[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30567-30569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14933]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


East Timor Exchange Project; Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award. Public and 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to develop the East Timor 
Exchange Project.
    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.''
    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 Title and Number: All communications with USIA 
concerning this RFP should refer to the announcement's title and 
reference number.
    Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, July 17, 
1998. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents 
postmarked by the due date but received at a later date will not be 
accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/
P), Room 216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone number: (202) 619-5326, fax number: 
(202) 260-0440, e-mail address: [email protected] to request a 
Solicitation Package containing more details. Please request required 
application forms, and standard guidelines for preparing proposals, 
including specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget.
    To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information before 
downloading.
    To Receive a Solicitation Package Via Fax on Demand: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be received via the Bureau's ``Grants 
Information Fax on Demand System'', which is accessed by calling 202/
401-7616. Please request a

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``Catalog'' of available documents and order numbers when first 
entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Name on all inquiries and 
correspondences. Interested applicants should read the complete Federal 
Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. 
Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff 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 12 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-98-56, Office of 
Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette, 
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.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

    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 
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic 
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to 
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program 
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review 
criteria under the `Support for Diversity' section for specific 
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public 
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and 
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom 
and democracy'', USIA ''shall take appropriate steps to provide 
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and 
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should account for 
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent 
deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Indonesian province of East Timor has had relatively little 
contact with the outside world, and its people are only now receiving 
increased opportunities for educational exchange with western 
countries, including the U.S. Many are ill-prepared for U.S. study, due 
to limited opportunities at local institutions of higher learning, 
insufficient English-language skills, and inadequate library resources 
and knowledge of information science. International efforts to assist 
the people of East Timor require sensitivity to appropriateness for the 
local context. Our objective is to provide meaningful opportunities to 
qualified exchange program participants so that a growing number of 
East Timor residents are knowledgeable about U.S. society and values 
and can share their experiences with others. Implementation of projects 
may be affected by changes underway in Indonesia.

Guidelines

    Projects designed to contribute to better understanding of the U.S. 
in East Timor could include training in administration and/or 
curriculum development for educational institutions; exchanges for 
print and/or broadcast media professionals; public administration and 
NGO management programs; enhancement of English-language teaching; 
support for development of library resources to the University of East 
Timor and training in library science; and other program activities 
which contribute to the overall goal of enhancing mutual understanding 
between the U.S. and the province of East Timor. Interested U.S. 
institutions will be expected to liaise closely with the U.S. 
Information Service in Jakarta, Indonesia. Grants must be written prior 
to September 30, 1998.

Selection of Participants

    All grant proposals should clearly describe the type of persons who 
will participate in the program as well as the process by which the 
participants will be selected. It is recommended that program in 
support of U.S. internship include letters tentatively committing host 
institutions to support internships. In the selection of foreign 
participants, USIA and USIS Jakarta retain the right to nominate all 
participants and to accept or deny participants recommended by grantee 
organizations. However, grantee institutions are often asked by USIA to 
suggest names of potential participants. The grantee institution will 
also provide the names of American participants and brief (two pages) 
biographical data on each American participant to the Office of Citizen 
Exchanges for information purposes. Priority will be given to foreign 
participants who have not previously traveled to the United States. 
Foreign participants in the program will travel to the U.S. utilizing 
J-1 visas.

Budget

    Funding requests submitted to USIS should not exceed $200,000. 
Organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown 
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For 
further clarification, applicants may provide separate sub-budgets for 
each program component, phase, location, or activity in order to 
facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) Travel and Per Diem
(2) Administrative Costs
(3) Books and Materials

    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

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 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the USIA Office of East Asia 
and Pacific Affairs and the USIS Jakarta overseas, where appropriate. 
Proposals may 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 assistance awards (grants or cooperative 
agreements) resides with the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to 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,

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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 substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials 
and follow-up activities).
    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 ensures that 
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants 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 and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject 
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

    Dated: May 29, 1998.
Robert L. Earle,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-14933 Filed 6-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M