[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 111 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31349-31352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14775]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Future Leaders Exchange Program Administrative Components

NOTICE: Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Division for the NIS Secondary School Initiative, Office 
of Citizen Exchanges, of the United States Information Agency's Bureau 
of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for 
the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. Public and private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 
26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to conduct a package of 
Administrative Components for the recruitment, selection and other 
related activities listed below for approximately 930 high school 
students from the 12 New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet 
Union who will come to the U.S. for the 2000/2001 academic year under 
the FLEX program. This RFP is only for the package of administrative 
components described in this solicitation. Grants for other program 
components, including placement and supervision of the students while 
they are in the United States, will be competed separately. Final award 
of the grant or grant(s) is subject to the availability of funding.

Program Information

Overview

    The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program has been sponsored by 
USIA since 1992, when it was authorized and funded under the Freedom 
Support Act. The 2000/2001 FLEX program will be its eighth cycle. The 
program provides an opportunity for high school students aged 15-17 
from the 12 countries of the New Independent States (NIS) of the former 
Soviet Union to live with an American host family for eleven months and 
attend a full academic year of high school. The scholarship covers all 
aspects of the students' program, including recruitment and selection, 
orientation, travel, family and school placement, supervision while in 
the U.S., maintenance allowances, health and accident insurance, 
cultural and educational enhancements, and alumni activities upon 
return to their home countries. Placement, supervision,

[[Page 31350]]

maintenance, and enhancements are not part of the package covered by 
this solicitation. For budgeting purposes, applicants should assume 
that the number of participants will be 930, with about 33% coming from 
Russia, 20% from Ukraine, and the remaining 47% from the other ten NIS 
countries. Details can be found in the Project Objectives, Goals and 
Implementation guidelines. Applicants must address the complete package 
of components outlined below.
    The objectives of the FLEX program are:
    1. To foster interaction between young people from the United 
States and the former Soviet Union and promote a greater understanding 
of one another so as to contribute to our common future through our 
greatest resource, our youth.
    2. To provide high school students from the former Soviet Union 
with an opportunity to live with American host families, attend a U.S. 
high school, and learn about American society, history, culture, and 
the economic and political foundations of the United States.
    3. To integrate the people of the former Soviet Union into the 
global citizenry by assisting young people of the NIS countries in 
building a new and open society and by promoting democratic values and 
the development of democratic institutions at the grass roots level.
    4. To provide opportunities for a diverse group of youth from the 
NIS to acquire values and skills and enhance those personal qualities 
that will make them successful citizens and future leaders of their 
societies.
    Through participation in the FLEX program, students should:
    1. Acquire an understanding of important elements of a civil 
society. This will include concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that 
American citizens can and do act at the grass roots level to deal with 
societal problems, and an awareness of and respect for the rule of law.
    2. Demonstrate a willingness and a commitment to serve as agents 
for change in their countries after they return home.
    3. Develop an appreciation for American culture.
    4. Interact with Americans and generate enduring ties.
    5. Teach Americans about the cultures of their home countries.

Eligibility

    Applicants may be public institutions or organizations that are 
legally incorporated and recognized by the IRS as not-for-profit. 
Applicants may be single organizations or two or more organizations 
working in consortium. For consortia, each organization should submit a 
separate proposal for its components and indicate clearly how these 
dovetail with the other consortium member(s).

Guidelines

    The package of components for this solicitation encompasses the 
following:
    1. Recruitment and selection of student finalists through a merit-
based competition in each country.
    2. Documentation--assistance with passports, visas; assistance to 
USIA with preparation of IAP66 forms on finalists and alternates.
    3. Medical screening and clearance to ensure that the students are 
healthy; immunizations as necessary.
    4. Orientation--Programming for all participants prior to departure 
from the NIS.
    5. Travel--Ticketing and all arrangements from the students' homes 
to their host communities and return.
    6. Communications and liaison with the students' natural families 
during the program year.
    7. On-program counseling for students and the staff and volunteers 
of the placement organizations in dealing with problems.
    8. Information management--Tracking and database maintenance on all 
applicants through their selection as finalists, their placement, and 
travel.
    9. Tracking of, support for and follow-up programming with alumni 
upon their return home.
    The following considerations apply to these responsibilities:
    1. The grantee organization(s) must coordinate overall planning 
with the USIS staff in each country at the outset and ask USIS to 
indicate where the staff would like to have input or play a role.
    2. The ongoing communications with natural parents, follow-up 
activities with alumni, and relations with foreign government officials 
all require that the organization(s) maintain a year-round presence in 
the NIS countries. The grantee(s) should seek to conduct these 
functions efficiently and cost-effectively. An American staff person 
should head each permanent office in the NIS with FLEX program 
responsibilities.
    3. All on-the-ground operations in the NIS of this administrative 
machinery must be staffed by non-U.S. Government personnel in such a 
way as to ensure that USIS and American embassy personnel are not 
encumbered by the day-to-day functioning of the program.
    4. The aim of the program is to select students who have the 
personal qualities, motification, and the academic, language and social 
skills to be successful on the exchange. Recruitment and selection must 
be conducted on the basis of merit and be free of political influence 
and corruption; to accomplish this, the process must be under the 
overall direct control of Americans at all times. Selection of 
finalists will be conducted in the U.S.
    5. Selection must reflect the cultural, ethnic, national and 
geographic diversity of the NIS. The recruitment process must be open 
in allowing and making it possible for any student who meets the 
eligibility criteria to apply. A serious effort must be made to include 
qualified students with physical disabilities. A pre-academic English 
enrichment program will be offered to a small percentage (approximately 
3%) to ensure that the weaker language qualifications of students with 
disabilities and students from more remote areas is not an excluding 
factor in their selection. [The English program is competed 
separately.] It is not necessary or even possible, given budget 
constraints and areas of civil unrest, to cover every oblast. The 
grantee(s) should focus recruitment on major population areas, while 
keeping the process open to applicants from all areas.
    6. Uniform predeparture orientation programming conducted 
regionally for all FLEX students is essential because it reinforces 
their identity as participants in a government scholarship program 
enables the dissemination of information, policies and procedures 
critical to the students' success.
    7. What happens to participants once they return home is critically 
important to ensuring the program's success in fulfilling its 
objectives and to reinforce the transfer of the American experience to 
the NIS. The grantee(s) must provide a clear, systematic plan for 
alumni tracking. USIA will expect reports on alumni to include dates of 
re-entry into the NIS, current places of residence, and current 
educational/professional activities. Some follow-on activities will be 
centrally funded and managed by USIA. Please refer to program specific 
guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for further details.
    Participants travel on J-1 visas. As the sponsor is USIA, IAP66 
forms are prepared using the Government program designation number. As 
noted above, the grantee is responsible for assisting USIA in the 
preparation of these forms.

Timetable

    The recruitment and selection process must be concluded by March 1, 
2000, so that finalist applications can be

[[Page 31351]]

disseminated to the organizations responsible for placing the students 
in host families and schools. Travel to the U.S. is expected to take 
place in July/August 2000, in conjunction with the needs of the 
placement organizations. Return travel should be similarly undertaken 
in May/June 2001. All component should be planned in accordance with 
the dates and deadlines set by the needs of the program (e.g., the date 
by which students need to apply for passports, the timing of arrival in 
the host families, the conclusion of the school year).

Proposed Budget

    The per capita cost of this whole package of components excluding 
travel and orientation must not exceed $3,000 per finalist. Travel must 
be arranged in compliance with laws on the use of American flag 
carriers.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive line-item budget for the 
entire package of components. There must be a summary budget as well as 
a break-down reflecting both the administrative and program costs and 
an indication of participant per capita costs. Cost-sharing is 
encouraged, cash contributions and in-kind. Please refer to the 
Proposal Submission Instructions and POGI for complete budget and 
formatting instructions and for allowable costs.
    Organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs will be deemed ineligible.

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 instructions. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by 
the program office, as well as the USIA Office of NIS Affairs and the 
USIS posts in the NIS countries. Eligible proposals will be forwarded 
to panels of USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals also may be 
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency 
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of USIA's 
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, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission and 
design outlined above.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate organizational competency and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview, timetable and 
guidelines described above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate an understanding of the program's objectives stated above 
and how the organization will achieve them.
    4. 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 (e.g., 
staffing, program venue) and program content (especially selection of 
participants and orientation).
    5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals. The proposal should clearly explain how the 
organization will make use of and coordinate with other related NIS and 
U.S. operations it may be conducting. Proposals should reflect 
substantial area expertise, a grasp of cross-cultural issues, the needs 
of the hosting community (including the American host schools and the 
placement organizations), and a thorough understanding of how to work 
effectively with NIS authorities and complexities of the environment.
    6. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful activities that are relevant to this 
program, as well as 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.
    7. Project Evaluation: The proposal should include a plan to 
evaluate the success of the organization in achieving the stated 
objectives. The grantee(s) will also be expected to cooperate with USIA 
in evaluating the program under the requirements of the Results Act 
(GPRA). Proposals should reflect an understanding and grasp of these 
responsibilities.
    8. 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.
    9. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
and in-kind contributions.
    10. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area desk and 
overseas officers of potential impact and significance in the partner 
countries.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with USIA concerning this RFP should reference 
the above title and number E/PY-00-02.
    For Further Information, Contact: The NIS Secondary School 
Initiative Division, E/PY, Room 568, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, tel: (202) 619-6299, fax: (202) 619-
5311, e-mail: <[email protected]> to request a Solicitation Package. 
The Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, specific budget instructions, and standard 
guidelines for proposal preparation. Please specify USIA Program 
Officer Diana Aronson on all other inquiries and correspondence.
    Please 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 with applicants 
until the proposal review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

    The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's 
website at http://e.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 requested from the Bureau's 
`Grants Information Fax on Demand System,' which is accessed by calling 
202/401-7616. The `Table of Contents' listing available documents and 
order numbers should be the first order when entering the system.

Deadline for Proposals

    All proposal copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency 
by 5 p.m., Washington, DC time on Monday, July 12, 1999. Faxed 
documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked the 
due date but received on a later date will not be accepted.

[[Page 31352]]

Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above 
deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original, one fully-tabbed copy (Tabs A-F) and eight 
copies of the application should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, 
Ref.: E/PY-00-02, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 568, 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. These documents 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 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 that all organizations use Y2K complaint 
systems including hardward, 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.

Authority

    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 above is provided through legislation appropriating funds 
annually for USIA's exchange programs, including the Freedom Support 
Act.

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: June 7, 1999.
Brian J. Sexton,
Acting Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-14775 Filed 6-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M