[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5158-5161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-362]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No. 050114011-5011-01]


Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT)

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

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: This Notice announces availability of funds for the Special 
American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT), for training 
business executives and scientists (also referred to as ``Interns'') 
from Eurasia (see program description for eligible countries). The 
amount of financial assistance available for the program is $500,000.

DATES: Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 1, 
2005. Processing of complete applications takes approximately three to 
six months. All awards will be made by September 30, 2005.

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

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic Access: The full funding 
opportunity announcement for the SABIT program is available via Web 
site: http://www.fedgrants.gov/or by contacting the program official 
identified above.
    Funding Availability: Pursuant to section 632(a) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (the ``Act'') funding to the U.S. 
Department of

[[Page 5159]]

Commerce (DOC) for the program will be provided by the United States 
Agency for International Development (AID). ITA will award financial 
assistance and administer the program pursuant to the authority 
contained in section 635(b) of the Act and other applicable grant 
rules. The amount of financial assistance available for the program is 
$500,000. Additional funding may become available at a future date. 
Financial assistance will be provided through cooperative agreements.
    Statutory Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2395(b).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 11.114, Special 
American Business Internship Training Program.
    Program Description: The ITA established the SABIT program in 
September 1990 to assist Eurasia's transition to a market economy. 
Since that time, SABIT has been supporting U.S. companies and 
organizations that wish to provide business executives and scientists 
from Eurasia three to six month programs of hands-on training in a U.S. 
market economy. Under the SABIT program, qualified U.S. firms (Host 
Firms) will receive funds through a cooperative agreement with ITA to 
help defray the cost of hosting Interns. The training must take place 
in the United States. ITA will approve Interns nominated by Host Firms, 
or assist in identifying eligible candidates. Interns may be citizens 
of any of the following countries in Eurasia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, 
Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, 
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Some Eurasian countries may have 
certain restrictions with regard to U.S. funding. These restrictions, 
and any waivers of restrictions, are determined by the U.S. Department 
of State, not the SABIT program. Information on current restrictions is 
available upon request, but new restrictions may be put into place 
after a grant is awarded. The Host Firms will be expected to provide 
the Interns with a hands-on, non-academic, executive training program 
designed to maximize their exposure to management or commercially 
oriented scientific operations. At the end of the training program, the 
Intern must return to his/her home country. If there is any evidence of 
a conflict of interest between the nominated Intern and the Host Firm, 
the Intern is disqualified.
    Managers: SABIT assists economic restructuring in Eurasia by 
providing mid-to-senior level business managers with practical training 
in American methods of innovation and management in areas such as 
strategic planning, financing, production, distribution, marketing, 
accounting, wholesaling, and/or labor relations. This first-hand 
experience in the U.S. economy enables Interns to become leaders in 
establishing and operating a market economy in Eurasia, and creates a 
unique opportunity for Host Firms to familiarize key executives from 
Eurasia with their products and services. Host Firms will benefit by 
establishing relationships with managers in similar industries who are 
uniquely positioned to assist their Host Firms in doing business in 
Eurasia.
    Scientists: SABIT provides opportunities for gifted scientists to 
apply their skills to peaceful research and development in the civilian 
sector, in areas such as defense conversion, medical research, and the 
environment, and exposes them to the role of scientific research in a 
market economy where applicability of research relates to business 
success. Host Firms in the U.S. scientific community also benefit from 
exchanging information and ideas, and different approaches to new 
technologies.
    All internships must last between three to six months; however, ITA 
reserves the right to allow an Intern to stay for a shorter period of 
time (not less than one month). ITA will reimburse Host Firms for the 
round trip international travel (coach class tickets) of each Intern 
from the Intern's home city in Eurasia to the U.S. internship site, a 
stipend of $34 per day to the Intern(s), and housing costs of up to 
$500.00 per month (excluding utilities or telephone services). For 
cities with higher costs of living, ITA will reimburse Host Firms up to 
$750.00 a month (excluding utilities or telephone services) for housing 
costs. Interns must return to their home countries immediately upon 
completion of their U.S. internships.
    Host Firms wishing to utilize SABIT in order to be matched with an 
Intern without applying for financial assistance may do so. Such firms 
will be responsible for all costs, including travel expenses, related 
to sponsoring the Intern. However, prior to acceptance as a SABIT 
Intern, work plans and candidates must be approved by the SABIT 
program. Furthermore, program training will be monitored by SABIT staff 
and evaluated upon completion of training. ITA does not guarantee that 
it will match Host Firms with the Intern profile provided to SABIT.
    Award Period: Recipient firms will have one year from the date 
listed on the Financial Assistance Award form, CD-450, to expend all 
funds. However, DOC reserves the right to extend the award period if 
the Host Firm can justify the need for extra time.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants for the SABIT program include all 
for-profit or non-profit U.S. corporations, associations, organizations 
or other public or private entities located in the United States. 
Agencies or divisions of the Federal Government are not eligible. 
However, state and local governments are eligible.
    Matching Requirements: The SABIT program budget does not include 
matching requirements, however, Host Firms are expected to bear the 
costs beyond the $34 per day stipend, additional lodging costs 
(including utilities and local telephone service) beyond the reimbursed 
amount, any training-related travel within the United States, visa 
cost, emergency medical insurance, training manuals and provisions of 
the hands-on training for the Interns.
    Project Funding Priorities: Applicants must indicate business 
sector(s). Although applicants operating in any industry sector may 
apply to the program, priority consideration is given to those 
operating in the following sectors: (a) Agribusiness (including food 
processing and distribution, and agricultural equipment), (b) 
Environment (including environmental clean up), (c) Financial services 
(including banking and accounting), (d) Construction and infrastructure 
development (including housing and transportation), (e) Medical 
equipment, supplies, pharmaceuticals, and health care management. 
Priority funding will also be given to applicants applying to host 
Interns from the following countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
    Evaluation and Selection Procedures: Each application will receive 
an independent, objective review by one or more three or four-member 
review panels qualified to evaluate applications submitted under the 
program. Panels may include federal employees and non-federal 
individuals. No consensus advice will be given by the panel. 
Applications received before the deadline will be evaluated on a 
competitive basis in accordance with the selection evaluation criteria 
set forth below. Applications that have received a passing score of 70 
or above, based on the weighted evaluation criteria, will be ranked and 
awards will be made by the selecting official based on the evaluation 
criteria and selection factors until funds are depleted. Applications 
receiving scores below 70 will not be considered. ITA reserves the 
right to

[[Page 5160]]

limit the award amount as well as the number of Interns per applicant.
    Applicants must provide evidence of a satisfactory record of 
performance in grants, contracts and/or cooperative agreements with the 
Federal Government, if applicable. Applicants who are or have been 
deficient in current or recent performance in their grants, contracts, 
and/or cooperative agreements with the Federal Government shall be 
presumed to be unable to meet this requirement. If the applicant has a 
Federal Government Performance Record Statement, this must be specified 
in the Application Kit. If there is no record to date, the applicant 
should indicate this. Applicants who do not have a Federal Government 
Performance Record Statement will not be penalized.
    Evaluation Criteria: Consideration for financial assistance will be 
given to those applications that provide the following (listed in order 
of decreasing importance so that criterion number 1 is most important, 
followed by criterion number 2, etc.):
    (1) Work Plan. The applicant must provide a detailed work plan for 
the intended training. If the applicant is providing different training 
plans for different Interns, it MUST attach a separate work plan for 
each. If Interns will be trained on the same plan, only one plan needs 
to be attached. If an internship will take place at several 
organizations, a work plan for each organization must be provided. The 
work plan must include: (a) A detailed week-by-week description of 
internship activities; (b) a description of the Intern's duties and 
responsibilities; (c) complete contact information for the everyday 
internship coordinator; (d) locations of training within the company, 
if the internship(s) will be in different divisions; (e) locations of 
training outside the company. If the Intern will spend substantial 
amounts of time at one or more external organizations or companies 
(over one week) the applicant MUST provide a letter from each of those 
companies, indicating their willingness and ability to provide the 
planned training. Evaluation Scale: 0-40 points.
    (2) Training Objectives Statement. The applicant must provide an 
objectives statement, clearly titled ``Training Objectives'' with the 
name of the applicant noted indicating the reason why the applicant 
wishes to provide a professional training experience to an Intern. The 
applicant must explain how the proposed training would further the 
intent and goals of the SABIT program to provide practical, on-the-job, 
non-academic, non-classroom training for a professional-level Intern. 
Evaluation Scale: 0-30 points.
    (3) Intern Description(s) and Resume(s): The applicant should 
provide descriptions of the experience, education, and skills desired 
in an Intern for the training they intend to provide. If an applicant 
desires Interns from a specific region or country of Eurasia, it should 
be indicated in the application. If an applicant has nominated Interns 
for training, the Interns' resumes must be attached. Additionally, the 
applicant must describe the relationship that it has with each Intern. 
All Interns must meet SABIT criteria in order to participate. 
Evaluation Scale: 0-15 points.
    (4) Financial Resources Documentation: Applicants must provide 
evidence of adequate financial resources to cover the costs involved in 
providing an internship(s). Evidence may include a published annual 
report, or a letter from the applicant's outside, independent 
accountant attesting to the applicant's financial ability to support 
the training program planned and the funds requested or a letter from 
the applicant's bank. All letters must be on the accountant's or bank's 
letterhead and addressed to the United States Department of Commerce. 
Evaluation Scale: 0-15 points.
    Selection Factors: The selecting official reserves the right to 
select Host Firms based on U.S. geographic location, organization size 
as well as priority business sectors and country priorities (listed in 
Project Funding Priorities, above) and past performance. Host Firms may 
be eligible, pursuant to approval of an amendment of an active award, 
to host additional Interns under the program. The Director of the SABIT 
program is the selecting official for each award.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Application Forms and Kit: To obtain an Application Kit, please 
refer to the section above marked ADDRESSES. An original and two copies 
of the application (including all relevant standard forms and 
supplemental material) are to be sent to the address designated in the 
Application Kit and must be received no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time 
on the closing date. Applicants are encouraged to sign the original 
application (including forms) with blue ink.
    Other Requirements: DOC's Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements, which are contained in Federal 
Register Notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389), are applicable to 
this solicitation.
    All applicants are advised of the following:
    1. Host Firms will be required to comply with all relevant U.S. tax 
and export regulations. Export controls may relate not only to 
licensing of products for export, but also to technical data transfer. 
DOC's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS formerly BXA, the Bureau of 
Export Administration) reviews applications to determine whether export 
licenses are required. SABIT will not award a grant until any export 
license issue has been satisfied.
    2. The following statutes apply to this program: Section 907 of the 
FREEDOM Support Act, Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 5812 note 
(Restriction on Assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan); Public Law 
107-115 (Waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act); 7 U.S.C. 
5201 et seq. (Agricultural Competitiveness and Trade--the Bumpers 
Amendment); The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, including 
Chapter 11 of Part I, Section 498A(b), Public Law 102-511, 22 U.S.C. 
2295a(b) (regarding ineligibility for assistance); 22 U.S.C. 2420(a), 
Section 660(a) of The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended 
(Police Training Prohibition); and provisions in the annual Foreign 
Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Acts, 
concerning impact on jobs in the United States (see, e.g., Section 536 
of Pub. L. 106-113).
    3. The collection of information is approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), OMB Control Number 0625-0225. Public 
reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be eight 
hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, and 
completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses 
to this collection of information are voluntary, and will be protected 
from disclosure to the extent allowed under the Freedom of Information 
Act.
    The use of Standard Forms 270, 424 and 424B is approved under OMB 
Control Numbers 0348-0004, 0348-0043 and 0348-0040, respectively. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information 
displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding 
the burden estimate or any

[[Page 5161]]

other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions 
for reducing this burden, to the Reports Clearance Officer, 
International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, Room 4001, 
14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230.
    4. Executive Order 13132: It has been determined that this notice 
does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that term is 
defined in E.O. 13132.
    5. Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Because 
prior notice and opportunity for public comment are not required by the 
Administrative Procedure Act for rules concerning public property, 
loans, grants, benefits and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)), a 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required and has not been 
prepared for this notice (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).

    Dated: January 26, 2005.
Tracy M. Rollins,
Director, SABIT Program.
[FR Doc. E5-362 Filed 1-31-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P