58984 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collection; and

• Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.

ADDRESSES: Zenowia Choma, Office of

Worker Retraining and Adjustment

Programs, Office of World-Based

Learning, Employment and Training

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N–5426, 200 Constitution

Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210,

202–219–5577 (this is not a toll-free

number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The collection of the information in

the Dislocated Worker Special Project

Report (DWSPR) is necessary in order to

satisfy the requirements of the

provisions of the Job Training

Partnership Act (JTPA), as amended.

The provisions are related to the

Secretary’s responsibilities and

authority for monitoring performance

and expenditures, and for recordkeeping

and reporting related to JTPA Title III.

II. Current Actions

This is a request for OMB approval of

an extension of an existing collection of

information previously approved by

OMB. The extension will allow the

Department to continue to monitor the

performance of the discretionary

programs under Title III of JTPA, to

report to Congress and the Treasury, and

to prepare annual budget reports.

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Employment and Training

Administration.

Title: Dislocated Worker Special

Project Report.

OMB Number: 1205–0318.

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal

Government/Business or other forprofit/not-for-profit institutions.

Total Respondents: 170.

Frequency: Quarterly.

Average Time per Response: 17.5

hours.

Estimated Total Burden Hours:

11,870.

Comments submitted in response to

this comment request will be

summarized and/or included in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget approval of the information

collection request; they will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: October 28, 1997.

Peter E. Rell,

Acting Administrator, Office of Work-Based

Learning, Employment and Training

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–28916 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

Job Training Partnership Act, Title III,

Demonstration Program: Labor

Organization Adjustment Assistance

AGENCY: Employment and Training

Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds

and solicitation for grant application

(SGA).

SUMMARY: All information required to

submit a proposal is contained in this

announcement. The U.S. Department of

Labor (DOL), Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), announces a

demonstration program to test the

ability of labor organizations to develop

innovative approaches for providing

accelerated skills development and/or

enhancement of job skills already

possessed by affected workers to

increase their prospects of transitioning

to new or related occupational job

opportunities. The program is to be

funded with Secretary’s National

Reserve funds appropriated through

Title III of the Job Training Partnership

Act (JTPA). This notice describes the

process that eligible applicants must use

to apply for demonstration funds, the

subject area for which applications will

be accepted for funding, how grantees

are to be selected, and the

responsibilities of grantees. It is

anticipated that up to $3 million will be

available for funding approximately 6

demonstration projects covered by this

solicitation with no project being

awarded more than $500,000.

DATES: Applications for grant awards

will be accepted commencing October

31, 1997. The closing date for receipt of

applications will be January 7, 1998, at

2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the address

below.

ADDRESSES: Applications shall be

mailed to: Division of Acquisition and

Assistance, Attention: Denise Roach,

Reference: SGA/DAA 98–001,

Employment and Training

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room S–4203, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Denise Roach, Division of Acquisition

and Assistance, Telephone: (202) 219–

8694 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

announcement consists of five parts.

Part I describes the authorities and

purpose of the demonstration program

and identifies demonstration evaluation

and oversight policy. Part II describes

the application process and provides

detailed guidelines for use in applying

for demonstration grants. Part III

includes the statement of work for the

demonstration projects. Part IV

identifies and defines the selection

criteria which will be used in reviewing

and evaluating applications. Part V

describes the reporting requirements.

Part I. Background

A. Authorities

Section 323(a)(b) of the Job Training

Partnership Act authorizes the use of

funds reserved under part B of Title III

for demonstration programs. The

Department requires that applicants for

grants comply with all Federal and State

laws and regulations in setting up their

programs.

B. Purpose of the Demonstration

As authorized under Title III of JTPA,

the Dislocated Worker Program provides

a wide range of employment and

training services to eligible dislocated

workers to help them find and qualify

for new jobs. Many of these jobs will be

in occupations different from workers’

pre-layoff occupations and require

affected workers to learn new skills and

knowledge where the ‘‘skills gap’’ is

substantial. In other instances the

‘‘skills gap’’ could be minimal and

require only enhancement of workers’

existing skills to increase their

transferability to related occupations.

Strategies which maximize the

utilization of workers’ current skills

and/or reduce the length of training

required for the acquisition of new skills

should not only expand but also

facilitate a more rapid transition to new

employment opportunities.

This demonstration will test whether

labor organizations as institutions

knowledgeable about and focused on

the maintenance of their members’ skills

and/or knowledgeable about emerging

technologies and occupations can be
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices 58985

successful providers of the above

strategies either directly or by playing

the principal role in the design and

implementation of innovative

approaches and strategies for meeting

the skills needs of this target

population. Projects funded through this

solicitation are to provide

reemployment and retraining services—

as described in sections 314(c) and

314(d) of JTPA—to dislocated workers

who may need and benefit from the

receipt of these services. Participants

must be eligible under sections 301(a)

(1) (A), (B), or (C) of JTPA AND be

members of the target population for

which the project is designed. For

purposes of this demonstration,

appropriate target populations include

those workers who have been

represented through collective

bargaining by the demonstration project

grantee labor organization or its

partnering labor organizations and who

have been terminated or laid off within

90 days of the closing date of this

solicitation or within 150 days

subsequent to the grant award. Up to 15

percent of the target population may

include represented workers who have

been longer-term unemployed for three

(3) months or longer and whose lay-offs

occurred prior to the 90 day period

indicated above.

The demonstration projects must

ensure that the services and service mix

provided will achieve the following

program goals: (1) At least 74 percent of

project participants will find

employment within 90 days after

leaving the project, (2) the post-program

wage at 90 day follow-up is at least 96

percent of the wage at dislocation on

average, and (3) at least 70 percent of

the project participants will rate the

services received as ‘‘extremely’’ or

‘‘very’’ valuable.

C. Evaluation

Under a separate announcement, DOL

will select and fund a separate

evaluation contractor to: (1) Provide

technical assistance to grantees in

establishing appropriate data collection

methods and processes; and (2) conduct

an independent process evaluation of

the demonstration projects. Grantees

will be expected to make available

participant records and access to

personnel, as specified by the

evaluation contractor.

In addition, DOL will establish, for

each demonstration project site, an

oversight group made up of federal,

State, and substate staff.

D. Definitions

Unless otherwise indicated in this

announcement, definitions of terms

used herein shall be those definitions

found in the Job Training Partnership

Act, as amended, particularly at section

4 and section 301.

Part II. Application Process—All

Information Required To Submit a

Proposal is Contained in This

Announcement

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for demonstration

projects funded under this

announcement are labor organizations

which: (1) Provide exclusive

representation to the target population

to be served through collective

bargaining agreements in effect at the

time of the effective date of worker

layoff or termination; and (2) that can

demonstrate the ability to deliver the

services proposed and to ensure the

integrity of the funds requested.

Note: With respect to item 1, an eligible

applicant may be a labor organization which

provides exclusive representation to a

portion of the target population and which is

willing to administer grant funds in

partnership with other labor organizations

that provide exclusive representation to the

other respective portions of the target

population to be served. In these

circumstances, the offeror must demonstrate

through letters of support from the other

labor organization that the latter will

participate in the grant activities to be

performed.

B. Contents

An original and three (3) copies of the

proposal shall be submitted. The

proposal shall consist of two (2)

separate and distinct parts—Part I, the

Financial Proposal, and Part II, the

Technical Proposal.

1. Financial Proposal

The Financial Proposal, Part I, shall

contain the SF–424, ‘‘Application for

Federal Assistance’’ (Appendix No. 1),

and SF 424–A, ‘‘Budget’’ (Appendix No.

2). The Federal Domestic Assistance

Catalog number is 17.246. An applicant

shall indicate on the SF–424 the type of

organization for which it qualifies under

the eligibility criteria in Part II, section

A. of this solicitation. The budget shall

include on separate pages: a cost

analysis of the budget, identifying in

detail the amount of each budget line

item attributable to administrative costs

and costs for one or more of the

following categories: basic readjustment

services (Section 314(c) (1–14, 16–18) of

JTPA), supportive services (Section

314(c)(15)), and retraining services

(Section 314(d)) requested through this

grant Note: Other Title III cost categories

not mentioned are specifically excluded

from grant expenditures, e.g. rapid

response assistance and needs-related

payments); an identification of the

amount of each budget line item which

will be covered by other funds (if

applicable), and the sources of those

funds (including other Title III funds,

employer funds, in-kind resources,

secured and unsecured loans, grants,

and other forms of assistance, public

and private); and a justification for the

average cost of service per placement.

The latter is to be computed by dividing

the number of proposed participants of

the target population who will be

employed within 90 days after leaving

the project into the total Federal funds

requested.

Grant funds may cover only those

costs which are appropriate and

reasonable. Federal funds cannot be

used to provide training which an

employer is in a position to, and would

otherwise, provide, nor can they be used

to provide salaries for program

participants.

Federal funds may not be used for

acquisition of production equipment.

The only type of equipment that may be

acquired with Federal funds is

equipment necessary for the operation

of the grant. In the instance of a

purchase, the cost of the equipment is

to be prorated over the projected life of

the equipment to determine the cost to

the grant. Use of grant funds to purchase

equipment with a unit cost of $5,000 or

more requires special review and

approval from DOL prior to purchase.

Applicants may budget limited

amounts of grant funds to work with

technical expert(s) to provide advice

and develop more complete project

plans.

2. Technical Proposal

The technical proposal shall

demonstrate the offeror’s capabilities in

accordance with the Statement of Work/

Project Summary in Part III of this

solicitation. No Cost Data or Reference

to price shall be included in the

technical proposal.

C. Submission

Grant applications will be evaluated

carefully by a panel convened by the

Department after the closing date of this

solicitation. Incomplete or nonresponsive proposals may be returned

without evaluation. An application will

be reviewed based upon the overall

responsiveness of the application’s

content to the submission requirements

and to the selection criteria found in

Part IV, taking into consideration the

extent to which funds are available.
58986 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices

D. Hand-Delivered Proposals

Proposals should be mailed at least

five (5) days prior to the closing date for

the receipt of applications. However, if

proposals are hand-delivered, they shall

be received at the designated place by

2 p.m., Eastern Time on the closing date

for receipt of applications. All overnight

mail will be considered to be handdelivered and must be received at the

designated place by the specified time

and closing date. Telegraphed and/or

faxed proposals will not be honored.

Failure to adhere to the above

instructions will be a basis for a

determination of nonresponsiveness.

E. Late Proposals

Any proposal received at the office

designated in the solicitation after the

exact time specified for rreciept will not

be considered unless it—

(1) Was sent by the U.S. Postal Service

registered or certified mail not later than

the fifth calendar day before the date

specified for receipt of the application

(e.g., an offer submitted in response to

a solicitation requiring receipt of

applications by the 30th of January must

have been mailed by the 25th); or

(2) Was sent by U.S. Postal Service

Express Mail Next Day Service—Post

Office to Addressee, not later than 5:00

p.m. at the place of mailing two working

days prior to the date specified for

receipt of proposals. The term ‘‘working

days’’ excludes weekends and U.S.

Federal holidays.

The only acceptable evidence to

establish the date of mailing of a late

proposal sent either by the U.S. Postal

Service registered or certified mail is the

U.S. postmark both on the envelope or

wrapper and on the original receipt

from the U.S. Postal Service. Both

postmarks must show a legible date or

the proposal shall be processed as if

mailed late. ‘‘Postmark’’ means a

printed, stamped, or otherwise placed

impression (exclusive of a postage meter

machine impression) that is readily

identifiable without further action as

having been supplied and affixed by

employees of the U.S. Postal Service on

the date of mailing. Therefore,

applicants should request the postal

clerk to place a legible hand

cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on

both the receipt and the envelope or

wrapper.

The only acceptable evidence to

establish the date of mailing of a late

proposal sent by ‘‘Express Mail Next

Day Service—Post Office to Addressee’’

is the date entered by the post office

receiving clerk on the ‘‘Express Mail

Next Day Service—Post Office to

Addressee’’ label and the postmark on

both the envelope and wrapper and on

the original receipt from the U.S. Postal

Service. ‘‘Postmark’’ has the same

meaning as defined above. Therefore,

applicants should request the postal

clerk to place a legible hand

cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on

both the receipt and the envelope or

wrapper.

F. Withdrawal of Proposals

Proposals may be withdrawn by

written notice or telegram (including

mailgram) received at any time before

award. Proposals may be withdrawn in

person or by an applicant or an

authorized representative thereof, if the

representative’s identity is made known

and the representative signs a receipt for

the proposal before an award.

G. Period of Performance

Grant awards will be made for a 17

month period. Project operators must be

prepared to deliver services within 60

days following award. The delivery of

services will be for a period of 12

months. Grantees will be allowed up to

90 days subsequent to the termination of

service delivery for collecting follow-up

information on individual completers

and the preparation of final project

reports.

H. Funding

DOL has set aside up to $3 million to

be disbursed for 6 projects, contingent

upon resources being available for this

purpose. It is expected that no project

will be awarded more than $500,000.

DOL may elect to modify and add funds

to a grant for an additional one (1) or

two (2) years of operation based on the

availability of funds, successful program

operation, and the needs of the

Department.

I. Page Count Limit

Applications are to be limited to

thirty-five (35) double-spaced, single

side, 8.5 inch x 11 inch pages with one

inch margins. Attachments shall not

exceed ten (10) pages. Text type shall be

11 point or larger. Applications that do

not meet these requirements will not be

considered.

J. Cost Limitations

Demonstration grants are not subject

to the cost limitations for Title III grants

at section 315 of the JTPA. However,

any offeror proposing administrative

costs that exceed 15 percent of the

budget and/or supportive services that

exceed 25 percent of the funds

requested in the application shall

provide a narrative justification.

Part III. Statement of Work

Each application should follow the

format outlined here. For every section,

A through F, the application should

include: (1) Information that responds to

the requirements in this part; (2)

information that indicates adherence to

the provisions described in Parts I and

II of this solicitation; and (3) other

information the offeror believes will

address the selection criteria identified

in Part IV.

A. Target Population

Described the dislocated worker target

population, including the size, location,

and needs of this population relative to

the services being provided.

Indicate the beginning and end dates

of the collective bargaining agreement(s)

under which the target population was

covered at the time of the workers’

layoff or termination and the labor

organization(s) and company(ies) who

were the parties to the agreement(s).

B. Components of the Labor

Organization Adjustment Assistance

Demonstration

Describe the major elements of the

demonstration project, including how

the project works in terms of the

individual worker getting access to the

reemployment and retraining services

which the individual needs.

Specifically:

• How will new job openings and

opportunities in demand occupations

for the project participants be identified

and developed?

• What services will be covered by

the reemployment and retraining

program? Describe the mechanisms to

be used to ensure appropriate outreach

and recruitment. Explain how these

services are relevant to the target

population to be served. Explain how

these services will focus on utilizing a

participant’s current (pre-layoff) skills

for placement and/or retraining

purposes.

Note: Such services must be authorized

under sections 314(c) and 314(d) of JTPA and

comply with applicable federal regulations at

20 CFR parts 627 and 631.

• How will reemployment and

retraining service needs of the

individual worker be determined? What

will be the sequence of services

provided and the criteria/decision

points used to determine the

appropriateness of specific services for

individual participants? By way of

illustration, include a flowchart

indicating the sequence of services

provided, the decision points which

determine the services to be provided to
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices 58987

a participant, and the expected duration

of each service component.

• How will qualified providers of

reemployment and retraining services

be determined if they are used?

• How will a participant’s continuing

participation in the program be

monitored? At what point(s) will

termination occur?

• What information will be available

to the worker to identify and evaluate

alternative employment opportunities?

How will this information be

developed? How will the worker be able

to access this information?

• How will the components described

in this subpart relate to the

demonstration purpose of testing

innovative approaches for maximizing

the utilization of workers’ current skills

for entry into new or related demand

occupations?

C. Administration and Management

Identify the management structure for

the project and describe the means to

ensure accountability for funds as well

as performance.

Provide a description of the process

and procedures to be used to obtain

feedback from participants and other

appropriate parties on the

responsiveness and effectiveness of the

services provided. The description

should include an identification of the

types of information to be obtained, the

method(s) and frequency of data

collection, and how the information will

be used in implementing and managing

the project. Specific references should

be made to collecting information

needed to determine: (1) The

achievement of project outcomes as

indicated in section E (including 90 day

follow-ups of participants to determine

demonstration program goal

achievement) and (2) the reporting of

participants, outcomes, and

expenditures. Indicate what methods,

e.g., surveys, focus groups, will be used

to collect feedback information.

Describe the applicant’s past

experience in the management of

projects similar to that being proposed.

D. Use of Existing Services and

Resources

Identify specific sources and amounts

of other funds, if any, which will be

used in addition to funds provided

through this grant to implement the

project. Include: (1) Information on any

non-JTPA resources committed to this

project, including employer funds,

secured and unsecured loans, grants,

and other forms of assistance, public

and private; and (2) a description of the

relationship of the proposed project to

the ongoing assistance to dislocated

workers through the formula-funded

JTPA Title III–A program in the service

area and those procedures to be used to

ensure non-duplication of services

between the formula-funded Title III–A

program and the project. Describe any

other coordination of resources and

agencies that may be undertaken.

E. Outcomes

Identify project outcomes and the

specific measures, and planned

achievement levels, that will be used to

determine the success of the project.

These outcomes and measures should

include, but are not limited to:

• The number of participants to be

enrolled in services, those successfully

completing services through the project,

and those to be placed into new jobs

including (to be separately identified)

those obtaining new jobs utilizing a high

degree of their previous job skills;

• Measurable effects of the services

provided to project participants as

indicated by gains in individuals’ skills,

competencies, or other outcomes;

• Average wages of participants prior

to and at completion of project;

• Customer satisfaction with the

project, and at critical points in the

service delivery; and

• Other additional measurable,

performance-based outcomes that are

relevant to the proposed intervention

and which may be readily assessed

during the period of performance of the

project.

Note: An explanation of how such

additional measures are relevant to the

purpose of the demonstration program shall

be included in the application.

The proposal must also describe how

outcomes achieved by individuals

served by the project are to be related

to the numerical demonstration program

goals identified in Part I, section B.

F. Replicability

Describe the information to be

provided on project activities that will

allow other parties to replicate the

proposed project. Discuss the

applicability of the project to other

dislocated worker programs.

Part IV. Evaluation Criteria

Prospective offerors are advised that

the selection of grantee(s) for award is

to be made after careful evaluation of

proposals by a panel selected by DOL.

Panelists will evaluate the proposals for

acceptability based on the various

factors enumerated below. The panel

results are advisory in nature and not

binding on the Grant Officer.

Evaluations will be made on the basis

of both what the proposed offeror

intends to do during the grant period,

and on the usefulness of the

demonstration after the end of the grant

period.

A. Technical Evaluation (80 Points)

Services and Target Group (35 Points)

The responsiveness of the services to

be provided, including the degree to

which the services appear to meet the

needs of the target population. The

extent to which the services to be

provided focus on and are innovative in

utilizing participants’ current (prelayoff) skills. The demonstrated

relationship between the services to be

provided and the jobs into which

participants are to be placed. The scope

of the project in terms of the number of

participants to be served. (Relates to

information requested in Part III,

sections A, B, and E.)

Management Structure (15 Points)

The extent to which the management

structure ensures accountability for

performance, monitors customer

satisfaction, and includes procedures for

continuous quality improvement. The

ability of the management structure to

determine the extent to which the

planned project outcomes and

demonstration program goals have been

met by the project. (Relates to

information requested in Part III, section

C.)

Coordination and Linkages; Utilization

of Resources (10 points)

The extent to which the project will

use other existing public and private

resources including employer and

union-funded assistance, avoid

duplication of services with the

formula-funded Title III–A program, and

coordinate its services with other

appropriate State and local

organizations. (Relates to information

requested in Part III, section D.)

Demonstrated Experience (10 points)

Experience in the oversight and

operation of projects requiring

management capabilities and experience

similar to the proposed project. (Relates

to information requested in Part III,

section C.)

Replicability (10 points)

The completeness of the information

to be provided on project activities that

will allow others to replicate the project.

The likelihood that the approach may be

applicable to a broad range of dislocated

worker programs across the country.

(Relates to information requested in Part

III, section F.)
58988 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices

B. Cost Evaluation (20 points)

The cost effectiveness of the project as

indicated by the relationship of

proposed costs to number of

participants to be served, the range of

services to be provided and the planned

outcomes, as compared to other service

strategies available for Title III grantees.

The extent to which the budget is

justified and supports the planned

outcomes.

Applicants are advised that

discussions may be necessary in order

to clarify any inconsistencies in their

applications. Applications may be

rejected where the information required

is not provided in sufficient detail to

permit adequate assessment of the

proposal. The final decision on the

award will be based on what is most

advantageous to the Federal

Government as determined by the ETA

Grant Officer.

Part V. Reporting Requirements

Applicants selected as grantees will

be required to provide the following

reports:

A. Monthly and Quarterly Progress

Reports

B. Standard Form 269, Financial

Status Report Form, on a quarterly basis.

C. Final Project Report including an

assessment of project performance.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 24th day of

October, 1997.

Janice E. Perry,

Grant Officer, Employment and Training

Administration.

Appendices

No. 1—Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424)

No. 2—Budget Form—Non Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424–A

BILLING CODE 4510–30–M
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices 58989

Attachment No. 1—Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424)
58990 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 211 / Friday, October 31, 1997 / Notices 58991

Attachment No. 2—Budget Form—Non Construction Programs (Standard Form 424A)

[FR Doc. 97–28830 Filed 10–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–C