65FR34778B Office of International Information Programs, Civnet Editorial Services; Request for Proposals
robop...@us.govnews.org
Posting-number: Volume 65, Issue 105, Page 34778B
[Federal Register: May 31, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 105)]
[Notices]
[Page 34778-34782]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 3323]
Office of International Information Programs, Civnet Editorial
Services; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Office of Thematic Programs (IIP/T) announces an open
competition for an editorial services/information technology program in
support of Civnet, the civic education Internet resource. Private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation
26 CFR 1.501c(3), including civic education institutions, NGOs and
other democracy advocates, may submit proposals to support
international information activities that will assist civic education
practitioners, advocates, and other interested professionals in
developing programs, policies, and strategies, and in communicating
with one another. The successful grantee will have substantial
experience in civic education and/or democracy building, especially on
the international level.
Program Information
Overview
Civnet is a web site on civic education (http://www.civnet.org),
and presently contains, inter alia, information on the non-governmental
organization (NGO), and civic education movement called CIVITAS, as
well as civics teaching resources (e.g., text books, curricula,
syllabi, lesson plans, great documents, articles on teaching
methodology), journal articles on civil society, directories of civic
education/civil society organizations, and conference transcripts from
CIVITAS meetings. Civnet was conceived to address the needs of three
primary groups of civic education practitioners: (1) Teachers/school
administrators (K-12) (particularly in new and emerging democracies),
who need practical teaching resources and the capability to network
with other practitioners; (2) scholars, experts, and academics
interested in civics, democracy, and civic education issues; and (3)
NGOs and their leaders who support civic education, civic
participation, civic journalism and civil-society building in the U.S.
and around the world.
The successful proposal will require information gathering,
resource development, advocacy, and public relations--via the
Internet--on behalf of the global civic education movement: to promote
international adoption of civic education standards and curricula; to
assist international organizations, governments, and foundations in
[[Page 34779]]
adopting civic education reform as part of their criteria for awarding
international assistance, and to persuade them to fund civic education
programs; and to support, encourage, and report on the efforts of civic
education NGOs in teacher training, textbook development, development
of professional teacher organizations, and advocacy for civic education
reform.
Detailed Information and Background
The grantee will conduct most or all of these activities using Web
sites and listservs, so the grantee must have experience with Internet
advocacy as well as civic education. In addition, the grantee will have
to immerse itself (via telephone, email, and other communications) in
the international civic education network and remain current in all
efforts to promote civic education around the world. Grantee will be
responsible to not only update the Civnet website regularly and thus
serve as a critical communications hub, but will ensure that the site
reports on all significant efforts and outcomes in the cause of
advocating for civic education worldwide.
In addition to maintaining these operations, Civnet will be
emphasizing the needs of civic education NGOs in the next year, and
thus focussing on an additional audience: the governments,
international organizations (e.g., World Bank, EC, IADB), and private
foundations to which the CIVITAS network will be advocating,
persuading, lobbying, and seeking partnerships/funds.
The successful proposal will develop Civnet so that it becomes a
means through which those in the CIVITAS network who are working to
promote and strengthen civic education worldwide can shape strategy,
recruit support, and share information. The grantee will demonstrate a
willingness to immerse itself via telephone, email, and other forms of
communications, in the worldwide CIVITAS network and remain current in
all efforts to promote civic education around the world. The grantee
will also maintain regular contact with the CIVITAS Steering Committee
(and its Executive Board), membership, and Secretariat (located in
Strasbourg, France), as well as CIVITAS liaison officers and contacts
at the U.S. Department of State and other government agencies and
international organizations. Grantee will also be current with all the
literature and newsletters of the civic education community.
The successful applicant will serve as an Internet advocate for
civic education. As such the applicant must not only understand the
Internet medium, but also understand advocacy generally, and be willing
to immerse itself in the burgeoning international civic education
network/movement. Internet generalists without advocacy skills or a
passion for this type of movement would not meet the requirements of
this RFP.
Proposals from web designer or web master firms without education
or democracy-building experience will not be successful. Likewise
proposals from web design or IT firms that only subcontract for the
subject-matter expertise will not be successful. Rather, the contractor
must have a demonstrated background in the field of advocacy for
education or democracy. Please do not make an inquiry or send in a
proposal if you lack this fundamental criterion of the RFP.
Further Information
In addition to providing editorial services, the successful Grantee
will also be responsible for serving as Civnet webmaster, HTML
formatter/scripter, and will ensure that Civnet reports on a regular
basis (daily or weekly depending on the advent of new developments,
events, and information) on all efforts and outcomes in the cause of
advocating for civic education worldwide. In particular, this will
entail communicating CIVITAS messages and themes, and engaging in
Internet advocacy/lobbying of governments and international
organizations (IOs) to support CIVITAS efforts to implement its Actions
Steps and goals.
Furthermore, the successful proposal will provide coverage of all
upcoming developments that may have an impact on these efforts (such as
pending legislation, IO policy changes/grants, NGO delegation meetings
with IOs and other pertinent developments), and reporting on civic
education meetings, workshops, and conferences.
The successful proposal will emphasize the needs of civic education
NGOs in the near future, and thus focus on an additional audience: the
governments, international organizations (e.g., World Bank, EC, IDB),
and private foundations with which the CIVITAS network will be
advocating, persuading, lobbying, and seeking partnerships/funds.
While the Civnet web site must continue to fulfill its educational
resource function, it must also grow to meets its intended promotional
role and become a true advocacy site for civic education for democracy.
Civnet must shift focus from its present general dialogue about civil
society to a more deliberate strategy of strengthening the CIVITAS
network and mobilizing it to press for more effective education for
democracy.
One of the strongest assets the grantee should draw upon to
accomplish this is the membership of the CIVITAS network itself:
educators and NGO leaders engaged in efforts to implement educational
reform in their own countries and to draw international support for
their efforts. News and comment about these activities should become
the central subject matter for Civnet in the year ahead. The grantee
will have to offer strong and imaginative editorial leadership to
successfully persuade the busy NGO leaders and organizers to
communicate in clear and interesting ways about what they are doing or
the challenges they confront. Material will have to be solicited and
rewritten; inadequate contributions will have to be turned down,
tactfully. Thought will have to be given to emerging issues. In
addition, the grantee will engage in all basic Web mastering functions;
i.e., responsibility for designing, compiling, managing, and editing
all aspects (even the non-advocacy aspects) of the Web site. This may
entail carrying out varied tasks, including: (1) Maintaining regular
and ongoing contacts with practitioners, potential contributors, and
representatives of Civnet's potential audiences in the international
civic education community (e.g. teachers, teacher trainers, educators,
scholars, experts, and NGO players); (2) immersing itself and becoming
well-versed in the subject matter of civic education and the current
discourses on civil society; (3) collecting, compiling, and uploading
civics teaching materials (for Civnet's teaching resource library),
including lesson plans, syllabi, curricula, text books, and any other
materials that would be useful for foreign teachers/educators/
practitioners; (4) collecting (and in some cases commissioning or even
writing) and proofreading articles (e.g., originals, reprints, book
synopses and reviews, manuals on civic standards, lectures) that may be
of interest to scholars and NGO leaders; (5) maintaining the layout of
Civnet as a home page that will be useful, organized, easily navigable,
and appealing to Civnet's primary audiences, and that integrates all of
Civnet's resources, including its library of teaching materials; (6)
regularly updating the Civnet Calendar of Events; (7) utilizing
listservs to promote Civnet; (8) uploading new information to Civnet's
vast directory of organizations (this is maintained as an off-line
database by the American Federation of
[[Page 34780]]
Teachers); (9) promoting and marketing Civnet to its audiences and
potential audiences (this is especially important); (10) collecting
whatever graphics are appropriate for uploading to Civnet; (11)
writing, editing, and introducing contents on Civnet's home page and
sub-pages; (12) seeking, wherever necessary, agreements to publish
copyrighted material on Civnet; (13) maintaining and updating Civnet's
links to other Web sites; and (14) establishing Civnet as a dynamic,
current, useful, creative, and exciting Web site for the civic
education community.
Grantee will seek and receive guidance from the State Department
officer assigned to oversee the grant, and grantee will also heed input
from the CIVITAS Executive Board and Secretariat, and from State
Department officials that work to promote civic education in new and
emerging democracies and countries in transition from dictatorship, and
those with regional expertise.
IIP reserves the right to review, edit, and clear any materials
which grantee selects to appear on Civnet. While experience in Web
mastering/editing is a requirement for the proposal, it cannot be
overemphasized that the principal criterion for selection will be
experience in issue advocacy, preferably in the field of democracy
building or education. The winning applicant would ideally demonstrate
experience with and passion for democracy building or civic education
in new and emerging democracies, and countries in transition from
dictatorship. In other words, the winning applicant must: (1)
Demonstrate proficiency with Internet advocacy; (2) the ability to
interact with and immerse itself within the field of civic education
advocacy; and (3) understand the basics of persuasion, public
relations, lobbying, NGO recruitment, and NGO grass-roots organizing as
it would be applied through the Internet. An applicant with a primarily
technical background would be unsatisfactory.
Moreover, this does not call for a passive Web manager, who would
merely format materials that would be sent in for publishing. The
successful grantee will be actively soliciting the materials, and will
be expected to cajole people in the CIVITAS network and beyond to
contribute such materials and information. The grantee must be willing
to edit those materials, and have the diplomatic skills to reject some
materials and deal with diverse individuals and groups all over the
world.
However, a civic education NGO activist with no experience or
proficiency in the web will be equally deficient. The winning applicant
must demonstrate some experience with web sites or electronic
publications, particularly those that advocate on behalf of
organizations or causes. The grantee must engage in web formatting and
layout on a regular basis, and will be responsible for all parts of the
web site, including but not limited to the sections on teaching
resource materials.
To reiterate, the winning applicant must have a track record
demonstrating not only proficiency in web editing, but also a passion
for democracy building and/or civic education. Grantee must have
experience in web advocacy. Successful grantee will become the
communications hub of the international civic education community, a
regular conversationalist with key players all over the world, an
eventual possessor of a definitive email/phone rolodex of civic
education actors, and possibly a fixture at civic education events. A
proficient web master who does not wish to immerse itself in this civic
education movement or in civic education issues will not meet the
threshold requirements of this RFP.
Guidelines
The grant is expected to commence o/a August 2000 and end a/o
September 30, 2001. Grantee may subcontract for services related to
Civnet, such as Web hosting, technical support, database support, and
other services necessary to support the site, but no additional funds
will be provided for these services.
Proposals must contain: (1) An outline for Civnet for the next year
that will encompass the requirements detailed above; (2) a description
of the human resources and capabilities of the applicant to demonstrate
the necessary experience detailed above (if the applicant is a group/
consortium or more than one individual, than it must be specified how
tasks will be divided up, as well as the primary contact); and (3) a
comprehensive pro forma budget delineating fees and rates for the
various services required. The grant award under this RFP may not
exceed $125,000. Any accompanying materials and URLs demonstrating
prior work or supporting materials are welcome and encouraged.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to
Solicitation Package for further information.
Budget Guidelines: Grants awarded to eligible organizations with
less than four years of experience in conducting international exchange
programs will be limited to $60,000.
Although Civnet will probably be maintained on IIP's host server,
the grantee will be responsible for its own computer, communications,
and office equipment for updating Civnet, accessing the Internet,
emailing and FTPing files to the server, and contacting people within
the CIVITAS network worldwide and those to whom grantee seeks to
promote Civnet. IIP will not be responsible for supplying any equipment
and communications services, including computers, modems, telephones,
and Internet connections.
Requests for funds for commissioning articles on civic education,
or for technical maintenance of Civnet, may be part of the proposal.
The proposal may include modest commissions to participants in the
CIVITAS network who follow professional developments that would
interest their colleagues, but who ordinarily lack the time and
incentive to communicate about these issues with their colleagues
abroad.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau
concerning this RFP should reference the above title and number IIP/T-
00-1.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Office of Thematic Programs, IIP/
T/TP, Room 567, U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20547, telephone 202-619-4758, fax 202-619-6557, email
pag...@pd.state.gov to request a Solicitation Package. The Solicitation
Package contains detailed award criteria, required application forms,
specific budget instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal
preparation. Please specify Bureau Program Officer Pen Agnew on all
other inquiries and correspondence.
Please 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 with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfps. Please read all information
before downloading.
[[Page 34781]]
Deadline for Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the
Office of International Information Programs by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C.
time on July 7, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time.
Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not
be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received
by the above deadline.
Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and number copies of the application should be
sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Office of International
Information Programs, IIP/T/TP, Ref.: IIP/T-00-1, Program Management,
ECA/EX/PM, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the 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, socio-economic
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. Public
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy,'' the Bureau ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.''
Proposals should reflect advancement of this goal in their program
contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
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
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
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 the program office, as well as the Public Diplomacy section
overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to
panels of Bureau officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the
Department of State's Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public
Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards (grants or
cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications 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 the Bureau's
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. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual
linkages.
5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials
and follow-up activities).
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
7. 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 Bureau grants as determined by Bureau Grant
Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without Bureau support) ensuring that
Bureau supported programs are not isolated events.
9. 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. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants will be
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.
10. 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.
11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should receive positive assessments by the U.S. Department of State's
geographic area desk and overseas officers of program need, potential
impact, and significance in the partner country(ies).
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as
[[Page 34782]]
amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays 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
above is provided through legislation.
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 internal Bureau procedures.
Dated: May 16, 2000.
Evelyn S. Lieberman,
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S.
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-13542 Filed 5-30-00; 8:45 am]
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