[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 121 (Thursday, June 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38869-38872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15834]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

(Public Notice 3339)


International Demand Reduction Program (IDR)

AGENCY: Office of Europe, NIS, and Training; Bureau for International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, State

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Affairs (INL) developed the International Demand Reduction 
program (IDR) in 1978 to assist foreign countries to mobilize public 
and private sectors in effective support of national narcotic control 
policies and programs. The program was enhanced in 1990 to assist 
foreign countries with the development of self-sustaining prevention, 
education, and treatment programs. The goal of the program is to 
enhance foreign political determination to combat illegal drug abuse 
and convince governments to dedicate sufficient resources to 
effectively fight this problem.
    The IDR program has been modified to include the participation of 
non-Federal agencies (e.g., universities, non profit organizations) in 
the design and implementation of research and evaluation studies on 
these programs. This component of the IDR program has a timeframe of 
2000-2003.

DATES: Strict deadlines for submission to the FY 2000 process are: Full 
proposals must be received at INL no later than Friday, July 28. 
Letters of intent will not be required. We anticipate that review of 
full proposals will occur during August 2000 and funding should begin 
during September of 2000 for most approved projects. September 25, 2000 
should be used as the proposed start date on proposals, unless 
otherwise directed by a program manager. Applicants should be notified

[[Page 38870]]

of their status within 6 months of submission deadline. All proposals 
must be submitted in accordance with guidelines below. Failure to heed 
these guidelines may result in proposals being returned without review.

ADDRESSES: Proposals may be submitted to: U.S. Department of State, 
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Navy 
Hill South, 2430 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20520, Attn: Linda 
Gower.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Gower at above address, TEL: 
202-776-8774, FAX: 202-776-8775, or Thom Browne at above address, TEL: 
202-736-4662, FAX: 202-647-6962.
    Once the RFA deadline has passed, DOS staff may not discuss 
competition in any way with applicants until the proposal review 
process has been completed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Funding Availability

    This Program Announcement is for projects to be conducted by 
agencies/programs outside the Federal government, for a period of up to 
three years. Actual funding levels will depend upon availability of 
funds. Current plans are for up to a total of $700,000 per year for 
one-three years to be available for two new IDR awards. The funding 
instrument for this award will be a grant or a cooperative agreement. 
Funding for non-U.S. institutions and contractual arrangements for 
services and products for delivery to INL are not available under this 
announcement. Matching share, though encouraged, is not required by 
this program. No proposal should exceed a total yearly cost of $ 
350,000.

Program Authority

    Authority: Section 635(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended

Program Objectives

    The goal of the IDR program is to enhance foreign political 
determination to combat illegal drug abuse and convince governments to 
dedicate sufficient resources to effectively fight this problem.
    The program objectives of the IDR program are: (1) Strengthen the 
ability of host nations to conduct more effective demand reduction 
efforts on their own; (2) encourage drug producing and transit 
countries to invest resources in drug awareness, demand reduction, and 
training to build public support and political will for implementing 
counter-narcotics programs; (3) improve coordination of, and 
cooperation in, international drug awareness and demand reduction 
issues involving the U.S., donor countries and international 
organizations; and (4) utilize accomplishments in the international 
program to benefit U.S. demand reduction services at home.

Program Priorities

    The FY 2000 IDR Program Announcement invites program assessment and 
evaluation design proposals for selected international demand reduction 
programs in the following areas:
    (1) Program assessment to identify best practices, common (cross 
cultural) program elements, and lessons learned from organizations in 
selected countries that developed effective programs which serve youth 
involved in or at-risk of becoming involved in drug-related violence; 
and
    (2) Program assessment to identify best practices, common (cross 
cultural) program elements, and lessons learned from organizations in 
selected countries that developed effective drug treatment/after care 
programs.
    For the purpose of this announcement, projects providing services 
for youths at-risk for drug-related violence in Colombia, Sicily, the 
United States, and South Africa will be the focus of the ``best 
practice'' program assessment. The proposed project should involve four 
phases--an initial gathering of background information; field work in 
the selected countries to obtain information from public organizations 
and NGOs; training and technical assistance, as necessary, to 
strengthen anti-violence programs in target foreign countries only; and 
report generation that summarizes findings by country and across 
countries/sites.
    For the purpose of this announcement, projects providing drug 
treatment and after care services for adult and juvenile populations in 
Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Europe will be the focus of the 
``best practice'' program assessment. Applicants should budget for 
separate, two-week fact finding trips as follows: three trips to Europe 
and four trips each to Latin America and Southeast Asia. INL will 
identify specific countries/programs to visit after grant award. The 
proposed project should involve four phases--an initial gathering of 
background information, field work in the selected countries to obtain 
information from public organizations and NGOs, report generation that 
summarizes findings by country and across countries/sites, and a 
descriptive report that highlights accomplishments/results for foreign 
treatment programs established from INL-funded training from 1990 to 
the present. This information will be collected during the field works 
finding trips outlined above.
    Any grant applicants who will be working with counterpart research 
institutions/universities to implement the proposed assessment or 
evaluation programs may sub-grant or sub-contract services to assist in 
fulfilling program objectives.

Eligibility

    Eligibility is limited to non-Federal agencies and organizations. 
Applicants are urged to seek collaboration with counterpart research 
institutions/universities. Experience of U.S. evaluators related to 
conducting demand reduction-related training and technical assistance 
and/or program assessments/evaluations in international settings, 
though not required, is helpful. Universities and non-profit 
organizations are included among entities eligible for funding under 
this announcement. Direct funding for non-U.S. institutions is not 
available under this announcement.

Evaluation Criteria

    Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those 
proposals which address Program Priorities identified above and meet 
the following evaluation criteria:
    (1) Relevance (15%): Importance and relevance to the goal and 
objectives of the IDR program identified above.
    (2) Methodology (20%): Adequacy of the proposed approach and 
activities, including development of relevant evaluation methodologies, 
research protocols, training curricula, project milestones, and final 
products.
    (3) Readiness (25%): Relevant history and experience in conducting 
program evaluations, assessments, and training in the program priority 
areas identified above, strength of proposed evaluation/assessment/
training teams, past performance record of applicants.
    (4) Linkages (25%): Connections to existing demand reduction or 
correctional agencies in target countries outlined in Program 
Priorities above, in addition to previous program assessment/
evaluation/training experience in these countries.
    (5) Costs (15%): Adequacy/efficiency of the proposed resources; 
appropriate share of total available resources.

Selection Procedures

    All proposals will be evaluated and ranked in accordance with the 
assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria by independent peer 
panel review composed of INL and other Federal USG agency experts. The 
panel's

[[Page 38871]]

recommendations and evaluations will be considered by the program 
managers in final selections. Those ranked by the panel and program 
managers as not recommended for funding will not be given further 
consideration and will be notified of non-selection. For the proposals 
rated for possible funding, the program managers will: (a) Ascertain 
which proposals meet the objectives, fit the criteria posted; (b) 
select the proposals to be funded; (c) determine the total duration of 
funding for each proposal; and (d) determine the amount of funds 
available for each proposal.
    Unsatisfactory performance by a recipient under prior Federal 
awards may result in an application not being considered for funding.

Proposal Submission

    The guidelines for proposal preparation provided below are 
mandatory. Failure to heed these guidelines may result in proposals 
being returned without review.

(a) Full Proposals

    (1) Proposals submitted to INL must include the original and three 
unbound copies of the proposal. (2) Program descriptions must be 
limited to 20 pages (numbered), not including budget, personnel vitae, 
letters of support and all appendices, and should be limited to funding 
requests for one to three years duration. Federally mandated forms are 
not included within the page count. (3) Proposals should be sent to INL 
at the above address. (4) Facsimile transmissions of full proposals 
will not be accepted.

(b) Required Elements

    (1) Signed title page: The title page should be signed by the 
Project Director (PD) and the institutional representative and should 
clearly indicate which project area is being addressed. The PD and 
institutional representative should be identified by full name, title, 
organization, telephone number and address. The total amount of Federal 
funds being requested should be listed for each budget period.
    (2) Abstract: An abstract must be included and should contain an 
introduction of the problem, rationale and a brief summary of work to 
be completed. The abstract should appear as a separate page, headed 
with the proposal title, institution(s) name, investigator(s), total 
proposed cost and budget period.
    (3) Prior program evaluation experience: A summary of prior demand 
reduction-related program evaluation experience should be described, 
including evaluations/assessments related to program priorities 
identified above and/or conducted in foreign countries. Reference to 
each prior program evaluation award should include the title, agency, 
award number, period of award and total award. The section should be a 
brief summary and should not exceed two pages total.
    (4) Statement of work: The proposed project must be completely 
described, including identification of the problem, project objectives, 
proposed evaluation/assessment methodology, relevance to the goal and 
objectives of the IDR program, and the program priorities listed above. 
Benefits of the proposed project to U.S. demand reduction/violence 
reduction efforts should be discussed. A year-by-year summary of 
proposed work must be included clearly indicating that each year's 
proposal work is severable and can easily be separated into annual 
increments of meaningful work. The statement of work, including figures 
and other visual materials, must not exceed 20 pages of length.
    (5) Budget: Applicants must submit a Standard form 424 (4-92) 
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' including a detailed budget 
using the Standard Form 424a (4-92), ``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs.'' The proposal must include total and annual 
budgets corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement 
of work. Additional text to justify expenses should be included (i.e., 
salaries and benefits by each proposed staff person; direct costs such 
as travel (airfare, per diem, miscellaneous travel costs); equipment, 
supplies, contractual, and indirect costs). Indicate if indirect rates 
are DCAA or other Federal agency approved or proposed rates and provide 
a copy of the current rate agreement. In addition, furnish the same 
level of information regarding sub-grantee costs, if applicable, and 
submit a copy of your most recent A-110 audit report.
    (6) Vitae: Abbreviated curriculum vitae are sought with each 
proposal. Vitae for each project staff person should not exceed three 
pages in length.

(c) Other Requirements

    Primary Applicant Certification--All primary applicants must submit 
a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements and Lobbying.'' Applicants are also hereby notified of the 
following:
    1. Non procurement Debarment and Suspension--Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, section 105) are subject to 
15 CFR Part 26, ``Non-procurement Debarment and Suspension,'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    2. Drug Free Workplace--Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, 
section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Government 
Wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related 
section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    3. Anti-Lobbying--Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, section 
105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, 
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal 
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of 
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids 
for grants of more than $100,000; and
    4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosures--Any applicant that has paid or will 
pay for lobbying using any funds must submit SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of 
Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B.

Lower Tier Certifications

    (1) Recipients must require applicants/bidders for sub-grants or 
lower tier covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, 
if applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding 
Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower 
Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure Form SF-LLL, 
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the 
use of recipients and should not be transmitted to Department of State 
(DOS). SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or sub-recipient should 
be submitted to DOS in accordance with the instructions contained in 
the award document.
    (2) Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all applicable 
Federal laws and Federal and Department of State policies, regulations, 
and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.
    (3) Pre-award Activities--If applicants incur any costs prior to an 
award being made, they do so solely at their own risk of not being 
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that 
may have been received, there is no obligation to the applicant on the 
part of Department of State to cover pre-award costs.
    (4) This program is subject to the requirements of OMB Circular No. 
A-110, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Non-Profit Organizations,'' OMB Circular No.

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A-133, ``Audits of Institutions of Higher Education and Other Non-
Profit Institutions,'' and 15 CFR Part 24, ``Uniform Administrative 
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local 
Governments,'' as applicable. Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    (5) All non-profit applicants are subject to a name check review 
process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key individuals 
associate with the applicant have been convicted of, or are presently 
facing criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or other matters 
which significantly reflect on the applicant's management, honesty, or 
financial integrity.
    (6) A false statement on an application is grounds for denial or 
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or 
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    (7) No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has 
an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    (i) The delinquent account is paid in full,
    (ii) A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least 
one payment is received, or
    (iii) Other arrangements satisfactory to the Department of State 
are made.
    (8) Buy American-Made Equipment or Products--Applicants are 
encouraged that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased 
with funding provided under this program must be American-made to the 
maximum extent feasible.
    (9) The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an 
application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate 
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the 
proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total 
proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.
    (d) If an application is selected for funding, the Department of 
State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in 
connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or 
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the 
Department of State.
    (e) In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, no person 
on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability 
shall be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of or be 
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving 
assistance from the INL IDR program. Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, no person is required to respond to nor shall a 
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 current valid OMB 
control number. The standard forms have been approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act under OMB 
approval number 0348-0043, 0348-0044, and 0348-0046.
    Classification: This notice has been determined to be not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.

    Dated: June 15, 2000.
Thomas M. Browne Jr.,
Deputy Director, Office of Europe, NIS, and Training, Bureau for 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 00-15834 Filed 6-21-00; 8:45 am]
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