[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 105 (Wednesday, May 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34778-34782]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13542]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3323]


Office of International Information Programs, Civnet Editorial 
Services; Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Thematic Programs (IIP/T) announces an open 
competition for an editorial services/information technology program in 
support of Civnet, the civic education Internet resource. Private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 
26 CFR 1.501c(3), including civic education institutions, NGOs and 
other democracy advocates, may submit proposals to support 
international information activities that will assist civic education 
practitioners, advocates, and other interested professionals in 
developing programs, policies, and strategies, and in communicating 
with one another. The successful grantee will have substantial 
experience in civic education and/or democracy building, especially on 
the international level.

Program Information

Overview

    Civnet is a web site on civic education (http://www.civnet.org), 
and presently contains, inter alia, information on the non-governmental 
organization (NGO), and civic education movement called CIVITAS, as 
well as civics teaching resources (e.g., text books, curricula, 
syllabi, lesson plans, great documents, articles on teaching 
methodology), journal articles on civil society, directories of civic 
education/civil society organizations, and conference transcripts from 
CIVITAS meetings. Civnet was conceived to address the needs of three 
primary groups of civic education practitioners: (1) Teachers/school 
administrators (K-12) (particularly in new and emerging democracies), 
who need practical teaching resources and the capability to network 
with other practitioners; (2) scholars, experts, and academics 
interested in civics, democracy, and civic education issues; and (3) 
NGOs and their leaders who support civic education, civic 
participation, civic journalism and civil-society building in the U.S. 
and around the world.
    The successful proposal will require information gathering, 
resource development, advocacy, and public relations--via the 
Internet--on behalf of the global civic education movement: to promote 
international adoption of civic education standards and curricula; to 
assist international organizations, governments, and foundations in

[[Page 34779]]

adopting civic education reform as part of their criteria for awarding 
international assistance, and to persuade them to fund civic education 
programs; and to support, encourage, and report on the efforts of civic 
education NGOs in teacher training, textbook development, development 
of professional teacher organizations, and advocacy for civic education 
reform.
Detailed Information and Background
    The grantee will conduct most or all of these activities using Web 
sites and listservs, so the grantee must have experience with Internet 
advocacy as well as civic education. In addition, the grantee will have 
to immerse itself (via telephone, email, and other communications) in 
the international civic education network and remain current in all 
efforts to promote civic education around the world. Grantee will be 
responsible to not only update the Civnet website regularly and thus 
serve as a critical communications hub, but will ensure that the site 
reports on all significant efforts and outcomes in the cause of 
advocating for civic education worldwide.
    In addition to maintaining these operations, Civnet will be 
emphasizing the needs of civic education NGOs in the next year, and 
thus focussing on an additional audience: the governments, 
international organizations (e.g., World Bank, EC, IADB), and private 
foundations to which the CIVITAS network will be advocating, 
persuading, lobbying, and seeking partnerships/funds.
    The successful proposal will develop Civnet so that it becomes a 
means through which those in the CIVITAS network who are working to 
promote and strengthen civic education worldwide can shape strategy, 
recruit support, and share information. The grantee will demonstrate a 
willingness to immerse itself via telephone, email, and other forms of 
communications, in the worldwide CIVITAS network and remain current in 
all efforts to promote civic education around the world. The grantee 
will also maintain regular contact with the CIVITAS Steering Committee 
(and its Executive Board), membership, and Secretariat (located in 
Strasbourg, France), as well as CIVITAS liaison officers and contacts 
at the U.S. Department of State and other government agencies and 
international organizations. Grantee will also be current with all the 
literature and newsletters of the civic education community.
    The successful applicant will serve as an Internet advocate for 
civic education. As such the applicant must not only understand the 
Internet medium, but also understand advocacy generally, and be willing 
to immerse itself in the burgeoning international civic education 
network/movement. Internet generalists without advocacy skills or a 
passion for this type of movement would not meet the requirements of 
this RFP.
    Proposals from web designer or web master firms without education 
or democracy-building experience will not be successful. Likewise 
proposals from web design or IT firms that only subcontract for the 
subject-matter expertise will not be successful. Rather, the contractor 
must have a demonstrated background in the field of advocacy for 
education or democracy. Please do not make an inquiry or send in a 
proposal if you lack this fundamental criterion of the RFP.

Further Information

    In addition to providing editorial services, the successful Grantee 
will also be responsible for serving as Civnet webmaster, HTML 
formatter/scripter, and will ensure that Civnet reports on a regular 
basis (daily or weekly depending on the advent of new developments, 
events, and information) on all efforts and outcomes in the cause of 
advocating for civic education worldwide. In particular, this will 
entail communicating CIVITAS messages and themes, and engaging in 
Internet advocacy/lobbying of governments and international 
organizations (IOs) to support CIVITAS efforts to implement its Actions 
Steps and goals.
    Furthermore, the successful proposal will provide coverage of all 
upcoming developments that may have an impact on these efforts (such as 
pending legislation, IO policy changes/grants, NGO delegation meetings 
with IOs and other pertinent developments), and reporting on civic 
education meetings, workshops, and conferences.
    The successful proposal will emphasize the needs of civic education 
NGOs in the near future, and thus focus on an additional audience: the 
governments, international organizations (e.g., World Bank, EC, IDB), 
and private foundations with which the CIVITAS network will be 
advocating, persuading, lobbying, and seeking partnerships/funds.
    While the Civnet web site must continue to fulfill its educational 
resource function, it must also grow to meets its intended promotional 
role and become a true advocacy site for civic education for democracy. 
Civnet must shift focus from its present general dialogue about civil 
society to a more deliberate strategy of strengthening the CIVITAS 
network and mobilizing it to press for more effective education for 
democracy.
    One of the strongest assets the grantee should draw upon to 
accomplish this is the membership of the CIVITAS network itself: 
educators and NGO leaders engaged in efforts to implement educational 
reform in their own countries and to draw international support for 
their efforts. News and comment about these activities should become 
the central subject matter for Civnet in the year ahead. The grantee 
will have to offer strong and imaginative editorial leadership to 
successfully persuade the busy NGO leaders and organizers to 
communicate in clear and interesting ways about what they are doing or 
the challenges they confront. Material will have to be solicited and 
rewritten; inadequate contributions will have to be turned down, 
tactfully. Thought will have to be given to emerging issues. In 
addition, the grantee will engage in all basic Web mastering functions; 
i.e., responsibility for designing, compiling, managing, and editing 
all aspects (even the non-advocacy aspects) of the Web site. This may 
entail carrying out varied tasks, including: (1) Maintaining regular 
and ongoing contacts with practitioners, potential contributors, and 
representatives of Civnet's potential audiences in the international 
civic education community (e.g. teachers, teacher trainers, educators, 
scholars, experts, and NGO players); (2) immersing itself and becoming 
well-versed in the subject matter of civic education and the current 
discourses on civil society; (3) collecting, compiling, and uploading 
civics teaching materials (for Civnet's teaching resource library), 
including lesson plans, syllabi, curricula, text books, and any other 
materials that would be useful for foreign teachers/educators/
practitioners; (4) collecting (and in some cases commissioning or even 
writing) and proofreading articles (e.g., originals, reprints, book 
synopses and reviews, manuals on civic standards, lectures) that may be 
of interest to scholars and NGO leaders; (5) maintaining the layout of 
Civnet as a home page that will be useful, organized, easily navigable, 
and appealing to Civnet's primary audiences, and that integrates all of 
Civnet's resources, including its library of teaching materials; (6) 
regularly updating the Civnet Calendar of Events; (7) utilizing 
listservs to promote Civnet; (8) uploading new information to Civnet's 
vast directory of organizations (this is maintained as an off-line 
database by the American Federation of

[[Page 34780]]

Teachers); (9) promoting and marketing Civnet to its audiences and 
potential audiences (this is especially important); (10) collecting 
whatever graphics are appropriate for uploading to Civnet; (11) 
writing, editing, and introducing contents on Civnet's home page and 
sub-pages; (12) seeking, wherever necessary, agreements to publish 
copyrighted material on Civnet; (13) maintaining and updating Civnet's 
links to other Web sites; and (14) establishing Civnet as a dynamic, 
current, useful, creative, and exciting Web site for the civic 
education community.
    Grantee will seek and receive guidance from the State Department 
officer assigned to oversee the grant, and grantee will also heed input 
from the CIVITAS Executive Board and Secretariat, and from State 
Department officials that work to promote civic education in new and 
emerging democracies and countries in transition from dictatorship, and 
those with regional expertise.
    IIP reserves the right to review, edit, and clear any materials 
which grantee selects to appear on Civnet. While experience in Web 
mastering/editing is a requirement for the proposal, it cannot be 
overemphasized that the principal criterion for selection will be 
experience in issue advocacy, preferably in the field of democracy 
building or education. The winning applicant would ideally demonstrate 
experience with and passion for democracy building or civic education 
in new and emerging democracies, and countries in transition from 
dictatorship. In other words, the winning applicant must: (1) 
Demonstrate proficiency with Internet advocacy; (2) the ability to 
interact with and immerse itself within the field of civic education 
advocacy; and (3) understand the basics of persuasion, public 
relations, lobbying, NGO recruitment, and NGO grass-roots organizing as 
it would be applied through the Internet. An applicant with a primarily 
technical background would be unsatisfactory.
    Moreover, this does not call for a passive Web manager, who would 
merely format materials that would be sent in for publishing. The 
successful grantee will be actively soliciting the materials, and will 
be expected to cajole people in the CIVITAS network and beyond to 
contribute such materials and information. The grantee must be willing 
to edit those materials, and have the diplomatic skills to reject some 
materials and deal with diverse individuals and groups all over the 
world.
    However, a civic education NGO activist with no experience or 
proficiency in the web will be equally deficient. The winning applicant 
must demonstrate some experience with web sites or electronic 
publications, particularly those that advocate on behalf of 
organizations or causes. The grantee must engage in web formatting and 
layout on a regular basis, and will be responsible for all parts of the 
web site, including but not limited to the sections on teaching 
resource materials.
    To reiterate, the winning applicant must have a track record 
demonstrating not only proficiency in web editing, but also a passion 
for democracy building and/or civic education. Grantee must have 
experience in web advocacy. Successful grantee will become the 
communications hub of the international civic education community, a 
regular conversationalist with key players all over the world, an 
eventual possessor of a definitive email/phone rolodex of civic 
education actors, and possibly a fixture at civic education events. A 
proficient web master who does not wish to immerse itself in this civic 
education movement or in civic education issues will not meet the 
threshold requirements of this RFP.

Guidelines

    The grant is expected to commence   o/a August 2000 and end a/o 
September 30, 2001. Grantee may subcontract for services related to 
Civnet, such as Web hosting, technical support, database support, and 
other services necessary to support the site, but no additional funds 
will be provided for these services.
    Proposals must contain: (1) An outline for Civnet for the next year 
that will encompass the requirements detailed above; (2) a description 
of the human resources and capabilities of the applicant to demonstrate 
the necessary experience detailed above (if the applicant is a group/
consortium or more than one individual, than it must be specified how 
tasks will be divided up, as well as the primary contact); and (3) a 
comprehensive pro forma budget delineating fees and rates for the 
various services required. The grant award under this RFP may not 
exceed $125,000. Any accompanying materials and URLs demonstrating 
prior work or supporting materials are welcome and encouraged.
    Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to 
Solicitation Package for further information.
    Budget Guidelines: Grants awarded to eligible organizations with 
less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Although Civnet will probably be maintained on IIP's host server, 
the grantee will be responsible for its own computer, communications, 
and office equipment for updating Civnet, accessing the Internet, 
emailing and FTPing files to the server, and contacting people within 
the CIVITAS network worldwide and those to whom grantee seeks to 
promote Civnet. IIP will not be responsible for supplying any equipment 
and communications services, including computers, modems, telephones, 
and Internet connections.
    Requests for funds for commissioning articles on civic education, 
or for technical maintenance of Civnet, may be part of the proposal. 
The proposal may include modest commissions to participants in the 
CIVITAS network who follow professional developments that would 
interest their colleagues, but who ordinarily lack the time and 
incentive to communicate about these issues with their colleagues 
abroad.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire 
program. 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 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 above title and number IIP/T-
00-1.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Thematic Programs, IIP/
T/TP, Room 567, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202-619-4758, fax 202-619-6557, email 
[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 Officer Pen Agnew 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://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information 
before downloading.

[[Page 34781]]

    Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the 
Office of International Information Programs by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. 
time on July 7, 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 number copies of the application should be 
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Office of International 
Information Programs, IIP/T/TP, Ref.: IIP/T-00-1, Program Management, 
ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

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 the Bureau. 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 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 Diplomacy section 
overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to 
panels of Bureau officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be 
reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department 
elements. 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. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's 
mission.
    2. Program planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible, and flexible. Proposals should clearly 
demonstrate how the institution will meet the program's objectives and 
plan.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    5. 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 (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials 
and follow-up activities).
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by Bureau Grant 
Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior 
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support) ensuring that 
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be 
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is 
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
    10. 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.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by the U.S. Department of State's 
geographic area desk and overseas officers of program need, potential 
impact, and significance in the partner country(ies).

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

[[Page 34782]]

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.

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: May 16, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-13542 Filed 5-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-11-P