, 
within funding limitations. The organization will screen all written 
applications and identify a group of semi-finalists that reflects 
population distribution by state. In order to generate a roster of 
finalists the grantee will work with other organizations to assemble 
and coordinate state selection committees to interview semi-finalists. 
It will handle the notification of these finalists and work with the 
other organization in processing their files. The grantee will also set 
up and maintain a master list of all high school student participants 
and prepare a list of the Congressional representatives from whose 
districts the students are selected. The grantee will prepare a similar 
list of German participants and the Congressional districts in which 
they are hosted. Finally, it will work with the other grantee 
organizations in the preparation of general briefing materials, updated 
biannually, for use by all CBYX participants. The award may not exceed 
$348,000.
    In addition the grantee organization will be responsible for 
securing insurance for the German students. Coverage must include the 
following:

Illness and Accident Coverage

* Physician--Any
* Hospital--Any
* Treatment and care--Unlimited
* Specialist to sickbed--Unlimited
* Medication--Unlimited
* Prosthesis--Unlimited
* Private Nurse--Unlimited
* Chiropractors/Podiatrist--Unlimited if recommended by physician
* Dental care due to accident--Unlimited
* Emergency dental care--$800 maximum
* Psychiatric care--$600 maximum

    Except in cases of extreme emergency, approval is needed before 
surgery.

 Travel Cost

* Related to treatment--Unlimited
* Post sickness room and board while not at usual place of residence-- 
Unlimited
* Repatriation of sick insured--Unlimited
* Repatriation of remains--Unlimited

Indemnity in Case of Accident

* Death--$10,000
* Dismemberment--$500 to $2,000 according to scale
* Disability resulting from accident--$100,000 maximum
* Disfigurement--$20,000 maximum
* Burial expenses outside home country--$7,500 maximum
Exclusions

    1. Medical care required due to ``cause majeure''.
    2. Suicide, self-inflicted injuries, injuries due to fights.
    3. Treatments that are the result of accidents occurred while 
driving any motorized vehicle are excluded, except when applying to 
minors participating in an organized high school program, while 
learning to drive an automobile according to the laws of the state and 
the rules of the sponsoring entity. This will apply only to four-
wheeled automobiles and insurer will act always and only as secondary 
insurer.
    4. Travel as crew on any aircraft or boat and travel on non-
commercial flights.
    5. Any type of drug-related treatment.
    6. Preexisting conditions, even if not diagnosed, or incubating 
diseases.
    7. Routine and preventive medicine, such as sport physicals, 
vaccinations, tests, etc.
    8. Venereal diseases, elective termination of pregnancy, pregnancy, 
childbirth, AIDS.
    9. Prostheses of any type, including glasses and contact lenses, 
except in case of accident.
    10. Orthodontic and major dental care, fillings and root canals, 
except in case of accident.
    11. Any psychological or psychiatric treatment over the limit.
    12. Eating disorders.
    13. Plastic surgery and aesthetic treatments, including acne and 
wart removal.
    14. High risk sports and those normally not accepted as leisure 
sports, and sports practiced professionally.
    15. Chiropractors, podiatrists and similar practitioners, unless 
their services are prescribed by a physician (MD).
    16. Treatments not accepted as normal by the medical profession.
    17. Criminal acts and fraud by insured or his/her accomplices.
    Any policy, plan, or contract secured to fill the above 
requirements must, at a minimum, be:
    (1) Underwritten by an insurance corporation having an A.M. Best 
rating of ``A-'' or above, and Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. 
(ISI) rating of ``A-i'' or above, a Standard & Poor's Claims-paying 
Ability rating of ``A-'' or above, a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of 

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B+ or above, or such other rating as the Agency may from time to time 
specify; or
    (2) Backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the 
exchange visitor's home country.
    2. High School Component: Approximately 300 U.S. and 300 German 
students will participate annually. The American organization is 
responsible for the following: Final processing of the students; pre-
departure orientation; travel arrangements; debriefing and follow-up 
for the U.S. students; arrival orientation for the German students; 
placement of German students in schools; selection and orientation of 
host families; domestic U.S. travel arrangements; supervision and 
counseling; arrangements for a two-day visit to Washington, D.C.; and 
re-entry training. The Washington program, which is designed to 
introduce the participants to the federal government, may be 
subcontracted out by the grantee. Both the pre-departure orientation 
and the debriefing should take place in Washington, D.C. and include 
CBYX students only.
    The grantee handles all administrative and logistical matters, 
including in-country travel. Any language training for Americans will 
be the responsibility of the German partner organization and covered by 
German funds. German students are expected to be fluent in English. 
Therefore, language training will be unnecessary for them. 
Organizations may include other program elements in their proposals, 
but should bear in mind that funding is limited.
    Organizations may bid on one or more lots of 30 U.S./30 German 
students. A maximum of five U.S. organizations will be selected for 
grants in this category.
    Any organization competing for the high school component must be 
designated by USIA as a Teenager Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor.
    3. Young Professional Component: One organization will be awarded a 
grant to administer this component. The U.S. organization will be 
responsible for the following: The recruitment and selection of 
approximately 60 young American men and women ages 18-24, who will 
study and participate in an internship during the exchange year in a 
field related to their career interest; their pre-departure orientation 
(approximately 3 days); and international travel arrangements. The 
organization will be expected to work closely with its German partner 
to monitor the progress of the U.S. participants and to resolve 
problems should they arise. The grantee will also be responsible for 
arranging and monitoring all program activities for approximately 80 
young German professionals ages 18 to 24 during their stay in the U.S. 
It will conduct a two- or three-day arrival orientation; arrange their 
placement in colleges and practicums (internships); recruit, screen and 
orient host families; make arrangements for the group's visit to 
Washington for a three-day cultural and educational program; provide 
supervision and counseling of the participants as needed; and handle 
all administrative and logistical matters including in-country travel. 
Any language training for Americans will be the responsibility of the 
German partner organization. Organizations may include other program 
elements in their proposals, bearing in mind that funding is limited.
    Each German participant will be placed in a two or four-year 
college for full-time study, a minimum of 12 credit hours, for one 
semester. The grantee may need to arrange for English classes for those 
participants whose English is inadequate. To save costs, the 
organization is encouraged to seek tuition waivers and cost-sharing 
with cooperating colleges. Each participant will have a full-time 
practicum or internship in his/her professional field for the second 
half of the program year. Each practicum should be based on a 
prospectus of the specific skills and functions that will be mastered, 
and it should include a structured learning component that enables the 
participant to gain a perspective on the overall operation of the firm.
    A stipend for some meals, incidentals and reasonable local 
transportation expenses may be included in the budget, but the stipend 
should be substantially reduced or eliminated during the second half of 
the program when the firms or agencies hosting the practicums provide 
an allowance for living expenses. The current stipend is approximately 
$225 per month. Where possible, hosting arrangements should be found 
that do not require subsidization.
    4. Vocational Component: One grant will be awarded to an 
organization to administer the program component designed for 20 
American vocational school graduates. The organization is responsible 
for recruiting and selecting men and women ages 18-20 who will complete 
vocational school studies prior to departure for Germany. The grantee 
is encouraged to work with vocational educational offices at the state 
level in addition to administrators of secondary schools with 
vocational education in their curriculum in the selection process. The 
grantee will conduct a pre-departure orientation and, at the conclusion 
of the program, a debriefing. The grantee will work with its partner in 
Germany, which is responsible for the following (funded by the German 
Government): arrival orientation, up to two months of language 
training, family and school placement, arrangements for a practicum in 
the participants' field, counseling and support, excursions, and 
administration including insurance.
    Insurance: Insurance for German participants in the U.S. will be 
provided by the administrative organization. Insurance for U.S. 
students will be provided by the German government.
    Citizenship: Americans traveling under this program must be U.S. 
citizens.
    Application Procedures: To be eligible for consideration in this 
competition an organization must:
    1. Be legally incorporated and have a legally incorporated 
affiliate in Germany.
    2. Have a not-for-profit status, as determined by the Internal 
Revenue Service; the German affiliate must also be not-for-profit 
(``gemeinneutzige'').
    3. Be financially solvent, have demonstrated track record of 
responsible fiscal management and be able to meet the accounting and 
reporting requirements for Agency grants.
    4. Have four years' experience in conducting long-term exchange 
programs (of at least nine months' duration) between the United States 
and Germany.
    5. Have well-established national volunteer and host family 
networks to carry out various aspects of the program; regional 
representatives must be situated in such a way to handle expeditiously 
any problems that arise regarding host family accommodations, schooling 
and language problems, or difficulties concerning internships.

Funding

    The organization must submit a comprehensive line item budget. 
Costs for U.S. and German students are to be listed separately. Grants 
awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years of 
experience in conducting international exchange programs will be 
limited to $60,000. Organizations should be familiar with grant 
regulations described in OMB circulars A110, A122, and A133.
    Cost sharing is encouraged. Cost sharing may be in the form of 
allowable direct or indirect costs. The grant recipient must maintain 
written records to support all allowable costs which are claimed as 
being its contribution to cost 

[[Page 37498]]
participation, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. 
Such records are subject to audit. The basis for determining the value 
of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with OMB 
Circular A100, Attachment E. Cost Sharing and Matching should be 
described in the proposal. In the event the recipient does not provide 
the minimum amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the recipient's 
budget, the Agency's contribution will be reduced in proportion to the 
recipient's contribution.
    The recipient's proposal shall include the cost of an audit that: 
(1) complies with the requirements of OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of 
Institutions of Higher Education and Other Nonprofit Institutions; (2) 
complies with the requirements of American Institute of Certified 
Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) No. 92-9; and 
(3) complies with AICPA Codification of Statements on Auditing 
Standards AU Section 551, ``Reporting on Information Accompanying the 
Basic Financial Statements in Auditor-Submitted Documents,'' where 
applicable. When USIA is the largest direct source of Federal financial 
assistance--i.e. the cognizant Federal Agency--and indirect costs are 
charged to Federal grants, a supplemental schedule of indirect cost 
computation is required. The audit costs shall be identified separately 
for: (1) audit of the basic financial statements, and (2) supplemental 
reports and schedules required by A-133.
    USIA's Office of Inspector General has provided supplemental 
guidance for conducting A-133 audits and recovery of related audit 
costs in a separate ``Dear Colleague'' letter dated January 24, 1995.

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 Proposal 
Submission Instructions. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels 
of USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the Agency budget and contract office, as well as the USIA 
Office of Western European and Canadian Affairs and the USIA post 
overseas, where appropriate. 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 contracting officer.
Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to their conformance with the objectives and considerations 
already stated in this RFP and the criteria stated below. These 
criteria are not rank ordered and all carry equal weight in the 
proposal evaluation.
    1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity.
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of 
Contracts. The Agency will consider the past performance of prior 
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which insures that 
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the program's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to 
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Award-receiving 
organizations/ institutions will be expected to submit intermediate 
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly, 
whichever is less frequent.
    10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administrative components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and 
overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and significance 
in the partner country(ies)

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 Agency reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program. 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 December 31, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: July 14, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-17880 Filed 7-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M