[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23997-23999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11141]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 03047]


Strengthening Blood Transfusion Services and Blood Safety in 
Tanzania; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under sections 301, 307, and 317 of the 
Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. 241, 2421, and 247b), as amended. 
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.283.

B. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a grant program to 
design an appropriate approach for strengthening blood transfusion 
services and blood safety in Tanzania.
    The purpose of the program is to assess key needs and resources and 
to make recommendations for strengthening blood supply and transfusion 
services in Tanzania. This program is being performed specifically in 
Tanzania according to U.S. Congressional mandate for Department of 
State, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
implementation in response to the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in 
Tanzania.
    On August 7, 1998, terrorists carried out nearly simultaneous 
bombings of the U.S. Embassies, which were located in a residential 
area of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and in downtown Nairobi, Kenya. Taken 
together, these bombings had their intended terrorist and disastrous 
effect: the occurrence of a large number of premature deaths, disabling 
injuries, and post-traumatic psycho-social stress among the victims 
directly affected and among their families and co-workers. In addition 
to an enormous adverse impact on innocent people, the bombings caused 
substantial damage to property and also revealed widespread weaknesses 
in the disaster preparedness, management, and response capabilities, 
including blood transfusion services.
    In October 1998, at the request of President Clinton and Dr. Donna 
Shalala, then Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS), Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and a team of experts 
traveled to Kenya and Tanzania. Dr.

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Satcher and his team visited the bombing sites, bombing victims, and 
Tanzanian Government institutions and non-governmental organizations 
responsible for disaster management and Emergency Medical Services. The 
Surgeon General reported to the Secretary of DHHS that there was a need 
for two to three years of focused activities in which HHS agencies 
could collaborate with USAID and other stakeholders to assist 
Tanzanians.
    This project for designing an appropriate approach for 
strengthening blood transfusion services in Tanzania is part of a 
larger CDC program for strengthening emergency medical preparedness in 
the nation of Tanzania. Measurable outcomes of this project will be in 
alignment with that program.

C. Eligible Applicants

    Assistance will be provided to a public, private, for-profit, or 
non-profit organization (including faith-based organizations) that has 
at least one major operation headquartered in sub-Saharan Africa. 
Eligible organizations will have significant experience in building, 
operating, and transferring blood services in sub-Saharan Africa.
    Competition is being limited to organizations with an established 
presence in sub-Saharan Africa due to an acute urgency to begin the 
project in response to recent increases in terrorist activity in the 
region.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that 
an organization described in section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue 
Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive 
Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.

D. Funding

Availability of Funds

    Approximately $15,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund one award. It 
is expected that the award will begin on or about September 15, 2003 
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period 
of up to one year. Funding estimates may change.

Use of Funds

    1. Funds may be spent for reasonable program purposes, including 
personnel, travel, supplies, and services. Equipment may be purchased 
if deemed necessary to accomplish program objectives; however, prior 
approval by CDC officials must be requested in writing.
    2. All requests for funds contained in the budget, shall be stated 
in U.S. dollars. Once an award is made, CDC will not compensate foreign 
grantees for currency exchange fluctuations through the issuance of 
supplemental awards.
    3. The costs that are generally allowable in grants to domestic 
organizations are allowable to foreign institutions and international 
organizations, with the following exception: With the exception of the 
American University, Beirut, and the World Health Organization, 
Indirect Costs will not be paid (either directly or through sub-award) 
to organizations located outside the territorial limits of the United 
States or to international organizations regardless of their location.
    4. The applicant may contract with other organizations under this 
program; however the applicant must perform a substantial portion of 
the activities (including program management and operations, and 
delivery of prevention services for which funds are required.)
    5. The applicant must obtain annual audit of these CDC funds 
(program-specific audit) by a U.S.-based audit firm with international 
branches and current licensure/authority in-country, and in accordance 
with International Accounting Standards or equivalent standard(s) 
approved in writing by CDC.
    6. A fiscal Recipient Capability Assessment may be required, prior 
to or post award, in order to review the applicant's business 
management and fiscal capabilities regarding the handling of U.S. 
Federal funds.
    Recipient Financial Participation: Matching funds are not required 
for this program.

E. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the following activities:
    a. Review current literature and documentation related to blood 
management in Tanzania.
    b. Develop and organize an assessment plan.
    c. Perform an in-country assessment of blood management in Dar es 
Salaam, Tanzania, for a duration of not less than one week, and not 
more than two weeks.
    d. Review and disseminate the assessment findings to Tanzanian 
health officials and CDC.

F. Content

Letter of Intent (LOI)

    A LOI is not required for this program.

Applications

    The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the 
application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than twenty pages, double-spaced, 
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point 
font.
    The narrative should consist of, at minimum, a plan, objectives, 
methods, evaluation, and budget. Provide a detailed budget and 
justification based on the funds available.

G. Submission and Deadline

Application Forms

    Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 
1920-0428). Forms are available at the following Internet address: 
www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have 
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC 
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section 
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.

Submission Date, Time, and Address

    The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time July 7, 
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-
PA03047, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine 
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
    Applications may not be submitted electronically.

CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt

    A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has 
received your application.

Deadline

    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any 
applicant who sends their application by the United States Postal 
Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier 
will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing 
date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1) 
carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee 
for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather 
delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper 
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the 
deadline.

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    Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be 
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be 
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.

H. Evaluation Criteria

Application

    Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that 
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified 
objectives of the grant. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the 
performance goals stated in the purpose section of this announcement. 
Measures must be objective and quantitative and must measure the 
intended outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be submitted 
with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
    An independent review group appointed by CDC will evaluate each 
application against the following criteria:
1. Scientific or Technical Approach (30 points)
    a. Provide evidence of demonstrated scientific expertise involving 
programs for the promotion of public health in sub-Saharan Africa.
    b. Provide evidence of demonstrated technical expertise in 
developing blood transfusion and blood safety systems to include 
methods that are culturally and technologically appropriate to sub-
Saharan Africa.
2. Methodology and Approach (20 points)
    a. Provide evidence of demonstrated expertise in methodology for 
evaluation and development of national blood safety and management 
systems.
    b. Demonstrate experience in providing staff training, strategic 
planning, test kits, testing services, and operations planning in sub-
Saharan Africa.
    c. Provide evidence of demonstrated successful experience involving 
blood management services in developing nations of sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Staff Experience and Capability (20 points)
    Provide evidence of demonstrated technical expertise and 
professional experience of staff in the evaluation, organization, and 
management of blood transfusion services in an African nation. Provide 
evidence that management staff has ample experience in blood banking in 
Africa. Provide assurance that the team will be headed by an MD from 
sub-Saharan Africa and that the staff includes physicians with 
expertise in hematology, blood transfusion, and infectious diseases.
4. Cultural Knowledge Requirements (20 points)
    Provide evidence of demonstrated successful experience as a 
consultant in sub-Saharan African countries.
5. Understanding of the Project (10 points)
    a. Demonstrated clarity, feasibility, and practicality of the 
proposed plan to accomplish this project.
    b. Demonstrated recognition of the potential difficulties in 
performance and appropriateness and soundness of proposed solutions.
6. Budget Justification (not scored)
    The extent to which the budget is clearly explained, adequately 
justified, and is reasonable and consistent with the stated objectives 
and planned activities.

I. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with original plus two copies of a final financial 
report and a final report of findings and recommendations. These 
reports are due no more than 90 days after the end of the project 
period.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.

Additional Requirements

    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
program announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site.

AR-12--Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14--Accounting System Requirements
AR-15--Proof of Non-Profit Status

    Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and 
associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: 
http://www.cdc.gov.
    Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements''.
    For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical 
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For business management and budget assistance, contact: Angelia 
Hill, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, 
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2785, E-mail address: 
[email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Mark Keim, MD, 
International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch, National Center for 
Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail 
Stop F-48, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-488-
4597, E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: April 30, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-11141 Filed 5-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P