[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 118 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38017-38020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15370]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3337]


Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; 
International Demand Reduction Program (IDR)

AGENCY: Office of Europe, NIS, and Training; Bureau for International

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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 International Demand Reduction 
program (IDR) in 1978 to assist foreign countries to mobilize public 
and private sectors in effective support of national narcotic control 
policies and programs. The program was enhanced in 1990 to assist 
foreign countries with the development of self-sustaining prevention, 
education, and treatment programs. The goal of the program is to 
enhance foreign political determination to combat illegal drug abuse 
and convince governments to dedicate sufficient resources to 
effectively fight this problem.
    The IDR program has been modified to include the participation of 
non-Federal agencies (e.g., universities, nonprofit organizations) in 
the development of national, regional, and international networks of 
public/private sector organizations to strengthen international 
cooperation and actions against the drug trade. This component of the 
IDR program has a timeframe of 2000-2003.

DATES: Strict deadlines for submission to the FY 2000 process are: A 
full proposal must be received at INL no later than Friday, July 28. 
Letters of intent will not be required. We anticipate that review of 
full proposals will occur during August 2000 and funding should begin 
during September of 2000 for most approved projects. September 25, 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 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, DC 20520, Attn: Linda Gower.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Gower at above address, TEL: 
202-776-8774, FAX: 202-776-8775, or Thom Browne at above address, TEL: 
202-736-4662, FAX: 202-647-6962.
    Once the RFA deadline has passed, DOS staff may not discuss 
competition in any way with applicants until the proposal review 
process has been completed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Funding Availability

    This Program Announcement is for one project to be conducted by 
agencies/programs outside the Federal government, over a period of up 
to three years. Actual funding levels will depend upon availability of 
funds. Current plans are for up to a total of $1,600,000 per year for 
one-three years to be available for one new IDR award. The funding 
instrument for this award 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, is not required by 
this program.

Program Authority

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

Program Objectives

    The goal of the IDR program is to enhance foreign political 
determination to combat illegal drug abuse and convince governments to 
dedicate sufficient resources to effectively fight this problem.
    The program objectives of the IDR program are: (1) Strengthen the 
ability of host nations to conduct more effective demand reduction 
efforts on their own; (2) encourage drug producing and transit 
countries to invest resources in drug awareness, demand reduction, and 
training to build public support and political will for implementing 
counternarcotics programs; (3) improve coordination of, and cooperation 
in, international drug awareness and demand reduction issues involving 
the U.S., donor countries and international organizations; and (4) 
utilize accomplishments in the international program to benefit U.S. 
demand reduction services at home.

Program Priorities

    The FY 2000 IDR Program Announcement invites international demand 
reduction coalition development proposals for the following priority:
    (1) Development of a Western Hemisphere (Canada, United States, 
Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America) coalition of public/
private sector demand reduction organizations.
    For the purpose of this announcement, the development of a Western 
Hemisphere demand reduction coalition should include the establishment 
of a U.S.-based secretariat (site proposed by applicant), a regional 
office in Latin America (site proposed by applicant), an internet/web 
site system to link coalition members, a Board of Directors meeting to 
develop the organization's constitution and by-laws, three regional-
level meetings per year in countries throughout the hemisphere 
(locations identified by applicant and INL after grant award), one 
national-level meeting per year in each participating country 
(estimated at 20 participating countries), the establishment of a model 
community-based prevention program in Latin America for network 
participants to emulate, and a drug prevention technical assistance 
component for member organizations that includes consultations on 
establishing national-level coalitions of drug prevention programs, 
developing media-based anti-drug messages, and maintaining drug-free 
communities.
    Any grant applicants who will be working with counterpart demand 
reduction programs to develop the proposed coalitions and model program 
may sub-grant or sub-contract services to assist in fulfilling program 
objectives.

Eligibility

    Eligibility is limited to non-Federal agencies and organizations. 
Applicants are urged to seek collaboration with counterpart demand 
reduction programs either in the U.S. or overseas. Experience of 
project staff in developing demand reduction coalitions in 
international settings is mandatory. Universities and non-profit 
organizations are included among entities eligible for funding under 
this announcement. Direct 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 Program Priorities identified above and meet 
the following evaluation criteria:
    (1) Relevance (15%): Importance and relevance to the goal and 
objectives of the IDR program identified above.
    (2) Methodology (20%): Adequacy of the proposed approach and 
activities, including development of appropriate procedures for 
establishing demand reduction coalitions in international settings; 
development of adequate communications strategies between demand 
reduction programs and coalitions; planning and organizing 
international meetings; project milestones, and final products.
    (3) Readiness (25%): Relevant history and experience in developing 
and/or supporting international demand reduction coalitions and 
meetings, in

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addition to previous experience in providing technical assistance in 
the area of international drug prevention, strength of proposed project 
team, past performance record of applicants.
    (4) Linkages (25%): Connections to existing demand reduction 
organizations/programs and coalitions throughout the western 
hemisphere.
    (5) Costs (15%): Adequacy/efficiency of the proposed resources; 
appropriate share of total available resources; applicants offering 
cost sharing will receive points.

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 experts. The 
panel's recommendations and evaluations will be considered by the 
program managers in final selections. Those ranked by the panel and 
program managers 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 and fit the criteria 
posted; (b) select the proposal to be funded; (c) determine the total 
duration of funding for the proposal; and (d) determine the amount of 
funds available for the 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) Program descriptions must be 
limited to 20 pages (numbered), not including budget, personal vitae, 
letters of support and all appendices, and should be limited to funding 
requests for one to three years duration. Federally mandated forms are 
not included within the page count. (3) Proposals should be sent to INL 
at the above address. (4) 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 project area is 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.
    (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 demand reduction coalition building and drug prevention 
technical assistance experience: A summary of prior demand reduction 
coalition building and drug prevention technical assistance experience 
(especially those conducted in foreign countries) should be described, 
including coalition building and technical assistance activities 
related to program priorities identified above. Reference to each prior 
coalition building/technical assistance 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 coalition building/technical assistance methodology, relevance 
to the goal and objectives of the IDR program, and the program 
priorities listed above. 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. The statement of work, including 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.
    Additional text to justify expenses should be included (i.e., 
salaries and benefits by each proposed staff person; direct costs such 
as travel (airfare, per diem, miscellaneous travel 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 sub-grantee costs, if applicable, 
and submit a copy of your most recent A-110 audit report.
    (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 Debarment 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

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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 
encouraged 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 IDR 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: June 12, 2000.
Thomas M. Browne Jr.,
Deputy Director, Office of Europe, NIS, and Training, Bureau for 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 00-15370 Filed 6-16-00; 8:45 am]
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