[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 214 (Thursday, November 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59838-59840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29587]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Development of an Educational Advisers Reference Tool and
Research Service for Overseas U.S. Educational Advising Centers
ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Advising and Student Services Branch of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
announces an open competition for an assistance award. Public or
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c)(3)-1 may apply. In collaboration with
the United States Information Agency (USIA), the organization should
produce an educational advisers reference tool to provide timely and
in-depth information on trends and developments in U.S. higher
education and other issues and topics relevant to the USIA-affiliated
overseas educational advising and information centers. The organization
will also answer reference inquiries from USIA-designated educational
advising offices overseas. USIA anticipates awarding up to $90,000 to
one organization for these activities.
Overview
In the interest of providing this material in a broad and timely
manner, USIA encourages submissions that propose delivery via
electronic (e.g. web, e-mail) as well as traditional print means. The
proposal should illustrate how the organization will produce an
internet website, e-mail format, and/or print version to provide timely
and in-depth information for the staff of the USIA-affiliated overseas
educational advising and information centers which provide accurate,
unbiased information on, and advise foreign nationals about,
opportunities for studying in the United States. The information should
be centered on an overall theme related to trends and developments in
international student mobility, the practice of educational advising,
or U.S. higher education which will enhance the guidance given by
overseas educational advisers to international students and others who
inquire about opportunities for studying in the United States.
Guidelines
The website must be designed in a user-friendly fashion, with an
index of topics, and ideally in a format that can be shared directly
with students with minimal repackaging by the adviser. If necessary,
the website may be password protected. E-mail issues of timely topics
must be distributed regularly. If a print version is produced, the
organization should describe what publishing capacity will be used to
assure that each issue (at least 32 pages) is produced quickly and
efficiently (at least four times a year) in an attractive typeset
quality format.
In addition, funds will be awarded to enable the recipient to
perform
[[Page 59839]]
supplemental research to provide in-depth responses to inquiries from
USIA-affiliated educational advisers overseas. Answers to questions of
general interest should be posted on the website.
The website and/or print version must acknowledge that its contents
were developed, in part, under a grant from the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Information Agency. USIA reserves the
right to use all materials produced for noncommercial purposes of
educational advancement outside the U.S.
Proposed Budget
A comprehensive line item budget should be submitted together with
the proposal. The budget should not exceed $90,000 for the development
of the website/e-mail/print version and research service. Grants
awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years of
experience in conducting international educational programs will be
limited to a total of $60,000. For both electronic and/or print
versions, applicants may sell subscriptions and use advertising to
offset production costs in excess of the grant.
The applicant is required to submit a comprehensive line item
budget, based on the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package.
There must be a summary budget as well as a break-down of the
administrative budget. USIA's grant assistance will not exceed $90,000.
Of this amount, not more than $27,000 may be attributed to overhead
expenses. The $90,000 is expected to constitute only a portion of the
total project funding. Cost sharing is required and the proposal should
list other anticipated sources of support. Grant applications should
demonstrate financial and in-kind support.
Allowable costs for the program include the following:
(1) Salaries and fringe benefits
(2) Website design costs, printing, utilities, and other direct costs
(3) Indirect expenses, auditing costs
Applicants should refer to the Solicitation package for complete
budget guidelines and formatting instructions.
Review Process
USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Area
Offices and the USIA posts overseas, where appropriate. Proposals may
also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other
Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final
technical authority for grant awards resides with USIA's contracting
officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Program Planning
Proposals should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and
relevance to design a website and e-mail system, and/or produce a
publication which will successfully address the needs for timely
information and in-depth and balanced exploration of issues and topics
important to overseas educational advisers. In addition, the proposal
should illustrate the resources and professional contacts necessary to
respond in a timely manner to inquiries by overseas educational
advisers are available.
2. Institution's Track Record/Ability
Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful
programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance
with all reporting requirements for past Agency grants as determined by
USIA's Office of Contracts. Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program
goals.
3. Demonstrated Ability
Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet
the program's objectives and plan. The proposal should describe
technological and editorial capability.
4. Project Evaluation
Proposal should provide a plan for evaluation by the grantee
institution, including periodic progress reports at the end of the
grant cycle, as well as intermediate reports.
5. Cost-Effectiveness
The overhead and administrative components of the proposal,
including salaries, should be kept as low as possible. All other items
should be necessary and appropriate.
6. Cost-Sharing
Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other private sector
support as well as institutional direct funding contributions. For both
electronic and/or print versions, applicants may sell subscriptions and
use advertising to offset production costs in excess of the grant.
7. Support of Diversity
Proposals should demonstrate the recipient's commitment to
promoting the awareness and understanding of diversity, and should
expose readers to the widest possible range of views and approaches to
U.S. higher education. Attention should be given to printing articles
relating to different kinds of schools and universities from various
regions of the U.S.
Authorization
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations* * *and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.''
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
Announcement Name and Number
All communications with USIA concerning this announcement should
refer to the above title and reference number E/ASA-99-08.
Deadline for Proposal
All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5
p.m. Washington, D.C. time on December 16, 1998. Faxed documents will
not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on December 16, 1998 but
received at a later date. It is the responsibility of each applicant to
ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline. Grant should
begin April 1, 1999 and run through March 31, 2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Advising and Student Services, E/ASA, Room 349, U.S. Information
Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.
[[Page 59840]]
20547, Tel: (202) 619-5549, Fax: (202) 401-1433, E-mail:
[email protected]. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the
program office to request an Application Package, which includes more
detailed award criteria; all application forms, and guidelines for
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the
proposal budget. Please specify the USIA Program Officer, Ann Prince,
on all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read
the complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries
to E/ASA or submitting their proposals to the United States Information
Agency. Once the RFP deadline has passed, the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs may not discuss this competition in any way with
applicants until after the Bureau proposal review process has been
completed.
Submissions
Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation
Package. The original and ten copies of the complete application, plus
one extra copy of the cover sheet, should be sent to: U.S. Information
Agency, Ref.: E/ASA-99-08, Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326,
301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
Diversity Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review
criteria under the ``Support for Diversity'' section for specific
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy,'' USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should reflect
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal requirements could
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been
accounted for properly.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. The Agency reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the
program and availability of funding. Final awards cannot be made until
funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicant will be notified of the results of the review process
on or about March 19, 1999. Awards will be subject to periodic
reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: October 29, 1998.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about March 19, 1999. Awards will be subject to periodic
reporting and evaluation requirements.
Judith Siegel,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-29587 Filed 11-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M