[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15231-15241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7482]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Child Labor Through Education (Morocco, Uganda, 
Dominican Republic Timebound and the Philippines Timebound)

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for 
cooperative agreement applications (SGA 03-01).

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SUMMARY: This notice contains all of the necessary information and 
forms needed to apply for cooperative agreement funding. The U.S. 
Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs will award 
up to U.S. $14 million through one or more cooperative agreement(s) to 
an organization or organizations to improve access to quality education 
as a means to combat child labor in Morocco ($3 million), Uganda ($3 
million), the Dominican Republic ($3 million) and the Philippines ($5 
million). The activities funded will complement and expand upon 
existing projects and programs to improve basic education in these 
countries and provide access to basic education to children in areas of 
high incidence of exploitative child labor. Activities in the Dominican 
Republic and the Philippines will support and complement Timebound 
Programs to eliminate child labor being currently implemented in 
collaboration with the national governments and the International 
Program on the Elimination of Child Labor of the International Labor 
Organization (ILO/IPEC). Specific information on Timebound Programs is 
found in Section III.A of this document.
    Applicants must submit a separate application for each country. If 
applications for countries are combined, they will not be considered.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of application is May 9, 2003. As 
discussed in Section II.B and C, applications must be received by 4:45 
p.m. (Eastern Time) at the address below. No exceptions to the mailing, 
delivery, 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. Telegram, facsimile (FAX), and e-mail 
applications will not be honored.

ADDRESSES: Application forms will not be mailed. They are published as 
part of this Federal Register Notice, and in the Federal Register which 
may be obtained from your nearest U.S. Government office or public 
library or online at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/index.html. Applications must be delivered to: U.S. Department of 
Labor, Procurement Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 
N-5416, Attention: Lisa Harvey, Reference: SGA 03-01, Washington, DC 
20210. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will 
not be accepted. Applications sent by other delivery services, such as 
Federal Express, UPS, etc., will be accepted, however, the applicant 
bears the responsibility for timely submission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: [email protected]. All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the 
Washington DC area has been slow and erratic due to concerns involving 
anthrax contamination. All applicants must take this into consideration 
when

[[Page 15232]]

preparing to meet the application deadline. It is recommended that you 
confirm receipt of your application with your delivery service. See 
Section II.C for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau 
of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), announces the availability of 
funds to be granted by cooperative agreement (hereafter referred to as 
``grant'') to one or more qualifying organizations for the purpose of 
promoting school attendance in areas of high and exploitative child 
labor in Morocco and Uganda, and in areas where Timebound Programs in 
the Dominican Republic and the Philippines are underway. The grant or 
grants awarded under this initiative will be managed by ILAB's 
International Child Labor Program to assure achievement of the stated 
goals. Applicants are encouraged to be creative in proposing cost-
effective interventions that will have a demonstrable impact in 
promoting school attendance in areas of those countries where children 
are engaged in or are most at risk of working in the worst forms of 
child labor.

I. Authority

    ILAB is authorized to award and administer this program by 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002, Public Law 107-116, 115 
Stat. 2177 (2002).

II. Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

    Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit 
organization capable of successfully developing and implementing 
education programs for child laborers or children at risk in the 
countries of interest is eligible to apply. Partnerships of more than 
one organization are also eligible, and applicants are strongly 
encouraged to work with organizations already undertaking projects in 
the countries of interest, particularly local NGOs and faith based-
organizations. In the case of partnerships, a lead organization to sign 
the agreement must be identified. The capability of an applicant or 
applicants to perform necessary aspects of this solicitation will be 
determined under Section V.B Rating Criteria and Selection.
    Please note that eligible grant applicants must not be classified 
under the Internal Revenue Code as a 501(c)(4) entity. See 26 U.S.C. 
501(c)(4). According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended 
by 2 U.S.C. 1611, an organization, as described in section 501(c)(4) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities 
will not be eligible for the receipt of federal funds constituting an 
award, grant, or loan.

B. Submission of Applications

    One (1) ink-signed original, complete application in English plus 
two (2) copies (in English) of the application, must be submitted to 
the U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Washington, DC 20210, not later 
than 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, May 9, 2003. Applicants may submit 
applications for one or more countries. In the case where an applicant 
is interested in applying for a grant in more than one country, a 
separate application must be submitted for each country.
    The application must consist of two (2) separate parts. Part I of 
the application must contain the Standard Form (SF) 424 ``Application 
for Federal Assistance'' and sections A-F of the Budget Information 
Form SF 424A, available from ILAB's Web site at  http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/education/SGA0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm. Copies of these forms 
are also available online from the GSA Web site at http://
contacts.gsa.gov/ webforms.nsf/0/B835648D66D1B8F 985256A72004C58C2 /
$file/sf424.pdf and http://contacts.gsa.gov /webforms.nsf/0/
5AEB1FA6FB3B 832385256A72004C8E77/$file/Sf424a.pdf. Part II must 
contain a technical application that demonstrates capabilities in 
accordance with the Statement of Work (Section IV.A) and Rating 
Criteria (Section V.B).
    To be considered responsive to this solicitation, the application 
must consist of the above-mentioned separate sections not to exceed 45 
single-sided (8\1/2\'' x 11''), double-spaced, 10 to 12 pitch typed 
pages for each country, following the format presented in the Statement 
of Work (Section IV.A) and Rating Criteria (Section V.B). This 
requirement includes a project document submitted in the format shown 
in Appendix A. Any applications that do not conform to these standards 
may be deemed non-responsive to this solicitation and may not be 
evaluated. Standard forms and attachments are not included in the page 
limit. Each application must include a table of contents and an 
abstract summarizing the application in not more that two (2) pages. 
These pages are also not included in the page limits.
    The individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of the Applicant must 
be authorized to bind the Applicant.

C. Acceptable Methods of Submission

    The grant application package must be received at the designated 
place by the date and time specified or it will not be considered. Any 
application received at Procurement Services Center after 4:45 p.m. 
Eastern Time, May 9, 2003, will not be considered unless it is received 
before the award is made and:
    1. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to mishandling by Government after receipt at the U.S. 
Department of Labor at the address indicated;
    2. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before May 9, 2003; or
    3. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5:00 pm at the place 
of mailing two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal 
holidays, prior to May 9, 2003.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible, 
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be 
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped, or 
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been 
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the 
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the Post Office 
receiving clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to 
Addressee'' label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper on the 
original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the 
same meaning as defined above. Therefore, applicants should request 
that the postal clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' 
postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at 
the U.S. Department of Labor is the date/time stamp of the Procurement 
Service Center on the application wrapper or other documentary evidence 
or receipt maintained by that office.
    Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not 
be accepted.

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Applications sent by other delivery services, such as Federal Express, 
UPS, etc., will be accepted, however the applicant bears the 
responsibility for timely submission. Confirmation of receipt can be 
made with Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services 
Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-
mail: [email protected].

D. Funding Levels

    Up to U.S. $14 million is available under this solicitation, with 
up to $3 million each for the Dominican Republic, Morocco, and Uganda, 
and up to $5 million for the Philippines. USDOL may award one or more 
grants to one, several, or a partnership of more than one organization 
which may apply to implement the program. Any subcontractor must be 
approved by USDOL.

E. Program Duration

    The duration of the projects funded by this SGA is for four (4) 
years. The start date of program activities will be negotiated upon 
awarding of the grant, but no later than September 30, 2003.

III. Background and Program Scope

A. USDOL Support of Global Elimination of Child Labor

    The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 211 
million children between the ages of five and 14 were working around 
the world in 2000. Full-time child workers are generally unable to 
attend school, and part-time child laborers balance economic survival 
with schooling from an early age, often to the detriment of their 
education. Since 1995, the U.S. Congress has provided USDOL with funds 
to support worldwide technical assistance programs implemented by the 
ILO. To date, USDOL has contributed U.S. $157 million to ILO/IPEC, 
making the United States the program's largest donor and a leader in 
global efforts to combat child labor.
    Programs funded by USDOL have evolved from targeted action programs 
in specific sectors to a more comprehensive approach. In June 2001, at 
the International Labor Conference in Geneva, new programs were 
launched to effectively abolish the worst forms of child labor in a 
five-to-ten year time frame. These programs are called ``Timebound 
Programs'' and are a technical assistance modality designed to help 
countries eliminate the worst forms of child labor in a defined period 
of time. Timebound Programs provide aid to countries to support 
implementation of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child 
Labor.
    Convention 182 lists four categories of the worst forms of child 
labor, and calls for immediate elimination of:
    [sbull] All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such 
as the sale and trafficking of children; debt bondage and serfdom and 
forced or compulsory labor; including forced or compulsory recruitment 
of children for use in armed conflict;
    [sbull] The use, procurement or offering of a child for 
prostitution, production of pornography or pornographic performances;
    [sbull] The use, procurement or offering of a child for illicit 
activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs 
as defined in the relevant international treaties;
    [sbull] Work which by its nature or by the circumstances by which 
it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety, and morals of 
children.
    In determining the types of work likely to harm the health, safety 
and morals of children, Convention 182 considers the following: Work 
which exposes a child to physical, psychological or sexual abuse; work 
underground, underwater, at dangerous heights or in confined 
workplaces; work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools or 
handling or transporting heavy loads; work in an unhealthy environment 
including exposure to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to 
temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging to the health; work 
for long hours or night work where the child is unreasonably confined 
to the premises.
    The Timebound Program is designed to be a country-owned initiative. 
Participation implies commitment by a country to mobilize and allocate 
national human and financial resources to combat child labor. USDOL-
supported programs assist governments in this process by identifying 
and supporting projects, measures, interventions, institutional 
mechanisms, and partnerships required to eliminate the worst forms of 
child labor.
    Between FY 2001 and FY 2003, in addition to U.S. $135 million 
earmarked for ILO/IPEC efforts, U.S. $111 million was appropriated to 
USDOL for a Child Labor Education Initiative to fund programs aimed at 
increasing access to quality, basic education in areas with a high 
incidence of abusive and exploitative child labor. The grant(s) awarded 
under this solicitation will be funded through this initiative.
    USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative seeks to nurture the 
development, health, safety and enhanced future employability of 
children around the world by increasing access to basic education for 
children removed from work or at risk of entering into labor. Child 
labor elimination depends in part on improving access to, quality of, 
and relevance of education.
    The Child Labor Education Initiative has four goals:
    1. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children 
and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education 
infrastructures;
    2. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that 
encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend 
school;
    3. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and 
child labor; and
    4. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.

B. Barriers to Education for Working Children and Country Background

1. Child Labor and Barriers of Access to Education
    Throughout the world there are complex causes to child labor as 
well as barriers to education for children engaged in or at risk of 
working. These include:
    [sbull] Poverty--whereby families need children's income for 
survival, there is a high opportunity cost to enrolling a child in 
school, and the direct and indirect costs of schooling are 
unaffordable.
    [sbull] Education system barriers--which include low quality and 
relevance of education and curricula; low teacher training/preparation 
of school personnel to address education of children with special 
needs, such as child laborers; poor teaching methods; lack of or weak 
systems to address reintegration of dropouts, or to provide equivalency 
and/or bridge programs between non-formal and formal or vocational 
education.
    [sbull] Infrastructure barriers--which include distance to school; 
inadequate school buildings (too small, too few primary, secondary or 
vocational schools); overcrowded schools; lack of open spaces for 
physical activity and related facilities; lack of transportation; lack 
of latrines, water, electricity and other basic infrastructure.
    [sbull] Legal and policy barriers--which include policies that 
discourage school enrollment and retention, weak law enforcement, or 
non-existent, inconsistent or inadequate education policies for working 
children.
    [sbull] Resource gaps--which include either overall low level of 
resources

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within the country, or a low allocation of existing resources relative 
to the needs of working children, or to child labor eradication or 
education goals set by government policies.
    [sbull] Institutional barriers--which include weaknesses that 
hamper an organization's ability to effectively implement programs, 
and/or limited coordination among social partners (various level of 
government, NGOs, private sector) to match existing resources to 
education gaps and needs of working children.
    [sbull] Informational gaps--which include lack of information on 
the education needs of child laborers or their educational performance 
so as to develop relevant and targeted programs; lack of available 
relevant social indicator data to identify, target and map families 
with working children; lack of consistent monitoring and evaluation of 
programs to draw lessons learned, or limited awareness on the part of 
different actors of the benefits of education for working children.
    [sbull] Demographic characteristics of children and/or families--
which include factors that put a child at higher risk of child labor 
and lack of access to education, such as belonging to an ethnic group, 
gender or social class, family composition (e.g., single head of 
household or polygamous household, multiple siblings, etc.), being 
overage relative to grade.
    [sbull] Cultural and traditional practices--which include community 
attitudes that children should work and help the family, and attitudes 
and practices towards gender and social roles.
    [sbull] Weak labor markets and lack of employment for those more 
educated, which diminish the perceived value of an education, and 
increase the value of early entry into the labor market.
    Although these elements and characteristics tend to exist 
throughout the world in areas of high child labor, they manifest 
themselves and/or combine in particular ways in each country of 
interest in this solicitation. In their response to the solicitation, 
applicants should be able to identify the specific barriers to 
education and the education needs of specific children targeted in 
their project (e.g., children withdrawn from work, children at high 
risk of drop out into the labor force, children still working in a 
particular sector, etc.). Short background information on education and 
child labor in each of the countries of interest is provided below. For 
additional information on child labor in these countries, applicants 
are referred to The Department of Labor's 2001 Findings on the Worst 
Forms of Child Labor available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/overview.htm or in hard copy from Lisa Harvey, 
U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 
693-4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: [email protected].
2. Country Background
The Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic's National Child Labor Survey (Encuesta 
Nacional de Trabajo Infantil), published in 2002, estimated that 18 
percent of children between the ages of five and 17 years (428,720) are 
working. The major sectors where children work are agriculture, 
services in the informal sector (shoe shiners, street vendors), 
domestic service, and prostitution. In addition, reports indicate that 
Haitian children may be found working in the Dominican Republic on 
sugarcane plantations and in other hazardous occupations, and have 
documentation and likely language barriers to education. There are also 
reports that some Haitian children have been trafficked to the 
Dominican Republic, including for purposes of child labor.
    Between 1992 and 2002, the Dominican Secretariat of Education 
(Secretar[iacute]a de Estado de Educac[iacute]n) engaged in a ten-year 
reform program (Plan Decenal) that included goals of increasing 
educational access, improving quality, implementing curriculum reform, 
improving the social and economic conditions of teachers, approving a 
new education law, decentralization, increased community participation, 
and increased financial resources. The plan, funded by the World Bank 
and the Inter-American Development Bank, greatly increased educational 
access for more children, but improvements are still needed in the 
areas of educational quality, teacher training, teacher living 
conditions, implementation of the education law, parent/community 
participation, and budget. Basic education in the Dominican Republic is 
free and compulsory between the ages of five and 14.
    In spite of large investments in the education system, many gaps 
and challenges remain that hamper efforts to prevent child labor 
through education, and provide access to education for child laborers. 
These include a highly centralized education administration, lack of 
school access in rural areas, lack of vocational schools, and a less 
than adequate system for measuring and monitoring education results.
    Moreover, lack of official identity papers and documentation are 
serious barriers to school enrollment and affects thousands of children 
most vulnerable to child labor--rural children, and those of Haitian 
descent. Several programs have been developed to address the problem of 
lack of documentation, but none has been broadly successful.
    Many Dominican teachers lack motivation to improve their teaching 
style or to comply with school schedules because of low salaries. 
Teacher strikes for higher pay are frequent. Time in-class and time 
spent on learning tasks are lower in the Dominican Republic than in 
most other Latin American countries. Teachers in rural areas may also 
miss school because of transportation difficulties. In most Dominican 
classrooms there is a lack of active, participatory, student-centered 
pedagogy. Also, teachers are not prepared to deal with children with 
special needs such as those of working children, and children at risk 
of or engaged in commercial sexual exploitation.
    There are limited alternatives to the public schools since there 
are few NGOs specializing in education. Also, Dominican NGOs operate 
under an obsolete law dating from 1920. Furthermore, the high levels of 
overage students relative to grade discourages many children from 
continuing altogether, and results in permanent desertion and premature 
entry into labor.
    The Government of the Dominican Republic has committed itself to 
the implementation of a Timebound Program to eliminate the worst forms 
of child labor. The funding provided by this award will provide 
resources for the education component of the Timebound Program funded 
by USDOL and implemented through the ILO/IPEC.
Morocco
    According to a 1999 diagnostic by the Ministry of Employment and 
the ILO, there are approximately 9.8 million children in Morocco under 
the age of 15, and approximately 6.5 percent of children in this age 
group work. About 90 percent of working children are in rural areas in 
the agriculture sector, often in animal husbandry and other 
agricultural tasks. Children also work as weavers in the carpet 
industry; in small family-run workshops that produce ceramics, 
woodwork, and leather goods; and as mechanics, porters, tourist guides, 
street vendors, and beggars. Children work as apprentices before they 
reach 12 years of age, particularly in the informal handicraft 
industry. In urban areas, girls work as domestic servants, often in 
situations of unregulated ``adoptive servitude,'' and

[[Page 15235]]

teenagers are reported to engage in prostitution. Street children 
engage in diverse forms of work including selling cigarettes, begging, 
shining shoes and other miscellaneous occupations. It is estimated that 
90 percent of working children are between the ages of 10 and 14, and 
50 percent are victims of abuse and work more than 50 hours a week.
    Morocco has identified education as a major component of the 
national and sectoral plans to combat child labor produced by the 
Ministry of Employment. It has also outlined its strategy for education 
reform in a national Charter that focuses on increasing educational 
access, reducing educational disparities, and involving different 
social sectors in partnerships for education. Education is free and 
compulsory between the ages of six and 15. The government has targeted 
universal primary enrollment by 2005-2006, and universal secondary 
education by 2008-2009.
    Despite the progress made in increasing access to basic education 
in Morocco, the Ministry of National Education estimates that 
approximately 2 million children between the ages of eight and 16 have 
either never attended school or dropped out before completing the first 
level. The ILO/IPEC estimates that 80 percent of working children in 
Morocco are out of school. Ensuring their access to education will need 
to be addressed if Morocco is to meet its national goal of enrolling 
all children aged 12-14 in secondary school by 2008-2009. The Ministry 
of National Education's Non-Formal Program, working in partnership with 
an active NGO community, has reached only approximately 113,545 
children aged eight to 15 since 1997. Although 70 percent of children 
who enter the non-formal program complete it, only about 10 percent 
transition into the formal system. The Government of Morocco has 
recently created a State Secretariat for Literacy and Non-Formal 
Education to address many of the issues facing out-of-school children.
    The funding provided by this solicitation will contribute to 
addressing these important challenges. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to address their efforts to areas of the highest 
concentrations of child labor (i.e., agriculture), and sectors in rural 
and urban areas with the worst forms of child labor.
The Philippines
    Child labor in the Philippines is set primarily in the context of 
poverty, with 31.8 percent of Filipino families living below the 
poverty line in 1997, compared to 33.7 percent in 2000. The increase in 
the number of families living in poverty has contributed to the rise in 
the number of working children. In 2001, the Philippine National 
Statistics Office estimated that 4 million children between the ages of 
five and 17 were working, or 16.2 percent of children in this age 
group. This figure accounts for a 12 percent increase in the number of 
working children since 1995.
    Children work predominantly in rural areas. Almost half of all 
child workers are engaged in agricultural activities, while other 
children work in informal footwear production, drug trafficking, 
pyrotechnics production, deep-sea fishing, mining and quarrying, and 
pearl farming. In the informal sector children are engaged in 
scavenging and begging. Children are also engaged as domestic servants 
and are involved in the commercial sex industry.
    Since 1991, the Education for All (EFA) strategy has been a 
cornerstone of the Philippine's plan of action to improve the public 
education system, but government plans to address the particular needs 
of working children are limited. There are numerous gaps in the public 
education system and other socio-cultural or institutional barriers 
that may prevent children engaged in or at risk of working in the worst 
forms of child labor from receiving quality and relevant basic 
education. While significant achievements have been made in combating 
child labor and promoting basic education, there is a need to link 
these efforts and address issues related to the provision of education 
for children working or at risk of working.
    The current National Development Plan for 2001-2004 includes 
universal primary education as a goal. From 1991 to 1998, primary net 
enrollment rates in the Philippines increased from 85 percent to 96 
percent. The increase in enrollment rates reflects the government's 
commitment to providing universal primary education, but there are 
still challenges related to strengthening the quality and relevance of 
education, which is key to the retention of children in the school 
system. Currently, an estimated 69 percent of children who enter 
primary school in the Philippines reach grade 5.
    In addition, the impact of education reforms has not yet been fully 
extended to children vulnerable to child labor. Even though formal 
education is free and compulsory for six years, families are often 
expected to shoulder other associated costs such as food, uniforms, 
school supplies, transportation, and, in some instances, fees for 
capital outlays or building maintenance (e.g., janitorial services, 
toilets, and electricity). With many parents' earnings falling below 
the poverty line, the inability of public schools to subsidize these 
extra costs places considerable economic strain on families. As a 
result, high costs to schooling limit access to education, negatively 
impact school attendance, and may contribute to the increase in the 
labor supply of children.
    The Government of the Philippines is dedicated to the elimination 
of the worst forms of child labor within a specified period, and has 
committed to a Timebound Program to combat child labor. USDOL expects 
the funding provided by this award to address some of the educational 
challenges within the Timebound Program framework, and the applicant 
will support education activities undertaken as part of USDOL's funding 
of the Philippines Timebound Program, which is being implemented 
through ILO/IPEC. These education activities must complement and 
reinforce the existing Timebound strategy, but not duplicate efforts 
already funded by USDOL through ILO/IPEC.
    Direct services of the already-funded ILO-IPEC education component 
of the Timebound Program will concentrate primarily on the provision of 
non-formal, transitional and vocational education to children withdrawn 
from work and those at-risk of working in the sectors targeted by the 
Timebound Program. These activities correspond to gaps identified in 
the existing system. For example, until very recently, the Department 
of Education's Bureau of Non-Formal Education only offered non-formal 
education programs to out-of-school youths aged 15 and above. Although 
it is currently preparing to offer non-formal education to children 
ages 6 to 14, the Bureau lacks the funds to develop appropriate 
curricula and learning modules. An additional challenge to providing 
transitional education is that children in non-formal programs 
frequently experience difficulty mainstreaming into formal education, 
such as passing an equivalency test required for re-entry in formal 
schooling.
Uganda
    An ILO-IPEC child labor report based on the 2000-2001 Uganda 
Demographic and Health Survey estimated the total number of working 
children aged 5 to 17 years in the country at 2.9 million, accounting 
for 34.2 percent of all children in this age group. Furthermore, the 
report estimated that more than half of all working children in Uganda 
are aged 10-14 years. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social 
Development (MGLSD) has drafted a national policy

[[Page 15236]]

and plan of action to combat the worst forms of child labor, including 
children engaged in commercial agriculture, fishing, domestic labor, 
the informal sector, street activities, commercial sexual exploitation, 
construction sector, and children in armed conflicts.
    USDOL has targeted several of these sectors through programs 
implemented by ILO/IPEC. USDOL has also financed surveys on child labor 
in Uganda. Recognizing that forced and compulsory recruitment of 
children in armed conflict is a worst form of child labor as identified 
in ILO Convention 182, USDOL, through funding provided by this 
solicitation, seeks to support the education needs of this population 
in northern Uganda.
    In addition to the MGLSD, the Ministry of Education has been 
engaged in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. In 1997 
this ministry instituted a policy of Universal Primary Education (UPE) 
to make formal schooling more affordable and thus more available to 
students in Uganda. Since the implementation of this policy, enrollment 
has increased dramatically, from 3.4 million in 1996 to 7.2 million in 
2002.
    Unfortunately, much of the success of this program has been 
concentrated in the south. Sixteen years of war in northern Uganda has 
hindered the full implementation of UPE, and has created enormous 
barriers for young people living in these areas to gain access to and 
complete quality primary education. Since the birth of the Lord's 
Resistance Army's (LRA) rebel campaign in 1986, between 10,000-15,000 
Ugandan children have been abducted to serve as porters and soldiers 
for this rebel group. Abducted girls often suffer the added trauma of 
rape, and are frequently given to rebel commanders as sexual slaves.
    In addition, at least half of the population living in areas of 
conflict in northern Uganda (a majority of whom are adolescents and 
children) is internally displaced. Escalated LRA attacks since the 
beginning of 2000 have forced an increasing number of people to seek 
refuge in Internally Displaced Persons' (IDP) Camps called ``Protected 
Villages,'' or, alternatively, in the towns of Gulu and Kitgum. 
According to the World Food Program (WFP), 26.4 percent of the IDPs 
living in camps are children aged five to 14 years old. The majority of 
these children have been out of school since the conflict escalated in 
July 1996. Although national primary enrollment averages 95 percent for 
all children aged six to 13 years, less than 30 percent of school-age 
children in IDP camps are currently enrolled on a full-time basis, with 
young girls especially affected.
    According to the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) Fourth 
Division Commander in Gulu, over 300,000 children in northern Uganda 
are unable to go to school at present. Low enrollment and retention in 
war-affected areas is the result of several complex and interrelated 
factors. Stress levels among children have dramatically increased 
because of displacement, separation, death, violence, abduction and 
sexual abuse. For formerly abducted children and child soldiers this 
trauma is particularly acute. Girls are especially affected, as they 
often return from captivity with babies. In addition, both former child 
soldiers and war-affected children returning to school after a long 
absence find themselves in the difficult position of being older than 
their classmates and having missed years of schooling. This situation 
leads them to either not return to school, or to drop out after they 
re-enroll.
    Despite government incentives to local teachers and a teacher 
training college located in Gulu, northern Uganda is also suffering 
from a shortage of educators. The few remaining teachers are often 
unequipped to accommodate the many special needs of their students. 
Furthermore, for many children, the cost of purchasing school supplies 
and the opportunity cost of attending school is too great. Although 
some young people have expressed an interest in learning skills or a 
trade, most technical training colleges require a level of academic 
achievement that former child soldiers and war-affected children have 
not attained. Furthermore, many young people lack the basic literacy 
skills needed to succeed in formal training programs.
    Nonetheless, the commitment to and desire for education among these 
young people and their communities is considerable. Education is often 
the top priority identified by communities immediately following an 
attack or displacement. The Government of Uganda has responded through 
the provision of several new policies and programs. The Ministry of 
Education has drafted strategies for working with children living in 
areas of conflict in a Basic Education Policy and Costed Framework For 
Educationally Disadvantaged Children. The policy aims to increase 
community participation in education; strengthen linkages between 
formal and non-formal education; improve education quality by ensuring 
appropriate infrastructure and curriculum content and methodology, and 
provide appropriate learning materials. The Ministry of Education and 
the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development have established 
a multi-agency working group to address the needs of children who have 
suffered from armed conflict. Several international and local NGOs have 
also developed programs focusing on the rehabilitation and 
reintegration of former child soldiers and war-affected children.
    However, there is a great need to expand and improve upon efforts 
to educate and train former child soldiers and war-affected children. 
The work undertaken by government entities and international and local 
NGOs working on the ground provide a solid foundation, but gaps remain 
in current efforts to provide access to quality education. Areas 
requiring further development include: (1) Non-formal education, catch-
up classes, and basic literacy training (2) skills and vocational 
training, (3) teacher training and recruitment, (4) the development of 
appropriate curricula, materials and teaching methods and the provision 
of school supplies, and (5) community mobilization and sensitization to 
meet the education needs and psychosocial needs of children and 
adolescents in northern Uganda. The funding provided by this 
solicitation encourages applicants to propose solid approaches that 
will address these needs.
    Given the complex unique social situation of these children, USDOL 
encourages collaboration with programs in northern Uganda working on 
issues of poverty, health and nutrition, community development, peace 
and security. USDOL encourages models that work within existing 
government structures and national plans of action. USDOL seeks to fund 
sustainable programs that provide for the emerging educational needs of 
these children as northern Uganda transitions towards peace. Applicants 
should be ready to adapt services to accommodate the fluidity and 
constantly changing nature of the security situation, and related 
migration flows.

IV. Requirements

A. Statement of Work

    Taking into account the challenges to educating working children in 
each country of interest, the applicant shall propose and implement 
creative and innovative approaches to provide educational opportunities 
to children engaged in or removed from child labor, particularly the 
worst forms. The expected outcomes/results of the project are to: (1) 
Increase educational opportunities (enrollment) for children who are 
engaged in, at risk of, and/or

[[Page 15237]]

removed from child labor, particularly its worst forms; (2) encourage 
retention in, and completion of educational programs; and (3) expand 
the successful transition of children in non-formal education into 
formal schools or vocational programs.
    In the course of implementation, each project shall promote the 
goals of USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative listed in Section 
III.A above. Because of the limited available resources under this 
award, applicants should implement programs that complement existing 
efforts and, where appropriate, replicate or enhance successful models 
to serve expanded numbers of children and communities. In order to 
avoid duplication, enhance collaboration, expand impact, and develop 
synergies, the grant awardee (hereafter referred to as ``Grantee'') 
should work cooperatively with national stakeholders in developing 
project interventions.
    Although USDOL is open to all proposals for innovative solutions to 
address the challenges of providing increased access to education to 
the children targeted, the applicant must, at a minimum, prepare 
responses following the outline of a preliminary project document 
presented in Appendix A. This response will be the foundation for the 
final project document that will be approved after award of the grant.

    Note To Timebound Applicants: In preparing responses for the 
Dominican Republic and the Philippines, the applicant should be 
aware that the funding provided by this award is part of USDOL 
commitments to comprehensive and integrated Timebound Programs to 
prevent and remove children from the worst forms of child labor. The 
Grantee will be required to integrate and closely coordinate the 
project's interventions with the strategies and activities developed 
by the ILO/IPEC and the Governments of the Dominican Republic and 
the Philippines.

    Achieving seamless integration between program components will 
require working with the same target groups/number of children, to the 
greatest degree possible with the same children, and in the same 
geographical areas identified in the ILO-IPEC Timebound Program 
documents. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read and become 
familiar with the design elements of the Timebound Programs funded 
through ILO/IPEC in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines before 
preparing a response to this solicitation, and strengthen the quality 
rather than duplicate activities that are already being funded. 
Applicants should carefully study the ILO/IPEC Timebound project 
documents in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines available at 
http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/education/SGA0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm to 
become familiar with the education interventions ILO/IPEC will be 
implementing before proposing their own. Applicants should avoid 
duplicating activities being carried out by ILO/IPEC, but are highly 
encouraged to propose approaches that could complement and improve the 
quality and impact of ILO/IPEC education interventions.
    In the Philippines, target children include those at risk of work 
or working in agriculture, deep-sea fishing, domestic service, 
commercial sexual exploitation, mining and quarrying, and pyrotechnics. 
The geographical coverage of the program in the Philippines will 
include the following regions and provinces: Region III (Bulacan), 
Region V (Camaranies Norte), Region VI (Ilo Ilo and Negros Occidental), 
Region VII (Negros Oriental and Cebu), Region XI (Davao), and the 
National Capital Region (Metro Manila). Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to focus their major interventions in facilitating 
mainstreaming into formal education for children withdrawn from work or 
at risk of working; strengthening formal education to prevent drop out 
of identified vulnerable children into child labor; and providing an 
approach to improve quality in non-formal education so as to better 
transition children removed from child labor to formal education or 
vocational options.
    In the Dominican Republic, the Consejo Nacional de Trabajo (The 
National Committee on the Eradication of Child Labor) has defined 
specific geographic areas for the Timebound Program: Santo Domingo, 
Duarte, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monse[ntilde]or Nouel, Puerto 
Plata, Sanchez-Ramirez and Saman&a´. Also, child labor Timebound 
Program activities aimed at the worst forms of child labor are already 
underway in Boca Chica and Constanza. The Committee has defined 
commercial sexual exploitation, hazardous informal work, and hazardous 
agricultural activities as the worst forms of child labor. Approaches 
should address the gaps and barriers to education faced by children in 
these forms of employment in the Dominican Republic.
    In Timebound Programs, key personnel will work closely with the 
ILO/IPEC's National Program Manager and the Timebound Program Chief 
Technical Adviser, and as appropriate, with staff of the national 
government in developing project interventions.

    Note to All Applicants: The Grantee is expected to consult with 
and work cooperatively with stakeholders in the countries, including 
the Ministries of Education and Labor, NGOs, national steering/
advisory committees on child labor education, faith-based 
organizations, and working children and their families. Where 
practical, there should be efforts to work with existing projects, 
particularly those funded by USDOL.

B. Deliverables

    In addition to meeting the above requirements, the Grantee will be 
expected to monitor the implementation of the program, report to USDOL 
on a quarterly basis, and undergo evaluation of program results. 
Guidance on USDOL procedures and management requirements will be 
provided to the Grantee in written Management Procedures and Guidelines 
(MPG) after award. The project budget must include funds to plan, 
implement and evaluate programs and activities, conduct various studies 
pertinent to project implementation, to establish education baselines 
to measure program results, and travel to meet with USDOL officials in 
Washington at yearly intervals. Corresponding indicators of performance 
will also be developed by the Grantee and approved by USDOL. Unless 
otherwise indicated, the Grantee must submit copies of all required 
reports to ILAB by the specified due dates. Specific deliverables are 
the following:
1. Project Design Document
    The Grantee will prepare a preliminary project document in the 
format described in Appendix A, with design elements linked to a 
logical framework matrix. See http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/education/SGA0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm for a worked example. The project document 
will include a background/justification section, project strategy 
(goal, purpose, outputs, activities, indicators, means of verification, 
assumptions), project implementation timetable and project budget. The 
narrative will address the criteria/themes described in Section V.B.1 
below Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness. The final project 
design document will be based on the application written in response to 
this solicitation, but will include the results of additional 
consultation with stakeholders, partners, and ILAB. The document will 
also include sections that address coordination strategies, project 
management and sustainability. The final project document will be 
delivered three months after the time of the award.

[[Page 15238]]

2. Technical and Financial Progress Reports
    The format for the technical progress report will be provided in 
the MPG distributed after the award. The Grantee must furnish a typed 
technical report to ILAB on a quarterly basis by 31 March, 30 June, 30 
September, and 31 December. Technical reports will include:
    a. For each project objective, an accurate account of activities 
carried out under that objective during the reporting period;
    b. A description of current problems that may impede performance, 
and proposed corrective action;
    c. Future actions planned in support of each project objective;
    d. Aggregate amount of costs incurred during the reporting period 
relative to each objective; and
    e. Progress on common Government Performance and Results Act 
indicators (to be reported semi-annually) to be provided to Grantees 
after award.
    The Grantee must also furnish separate financial reports (SF 272 
and 269) to ILAB on the quarterly basis mentioned above.
3. Annual Work Plan
    An annual work plan will be developed within three months of 
project award and approved by ILAB so as to ensure coordination with 
other relevant social actors in the country. Subsequent annual work 
plans will be delivered no later than one year after the previous one.
4. Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
    A performance monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed, in 
collaboration with ILAB, including beginning and ending dates for the 
project, planned and actual dates for mid-term review, and final end of 
project evaluations. The performance monitoring plan will be developed 
in conjunction with the logical framework project design and common 
indicators for GPRA reporting selected by ILAB. Baseline data 
collection will be tied to the indicators of the project design 
document and the performance monitoring plan. A draft monitoring and 
evaluation plan will be submitted to ILAB within four months of project 
award.
5. Project Evaluation
    The Grantee and the Grant Officer's Technical Representative (GOTR) 
will determine on a case-by-case basis whether mid-term evaluations 
will be conducted by an internal or external evaluation team. All final 
evaluations will be external in nature. The Grantee must respond in 
writing to any comments and recommendations resulting from the review 
of the mid-term report. The budget must include the projected cost of 
mid-term and final evaluations.

C. Production of Deliverables

1. Materials Prepared Under the Cooperative Agreement
    The Grantee must submit to ILAB all media-related and educational 
materials developed by it or its sub-contractors before they are 
reproduced, published, or used. ILAB considers that education materials 
include brochures, pamphlets, videotapes, slide-tape shows, curricula, 
and any other training materials used in the program. ILAB will review 
materials for technical accuracy. The Grantee must obtain prior 
approval from the Grant's Officer Technical Representative for all 
materials developed or purchased under this grant. All materials 
produced by the Grantee must be provided to ILAB in digital format for 
possible publication by ILAB.
2. Acknowledgement of USDOL Funding
    In all circumstances, the following must be displayed on printed 
materials:
    ``Preparation of this item was funded by the United States 
Department of Labor under Cooperative Agreement No. E-9-X-X-XXXX.''
    When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, 
bid solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs 
funded in whole or in part with Federal money, all Grantees receiving 
Federal funds, including State and local governments and recipients of 
Federal research grants, must clearly state:
    a. The percentage of the total costs of the program or project that 
will be financed with Federal money;
    b. The dollar amount of Federal funds for the project or program; 
and
    c. The percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the 
project or program that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
    In consultation with ILAB, USDOL will be acknowledged in one of the 
following ways:
    a. The USDOL logo may be applied to USDOL-funded material prepared 
for worldwide distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, 
research documents, national survey results, impact evaluations, best 
practice reports, and other publications of global interest. The 
Grantee must consult with USDOL on whether the logo may be used on any 
such items prior to final draft or final preparation for distribution. 
In no event will the USDOL logo be placed on any item until USDOL has 
given the Grantee written permission to use the logo on the item.
    b. If ILAB determines that the use of the logo is not appropriate 
and written permission is not given, the following notice must appear 
on the document: ``This document does not necessarily reflect the views 
or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade 
names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the 
U.S. Government.''

D. Administrative Requirements

1. General
    Grantee organizations are subject to applicable U.S. Federal laws 
(including provisions of appropriations law) and the applicable Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. Determinations of allowable 
costs will be made in accordance with the applicable U.S. Federal cost 
principles. The grantee will also be required to submit to a bi-annual 
independent audit, and costs for such an audit should be included in 
direct or indirect costs, whichever is appropriate.
    The grant awarded under this SGA is subject to the following 
administrative standards and provisions, if applicable:
    29 CFR Part 36--Federal Standards for Nondiscrimination on the 
Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal 
Financial Assistance.
    29 CFR Part 93--New Restrictions on Lobbying.
    29 CFR Part 95--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and other 
Non-Profit Organizations, and with Commercial Organizations, Foreign 
Governments, Organizations Under the Jurisdiction of Foreign 
Governments and International Organizations.
    29 CFR Part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally Funded 
Grants, Contracts and Agreements.
    29 CFR Part 98--Federal Standards for Government-wide Debarment and 
Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug-
Free Workplace (Grants).
    29 CFR Part 99--Federal Standards for Audits of States, Local 
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
    Applicants are reminded to budget for compliance with the 
administrative requirements set forth. This includes the cost of 
performing administrative activities such as financial audit, closeout, 
evaluation, document preparation, as well as compliance with 
procurement and property standards.

[[Page 15239]]

Copies of all regulations referenced in this SGA are available at no 
cost, on-line, at www.dol.gov.
2. Sub-Contracts
    Sub-contracts must be awarded in accordance with 29 CFR 95.40-48. 
In compliance with Executive Orders 12876, as amended, 13230, 12928 and 
13021, as amended, the Grantee is strongly encouraged to provide sub-
contracting opportunities to Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and 
Universities.
3. Key Personnel
    The applicant shall list an individual(s) who has been designated 
as having primary responsibility for the conduct and completion of all 
project work. The applicant must submit written proof that key 
personnel will be available to begin work on the project no later than 
three weeks after award. The Grantee agrees to inform the GOTR whenever 
it appears impossible for this individual(s) to continue work on the 
project as planned. The Grantee may nominate substitute personnel and 
submit the nominations to the GOTR; however, the Grantee must obtain 
prior approval from the Grant Officer for all key personnel. If the 
Grant Officer is unable to approve the personnel change, he/she 
reserves the right to terminate the grant.
4. Encumbrance of Grant Funds
    Grant funds may not be encumbered/obligated by the Grantee before 
or after the period of performance. Encumbrances/obligations 
outstanding as of the end of the grant period may be liquidated (paid 
out) after the end of the grant period. Such encumbrances/obligations 
shall involve only specified commitments for which a need existed 
during the grant period and which are supported by approved contracts, 
purchase orders, requisitions, invoices, bills, or other evidence of 
liability consistent with the Grantee's purchasing procedures and 
incurred within the grant period. All encumbrances/obligations incurred 
during the grant period shall be liquidated within 90 days after the 
end of the grant period, if practicable.
5. Site Visits
    USDOL, through its authorized representatives, has the right, at 
all reasonable times, to make site visits to review project 
accomplishments and management control systems and to provide such 
technical assistance as may be required. If USDOL makes any site visit 
on the premises of the Grantee or a sub-contractor(s) under this grant, 
the Grantee shall provide and shall require its sub-contractors to 
provide all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safety and 
convenience of Government representatives in the performance of their 
duties. All site visits and evaluations shall be performed in a manner 
that will not unduly delay the work.

V. Review and Selection of Applicants for Award

A. The Review Process

    USDOL will screen all applications to determine whether all 
required elements are present and clearly identifiable. Each complete 
application will be objectively rated by a technical panel against the 
criteria described in this announcement. Applicants are advised that 
panel recommendations to the Grant Officer are advisory in nature. The 
Grant Officer may elect to select a Grantee on the basis of the initial 
application submission; or, the Grant Officer may establish a 
competitive or technically acceptable range for the purpose of 
selecting qualified applicants. If deemed appropriate, following the 
Grant Officer's call for the preparation and receipt of final revisions 
of applications, the evaluations process described above will be 
repeated to consider such revisions. The Grant Officer will make final 
selection determination based on panel findings and consideration of 
factors that may be most advantageous to the Government, such as 
geographic distribution of the competitive applications, cost, the 
availability of funds and other factors. The Grant Officer's 
determination for award under this SGA is final.

    Note: Selection of an organization as a grant recipient does not 
constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before 
the actual grant is awarded, USDOL may enter into negotiations about 
such items as program components, funding levels, and administrative 
systems in place to support grant implementation. If the 
negotiations do not result in an acceptable submission, the Grant 
Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline 
to fund the application. Award is also contingent upon signature of 
a letter of agreement between USDOL and relevant ministries in 
target countries.

B. Rating Criteria and Selection

    The technical panel will review applications written in the 
specified format (see Section III.B and Appendix A) against the various 
criteria on the basis of 100 points. Five additional points will be 
given for non-federal or leveraged resources. Applicants are requested 
to prepare their written response (45 page maximum) on the basis of the 
following rating factors, which are presented in the order of emphasis 
that they will receive.
Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness--45 points
Organizational Capacity--30 points
Management Plan/ Key Personnel/ Staffing--25 points
Leveraging--5 extra points
1. Project/Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness (45 points)
    This part of the application constitutes the preliminary project 
document described in section IV.B.1 and outlined in Appendix A. (Note: 
The supporting logical framework matrix will not count in the 45-page 
limit but should be included as an annex to the project document. To 
guide applicants, a sample logical framework matrix for a hypothetical 
child labor education project is available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/education/SGA0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm. The applicant should 
describe in detail the proposed approach to comply with each 
requirement in Section IV.A of this solicitation.
    This component of the application should demonstrate the 
applicant's thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues, 
barriers and challenges involved in providing education to children 
engaged in or at risk of engaging in child labor, particularly its 
worst forms; best-practice solutions to address their needs; and the 
implementing environment in the selected country. When complying with 
the project document outline, the applicant should at minimum include a 
description of:
    [sbull] Children Targeted--The applicant will identify which and 
how many children will benefit from the project, including the sectors 
in which they work, geographical location, and other relevant 
characteristics. Note: Timebound country applicants must target the 
sectors, geographical areas, and children identified in Timebound 
Project documents.
    [sbull] Needs/Gaps/Barriers--The applicant will describe the 
specific gaps/educational needs of the children targeted that the 
project will address.
    [sbull] Proposed Strategy--The applicant will discuss the proposed 
strategy to address gaps/needs/barriers and its rationale.
    [sbull] Description of Activities--The applicant will provide a 
detailed description of proposed activities that relate to the gaps/
needs/barriers to be addressed including training and technical 
assistance to be provided to

[[Page 15240]]

project staff, host country nationals, and community groups involved in 
the project. Ideally, the proposed approach should build upon existing 
activities, and government policies and plans and avoid needless 
duplication.
    [sbull] Work Plan--The applicant will provide a detailed work plan 
and timeline for the proposed project, preferably with a visual such as 
a Gantt chart.
    [sbull] Program Management and Performance Assessment--The 
applicant will describe: (1) How management will ensure that the goals 
and objectives will be met; (2) how information and data will be 
collected and used to demonstrate the impacts of the project; and (3) 
what systems will be put in place for self-assessment, evaluation and 
continuous improvement. USDOL has already developed common indicators 
and a database system for monitoring children's educational progress 
that can be used and adapted by Grantees after award so that they do 
not need to set up this type of system from scratch.
    [sbull] Budget/Cost Effectiveness--The applicant will show how the 
budget reflects program goals and design in a cost-effective way so as 
to reflect budget/performance integration. The budget should be linked 
to the activities and outputs of the implementation plan listed above. 
This section of the application should explain the costs for performing 
all of the requirements presented in this solicitation, and for 
producing all required reports and other deliverables. Costs must 
include labor, equipment, travel, audits, evaluations, and other 
related costs. Preference may be given to applicants with low 
administrative costs, and all costs should be reported as they will 
become part of the cooperative agreement upon award. This section will 
be evaluated in accordance with applicable Federal laws and 
regulations. The budget must comply with Federal cost principles (which 
can be found in the applicable OMB Circulars) and with ILAB budget 
requirements contained in the application instructions in Section III 
of this solicitation. Applicants are advised that customs and Value 
Added Tax (VAT) exemptions may not be allowed, and should take into 
account such costs in budget preparation. If major costs are omitted, 
the Grantee may not be allowed to include them later.
2. Organizational Capacity (35 points)
    The applicant should present the qualifications of the 
organization(s) implementing the program/project. The evaluation 
criteria in this category are as follows:
    a. International Experience--The organization applying for the 
award has international experience implementing basic, transitional, 
non-formal or vocational education programs that address issues of 
access, quality, and policy reform for vulnerable children including 
children engaged in or at risk of child labor, preferably in the 
country of interest or neighboring countries.
    b. Country Presence--An applicant must demonstrate a country 
presence, or the capability to establish a country presence, 
independently or through a relationship with another organization(s) 
with country presence, which gives it the capability to work directly 
with government ministries, educators, civil society leaders, and other 
local faith-based or community organizations. Applicants without 
country presence must provide evidence that legal country presence can 
be established within 90 days of award. For applicants that do not have 
independent country presence, documentation of the relationship with 
the organization(s) with such a presence must be provided, or the 
capacity to establish such a relationship within 90 days of award.
    c. Fiscal Oversight--The organization shows evidence of a sound 
financial system. The results of the most current independent financial 
audit must accompany the application, and applicants without one will 
not be considered.
    d. Coordination--If two or more organizations are applying for the 
award in the form of a partnership, they must demonstrate an approach 
to ensure the successful collaboration including clear delineation of 
respective roles and responsibilities. The applicants must also 
identify the lead organization (Grantee) and submit the partnership 
agreement. Partners of the Grantee will be designated as contractors or 
sub-contractors.
    The application must include information about previous grant or 
contracts of the applicant and partners that are relevant to this 
solicitation including:
    1. The organizations for which the work was done;
    2. A contact person in that organization with their current phone 
number;
    3. The dollar value of the grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement for the project;
    4. The time frame and professional effort involved in the project;
    5. A brief summary of the work performed; and
    6. A brief summary of accomplishments.
    This information on previous grants and contracts held by the 
applicant and partners shall be provided in appendices and will not 
count in the maximum page requirement.
3. Management/Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing (25 points)
    Successful performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the 
management skills and qualifications of the individuals committed to 
the project. Accordingly, in its evaluation of each application, USDOL 
will place emphasis on the applicant's management approach and 
commitment of personnel qualified for the work involved in 
accomplishing the assigned tasks. This section of the application must 
include sufficient information to judge management and staffing plans, 
and the experience and competence of program staff proposed for the 
project to assure that they meet the required qualifications. 
Information provided on the experience and educational background of 
personnel should include the following:
    a. The identity of key personnel assigned to the project. ``Key 
personnel'' are staff who are essential to the successful operation of 
the project and completion of the proposed work and, therefore, may not 
be replaced or have hours reduced without the approval of the Grant 
Officer.
    b. The educational background and experience of all staff to be 
assigned to the project.
    c. The special capabilities of staff that demonstrate prior 
experience in organizing, managing and performing similar efforts.
    d. The current employment status of staff and availability for this 
project. The applicant must also indicate whether the proposed work 
will be performed by persons currently employed or is dependent upon 
planned recruitment or sub-contracting.
    Note that management and professional technical staff members 
comprising the applicant's proposed team should be individuals who have 
prior experience with organizations working in similar efforts, and are 
fully qualified to perform work specified in the Statement of Work. 
Where sub-contractors or outside assistance are proposed, 
organizational control should be clearly delineated to ensure 
responsiveness to the needs of USDOL. Key personnel must sign letters 
of agreement to serve on the project, and indicate availability to 
commence work within three weeks of grant award.
    In this section, the following information must be furnished:

[[Page 15241]]

    a. Key personnel--For each country for which an application is 
submitted, the applicant must designate the key personnel listed below. 
If key personnel are not designated, the application will not be 
considered.
    i. A Project Director (Key Personnel) to oversee the project and be 
responsible for implementation of the requirements of the grant. The 
Program Director must have a minimum of three years of professional 
experience in a leadership role in implementation of complex basic 
education programs in developing countries in areas such as education 
policy; improving educational quality and access; educational 
assessment of disadvantaged students; development of community 
participation in the improvement of basic education for disadvantaged 
children, and monitoring and evaluation of basic education projects. 
Points will be given for candidates with additional years of experience 
including experience working with officials of ministries of education 
and/or labor. Preferred candidates will also have knowledge of child 
labor issues, and experience in the development of transitional, 
formal, and vocational education of children removed from child labor 
and/or victims of the worst forms of child labor. Fluency in English is 
required and working knowledge of the official language(s) spoken in 
the target countries is preferred.
    ii. An Education Specialist (Key Personnel) who will provide 
leadership in developing the technical aspects of this project in 
collaboration with the Project Director. This person must have at least 
three years experience in basic education projects in developing 
countries in areas including student assessment, teacher training, 
educational materials development, educational management, and 
educational monitoring and information systems. This person must have 
experience in working successfully with ministries of education, 
networks of educators, employers' organizations and trade union 
representatives or comparable entities. Additional experience with 
child labor/education policy and monitoring and evaluation is an asset. 
Working knowledge of English preferred, as is a similar knowledge of 
official language(s) spoken in the target country.
    b. Other Personnel--The applicant must identify other program 
personnel proposed to carry out the requirements of this solicitation.
    c. Management Plan--The management plan must include the following:
    i. A description of the functional relationship between elements of 
the project's management structure;
    ii. The identity of the individual responsible for project 
management and the lines of authority between this individual and other 
elements of the project.
    d. Staff Loading Plan--The staff loading plan must identify all key 
tasks and the person-days required to complete each task. Labor 
estimated for each task must be broken down by individuals assigned to 
the task, including sub-contractors and consultants. All key tasks 
should be charted to show time required to perform them by months or 
weeks.
    e. Roles and Responsibilities--The applicant must include a resume 
and description of the roles and responsibilities of all personnel 
proposed. Resumes must be attached in an appendix. At a minimum, each 
resume must include: the individual's current employment status and 
previous work experience, including position title, duties, dates in 
position, employing organizations, and educational background. Duties 
must be clearly defined in terms of role performed, e.g., manager, team 
leader, consultant, etc. Indicate whether the individual is currently 
employed by the applicant, and (if so) for how long.
4. Leverage of Grant Funding (5 points)
    The Department will give up to five (5) additional rating points to 
applications that include non-Federal resources that significantly 
expand the dollar amount, size and scope of the application. These 
programs will not be financed by the project, but can complement and 
enhance project objectives. Applicants are also encouraged to leverage 
activities such as micro-credit or income generation projects for 
adults that are not directly allowable under the grant. To be eligible 
for the additional points, the applicant must list the source(s) of 
funds, the nature, and possible activities anticipated with these funds 
under this grant and any partnerships, linkages or coordination of 
activities, cooperative funding, etc.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 21st day of March, 2003.
Lawrence J. Kuss,
Grant Officer.

Appendix A: Project Document Format

Executive Summary

1. Background and Justification

2. Target Groups

3. Program Approach and Strategy

3.1 Narrative of Approach and Strategy (and linked to Logical 
Framework matrix)
3.2 Project Implementation Timeline (Gantt Chart of Activities 
linked to Logical Framework)
3.3 Budget (with cost of Activities linked to Outputs for Budget 
Performance Integration)

4. Project Monitoring and Evaluation

4.1 Indicators and Means of Verification *
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    \*\ Initial choice of and justification of indicators and means 
of verification can be refined and/or adapted after baseline 
collection and development of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
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4.2 Baseline Data Collection Plan

5. Institutional and Management Framework

5.1 Institutional Arrangements for Implementation
5.2 Collaborating and Implementing Institutions (Partners) and 
Responsibilities
5.3 Other Donor or International Organization Activity and 
Coordination
5.4 Project Management Organizational Chart

6. Inputs

6.1 Inputs provided by the DOL
6.2 Inputs provided by the Grantee
6.3 National and/or Other Contributions

7. Sustainability

Annex A: Full presentation of the Applicant's Logical Framework 
matrix

(A worked example of a Logical Framework matrix and other background 
documentation for this SGA are available from the ILAB Web site at 
http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/education/SGA0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm.)

[FR Doc. 03-7482 Filed 3-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-U