[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 140 (Thursday, July 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45122-45125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18122]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3364]


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

AGENCY: Office of Europe and the NIS; 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 Central and 
Eastern Europe. The goal of the program is to increase professionalism 
and develop the technical capabilities of law enforcement institutions 
to combat organized crime and promote rule of law while facilitating 
international law enforcement cooperation.
    The ACTTA program continues to include the participation of non-
Federal agencies (e.g., universities, private non-profit organizations) 
in the delivery of law enforcement training and technical assistance to 
Central and Eastern Europe. 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 Friday, August 18, 
2000. Letters of intent are not required. We anticipate that review of 
full proposals will occur during August 2000. November 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 3 months, of submission dead line. 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, DC 20520, Attn: Linda Gower, 
Grants Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maren Brooks at above address, TEL: 
202-776-8555, FAX: 202-776-8703, email: [email protected] or Linda 
Gower at above address, TEL: 202-776-8774, FAX: 202-776-8775.

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    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 $400,000 for Slovakia to be available for 
the new (or renewing) ACTTA award. The funding instrument 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. This program, though 
encouraged, does not require matching share. No proposal should exceed 
a total cost of $400,000.

Program Authority

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

Program Objectives

    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.
    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, and (3) help emerging democracies develop laws and 
prosecutorial frameworks to counter organized crime activities.

Program Priorities

    The primary focus of this program is Slovakia.
    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 for community policing methods 
and promoting ethnic relations in Slovakia.

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. Universities and non-profit organizations are included among 
entities eligible for funding under this announcement.

Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those 
proposals which address 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 Central and Eastern European countries (especially 
Slovakia), 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 program managers will consider the panel's 
recommendations and evaluations in the final selection. 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 
proposal 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 award. end note); (b) select the proposal to 
be funded; (c) determine the total duration of funding 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) 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 Central and 
Eastern Europe, especially Slovakia. Reference to each prior training 
award should

[[Page 45124]]

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 priority 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.'' Forms are available on the Internet. Go to 
whitehouse.gov/omb/grants, click on forms. The proposal must include 
total and annual budgets corresponding with the descriptions provided 
in the statement of work. Budget text must be 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.

[[Page 45125]]

    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: July 6, 2000.
Jo Ann Moore,
Coordinator, Office of Europe and New Independent States,, Bureau for 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of 
State.

    Dated: July 12, 2000.
Jo Ann Moore,
Coordinator, Office of Europe and New Independent States, Bureau for 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-18122 Filed 7-19-00; 8:45 am]
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