Business for Russia

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Business for Russia

ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Russia/Eurasia Division of the Office of Citizen Exchanges

of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Education and

Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an assistance award

program. Public or private non-profit organizations meeting the

provisions described in IRS regulation 501(c)(3) may apply to conduct

at least three five-week, U.S.-based internship programs for Russian

business people and local government officials. A minimum of ten

Russian participants must be included in each internship cycle.

Programs may not begin any earlier than March 1995. Pending the

availability of funds, the program may be extended through December

1997.

This program is a continuation of a pilot project conducted in 1994

and seeks to provide Russian business people with knowledge of a market

economy and promote a supportive business environment for the

participants upon their return to Russia. The participants will be

recruited, through an open and competitive process, from selected

regions of Russia and will begin arriving in the United States in March

1995.

Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the

Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended,

Public Law 87-256, 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 Application 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/P-95-15.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.

Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, October

15, 1994. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents

postmarked on October 14 but received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received

by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathie Guroff or Gene Draschner, Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/PN),

Rm. 216, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington,

D.C. 20547, telephone: (202) 401-6884, fax: (202) 260-0437, internet

addresses: [email protected], [email protected] 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 USIA Program Officers Kathie Guroff or Gene Draschner on all

inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the

complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to

the Office of Citizen Exchanges or submitting their proposals. Once the

RFP deadline has passed, the Office of Citizen Exchanges may not

discuss this competition in any way with applicants until after the

Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the

Application Package and send only complete applications to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-95-15, Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-

economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.

Overview

The ``Business for Russia'' program has been developed in full

partnership with the Russian Government and various Russian

organizations. It has been designed as a working partnership between

U.S. federal, state, and local governments, NGOs, and private

enterprises and their counterpart institutions in Russia. Pending the

availability of fund, approximately 1,000 Russian business people and

local government officials will be recruited from selected regions of

Russia through an open competition coordinated in Russia by an

experienced, Moscow-based U.S. grantee organization in conjunction with

the Russian government and Russian partner organizations. Participants

will be screened for proficiency in English prior to final selection.

Operating in accordance with guidelines established by USIA, the

recruitment/selection organization will also cooperate with the U.S.

Embassy, Peace Corps, American private organizations and businesses,

and the Russian government and business organizations to select Russian

participants.

This announcement seeks American grantee organizations to organize

and implement business internships in the United States that will

enhance the Russians' ability to develop their own businesses upon

returning to Russia. USIA is interested in proposals that provide a

professional business experience and, secondarily, expose the

participants to American life and culture. USIA is not interested in

programs that are academic in nature; this program is designed to

provide practical, hands-on training in the American business

environment that can be transferred to the individual's employment

situation in Russia.

Participant Profile

Russian participants will be predominantly business managers in

existing small or medium-sized firms and entrepreneurs who manage their

own businesses, mostly in the 25-40 age group. A small number of local

government officials may also be recruited for participation in the

program. All participants will be required to have a working knowledge

of English. Depending on the results of this selection process, the

Agency may request that the U.S.-based grantee organizations modify the

number of individual interns assigned to their local region to meet the

demands of the program. The Office of Citizen Exchanges will be

responsible for matching interns with the appropriate US host

organizations.

Interns will be placed in geographic ``clusters'' in the U.S.

(i.e., areas within two hours' driving time of a central meeting point)

in order to maximize local resources and strengthen the effectiveness

of all aspects of the training program. Every effort will be made to

group the interns by Russian region of origin in order to permit them

to share common experiences and to develop networks and professional

associations upon their return home. Proposals should explain how the

grantee organizations will utilize the cluster to improve Russians'

exchange experience.

Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Participants will

be covered by the Agency's self-insurance policy.

Proposed Budget

Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on

the specific guidance provided in the Budget Guidelines section of the

Application Package. Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less

than four years of experience in conducting international exchange

programs will be limited to $60,000. Allowable costs for the program

include the following:

(1) International and domestic air fares; transit costs; ground

transportation costs.

(2) Housing. Participants are to be housed with volunteer US

homestay families. There are no provisions for reimbursing homestay

families for their hosting costs. Participants may be housed in hotels

for a maximum of five nights, at a rate not to exceed $100/night.

(3) Per diems. Participants may be compensated for meals and

incidental expenses a rate not to exceed $25/day for the duration of

the program.

(4) Book and Cultural Allowances. Participants are entitled to a

one-time book allowance payment of $150 and a cultural allowance of

$100 per person. Accompanying staff are not eligible for these

benefits.

(5) Consultants. Consultants may be used to provide specialized

expertise or to make presentations. Daily honoraria may not exceed

$250/day.

(6) Room rental. Generally not to exceed $250/day.

(7) One working meal per project. Per capita costs may not exceed

$15-20 for a lunch and $20-30 for a dinner. The number of invited

guests may not exceed the number of participants by more than a factor

of two. This includes room rental if applicable.

(8) Administrative costs. The costs necessary for the effective

administration of the program, including salaries for grant

organization employees; staff travel for local community organizers;

benefits and other indirect costs, per detailed instructions in the

Application package.

Cost-sharing and enhancement of the basic package provided by USIA

is encouraged. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise, or

increase the proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the

program. Please refer to the Application Package for complete budget

guidelines.

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

Application Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be

reviewed by the budget and contracts offices, as well as the USIA

Office of Eastern Europe and the NIS and the USIA post in Russia.

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 the USIA grants

officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed

according to the following criteria:

1. Quality of the program idea: Proposals should exhibit

originality, substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.

2. Program planning and ability to achieve program objectives: The

proposal should clearly show how the grantee institution will meet the

program's objectives. The proposal should include a detailed agenda and

work plan that illustrate logistical capacity. The project content

should be substantive and the planned execution realistic.

3. Institutional ability/record: Interested institutions should

demonstrate their potential for program excellence and/or provide

documentation of successful programs. If an organization is a previous

USIA grant recipient, responsible fiscal management and full compliance

with all reporting requirements from past Agency grants, as determined

by USIA's Office of Contracts (M/KG), will be considered. Pertinent

evaluation results of previous projects are a part of this assessment.

4. Thematic and area expertise: Proposals should reflect the

institution's expertise in the subject area and should address the

specific issues of concern facing the Russian Federation.

5. Project personnel: Personnel's thematic and logistical expertise

should be relevant to the proposed program. Resumes should be suited to

the specific proposal and no longer than two pages.

6. Cross-cultural sensitivity: Proposals should show evidence of

sensitivity to historical, linguistic, and other cross-cultural

factors, as well as appropriate knowledge of Russia's geography, and

should show how this sensitivity will be used in practical aspects of

the program, such as pre-departure orientations or briefing of American

hosts.

7. Multiplier effect/follow-on activities: Proposed programs should

strengthen long-term mutual understanding, to include maximum sharing

of information and establishment of long-term institutional and

individual ties. Proposals should also reflect an institutional

commitment for continued exchange activity beyond the term of the USIA

grant.

8. Cost-effectiveness/cost-sharing: The overhead and administrative

components should be kept as low as possible. Costs to USIA per

exchange participant should be reasonable, and all items proposed for

USIA funding must be necessary and appropriate to achieve the program's

objectives. Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as direct funding contributions and/or

in-kind support from the prospective grantee institution.

9. Project evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate

the project's success.

10. Support of diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the

recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of

diversity throughout the program. This can be accomplished through

documentation (such as a written statement or account) summarizing past

and/or on-going activities and efforts that further the principle of

diversity within both their organization and their activities.

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 needs of the program may require the award

to be reduced, revised, or increased. Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the results of the review

process on or about January 16, 1995. Awards made will be subject to

periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Dated: August 17, 1994.

John P. Loiello,

Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 94-20586 Filed 8-24-94; 8:45 am]

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