[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17694-17696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8260]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

(Public Notice 3273)


Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; 
Anti-Crime Training and Technical Assistance Program (ACTTA)

AGENCY: Office of Europe, NIS, and Training; Bureau for International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, State.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Affairs (INL) developed the Anti-crime Training and 
Technical Assistance Program (ACTTA) in 1994 to bring U.S. Federal law 
enforcement agencies together to provide training and technical 
assistance in consultation with their counterparts in Russia, other the 
Newly Independent States NIS), Hungary and Slovakia. Training continues 
to focus on combating international organized crime, financial crimes, 
and narcotics trafficking. The goal of the program is to increase 
professionalism and develop the technical capabilities of law 
enforcement institutions to combat organized crime and to assure that 
through international law enforcement cooperation, U.S. agencies and 
their foreign counterparts succeed in intercepting the movement of 
transnational organized criminal elements into the U.S.
    The ACTTA program continues to include the participation of non-
Federal agencies (e.g., universities, state/local government agencies, 
private non-profit organizations) in the delivery of law enforcement 
training and technical assistance to Russia, the NIS and Hungry and 
Slovakia. This non-Federal component of the ACTTA program has a 
timeframe of 2000-2002.

DATES: Strict deadlines for submission to the FY 2000 process are: Full 
proposals must be received at INL no later than Tuesday, May 16, 2000. 
Letters of intent will not be required. We anticipate that review of 
full proposals will occur during June 2000 and funding should begin 
during September of 2000 for most approved projects.
    September 1, 2000 should be used as the proposed start date on 
proposals, unless otherwise directed by a program manager. Applicants 
should be notified of their status within 6 months, of submission 
deadline. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the 
guidelines below. Failure to heed these guidelines may result in 
proposals being returned without review.

ADDRESSES: Proposals may be submitted to: U.S. Department of State, 
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Navy 
Hill South, 2430 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20520, Attn: Linda 
Gower, Grants Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:   
Jo Ann Moore at above address, TEL: 202-736-4380, FAX: 202-736-4515, 
for Russia and the NIS
Maren Brooks at above address, TEL: 202-736-4379, FAX: 202-736-4515, 
for Hungary or Slovakia, or
Linda Gower at above address, TEL: 202-776-8774, FAX: 202-776-8775

    Once the RFA deadline has passed, DOS staff may not discuss this 
competition in any way with applicants until the proposal review 
process has been completed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

Funding Availability

    This Program Announcement is for projects to be conducted by 
agencies/programs outside the Federal Government, over a period of up 
to two years. Actual funding levels will depend upon availability of 
funds. Current plans are for up to $3 million for Russia and the NIS, 
and $100,000 for Hungary and $400,000 for Slovakia, to be available for 
new (or renewing) ACTTA awards, in Crime. The funding instrument for 
extramural awards will be a grant or a cooperative agreement. Funding 
for non-U.S. institutions and contractual arrangements for services and 
products for delivery to INL are not available under this announcement. 
Matching share, though encouraged, in not required by this program. No 
proposal should exceed a total cost of $750,000.

Program Authority

    Authority: Section 635(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act, of 1961 
as amended.

Program Objectives

    The goal of the ACTTA program is to increase the technical 
capabilities of foreign country law enforcement institutions to control 
organized crime, combat corruption, institute democratic practices, and 
to assure that through international law enforcement cooperation, U.S. 
agencies succeed in intercepting the movement of transnational 
organized criminal elements into the U.S.
    The ACTTA program has been designed to provide assistance to 
foreign governments which will complement the training and assistance 
provided by US Federal agencies. All training and assistance of the 
ACTTA program should be focused on city or local police forces, with a 
concentration out of the capital cities.
    The program objectives of the ACTTA program are: (1) combat the 
growing threat to U.S. national security posed by the broad range of 
organized crime activities, (2) help emerging democracies strengthen 
their national and law enforcement institutions to counter illegal 
criminal activities, (3) help emerging democracies develop laws and 
prosecutorial frameworks to counter organized crime activities, and (4) 
provide foreign law enforcement institutions with the skills to detect,

[[Page 17695]]

arrest, and prosecute major transnational criminal offenders.

Program Priorities

    The primary focus of this program is concentrated in Armenia, 
Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia and the Ukraine. The focus 
should be on regional areas outside of country's capital city.
    All training conducted under this program must utilize a 
``training-of-trainers'' format.
    The FY 2000 ACTTA Program Announcement invites training and 
technical assistance program proposals in the following program 
priorities:
    (1) community policing methods,
    (2) combating organized crime,
    (3) rule of law.

    Note: For Hungary and Slovakia--community policing only.

Eligibility

    Eligibility is limited to non-Federal agencies and organizations, 
and is encouraged with the objective of developing a strong partnership 
with the state/local law enforcement community. Non-law enforcement 
proposers are urged to seek collaboration with state/local law 
enforcement institutions. Letters of support must be included in the 
proposal. State and local governments, universities, and non-profit 
organizations are included among entities eligible for funding under 
this announcement. Funding for non-U.S. institutions is not available 
under this announcement.

Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those 
proposals which address one or more of the Program Priorities 
identified above and meet the following evaluation criteria:
    (1) Relevance (20%): Importance and relevance to the goal and 
objectives of the ACTTA program identified above.
    (2) Methodology (25%): Adequacy of the proposed approach and 
activities, including development of relevant training curricula, 
training methods proposed, evaluation methodology, project milestones, 
and final products.
    (3) Readiness (25%): Relevant history and experience in conducting 
training/technical assistance in the program priority areas identified 
above, strength of proposed training/technical assistance or evaluation 
teams, past performance record of proposers.
    (4) Linkages (15%): Connections to existing law enforcement 
agencies in Russia, the NIS and Central European countries named in 
program priorities, letters of support, from those law enforcement 
agencies, in addition to previous training or related assistance 
experience in these countries.
    (5) Costs (15%): Adequacy/efficiency of the proposed resources and 
a percentage of cost sharing.

Selection Procedures

    All proposals will be evaluated and ranked in accordance with the 
assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria by independent peer 
panel review composed of INL and other Federal USG agency law 
enforcement experts. The panel's recommendations and evaluations will 
be considered by the program managers in final selections. Those ranked 
by the panel and program as not recommended for funding will not be 
given further consideration and will be notified of non-selection. For 
the proposals rated for possible funding, the program managers will: 
(a) Ascertain which proposals meet the objectives, fit the criteria 
posted, and do not duplicate other projects that are currently funded 
by INL, other USG agencies or foreign governments, or international 
(note: proposals or elements that duplicate existing activities of USG 
agencies will not receive awards. end note); (b) select the proposals 
to be funded; (c) determine the total duration of funding for each 
proposal; and (d) determine the amount of funds available for each 
proposal.
    Unsatisfactory performance by a recipient under prior Federal 
awards may result in an application not being considered for funding.

Proposal Submission

    The guidelines for proposal preparation provided below are 
mandatory. Failure to heed these guidelines may result in proposals 
being returned without review.

(a) Full Proposals

    (1) Proposals submitted to INL must include the original and three 
unbound copies of the proposal. (2) Applicants are not required to 
submit more than 3 copies of the proposal, although the normal review 
process requires 5 copies.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit sufficient proposal copies for 
the full review process if they wish all reviewers to receive color, 
unusually sized (not 8.5 x 11"), or otherwise unusual materials 
submitted as part of the proposal. Only three copies of the Federally 
required forms are needed. (3) Program descriptions must be limited to 
20 pages (numbered), not including budget, personnel vitae, letters of 
support and all appendices, and should be limited to funding requests 
for one to two year duration. Federally mandated forms are not included 
within the page count. (4) Proposals should be sent to INL at the above 
address. (5) Facsimile transmissions of full proposals will not be 
accepted.

(b) Required Elements

    (1) Signed title page: The title page should be signed by the 
Project Director (PD) and the institutional representative and should 
clearly indicate which program priority or priorities are being 
addressed. The PD and institutional representative should be identified 
by full name, title, organization, telephone number and address. The 
total amount of Federal funds being requested should be listed for each 
budget period. A budget period is normally two years.
    (2) Abstract: An abstract must be included and should contain an 
introduction of the problem, rationale and a brief summary of work to 
be completed. The abstract should appear as a separate page, headed 
with the proposal title, institution(s) name, investigator(s), total 
proposed cost and budget period.
    (3) Prior training experience: A summary of prior law enforcement 
training experience should be described, including training related to 
program priorities identified above and/or conducted in Russia and the 
NIS. Reference to each prior training award should include the title, 
agency, award number, period of award and total award. The section 
should be a brief summary and should not exceed two pages total.
    (4) Statement of work: The proposed project must be completely 
described, including identification of the problem, project objectives, 
proposed training methodology, relevance to the goal and objectives of 
the ACTTA program, and the program priorities listed above. Benefits of 
the proposed project to U.S. law enforcement efforts should be 
discussed. A year-by-year summary of proposed work must be included 
clearly indicating that each year's proposed work is severable and can 
easily be separated into annual increments of meaningful work. 
Statement of work, including and excluding figures and other visual 
materials, must not exceed 20 pages of length.
    (5) Budget: Applicants must submit a Standard form 424 (4-92) 
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' including a detailed budget 
using the Standard Form 424a (4-92), ``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs.'' The proposal must include total and annual 
budgets corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement 
of work. Budget text must be

[[Page 17696]]

included to justify expenses. Additional text should include salaries 
and benefits by each proposed staff person; direct costs such as travel 
(airfare, per diem, miscellaneous travel costs); equipment; supplies; 
contractual, and indirect costs. Indicate if indirect rates are DCAA or 
other Federal agency approved or proposed rates and provide a copy of 
the current rate agreement. In addition, furnish the same level of 
information regarding subgrantee costs, if applicable, and submit a 
copy of your most recent A-110 audit report. Consultant fees should not 
exceed $250 per day.
    (6) Vitae: Abbreviated curriculum vitae are sought with each 
proposal. Vitae for each project staff person should not exceed three 
pages in length.

(c) Other Requirements

    Primary Applicant Certification--All primary applicants must submit 
a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements and Lobbying.'' Applicants are also hereby notified of the 
following:
    1. Non procurement Department and Suspension--Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, section 105) are subject to 
15 CFR Part 26, ``Non procurement Debarment and Suspension,'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    2. 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;
    3. Anti-Lobbying--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 of more than $100,000; and
    4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosures--Any applicant that has paid or will 
pay for lobbying using any funds must submit SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of 
Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B.

Lower Tier Certifications

    (1) Recipients must require applicants/bidders for sub-grants or 
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 Department of State 
(DOS). SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or sub-recipient should 
be submitted to DOS in accordance with the instructions contained in 
the award document.
    (2) Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all applicable 
Federal laws and Federal and Department of State policies, regulations, 
and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.
    (3) Pre-award Activities--If applicants incur any costs prior to an 
award being made, they do so solely at their own risk of not being 
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that 
may have been received, there is no obligation to the applicant on the 
part of Department of State to cover pre-award costs.
    (4) This program is subject to the requirements of OMB Circular No. 
A-110, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Non-Profit Organizations,'' OMB Circular No. A-133, ``Audits of 
Institutions of Higher Education and Other Non-Profit Institutions,'' 
and 15 CFR Part 24, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments,'' as 
applicable. Applications under this program are not subject to 
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    (5) All non-profit applicants are subject to a name check review 
process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key individuals 
associate with the applicant have been convicted of, or are presently 
facing criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or other matters 
which significantly reflect on the applicant's management, honesty, or 
financial integrity.
    (6) A false statement on an 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.
    (7) No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has 
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    (i) The delinquent account is paid in full,
    (ii) a negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least 
one payment is received, or
    (iii) other arrangements satisfactory to the Department of State 
are made.
    (8) Buy American-Made Equipment or Products--Applicants are 
reminded that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased with 
funding provided under this program must be American-made to the 
maximum extent feasible.
    (9) The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an 
application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate 
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the 
proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total 
proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.
    (d) If an application is selected for funding, the Department of 
State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in 
connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or 
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the 
Department of State.
    (e) In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, no person 
on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability 
shall be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of or be 
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving 
assistance from the INL ACTTA program.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information 
displays a current valid OMB control number. The standard forms have 
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act under OMB approval number 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 
and 0348-0046.
    Classification: This notice has been determined to be not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.

    Dated: March 30, 2000.
Jo Ann Moore,
Coordinator, Office of Europe, New Independent States, and Training, 
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-8260 Filed 4-3-00; 8:45 am]
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