[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63524-63526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30441]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Administrative Services to the NIS College and University 
Partnerships Program (NISCUPP)

ACTION: Request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs' Specialized Programs Branch 
of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and 
Cultural Affairs announces an open competition to assist in the 
administration of the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and University 
Partnerships Program (NISCUPP) competition. Public and private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 
26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to assist in the administration of the 
technical and academic review of approximately 65 to 85 proposals for 
the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and University Partnerships Program 
competition (E/ASU-99-05).
    The NISCUPP supports linkages between U.S. institutions of higher 
education and institutions of higher edcuation from the New Independent 
States in specified fields and disciplines.
    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 the Freedom for Russia and 
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 
(Freedom Support Act).
    Projects must conform with Agency requirements and guidelines 
outlined in the Scolicitation Package. USIA projects 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, E/ASU-99-06.
    Deadline for Proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, December 
21, 1998. Faxed application documents will not be accepted.
    Documents postmarked by the due date but received at a later date 
will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of each applicant to 
ensure compliance with the deadline.
    Approximate Program Dates: Grant should begin on or about February 
15, 1999 and end approximately five months later.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Specialized Programs Branch (E/
ASU), Room 349, U.S. Information Agency,

[[Page 63525]]

301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, phone: (202) 619-4126, 
fax: (202) 401-1433. Send a message via Internet to: [email protected] to 
request a Solicitation Package containing more detailed award criteria. 
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 ``Catalog'' of available documents and order 
numbers when first entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Jonathan Cebra on all inquiries 
and correspondence. 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 7 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU-99-06, Office 
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 20547.
    Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the 
Bureau's authorizing legislation, projects 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 programs 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.
    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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

Objectives

    The recipient of this award will administer the technical and 
independent academic reviews for the Fiscal Year 1999 NIS College and 
University Partnerships Program. The NISCUPP is designed to support 
linkages between U.S. and NIS institutions of higher education in the 
fields of business/economics, law, journalism/communications, 
education, and public administration/public policy/political science.
    The NISCUPP supports curriculum development, faculty and staff 
development, educational reform, community outreach and collaborative 
research through three-year grants of up to $300,000 each.

Guidelines

Project Description

    The recipient of this award shall review proposals for compliance 
with the technical requirements published in the Request for Proposals 
(RFP) for the FY 1999 NISCUPP competition. (The FY 1999 NISCUPP RFP 
will be provided in the application packet mailed to applicants, and 
also is available upon request by the applicant, and on the Internet 
via USIA's website at http://www.usia.gov/education/rfps).
    The recipient will also coordinate the academic review of 
technically eligible, comprehensive proposals and provide the Agency 
with a detailed academic appraisal report on each eligible proposal, 
extensively summarizing the panel discussion in terms of the academic 
review criteria published in the FY 1999 NISCUPP RFP. The recipient 
shall arrange for the review of applications regionally or thematically 
by panels of experts representing eligible fields and themes. These 
experts should be highly familiar with the New Independent States.
    In preparing a submission, the applicant shall designate a 
coordinator, subject to Agency approval, to implement and chair all the 
technical and academic reviews, and to provide detailed summaries of 
the academic review discussions. The applicant should plan to prepare 
correspondence to be sent to NISCUPP applicants by the Agency in 
response to inquiries regarding the technical and academic review of 
their proposals, and to notify applicants of the status of their 
proposals. All official documents should highlight the U.S. 
Government's role as program sponsor and funding source.

Eligibility

    Only non-profit organizations based in the Washington, D.C. 
metropolitan area, with experience in international education and 
educational exchanges, are eligible to compete for this cooperative 
agreement award from the Agency.

Proposed Budget

    Please provide a detailed line-item budget as part of your grant 
proposal, which translates the activities described in the proposal 
narrative into specific cost requirements. Please use explanatory notes 
where necessary to describe the costs included in specific line items 
and how the amounts were derived. Applicants must submit a 
comprehensive budget for the entire program. There must be a summary 
budget as well as a break-down 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.

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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. 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. Technical Format Requirements for this competition are 
included in the check list in the PSI accompanying this RFP.
    Panelists will review proposals received in response to this 
solicitation according to the following criteria:
    1. Quality of Program Plan/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: 
Proposal agendas and plans should adhere to the program overview and 
guidelines described above and in the Application Package. Objectives 
should be reasonable, feasible, and flexible. A proposal should clearly 
demonstrate how an organization will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    2. Institution's Record/Ability/Capacity: Proposed personnel and 
institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve 
the project's goals. Proposals should demonstrate responsible fiscal 
management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for any 
past Agency grants the applicants have administered, as determined by 
USIA's Office of Contracts.
    3. Cost-Effectiveness/Cost-Sharing: The overhead and administrative 
components of proposals, including salaries and honoraria, should be 
kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and 
appropriate. Proposals should attempt to maximize cost-sharing through 
private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    4. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include an effective 
evaluation plan which defines and articulates a list of anticipated 
outcomes clearly related to the project goals and activities, and 
provide procedures for ongoing project monitoring and mid-term 
corrective action.
    5. Suport of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
applicant's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity.

Application Submission

    The complete proposal for this competition (E/ASU 99-06) must meet 
the due date of December 21, 1998. There will be no exception to this 
deadline.

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 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: December 2, 1998.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-30441 Filed 11-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M