[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 239 (Friday, December 12, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65412-65416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32540]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Docket No. 970827207-7207-01]


Financial Assistance for Internship Program for Postsecondary 
Students

AGENCY: Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (DoC) is establishing a 
postsecondary internship program to aid and promote experiential 
training activities which foster future employment in DoC or the 
Federal Government in general. U.S. citizens enrolled as students in 
two-and four-year accredited educational institutions will participate 
in on-site work experiences in DoC bureaus and offices in order to 
integrate academic theory and workplace requirements; gain relevant 
skills and knowledge; explore Federal career options; develop 
professional networks; and develop a greater awareness of the role of 
Federal agencies. The program will be administered through a 
partnership between the DoC and non-profit and/or educational 
institution(s) and funded by cooperative agreement(s). This notice 
solicits proposals from eligible institutions that desire to 
collaborate with the DoC on this initiative.
    Student opportunities will be primarily in the Washington, D.C. 
metropolitan area, but will include field locations outside the area. 
Summer internship sessions will be for a ten-week period. Academic 
semester or quarter internship sessions will be structured to coincide 
with the academic calendar of the students' institutions. Institutions 
that are selected as training partners will develop and administer a 
comprehensive internship program. The DoC will serve as hosts for the 
student interns and provide program support through the financial 
assistance award; however, students may be assigned to work in Federal 
agencies other than DoC. When interns are assigned to other Federal 
agencies, those agencies will reimburse DoC for costs associated with 
the interns. There will be no employer-employee relationship between 
the DoC and its hosted interns. Interns will receive stipends. Round-
trip air or ground transportation between the metropolitan D.C. area 
(or field job location) and the students' residence or school site will 
also be provided to interns as needed. The number of available 
internships will vary depending upon the financial position of the 
potential host offices and bureaus, but for the purposes of this 
notice, the following will be used for projections: twenty-five student 
interns for the summer session, and five students for each academic 
year session.
    Selected institution(s) will perform the following functions: 
Outreach and recruitment; application processing and referral; 
selection notification and follow up; logistics, including temporary 
housing and accommodations; orientation and communication; enrichment 
activities program; intern personnel and pay administration; intern 
monitoring; intern evaluation; program evaluation; and evaluation 
reporting.

DATES: Applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time, February 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit one signed original plus two (2) 
copies of the application, including all information required by the 
application kit. Applications must be mailed to: U.S. Department of 
Commerce, Office of Executive Assistance Management, Attn.: Carol A. 
Hayashida, Room H6020, 14th & Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, 
D.C. 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carol Hayashida, (202) 482-3288.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    5 U.S.C. 7201 requires that each Executive agency conduct a 
continuing program for the recruitment of members of minorities to 
address underrepresentation of minorities in various categories of 
Federal employment. The DoC uses this authority as a recruitment 
mechanism in order to increase the applicant pool of

[[Page 65413]]

candidates for its jobs. However, applications will be accepted from 
any eligible institution, and applications for internships shall be 
accepted from all students meeting program eligibility criteria and 
will not be limited only to minority students. Application, referral 
and selection processes shall be conducted without any consideration of 
race, ethnicity, gender, or other personal factors. Executive Order 
12876 provides for Executive departments to enter into, among other 
things, cooperative agreements with Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities (HBCUs) to further the goals of the Executive Order, 
principally that of strengthening the capacity of HBCUs to provide 
quality education, and to increase opportunities to participate in and 
benefit from Federal programs. Executive Order 12900 calls for 
Executive departments to develop plans to increase opportunities for 
Hispanic Americans to participate in and benefit from Federal education 
programs.

Program Description

    A number of potent forces have come together recently to 
significantly curtail Federal hiring of college students. Downsizing 
initiatives have influenced the budgets of virtually all agencies and 
the possibility of reductions in force loom for many. Additionally, and 
related to downsizing, changes in the manner in which students are 
included in organizations' employee ceiling counts have drastically 
reduced the number of work-study opportunities they offer. One approach 
to ensuring that the Government can maintain some level of visibility 
and attractiveness to the ``best and brightest'' college students is to 
develop partnerships between Federal departments and nonprofit or 
educational institutions; the DoC has experimented successfully with 
these types of collaborations over the last several years. The DoC is 
now prepared to launch a three-year program that will serve to improve 
opportunities for college students to prepare for their transition to 
the workplace and foster human resource diversity in DoC. Depending 
upon the responsiveness of the institutions which submit applications, 
more than one institution may be selected to participate in this 
program.
    There will be two components to the program: A ten-week summer 
session and an academic year program that consists of two sessions. The 
length of each academic year session will be structured to coincide 
with the academic calendar of the students' institutions, e.g., 
semester or quarter hour system; applicants who wish to administer an 
academic year program must indicate the proposed duration of the 
academic year sessions. The first session under this program will begin 
summer 1998. The first academic session will begin in fall 1998, 
followed by a session in the spring of 1999. This cycle is expected to 
be repeated until three years after the initial grant is awarded. It is 
anticipated that intern opportunities will be greater during the summer 
sessions than the academic year sessions.
    In addition to including the mandatory activities described below, 
an organization should propose an intern program design that represents 
a comprehensive approach to a work-study experience and its own 
philosophy about workforce preparedness. For the purposes of the 
proposal, plans and budgets should be presented separately for the 
summer and academic year sessions. An organization may wish to 
collaborate with DoC on a summer program only, on an academic year 
program only, or on both a summer program and an academic year program; 
it is not required that both components be included in an application 
in order to be selected as a recipient.
    The recipient(s) selected to administer the intern program must 
conduct the following activities:
    Outreach and recruitment. Design, prepare, duplicate and distribute 
application materials to students. Collect information about potential 
internship openings from host offices to assist in identifying student 
applicants who are the best matches for the offices' needs. Prepare 
publicity to inform academic institutions and students about upcoming 
program opportunities and to solicit applications from a broad range of 
students who meet defined program criteria such as GPA and academic 
standing. Process applications, including evaluating candidates' 
eligibility and qualifications, and referring candidates to host 
Federal officials for consideration and selection. Outreach and 
publicity must be conducted so that women and minorities that are 
underrepresented in the DoC are included in the target groups. 
Participation in the program must be open to all eligible students 
without regard to race, ethnicity, or gender. In cases of jobs 
requiring technical skills or for other related reasons, Federal 
mangers, liaisons, or other program officials may elect to participate 
in the evaluation of applicant packages.
    Selection notification and follow up. Receive selection decisions 
from host offices, convey internship offers to selectees, explain 
logistical and administrative processes to selectees. Distribute 
written information to students that will help them adequately prepare 
for their professional and personal needs during their internship; 
material must be sent to students before their departure for their 
internship sites. Communicate with DoC program representatives or 
liaisons on the status of offers of selection, acceptances and 
declinations.
    Logistical arrangements. Locate suitable housing for students, make 
all prior arrangements to allow students to move into housing upon 
their arrival at the internship site. Make round trip airline 
reservations for students between home/school city and host office 
location; arrange for students to receive their tickets. Arrange for 
ground transportation to pick up arriving students at airport and take 
to housing site. At the end of the internship period, arrange for 
transportation between the housing site and the airport. Explain 
housing, air transportation, ground transportation, and other 
logistical arrangements to students so that there is a clear 
expectation of what costs, if any, are involved and what the 
responsibilities of both the student and the recipient institution/
organization are. Housing must be convenient to public transportation 
and affordable. The DoC must be consulted in the process to select 
student housing facilities, but the final decision and negotiations 
with the housing provider will be left wholly to the recipient 
institution.
    Orientation and communication. Design and provide orientation 
program to familiarize students with local area in which they will live 
and work, services, safety and security, public transportation systems, 
and educational and administrative program requirements.
    Enrichment activities. Design and implement a comprehensive 
enrichment program; ideally the program should require a minimum of 
time away from the work site during duty hours. The activities should 
focus on students' personal and professional growth, and provide 
insights into ways to reach their academic and personal goals. They may 
also be designed to teach students how the different branches of the 
Federal Government operate, to improve interns' communication skills, 
or to foster an understanding of cultural or ethnic issues.
    Personnel administration. Maintain interns' personnel records; pay 
stipends; deduct applicable payroll taxes; provide worker compensation 
insurance, unemployment insurance, and short-

[[Page 65414]]

term accident insurance; provide state, Federal and local tax 
information and report of earnings forms to students.
    Intern monitoring. Communicate on a regular basis, both by 
telephone and in person , with the students, their supervisors, and DoC 
and bureau coordinators to assure that the experience is progressing as 
intended and that problems or questions are resolved.
    Intern performance evaluation. Selected recipients must develop and 
design an effective evaluation program that will assess the interns' 
performance and progress. Ideally all aspects of intern performance and 
the overall work experience from the perspective of both the intern and 
his or her supervisor will be included in the assessment. Student 
performance should be evaluated at the mid-point and at the end of each 
session. Evaluations will be submitted to the DoC Federal Program 
manager within one month of the assessment date.
    Program Performance. In accordance with OMB Circular A-110, 
selected recipients must manage and monitor functions and activities 
supported by the financial award and should have a plan to do so. 
Performance reports are required at mid-term and at the end of each 
session. The reports should focus on program accomplishments against 
the goals and objectives of the program, and include other pertinent 
information. Of interest would be overall demographic information about 
program participants such as name of educational institutions and or 
regional area represented, academic majors represented, academic 
standing, average GPA . Additionally, lessons learned about the design 
and implementation of the program and identification of areas requiring 
improvement are particularly useful.

Funding Availability

    Applicants must submit project plans and budgets for three years. 
Project(s) will be funded for no more than one year at a time. Funding 
for each subsequent year will be at the sole discretion of the DoC and 
will depend on satisfactory performance by the recipient and the 
availability of funds to support the continuation of the project(s). 
Funds available under this program are expected to be awarded in 
November of each year. Funds for the first year are expected to be 
awarded in February 1998. Projections based upon previous experience 
indicate availability of between $150,000-$730,000 to support from 25 
up to about 100 interns. However the exact level of funding available 
is not yet known. Proposals should be based upon the cost of 
administering a summer program for 25 student interns and also include 
a per capita cost for additional students; proposals for a semester or 
quarter session should be projected on the basis of 5 students.

Matching Requirements

    Applications must reflect the total budget necessary to accomplish 
the project, including contributions and/or donations. Cost-sharing is 
not required for the internship program; however, cost-sharing is 
encouraged. The appropriateness of all cost-sharing will be determined 
on the basis of guidance provided in applicable Federal cost 
principles. If an applicant chooses to cost-share, and if that 
application is selected for funding, the applicant will be bound by the 
percentage of the cost-share reflected in the cooperative agreement 
award. The non-Federal share may include the value of in-kind 
contributions by the applicant or third parties or funds received from 
private sources or from state or local governments. Federal funds may 
not be used to meet the non-Federal share of matching funds, except as 
provided by Federal statute. Third party in-kind contributions may be 
in the form of, but are not limited to, personal services rendered in 
carrying out functions related to the project and use of real or 
personal property owned by others (for which consideration is not 
required) in carrying out the projects. The total cost of a project 
begins on the effective award date of an authorized cooperative 
agreement between the applicant and the DoC Grants Officer and ends on 
the date specified in the award. Accordingly, time expended and costs 
incurred in either the development of a project or the financial 
assistance application, or in any subsequent discussions or 
negotiations prior to the award, are neither reimbursable nor 
recognizable as part of the recipient's cost share.

Type of Funding Instrument

    Financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements 
will be used to fund this program. The DoC and its participating 
bureaus will have substantive involvement in the following program 
activities: provide liaisons to institutions who will assist in 
coordinating program activities; provide description of available 
intern assignments and required academic backgrounds and job skills; 
participate in review and rating panels; and interview and make final 
selections from lists of eligible students that are provided by the 
institutions.

Eligibility Criteria

    Accredited universities and colleges (2-year and 4-year) and non-
profit organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible institutions may 
form joint ventures to submit a joint application to share costs and 
administration roles and responsibilities. In such cases, one of the 
institutions must be designated as the lead organization for purposes 
of receipt and overall accountability for any financial assistance 
award received under this program.

Award Period

    The award period for the internship project will be three years. 
Funding will be provided annually at the discretion of the DoC and will 
depend upon satisfactory performance by the recipient and availability 
of funds for the DoC to continue funding the project. Normally each 
project budget period may be no more than 12 months in duration. DoC 
policy limits the total duration of a project to three years. Project 
proposals accepted for funding for a project period over 1 year that 
include multiple project components and severable tasks to be funded 
during each budget period will not compete for funding in subsequent 
budget periods within the approved project period. Publication of this 
notice does not obligate DoC to award any specific cooperative 
agreement or to obligate all or any parts of the available funds.

Indirect Costs

    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 costs dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.

Application Forms and Kit

    An application kit containing all required application forms and 
certifications is available by calling Lisa Duckett at (202) 482-4115.

Evaluation Criteria

    Quality of Program Plan (30%). Includes but is not limited to 
strategy for outreach and publicity, procedures for collecting and 
evaluating applications, comprehensiveness of program design, and 
practicality of approach.
    Proposed Costs (30%). The proposed budget must be comprehensive and 
should include all costs for program personnel, fringe benefits, 
travel, equipment, supplies, and other associated items. The stipend 
level

[[Page 65415]]

proposed for students should be stated in the budget.
    Key Personnel Qualifications (20%). Includes an assessment of the 
number, qualifications and proposed roles of staff who will administer 
the internship program. Resumes of proposed personnel will facilitate 
the evaluation of the competency and experience of the proposed staff.
    Capabilities of the Applicant Organization (20%). Considers, among 
other things, previous experience and success administering similar 
programs, and staff and resources to assure adequate development, 
supervision and execution of the proposed program. Additionally, an 
organization's commitment to educate/advance the education of women, 
minorities, and people with disabilities will be a consideration in 
evaluating this factor.

Selection Procedures

    Each application will receive an independent, objective review by a 
panel qualified to evaluate the applications submitted. The Independent 
Review Panel, consisting of at least three individuals, will review all 
applications based on the criteria stated above. The Independent Review 
Panel will evaluate and rank the proposals. The final decision on 
awards will be based upon the numerical review panel ranking, 
availability of funding, and the Selecting Official's (DoC Federal 
Program Officer) determination of which proposals best meet the 
objectives of the program. The amount of funds awarded to each 
recipient will be determined in preaward negotiations between the 
applicant, the Grants Officer, and the DoC Program Officer.

Federal Policies and Procedures

    Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and 
Federal and DoC policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to 
Federal financial assistance awards.

Past Performance

    Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in 
an application not being considered for funding.

Preaward 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 or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of DoC to cover preaward 
costs.

No Obligation for Future Funding

    If an application is selected for funding, DoC has no obligation to 
provide any additional future funding in connection with that award. 
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of 
performance is at the total discretion of DoC.

Delinquent Federal Debts

    No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an 
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    The delinquent account is paid in full, negotiated repayment 
schedule is established and at least one payment is received, or Other 
arrangements satisfactory to DoC are made.

Name Check Review

    All nonprofit applicants are subject to a name check review 
process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key individuals 
associated 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.

Primary Applicant Certifications

    All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511, 
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and 
Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided:

Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension

    Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 
105) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and 
Suspension'' and the related section of the certification form 
prescribed above applies;

Drug-Free Workplace

    Recipients (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 605) are subject 
to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-
Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section of the certification 
form prescribed above applies;

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, 
cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than $100,000, and loans 
and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the single family 
maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever is greater; and

Anti-Lobbying Disclosures

    Any applicant that has paid or will pay for lobbying using any 
funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as 
required under 15 CFR Part 28, Appendix B.

Lower Tier Certifications

    Recipients shall require applicants/bidders for subgrants, 
contracts, subcontracts, or other 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 DoC. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or 
subrecipient should be submitted to DoC in accordance with the 
instructions contained in the award document.

False Statements

    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.

Intergovernmental Review

    Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products

    Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the 
extent feasible, to purchase American-made equipment and products with 
funding provided under this program in accordance with Congressional 
intent.

Fly America Act

    The Fly America Act requires that Federal travelers and others 
performing U.S. Government-financed foreign air travel must use U.S. 
flag air carriers, to the extent that service by such carriers is 
available. Foreign air carriers may be used only when a U.S. flag air 
carrier is unavailable, or use of U.S. flag air carrier service will 
not accomplish the agency's mission.

[[Page 65416]]

Classification

    This document involves collections of information subject to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, which have been approved by OMB under OMB 
control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, and 0348-0046. 
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. This document has been 
determined to be ``not significant'' for purposes of Executive Order 
12866.
Sonya G. Stewart,
Director for Executive Budgeting and Assistance Management.
[FR Doc. 97-32540 Filed 12-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FA-U