Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2000 / Notices 2451

for developing and implementing

security requirements/safeguards for

SSA’s State information exchange

program.

Dated: January 5, 2000.

Paul D. Barnes,

Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources.

[FR Doc. 00–880 Filed 1–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4191–02–U

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3202]

Culturally Significant Objects Imported

for Exhibition Determinations:

‘‘Treasures of the Last Empire’’

AGENCY: United States Department of

State.

ACTION: Amendment.

SUMMARY: On June 30, 1999, notice was

published at page 35253 of the Federal

Register (64 FR 35253) by the United

States Information Agency pursuant to

Pub. L. 89–259 relating to the exhibit

‘‘Treasures of the Last Empire.’’ I hereby

determine that seventeen additional

works of art to be included in the

exhibit and imported from abroad for

the temporary exhibition without profit

within the United States are of cultural

significance. I also determine that the

temporary exhibition of these works of

art as part of the exhibit aboard The

Queen Mary, Long Beach, California,

from on or about January 15, 2000, to on

or about April 25, 2000, is in the

national interest.

Dated: January 9, 2000.

William B. Bader,

Assistant Secretary for Educational and

Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–986 Filed 1–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–08–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3203]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs Fulbright Teacher Exchange

Program Orientation

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Global

Educational Programs of the United

States Department of State’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for an

assistance award program. Public and

private non-profit organizations, with a

minimum of four years of experience in

successfully administering orientation

programs, and meeting the provisions

described in IRS regulation 26 CFR

1.501(c) may apply to develop and

administer August 2000 orientation

activities in Washington DC for

approximately 570 foreign and U.S.

teachers and dependents participating

in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange

Program. The activities prepare

participants in the program to teach

(elementary, secondary, or college level)

in the educational system of another

country. The programming specifically

strives: (a) To provide U.S. teachers

with opportunities to meet face-to-face

with their foreign exchange partners to

discuss the details of their individual

exchange assignments; (b) To provide

participants with an understanding of

the educational systems in which they

will be teaching; and (c) To provide

teachers with practical guidance on

living in their countries of destination,

with particular references to crosscultural differences. The award in the

FY–2000 competition will be

approximately $260,000. Grants are

subject to the availability of committed

funds for Fiscal Year 2000.

Proposal

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays 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.’’ The funding authority for

the program cited above is provided

through the Fulbright-Hays Act.

Programs and projects must conform

to Bureau requirements and guidelines

outlined in the Solicitation Package for

this RFP. The Project Objectives, Goals,

and Implementation (POGI), and the

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI),

which contain additional guidelines, are

included in the Solicitation Package.

Proposals that do not follow RFP

requirements and the guidelines

appearing in the POGI and PSI may be

excluded from consideration due to

technical ineligibility.

Announcement Title and Number: All

communications with the Bureau

concerning this RFP should refer to

Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program

Orientation and reference number ECA/

A/S/X–00–03.

Deadline for Proposals: All copies

must be received at the Bureau of

Educational & Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m.

Washington, DC time on Friday, March

10, 2000. Faxed documents will not be

accepted at any time, nor will

documents postmarked March 10, 2000,

but received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure compliance with the deadline.

Program Dates: Grant should begin on

or about May 1, 2000 and run through

April 30, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

United States Department of State,

Bureau of Educational & Cultural

Affairs, Office of Global Educational

Programs, Fulbright Teacher Exchange

Branch, State Annex 44, ECA/A/S/X,

room 349, 301 4th Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20547, telephone: (202)

619–4556, fax: (202) 401–1433 to

request a Solicitation Package

containing more detailed award criteria,

required application forms, and

standard guidelines for preparing

proposals, including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budget.

Please specify Bureau Program Officer

Dehab Ghebreab, (telephone: 202–619–

4556; e-mail: dghebrea@usia.gov) on all

inquiries and correspondence.

To Download a Solicitation Package via

Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps.

Please read all information before

downloading.

Interested applicants should read the

complete Federal Register

announcement before sending inquiries

or submitting proposals. Once the RFP

deadline has passed, Bureau staff may

not discuss this competition in any way

with applicants until the Bureau

proposal review process has been

completed.

Submissions

Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and 10 copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Department of State, Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.:

ECA/A/S/X–00–03, Program

Management Staff, ECA/EX/PM, Room

336, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20547.

Diversity Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

2452 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2000 / Notices

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle both in

program administration and in program

content. Please refer to the review

criteria under the ‘‘Support for

Diversity’’ section for specific

suggestions on incorporating diversity

into the total proposal.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

The Bureau therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology web-site at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview: August Orientation

Workshop

Approximately 570 U.S. and foreign

exchange teachers and their dependents

from approximately 30 countries will

attend an orientation workshop in

Washington, DC, from Monday, July 31

to Friday, August 4, 2000. Names and

numbers of participants will be

provided in May/June after completion

of the educator matching process.

(There will be approximately 152 US

teachers, 190 foreign teachers and 228

family members.)

Participating countries arrange for

non-U.S. teachers to arrive at the U.S.

orientation site. Flights carrying nonU.S. teachers and their families should

arrive on Monday, July 31, 2000 in the

Washington, DC area. Arrangements

should be made by the recipient

institution for the U.S. teachers and

their families to arrive at the orientation

on Tuesday, August 1, which is a rest

day for foreign teachers. (The recipient

institution must require U.S. teachers to

make their own travel arrangements to

the orientation site, on a reimbursable

basis). The workshop itself will take

place August 2–3 for all participants.

Departure will be scheduled for August

4.

Purpose: The purpose of the August

orientation workshop is to provide U.S.

and foreign teachers and their spouses

and dependents with a wide range of

briefings, training, and discussions to

assist them in preparing to function

effectively in host schools and

communities here and abroad in order

to promote the mission of the Fulbright

Program, mutual understanding.

Partners meet face-to-face and share

important information about their

workplace and other particulars

concerning their individual exchanges.

The workshop should focus on the

teachers’ need to understand education

in the host country, the professional and

personal aspects of the exchange, and

the many aspects of adjustment to living

abroad, including cross-cultural

orientation. The workshop should also

address the anticipated needs and

concerns of spouses and children so that

they are able to optimally benefit from

the exchange year abroad.

Agenda: The agenda should recognize

partner relationship building as a

priority by scheduling joint sessions for

U.S. and foreign partners in the

morning, establishing training objectives

for each session, and sequencing

sessions to reinforce experiential

learning. An equivalent of one day

should be set aside for the US teachers

and their families, as well as exchange

partners and their families, to attend

joint sessions and discuss their

individual exchanges one-on-one.

Sessions for U.S. and foreign teachers,

some with their spouses, should include

presentations on educational systems

and cross-cultural matters. The POGI

contains more specific information.

Additional Activities

In developing the program agenda,

cooperating institution may wish to

provide additional activities designed to

strengthen teachers’ and dependents’

abilities to function in a foreign setting.

Time constraints should be considered:

sessions must not interfere with the

partner joint sessions and (one-on-one)

discussions. Possibilities might include

sessions on cross-cultural

communication and understanding, and

visits to embassies, consulates, and

cultural gatherings. It may also be

possible to schedule sessions on August

1 when all foreign teachers are present

and most U.S. teachers will have arrived

by the afternoon.

Speakers

Cooperating institution is to identify

and invite speakers and panelists to

cover all sessions, but must demonstrate

its ability and willingness to draw on its

own resources to identify such

individuals, as well as other resources

beyond the organization. This includes

universities in the area, consulting

groups, embassy personnel or other

experts. Speakers may include State

Department’s specialists, staff from

foreign counterpart agencies, university

faculty, international and intercultural

specialists, foreign consular and

embassy officials, former exchange

teachers, foreign teachers, currently on

exchange in the United States, U.S.

administrators associated with the

program and others. The Bureau must

approve speaker/panelist selections.

During the sessions set aside for

administrative matters, Bureau staff will

specifically designate State Department

specialists and staff from foreign

counterpart agencies to serve as

resource people and speakers. The

cooperating institution may also be

asked to call on these people to assist

with other orientation sessions. As

much as possible, presenters should

incorporate Fulbright specific

situations, issues, and materials.

Services

In addition to developing the agenda

and securing speakers, the cooperating

institution will provide specific services

in consultation with Bureau program

officers. The POGI contains more

specific information.

Web-Site

The institution will be expected to

design a web-site to support easy access

to information pertaining to the August

orientation program. The web-site

should be linked to the Bureau’s and

program agency’s appropriate sites to

help grantees access additional

resources and information.

Reports

The institution will be expected to

design and distribute an evaluation for

the August orientation to be completed

by the teachers. Such a form will cover

program content, including meeting

sessions, as well as logistical

arrangements such as housing, food, and

general meeting facilities. The form will

be cleared by Bureau prior to its use.

Participants’ evaluations should be

tabulated and sent to the Bureau no later

than four weeks after the orientation.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2000 / Notices 2453

The institution should also provide the

Bureau with a substantive written

analysis of the orientation, with

recommendations for improving future

orientations (no later than ten weeks

after the orientation). The Bureau

reserves the right to conduct an

independent evaluation of the program.

The institution is also required to

provide a breakdown of actual cost

figures for the orientation no later than

ten weeks after the completion of the

orientation.

Special note: The cooperating

institution will survey the literature of

appropriate subject fields to determine

materials of greatest potential value to

teachers. If approved by the Bureau,

recipient institution will purchase

materials (up to $40 per teacher). The

institution will also compile other

materials as directed by the Bureau.

These may include materials on U.S.

education, including current trends and

initiatives, materials on education in

selected foreign countries, materials on

cross-cultural adjustment and

understanding, materials that provide

guidance on living abroad, and other

materials which the institution and the

Bureau staff consider useful. The

institution will provide these materials

to U.S. and foreign exchange teachers at

the orientation.

Note: The Bureau may also request that

cooperating institution arrange additional

orientation and/or training, or workshop

briefings for program participants and

administrators, resource people, and

organizers during the award period.

Cooperating institution may also be asked to

provide programming and other services to

the Bureau including, but not limited to, peer

committee chairpersons workshops,

predeparture orientation activities, foreign

and U.S. teacher debriefings, materials

purchase and distribution, and the

development of new program information,

including materials and videos.

Proposed Budget

Organizations must submit a

comprehensive line-item budget based

on the specific guidance in the

Solicitation Package. There must be a

summary budget as well as a breakdown reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget. For

better understanding or further

clarification, applicants may provide

separate sub-budgets for each program

component, phase, location, or activity

in order to facilitate the Bureau

decisions on funding. Administrative

costs should be kept low; this will be an

important factor in grant competition.

Also, the ability to achieve costeffectiveness within budget guidelines

through cost-sharing will enhance

competitive proposals. Please refer to

the Solicitation Package for complete

budget guidelines and formatting

instructions.

Review Process

The Bureau 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 Solicitation Package. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

Bureau officers. Proposals may also be

reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Advisor or by other offices of the State

Department. Funding decisions will be

made at the discretion of the Assistant

Secretary for Educational and Cultural

Affairs. Final technical authority for

assistance awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) will reside with a contracts

officer with competency for Bureau

programs.

Review Criteria

State Department officers will use the

criteria below to reach funding

recommendations and decisions.

Technically eligible applications will be

competitively reviewed according to the

criteria stated below. These criteria are

not rank-ordered or weighted.

1. Quality and Clarity of Program

Planning: Proposals should exhibit

substance, precision, and relevance to

Bureau mission. Detailed agenda and

relevant work plan should demonstrate

substantive undertakings and logistical

capacity. Agenda and plan should

adhere to the program overview and

guidelines described above. Proposals

should clearly demonstrate how the

institution will meet the program’s

objectives and plan.

2. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate substantive support

of the Bureau’s policy on diversity by

outlining relevant aspects of the

institutional profile. Achievable and

relevant features should be cited in both

program administration and program

content (orientation sessions, resource

materials, and choice of resources).

3. Institutional Capacity and Record/

Ability: Proposed personnel and

institutional resources should be

adequate and appropriate to achieve the

program or project’s goals. Proposals

should demonstrate an institutional

record of successful exchange programs,

including responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

Bureau grants as determined by the

State Department’s Contracts office. The

Bureau will consider the past

performance of prior recipients and the

demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

4. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activities’ success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program. A

draft survey questionnaire or other

technique plus description of a

methodology to use to link outcomes to

original project objectives are

recommended.

5. Cost-effectiveness and Cost-sharing:

The overhead and administrative

components of the proposal, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible. All other items

should be necessary and appropriate.

Proposals should maximize cost-sharing

through other private sector support as

well as institutional direct funding

contributions.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any Bureau representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Bureau 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 Bureau reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through the internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: January 7, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and

Public Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00–985 Filed 1–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Notice of Meeting of the Industry

Functional Advisory Committee on

Electronic Commerce (IFAC–4)

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Industry Functional

Advisory Committee on Electronic

Commerce (IFAC–4) will hold a meeting

on February 3, 2000, from 9 a.m. to 3

p.m. The meeting will be open to the

public from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and

closed to the public from 12 noon to 3

p.m.