[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 542-544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-183]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3193]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Bosnia and 
Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program; Notice: Request for 
Proposals

Summary

    The Office of Academic Exchange Programs of the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition 
for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program. Four-
year colleges and universities meeting the provisions described in IRS 
regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to host between two and 
five Bosnian students in a one-year, non-degree undergraduate program 
for the academic year 2000-2001. Organizations with less than four 
years of experience in hosting international exchange students are not 
eligible for this competition. Recruitment and selection will be 
conducted by the U.S. Embassy Office of Public Affairs, Sarajevo, 
Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Program Information

    The Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program is 
designed to allow Bosnian students an opportunity to obtain knowledge, 
insight and cultural enrichment through their academic studies at 
American colleges and universities. ECA strongly encourages 
institutions to guide students to courses in American studies, or other 
courses which emphasize democracy, market economy, and civic society 
per the intent of the Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act 
funding. ECA is holding an open competition for four-year universities 
and colleges giving preference to those that meet the following 
criteria:
     Has demonstrated experience in hosting Bosnian (or Balkan 
regional) students, partnerships with Bosnian higher education 
institutions, or expertise and interest in the region
     Strong international student advising offices with 
experience dealing with cultural, educational and adjustment issues for 
foreign students
     Accessibility to and opportunities for cultural and social 
activities on- and off-campus with access to public transportation
     Mid-size institutions (generally between 5,000-15,000 
enrollement) that offer all or most of the eligible fields of study for 
this program
     Diverse student populations with substantial foreign 
student representation

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     Substantial cost-sharing toward tuition, fees, room and 
board expenses, other direct participant expenses, and administrative 
expenses
     Subject to the availability of funds, the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) expects to make up to four 
awards for the administration of the Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Undergraduate Development Program for the 2000-2001 academic year. The 
duration of the grants will be August 1, 2000 through July 15, 2001 and 
programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
Solicitation Package for further information.
    The proposed funding will support one academic year of study in the 
fields of agriculture, American studies, business administration, 
criminal justice, economics, education, environmental resource 
management, journalism/mass communications, political science, and 
public administration. The academic-year program will be followed by a 
four-to-twelve week internship in the students' field of 
specialization. The program will also include a mid-year workshop to be 
hosted by one of the grantee institutions, and an end-of-year workshop 
in Washington, DC.

Budget Guidelines

    Organizations with less than four years of experience in hosting 
international exchange students are not eligible for this competition .
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program based on the specific guidelines listed in the Solicitation 
Package. Per participant costs should be below $25,000 in order to be 
competitive. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns 
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may 
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase, 
location, or activity to provide clarification. Please note that 
indirect rates are considered part of the administrative costs and 
should be kept to a minimum or cost-shared as possible.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

    All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFP should 
reference the following code ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06.

For Further Information

    Please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
Office of Academic Exchange Programs, ECA/A/E/EUR, SA-44, Room 246, 
U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, 
(202) 205-0525, fax (202) 260-7985, 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 Bureau Program Manager Sondra Govatski 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, Bureau 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 the Bureau's 
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all 
information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

    All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational 
and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Tuesday, 
February 22, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. 
Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not 
be accepted.
    Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the 
above deadline.
    Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and nine copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, SA-44 
Room 336, 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. The Bureau will 
transmit these files electronically to the Public Affairs section at 
the U.S. Embassy, Sarajevo, for its review, with the goal of reducing 
the time it takes to get Embassy comments for the Bureau'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,'' the Bureau ``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.
    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 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.

Review Process

    The Bureau 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. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public

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Affairs section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be 
forwarded to panels of Department of State officers for advisory 
review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal 
Adviser or by other elements of the Department. Final funding decisions 
are at the discretion of the Department of State's Under Secretary for 
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final technical authority for 
assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the 
Bureau's 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. International Student and Academic Support: Proposals should 
describe support services provided by the institution and department/
school for international students including monitoring and evaluation 
of students and program.
    2. Ability to Provide Cultural Enrichment and Community Outreach 
Opportunities: Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to planning, 
implementing, and supporting the Bosnian students in participating in 
cultural, social, and community outreach opportunities.
    3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
both geographic and ethnic diversity.
    4. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of strong academic programs and successful 
exchange programs. This includes responsible fiscal management and full 
compliance with all reporting requirements for past ECA (formerly USIA) 
grants as determined by ECA's Office of Contracts. The Bureau will 
consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated 
potential of new applicants.
    5. Cost Effectiveness: Proposals should indicate a high level of 
cost sharing and a competitive level of cost per individual student for 
the ECA.

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 Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate 
Development Program is provided through the Support for East European 
Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989. The SEED Act targets assistance funds to 
advance the democratic and economic transition of Central and Eastern 
Europe. Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. ECA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau 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 Bureau procedures.

    Dated: December 28, 1999.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-183 Filed 1-4-00; 8:45 am]
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