[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 240 (Thursday, December 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64399-64402]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30780]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No. 011123281-1281-01]


Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT) 
Grants Funding Availability

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This Notice announces availability of funds for the Special 
American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT), for training 
business executives and scientists (also referred to as ``interns'') 
from the New Independent States (NIS).

DATES: This notice is effective as of December 17, 2001. The closing 
date for applications is March 1, 2002. If available funds are depleted 
prior to the closing date, a notice to that effect will be published in 
the Federal Register. Processing of complete applications takes 
approximately three to four months. All awards are expected to be made 
by July 1, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Request for Applications: Competitive Application kits will 
be available from ITA starting on the day this notice is published. To 
obtain a copy of the Application Kit please contact SABIT by: (1) E-
mail at [email protected], providing your name, company name and 
address; (2) Telephone (202) 482-0073; (3) The world wide web at 
www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html; (4) Facsimile (202) 482-2443; (5) 
Mail: Send a written request with two self-addressed mailing labels to 
Application Request, The SABIT Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, 
[FCB]--Fourth Floor--4100W, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC, 20230. The telephone numbers are not toll free numbers. Only one 
copy of the Application Kit will be provided to each organization 
requesting it, but it may be reproduced by the requesters.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liesel C. Duhon, Director, SABIT 
Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, phone--(202) 482-0073, 
facsimile--(202) 482-2443. These are not toll free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

    Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2395 (b).

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.114--Special 
American Business Internship Training Program.

Program Description

    The Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration 
(ITA) established the SABIT program in September 1990 to assist the 
former Soviet Union's transition to a market economy. Since that time, 
SABIT has been supporting U.S. companies that wish to provide business 
executives and scientists from the NIS three-to six-month programs of 
hands-on training in a U.S. market economy.
    Under the SABIT program, qualified U.S. firms will receive funds 
through a cooperative agreement with ITA to help defray the cost of 
hosting interns. The training must take place in the United States. ITA 
will interview NIS managers or scientists nominated by participating 
U.S. companies, or assist in identifying eligible candidates. Interns 
may be from any of the following Independent States: Armenia, 
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, 
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. However, specific 
restrictions may apply. The U.S. firms will be expected to provide the 
interns with a hands-on, non-academic,

[[Page 64400]]

executive training program designed to maximize their exposure to 
management or commercially-oriented scientific operations. At the end 
of the training program, interns must return to the NIS. If there is 
any evidence of a conflict of interest between an intern and the 
company, the intern is disqualified.
    SABIT exposes NIS business managers and scientists to a completely 
new way of thinking in which demand, consumer satisfaction, and profits 
drive production. Senior-level interns visiting the U.S. for internship 
programs with public or private sector companies will be exposed to an 
environment which will provide them with practical knowledge for 
transforming their countries' enterprises and economies to the free 
market. The program provides first-hand, eye-opening experience to 
managers and scientists which cannot be duplicated by American managers 
traveling to their territories.
    Managers: SABIT assists economic restructuring in the NIS by 
providing top-level business managers with practical training in 
American methods of innovation and management in such areas as 
strategic planning, financing, production, distribution, marketing, 
accounting, wholesaling, and/or labor relations. This first-hand 
experience in the U.S. economy enables interns to become leaders in 
establishing and operating a market economy in the NIS, and creates a 
unique opportunity for U.S. firms to familiarize key executives from 
the NIS with their products and services. Sponsoring U.S. firms will 
benefit by establishing relationships with key managers in similar 
industries who are uniquely positioned to assist their U.S. sponsors do 
business in the Independent States.
    Scientists: SABIT provides opportunities for gifted scientists to 
apply their skills to peaceful research and development in the civilian 
sector, in areas such as defense conversion, medical research, and the 
environment, and exposes them to the role of scientific research in a 
market economy where applicability of research relates to business 
success. Sponsoring firms in the U.S. scientific community also benefit 
from exchanging information and ideas, and different approaches to new 
technologies.
    All internships are three to six months; however, ITA reserves the 
right to allow an intern to stay for a shorter period of time (no less 
than one month) if the U.S. company agrees and the intern demonstrates 
a need for a shorter internship based on his or her management 
responsibilities. ITA will reimburse companies for the round trip 
international travel (coach class tickets) of each intern from the 
intern's home city in the NIS to the U.S. internship site, upon 
submission of the paid travel invoice, payment receipt, or other 
evidence of payment and the form SF-270, ``Request for Advance or 
Reimbursement.'' Travel under the program is subject to the Fly America 
Act. Recipient firms provide directly to interns a stipend of $34 a 
day. Recipient firms will be reimbursed for this stipend, up to a 
maximum of six months, upon the submission of an end-of-internship 
report and Standard Form SF-270, Request for Advance and/or 
Reimbursement. Interns must return to their home countries immediately 
upon completion of their U.S. internships. Recipient firms will provide 
housing for the interns and will be reimbursed for up to $500 per month 
for housing costs (not including utilities or telephone service 
charges), upon the submission of the end-of-internship report and 
Standard Form SF-270. For cities with higher costs of living, up to 
$750.00 may be reimbursed. In either case, sufficient proof of the 
actual cost of similar housing in the local area must be provided. In 
general, each award will have a cap of $13,700 per intern for total 
cost of airline travel, stipend and housing costs. ITA reserves the 
right to allow an award to exceed this cap in cases of unusually high 
costs, specifically airfare from remote regions of the NIS such as 
Central Asia and the Caucasus. However, the total reimbursement cannot 
exceed the award amount. There are no specific matching requirements 
for the awards. Recipient firms, however, are expected to bear the 
costs beyond those covered by the award, including: visa fees, 
insurance, any food and incidentals costs beyond the $34 per day 
stipend, training manuals, additional lodging costs beyond the 
reimbursed amount, any training-related travel within the U.S., and 
provision of the hands-on training for the interns.
    U.S. firms wishing to utilize SABIT in order to be matched with an 
intern without applying for financial assistance may do so. Such firms 
will be responsible for all costs, including travel expenses, related 
to sponsoring the intern. However, prior to acceptance as a SABIT 
intern, work plans and candidates must be approved by the SABIT 
Program. Furthermore, program training will be monitored by SABIT staff 
and evaluated upon completion of training.
    ITA does not guarantee that it will match Applicants with the 
profile provided to SABIT.

Funding Availability

    Pursuant to section 632(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
as amended (the ``Act'') funding for the program will be provided by 
the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D). ITA 
will award financial assistance and administer the program pursuant to 
the authority contained in section 635(b) of the Act and other 
applicable grant rules. The estimated amount of financial assistance 
available for the program is $1,500,000. Additional funding may become 
available at a future date.

Matching Requirements

    There are no specific matching requirements.

Funding Instrument

    Federal assistance will be awarded pursuant to a cooperative 
agreement between DOC and the recipient firm.

Eligibility Criteria

    Eligible applicants for the SABIT program will include all for 
profit or non-profit U.S. corporations, associations, organizations or 
other public or private entities located in the United States. Agencies 
or divisions of the federal government are not eligible. However, state 
and local governments are eligible.

Award Period

    Funds will be available effective with the publication of this 
notice. The funds will remain available until they are expended. 
Recipient firms will have one year from the date listed on the 
Financial Assistance Award, CD-450, in order to use the funds. However, 
DOC reserves the right to allow an extension if the recipient can 
justify the need for extra time. If applicants incur any costs prior to 
an award being made, they do solely at their own risk of not being 
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal or written 
assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the 
part of DOC to cover pre-award costs.

Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those SABIT 
proposals which:
    (1) Present a realistic work plan describing in detail the training 
program to be provided to the SABIT intern(s). Work plans must include 
the proposed internship training activities. The components of the 
training activities must be described in as much detail as possible, 
preferably on a week-by-week basis. The description of the training 
activities should include an account of

[[Page 64401]]

what the intern's(s') duties and responsibilities will be during the 
training. Please note, if you are coordinating an internship which will 
take place at several companies, you must provide a workplan for each 
company.
    (2) Demonstrate a commitment to the intent and goals of the program 
to provide practical, on-the-job, non-academic, non-classroom, 
training: in the case of manager interns, an appropriate management 
training experience, or, in the case of scientist interns, a practical, 
commercially-oriented scientific training experience. Include a brief 
objectives section indicating why the Applicant wishes to provide an 
internship to a manager(s) or scientist(s) from the NIS, and how the 
proposed internship would further the purpose of the SABIT program as 
described above. Also, the Applicant should note how the internship to 
be provided will respond to the priority needs of senior business 
managers and scientists in the NIS.
    (3) Provide fully the following information: (a) Whether Applicant 
is applying to host managers or scientists, or both (and the number of 
each); (b) Whether potential intern candidate(s) is(are) employed in 
priority industries, and which one(s); (c) The duration of the 
internship; (d) The location(s) of the internship; (e) The name, 
address, and telephone number of the application's preparer and the 
name, address, and telephone number of the designated internship 
coordinator; (f) Name(s) of division(s) in which the intern(s) will be 
placed; (g) The individual(s) in the U.S. company under whose 
supervision the intern will train; (h) The anticipated housing 
arrangements to be provided for the intern(s). Note that housing 
arrangements should be suitable for mid- and senior-level 
professionals, and that each intern must be provided with a private 
room; (i) A statement that the host firm is solidly committed to 
interns' return to their own countries upon completion of the 
internships.
    (4) Provide a general description of the profile of the intern(s) 
the Applicant would like to host, including: educational background; 
occupational/professional background (including number of years and 
areas of experience); size and nature of organization at which the 
intern(s) is/are presently employed; preference for the region of the 
NIS where the intern(s) is/are employed; and whether Applicant is open 
to sponsoring interns from a variety of NIS countries. If the U.S. 
company is nominating an intern candidate, please provide a resume for 
said candidate. Evaluation criteria are listed in decreasing 
importance. That is, evaluation criterion 1 is most important, followed 
by criterion 2, etc.

Project Funding Priorities

    Applicant proposal must provide an explanation, including 
description and extent of involvement, in priority business sector(s). 
While Applicants involved in any industry sector may apply to the 
program, priority consideration is given to those operating in the 
following sectors: (a) Agribusiness (including food processing and 
distribution, and agricultural equipment), (b) Defense conversion, (c) 
Energy, (d) Environment (including environmental clean-up), (e) 
Financial services (including banking and accounting), (f) Housing, 
construction and infrastructure, (g) Medical equipment, supplies, 
pharmaceuticals, and health care management, (h) Product standards and 
quality control, (i) Telecommunications, (j) Transportation and (k) 
Biotechnology.

Selection Procedures

    Each application will receive an independent, objective review by 
one or more three or four-member independent review panels qualified to 
evaluate applications submitted under the program. Applications will be 
evaluated on a competitive, ``rolling'' basis as they are received in 
accordance with the selection evaluation set forth above. Awards will 
be made to those applications which successfully meet the selection 
criteria. If funds are not available for all those applications which 
successfully meet the criteria, awards will be made to the first 
applications received which successfully do so. ITA reserves the right 
to reject any application; to limit the number of interns per 
applicant; and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in 
applications received. The final selecting official reserves the right 
to make awards based on U.S. geographic and organization size diversity 
among applicants, as well as to consider priority business sectors 
(listed in Project Funding Priorities, above) when making awards. 
Recipients may be eligible, pursuant to approval of an amendment of an 
active award, to host additional interns under the program. ITA 
reserves the right to evaluate applicants based on past performance. 
The Director of the SABIT Program is the final selecting official for 
each award.

Intergovernmental Review

    Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Application Forms and Kit

    To obtain an application kit, please refer to the section above 
marked Addresses. All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 
424, ``Application for Federal Assistance'' and a Standard Form 424B, 
``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs.'' All applicants must also 
submit a completed Form CD-511, ``Certifications Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements and Lobbying''. Form CD-511 and Standard Forms 424 and 
424B are included in the Application Kit supplied by the SABIT office. 
Applicants will also need to provide the information to fulfill the 
``Evaluation Criteria'' listed above.
    An original and two copies of the application (including Standard 
Form 424 (Rev. 4-92) and supplemental material) are to be sent to the 
address designated in the Application Kit and postmarked no later than 
the closing date. Please sign the original application (including 
forms) with blue ink. Applications will be considered on a ``rolling'' 
basis as they are received, subject to the availability of funds.
    Additional Information: Applicants must also submit: (1) Evidence 
of adequate financial resources of Applicant organization to cover the 
costs involved in providing an internship(s). As evidence of such 
resources, Applicant should submit financial statements audited by an 
outside organization or an annual report including such statements. If 
these are not available, a letter should be provided from the 
Applicant's bank or outside accountant attesting to the financial 
capability of the firm to undertake the scope of work involved in 
training an intern under the SABIT program.
    (2) Evidence of a satisfactory record of performance in grants, 
contracts and/or cooperative agreements with the Federal Government, if 
applicable. (Applicants who are or have been deficient in current or 
recent performance in their grants, contracts, and/or cooperative 
agreements with the Federal Government shall be presumed to be unable 
to meet this requirement). (3) A statement that the Applicant will 
provide medical insurance coverage for interns during their 
internships. Recipients will be required to submit proof of the 
interns' medical insurance coverage to the Federal Program Officer 
before the interns' arrivals. The insurance coverage must include an

[[Page 64402]]

accident and comprehensive medical insurance program as well as 
coverage for accidental death, emergency medical evacuation, and 
repatriation.

Disposition of Unsuccessful Applications

    Unsuccessful applications may be retained or destroyed by the SABIT 
Program.

Other Requirements

    Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements, which are contained in Federal 
Register Notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), are applicable.
    All applicants are advised of the following:
    1. Participating companies will be required to comply with all 
relevant U.S. tax and export regulations. Export controls may relate 
not only to licensing of products for export, but also to technical 
data transfer. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export 
Administration (BXA) reviews applications in question to determine 
whether export licenses are required. SABIT will not award a grant 
until the export license issue has been satisfied.
    2. The following statutes apply to this program: Section 907 of the 
FREEDOM Support Act, Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 5812 note 
(Restriction on Assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan); 7 U.S.C. 
5201 et seq. (Agricultural Competitiveness and Trade--the Bumpers 
Amendment); The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, including 
Chapter 11 of Part I, section 498A(b), Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 
2295a(b) (regarding ineligibility for assistance); 22 U.S.C. 2420(a), 
Section 660(a) of The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended 
(Police Training Prohibition); and provisions in the annual Foreign 
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Acts, 
concerning impact on jobs in the United States (see, e.g., 536 of 
Public Law 106-113).
    3. The collection of information is approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget, OMB Control Number 0625-0225. Public reporting 
for this collection of information is estimated to be three hours per 
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, and completing 
and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this 
collection of information are voluntary, and will be protected from 
disclosure to the extent allowed under the Freedom of Information Act. 
The use of Standard Forms 424 and 424B is approved under OMB Control 
Numbers 0348-0043 and 0348-0040, respectively.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to nor shall a person be subject to the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number. Send comments regarding the 
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Reports 
Clearance Officer, International Trade Administration, Department of 
Commerce, Room 4001, 14th and Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20230.
    4. Executive Order 12866: It has been determined that this notice 
is not significant for purposes of E.O. 12866.
    5. Executive Order 13132: It has been determined that this notice 
does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that term is 
defined in E.O. 13132.
    Because notice and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or 
any other law, for notices relating to public property, loans, grants, 
benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis is not required and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: December 7, 2001.
Liesel C. Duhon,
Director, SABIT Program.
[FR Doc. 01-30780 Filed 12-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HE-P