[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40375-40387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19706]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), Title IV-D, Demonstration 
Program: Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations

AGENCY: Women's Bureau, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant 
Applications (SGA 97-05).

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SUMMARY: All information required to submit a proposal is contained in 
this announcement. Applicants for grant funds should read this notice 
in its entirety and respond as directed. Grant proposals that are not 
completed as directed will be judged nonresponsive and will not be 
evaluated. The Women's Bureau (WB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) 
announces the fourth year of its Solicitation for Grant Applications 
(SGA) first authorized by the Women in Apprenticeship and 
Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act under its Technical Assistance 
(TA) grant provisions to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to 
deliver TA to Employers and Labor Unions (E/LUs). The WANTO competitive 
grant program is funded through the Job Training Partnership Act 
(JTPA), Title IV-D discretionary funds. While the Women's Bureau has 
responsibility for implementing the competitive grant process, the 
WANTO Act is under the joint administration of the Women's Bureau (WB) 
and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT). The Department 
expects to make three to five WANTO awards for private sector 
initiatives from the funds allocated for FY 1997.
    The Department's interest is to promote the commitment and 
participation of employers and labor unions to the building of 
reciprocal resources that link pre-apprenticeship training to 
employment and sponsored apprenticeship training. The Department's goal 
is to increase the participation of women in apprenticeship training 
and nontraditional employment as one way to move welfare-dependent or 
eligible women to a career path that can result in economic self-
sufficiency for them and their families. WANTO proposals should 
identify and focus on employment paths to and in high-wage and high 
employment growth careers for women, particularly occupations in 
transportation, highway and bridge construction industries, and other 
growing high-wage careers. Therefore, grant proposals should discuss 
workplace strategies for technical assistance to employers and labor 
unions that also bring to the attention of employers and labor unions 
the need for them to consider cooperative strategies to provide for 
transitional costs (including fees/dues, tools, and living costs), 
child care and transportation for women seeking to enter and sustain 
themselves in the apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. These 
are major reasons why women are unable to enter and/or complete 
training or entry-level employment.
    Grant proposals from CBOs who want to provide technical assistance 
may be submitted with or without the employers and unions for whom CBOs 
will provide technical assistance and/or who want to link 
preapprenticeship to sponsored apprenticeship training for women. 
Employers and Unions may submit requests for technical assistance from 
CBOs directly to the Department of Labor for matching with CBOs. The 
Department will give top priority to technical assistance projects in 
two areas: (1) Transportation industry, particularly highway and bridge 
construction, in conjunction with megaprojects; and (2) in 
nonconstruction industries, such as, telecommunications, utilities, and 
high-technology occupations in the health industries.
    This notice describes the background, the application process, 
statement of work, evaluation criteria, and reporting requirements for 
Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) 97-05. WB anticipates that a 
total amount of $410,000 will be available for the support of all 
Fiscal Year 1997. The WB will provide the technical and policy 
leadership for this project.

DATES: One (1) ink-signed original, complete grant application plus 
five (5) copies of the Technical Proposal and two (2) copies of the 
Cost Proposal shall be submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Office of Procurement Services, Room N-5416, Reference SGA 97-05, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210, not later than 4:45 p.m. 
EDT, August 29, 1997. Hand-delivered applications must be received by 
the Office of Procurement Services by that time.

ADDRESSES: Applications shall be mailed to the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Office of Procurement Services, Attention: Lisa Harvey, 
Reference SGA 97-05, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey, Office of Procurement 
Services, at (202) 219-6445. (This is not a toll-free number.)

Part I. Background

    The Women In Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) 
Act--Public Law 102-530, signed October 27, 1992--The Act has three 
major activities that affect this SGA:
    1. Outreach to employers and labor unions. DOL will promote the 
Act's program to employers and labor unions by informing them of the 
availability of technical assistance and keeping a database of 
employers and grant award community-based organizations.
    2. Technical assistance. DOL will provide grants to community-based

[[Page 40376]]

organizations to deliver technical assistance to employers and labor 
unions to prepare them to recruit, train, and employ women in 
apprenticeable and nontraditional occupations.
    3. Liaison role of Department of Labor. The Department of Labor is 
to serve as follows: (1) Acting as a liaison between employers, labor, 
and the community-based organizations providing technical assistance; 
(2) coordinating; conducting regular assessment; and seeking input of 
employers and labor unions.
    The Women's Bureau: Improving women's employment opportunities and 
related equity issues have been the driving force of the Bureau's 
activities and policies since its inception in 1920. Within the 
Department of Labor, the Director serves as the policy advisor to the 
Secretary. For example, the Bureau has a history of encouraging women 
to consider the wide array of apprenticeable and other occupations 
nontraditional to women as one way to obtain economic self-sufficiency 
for them and their families. Nontraditional occupations (NTOs) are 
occupations where women account for 25 percent or less of all persons 
employed in an occupational group. These occupations include the more 
commonly known male-dominated occupations in blue-collar, skilled 
trades such as carpenter, plumber, electrician, sheet metal worker or 
welder in the construction and related industries. In addition, NTOs 
include occupations arising from the advances of high technology 
fueling improved and/or new manufacturing processes in fiber optics, 
chemicals, petroleum, as well as technical skills in the electronics 
and other technical occupations that require computer literacy to 
customize, service, build and repair precision machinery in 
manufacturing. Other high-pay computer-based jobs in the service sector 
industries, such as business and professional services, radiology, 
laser, and related high technology health care, including nursing; 
computer-processing of financial services and records; and other high 
pay jobs in utilities, telecommunications and transportation industries 
are also expanding as a result of advances in technology.
    Today, WB finds some increases in women's interests in NTO as 
reflected in small increases in women in apprenticeship training in 
such occupations and nontraditional employment. Women comprised 4 
percent of apprentices and 2.5 percent of persons employed in the 
construction trades in 1996. Similarly, WB finds that there have been 
some changes in attitudes about whose hands (both women and men) may do 
skilled work. Nonetheless, as the statistics indicate, women have not 
obtained a critical mass in most trades nor have critical goals for 
women in apprenticeship been obtained (i.e., 6.9 percent in 
construction trades). Moreover, studies point out that once hired, 
women face problems that erode their retention. (See, Laurie Wessman 
LeBreton, Sara Segal Loevy, and Lauren Sugerman, Building Equal 
Opportunity, and Laurie Wessman LeBreton and Sara Segal Loevy, Breaking 
New Ground: Worksite 2000.) Thus, despite some increase in access in 
placement, there are still barriers in recruitment and retention of 
women in apprenticeship positions and NTO training and job placement. 
This is in addition to problems common to all working women; i.e., 
child care, balancing work and family conflicts and responsibilities. 
The Fiscal Year 1997 WANTO solicitation for CBOs to develop 
preapprenticeship/apprenticeship training partnerships in 
transportation construction and other nonconstruction industries (as 
indicated above) will also address issues of quality, commitment and 
ensuring a friendly and equitable workplace for all workers--women and 
men.
    The Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training: The Women's Bureau co-
administers WANTO with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT). 
BAT was established in 1937 as the national administrative agency in 
the Department of Labor to carry out the objectives of the National 
Apprenticeship Act (also known as the Fitzgerald Act), guided by the 
recommendations of the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship. BAT has the 
objective to stimulate and assist industry in the development, 
expansion, and improvement of apprenticeship and training programs 
designed to provide the skilled workers required by the American 
economy.
    Under the National Apprenticeship Act, the Bureau is responsible 
for providing service to existing apprenticeship programs and technical 
assistance to organizations who would like to establish an 
apprenticeship program. The Bureau works very closely with State 
Apprenticeship Councils (SAC) and the educational system to deliver 
support services at the national, State and local level. When 
apprentices finish their training, they receive certificates of 
completion of apprenticeship. These are issued by the State 
apprenticeship agencies, or in those States not having such an agency, 
by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training in accordance with its 
recommended standards. The State Apprenticeship Council.
    BAT is committed to improving the access of women to apprenticeship 
training to increase their employment in jobs that have historically 
put men on the career ladder to successful working careers. As 
apprenticeship has been the building block for a skilled and stable 
work force, it is also a career path that can provide an economically 
stable family life in mainstream America.
    Definitions: Nontraditional Occupations (NTOs) are those where 
women account for less than 25 percent of all persons employed in a 
single occupational group.
    Preapprenticeship programs for women prepare them to keep pace with 
occupational skills training or entry-level employment in 
nontraditional occupations. The curriculum includes pre-vocational 
instruction in identification and use of tools, blueprint reading, 
basic shop skills, and safety procedures, as well as math skills, and 
physical conditioning.
    Apprenticeship, in general, includes a formal paid training-work 
agreement where labor and management work together to promote learning 
on the job; to support the ``hands on'' learning, there must be related 
theoretical instruction (often classroom). After completing the program 
standards successfully--usually 3 to 5 years--the apprentice is awarded 
a certificate of completion by either the Bureau of Apprenticeship and 
Training or the State Apprenticeship Council.
    Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are as defined in Section 4(5) 
of the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501(5)): Private 
nonprofit organizations which are representative of communities or 
significant segments of communities and which provide job training 
services. For this solicitation, communities or significant segment of 
communities are the private nonprofit organizations that have 
demonstrated at least three years experience in the development and 
operation of policies and programs in the recruitment, selection, 
training, placing, retaining, and otherwise preparing of Women for 
Apprenticeship and other Nontraditional Occupations (NTOs).
    Please Note That Eligible Applicants Must Not Be Classified Under 
the IRS Tax Code as a 501(C)(4) Entity.
    A. Authorities: The technical assistance grants were first 
authorized under the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional 
Occupations (WANTO) Act, Public Law 102-530, approved October 27, 1992.
    B. Purpose of the Demonstration: The purpose of the WANTO 
demonstration

[[Page 40377]]

program is to provide technical assistance to employers and labor 
unions to encourage the employment of women in apprenticeship and 
nontraditional occupations by preparing employers and labor unions to 
recruit, select, train, retain and prepare women in other areas for 
apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations in their workplaces. The 
goal of WANTO is to increase the employment of women in apprenticeable 
and nontraditional occupations by preparing employers and labor unions.

Part II. Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

    1. Community-Based Organizations are the only entities eligible for 
grant awards. Please Note That Eligible Applicants Must Not Be 
Classified Under the IRS Tax Code as a 501(C)(4) Entity.
    a. Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are the eligible applicants 
to receive WANTO grants to provide technical assistance to employers 
and labor unions that request assistance to recruit, select, train, 
place, retain, and other areas of preparation to promote women to 
nontraditional or apprenticeship positions in their workplaces and/or 
are interested in linking their apprenticeship program to 
preapprenticeship to support or provide for an increase or pipeline for 
women in apprenticeship.
    Specific Technical Assistance provided by CBOs may include:
    (1) Developing outreach and orientation sessions to recruit women 
into the employers' apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional 
occupations;
    (2) Developing preapprenticeable occupations or nontraditional 
skills training to prepare women for apprenticeable occupations or 
nontraditional occupations;
    (3) Providing ongoing orientations for employers, unions, and 
workers on creating a successful environment for women in 
apprenticeable occupations or nontraditional occupations;
    (4) Setting up support groups and facilitating networks for women 
in nontraditional occupations on or off the job site to improve their 
retention;
    (5) Setting up a local computerized data base referral system to 
maintain a current list of tradeswomen who are available for work;
    (6) Serving as a liaison between tradeswomen and employers and 
tradeswomen and labor unions to address workplace issues related to 
gender; and
    (7) Conducting exit interviews with tradeswomen to evaluate their 
on-the-job experience and to assess the effectiveness of the program.
    b. Employers and Labor Unions are eligible to request and receive 
technical assistance, provided by a community-based organization (CBO) 
that has received a WANTO grant. Such technical assistance includes 
linking preapprenticeship with a commitment to employer and labor union 
sponsored apprenticeship training. To be selected to receive technical 
assistance and matched with a CBO, employers and labor unions must 
submit a request (as described below) either directly to the Department 
of Labor, OASAM, Office of Procurement Services, Room N-5416, 
Attention: Lisa Harvey, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20210 or employers and labor unions may submit requests to be matched 
with a CBO with which there is an established working relationship as 
an individual entity with the CBO's proposal for a WANTO grant award.
    Selection of Employers and Labor Unions to receive technical 
assistance must provide--
    (1) A description of the need for assistance;
    (2) A description of the types of apprenticeable occupations or 
nontraditional occupations in which the employer or labor union would 
like to train or employ women;
    (3) Assurances that there are or will be suitable and appropriate 
positions available in the apprenticeable occupations program or in the 
nontraditional occupations being targeted; and
    (4) Commitments that all reasonable efforts shall be made to place 
women in apprenticeable occupations or nontraditional occupations.

B. Contents

    To be considered responsive to this SGA, each application must 
consist of, and follow the order of, the sections listed in Part III of 
this solicitation. The applicant must also include information which 
the applicant believes will address the selection criteria identified 
in Part IV. Technical proposals shall not exceed 20 single sided, 
double spaced, 10 to 12 pitch-typed pages (not including attachments). 
Any Proposal That Does Not Conform to These Standards Shall Be Deemed 
Non-Responsive to This SGA and Will Not Be Evaluated.
    1. Technical proposal. Each proposal shall include: (1) A two-page 
abstract summarizing the proposal and (2) a complete description of the 
CBO's program for technical assistance, including information required 
in Part III and IV. No cost data or reference to price shall be 
included in the technical proposal.
    2. Cost proposal. The cost (business) proposal must be separate 
from the technical proposal. The transmittal letter shall be attached 
to the business proposal, which shall consist of the following:
    a. Standard Form 424 ``Application for Federal Assistance,'' 
(Appendix A) signed by an official from the applicant organization who 
is authorized to enter the organization into a grant agreement with the 
Department of Labor. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 
(CFDA) is 17.700;
    b. Standard Budget Form 424A ``Budget Information Form,'' (Appendix 
B); and
    c. Budget Narrative. Provide a narrative explanation of the budget 
which describes all proposed costs and indicates how they are related 
to the operation of the project. Provide this information separately 
for the amount of requested Federal funding and the amount of proposed 
Non-Federal contribution. In an application which proposes to fund 
staff positions, the budget narrative must provide information which 
describes the number of proposed positions by title and by the amount 
of staff time and salary charged to Federal and Non-Federal funding 
resources. The Budget Narrative provides the detailed description of 
the costs reflected on the SF 424A.

C. Funding Levels

    The Department expects to have $410,000 to be disbursed through 
WANTO grants. The Department expects to make at least three (3) awards 
to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). The Women's Bureau expects 
awards to range from approximately $75,000 to $200,000, depending upon 
the scope of the demonstration and technical assistance activities to 
be delivered.

D. Length of Grant and Grant Awards

    The initial performance period for the grants awarded under this 
SGA shall be for eighteen (18) months of program performance, with the 
option to extend for up to six months as a no cost extension to 
complete final reports. Each applicant shall reflect in their 
application the intention to begin operation no later than September 
30, 1997.

E. Submission

    One (1) ink-signed original, complete grant application plus five 
(5) copies of the Technical Proposal and three (3) copies of the Cost 
Proposal must be

[[Page 40378]]

submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Procurement 
Services, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 
20210, not later than 4:45 pm EDT, August 29, 1997. Hand delivered 
applications must be received by the Office of Procurement Services by 
that time. Any application received at the Office of Procurement 
Services after 4:45 pm EDT will not be considered unless it is received 
before award is made and:
    1. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before August 29, 1997 (i.e., not later than August 
24, 1997);
    2. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt at the U.S. 
Department of Labor at the above address; or
    3. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5:00 pm EDT at the 
place of mailing two working days, excluding weekends and Federal 
holidays, prior to August 29, 1997 (i.e., not later than 5:00 pm EDT 
August 27, 1997).
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible, 
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be 
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped or 
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been 
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the 
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants shall request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation bull's-eye postmark on both the 
receipt and the wrapper or envelope.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Mail Next Day Service-Post 
Office to Addressee is the date entered by the post office receiving 
clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee'' 
label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the same meaning 
as defined above. Therefore, applicants shall request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation bull's-eye postmark on both the 
receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at 
the U.S. Department of Labor is the date/time stamp of the Office of 
Procurement Services on the application wrapper or other documentary 
evidence of receipt maintained by that office. Applications sent by e-
mail, telegram, or facsimile (Fax) will not be accepted.

Part III. Statement of Work--Key Features

A. Introduction and Priority

    This SGA (97-05) will fund technical assistance provided to 
employers and labor unions to increase the participation of women in 
apprenticeship and nontraditional employment. Such assistance includes 
the linking of preapprenticeship programs to employer and/or labor 
union sponsored apprenticeship. With WANTO Grants, the Department wants 
to increase the participation of women in higher-paying apprenticeship 
and nontraditional occupational employment which includes linkages to 
pre-apprenticeship and employer and/or labor union sponsored 
apprenticeship to expand the employment and self-sufficiency options of 
women.
    The industrial priority for technical assistance is to promote an 
increase of women in occupations and/or careers in (1) State highway 
and bridge construction programs, particularly cooperative technical 
assistance for apprenticeship and other employment under the Intermodal 
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), funded by the Department 
of Transportation. ISTEA funds which allow States to support activities 
to assist women and minorities to enter and remain in transportation 
industry trades; and (2) other partnerships that develop or link with 
programs in other nonconstruction trades in telecommunications, 
utilities, and high technology health care industries.
    Bonus Points. Twenty-five (25) bonus points will be added to the 
technical proposal score of proposals in the priority area. Other 
projects will receive consideration.

B. Key Features

    1. WANTO Project Proposal Submissions should provide for technical 
assistance between a Community-Based Organization (CBO) and requesting 
employers and labor unions. Such an entity can also provide for the 
linking of preapprenticeship programs to apprenticeship programs 
sponsored by employers and labor unions. All technical assistance grant 
activity has the goal to increase the employment of women in 
apprenticeship and other nontraditional occupations.
    Grant proposal must specify expected outcomes based on past 
experience and expenditures for the following:

--The proposed number of employers and labor unions to be provided on-
site technical assistance and those to receive;
--The number of women trained, placed, promoted, and/or retained in 
apprenticeship and other nontraditional employment;
--Any other activities for which grant funds will be expended.

    2. CBOs that apply for funding to provide technical assistance must 
provide information on their experience and accomplishments in 
apprenticeship and nontraditional activities in the areas of: (1) 
Policy; (2) program development; (3) program operation; (4) and the 
provision of technical assistance to business, labor organizations, and 
other activities in the employment and training community related to 
increasing the participation of women in apprenticeship and 
nontraditional employment.
    a. List name, trade, and organizational position of tradeswomen and 
other women in nontraditional occupations on staff or on your 
organization's Board of Directors. Include the dates when tradeswomen 
served in active paid or unpaid positions in your organization.
    b. In addition, all applications must also include a management and 
staff loading plan. The management plan is to include a project 
organizational chart and accompanying narrative which differentiates 
between elements of the Applicant's staff and subcontractors or 
consultants who will be retained. The staff loading plan must identify 
all key tasks and the hours required to complete each task. Labor 
estimates for each task must be broken down by individuals assigned to 
the task, including subcontractors and consultants. All key tasks must 
be charted to show time required to perform them by months or weeks.
    3. Proposed projects should include a discussion of support 
services to participants that include (1) transitional costs (which may 
include living expenses as well as fees, union dues, uniforms, etc.), 
(2) child care, and (3) transportation.
    4. Proposed projects should include outreach activities to improve 
apprenticeship and NTO opportunities for women in their own workplaces 
as well as women seeking to enter NTO career ladder employment and 
training.
    5. Proposed project preapprenticeship training should include three 
cycles of training from 12 to 16 weeks each.
    6. Proposed projects should clearly identify expected outcomes in 
terms of:

[[Page 40379]]

(1) Number of participants per training cycle; (2) number of 
apprenticeship training commitments by employer/labor organizations; 
(3) number of participants moving into NTO employment; (4) number of 
women participants moving from preapprenticeship into apprenticeship 
program; (5) number of preapprenticeship women moving into permanent 
employment without participating in an apprenticeship program.
    7. Proposed project submissions should include a listing of all 
items for which grant funds will be expended. (Do not include any cost 
information for this item in the technical proposal, but expenditure 
items MUST be listed.)
    8. Proposed project submissions should include any leverage or co-
funding anticipated by this submission.
    9. Proposed project submissions should include copies of the CBO's 
budget and major funding sources for the past three years, including 
foundation and government grants and other types of funding.
    10. In addition to the grant's final report, proposed project 
submissions should include plans for a ``how-to-do-it'' project 
replication manual, including awareness/outreach material, technical 
assistance and curriculum manual(s) and all other materials developed 
as a result of the grant activities.
    11. The proposed project submission should include any activities 
to encourage and promote the continuation or expansion of grant 
activities beyond the grant's period of program performance.

Part IV. Evaluation Criteria and Selection

    Applicants are advised that selection for grant award is to be made 
after careful evaluation of technical applications by a panel. Each 
panelist will evaluate applications against the various criteria on the 
basis of 100 points. The scores will then serve as the primary basis to 
select applications for potential award. Clarification may be requested 
of grant applicants if the situation so warrants. Please see Part III, 
Sections A and B for additional information on the elements against 
which proposal will be reviewed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Technical Evaluation Criteria:                                       
    a. Capabilities and Qualifications of CBO and Staff (NTO            
     experience and education).................................       50
    b. Established or Anticipated Program Linking and Working           
     Relationship for WANTO....................................       25
    c. Quality and Scope of WANTO Project......................       25
(Such as, proposed number of employers, labor unions provided           
 on-site technical assistance, number of women affected and             
 served by the WANTO project and placed in apprenticeship or            
 nontraditional employment; proposed career ladder and                  
 technical assistance strategies to promote the increase in             
 women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations for             
 employers and labor unions; proposed job placement outcomes.)          
2. Bonus Points:                                                        
    a. Priority Focus..........................................       25
(See Part III, A Statement of Work--Key Features, Bonus                 
 Points.)                                                               
3. Cost Criteria: Proposals will be scored, based on their              
 costs in relation to other proposals submitted in response to          
 this SGA.                                                              
4. Total Score: Technical quality of proposals will be weighted         
 three (3) times the estimated price in ranking proposals, for          
 purposes of selections for award.                                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Proposals received will be evaluated by a review panel based on the 
criteria immediately above, in Technical Evaluation Criteria 1 and 2. 
The panel's recommendations will be advisory, and final awards will be 
made based on the best interests of the Government, including but not 
limited to such factors as technical quality, geographic balance, 
occupational/industrial impact, and diversity in service providers.
    The Department wishes to make it clear that it is not simply the 
best written proposals that will be chosen, but rather those which 
demonstrate the greatest experience and commitment to assisting 
employers and labor organizations to successfully develop successful 
strategies to increase the participation of women in higher-paying 
apprenticeship and nontraditional, including linkages to 
preapprenticeship and employer and/or labor union sponsored 
apprenticeship and to expand the employment and self-sufficiency 
options of women.
    During the technical panel evaluation of all proposals and 
requests, the Department will bring together CBO qualifications and 
capabilities with employers/labor unions requests for matching with 
CBOs.

Part V

A. Deliverables

(This section is provided only so that grantees may more accurately 
estimate the staffing budgetary requirements when preparing their 
proposal. Applicants are to exclude from their cost proposal the cost 
of any requested travel to Washington, DC.)
    1. No later than four (4) weeks after award, the grantees and 
partners shall meet with the Women's Bureau and the Bureau of 
Apprenticeship and Training at the Post-Award Conference to discuss 
employment preappenticeship, apprenticeship demonstration project and 
related partnership technical assistance activities, timelines, and 
technical assistance outcomes assessment for comment and final 
approval. The grantees and partners and the Department will discuss and 
make decisions on the following program activities:
    a. Any preapprenticeship or apprenticeship activities and 
responsibilities; the number of partnership employers and labor 
organizations to be served.
    b. The types of systemic changes anticipated by technical 
assistance strategies anticipated to be incorporated into employer 
ongoing recruitment, hiring, training and promotion of women in 
apprenticeship and apprenticeable nontraditional occupations.
    c. The occupational, industrial and geographical impact 
anticipated.
    d. The supportive services to be provided to employers and women 
after successful placement into apprenticeship or apprenticeable 
nontraditional occupations.
    e. The plan for the development and maintenance of a relationship 
with the State level of the Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and 
Training and the State Apprenticeship Council.
    The Women's Bureau and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training 
will provide further input orally and in writing, if necessary, within 
ten (10) working days after the Post-Award Conference.
    2. No later than ten (10) weeks after award, the grantee and the 
Women's Bureau will confirm the ``plan of

[[Page 40380]]

action'' or detailed timeline for program implementation.
    3. No later than twelve (12) weeks after award, the grantee(s) 
shall have begun the provision of technical assistance to employers and 
labor unions to recruit, select, train, place, retain, and other areas 
of preparation to promote the increase of women in apprenticeable 
occupations and other nontraditional training for women, characterized 
by employment growth and above average earnings.
    4. No later than sixteen (16) weeks after award, the first 
quarterly progress report of work done under this grant will be due. 
Thereafter, quarterly reports will be due twenty (20) working days 
after the end of each of the remaining quarters.
    Quarterly progress reports must include:
    a. A description of overall progress on work performed during the 
reporting period--(a) the number of employers and labor unions provided 
on-site, off-site (conferences, workshops, seminars, etc.),
    (b) number of women trained, placed in apprenticeship or other 
nontraditional employment. Describe:
    (1) number of women affected or participating in TA programs, 
include name and address of workplace/company and person responsible 
for the operation; (2) number of employers and labor unions receiving 
technical assistance--name, address, size of the workplace; including 
proportion of women; include brief profiles of employers and labor 
organizations; (3) describe any systemic workplace and policy changes--
actual or in process, including the hiring and promotion of women 
already in the workplace, career ladders or other training activities; 
(4) public presentations; (5) media articles or appearances; (6) 
publications disseminated; and (7) publications developed.
    b. An indication of any current problems which may impede the 
performance of the grant and the proposed corrective action.
    c. A discussion of work to be performed during the next reporting 
period.
    Between scheduled reporting dates the grantee also shall 
immediately inform the Grant Officer's Technical Representative (GOTR) 
of significant developments affecting the grantee's ability to 
accomplish the work.
    5. No later than sixty-four (64) weeks after award, the grantee 
shall submit three (3) copies of the draft final report, an integrated 
draft analysis of the process and results of the technical assistance 
activities during the year. The Women's Bureau and the Bureau of 
Apprenticeship and Training will provide written comments on the draft 
report within twenty (20) working days if substantive problems are 
identified. The grantee's response to these comments shall be 
incorporated into the final report.
    6. No later than seventy-four (74) weeks after award, the 
grantee(s) shall submit one (1) camera-ready copy and five (5) copies 
of the final report, bound in a professional manner, and not a 
collection of looseleaf sheets; one (1) diskette (IBM compatible, 
WordPerfect 6.1) of the Final Report; along with five (5) copies of all 
products manuals, curriculum, ``how-to-do-it'' handbooks, videos, etc., 
paid for with grant funds. The report shall cover findings, final 
performance data, outcome results and assessment, and employer or labor 
organization plans for follow-up of participants. The report shall 
provide all information to replicate the project including copies of 
curriculum, technical assistance materials developed for the project 
and technical assistance--videos, posters, notices, etc., as well as 
any plans for replication and dissemination of information. An 
Executive Summary of the findings and recommendations shall be included 
in the report or accompany the report.

    Signed at Washington, D.C. on July 18, 1997.
Lawrence J. Kuss,
Grant Officer.

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[FR Doc. 97-19706 Filed 7-25-97; 8:45 am]
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