[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 47041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22606]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Office of Foreign 
Relations; Questions and Answers for Solicitation for Cooperative 
Agreement Application (SGA) 01-10 Caribbean Labor Market Information 
System Market

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Office of Foreign 
Relations, Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In response to the subject solicitation, inquiries have been 
received regarding the requirements of the solicitation. This notice 
publishes the inquiries and the responses to the inquiries. Due to the 
pending closing date of September 12, 2001 no further questions will be 
entertained.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey, Department of Labor, 
Procurement Services Center, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20210, Telephone (202) 219-9355, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Q: Given the fact that detailed national plans can only be derived 
from on-site assessments within the individual countries with 
consensus-building exercises with government officials and the social 
partners, could you clarify what level of specificity is required 
regarding the implementation or redesign of the proposed surveys (i.e. 
labor force and occupational wage surveys)?
    A: The level of specificity necessary for a complete and thorough 
demonstration of the applicant's abilities, and then for a thorough 
review and full consideration by the technical evaluation panel shall 
be determined by and is the responsibility of the applicant.
    Q: Is USDOL proposing the implementation of a regional labor force 
survey and an occupational employment and wage that must be adopted by 
all countries rather than allowing the individual countries to develop 
surveys or refine existing surveys and collection techniques?
    A: USDOL, in support of Caribbean government efforts to collect and 
report on data that can be aggregated regionally and compared across 
countries, is promoting the implementation of a standard labor force 
survey for the region. The survey would collect a core set of labor 
market data, from which individual countries could expand upon (but not 
subtract) at their discretion to collect additional relevant data to 
meet their particular information needs.
    Q: If USDOL is proposing the implementation of multiple labor force 
surveys, could you identify which countries USDOL intends to target?
    A: All of the countries listed in the SUMMARY section of the SGA.
    Q: Could you clarify what is the distinction between (1) ``method 
for performing all the specific work * * *'' and (3) ``approach to 
producing all the required deliverables * * *''?
    A: There is no distinction.
    Q: Given that detailed national plans can only be derived from on-
site needs analyses that feed into a consensus-building process 
involving the social partners, what level of specificity is required 
for regional and national workplans in the ``Technical Sample''?
    A: The level of specificity necessary for a complete and thorough 
demonstration of the applicant's abilities, and then for a thorough 
review and full consideration by the technical evaluation panel shall 
be determined by and is the responsibility of the applicant.
    Q: Will a bid be deemed responsive to the solicitation requirements 
if the workplans provided in the ``Technical Sample'' section include 
an indicative list of activities that will be finalized during project 
implementation in collaboration with national partners?
    A: Yes.
    Q: Is a separate budget required for each of the 13 national 
workplans? If so, given that training and other project activities will 
likely be conducted on a regional or multi-country level in many cases, 
how can 13 separate national budgets be developed for these shared and 
indivisible resources?
    A: No.

    Signed at Washington, DC this 5th day of September 2001.
Lawrence J. Kuss,
Grant Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-22606 Filed 9-7-01; 8:45 am]
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