23798 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 /Thursday, April 30, 1998 / Notices

Comments submitted in response to

this request will be summarized and/or

included in the request for Office of

Management and Budget approval of

this information collection request; and

will also become a matter of public

record.

Dated: April 24, 1998.

Dennis Lieberman,

Acting Director, Office of Welfare to Work.

[FR Doc. 98–11493 Filed 4–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

Job Training Partnership Act; Project

Title: External Systems Building

AGENCY: Employment and Training

Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds

and solicitation for grant applications

(SGA).

SUMMARY: All information required to

submit a grant application by eligible

applicants is contained in this

announcement. The U.S. Department of

Labor (DOL), Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), Bureau of

Apprenticeship and Training,

announces the availability of funds for

State Apprenticeship Agencies and/or

organizations that represent them (i.e.,

stakeholders, partners) to participate in

enhancing the National Apprenticeship

System. The demonstration program

will be funded by the Job Training

Partnership Act, (JTPA), Titles III and

IV.

This notice provides information on

the process that eligible entities must

use to apply for demonstration funds,

how grantees are to be selected, and the

responsibilities of grantees.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of

proposals is May 29, 1998, at 2:00 p.m.

(Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: Applications must be

mailed to: U.S. Department of Labor,

Employment and Training

Administration, Division of Acquisition

and Assistance, Attention: Denise

Roach, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Room S–4203, Washington, DC 20210,

Reference: SGA/DAA 98–012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Denise Roach, Division of Acquisition

and Assistance. Telephone 202–219–

7300, ext. 134 (this is not a toll-free

number). Questions of a technical

nature must be FAXED to 202–219–8739

to the attention of Ms. Roach.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training,

is soliciting proposals, on a competitive

basis, to provide opportunities for

apprenticeship stakeholders and

partners to assist in enhancing the

modern National Registered

Apprenticeship System in order to

improve its effectiveness in the 21st

Century. Applicants selected for award

will be those who best delineate their

innovative approaches for enhancing

the National Apprenticeship System.

Proposals must demonstrate methods

for modernizing apprenticeship systems

to become aligned with the National

Apprenticeship System’s initiatives in

expanding apprenticeship, developing

competency systems, and developing

new and innovative strategies for

increasing the participation of women

and minorities in our nation’s

apprenticeship programs.

The announcement consist of four

parts. Part I describes the application

process for eligible applicants who wish

to apply for grant funds. Part II provides

the Government’s Required Statement of

Work. Part III describes the selection

criteria for award. Part IV provides

information regarding reporting

requirements.

Part I. Application Process

A. Eligibility

Eligible applicants are State

Apprenticeship Agencies and/or

organizations that represent them, i.e.,

stakeholders, partners, Human Resource

Councils or State Workforce

Development Councils.

B. Period of Performance

The Period of Performance will be

July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999.

C. Funding

The Department anticipates awarding

two (2) grants not to exceed $60,000

each for a total of $120,000.

Applications that exceed $60,000 will

not be considered. Awards will be made

on a competitive basis.

D. Page Limitation

Applicant’s technical proposal shall

be limited to 20 double-spaced, singlesided pages with 1-inch margins. Text

type shall be at least 10 pitch or larger.

Applications that do not meet these

requirements will not be considered.

E. Submission of Proposal

Four (4) copies of the proposal (an

original and three copies) must be

received. Your proposal must be

organized in the following manner:

Section I—Financial and Summary

Information (this section does not count

against your page limitation).

(1) Standard Form (SF)–424;

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’

(Appendix A). The Federal Domestic

Assistance Catalog number 17.246.

(2) A one or two page summary of

your proposed project which shall

include information on the number of

welfare recipients in the State and

proposed target area.

(3) ‘‘Budget Information’’, (Appendix

B). Also include, on separate pages, a

detailed breakout of each proposed

budget line item.

Section II—Technical Proposal

(limited to 20 pages).

Your technical proposal must

demonstrate the grant applicant’s

capabilities in accordance with the

Statement of Work in Part II of this

solicitation. No cost data or reference to

costs shall be included in the Technical

Proposal. Applicants must also include

resumes of proposed staff and an

organizational chart.

F. Hand Delivered Proposals

Proposals may be mailed or delivered

by hand. A mailed proposal should be

mailed no later than five (5) calendar

days prior to the closing date for the

receipt of applications. Hand-delivered

grant applications must be received at

the designated place by 2:00 p.m.,

(Eastern Time) on the closing date for

receipt of applications. All overnight

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

designated place by the specified time

on the closing date. Telegraphed,

electronic mail, or faxed proposals will

not be honored. Applications that fail to

adhere to the above instructions will not

be honored.

G. Late Proposals

A proposal received at the office

designated in the solicitation after the

exact time specified for receipt will not

be considered unless it is received

before award is made and it—

(1) 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 the proposals. The term

‘‘working days’’ excludes weekends and

U.S. Federal holidays.

(2) Was sent by registered or certified

mail not later than the fifth calendar day

before the date specified for receipt of

applications (e.g., an offer submitted in

response to a solicitation requiring

receipt of applications by the 20th of the

month must be mailed by the 15th); The

term ‘‘post-mark’’ means a printed,

stamped, or otherwise placed

impression (exclusive of a postage meter

machine impression) that is readily
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 /Thursday, April 30, 1998 / Notices 23799

identifiable without further action as

having been supplied in the original

receipt from the U.S. Postal Service.

Both postmarks must show a legible

date, or the application shall be

processed as though it had been mailed

late. ‘‘Post-mark’’ 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 an

employee 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.

H. Withdrawal of Proposals

A grant application may be

withdrawn by written notice or telegram

(including mailgram) received at any

time before the awarding of a grant. An

application may be withdrawn in

person by the grant applicant, or by an

authorized representative of the grant

applicant if the representative’s identity

is made known and the representative

signs a receipt for the proposal.

Part II. Statement of Work

Changes in our economy, technology,

and our need to embrace diversity are

the major driving forces behind new

initiatives to expand apprenticeship,

develop competency systems, and

identify additional strategies for

increasing the participation of women

and minorities in our nation’s

apprenticeship programs.

To that end, the major tasks of this

procurement are, but not limited to the

following:

• To propose suggestions, methods,

practices, protocols, and or systems

which delineate the modernization of

registration processes and

improvements and or updates in

services to enhance the modern

apprenticeship system (i.e., survey of

registration agency ‘‘Best Practices’’ or

‘‘Benchmarking’’ of services which

registration agencies provide to

workforce development systems);

• To propose methods and

approaches that would result in a better

alignment between apprenticeship

stakeholders (i.e., Human Resource

Councils, State Workforce Development

Councils, State Apprenticeship

Agencies) and the National

Apprenticeship System (i.e., activities,

forums, suggestions, governance,

collective or collaborative action on

apprenticeship issues);

• To propose practices, procedures,

methods for the expansion and

information sharing of National

Apprenticeship Systems;

• To discuss, propose, and

recommend approaches for the

development of Competency Based

Systems (i.e., pilot activities for the

application of ‘‘skills standards’’ to

apprenticeship training);

• To develop and propose new and

innovative strategies for increasing the

participation of minorities and women

in apprenticeship.

Applicants must include a detailed

workplan that delineates a schedule of

proposed activities and milestones for

implementing the tasks indicated above

within the award period (July 1998—

June 1999).

Part III. Selection/Evaluation Criteria

Selection of grantees for awards will

be made after careful evaluation of grant

applications by a panel selected for that

purpose by DOL. Panel results shall be

advisory in nature and not binding on

the Grant Officer. Panelists shall

evaluate applications for acceptability

based upon overall responsiveness to

the Statement of Work, with emphasis

on the factors enumerated below.

Applicants are advised that awards may

be made without further discussions.

A. Modernization of registration

process (20 points)—The extent to

which the offeror has delineated reliable

processes to identify efficient

procedures of registration and service

delivery.

B. Alignment (20 points)—Delineation

and prioritization of initial steps,

activities, and areas that would provide

a better alignment between

Apprenticeship Agencies and

stakeholders.

C. Expansion (20 points)—Analyze

and propose the most effective strategies

for the expansion of registered

apprenticeship.

D. Competency Based Systems (20

points)—Assess and propose strategies

for incorporating Competency Based

Systems (i.e., skill standards) in

registered apprenticeship training.

E. Increase Minority & Female

Participation (20 points)—Identify and

delineate promising strategies (i.e., best

practices) for increasing the number of

minority and female apprentices.

Applicants are advised that letters of

support are not necessary.

Part IV—Reporting Requirements

Applicants selected as grantees will

be required to provide the following

information in timely fashion:

A. Monthly Financial Status Reports

(i.e., Standard Form 269);

B. Quarterly progress against the

workplan (i.e., status) reports with

narrative summaries;

C. Draft Final Project Report on

desired outcomes within 30 days prior

to grant expiration date. Specific format

to be determined.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 27th day of

April 1998.

Janice E. Perry,

Grant Officer.

Appendices

Appendix A—Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form (SF)–424)

Appendix B—Budget Information

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P
23800 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 /Thursday, April 30, 1998 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 /Thursday, April 30, 1998 / Notices 23801
23802 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 /Thursday, April 30, 1998 / Notices

[FR Doc. 98–11489 Filed 4–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–C