[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 74 (Thursday, April 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19012-19028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9519]



[[Page 19012]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Solicitation for Grant Applications; National Farm Worker Jobs 
Program; Housing Assistance for Migrants and Seasonal Farmworkers

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and Solicitation for Grant 
Applications (SGA) for the National Farm Worker Jobs Program and for 
Housing Assistance to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department or DOL), 
Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of National 
Programs (ONP), Division of Seasonal Farm Worker Programs (DSFP), 
announces a grant competition for operating the National Farm Worker 
Jobs Program (NFJP), AND for housing assistance for migrants and 
seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), under Section 167 of the Workforce 
Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), 29 U.S.C. 9201. All applicants for grant 
funds should read this notice in its entirety.
    Section 167, paragraph (a) of WIA requires that the Secretary award 
grants or contracts on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the 
purposes of carrying out the activities authorized under Section 167. 
Under this solicitation, DSFP anticipates that approximately 
$72,213,541 will be available for grant awards for the NFJP, and 
approximately $4,609,840 will be available for grant awards to provide 
housing assistance to migrants and seasonal farmworkers.

DATES: Applications, including those hand-delivered, must be received 
at the address below no later than 4:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 16, 
2003.
    Notice: All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the 
Washington, DC area has been erratic due to mail screening to detect 
anthrax contamination. All applicants should take this into 
consideration when preparing to meet the application deadline. Each 
applicant assumes the risk for ensuring a timely submission of an 
application. If, because of mail screening delays, the Department does 
not receive an application or receives it too late to give it proper 
consideration, even if the application was timely mailed, it will not 
be considered.


    Note: Except as specifically provided, DOL/ETA acceptance of a 
proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor any program(s) 
does not provide a waiver of any grant requirement and/or 
procedures. For example, the OMB circulars require that an entity's 
procurement procedures must require that all procurement 
transactions must be conducted, as practical, to provide open and 
free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to 
provide the services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the 
justification or basis to sole-source the procurement; i.e., avoid 
competition.

ADDRESS: Applications must be directed to the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, 
Attention: Serena Boyd, Room S-4203, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be addressed to 
Serena Boyd, Division of Federal Assistance, phone (202) 693-3301 or 
fax (202) 693-2879. (These are not toll-free numbers). All inquiries 
should reference SGA/DFA-03-108 and include a contact name, fax and 
phone numbers. This announcement will be posted on the Internet on 
ETA's homepage at http://wdsc.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also 
be published on this homepage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Labor (DOL) FY 2003 
Appropriations Act provided funding for PY 2003 (July 1, 2003 through 
June 30, 2004 only). No additional funds are being requested for PY 
2004. Applicants should therefore note that awards made through this 
SGA process are for only one year. An applicant's description of the 
services to be provided should be limited to those service strategies 
that can be provided within the Program Year (PY) specified above.
    Please note that two separate grants applications are being sought 
from this SGA. Applicants are invited to apply for funding to operate 
the local NFJP grants for the delivery of workforce investment services 
and related activities to migrant and seasonal farmworkers; or funding 
to provide farm worker housing assistance to eligible migrants and 
seasonal farmworkers; or both. Applications for funding the NFJP grants 
and the housing grants should be submitted separately, and will be 
reviewed and paneled by the Department separately.

Part I. National Farmworker Jobs Program

Purpose and Background

    The U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Seasonal Farm Worker 
Programs of the Employment and Training Administration is requesting 
grant applications for operating the National Farm Worker Jobs Program 
(NFJP), and/or the farm worker Housing Assistance program, in 
accordance with Section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
(WIA), 29 U.S.C. 9201. WIA calls for a competition for the NFJP program 
to be conducted every two years, but authorizes the Secretary to waive 
this requirement for an additional two years if the grantees are 
performing satisfactorily and upon receipt of an acceptable two-year 
plan for the succeeding two years.
    The current NFJP grants were originally awarded to begin program 
operation on July 1, 1999, and subsequently extended for an additional 
two-year cycle in 2001. Therefore, operational authority for the 
current NFJP grants expires on June 30, 2003, ending the cycle that 
began on July 1, 2001. Housing Assistance grants were also last 
competed in 2001, and their operational authority will also expire on 
June 30, 2003.
    The National Farm Worker Jobs Program (NFJP) is authorized by WIA 
Section 167 to serve economically disadvantaged persons who primarily 
depend on employment in agricultural labor performed within the United 
States, including Puerto Rico, who experience chronic unemployment and 
underemployment. Qualifying participants are typically those persons 
employed on a seasonal or part-time basis in the unskilled and semi-
skilled manual labor occupations in crop and animal production. Through 
training and other workforce development services, the program assists 
eligible seasonal farmworkers and their families to prepare for jobs 
likely to provide stable, year-round employment in agricultural and 
non-agricultural occupations.
    For many years, the NFJP served as the primary vehicle through 
which migrant and seasonal farmworkers were assisted through job 
training to achieve employment in higher-skills, better paying jobs, 
and through supportive services that allowed them to continue their 
agricultural work while providing for their families. Over the years, 
this ``categorical'' targeting resulted in the development of expertise 
among a small number of organizations that devoted their efforts almost 
exclusively to serving farmworkers. As the workforce development system 
continued to evolve toward integrated service delivery rooted in 
collaboration among workforce development programs, these organizations 
continued to be considered the primary, and sometimes the only, program 
operators equipped to serve farmworkers.
    The enactment of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) changed the way

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services were delivered at the local level, by establishing the One-
Stop Career Center system as the cornerstone of the workforce 
investment system. One-Stop Career Centers are intended to be the 
``location,'' whether physical or electronic, where all persons in the 
community may access services from a variety of partner programs. Thus, 
a key feature of the One-Stop system is its universality.
    To ensure that the One-Stop system serves everyone in the 
community, WIA required that specific programs become partners in the 
system, including the NFJP. The NFJP's participation in the One-Stop 
system contributes to creating a seamless delivery of services through 
which collaborating programs provide improved and comprehensive 
services. One-Stop systems can also ensure a greater use of state and 
local formula funded grant programs to serve farmworkers through the 
intensive and training services they need.
    This solicitation is intended to increase farmworkers' access to 
workforce investment services by supporting the continued movement of 
the One-Stop Career Center system toward universality and integrated 
service delivery based on initiatives that:
    1. Remove barriers and disincentives to serving farmworkers and 
increase the access migrant and seasonal farmworkers have to services 
provided through the One-Stop system, including services provided by 
other One-Stop partner agencies.
    2. Develop methods of collaboration, coordination and service 
delivery enhancement leading to optimal use of NFJP resources within 
the One-Stop system that promote employment, earnings and training 
opportunities for farmworkers through the One-Stop system.
    3. Increase the opportunities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers 
to transition into occupations with high employment and wage growth 
potential both within and outside agricultural industry.
    4. Use the expertise of community-based, faith-based and other 
organizations that specialize in serving farmworkers' workforce 
development needs to build the capacity of One-Stop systems to be 
effective in serving farmworkers.
    This solicitation establishes the following objectives for the 
National Farmworker Jobs Program to support these initiatives:
    [sbull] Development of workforce investment service arrangements 
that lead to co-enrollment of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in WIA 
Title I formula funded adult and dislocated worker services, and 
services provided by other One-Stop partner agencies.
    [sbull] Development of training strategies leading to the specific 
skill training activities that enable farmworkers to transition into 
higher skilled and higher paid employment either in agriculture or 
outside the industry. These training strategies should also target 
employment with high growth potential.
    [sbull] Improvement of English language proficiency of farmworkers 
who are not bilingual, and achievement of competencies for farmworkers 
who are basic skills deficient.
    [sbull] The enabling of farmworkers to become proficient in basic 
computer skills and using the Internet as a source of information on 
job and training opportunities.
    Legal and Regulatory Requirements: The NFJP program is subject to 
Section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act and the Department's 
regulations at 20 CFR part 669. This program is also subject to the 
requirements of 29 CFR parts 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 96 
(Audit Requirements), and 98 (Debarment, Suspension, and Drug-Free 
Workplace Requirements); as well as the Department's non-discrimination 
regulations at 29 CFR part 34 and the non-discrimination regulations 
implementing WIA Section 188 at 29 CFR part 37. Applicants should be 
familiar with and consult the WIA regulations at 20 CFR parts 660 
through 671 in developing their grant proposals. Should the regulations 
at part 669 of WIA conflict with regulations elsewhere in 20 CFR, the 
regulations at part 669 will control.
    In addition, this program is subject to the provisions of the 
``Jobs for Veterans Act,'' Public Law 107-288, which provides priority 
of service to veterans and certain of their spouses in all Department 
of Labor-funded job training programs. Please note that, to obtain 
priority of service, a veteran must meet that program's eligibility 
requirements (NFJP, in this instance). Comprehensive policy guidance is 
being developed and will be issued in the near future.
    State Areas and Planning Estimates: State area planning estimates 
will be announced in a separate Federal Register Notice. The amount 
available nationally for the NFJP allotments is $72,213,541, and 
$4,609,840 is available for housing assistance. For purposes of this 
grant application, proposals are assumed to cover the entire 
agricultural area of the state unless otherwise stated by the 
applicant, including supporting rationale. The FY 2003 appropriation 
for this program provides that no state area shall receive less than 85 
percent of its 1998 funding level. Funds will be awarded for one year 
only, as no budget authority has been requested for this program in FY 
2004, and current congressional action affects only FY 2003.
    Consultation with Governors and Local Boards: Executive Order No. 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' and the 
implementing regulations at 29 CFR part 17 are applicable to this 
program. Under these requirements, an applicant must provide a copy of 
the funding proposal for comment to the states that have established a 
consultation process under the Executive Order. Applications must be 
submitted to the state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC), no later than 
the deadline for submission of the application to the Department. For 
states that have not established a consultative process under E.O. 
12372, but have a State Workforce Investment Board (State Board), the 
State Board will be the SPOC. For WIA implementation purposes, this 
consultative process fulfills the requirement of WIA Section 167(e) 
concerning consultation with Governors and Local Workforce Investment 
Boards. To strengthen the implementation of E.O. 12372, the Department 
establishes the following timeframe for its treatment of comments from 
the state's SPOC on WIA Section 167 applications:
    1. The SPOC must submit comments, if any, to the Department and to 
the applicant, no later than 30 days after the deadline date for the 
submission of applications;
    2. The applicant's response to the SPOC comments, if any, must be 
submitted to the Department no later than 15 days after the post-marked 
date of the comments from the SPOC;
    3. The Department will notify the SPOC of its decision regarding 
the SPOC comments and applicant response; and
    4. The Department will implement that decision within 10 days after 
it has notified the SPOC.

Contents of Grant Application

    Note: The following requirements apply to applicants for the 
NFJP portion of the program. Applicants for the housing assistance 
component of the program are directed to PART II of this SGA. 
Applicants seeking funding for both the NFJP program and the Housing 
Assistance program should submit two separate applications, as noted 
in the SUMMARY section of this SGA.

    Applicants need not be a current or prior WIA Section 167 grantee 
to establish eligibility to be awarded a grant under this solicitation.
    To provide training and employment opportunities and other related

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assistance services to eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers under 
WIA Section 167, the Department will select those applicants submitting 
proposals that are deemed the most responsive to the requirements of 
this SGA. WIA Section 167 provides that, in order for an applicant to 
be eligible to receive a grant the grantee must have:
    1. An understanding of the problems of eligible migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers, including their dependents;
    2. A familiarity with the geographical area to be served; and
    3. A demonstrated capacity to effectively administer a diversified 
program of workforce investment activities and related assistance for 
eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    Additionally, to be responsive to the objectives of this SGA, 
applications for a grant award must demonstrate how:
    1. Service delivery arrangements will be put in place that lead to 
an expanded co-enrollment of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in WIA 
Title I formula funded adult and dislocated worker services, as well as 
services provided by other One-Stop partner agencies. Applicants must 
also demonstrate how they will work with Local Workforce Development 
Boards in the proposed service area(s) to assure that activities 
proposed under the Section 167 grant are coordinated with, and build 
on, the workforce development strategies and services indicated in the 
local workforce investment plan (see Workforce Investment Act final 
rules at Sec.  661.345 to Sec.  661.355).
    If the applicant is a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), a 
One-Stop Career Center operator applying on behalf of a LWIB, the 
application must demonstrate how efforts were undertaken to integrate 
services provided by all One'Stop partners and to enhance the workforce 
and related services provided to farmworkers.
    2. Training strategies and specific skill opportunities will be 
provided that enable farmworkers to transition into higher skilled and 
higher paid jobs with employment growth potential either in agriculture 
or outside the industry.
    3. The English language proficiency of farmworkers who are not 
bilingual will be improved and how competencies for farmworkers who are 
basic skill deficient will be improved.
    4. Training strategies will be established to enable farmworkers to 
become proficient in basic computer skills and using the Internet as a 
source of information on job and training opportunities.
    For purposes of this grant application, applications are solicited 
for a single NFJP operation per state, to serve the migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers of each state and Puerto Rico, with the following 
exceptions:
    [sbull] Connecticut and Rhode Island are a combined state service 
area;
    [sbull] Delaware and Maryland are a combined state service area;
    [sbull] Applications for the combined state areas mentioned above 
must address the two states as a single geographic area, but the 
proposed service delivery plan for the combined state area must show 
that consideration has been given to the entire population of migrant 
and seasonal farmworkers working or residing within the combined state 
geographic area;
    [sbull] Between 4 and 6 applications will be selected to operate 
the NFJP program in the agricultural counties of California; and
    [sbull] No application will be accepted to provide services in 
Alaska due to the State's small relative share of seasonal agricultural 
employment.

Submission of Proposals

    A cover letter, an original plus two (2) copies of the proposal, 
and one (1) blue ink-signed original SF 424 must be timely submitted to 
the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 
Division of Financial Assistance, Room S-4203, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210. This proposal must have two parts: (1) A 
technical proposal; and (2) a cost proposal.
    Hand-delivered applications. To be considered for funding, hand-
delivered applications must be received not later than 4:45 p.m., 
Eastern Time, on the closing date, at the specified address.
    Withdrawl of applications. Applications may be withdrawn by written 
notice or telegram (including mail gram) received at any time before an 
award is made. Applications may be withdrawn in person by the applicant 
or by an authorized representative, if the representative's identity is 
made known and the representative signs a receipt for the application. 
Failure to adhere to the above instructions will be basis for a 
determination of non-responsiveness.

Format and Content of Grant Application

    An application must consist of two (2) separate and distinct parts: 
A technical proposal and a cost proposal. The grant application should 
be limited to 50 numbered pages, double spaced, in 12-point type and 
typewritten on one side of the paper only. Letters of support and any 
required attachments will not be subject to the page limitations. 
Include all attachments under Part III.
Applicant Eligibility for the NFJP Program
A. Understanding the Problems of the Eligible Migrants and Seasonal 
Farmworkers in the State or Area
    Understanding the area's economy and the problems faced by the 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers working within that economy is 
essential to formulating a comprehensive service strategy to increase 
their employment and earnings. In this section, applicants must 
describe the economy in the geographic area they propose to serve, and 
how that economy affects the employment conditions of migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers over the course of the service year.
    1. Describe the agricultural economy present in the geographic area 
to be served. Include information about the general employment 
conditions, numbers of employers, and any changes in the economic 
conditions expected during the course of the year that hold 
implications for how best to meet the employment and training needs of 
farmworkers. In addition to indicating the number of employers in the 
geographic area to be served, describe the key growers and agribusiness 
employers in the area, especially those that are likely to make a 
significant contribution to employment growth in the higher-wage, 
higher-skilled agricultural occupations.
    2. Describe the agricultural and non-agricultural labor markets in 
proposed service area(s). Applicants should be specific about the job 
opportunities that are expected to be available and the applicant's 
capacity to serve as a broker, both within the business community and 
the One-Stop system, to improve farmworkers' access to these 
opportunities. The description should also include a discussion of 
projected high growth occupations in the proposed service the area that 
hold the potential for improved employment and earnings for 
farmworkers.
    3. Describe the socio-economic characteristics and problems faced 
by eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and their dependents, in 
the proposed service area.
    4. Summarize the applicant's understanding of the economy and labor 
market in the proposed service are and discuss the implications of 
descriptions provided in sub-sections 1, 2 and 3, above, for the kind 
of workforce development assistance required to significantly increase 
the employment

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and earnings of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the area.

B. Familiarity With the Proposed Service Area

    To achieve high performance in increasing farmworkers' employment 
and earnings, an NFJP grantee must have the capacity to mobilize a 
broad array of resources to meet the diverse needs of migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers in the proposed service area. The task of 
mobilizing resources must be informed by an understanding of the One-
Stop Career Center system in the area(s) and the network of social, 
educational and health services available to support farmworkers' labor 
force participation and to assist them in improving their employment 
and earnings over time.
    This section calls for information that demonstrates an 
understanding of the One-Stop system and the applicant's experience and 
effectiveness in establishing collaborative working relationships that 
achieve the integrated service delivery needed to increase employment 
and training opportunities for farmworkers. This section also calls for 
information that demonstrates the applicant's experience and 
effectiveness in collaborating with the network of social, educational 
and other services that exist in the proposed service area(s) and how 
the applicant proposes to engage these service networks to obtain 
appropriate services for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    1. Describe the applicant's experience, if any, as an operator of a 
WIA Title I formula-funded program that served farmworkers. Include a 
description of how the applicant's work with the local One-Stop Career 
Center system resulted in enhancing the scope of workforce development 
assistance available to farmworkers. If the applicant is currently, or 
was previously, designated as the One-Stop Career Center operator, the 
operator of a ``satellite'' One-Stop Career Center, by the Local 
Workforce Investment Board, describe efforts to integrate services 
provided by all One-Stop partners to enhance workforce and related 
services to farmworkers. Indicate the success of these efforts.
    2. Describe the applicant's experience in engaging One-Stop 
partners, other than the NFJP partner, in its service delivery strategy 
for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The discussion should include a 
description of the applicant's experience at developing or continuously 
improving the working relationships between partners to enhance the 
scope and quality of workforce development services available to 
farmworkers. Include instances where co-enrollment of eligible migrant 
and seasonal farmworkers was achieved and how.
    3. Describe the network of faith-based and community-based 
organizations in the service area; describe the applicant's experience 
in engaging these organizations in its service delivery strategy for 
migrants and seasonal farmworkers. Include a description of the 
applicant's experience in working with grassroots faith-based and 
community-based organizations in providing for supplementary and 
supportive services.
    4. Describe the applicant's experience in representing the NFJP or 
another One-Stop partner in negotiations of Memoranda of Understanding 
(MOUs) with local workforce investment boards (local boards). Include 
specific examples of successfully negotiated arrangements that 
benefited the partner program represented by the organization, whether 
NFJP or any other partner. Also discuss how the negotiated terms of the 
MOU enhanced services for farmworkers and/or other participants. Where 
the applicant represents a partner program in a state and has been 
unable to negotiate an MOU with a local board, describe the efforts to 
develop an action plan with the local board and the results achieved.
    5. If the applicant is a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), 
or a One-Stop Career Center operator applying on behalf of a LWIB, 
describe efforts to integrate services provided by all One-Stop 
partners to enhance workforce and related services provided to 
farmworkers. Indicate the success of these efforts. Additionally, 
describe the success achieved in enrolling and serving farm workers in 
WIA formula-funded programs.
    6. Describe the network of social, educational, faith-based and 
other services that exist in the proposed service area. Include a 
discussion of the applicant's existing (or proposed) working 
relationships with the One-Stop system and with other agencies, 
organizations, and institutions that are part of the service network 
and are relevant to the needs of farmworkers. Provide examples of the 
other services available, such as adult education, English as a Second 
Language, etc.
    7. Describe the applicant's strategy mobilizing the local services 
network to provide comprehensive services to farmworkers while 
achieving optimal use of limited NFJP resources. The description should 
clearly present how the strategy will engage the local services 
network, including faith-based and community-based organizations, to 
provide the supportive services (also called ``related assistance 
services'') farmworkers may need to remain in the labor force or to 
participate in training. A major objective of the strategy should be to 
maximize the amount of NFJP funds available for training and other 
workforce development assistance by identifying other funding sources 
for supportive services.
C. Administrative Capacity
    The information provided in this section should describe the 
applicant's capacity to effectively administer a diversified program of 
workforce investment activities. Applicants must describe the 
mechanisms it plans to use to establish and maintain program and fiscal 
oversight and integrity.
1. Program Integrity
    The applicant should describe its management information and 
performance management systems and its plans to maintain the program 
records (including individual participant records) needed for reporting 
and performance accountability and management, and to establish and to 
maintain a case management system.
    Additionally, the applicant must describe its experience with 
performance management systems and explain its perspective on the role 
of performance management and how it should be used to improve customer 
service.
    Case management presumes a client-centered approach to delivering 
workforce investment activities and support services. For optimum 
results, case management should be technology-based; i.e., fully 
utilizing computer technology and other electronic tools. Applicants 
should describe their experience in using case management systems, 
including the results achieved from using that approach.
2. Fiscal Integrity
    The applicant must describe a record keeping system that is 
sufficient to prepare financial reports and to trace funds to adequate 
levels of expenditures to ensure lawful spending. In this connection, 
applicants must describe their capacity to manage the supportive 
services, often referred to as ``related assistance services'' and to 
account for expenditures related to these services.
    ``Related assistance services'' refers to short-term support 
services designed to assist farmworkers to retain or stabilize their 
agricultural employment or to enable their participation in NFJP 
activities.
    Describe the applicant's approach to managing the delivery of 
related

[[Page 19016]]

assistance services to farmworkers (except those housing assistance 
supportive services provided through a housing assistance grant). 
Include a description of how the need for related assistance services 
will be determined. The description should discuss whether the criteria 
used to determine the need for related assistance services differs 
among migrant and seasonal farmworker groups, what the differences are 
and the rationale for the differentiation.
    Also describe the applicant's strategy for minimizing the use of 
NFJP funds for related assistance services and significantly increasing 
funding from other sources that are the traditional resource in rural 
communities of the state for providing supportive services.
3. Electronic Reporting
    The NFJP program is required to use electronic reporting via the 
Internet. In this section, applicants' should describe the applicant's 
capacity to provide the equipment, access and staff qualified to 
perform on-line reporting. In addition, describe the applicant's 
capacity to provide all case management staff and others, as 
appropriate, with electronic tools such as PCs, software for word 
processing and spreadsheets, individual e-mail accounts, and Internet 
access with an agency provided ISP.

    Note: PY 2003 grantees will be required to provide personal 
computers, individual e-mail accounts and Internet access for all 
customer service staff. For purposes of this SGA, customer service 
staff are those personnel who have or make the contacts with farm 
worker customers to conduct outreach, recruitment, objective 
assessment, testing, counseling, individual employment planning, job 
training planning, placement and follow-up.

D. Activities and Services Proposed for the State Service Area
    This section calls for information that describes the proposed 
service approach in detail and elaborates on other aspects of the 
program design other than those provided in the qualifications 
statements under Sections A through C.
    The proposed service plan should describe in detail the major 
program activities proposed for the service area for PY 2003 (July 1, 
2003-June 30, 2004).
    The applicant's proposal should show how the program activities 
described in this Section are intended to achieve the NFJP's objectives 
for PY 2003, as defined in this solicitation's Purpose and Background 
Section:
    [sbull] Development of workforce investment service arrangements 
that lead to co-enrollment of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in WIA 
Title I formula funded adult and dislocated worker services, and 
services provided by other One-Stop partner agencies.
    [sbull] Development of the training strategies and provision of the 
specific skill training that enable farmworkers to transition into 
higher skilled and higher paid employment, either in agriculture or 
outside the industry. These training strategies should also target 
employment with high growth potential.
    [sbull] Improvement of English language proficiency of farmworkers 
who are not bilingual, and achievement of competencies for farmworkers 
who are basic skills deficient.
    [sbull] Enabling farmworkers to become proficient in basic computer 
skills and using the Internet as a source of information on job and 
training opportunities.
    The applicant's proposal should include the following information 
and descriptions and discuss how the plan of service achieves the above 
objectives:
    Service strategy: Provide a brief statement of vision, strategy, 
goals and objectives that guide the proposed plan of services for 
farmworkers and the results expected to be achieved from implementing 
the strategy. Also, identify opportunities to strengthen the service 
strategy through new partnerships (e.g., with faith-based and 
community-based organizations). The strategy and the service plan 
should strengthen migrant and seasonal farmworkers' ability to obtain 
or retain employment through activities that stabilize their 
agricultural employment, prepare them for higher-skill, higher-paid 
jobs within or outside of agriculture, or prepare them for success as 
entrepreneurs. The service strategy must describe how it reflects the 
result of collaboration with Local Workforce Investment Boards and 
complements the workforce development strategies and services presented 
in the local workforce investment plan. Discuss how the services 
strategy expands workforce and related services available to farm 
workers due to closer coordination between the Section 167 service 
strategy and plan and the local workforce investment plan.
    If the applicant is a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), a 
One-Stop Career Center operator applying on behalf of a LWIB, the 
application must demonstrate how the service strategy integrates 
services provided by all One-Stop partners, especially services 
provided by Section 167 grantees resulting in an enhancement of the 
workforce and related services provided to farmworkers.
    1. State service area: Identify the state service area. If the 
proposal is for less than the entire agricultural area of the state, 
identify the geographic areas of the state where the organization 
proposes to operate. Provide the rationale for supporting the 
geographic area selected.
    2. Program plan of service: Include an estimate of the number of 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers, respectively, who will be provided 
training services. Additionally, provide an estimate of the number of 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers, respectively, who will be provided 
related assistance services (excluding housing assistance). For the 
specific activities included in the plan, describe the program of 
services proposed according to the following categories:
    (a) Outreach and recruitment: Describe strategies for conducting 
outreach and recruitment for eligible migrant and non-migratory 
farmworkers, respectively. Include descriptions of the specific types 
of places, such as through faith-based or community-based 
organizations, where outreach and recruitment will occur.
    (b) Case Management: Describe the proposed customer-centered case 
management system. Include specific details, such as information about 
the staff's responsibilities for managing the case management system, 
the community resources that are available to staff, and the staffs' 
capacity for developing those resources through alliances and other 
joint endeavors, such as participation in the One-Stop system, in order 
to expand the availability of services for farmworker customers.
    (c) Core Services: Describe how the organization expects to provide 
core services as a One-Stop Career Center, or in partnership with the 
local One-Stop Center, and the workforce investment delivery system in 
the service area. Briefly explain the eligibility determination system 
and how service priorities are determined.
    (d) Intensive Services: Describe the intensive services proposed, 
the strategy for providing those services, and how the One-Stop system 
will be involved in the provision of services. Intensive services are 
defined in WIA section 134(d)(3) and 20 CFR 669.370 and include such 
activities as group and individual counseling, skill assessment, work 
experience, objective assessment and supportive services.
    The description must include the proposed strategy for providing 
Individual Employment Plans, described at 20 CFR 669.400; case 
management, and must specifically address how the organization proposes 
to incorporate case management

[[Page 19017]]

concepts to provide an individualized operating system for the delivery 
of client services, as well as how the organization plans to use 
objective assessments as described at 20 CFR 669.380 (i.e., the 
delivery of intensive and training services should flow from the 
objective assessment process).
    Additionally, please describe how the organization will build its 
capacity for responding appropriately to an individual's needs that are 
identified by the objective assessment. This may include how the 
program will develop and provide its intensive services, such as the 
ones identified in WIA 134(d)((3)(C) and 20 CFR 669.370, which 
specifically includes drop-out prevention, allowance payments and work 
experience. Descriptions should show that the case management system 
ensures a client-centered approach, one designed to prepare and 
coordinate comprehensive employment plans for participants that include 
access to necessary workforce investment activities and supportive 
services, using, where feasible, computer-based technologies. (See WIA 
subsection 101(5).)
    If work experience is expected to be offered as an activity, 
describe how the determination as to its appropriateness will be made, 
as well as how the organization will measure its effectiveness. Include 
a description of any controls to be used. It should be noted that work 
experience activities are WIA Intensive Services; therefore, applicants 
should provide a complete description and justification for any planned 
work experience activity that will be unpaid or that will use the for-
profit sector to host the work experience participants. (To be allowed, 
work experience activities incorporating these concepts must be 
described in the approved grant plan. See 20 CFR 669.370 (b)(i) and 
(b)(ii)(B))
    Include descriptions of any additional intensive services to be 
provided that have not been already described, such as provision of 
allowance payments.
    (e) Training Services: Describe the training strategies to be used 
to significantly increase employment and earnings of farmworkers. 
Indicate how these training strategies will:
    [sbull] Transition farmworkers into higher-skilled and higher-paid 
employment either in agriculture or outside the industry;
    [sbull] Create cross training opportunities and assist farmworkers 
to qualify for cross training employment opportunities;
    [sbull] Create entrepreneurial training and micro-enterprise 
development opportunities for farmworkers;
    [sbull] Target appropriate individuals and provide training to 
improve the English language proficiency of farmworkers who are not 
bilingual, and achieve competency for farmworkers who are basic skills 
deficient; and
    [sbull] Enable farmworkers to become proficient in basic computer 
skills and using the Internet as a source of information on job and 
training opportunities.
    (f) Performance results: Describe how the organization will provide 
for job placement and other positive outcomes for participants. The 
description should address how job placement opportunities will be 
pursued among key growers and agribusiness employers likely to 
contribute to employment growth in the higher-wage, higher-skilled 
agricultural occupations. Similarly, the description should address how 
high-growth, high-wage, and high-skills job placement opportunities 
will be secured for farmworkers from those employers outside 
agriculture.
    (g) Follow-up Services: Describe how the organization will conduct 
follow up for those who are placed in jobs and who are engaged in 
entrepreneurial activities.
    (h) Related Assistance Services: Describe the supportive services 
needed by migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents to 
assist them in retaining employment, engaging in cross training, 
training for other, non-agricultural occupations, or engaging in 
entrepreneurial training.
    Describe the strategy for providing related assistance services 
under the NFJP. Provide separate descriptions for those farmworkers for 
whom only related assistance services will be provided. Describe the 
kinds of services anticipated and the limitations to be imposed, such 
as a unit cost limitation.
    Discuss how supportive services available through the NFJP will be 
linked with the supportive services available to farmworkers through 
One-Stop partner programs, or other agencies providing needed 
supportive services.
    Discuss how faith-based and community-based organizations will be 
used, where applicable, in providing related assistance services.
    (i) Administrative Costs: Grantees are generally limited to 15 
percent of the grant for administrative costs (see definition at 20 CFR 
Part 667). If the organization expects that the administrative cost 
burden will exceed 15 percent, provide the justification in this 
section.

Rating Criteria for Award

    A DOL review panel will use the point scoring system and the Rating 
Criteria format specified below to review applications. Applications 
will be ranked based on the score assigned by the panel after careful 
evaluation by each panel member. It is required that all applicants use 
the Rating Criteria format when developing their applications in 
response to this SGA.
    Scoring: The following full review criteria (totaling a maximum 
score of 100 points) apply to all applicants.
(1) Understanding the Problems of Migrants and Seasonal Farmworkers (20 
points)
    The application must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the 
dynamics of the agricultural economy in the geographic area to be 
served, the socio-economic characteristics of eligible migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers and their families in the service area, and the 
implications of the foregoing for the kind of workforce development 
assistance strategies required to increase the employment and earnings 
of eligible workers in the proposed area of service.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on how well the applicant 
links its understanding of the agricultural economy and the 
characteristics of the eligible population in the geographic area to be 
served to the workforce development assistance needed to achieve 
significant employment and earnings increases. The evaluation of the 
application's response to this factor will also look for evidence of 
insight into the opportunities that the local economy presents to move 
farmworkers into higher-paid, higher-skilled employment both within and 
outside the agricultural industry.
(2) Familiarity With Proposed Service Area (20 points)
    The applicant must demonstrate its familiarity with the network of 
workforce development and related services, including, where 
applicable, services provided by faith-based and community-based 
organizations, available to assist farmworkers to increase their 
employment and earnings, and the applicant's experience and success 
with causing these networks to direct their resources to address 
farmworkers' employment, earnings and supportive services needs.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on the comprehensiveness of 
the applicant's knowledge of the One-Stop Career Center system in the 
proposed area(s) of service and the related services offered by social, 
educational,

[[Page 19018]]

faith-based and community-based organizations, and health services 
whose services support farmworkers' labor force participation and 
assist them to improve their employment and earnings over time. The 
evaluation of the applicant's response to this factor will also look 
for evidence that the applicant has had experience in working within 
the One-Stop Career Center system as a partner or service provider and 
will be effective in mobilizing both the One-Stop system and other 
service systems in a way that maximizes the amount of NFJP funds that 
are available to fill training gaps in the local One-Stop system with 
respect to farmworkers and maximizes the funding available from non-
NFJP sources for supportive services.
    If the applicant is a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), or a 
One-Stop Career Center operator applying on behalf of a LWIB, scoring 
will be based on the success of efforts to integrate services provided 
by all One-Stop partners, including Section 167 grantees, to enhance 
the workforce and related services provided to farmworkers. Special 
emphasis will be placed on the success achieved in enrolling and 
serving farm workers in WIA formula-funded programs.
(3) Administrative Capacity (20 points)
    The applicant must demonstrate that it has or will have adequate 
management information, performance management, case management, 
accounting and program and fiscal reporting systems in place to assure 
the program and fiscal integrity of the services financed with funds 
awarded through this solicitation.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on evidence that the applicant 
has the capacity to effectively administer a diversified program of 
workforce investment assistance using appropriate administrative 
systems to maintain program and fiscal oversight and monitoring. The 
evaluation of the application's response to this factor will look for 
evidence of effective accounting performance management, and program 
and fiscal reporting systems as well as the applicant's ability to 
report electronically through the Internet.
(4) Proposed Plan of Service (40 points)
    The applicant must demonstrate that its proposed plan service will 
meet the objectives of this solicitation. The objectives in question 
seek to increase farmworkers' co-enrollment in WIA Title I formula 
funded adult and displaced worker services; transition farmworkers into 
higher-skilled, higher-paid jobs in or outside agriculture; improve the 
English language proficiency of farmworkers who are not bilingual; and 
enable farm workers to become proficient in computer skills and 
Internet use.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on evidence that the applicant 
has used (1) its understanding of the problems of eligible migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers, (2) its knowledge of the agricultural economy 
(including placement opportunities among key growers, agribusiness, and 
non-agricultural employers), and (3) its familiarity with the proposed 
service area (including the network of social, educational, faith-based 
and community-based organizations) to develop a service strategy and 
plan of service that will be successful in meeting the objectives of 
this solicitation and holds the potential to have a measurable impact 
on improving the employment and earnings of farmworkers. Additionally, 
the evaluation of the applicant's response to this factor will look for 
(4) evidence of comprehensiveness and the potential effectiveness of 
the proposed service strategy and plan of service within the context of 
the background the proposal provides of the workforce development needs 
of farmworkers in the proposed service area and the opportunities to 
address those needs. If the applicant is a LWIB or a One-Stop Career 
Center operator applying on behalf of a LWIB, the evaluation (5) will 
assess whether significant success has been achieved in integrating 
services provided by all One-Stop partners, especially services 
provided by Section 167 grantees, to enhance of the workforce and 
related services farmworkers receive. Special emphasis will be placed 
on the success achieved in enrolling and serving farm workers in WIA 
formula-funded programs. Finally, if the applicant is not a LWIB or 
One-Stop operator applying on behalf of an LWIB, the evaluation of this 
factor will (6) assess whether the Section 167 service strategy and 
service plan reflect a knowledge of the local workforce investment plan 
and proposes services that complement that plan in a way that expands 
workforce services available to farm workers.

Review Process for Grant Applications

    Panel Review: The Grant Officer will select potential grantees 
utilizing all information available to him/her. A review panel will 
rate each proposal according to the criteria specified in the SGA. 
Panel results are critical to selecting grantees but are advisory in 
nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer may, at 
his/her discretion, request an applicant to submit additional or 
clarifying information if needed to make a selection. However, 
selections may be made without further contact with the applicants. In 
such situations, an award will be based on the offeror's signature on 
the SF 424, which constitutes a binding offer.
    Responsibility Review: Prior to awarding a grant, the Department 
will conduct a responsibility review of each potential grantee through 
available records. The responsibility review relies on testing 
available records to determine if the applicant has a satisfactory 
history of accounting for Federal funds and property. The 
responsibility review is independent of the competitive process. 
Applicants failing to meet the requirements of this section may be 
disqualified for selection as grantees, irrespective of their standing 
in the competition. Any applicant that is not selected as a result of a 
Grant Officer's responsibility review will be advised of its appeal 
rights. The responsibility tests that will be applied are those present 
in the WIA regulations (20 CFR 667.170).
    Areas not Competed: In the event that no grant applications are 
received for a state, or all applications received are deemed non-
responsive, or a grant agreement is not successfully negotiated with a 
selected applicant, the Department will offer the Governor of the State 
a right of first refusal to submit an acceptable application if that 
state has not applied. If the Governor does not accept this offer 
within 15 days after being notified, the Department may designate 
another organization, reopen the area for competitive bidding, allocate 
the area funds by formula to all other service areas, or transfer the 
funds for that service area to national account activities.
    Notification of Non-Selection: Any applicant that is not selected 
as a potential grantee or whose application has been denied in part or 
in whole by the Department will be notified in writing by the Grant 
Officer and advised of all appeal rights.
    Notification of Selection: Applicants submitting applications in 
response to this SGA that are selected as potential grantees will be 
notified in writing by the Grant Officer. The notification will invite 
each potential grantee to negotiate the final terms and conditions of 
the grant as applicable, will establish a reasonable time and place for 
the negotiations, and will indicate the specific service delivery area 
and amount of funds to be allocated under the grant. FY 2003 funds will 
be awarded for the period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. Grant plans 
will be approved for that one year only.

[[Page 19019]]

Part II. Housing Assistance

    In the FY 2003 Appropriations bill Congress made available 
$4,609,840 for housing assistance services to eligible migrants and 
seasonal farmworkers. As noted in the Purpose and Background section of 
this SGA, applicants for Housing Assistance grants that are also 
applying for the NFJP grants must submit a separate application for the 
Housing Assistance grants. The Department will fund proposals according 
to the Rating Criteria listed at the end of this Part, up to the level 
of funding available.
    The Department is committed to greater accountability in the 
utilization of Housing Assistance grants to ensure that housing 
supportive services are provided, as a first priority, to eligible 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers who have the greatest need for housing 
assistance. The Department intends to achieve greater accountability 
for addressing this priority through the following requirements:
    [sbull] Housing assistance may only be provided to Section 167 
eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers;
    [sbull] Housing assistance will be permitted for direct support 
payments for emergency and temporary housing and for direct investments 
in housing assistance for migrant and seasonal farmworkers at their 
home base. Indirect services, such as leveraging services to increase 
or maintain the housing stock available to farmworkers, are also 
authorized. However, these indirect services must focus exclusively on 
increasing (or maintaining) the stock of emergency and temporary 
housing, including portable housing units.
    [sbull] Housing assistance must be related to the promotion of a 
farmworker's employment through a documented strategy that supports 
that farmworker's housing needs while they are employed in agricultural 
labor or while they are receiving intensive and/or training services. 
This strategy may be identified through an Individual Employment Plan 
(IEP).
    The Department seeks to promote the use of temporary and portable 
housing designs that meet safety and health standards for use by 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers that have been unable to find safe, 
affordable housing during their migrations. Proposals that include such 
strategies should provide for the utilization of Energy Star-rated 
designs whenever possible. Please note that, as before, grant funds may 
not be used for facilities construction.
Contents of Grant Application
A. Understanding the Problems of the Eligible Migrant and Seasonal 
Farmworkers of the State or Area
    An understanding of the area's economy, the housing market in the 
area and the problems faced by migrant and seasonal farmworkers working 
within that economy, is essential to formulating an effective strategy 
to provide housing assistance to migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    1. Describe the housing market in the area including the role that 
employer-provided housing and publicly subsidized housing plays in 
defining the stock of standard housing available to farmworkers and 
discuss the problems Section 167 eligible farmworkers encounter when 
seeking temporary and emergency housing in the state. Discuss how these 
problems affect their ability to obtain and retain employment, or to 
participate in job search and or training activities to improve their 
employment and earnings whether in or outside agriculture.
    2. Describe the strategy for identifying, and conducting outreach 
to, eligible migrant farmworkers who have critical housing needs.
B. Familiarity With the Area To Be Served
    In order to provide housing services that are appropriate for the 
migrant and seasonal farmworkers the program serves, the applicant must 
be familiar with the housing conditions in the proposed service area 
and the housing assistance available from other agencies that provide 
relevant assistance--for example, the One-Stop Career Center system, 
and the wider community of social service agencies, including faith-
based and community-based agencies. The application should:
    1. Provide an analysis of the housing assistance resources 
available from employers and state and local agencies to respond to the 
temporary and year-round housing needs of migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers in the state. Include housing assistance available through 
faith-based and community-based organizations. Discuss the applicant's 
experience and effectiveness in engaging the resources of these 
agencies to meet farmworkers' temporary and emergency housing needs.
    2. Describe the types of housing assistance activities appropriate 
for addressing the needs of the eligible migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers in the area. Provide a housing assistance strategy for 
those farmworkers that require assistance in order to remain in 
agricultural labor, as well as for those who require temporary or 
emergency housing to obtain and retain employment, or to participate in 
job search and or job training activities to improve their employment 
and earnings, whether in or outside agriculture.
C. Administrative Capacity
    The information provided in this section should describe the 
applicant's capacity to effectively administer a program of temporary 
and emergency housing assistance. Applicants must describe the 
mechanisms it plans to use to establish and maintain program and fiscal 
oversight and integrity.
1. Program Integrity
    The applicant should describe its management information and 
performance management systems and its plans to maintain the program 
records (including individual participant records) needed for reporting 
and performance accountability and management, and to establish and to 
maintain a case management system.
    Additionally, the applicant must describe its experience with 
performance management systems and explain its perspective on the role 
of performance management and how it should be used to improve customer 
service.
    Case management presumes a client-centered approach to housing 
assistance as a support service. For optimum results, case management 
should be technology-based; i.e., fully utilizing computer technology 
and other electronic tools. Applicants should describe their experience 
in using case management systems, including the results achieved from 
using the approach.
2. Fiscal Integrity
    The applicant must describe a record keeping system that is 
sufficient to prepare financial reports and to trace funds to adequate 
levels of expenditures to ensure lawful spending.
    Applicants must describe their capacity to manage housing 
assistance services, including a description of how eligibility to 
receive related assistance services will be determined. The description 
should discuss whether the criteria used to determine eligibility for 
housing assistance services differs among migrant and seasonal 
farmworker groups, what the differences are and the rationale for the 
differentiation.
    Also describe the applicant's strategy for minimizing the use of 
WIA Section 167 funds for temporary and emergency

[[Page 19020]]

assistance services and significantly increasing funding from other 
sources that provide housing assistance in rural communities.
3. Electronic Reporting
    The WIA Section 167 housing assistance program is required to use 
electronic reporting via the Internet. Describe the applicant's 
capacity to provide the equipment, access and staff qualified to 
perform on-line reporting. Describe the applicant's capacity to provide 
all case management staff and others, as appropriate, with electronic 
tools such as PCs, software for word processing and spreadsheets, 
individual e-mail accounts, and Internet access with an agency provided 
ISP.

    Note: PY 2003 grantees will be required to provide personal 
computers, individual e-mail accounts and Internet access for all 
customer service staff.

D. Proposed Activities and Services
    This section will elaborate on the description of an applicant's 
proposed service approach by describing the specific activities in the 
proposed service plan not already covered in the previous sections. 
Applicants should:
    1. Describe the plan for identifying those farmworkers in need of 
housing assistance, including the process for eligibility determination 
and the coordination with the NFJP grantee in the state (to ensure that 
the housing assistance made available to individual migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers is supported by an individual plan or workforce 
investment activities).
    2. Describe, if not done elsewhere, the case management approach to 
be used for housing assistance, and how the organization will manage 
the delivery of housing assistance services.
    3. Describe in detail the specific housing assistance services to 
be offered, including an estimate of the number of migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers, respectively, that will be provided housing assistance. 
Provide separate information for temporary housing and for emergency 
housing.
    4. Describe how eligible farmworkers' housing assistance will be 
coordinated with training and related assistance services provided 
through the NFJP partner if the applicant did not apply for or is not 
awarded an NFJP grant.
Format and Content of Application
    The grant application is limited to 15 pages, double-spaced, in 12 
point type. Letters of support and any required attachments are 
additional pages. Do not include detailed budgets or planning estimates 
with this grant application. Planning and budget documents will be 
requested from selected applicants.

Rating Criteria for Award

    A DOL review panel will use the point scoring system and the Rating 
Criteria format specified below to review applications. Applications 
will be ranked based on the score assigned by the panel after careful 
evaluation by each panel member. It is required that all applicants use 
the Rating Criteria format when developing their applications in 
response to this SGA.
    Scoring: The following full review criteria totaling a maximum 
score of 100 points apply to all applicants.
(1) Eligibility and Understanding (20 points)
    The application must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the 
area's economy, the housing market in the area, and the problems faced 
by migrants and seasonal farmworkers in obtaining housing in the area 
where they live and work.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on how well the applicant 
describes the housing market in the area, including the role that 
employer-provided housing and publicly-subsidized housing, and where, 
applicable, housing provided through faith-based and community-based 
organizations, play in defining the standard housing stock available to 
migrants and seasonal farmworkers. The applicant must also demonstrate 
knowledge of how housing availability impacts the farmworkers' ability 
to obtain and retain employment, or participate in job search and job 
training activities.
(2) Familiarity With Proposed Service Area ( 20 points)
    The applicant must be able to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of 
the housing conditions in the service area, the relevant social 
services agencies that provide housing assistance in the service area 
(including those in the One-Stop system, as well as faith-based and 
community-based organizations), and the resources available to those 
agencies, in order to maximize housing opportunities for migrants and 
seasonal farmworkers, both temporary and permanent.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on the comprehensiveness of 
the analysis presented regarding the housing market in the area, the 
resources available from all other sources in the community, both 
public and private, and the impact on solutions to the temporary and/or 
permanent housing needs of migrants and seasonal farmworkers who are 
trying to get a job, keep a job, or participate in job search and job 
training activities.
(3) Administrative Capacity (20 points)
    The applicant must demonstrate that it has or will have adequate 
management, fiscal and program integrity mechanisms plans to 
effectively administer a temporary and emergency housing assistance 
program.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on evidence that the applicant 
has the capacity to effectively administer a housing assistance 
program, using the appropriate administrative systems to maintain 
program and fiscal oversight and monitoring. The evaluation of the 
applicant's response to this factor will look for evidence of effective 
management, program and fiscal accounting and reporting systems.
(4) Proposed Activities and Services (40 points)
    The applicant must demonstrate that its proposed services plan will 
meet the objectives of this solicitation. The objectives in question 
seek to link services provided through the housing assistance strategy 
to those services provided to eligible migrants and seasonal 
farmworkers participating in an NFJP program (or other formula-funded 
programs of the state), to enable eligible migrants and seasonal 
farmworkers to obtain and retain employment, or participate in job 
search and job training activities.
    Scoring on this factor will be based on evidence that the applicant 
has used its understanding of the housing problems of eligible migrant 
and seasonal farmworkers, its knowledge of the housing market in the 
proposed service area, and its knowledge of the housing resources 
available in the service area to develop a plan of service that 
successfully meets the objectives of this solicitation.

Review Process for Grant Applications

    Panel Review: The Grant Officer will select potential grantees 
utilizing all information available to him/her. A review panel will 
rate each proposal according to the criteria specified in the SGA. 
Panel results are critical to selecting grantees but are advisory in 
nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer may, at 
his/her discretion, request an applicant to submit additional or 
clarifying information if needed to make a selection. However, 
selections may be made without further contact with the applicants. In 
such situations, an award will be based on the offeror's signature on 
the SF 424, which constitutes a binding offer.

[[Page 19021]]

    Responsibility Review: Prior to awarding a grant, the Department 
will conduct a responsibility review of each potential grantee through 
available records. The responsibility review relies on testing 
available records to determine if the applicant has a satisfactory 
history of accounting for Federal funds and property. The 
responsibility review is independent of the competitive process. 
Applicants failing to meet the requirements of this section may be 
disqualified for selection as grantees, irrespective of their standing 
in the competition. Any applicant that is not selected as a result of a 
Grant Officer's responsibility review will be advised of its appeal 
rights. The responsibility tests that will be applied are those present 
in the WIA regulations at 20 CFR 667.170.
    Areas Not Competed: In the event that no grant applications are 
received for a specific service delivery area, or all applications 
received are deemed non-responsive, or a grant agreement is not 
successfully negotiated with a selected applicant, the Department will 
offer the Governor of the State a right of first refusal to submit an 
acceptable application if that state has not applied. If the Governor 
does not accept this offer within 15 days after being notified, the 
Department may designate another organization, reopen the service 
delivery area for competitive bidding, allocate the area funds by 
formula to all other service areas, or transfer the funds for that 
service area to national account activities.
    Notification of Non Selection: Any applicant that is not selected 
as a potential grantee or whose application has been denied in part or 
in whole by the Department will be notified in writing by the Grant 
Officer and advised of all appeal rights.
    Notification of Selection: Applicants submitting applications in 
response to this SGA that are selected as potential grantees will be 
notified in writing by the Grant Officer. The notification will invite 
each potential grantee to negotiate the final terms and conditions of 
the grant as applicable, will establish a reasonable time and place for 
the negotiations, and will indicate the specific service delivery area 
and amount of funds to be allocated under the grant. PY 2003 funds will 
be awarded for the period July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. Grant plans 
will be approved for that one year only.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 14th day of April, 2003.
Lorraine H. Saunders,
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration.
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