[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2584-2586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1005]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No. 000104003-0003-01]


Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT)

AGENCY:  International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY:  In support of the U.S. State Department's Russian Regional 
Initiative for the Russian Far East, SABIT is launching a special grant 
program for the region of Sakhalin, Russia. This Notice announces 
availability of funds for the Special American Business Internship 
Training Program (SABIT), for training oil and gas managers and 
engineers (also referred to as ``interns'') from Sakhalin, Russia. The 
Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA) 
established the SABIT program in September 1990 to assist Russia's 
transition to a market economy. Since that time, SABIT has been 
matching business managers, engineers and scientists from Russia with 
U.S. firms which provide them hands-on training in a U.S. market 
economy.
    Under the SABIT program, qualified U.S. firms will receive funds 
through a cooperative agreement with ITA to help defray the cost of 
hosting interns. ITA will interview and recommend eligible interns to 
participating companies. Interns must be from Sakhalin Region, Russia. 
The U.S. firms will be expected to provide the interns with a hands-on, 
non-academic, executive training program designed to maximize their 
exposure to management or technical operations. At the end of the 
training program, interns must return to Sakhalin, Russia.

DATES:  The closing date for applications is March 3, 2000. An original 
and two copies of the application (Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4-92) and 
supplemental material) are to be sent to the address designated in the 
Application Kit and postmarked no later than the closing date. 
Applications will be considered on a ``rolling'' basis as they are 
received, subject to the availability of funds. If available funds are 
depleted prior to the closing date, a notice to that effect will be 
published in the Federal Register. Processing of complete applications 
takes approximately two to three months. All awards are expected to be 
made by May 2000.

ADDRESSES:  Request for Applications: Competitive Application kits will 
be available from ITA starting on the day this notice is published. To 
obtain a copy of the Application Kit please E-mail: 
[email protected] (please state which format, e.g. 
WordPerfect 6.1), telephone (202) 482-0073, facsimile (202) 
482-2443 (these are not toll free numbers), or send a written request 
with two self-addressed mailing labels to Application Request, The 
SABIT Program, HCHB Room 3319, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, 20230. Only one copy of 
the Application Kit will be provided to each organization requesting 
it, but it may be reproduced by the requester.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Liesel C. Duhon, Director, SABIT 
Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, phone--(202) 482-0073, 
facsimile--(202) 482-2443. These are not toll free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  SABIT exposes Russian business managers, 
engineers and scientists to a completely new way of thinking in which 
demand, consumer satisfaction, and profits drive production. Mid to 
senior-level executives visiting the U.S. for internship programs with 
public or private sector companies will be exposed to an environment 
which will provide them with practical knowledge for transforming their 
countries' enterprises and economies to the free market. The program 
provides first-hand, eye-opening experience to managers, engineers and 
scientists which cannot be duplicated by American managers traveling to 
their territories.

Managers and Engineers

    SABIT assists economic restructuring in Russia by providing top-
level business managers and engineers with practical training in 
American methods of innovation and management in such areas as 
strategic planning, financing, production, distribution, marketing, 
accounting, wholesaling, technology and labor relations. This first-
hand experience in the U.S. economy enables interns to become leaders 
in establishing and operating a market economy in Russia, and creates a 
unique opportunity for U.S. firms to familiarize key executives from 
Russia with their products and services. Sponsoring U.S. firms will 
benefit by establishing relationships with key managers in similar 
industries who are uniquely positioned to assist their U.S. sponsors to 
do business in Russia.
    The Special American Business Internship Training program's Catalog 
of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFA) number is 11.114.

Funding Availability

    Pursuant to section 632(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
as amended (the ``Act'') funding for the program will be provided by 
the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D). ITA 
will award financial assistance and administer the program pursuant to 
the authority contained in section 635(b) of the Act and other 
applicable Grant rules. The estimated amount of financial assistance 
available for the program is $420,000.

Funding Instrument and Project Duration

    Federal assistance will be awarded pursuant to a cooperative 
agreement between ITA and the recipient firm. All internships are three 
to eighteen (18) months. Eighteen (18) month internships are limited in 
number and will be available on a case-by-case basis based on the needs 
identified in the training proposals. In addition, ITA reserves the 
right to allow an intern to stay for a shorter period of time (no less 
than one month) if the U.S. company agrees and the intern demonstrates 
a need for a shorter internship based on his or her management 
responsibilities. ITA will reimburse companies for the round trip 
international travel of each intern from the intern's home city in 
Sakhalin, Russia to one U.S. internship site, upon submission to ITA of 
the paid travel invoice, payment receipt, or other evidence of payment 
and the form SF-270, ``Request for Advance or Reimbursement.'' Travel 
under the program is subject to the Fly America Act. Recipient firms 
provide $30 per day directly to interns; ITA will reimburse recipient 
firms for this stipend of $30 per day per intern, for up to 18 months, 
upon submission by company of an end-of-internship report and form SF-
270. Recipient firms

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provide housing for the interns; ITA will reimburse recipient firms for 
up to $500 per month for actual housing costs, at the same time as the 
stipend, and upon submission by company of an end-of-internship report 
and form SF-270. In general, each award will have a cap of $29,000 per 
intern (for a maximum period of eighteen (18) months) for total cost of 
airline travel, stipend and housing costs. However, the total payment 
cannot exceed the award amount. There are no specific matching 
requirements for the awards. Host firms, however, are expected to bear 
the costs beyond those covered by the award, including: visa fees, 
insurance, any food and incidental costs beyond $30 per day, 
interpretation, training manuals, any training-related travel within 
the U.S., and provision of the hands-on training for the interns.
    U.S. firms wishing to utilize SABIT in order to be matched with an 
intern without applying for financial assistance may do so. Such firms 
will be responsible for all costs, including travel expenses, related 
to sponsoring the intern. However, prior to acceptance as a SABIT 
intern, work plans and candidates must be approved by the SABIT 
Program. Furthermore, program training will be monitored by SABIT staff 
and evaluated upon completion of training.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants for the SABIT program will include 
all for profit or non-profit U.S. corporations, associations, 
organizations or other public or private entities. Agencies or 
divisions of the federal government are not eligible.

Project Funding Priorities

    Applicant proposal must provide an explanation, including 
description and extent of involvement, in priority business sector--oil 
and gas industry.
    Evaluation Criteria: Consideration for financial assistance will be 
given to those SABIT proposals which:
    (1) Demonstrate a commitment to the intent and goals of the program 
to provide practical, on-the-job, non-academic, non-classroom, 
training. Include a brief objectives section indicating why the 
Applicant wishes to provide an internship to a manager(s) or 
engineers(s) from Sakhalin, Russia, and how the proposed internship 
would further the purpose of the SABIT program as described above. 
Also, the Applicant should note how the internship to be provided will 
respond to the priority needs of senior business managers and engineers 
in Sakhalin, Russia, as determined by ITA.
    (2) Present a realistic work plan describing in detail the training 
program to be provided to the SABIT intern(s). Work plans must include 
the proposed internship training activities. The components of the 
training activities must be described in as much detail as possible, 
preferably on a week-by-week basis. The description of the training 
activities should include an account of what the intern's(s') duties 
and responsibilities will be during the training.
    (3) The application should also have a section noting: (a). Whether 
Applicant is applying to host managers or engineers (and the number of 
each); (b). The duration of the internship; (c). The location(s) of the 
internship; (d). The name, address, and telephone number of the 
designated internship coordinator; (e). Name(s) of division(s) in which 
the intern(s) will be placed; (f). The individual(s) in the U.S. 
company under whose supervision the intern will train; (g). the 
anticipated housing arrangements to be provided for the intern(s). Note 
that housing arrangements should be suitable for mid-and senior-level 
professionals, and that each intern must be provided with a private 
room; (h). A statement that the host firm is solidly committed to 
interns' return to Russia upon completion of the internships.
    (4) Provide a general description of the profile of the intern(s) 
the Applicant would like to host, including: educational background; 
occupational/professional background (including number of years and 
areas of experience); and size and nature of organization at which the 
intern(s) is/are presently employed.
    Evaluation criteria 1-4 will be weighted equally.
    ITA does not guarantee that it will match Applicant with the 
profile provided to SABIT.

Selection Procedures

    Each application will receive an independent, objective review by 
one or more three or four-member independent review panels qualified to 
evaluate applications submitted under the program. Applications will be 
evaluated on a competitive, ``rolling'' basis (first-come, first-
served) as they are received in accordance with the selection 
evaluation set forth above. Awards will be made to those applications 
which successfully meet the selection criteria. If funds are not 
available for all those applications which successfully meet the 
criteria, awards will be made to the first applications received which 
successfully do so. ITA reserves the right to reject any application; 
to limit the number of interns per applicant; to limit the duration of 
training; and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in 
applications received. The final selecting official reserves the right 
to make awards based on U.S. geographic and organization size diversity 
among applicants, as well as to consider priority business sectors 
(listed in Project Funding Priorities, above) when making awards. 
Recipients may be eligible, pursuant to approval of an amendment of an 
active award, to host additional interns under the program. ITA 
reserves the right to evaluate applicants based on past performance. 
The Director of the SABIT Program is the final selecting official for 
each award.

Additional Information

    Applicants must submit: (1) Evidence of adequate financial 
resources of Applicant organization to cover the costs involved in 
providing an internship(s). As evidence of such resources, Applicant 
should submit financial statements audited by an outside organization 
or an annual report including such statements. If these are not 
available, a letter should be provided from the Applicant's bank or 
outside accountant attesting to the financial capability of the firm to 
undertake the scope of work involved in training an intern under the 
SABIT program. (2) Evidence of a satisfactory record of performance in 
grants, contracts and/or cooperative agreements with the Federal 
Government, if applicable. (Applicants who are or have been deficient 
in current or recent performance in their grants, contracts, and/or 
cooperative agreements with the Federal Government shall be presumed to 
be unable to meet this requirement) (3) A statement that the Applicant 
will provide medical insurance coverage for interns during their 
internships. Recipients will be required to submit proof of the 
interns' medical insurance coverage to the Federal Program Officer, 
before the interns' arrivals. The insurance coverage must include an 
accident and comprehensive medical insurance program as well as 
coverage for accidental death, emergency medical evacuation, and 
repatriation.
    Other Requirements: All applicants are advised of the following:
    1. No award of Federal funds shall be made to an Applicant who has 
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either the delinquent 
account is paid in full, a negotiated repayment schedule is established 
and at least one payment is received, or other arrangements 
satisfactory to the Department of Commerce (DOC) are made.

[[Page 2586]]

    2. A false statement on the application is grounds for denial or 
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or 
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    3. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and 
Federal and Departmental regulations, policies and procedures 
applicable to financial assistance awards.
    4. Participating companies will be required to comply with all 
relevant U.S. tax and export regulations. Export controls may relate 
not only to licensing of products for export, but also to technical 
data transfer.
    5. Applications under this program are not subject to Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    6. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they 
do solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government. 
Notwithstanding any verbal or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of DOC to cover pre-award 
costs.
    7. Past performance: Unsatisfactory performance by an applicant 
under prior Federal awards may result in an application not being 
considered for funding.
    8. No obligation for future funding: If an application is selected 
for funding, DOC has no obligation to provide any additional future 
funding in connection with that award. Renewal of an award to increase 
funding or extend the period of performance is at the total discretion 
of DOC.
    9. Primary Applicant Certifications: All primary applicants must 
submit a completed Form CD-511, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements and Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby 
provided:
    (a) Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension: Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 105) are subject to 
15 CFR Part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies.
    (b) Drug Free Workplace: Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, 
Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Government 
wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related 
section of the certification form prescribed above applies.
    (c) Anti-Lobbying: Funds provided under the SABIT program may not 
be used for lobbying activities. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, 
Section 105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, 
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal 
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of 
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids 
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than 
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the 
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever 
is greater.
    (d) Anti-Lobbying Disclosures: Any applicant that has paid or will 
pay for lobbying in connection with this award using any funds must 
submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as required 
under 15 CFR Part 28, Appendix B.
    10. All primary applicants must also submit a completed Standard 
Form 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance'' and a Standard Form 
424B, ``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs.'' Form CD-511 and 
Standard Forms 424 and 424B are included in the Application Kit 
supplied by the SABIT office.
    11. Lower Tier Certifications: Recipients shall require applicants/
bidders for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier 
covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, if 
applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding 
Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier 
Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL, 
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the 
use of recipients and should not be transmitted to DOC. SF-LLL 
submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to 
DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in the award 
document.
    12. Indirect Costs: Indirect costs are not allowed under the SABIT 
program.
    13. Applicants are hereby notified that any equipment or products 
authorized to be purchased with funding provided under this program 
must be American-made to the greatest extent practicable.
    14. The following statutes apply to this program: Section 907 of 
the FREEDOM Support Act, Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 5812 note 
(Restriction on Assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan); 7 U.S.C. 
Sec. 5201 et seq. (Agricultural Competitiveness and Trade--the Bumpers 
Amendment); The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, including 
Chapter 11 of Part I, section 498A (b) Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 
2295a(b), (regarding ineligibility for assistance); 22 U.S.C. 2420(a), 
Section 660(a) of The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended 
(Police Training Prohibition); and provisions in the annual Foreign 
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Acts, 
concerning Use of American Resources, Impact on Jobs in the United 
States and Commerce and Trade (see, e.g., Secs. 546, 538 and 513 
respectively of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
Appropriations Act, 1998, Public Law 105-118).
    15. Audit Requirements: The DOC Office of Inspector General has 
authority under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, to 
conduct an audit of any DOC award at any time.
    16. Payments. As required by the Debt Collections Improvement Act 
of 1996, all Federal payments to award recipients pursuant to this 
announcement will be made by electronic funds transfer.
    17. The collection of information is approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget, OMB Control Number 0625-0225. Public reporting 
for this collection of information is estimated to be three hours per 
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, and completing 
and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this 
collection of information are voluntary, and will be protected from 
disclosure to the extent allowed under the Freedom of Information Act. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond to nor shall a person be subject to the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays 
a current valid OMB Control Number. Send comments regarding the burden 
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Reports 
Clearance Officer, International Trade Administration, Department of 
Commerce, Room 4001, 14th and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 
20230.
    For Further Information Contact: Special American Business 
Internship Training, International Trade Administration, at (202) 482-
0073. This is not a toll free-number.

    Dated: January 10, 2000.
Liesel C. Duhon,
Director, SABIT Program.
[FR Doc. 00-1005 Filed 1-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HE-P