[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53753-53768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-22644]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Employment and Training Administration

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice inviting proposals for Selected Demonstration Projects 
for Community Audits.

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    This notice contains all of the necessary information and forms 
needed to apply for grant funding.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (Department or DOL), Employment 
and Training Administration (ETA), announces a demonstration program to 
support promising practices in strategic planning and ``strategic 
research'' related to ``community audits.'' Community audits allow 
local stakeholders to bring together economic and labor market trend 
information which will support strategic planning and Workforce 
Investment Act (WIA) program implementation in their area, including 
customer service through the One-Stop Center system. Grantees will 
receive intensive technical assistance and participate in a rigorous 
evaluation. In addition, they will participate in and help structure 
national DOL activities meant to identify and disseminate lessons 
learned.
    This solicitation describes the application submission 
requirements, the process that entities must use to apply for funds 
covered by this solicitation, how grantees are to be selected and the 
technical assistance that will be provided following selection of 
grantees. It is anticipated that $2.3 million will be available for 
funding projects covered by this solicitation. There will be two types 
of projects funded under the solicitation--locally-led projects and 
state-led multi-area projects. The maximum grant award will not exceed 
$50,000 for a single Local Workforce Investment Board (Local Board) or 
$100,000 for a regional consortium under the locally-led projects 
(approximately 15 grants), and will not exceed $150,000 for the State-
led multi-area projects (approximately 10 grants awarded), for a period 
of 24 months from the date of execution.
    Applicants should also look at the background materials on 
community audits, including ``Conducting a Community Audit,'' which are 
available at the website www.doleta.gov.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of application is Friday, November 
17, 2000. Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard 
Time) at the address below. No exceptions to the mailing and hand-
delivery conditions set forth in this notice will be granted. 
Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice 
will not be honored. Telefacsimile (FAX) applications will not be 
honored.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be mailed to: U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, 
Attention: Denise Roach, Reference: SGA/DFA-110, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room S4203, Washington, DC 20210.
    Hand Delivered Proposals. If proposals are hand delivered, they 
must be received at the designated address by 4:00 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time on Friday, November 17, 2000. All overnight mail will be 
considered to be hand delivered and must be received at the designated 
place by the specified closing date and time. Telegraphed, e-mailed 
and/or fax proposals will not be honored. Failure to adhere to the 
above instructions will be a basis for determination of non-responsive.
    Late Proposals. A proposal received at the designated office after 
the exact time specified for receipt will not be considered unless it 
is received before the award is made and it:
     Was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or certified 
mail not later than the fifth day (5th) calendar day before the closing 
date specified for receipt of applications (e.g. an offer submitted in 
response to a solicitation requiring receipt of applications by the 
20th of the month must be mailed by the 15th):
     Was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service, Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place 
of mailing two working days prior to the deadline date specified for 
receipt of proposals in this SGA. The term ``working days'' excludes 
weekends and U.S. Federal holidays.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of an 
application received after the deadline date for the receipt of 
proposals sent by the U.S. Postal Service registered or certified mail 
is the U.S. postmark on the envelope or wrapper affixed by the U.S. 
Postal Service and on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal 
Service. The term ``post marked'' means a printed, stamped, or 
otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine 
impression) that is readily identifiable without further action as 
having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by employees of 
the U.S. Postal Service.
    Withdrawal of Applications. Applications may be withdrawn by 
written notice or telegram (including mailgram) received at any time 
before an award is made. Applications may be withdrawn in person by the 
applicant or by an authorized representative thereof, if the 
representative's identity is made known and the representative signs a 
receipt for the proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be faxed to Denise 
Roach, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance at 
(202) 219-8739 (This is not a toll free-number). All inquiries should 
include the SGA/DFA-110 and a contact name, fax and phone number. This 
solicitation will also be published on the Internet,

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on the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Home Page at http://www.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also be published on the ETA 
Home Page.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation consists of 6 parts. Part 
I describes the authority, background, purpose and goals of the 
demonstration program and identifies demonstration policy. Part II 
describes the application process and provides guidelines for use in 
applying for demonstration grants. Part III includes the statement of 
work for the demonstration projects. Part IV describes the selection 
process including the criteria used to select grantees and the process 
of application and award. Part V describes the monitoring, reporting 
and evaluation activities that will be required of grantees. Part VI 
describes the assurances required of grantees. The Appendix includes 
application forms and a glossary.

Part I. Background

A. Authority

    Section 171(d) of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 
authorizes demonstration projects related to the employment and 
training needs of dislocated workers.

B. Background

    A rapidly changing national and global economy has created 
significant restructuring of existing industries, growth of new 
economic sectors, and reorganization of work and work processes. This 
has led to dramatic changes in local economies. Local firms that once 
employed generations of families have disappeared, reduced employment, 
or radically changed skills demands. New firms have sprung up--
seemingly overnight--offering job opportunities that the local 
education and training providers have not previously targeted. Career 
and job performance requirements have been redefined.
    In many places, these changes have had the dual effect of leading 
to substantial numbers of worker layoffs and to reported shortages of 
workers skilled in certain demand occupations. Additionally, changing 
demographic patterns and new immigrants create both opportunities and 
challenges for linking jobs with job seekers.
    The speed of transformation in local economies creates critical 
information gaps, making it more difficult for individuals to know what 
good job and career opportunities are available, for employers to find 
employees with the right sets of skills, and for service providers to 
plan and create appropriate workforce development interventions. Timely 
information on the supply and demand sides of the labor market and 
business trends is more critical than ever.
    The WIA charges Local Boards with wide-ranging responsibility for 
workforce development within their communities and continues the 
emphasis on rapid response with an even greater emphasis on proactive 
interventions to anticipate and prevent the most harmful impacts of 
large layoffs. WIA also encourages Local Boards to think and act in 
terms of labor market areas and, as such, promotes regional cooperation 
among Local Boards.
    To successfully meet these new challenges, Local Boards across the 
country are looking for ways to get the information they need to 
understand their labor markets and communities and to make informed, 
long-term strategic decisions. They also are reaching out to involve 
and/or develop partnerships with a broader group of stakeholders within 
their communities. In many regions, business, labor, and community 
leaders are the ones taking the lead in strategic research and planning 
initiatives for workforce development. Frequently, the problems and 
their solutions reach across Local Board boundaries, making regional 
cooperation and regional partnerships critical.
    DOL has launched a series of initiatives to address these 
challenges of the ``new economy''. In 1998, Secretary of Labor Alexis 
M. Herman initiated a major Dislocated Worker Initiative to improve 
rapid response assistance and adjustment services for workers, 
businesses and communities. The Community Audit Project is one 
component of this broader initiative. Community audits are envisioned 
as a means by which key stakeholders in local workforce and economic 
development can better understand business and labor force trends, and 
develop more informed plans to respond to worker and business needs.
    Other related new DOL initiatives are aimed directly at addressing 
the growing problem of skills shortages in local labor markets. One of 
these--the H-1B Technical Skill Training Grant Program--was created by 
the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998, 
signed by the President in October of 1998. That program is designed to 
help American workers--both employed and unemployed--acquire the 
requisite training in high skill, high demand occupations in areas such 
as information technology and health. In the first two rounds of 
competition for these grants, a total of $41.6 million has been awarded 
to local communities for skills training.
    In addition, in June 1998, $7.5 million in Job Training Partnership 
Act (JTPA) Title III dislocated worker funds was awarded to train 
workers in skills related to the information technology industry. In 
June 1999, DOL awarded over $9.57 million to train dislocated workers 
in advanced manufacturing skills, and $11.2 million to upgrade the 
skills of workers employed in low-skill jobs or who have obsolete job 
skills (incumbent workers). In March 2000, twenty-three organizations 
received a total of $15.1 million to build regional skills consortia to 
address the skills shortage problem in their area. Also in June 2000, 
DOL awarded $11.2 million for a skill shortages, partnership training/
system building demonstration program.
    Finally, there is a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Labor 
and the fifty States called ALMIS (America's Labor Market Information 
System). Its mission is to support the emerging One-Stop Career Center 
system with useful labor market and occupational information. It also 
provides information directly to workers and employers, facilitating 
their access to jobs, labor, training, and career services information.

C. Purpose

    The purpose of this demonstration is to support promising practices 
in strategic planning and ``strategic research'' that engage local 
stakeholders in taking a broad look at the needs of their community (or 
communities) and the character and direction of their regional economy. 
In the context of this SGA, we are identifying these practices as 
``community audits''.
    Community audits bring together information on economic and labor 
market trends to support both strategic planning and WIA program 
operations. They vary in scope and purpose, depending on their precise 
goals. However, all depend on a common base of information about the 
regional labor market--both its demand and its supply sides--and about 
the kinds of workforce development and other critical resources 
available (such as housing, child care, transportation, supportive 
services, and so on). A ``community audit'' is fundamentally a 
strategic planning effort that involves all the relevant stakeholders. 
Through community audits, leadership can assess what new skills may be 
in demand in growth sectors of the local economy and where a decline in

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demand for certain skills may signal future layoffs.
    Baseline data on the demand side of the labor market include a 
quantitative analysis of the structure and composition of the economy, 
an analysis of wages and skills associated with different jobs and 
industries, and a qualitative investigation of industry trends and of 
industry and firm employment and recruitment systems. Baseline data on 
the supply side of the labor market include a quantitative analysis of 
labor force structure and trends, identification of workers with 
barriers to success in the labor market, and a geographic mapping of 
workers in relationship to jobs. Finally, a basic mapping of the 
employment and training ``resource base'' identifies funding sources 
and providers for labor exchange, training, and support services.
    Beyond this kind of ``baseline'' audit, local areas can use more 
focused and targeted techniques to answer particular questions and 
design specific strategies. The specific information needs will vary by 
community, depending upon the workforce development strategies being 
pursued, which may include the following (see attached Glossary for 
definition of the terms):
     Employing/re-employing a target population;
     Sectoral strategies;
     Layoff aversion strategies;
     Employer-focused training;
     ``High Road'' strategies;
     Community career ladders; and/or
     Development of skill standards.
    DOL launched the Community Audit Project last winter to investigate 
promising practices in ``strategic analysis'' and to develop technical 
assistance tools Workforce Investment Boards and communities can employ 
to improve the quality and use of information at their disposal. This 
SGA is a component of the Community Audit Project seeking to further 
develop and expand the promising practices now being undertaken.
    The specific goals for the community audit demonstration are:
    1. To support States and local areas in their efforts to implement 
and use community audits as part of their overall strategic planning 
initiatives.
    2. To increase the capacity of States and local areas to implement 
effective strategic planning efforts, utilizing the community audit as 
a tool.
    3. To support projects that link Local Board efforts to those of 
other key stakeholders in a community.
    4. To encourage regional partnerships within labor market areas or 
industry sectors.
    5. To build a ``peer learning network'' to identify and share best 
practices.
    6. To develop technical assistance materials and tools that states 
and local areas can use.

D. Demonstration Policy

1. Grant Awards

    DOL anticipates awarding a total of $2.3 million in approximately 
25 grants in two categories (local and State), with individual grant 
amounts varying depending on the type of grant awarded.

2. Types of Projects

    Two types of projects will be funded under this SGA: projects that 
are initiated and led by local stakeholders and State-led multi-area 
projects. Either kind of project can involve a regional partnership, 
including an interstate partnership.
a. Locally-led projects
    Community audits are focused on specific communities and/or 
regions. As such, local stakeholders initiate most of these efforts. 
However, these projects can have a variety of specific purposes, 
ranging from long-range broad-based strategic planning efforts to much 
more targeted initiatives. In addition, as suggested earlier, local 
applicants can take the form of a collaboration that crosses Local 
Board boundaries.
    Eligible applicants: Eligible applicants for locally led projects 
include Local Boards or other consortia of local public and private 
stakeholders (including such groups as community-based organizations, 
unions, employers). All proposals must have the concurrence of the 
Local Board(s) for the areas involved in the proposed project.
    Maximum amounts available: A maximum of $50,000 per grant for 
single Local Board areas and a maximum of $100,000 for regional 
consortia will be awarded, with a total of approximately $1,300,000 for 
this activity.
b. State-led Multi-Area Projects
    States can play an important role in supporting the efforts of 
local areas and helping to build local capacity. One form this can take 
is by building a ``learning network'' among local areas that are 
actively engaged in community audit projects. States can also make use 
of economies of scale to develop information, tools, and other forms of 
technical assistance local areas can use.
    Eligible applicants: Eligible applicants are State Workforce 
Investment Boards, State workforce development agencies, or other 
consortia of State public and private stakeholders in partnership with 
Local Boards or other consortia of local stakeholders in three or more 
local areas. All proposals must have the concurrence of the Local 
Boards and State Workforce Investment Boards in the areas involved in 
the proposed project.
    Maximum amounts available: A maximum of $150,000 per grant will be 
awarded, with a total of approximately $1,000,000 for this activity.

3. Collaboration and Cost Sharing

    Applicants must demonstrate collaboration among relevant 
stakeholders (such as employers, community organizations, labor unions, 
economic development organizations, and faith-based organizations). All 
applicants must also receive the concurrence of the relevant Local 
Board(s) and demonstrate a link between the proposed project and the 
strategic planning efforts of the Local Board(s). State level 
applicants must show evidence of consultation with Local Boards or 
local consortia. In addition, the applicants must show that they have 
reviewed the applicable Local or State Workforce Investment Plan(s) and 
have ascertained that the proposed project does not duplicate any other 
efforts.
    Applicants must also demonstrate local commitment to the project. 
One concrete demonstration of that commitment is some form of cost 
sharing, that is other resources, either in-kind or funds, which are 
contributed to the project. However, this requirement is not intended 
to favor larger communities or those with more resources. DOL will take 
those factors into consideration in evaluating the strength of 
commitment.

4. Outside Technical Assistance

    Once grants are awarded, DOL will arrange for a small team of 
experts with a range of expertise and experience. This expert team will 
be available to provide technical assistance to grantees. In addition, 
it will develop tools and products for use by grantees. Each grantee 
will be allotted 5 days of free technical assistance from this team. 
Additional hours can be purchased by grantees on a fee-for-service 
basis at a cost not to exceed DOL's consultant cost ceiling ($469 per 
day). In addition, grantees may utilize grant funds to contract with 
technical assistance providers of their choice.

5. Peer Learning Network

    Once grants are awarded, grantees must participate in and make 
active contributions to a peer learning network of States and local 
areas funded through this solicitation. There will be at least two 
grantee meetings to facilitate the

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development of this peer network. Total costs for these activities of 
approximately $4,000 should be anticipated in the proposal budget.

6. Period of Performance

    The period of performance will be 24 months from the date of 
execution of the grant documents by the Government.

7. Option to Extend

    DOL may elect to exercise its option to extend any or all of these 
grants for up to one additional year of operation, based on the 
availability of funds, successful project operation, and the needs of 
the Department.

Part II. Application Process and Guidelines

    Proposal Submission: Applicants must submit four (4) copies of 
their proposal, with original signatures. The introductory paragraph of 
the application must state the type of grant for which the proposal is 
directed (1) Locally-led projects or (2) State-led multi-area projects. 
The proposal must consist of two (2) distinct parts, Part I and Part 
II. Part I of the proposal shall contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, 
``Application for Federal Assistance'' (Appendix A) and Budget Form 
(Appendix B). The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 
17.246.
    Applicants shall indicate on the SF 424 the organization's IRS 
status, if applicable. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995, section 18, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities 
shall not be eligible for the receipt of federal funds constituting an 
award, grant or loan. The individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of 
the applicant must represent the responsible financial and 
administrative entity for a grant should that application result in an 
award.
    The budget (Appendix B) shall include on separate pages a detailed 
breakout of each proposed budget line item found on the Budget 
Information Sheet, including detailed administrative costs. An 
explanation of how the budget costs were derived must be included. Part 
II must contain a technical proposal that demonstrates the applicant's 
capabilities in accordance with the Statement of Work contained in this 
document. The grant application is limited to 25 one-sided, double-
spaced pages with 12 point font size on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with 1-inch 
margins which must include the following: I. Executive Summary--(1 
page) II. Application narrative technical proposal. III. Time line 
implementation plan and the appendix. The 25 page limitation includes 
all attachments.

Part III. Statement of Work

A. Project Design

    This section should detail the design of the proposed community 
audit project, including its purpose, geographic scope, the nature of 
the collaboration that will initiate it, its staffing structure, 
governance structure, level of community involvement, research and 
other methods, and time frame. The information below applies to both 
local and state applicants unless otherwise specified.
    1. Purpose: Describe the specific purpose or purposes of the 
project.
    2. Geographic scope: Describe the geographic scope of the project. 
The scope could be as narrow as a specific community within a local 
workforce investment area or as broad as a multi-local workforce 
investment area or group of regions that corresponds to a labor market 
or set of labor markets. State applications must include three or more 
Local Boards and justify the selection of Local Boards in terms of the 
coherence of a labor market region or a design meant to test the 
community audit process in different types of labor markets.
    3. Economic scope: Describe what information is known now about the 
economy of the proposed region(s) (see Glossary) including critical 
industries, significant industrial clusters, and the general state of 
the economy. Also, provide information on the kinds of gaps in 
information on the regional economy that need to be pursued. (WIA local 
and State plans should be consulted, and information or gaps 
referenced, as appropriate.)
    4. Collaboration: Describe in detail the character of the 
collaboration between the applicant and the other stakeholders involved 
in the community audit project. Include reference to consortium 
partners and other stakeholders, as appropriate. That description must 
include at least information addressing the following questions: Who is 
involved in the collaboration? What is the nature of their involvement? 
How was the collaboration initiated? Does it exist for the purpose of 
this project or for a broader purpose? What is its expected life span? 
Include a description of both the governing structure and staffing 
structure of the collaboration. State applications should describe the 
role of the State and/or State-level partners in relationship to local 
collaborations.
    5. Coordination with other efforts: Describe other efforts within 
the community that have similar and/or complementary purposes and how 
this project will coordinate with those efforts. State applicants 
should describe State-level or regional efforts that may be coordinated 
with this project.
    6. Community involvement: Describe who in the community will be 
involved in the project. That description should include information 
addressing the following questions: Does the project propose to engage 
members of the community beyond those involved in the initiating 
collaboration? If so, explain the purpose of this involvement; what 
members of the community will be targeted and why; and how their 
involvement will be elicited and sustained. Given that there are many 
barriers to successful engagement of stakeholders, describe methods the 
project will employ to overcome these barriers to participation. In 
particular, detail how the project will involve the employer community 
in a way that is both serious and sustained. State applications will 
need to describe the role of the State in supporting the community 
process.
    7. Cost sharing: Describe what other resources will be contributed 
to the community audit project and by whom. These resources may include 
funds as well as in-kind contributions. Additionally, the description 
should include information on whether resources have been identified to 
continue these efforts past the completion of this particular project 
and/or if the partners will use this process to help identify such 
resources.
    8. Strategic planning: Describe the planning process envisioned by 
the project. That description should at least address the following 
questions: How will the planning process be facilitated? How will the 
project ensure that the information gathered through the community 
audit is effectively utilized? Will the community audit be used to 
influence the existing or future WIA plans? Will it be used to 
influence other formal decision-making activities? How will the project 
ensure that this is not a one-shot effort?
    9. Strategic research methods: Given the specific goals of the 
project, describe the methods the applicant will employ to gather the 
range and kinds of information needed to make the necessary strategic 
decisions.
    10. Previous experience: Describe any previous experience the 
applicant(s) may have gathering and utilizing labor market information, 
surveying customers including the business community, conducting 
community audits, or other similar methods. If the applicant(s) has 
experience, describe

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how funding from this project will advance previous efforts. If the 
applicant(s) does not have previous experience, describe the role it is 
hoped this project will play and how the community (or communities) 
intends to build on it in the future. In addition to this information, 
state applications will need to describe the state's previous role in 
supporting local areas in the gathering and use of labor market 
information, developing relationships with employers, and/or providing 
support for regional initiatives.
    11. External technical assistance: Describe what kinds of external 
technical assistance would be most helpful to your proposed project. 
What components of this technical assistance do you expect to procure 
locally?

B. Planned Outcomes

    Describe the planned outcomes of the community audit demonstration 
project. The project must provide DOL with a final report on its 
outcomes. These outcomes may include, but are not limited to:
    1. Community/regional audits: We expect that one specific product 
of each of the projects will be the community audit itself. In some 
cases, this may be a detailed report or set of reports.
    2. Local/regional strategic plans: Similarly, many projects may 
develop or revise specific local or regional strategic plans based on 
the work of the community audit.
    3. On-going local/regional/State collaborations: One key purpose of 
the project is to forge tighter links and better cooperation among key 
stakeholders. These may take the form of on-going local or regional 
collaborations.
    4. Impact on operations: Community audits may have an impact on 
specific operational activities such as State or local rapid response, 
business retention efforts, consumer reports, labor market information 
systems, and/or incumbent worker training.
    5. Increased expertise in strategic planning/strategic research: 
Capacity-building is another goal of this demonstration. Projects 
should consider how to measure the gains in expertise in strategic 
planning and strategic research resulting from the project. This 
element is particularly important to address in the state applications
    6. Technical assistance tools and materials: Projects may develop 
specific tools and materials that can support local areas in 
implementing community audits (for example, focus groups, surveys, data 
collection methods).

Part IV. Rating Criteria for Award and Selection Process

    A careful evaluation of applications will be made by a technical 
review panel who will evaluate the applications against the criteria 
listed in the SGA. The panel results are advisory in nature and not 
binding on the Grant Officer. The Government may elect to award grants 
with or without discussions with the offeror's. In situations without 
discussions, an award will be based on the offerors signature on the 
Standard Form (SF) 424, which constitutes a binding offer. The 
Government reserves the right to make awards under this section of the 
solicitation to ensure geographical balance. The Grant Officer will 
make final award decisions based upon what is most advantageous to the 
Federal Government in terms of technical quality, responsiveness to 
this Solicitation (including goals of the Department to be accomplished 
by this solicitation) and other factors.

A. Collaboration/community involvement (23 points):

    1. The collaboration on which the project is built is consistent 
with the goals of the project. (For example, the collaboration includes 
stakeholders within an entire labor market area, regardless of Local 
Board boundaries.)
    2. The collaboration on which the project is built has strong ties 
to the employer community and Local Board(s).
    3. The collaboration on which the project is built is broadly 
representative of the affected stakeholders. (In particular, the 
collaboration reaches beyond the traditional workforce investment 
community to involve other community actors such as economic 
development organizations, community development corporations (CDC's), 
community-based organizations (CBO's), employer organizations/industry 
associations, labor organizations, faith-based organizations, 
neighborhood organizations, and so on).
    4. The design and governance of the project ensure that all 
stakeholders have a real voice in the conduct of the community audit 
project and in the strategic decisions that flow from it.
    The project design ensures that citizens of the affected community 
more broadly are involved in and have a voice in the conduct of the 
project.

B. Commitment (15 points)

    1. The participating community (or communities) and state-level 
organization (where relevant) demonstrate a serious commitment to long-
term strategic planning.
    2. The participating community (or communities) and state-level 
organization (where relevant) demonstrate particular commitment to this 
project through their contribution of time and other resources.
    3. The participating community (or communities) and state-level 
organization (where relevant) are able to explain how this project fits 
into other related efforts at the state and local level.

C. Goals and methods (22 points)

    1. The goals of the project are consistent with the goals of the 
relevant Local Board(s).
    2. The project is aimed at addressing an important workforce 
development (and economic development) concern or concerns in the 
target area by engaging local stakeholders in an effective strategic 
planning exercise.
    3. The approaches and methods proposed by the project are 
consistent with the goals of the proposed project, that is:
    (a) The geographic scope of the project is consistent with its 
goals.
    (b) The project design sufficiently addresses the process, as well 
as the outcomes, of strategic planning and has allocated sufficient 
resources to ensure that the planning process is implemented 
effectively.
    (c) The project design describes how the information gathered will 
be sufficiently detailed and wide-ranging, timely, and relevant to the 
project's strategic goals.
    (d) The methods employed are such that the conduct of the community 
audit both involves and informs the community.
    4. The project design addresses the process by which the results of 
the community audit will be used to influence policy and program 
outcomes.

D. Potential use and Value of Results (15 points)

    1. The project process, structure and outcomes offer lessons, 
tools, or other products that will assist other communities throughout 
the country to understand and utilize information in creating workforce 
development initiatives.
    2. The project design has the ability to broaden the role and 
responsibility of the Local Board(s) consistent with state and local 
plans including the strength and scope of partnerships.
    3. Local partners indicate the value of this project to them in the 
strength of their contributions to the proposed project and its future 
after the grant period.

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E. Sustainability (15 points)

    1. The project builds local strategic planning and strategic 
research capacity (including on-going collaborations among key 
stakeholders).
    2. The project develops methods, materials, and tools that can be 
used for future efforts and can be shared with other communities.
    3. The Local Board(s) and elected officials (and/or State Workforce 
Investment Board or Governor) have a concrete commitment to sustain and 
broaden the practice of community audits.

F. Cost Effectiveness (10 points)

    1. The application includes a detailed cost proposal including a 
detailed discussion of the expected cost effectiveness of the project. 
This is presented in terms of reasonableness of cost in relation to 
activities planned, including such factors as the geographic area 
covered by the project and the number and range of partners.
    2. Expenses are identified which will be incurred in establishing 
and/or strengthening the collaborative, cooperative partnership. 
Benefits are described either qualitatively in terms of the value of 
established cooperative relationships and skills attained and/or 
quantitatively in terms of wage gains and cost savings resulting from 
collaborative efforts and activities.
    3. The cost proposal provides information on the extent leveraged 
resources in funds and in kind (including staff time, printing, 
postage, meeting space) from stakeholders are available and how 
effectively they are used in the project.

Part V. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

A. Monitoring

    The Department is responsible for ensuring effective implementation 
of each competitive grant project in accordance with the WIA, 
applicable regulations, the provisions of this announcement and the 
negotiated grant agreement. Applicants should assume that at least one 
on-site project review will be conducted by Department staff, or their 
designees. This review will focus on the project's performance in 
meeting the grant's program goals, complying with the requirements for 
the grant, expenditure of grant funds on allowable activities, 
collaboration with other organizations as required, and methods for 
assessment of the responsiveness and effectiveness of the services 
being provided. Grants may be subject to additional reviews at the 
Department's discretion.

B. Reporting

    DOL will arrange for or provide technical assistance to grantees to 
establish appropriate reporting and data collection methods and 
processes. An effort will be made to accommodate and provide assistance 
to grantees to enable them to complete all reporting electronically.
    Applicants selected as grantees will be required to provide the 
following reports:
    1. Monthly and Quarterly progress reports.
    2. Standard Form 269, Financial Status Report Form, on a quarterly 
basis.
    3. Final Project Report including an assessment of project 
performance. This report will be submitted in hard copy and on 
electronic disk utilizing a format and instructions to be provided by 
the Department.

C. Evaluation

    DOL will arrange for an independent evaluation of the outcomes, 
impacts, and benefits of the demonstration projects. Grantees must 
agree to make records available to evaluation personnel, as specified 
by the evaluator(s) under the direction of the Department.

Part VI. Assurances

    Successful applicants must give several assurances, including that 
they will fully participate in post-award grantee meetings, agree to 
participate in a peer learning network and participate in DOL 
evaluations as necessary. All applicants must provide the full list of 
assurances as follows:
     Cooperate with DOL technical assistance providers, 
including on-site visits.
     Participate in the peer learning network.
     Participate in DOL evaluations.
     Assist the DOL in building staff capacity throughout the 
WIA system in this area.
     Participate in staff training activities planned by DOL/
ETA.

    Signed at Washington D.C., this date, August 30, 2000.
Laura A. Cesario,
Grant Officer, Division of Acquisition and Assistance.

Appendices

Appendix A: SF 424-Application for Federal Assistance
Appendix B: Budget Information Form
Appendix C: Glossary of Terms

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[FR Doc. 00-22644 Filed 9-1-00; 8:45 am]
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