[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 214 (Thursday, November 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59838-59840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29587]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Development of an Educational Advisers Reference Tool and 
Research Service for Overseas U.S. Educational Advising Centers

ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Advising and Student Services Branch of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award. Public or 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply. In collaboration with 
the United States Information Agency (USIA), the organization should 
produce an educational advisers reference tool to provide timely and 
in-depth information on trends and developments in U.S. higher 
education and other issues and topics relevant to the USIA-affiliated 
overseas educational advising and information centers. The organization 
will also answer reference inquiries from USIA-designated educational 
advising offices overseas. USIA anticipates awarding up to $90,000 to 
one organization for these activities.

Overview

    In the interest of providing this material in a broad and timely 
manner, USIA encourages submissions that propose delivery via 
electronic (e.g. web, e-mail) as well as traditional print means. The 
proposal should illustrate how the organization will produce an 
internet website, e-mail format, and/or print version to provide timely 
and in-depth information for the staff of the USIA-affiliated overseas 
educational advising and information centers which provide accurate, 
unbiased information on, and advise foreign nationals about, 
opportunities for studying in the United States. The information should 
be centered on an overall theme related to trends and developments in 
international student mobility, the practice of educational advising, 
or U.S. higher education which will enhance the guidance given by 
overseas educational advisers to international students and others who 
inquire about opportunities for studying in the United States.

Guidelines

    The website must be designed in a user-friendly fashion, with an 
index of topics, and ideally in a format that can be shared directly 
with students with minimal repackaging by the adviser. If necessary, 
the website may be password protected. E-mail issues of timely topics 
must be distributed regularly. If a print version is produced, the 
organization should describe what publishing capacity will be used to 
assure that each issue (at least 32 pages) is produced quickly and 
efficiently (at least four times a year) in an attractive typeset 
quality format.
    In addition, funds will be awarded to enable the recipient to 
perform

[[Page 59839]]

supplemental research to provide in-depth responses to inquiries from 
USIA-affiliated educational advisers overseas. Answers to questions of 
general interest should be posted on the website.
    The website and/or print version must acknowledge that its contents 
were developed, in part, under a grant from the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Information Agency. USIA reserves the 
right to use all materials produced for noncommercial purposes of 
educational advancement outside the U.S.

Proposed Budget

    A comprehensive line item budget should be submitted together with 
the proposal. The budget should not exceed $90,000 for the development 
of the website/e-mail/print version and research service. Grants 
awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years of 
experience in conducting international educational programs will be 
limited to a total of $60,000. For both electronic and/or print 
versions, applicants may sell subscriptions and use advertising to 
offset production costs in excess of the grant.
    The applicant is required to submit a comprehensive line item 
budget, based on the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. 
There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down of the 
administrative budget. USIA's grant assistance will not exceed $90,000. 
Of this amount, not more than $27,000 may be attributed to overhead 
expenses. The $90,000 is expected to constitute only a portion of the 
total project funding. Cost sharing is required and the proposal should 
list other anticipated sources of support. Grant applications should 
demonstrate financial and in-kind support.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) Salaries and fringe benefits
(2) Website design costs, printing, utilities, and other direct costs
(3) Indirect expenses, auditing costs

    Applicants should 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 Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Area 
Offices and the USIA posts 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 USIA's contracting 
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. Program Planning

    Proposals should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and 
relevance to design a website and e-mail system, and/or produce a 
publication which will successfully address the needs for timely 
information and in-depth and balanced exploration of issues and topics 
important to overseas educational advisers. In addition, the proposal 
should illustrate the resources and professional contacts necessary to 
respond in a timely manner to inquiries by overseas educational 
advisers are available.

2. Institution's Track Record/Ability

    Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful 
programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance 
with all reporting requirements for past Agency grants as determined by 
USIA's Office of Contracts. Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program 
goals.

3. Demonstrated Ability

    Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet 
the program's objectives and plan. The proposal should describe 
technological and editorial capability.

4. Project Evaluation

    Proposal should provide a plan for evaluation by the grantee 
institution, including periodic progress reports at the end of the 
grant cycle, as well as intermediate reports.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

    The overhead and administrative components of the proposal, 
including salaries, should be kept as low as possible. All other items 
should be necessary and appropriate.

6. Cost-Sharing

    Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other private sector 
support as well as institutional direct funding contributions. For both 
electronic and/or print versions, applicants may sell subscriptions and 
use advertising to offset production costs in excess of the grant.

7. Support of Diversity

    Proposals should demonstrate the recipient's commitment to 
promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity, and should 
expose readers to the widest possible range of views and approaches to 
U.S. higher education. Attention should be given to printing articles 
relating to different kinds of schools and universities from various 
regions of the U.S.

Authorization

    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 Name and Number

    All communications with USIA concerning this announcement should 
refer to the above title and reference number E/ASA-99-08.

Deadline for Proposal

    All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 
p.m. Washington, D.C. time on December 16, 1998. Faxed documents will 
not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on December 16, 1998 but 
received at a later date. It is the responsibility of each applicant to 
ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. Grant should 
begin April 1, 1999 and run through March 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Advising and Student Services, E/ASA, Room 349, U.S. Information 
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

[[Page 59840]]

20547, Tel: (202) 619-5549, Fax: (202) 401-1433, E-mail: 
[email protected]. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the 
program office to request an Application Package, which includes more 
detailed award criteria; all application forms, and guidelines for 
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the 
proposal budget. Please specify the USIA Program Officer, Ann Prince, 
on all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read 
the complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries 
to E/ASA or submitting their proposals to the United States Information 
Agency. Once the RFP deadline has passed, the Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs may not discuss this competition in any way with 
applicants until after the Bureau proposal review process has been 
completed.

Submissions

    Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and ten copies of the complete application, plus 
one extra copy of the cover sheet, should be sent to: U.S. Information 
Agency, Ref.: E/ASA-99-08, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.

Diversity 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 reflect 
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent 
deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)

    The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting 
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing 
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific 
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to 
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could 
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been 
accounted for properly.
    USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems 
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately 
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both 
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust 
for leap years.
    Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the 
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology 
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

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 budget in accordance with the needs of the 
program and availability of funding. Final awards cannot be made until 
funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed 
through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

    All applicant will be notified of the results of the review process 
on or about March 19, 1999. Awards will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: October 29, 1998.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about March 19, 1999. Awards will be subject to periodic 
reporting and evaluation requirements.
Judith Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-29587 Filed 11-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M