Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program; Notice: Request for Proposals

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3193]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; Bosnia and

Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program; Notice: Request for

Proposals

Summary

The Office of Academic Exchange Programs of the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition

for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program. Four-

year colleges and universities meeting the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit proposals to host between two and

five Bosnian students in a one-year, non-degree undergraduate program

for the academic year 2000-2001. Organizations with less than four

years of experience in hosting international exchange students are not

eligible for this competition. Recruitment and selection will be

conducted by the U.S. Embassy Office of Public Affairs, Sarajevo,

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Program Information

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate Development Program is

designed to allow Bosnian students an opportunity to obtain knowledge,

insight and cultural enrichment through their academic studies at

American colleges and universities. ECA strongly encourages

institutions to guide students to courses in American studies, or other

courses which emphasize democracy, market economy, and civic society

per the intent of the Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act

funding. ECA is holding an open competition for four-year universities

and colleges giving preference to those that meet the following

criteria:

Has demonstrated experience in hosting Bosnian (or Balkan

regional) students, partnerships with Bosnian higher education

institutions, or expertise and interest in the region

Strong international student advising offices with

experience dealing with cultural, educational and adjustment issues for

foreign students

Accessibility to and opportunities for cultural and social

activities on- and off-campus with access to public transportation

Mid-size institutions (generally between 5,000-15,000

enrollement) that offer all or most of the eligible fields of study for

this program

Diverse student populations with substantial foreign

student representation

[[Page 543]]

Substantial cost-sharing toward tuition, fees, room and

board expenses, other direct participant expenses, and administrative

expenses

Subject to the availability of funds, the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) expects to make up to four

awards for the administration of the Bosnia and Herzegovina

Undergraduate Development Program for the 2000-2001 academic year. The

duration of the grants will be August 1, 2000 through July 15, 2001 and

programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to

Solicitation Package for further information.

The proposed funding will support one academic year of study in the

fields of agriculture, American studies, business administration,

criminal justice, economics, education, environmental resource

management, journalism/mass communications, political science, and

public administration. The academic-year program will be followed by a

four-to-twelve week internship in the students' field of

specialization. The program will also include a mid-year workshop to be

hosted by one of the grantee institutions, and an end-of-year workshop

in Washington, DC.

Budget Guidelines

Organizations with less than four years of experience in hosting

international exchange students are not eligible for this competition .

Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire

program based on the specific guidelines listed in the Solicitation

Package. Per participant costs should be below $25,000 in order to be

competitive. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns

reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may

provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,

location, or activity to provide clarification. Please note that

indirect rates are considered part of the administrative costs and

should be kept to a minimum or cost-shared as possible.

Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget

guidelines and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFP should

reference the following code ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06.

For Further Information

Please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,

Office of Academic Exchange Programs, ECA/A/E/EUR, SA-44, Room 246,

U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547,

(202) 205-0525, fax (202) 260-7985, E-Mail: [email protected] to

request a Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains

detailed award criteria, required application forms, specific budget

instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please

specify Bureau Program Manager Sondra Govatski on all other inquiries

and correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before

sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has

passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants

until the proposal review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's

website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational

and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Tuesday,

February 22, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time.

Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not

be accepted.

Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the

above deadline.

Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation

Package. The original and nine copies of the application should be sent

to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/E/EUR-00-06, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, SA-44

Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547

Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and

``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,

formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)

format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the Public Affairs section at

the U.S. Embassy, Sarajevo, for its review, with the goal of reducing

the time it takes to get Embassy comments for the Bureau's grants

review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy 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,'' the Bureau ``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.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 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.

Review Process

The Bureau 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. All eligible proposals will be

reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public

[[Page 544]]

Affairs section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Department of State officers for advisory

review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Adviser or by other elements of the Department. Final funding decisions

are at the discretion of the Department of State's Under Secretary for

Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final technical authority for

assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the

Bureau's Grants 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. International Student and Academic Support: Proposals should

describe support services provided by the institution and department/

school for international students including monitoring and evaluation

of students and program.

2. Ability to Provide Cultural Enrichment and Community Outreach

Opportunities: Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to planning,

implementing, and supporting the Bosnian students in participating in

cultural, social, and community outreach opportunities.

3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the

recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of

both geographic and ethnic diversity.

4. Institution's Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of strong academic programs and successful

exchange programs. This includes responsible fiscal management and full

compliance with all reporting requirements for past ECA (formerly USIA)

grants as determined by ECA's Office of Contracts. The Bureau will

consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated

potential of new applicants.

5. Cost Effectiveness: Proposals should indicate a high level of

cost sharing and a competitive level of cost per individual student for

the ECA.

Authority

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.''

The funding authority for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Undergraduate

Development Program is provided through the Support for East European

Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989. The SEED Act targets assistance funds to

advance the democratic and economic transition of Central and Eastern

Europe. Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. ECA projects and

programs are subject to the availability of funds.

Notice

The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may

not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information

provided by the Bureau 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 Bureau reserves the right to reduce,

revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of

the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject

to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: December 28, 1999.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S.

Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00-183 Filed 1-4-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710-11-P