Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 56 / Thursday, March 23, 1995 / Notices 15325

administrative expenses for orientation,

not exceed 20 percent of the total

amount requested from USIA;

administrative expenses should be costshared. Grants awarded to eligible

organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs will be

limited to $60,000.

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive budget for the entire

program. 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 subbudgets for each program component,

phase, location, or activity in order to

facilitate USIA decisions on funding.

Allowable costs for the program

include the following:

A. Program costs

(1) One-way economy fare

international travel from their overseas

location (on an American flag carrier for

as much of the route as possible);

(2) Domestic travel;

(3) Tuition, room and board,

incidental expenses, maintenance for

university vacation periods;

(4) Educational materials;

(5) Costs of standardized test fees;

(6) Per diem for orientation,

professional, academic and cultural

enrichment.

B. Administrative costs (not to exceed

20% of the budget)

(1) Staff salaries and benefits;

(2) Staff travel;

(3) Communications (including

telephone, fax, postage, etc.);

(4) Office supplies;

(5) Other direct costs.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidances

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

USIA 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. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the Agency contracts office, as well as

the USIA Office of East Asian and

Pacific Affairs and the USIA post

overseas, where appropriate. Proposals

may also be reviewed by the Office of

the General Counsel or by other Agency

elements. Funding decisions are at the

discretion of the USIA Associate

Director for Educational and Cultural

Affairs. Final technical authority for

grant awards resides with the USIA

grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applicants will be

competitively reviewed according to the

criteria stated below. These criteria are

not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Quality of the program idea:

Proposals should exhibit originality,

substance, precision, and relevance to

Agency mission.

2. Program planning: 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.

3. Ability to achieve program

objectives: Objectives should be

reasonable, feasible, and flexible.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate

how the institution will meet the

program’s objectives and plan.

4. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate the recipient’s

commitment to promoting the

awareness and understanding of

diversity.

5. Institutional Capacity: Proposed

personnel and institutional resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

achieve the program or project’s goals.

6. Institution’s Record/Ability:

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange programs, including

responsible fiscal management and full

compliance with all reporting

requirements for past Agency grants as

determined by USIA’s Office of

Contracts. The Agency will consider the

past performance of prior recipients and

the demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

7. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activity’s success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program.

USIA recommends that the proposal

include a draft survey questionnaire or

other technique plus description of a

methodology to use to link outcomes to

original project objectives. Awardreceiving organizations/institutions will

be expected to submit intermediate

reports after each project component is

concluded or quarterly, whichever is

less frequent.

8. Cost-effectiveness: 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.

9. Cost-sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as

institutional direct funding

contributions.

10. Value to U.S.-Partner Country

Relations: Proposed projects should

receive positive assessments by USIA’s

geographic area desk and USIS Bangkok

officers of program need, potential

impact, and significance in the partner

country(ies).

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may be not

be modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency 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 needs of the program

may require the award to be reduced,

revised, or increased. Final awards

cannot be made until funds have been

appropriated by Congress, allocated and

committed through internal USIA

procedures.

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the

results of the review process on or about

June 16, 1995. Awards made will be

subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Dated: March 15, 1995.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director, Educational and

Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95–6780 Filed 3–22–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

Meeting of the Advisory Board for

Cuba Broadcasting

The Advisory Board for Cuba

Broadcasting will conduct a meeting at

10 a.m. on Friday, March 24, 1995, at

the Doral Hotel and Resort, 4400 NW.

87th Avenue, Miami, Florida. The

intended agenda is listed below.

Presidential Advisory Board Meeting,

March 24, 1995

Agenda

I. Continuation of the Discussion on the

Feasibility Study on Radio and T.V.

Martı ́ Relocation

II. Old Business

III. New Business

Members of the public interested in

attending the meeting should contact

Ms. Angela R. Washington, at the

Advisory Board Office. Ms. Washington

can be reached at (202) 401–2178.

Due to the limited availability of

Advisory Board members and other

scheduling problems and the need to

move the project forward, this

announcement will appear for less than

15 days.
15326 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 56 / Thursday, March 23, 1995 / Notices

Dated: March 17, 1995.

Yvonne F. Soler,

Executive Director, Presidential Advisory

Board for Cuba Broadcasting.

[FR Doc. 95–7098 Filed 3–22–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M