[Federal
Register: March 28, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 60)]
[Notices]
Billing Code: 4510-28
DEPARTMENT
OF LABOR
Combating
Child Labor through Education (Morocco, Uganda, Dominican
Republic Timebound and the Philippines
Timebound)
AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds
and Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Applications (SGA 03-01).
THIS
NOTICE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NECESSARY INFORMATION AND FORMS NEEDED TO APPLY FOR
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FUNDING.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of International Labor Affairs will award up to US $14 million through
one or more cooperative agreement(s) to an organization or organizations to
improve access to quality education as a means to combat child labor in Morocco
($3 million), Uganda ($3 million), the Dominican Republic ($3 million) and the
Philippines ($5 million). The activities funded will complement and expand
upon existing projects and programs to improve basic education in these
countries and provide access to basic education to children in areas of high
incidence of exploitative child labor. Activities in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines will support and complement Timebound
Programs to eliminate child labor being currently implemented in collaboration
with the national governments and the International Program on the Elimination
of Child Labor of the International Labor Organization (ILO/IPEC). Specific
information on Timebound Programs is found in Section III.A of this document.
Applicants
must submit a separate application for each country. If applications for
countries are combined, they will not be considered.
DATE: The closing date for receipt of
application is May 9,
2003. As discussed
in Section II.B and C, applications must be received by 4:45 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the address below. No
exceptions to the mailing, delivery, and hand-delivery conditions set forth in
this notice will be granted. Applications that do not meet the conditions set
forth in this notice will not be honored. Telegram, facsimile (FAX), and
e-mail applications will not be honored.
ADDRESS: Application forms will not be
mailed. They are published as part of this Federal Register Notice, and
in the Federal Register which may be obtained from your nearest U.S.
Government office or public library or online at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/index.html.
Applications must be delivered to: U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement
Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-5416, Attention: Lisa
Harvey, Reference: SGA 03-01, Washington, D.C. 20210. Applications sent by
e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted. Applications sent
by other delivery services, such as Federal Express, UPS, etc., will be
accepted, however, the applicant bears the responsibility for timely
submission.
FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: harvey-lisa@dol.gov. All applicants
are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the Washington D.C. area has been slow and erratic
due to concerns involving anthrax contamination. All applicants must take this
into consideration when preparing to meet the application deadline. It is recommended that you
confirm receipt of your application with your delivery service. See Section
II.C for additional information.
SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION: The
U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB),
announces the availability of funds to be granted by cooperative agreement
(hereafter referred to as "grant") to one or more qualifying
organizations for the purpose of promoting school attendance in areas of high
and exploitative child labor in Morocco and Uganda, and in areas where Timebound
Programs in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines are underway. The grant
or grants awarded under this initiative will be managed by ILABs International
Child Labor Program to assure achievement of the stated goals. Applicants are
encouraged to be creative in proposing cost-effective interventions that will
have a demonstrable impact in promoting school attendance in areas of those
countries where children are engaged in or are most at risk of working in the
worst forms of child labor.
I. AUTHORITY
ILAB is
authorized to award and administer this program by Departments of Labor, Health
and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
2002, Pub.L. No. 107-116, 115 Stat. 2177 (2002).
II. APPLICATION
PROCESS
A. ELIGIBLE
APPLICANTS
Any
commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization capable of
successfully developing and implementing education programs for child laborers
or children at risk in the countries of interest is eligible to apply.
Partnerships of more than one organization are also eligible, and applicants
are strongly encouraged to work with organizations already undertaking projects
in the countries of interest, particularly local NGOs and faith
based-organizations. In the case of partnerships, a lead organization to sign
the agreement must be identified. The capability of an applicant or applicants
to perform necessary aspects of this solicitation will be determined under
Section V.B Rating Criteria and Selection.
PLEASE
NOTE THAT ELIGIBLE GRANT APPLICANTS MUST NOT BE CLASSIFIED UNDER THE INTERNAL
REVENUE CODE AS A 501(c)(4) ENTITY. See 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4). According to the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended by 2 U.S.C. 1611, an organization,
as described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that
engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of federal
funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.
B. SUBMISSION
OF APPLICATIONS
One (1)
ink-signed original, complete application in English plus two (2) copies (in
English) of the application, must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Procurement Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-5416,
Washington, D.C. 20210, not later than 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, May 9, 2003.
Applicants may submit applications for one or more countries. In the case
where an applicant is interested in applying for a grant in more than one
country, a separate application must be submitted for each country.
The application must consist of two (2) separate parts.
Part I of the application must contain the Standard Form (SF) 424
"Application for Federal Assistance" and sections A-F of the Budget
Information Form SF 424A, available from ILABs Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm.
Copies of these forms are also available online from the GSA Web site at http://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms.nsf/0/B835648D66D1B8F985256A72004C58C2/$file/
sf424.pdf and http://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms.nsf/0/5AEB1FA6FB3B832385256A72004C8E77/$file/ Sf424a.pdf.
Part II must contain a technical application that demonstrates capabilities in
accordance with the Statement of Work (Section IV.A) and Rating Criteria
(Section V.B).
To be
considered responsive to this solicitation, the application must consist of the
above-mentioned separate sections not to exceed 45 single-sided (8-1/2" x
11"), double-spaced, 10 to 12 pitch typed pages for each country,
following the format presented in the Statement of Work (Section IV.A) and
Rating Criteria (Section V.B). This requirement includes a project document
submitted in the format shown in Appendix A. ANY APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT
CONFORM TO THESE STANDARDS MAY BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE TO THIS SOLICITATION
AND MAY NOT BE EVALUATED. Standard forms and attachments are not
included in the page limit. Each application must include a table of contents
and an abstract summarizing the application in not more that two (2) pages.
These pages are also not included in the page limits.
The
individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of the Applicant must be authorized to
bind the Applicant.
C. ACCEPTABLE
METHODS OF SUBMISSION
The grant
application package must be received at the designated place by the date and
time specified or it will not be considered. Any application received at
Procurement Services Center after 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, May 9, 2003, will not
be considered unless it is received before the award is made and:
- it is
determined by the Government that the late receipt was due solely to
mishandling by Government after receipt at the U.S. Department of Labor at the
address indicated;
- it was sent by
registered or certified mail not later than the fifth calendar day before May 9, 2003; or
- it was sent by
U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee, not
later than 5:00 pm at the place of mailing two (2)
working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays, prior to May 9, 2003.
The only
acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a late application sent
by registered or certified mail is the U.S. Postal Service postmark on the
envelope or wrapper and on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service.
If the postmark is not legible, an application received after the above closing
time and date shall be processed as if mailed late. "Postmark" means
a printed, stamped, or otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine
impression) that is readily identifiable without further action as having been
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the date of
mailing. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal clerk place a
legible hand cancellation "bulls-eye" postmark on both the receipt
and the envelope or wrapper.
The only
acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a late application sent
by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee
is the date entered by the Post Office receiving clerk on the "Express
Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee" label and the postmark on
the envelope or wrapper on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service.
"Postmark" has the same meaning as defined above. Therefore,
applicants should request that the postal clerk place a legible hand
cancellation "bull's-eye" postmark on both the receipt and the
envelope or wrapper.
The only
acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the U.S. Department of
Labor is the date/time stamp of the Procurement Service Center on the application wrapper or other documentary evidence
or receipt maintained by that office.
Applications
sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
Applications sent by other delivery services, such as Federal Express, UPS,
etc., will be accepted, however the applicant bears the responsibility for
timely submission. Confirmation of receipt can be made with Lisa Harvey, U.S.
Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this
is not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: harvey-lisa@dol.gov.
D. FUNDING
LEVELS
Up to US
$14 million is available under this solicitation, with up to $3 million each
for the Dominican
Republic, Morocco, and Uganda, and up to $5 million for the Philippines. USDOL may award one or more
grants to one, several, or a partnership of more than one organization which
may apply to implement the program. Any subcontractor must be approved by
USDOL.
E. PROGRAM
DURATION
The
duration of the projects funded by this SGA is for four (4) years. The start
date of program activities will be negotiated upon awarding of the grant, but
no later than September
30, 2003.
III. BACKGROUND
AND PROGRAM SCOPE
A. USDOL
SUPPORT OF GLOBAL ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOR
The
International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 211 million children
between the ages of five and 14 were working around the world in 2000. Full-time
child workers are generally unable to attend school, and part-time child
laborers balance economic survival with schooling from an early age, often to
the detriment of their education. Since 1995, the U.S. Congress has provided
USDOL with funds to support worldwide technical assistance programs implemented
by the ILO. To date, USDOL has contributed US $157 million to ILO/IPEC, making
the United States the program's largest donor and a
leader in global efforts to combat child labor.
Programs
funded by USDOL have evolved from targeted action programs in specific sectors
to a more comprehensive approach. In June 2001, at the International Labor
Conference in Geneva, new programs were launched to
effectively abolish the worst forms of child labor in a five-to-ten year time
frame. These programs are called "Timebound Programs" and are a
technical assistance modality designed to help countries eliminate the worst
forms of child labor in a defined period of time. Timebound Programs provide
aid to countries to support implementation of ILO Convention No. 182 on the
Worst Forms of Child Labor.
Convention
182 lists four categories of the worst forms of child labor, and calls for
immediate elimination of:
- All forms of
slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of
children; debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labor; including
forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
- The use,
procurement or offering of a child for prostitution, production of pornography
or pornographic performances;
- The use,
procurement or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for
the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant
international treaties;
- Work which by
its nature or by the circumstances by which it is carried out, is likely to
harm the health, safety, and morals of children.
In
determining the types of work likely to harm the health, safety and morals of
children, Convention 182 considers the following: work which exposes a child to
physical, psychological or sexual abuse; work underground, underwater, at
dangerous heights or in confined workplaces; work with dangerous machinery,
equipment and tools or handling or transporting heavy loads; work in an
unhealthy environment including exposure to hazardous substances, agents or
processes, or to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging to the
health; work for long hours or night work where the child is unreasonably
confined to the premises.
The Timebound
Program is designed to be a country-owned initiative. Participation implies
commitment by a country to mobilize and allocate national human and financial
resources to combat child labor. USDOL-supported programs assist governments
in this process by identifying and supporting projects, measures,
interventions, institutional mechanisms, and partnerships required to eliminate
the worst forms of child labor.
Between
FY 2001 and FY 2003, in addition to US $135 million earmarked for ILO/IPEC
efforts, US $111 million was appropriated to USDOL for a Child Labor Education
Initiative to fund programs aimed at increasing access to quality, basic
education in areas with a high incidence of abusive and exploitative child
labor. The grant(s) awarded under this solicitation will be funded through
this initiative.
USDOL's
Child Labor Education Initiative seeks to nurture the development, health,
safety and enhanced future employability of children around the world by
increasing access to basic education for children removed from work or at risk
of entering into labor. Child labor elimination depends in part on improving
access to, quality of, and relevance of education.
The
Child Labor Education Initiative has four goals:
- Raise
awareness of the importance of education for all children and mobilize a wide
array of actors to improve and expand education infrastructures;
- Strengthen
formal and transitional education systems that encourage working children and
those at risk of working to attend school;
- Strengthen
national institutions and policies on education and child labor; and
- Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.
B.
BARRIERS TO EDUCATION FOR WORKING CHILDREN AND COUNTRY BACKGROUND
1.
Child Labor and Barriers of Access to Education
Throughout
the world there are complex causes to child labor as well as barriers to
education for children engaged in or at risk of working. These include:
- Poverty
whereby
families need children's income for survival, there is a high opportunity
cost to enrolling a child in school, and the direct and indirect costs of
schooling are unaffordable.
- Education
system barriers
which include low quality and relevance of education and curricula; low
teacher training/preparation of school personnel to address education of
children with special needs, such as child laborers; poor teaching
methods; lack of or weak systems to address reintegration of dropouts, or
to provide equivalency and/or bridge programs between non-formal and
formal or vocational education.
- Infrastructure
barriers
which include distance to school; inadequate school buildings (too small,
too few primary, secondary or vocational schools); overcrowded schools;
lack of open spaces for physical activity and related facilities; lack of
transportation; lack of latrines, water, electricity and other basic
infrastructure.
- Legal
and policy barriers which include policies that discourage school enrollment and
retention, weak law enforcement, or non-existent, inconsistent or
inadequate education policies for working children.
- Resource
gaps which
include either overall low level of resources within the country, or a low
allocation of existing resources relative to the needs of working
children, or to child labor eradication or education goals set by
government policies.
- Institutional
barriers
which include weaknesses that hamper an organization's ability to
effectively implement programs, and/or limited coordination among social
partners (various level of government, NGOs, private sector) to match
existing resources to education gaps and needs of working children.
- Informational
gaps which
include lack of information on the education needs of child laborers or
their educational performance so as to develop relevant and targeted
programs; lack of available relevant social indicator data to identify,
target and map families with working children; lack of consistent
monitoring and evaluation of programs to draw lessons learned, or limited
awareness on the part of different actors of the benefits of education for
working children.
- Demographic
characteristics of children and/or families which include factors that
put a child at higher risk of child labor and lack of access to education,
such as belonging to an ethnic group, gender or social class, family
composition (e.g., single head of household or polygamous household,
multiple siblings, etc.), being overage relative to grade.
- Cultural
and traditional practices which include community attitudes that children
should work and help the family, and attitudes and practices towards
gender and social roles.
- Weak
labor markets
and lack of employment for those more educated, which diminish the
perceived value of an education, and increase the value of early entry
into the labor market.
Although
these elements and characteristics tend to exist throughout the world in areas
of high child labor, they manifest themselves and/or combine in particular ways
in each country of interest in this solicitation. In their response to the
solicitation, applicants should be able to identify the specific barriers to
education and the education needs of specific children targeted in their
project (e.g., children withdrawn from work, children at high risk of drop out
into the labor force, children still working in a particular sector, etc.).
Short background information on education and child labor in each of the
countries of interest is provided below. For additional information on child
labor in these countries, applicants are referred to The Department of
Labor's 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/overview.htm
or in hard copy from Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement
Services Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or
e-mail: harvey-lisa@dol.gov.
2.
Country Background
The
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republics National Child Labor Survey (Encuesta Nacional de
Trabajo Infantil), published
in 2002, estimated that 18 percent of children between the ages of five and 17
years (428,720) are working. The major sectors where children work are
agriculture, services in the informal sector (shoe shiners, street vendors),
domestic service, and prostitution. In addition, reports indicate that Haitian
children may be found working in the Dominican Republic on sugarcane plantations and in other hazardous
occupations, and have documentation and likely language barriers to
education. There are also reports that some Haitian children have been
trafficked to the Dominican
Republic, including
for purposes of child labor.
Between
1992 and 2002, the Dominican Secretariat of Education (SecretarRa de Estado de
Educacin) engaged in a ten-year reform
program (Plan Decenal) that included goals of increasing educational
access, improving quality, implementing curriculum reform, improving the social
and economic conditions of teachers, approving a new education law,
decentralization, increased community participation, and increased financial
resources. The plan, funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American
Development Bank, greatly increased educational access for more children, but
improvements are still needed in the areas of educational quality, teacher
training, teacher living conditions, implementation of the education law,
parent/community participation, and budget. Basic education in the Dominican Republic is free and compulsory between
the ages of five and 14.
In spite
of large investments in the education system, many gaps and challenges remain
that hamper efforts to prevent child labor through education, and provide
access to education for child laborers. These include a highly centralized
education administration, lack of school access in rural areas, lack of
vocational schools, and a less than adequate system for measuring and
monitoring education results.
Moreover,
lack of official identity papers and documentation are serious barriers to school
enrollment and affects thousands of children most vulnerable to child
laborrural children, and those of Haitian descent. Several programs have been
developed to address the problem of lack of documentation, but none has been
broadly successful.
Many
Dominican teachers lack motivation to improve their teaching style or to comply
with school schedules because of low salaries. Teacher strikes for higher pay
are frequent. Time in-class and time spent on learning tasks are lower in the Dominican Republic than in most other Latin American
countries. Teachers in rural areas may also miss school because of
transportation difficulties. In most Dominican classrooms there is a lack of
active, participatory, student-centered pedagogy. Also, teachers are not
prepared to deal with children with special needs such as those of working
children, and children at risk of or engaged in commercial sexual
exploitation.
There are
limited alternatives to the public schools since there are few NGOs
specializing in education. Also, Dominican NGOs operate under an obsolete law
dating from 1920. Furthermore, the high levels of overage students relative
to grade discourages many children from continuing altogether, and results in
permanent desertion and premature entry into labor.
The
Government of the Dominican
Republic has
committed itself to the implementation of a Timebound Program to eliminate the
worst forms of child labor. The funding provided by this award will provide
resources for the education component of the Timebound Program funded by USDOL
and implemented through the ILO/IPEC.
Morocco
According
to a 1999 diagnostic by the Ministry of Employment and the ILO, there are
approximately 9.8 million children in Morocco under the age of 15, and approximately 6.5 percent of children in
this age group work. About 90 percent of working children are in rural areas
in the agriculture sector, often in animal husbandry and other agricultural
tasks. Children also work as weavers in the carpet industry; in small family-run
workshops that produce ceramics, woodwork, and leather goods; and as mechanics,
porters, tourist guides, street vendors, and beggars. Children work as
apprentices before they reach 12 years of age, particularly in the informal
handicraft industry. In urban areas, girls work as domestic servants, often in
situations of unregulated "adoptive servitude," and teenagers are
reported to engage in prostitution. Street children engage in diverse forms of
work including selling cigarettes, begging, shining shoes and other
miscellaneous occupations. It is estimated that 90 percent of working children
are between the ages of 10 and 14, and 50 percent are victims of abuse and work
more than 50 hours a week.
Morocco has identified education as a
major component of the national and sectoral plans to combat child labor
produced by the Ministry of Employment. It has also outlined its strategy for
education reform in a national Charter that focuses on increasing educational
access, reducing educational disparities, and involving different social
sectors in partnerships for education. Education is free and compulsory
between the ages of six and 15. The government has targeted universal primary
enrollment by 2005-2006, and universal secondary education by 2008-2009.
Despite
the progress made in increasing access to basic education in Morocco, the Ministry of National
Education estimates that approximately 2 million children between the ages of
eight and 16 have either never attended school or dropped out before completing
the first level. The ILO/IPEC estimates that 80 percent of working children in
Morocco are out of school. Ensuring
their access to education will need to be addressed if Morocco is to meet its national goal of
enrolling all children aged 12-14 in secondary school by 2008-2009. The
Ministry of National Education's Non-Formal Program, working in partnership
with an active NGO community, has reached only approximately 113,545 children
aged eight to 15 since 1997. Although 70 percent of children who enter the
non-formal program complete it, only about 10 percent transition into the
formal system. The Government of Morocco has recently created a State
Secretariat for Literacy and Non-Formal Education to address many of the issues
facing out-of-school children.
The
funding provided by this solicitation will contribute to addressing these
important challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to address their
efforts to areas of the highest concentrations of child labor (i.e.,
agriculture), and sectors in rural and urban areas with the worst forms of
child labor.
The Philippines
Child
labor in the Philippines is set primarily in the context
of poverty, with 31.8 percent of Filipino families living below the poverty
line in 1997, compared to 33.7 percent in 2000. The increase in the number of
families living in poverty has contributed to the rise in the number of working
children. In 2001, the Philippine National Statistics Office estimated that 4
million children between the ages of five and 17 were working, or 16.2 percent
of children in this age group. This figure accounts for a 12 percent increase
in the number of working children since 1995.
Children
work predominantly in rural areas. Almost half of all child workers are
engaged in agricultural activities, while other children work in informal
footwear production, drug trafficking, pyrotechnics production, deep-sea
fishing, mining and quarrying, and pearl farming. In the informal sector
children are engaged in scavenging and begging. Children are also engaged as
domestic servants and are involved in the commercial sex industry.
Since
1991, the Education for All (EFA) strategy has been a cornerstone of the
Philippine's plan of action to improve the public education system, but
government plans to address the particular needs of working children are
limited. There are numerous gaps in the public education system and other
socio-cultural or institutional barriers that may prevent children engaged in
or at risk of working in the worst forms of child labor from receiving quality
and relevant basic education. While significant achievements have been made in
combating child labor and promoting basic education, there is a need to link
these efforts and address issues related to the provision of education for
children working or at risk of working.
The
current National Development Plan for 2001-2004 includes universal primary
education as a goal. From 1991 to 1998, primary net enrollment rates in the Philippines increased from 85 percent to 96
percent. The increase in enrollment rates reflects the government's commitment
to providing universal primary education, but there are still challenges
related to strengthening the quality and relevance of education, which is key
to the retention of children in the school system. Currently, an estimated 69
percent of children who enter primary school in the Philippines reach grade 5.
In
addition, the impact of education reforms has not yet been fully extended to
children vulnerable to child labor. Even though formal education is free and
compulsory for six years, families are often expected to shoulder other
associated costs such as food, uniforms, school supplies, transportation, and,
in some instances, fees for capital outlays or building maintenance (e.g.,
janitorial services, toilets, and electricity). With many parents' earnings
falling below the poverty line, the inability of public schools to subsidize
these extra costs places considerable economic strain on families. As a
result, high costs to schooling limit access to education, negatively impact
school attendance, and may contribute to the increase in the labor supply of
children.
The
Government of the Philippines is dedicated to the elimination
of the worst forms of child labor within a specified period, and has committed
to a Timebound Program to combat child labor. USDOL expects the funding
provided by this award to address some of the educational challenges within the
Timebound Program framework, and the applicant will support education activities
undertaken as part of USDOL's funding of the Philippines Timebound Program,
which is being implemented through ILO/IPEC. These education activities must
complement and reinforce the existing Timebound strategy, but not duplicate
efforts already funded by USDOL through ILO/IPEC.
Direct
services of the already-funded ILO-IPEC education component of the Timebound
Program will concentrate primarily on the provision of non-formal, transitional
and vocational education to children withdrawn from work and those at-risk of
working in the sectors targeted by the Timebound Program. These activities
correspond to gaps identified in the existing system. For example, until very
recently, the Department of Education's Bureau of Non-Formal Education only
offered non-formal education programs to out-of-school youths aged 15 and
above. Although it is currently preparing to offer non-formal education to
children ages six to 14, the Bureau lacks the funds to develop appropriate
curricula and learning modules. An additional challenge to providing
transitional education is that children in non-formal programs frequently
experience difficulty mainstreaming into formal education, such as passing an
equivalency test required for re-entry in formal schooling.
Uganda
An ILO-IPEC child labor report based on the 2000-2001
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey estimated the total number of working
children aged five to 17 years in the country at 2.9 million, accounting for
34.2 percent of all children in this age group. Furthermore, the report
estimated that more than half of all working children in Uganda are aged
10-14 years. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) has
drafted a national policy and plan of action to combat the worst forms of child
labor, including children engaged in commercial agriculture, fishing, domestic
labor, the informal sector, street activities, commercial sexual exploitation,
construction sector, and children in armed conflicts.
USDOL has targeted several of these sectors through
programs implemented by ILO/IPEC. USDOL has also financed surveys on child
labor in Uganda. Recognizing that forced and compulsory recruitment of
children in armed conflict is a worst form of child labor as identified in ILO
Convention 182, USDOL, through funding provided by this solicitation, seeks to
support the education needs of this population in northern Uganda.
In
addition to the MGLSD, the Ministry of Education has been engaged in efforts to
eliminate the worst forms of child labor. In 1997 this ministry instituted a
policy of Universal Primary Education (UPE) to make formal schooling more
affordable and thus more available to students in Uganda. Since the implementation of
this policy, enrollment has increased dramatically, from 3.4 million in 1996 to
7.2 million in 2002.
Unfortunately,
much of the success of this program has been concentrated in the south.
Sixteen years of war in northern Uganda has hindered the full implementation of UPE, and has created enormous
barriers for young people living in these areas to gain access to and complete
quality primary education. Since the birth of the Lords Resistance Armys
(LRA) rebel campaign in 1986, between 10,000-15,000 Ugandan children have been
abducted to serve as porters and soldiers for this rebel group. Abducted girls
often suffer the added trauma of rape, and are frequently given to rebel
commanders as sexual slaves.
In
addition, at least half of the population living in areas of conflict in
northern Uganda (a majority of whom are
adolescents and children) is internally displaced. Escalated LRA attacks since
the beginning of 2000 have forced an increasing number of people to seek refuge
in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps called Protected Villages, or,
alternatively, in the towns of Gulu and Kitgum.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), 26.4 percent of the IDPs living in
camps are children aged five to 14 years old. The majority of these children
have been out of school since the conflict escalated in July 1996. Although
national primary enrollment averages 95 percent for all children aged six to 13
years, less than 30 percent of school-age children in IDP camps are currently
enrolled on a full-time basis, with young girls especially affected.
According
to the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) Fourth Division Commander in Gulu,
over 300,000 children in northern Uganda are unable to go to school at present. Low enrollment and retention
in war-affected areas is the result of several complex and interrelated
factors. Stress levels among children have dramatically increased because of
displacement, separation, death, violence, abduction and sexual abuse. For
formerly abducted children and child soldiers this trauma is particularly
acute. Girls are especially affected, as they often return from captivity with
babies. In addition, both former child soldiers and war-affected children
returning to school after a long absence find themselves in the difficult
position of being older than their classmates and having missed years of
schooling. This situation leads them to either not return to school, or to
drop out after they re-enroll.
Despite
government incentives to local teachers and a teacher training college located
in Gulu, northern Uganda is also suffering from a shortage
of educators. The few remaining teachers are often unequipped to accommodate
the many special needs of their students. Furthermore, for many children, the
cost of purchasing school supplies and the opportunity cost of attending school
is too great. Although some young people have expressed an interest in
learning skills or a trade, most technical training colleges require a level of
academic achievement that former child soldiers and war-affected children have
not attained. Furthermore, many young people lack the basic literacy skills
needed to succeed in formal training programs.
Nonetheless, the commitment to and desire
for education among these young people and their communities is considerable.
Education is often the top priority identified by communities immediately
following an attack or displacement. The Government of Uganda has responded
through the provision of several new policies and programs. The Ministry of
Education has drafted strategies for working with children living in areas of
conflict in a Basic Education
Policy and Costed Framework For Educationally Disadvantaged Children. The policy
aims to increase community participation in education; strengthen linkages
between formal and non-formal education; improve education quality by ensuring
appropriate infrastructure and curriculum content and methodology, and provide
appropriate learning materials. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of
Gender, Labour, and Social Development have established a multi-agency working
group to address the needs of children who have suffered from armed conflict.
Several international and local NGOs have also developed programs focusing on
the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers and war-affected
children.
However, there is a great
need to expand and improve upon efforts to educate and train former child
soldiers and war-affected children. The work undertaken by government entities
and international and local NGOs working on the ground provide a solid foundation,
but gaps remain in current efforts to provide access to quality education.
Areas requiring further development include: (1) non-formal education, catch-up
classes, and basic literacy training (2) skills and vocational training, (3)
teacher training and recruitment, (4) the development of appropriate curricula,
materials and teaching methods and the provision of school supplies, and (5)
community mobilization and sensitization to meet the education needs and
psychosocial needs of children and adolescents in northern Uganda. The funding
provided by this solicitation encourages applicants to propose solid approaches
that will address these needs.
Given the complex unique social situation of these
children, USDOL encourages collaboration with programs in northern Uganda working on issues of poverty,
health and nutrition, community development, peace and security. USDOL
encourages models that work within existing government structures and national
plans of action. USDOL seeks to fund sustainable programs that provide for the
emerging educational needs of these children as northern Uganda transitions towards peace.
Applicants should be ready to adapt services to accommodate the fluidity and
constantly changing nature of the security situation, and related migration
flows.
IV. REQUIREMENTS
A. STATEMENT
OF WORK
Taking
into account the challenges to educating working children in each country of
interest, the applicant shall propose and implement creative and innovative
approaches to provide educational opportunities to children engaged in or
removed from child labor, particularly the worst forms. The expected
outcomes/results of the project are to: 1) increase educational opportunities
(enrollment) for children who are engaged in, at risk of, and/or removed from
child labor, particularly its worst forms; 2) encourage retention in, and
completion of educational programs; and 3) expand the successful transition of
children in non-formal education into formal schools or vocational programs.
In the course
of implementation, each project shall promote the goals of USDOL's Child Labor
Education Initiative listed in Section III.A above. Because of the limited
available resources under this award, applicants should implement programs that
complement existing efforts and, where appropriate, replicate or enhance
successful models to serve expanded numbers of children and communities. In
order to avoid duplication, enhance collaboration, expand impact, and develop
synergies, the grant awardee (hereafter referred to as "Grantee")
should work cooperatively with national stakeholders in developing project
interventions.
Although
USDOL is open to all proposals for innovative solutions to address the
challenges of providing increased access to education to the children targeted,
the applicant must, at a minimum, prepare responses following the outline of
a preliminary project document presented in Appendix A. This response will
be the foundation for the final project document that will be approved after
award of the grant.
Note To
Timebound Applicants:
In
preparing responses for the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, the applicant should be aware
that the funding provided by this award is part of USDOL commitments to
comprehensive and integrated Timebound Programs to prevent and remove children
from the worst forms of child labor. The Grantee will be required to integrate
and closely coordinate the project's interventions with the strategies and
activities developed by the ILO/IPEC and the Governments of the Dominican Republic and the Philippines.
Achieving
seamless integration between program components will require working with the
same target groups/number of children, to the greatest degree possible with the
same children, and in the same geographical areas identified in the ILO-IPEC Timebound
Program documents. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read and
become familiar with the design elements of the Timebound Programs funded
through ILO/IPEC in the Dominican
Republic and the Philippines before preparing a response to
this solicitation, and strengthen the quality rather than duplicate activities
that are already being funded. Applicants should carefully study the ILO/IPEC
Timebound project documents in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines
available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm
to become familiar
with the education interventions ILO/IPEC will be implementing before proposing
their own. Applicants should avoid duplicating activities being carried out by
ILO/IPEC, but are highly encouraged to propose approaches that could complement
and improve the quality and impact of ILO/IPEC education interventions.
In the Philippines, target children include those at
risk of work or working in agriculture, deep-sea fishing, domestic service,
commercial sexual exploitation, mining and quarrying, and pyrotechnics. The
geographical coverage of the program in the Philippines will include the following regions and provinces: Region
III (Bulacan), Region V (Camaranies Norte), Region VI (Ilo Ilo and Negros
Occidental), Region VII (Negros Oriental and Cebu), Region XI (Davao), and the National Capital Region (Metro Manila). Applicants are strongly
encouraged to focus their major interventions in facilitating mainstreaming
into formal education for children withdrawn from work or at risk of working;
strengthening formal education to prevent drop out of identified vulnerable
children into child labor; and providing an approach to improve quality in
non-formal education so as to better transition children removed from child
labor to formal education or vocational options.
In the Dominican Republic, the Consejo Nacional de Trabajo (The National
Committee on the Eradication of Child Labor) has defined specific geographic
areas for the Timebound Program: Santo Domingo, Duarte, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez,
Monseor Nouel, Puerto Plata, Sanchez-Ramirez and Saman. Also, child labor Timebound
Program activities aimed at the worst forms of child labor are already underway
in Boca Chica and Constanza. The Committee has defined commercial sexual
exploitation, hazardous informal work, and hazardous agricultural activities as
the worst forms of child labor. Approaches should address the gaps and
barriers to education faced by children in these forms of employment in the Dominican Republic.
In Timebound
Programs, key personnel will work closely with the ILO/IPEC's National Program
Manager and the Timebound Program Chief Technical Adviser, and as appropriate,
with staff of the national government in developing project interventions.
Note
to All Applicants:
The
Grantee is expected to consult with and work cooperatively with stakeholders in
the countries, including the Ministries of Education and Labor, NGOs, national
steering/advisory committees on child labor education, faith-based
organizations, and working children and their families. Where practical, there
should be efforts to work with existing projects, particularly those funded by
USDOL.
B. DELIVERABLES
In
addition to meeting the above requirements, the Grantee will be expected to
monitor the implementation of the program, report to USDOL on a quarterly
basis, and undergo evaluation of program results. Guidance on USDOL procedures
and management requirements will be provided to the Grantee in written
Management Procedures and Guidelines (MPG) after award. The project budget
must include funds to plan, implement and evaluate programs and activities,
conduct various studies pertinent to project implementation, to establish
education baselines to measure program results, and travel to meet with USDOL
officials in Washington at yearly intervals.
Corresponding indicators of performance will also be developed by the Grantee
and approved by USDOL. Unless otherwise indicated, the Grantee must submit
copies of all required reports to ILAB by the specified due dates. Specific
deliverables are the following:
1. Project
design document
The
Grantee will prepare a preliminary project document in the format described in
Appendix A, with design elements linked to a logical framework matrix. See http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm
for a worked
example. The project document will include a background/justification section,
project strategy (goal, purpose, outputs, activities, indicators, means of
verification, assumptions), project implementation timetable and project
budget. The narrative will address the criteria/themes described in Section
V.B.1 below Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness. The final project design
document will be based on the application written in response to this
solicitation, but will include the results of additional consultation with
stakeholders, partners, and ILAB. The document will also include sections that
address coordination strategies, project management and sustainability. The
final project document will be delivered three months after the time of the
award.
2. Technical
and financial progress reports
The
format for the technical progress report will be provided in the MPG
distributed after the award. The Grantee must furnish a typed technical report
to ILAB on a quarterly basis by 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31
December. Technical reports will include:
- For each
project objective, an accurate account of activities carried out under that
objective during the reporting period;
- A description
of current problems that may impede performance, and proposed corrective
action;
- Future actions
planned in support of each project objective;
- Aggregate
amount of costs incurred during the reporting period relative to each
objective; and
- Progress on
common Government Performance and Results Act indicators (to be reported semi-annually)
to be provided to Grantees after award.
The
Grantee must also furnish separate financial reports (SF 272 and 269) to ILAB
on the quarterly basis mentioned above.
3. Annual
work plan
An annual
work plan will be developed within three months of project award and approved
by ILAB so as to ensure coordination with other relevant social actors in the
country. Subsequent annual work plans will be delivered no later than one year
after the previous one.
4. Performance
monitoring and evaluation plan
A
performance monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed, in collaboration
with ILAB, including beginning and ending dates for the project, planned and
actual dates for mid-term review, and final end of project evaluations. The
performance monitoring plan will be developed in conjunction with the logical
framework project design and common indicators for GPRA reporting selected by
ILAB. Baseline data collection will be tied to the indicators of the project
design document and the performance monitoring plan. A draft monitoring and
evaluation plan will be submitted to ILAB within four months of project award.
5. Project
evaluation
The
Grantee and the Grant Officer's Technical Representative (GOTR) will determine
on a case-by-case basis whether mid-term evaluations will be conducted by an
internal or external evaluation team. All final evaluations will be external
in nature. The Grantee must respond in writing to any comments and
recommendations resulting from the review of the mid-term report. The budget
must include the projected cost of mid-term and final evaluations.
C. PRODUCTION
OF DELIVERABLES
1. Materials
prepared under the cooperative agreement
The Grantee
must submit to ILAB all media-related and educational materials developed by it
or its sub-contractors before they are reproduced, published, or used. ILAB
considers that education materials include brochures, pamphlets, videotapes,
slide-tape shows, curricula, and any other training materials used in the
program. ILAB will review materials for technical accuracy. The Grantee must
obtain prior approval from the Grant's Officer Technical Representative for all
materials developed or purchased under this grant. All materials produced by
the Grantee must be provided to ILAB in digital format for possible publication
by ILAB.
2. Acknowledgement
of USDOL funding
In all
circumstances, the following must be displayed on printed materials:
"Preparation of this item was funded by the United
States Department of Labor under Cooperative Agreement No. E-9-X-X-XXXX."
When
issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, bid solicitations,
and other documents describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part
with Federal money, all Grantees receiving Federal funds, including State and
local governments and recipients of Federal research grants, must clearly
state:
- The
percentage of the total costs of the program or project that will be financed
with Federal money;
- The
dollar amount of Federal funds for the project or program; and
- The
percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program
that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
In
consultation with ILAB, USDOL will be acknowledged in one of the following
ways:
- The
USDOL logo may be applied to USDOL-funded material prepared for worldwide
distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, research documents,
national survey results, impact evaluations, best practice reports, and
other publications of global interest. The Grantee must consult with
USDOL on whether the logo may be used on any such items prior to final
draft or final preparation for distribution. In no event will the USDOL
logo be placed on any item until USDOL has given the Grantee written
permission to use the logo on the item.
- If ILAB
determines that the use of the logo is not appropriate and written
permission is not given, the following notice must appear on the document:
"This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of
the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial
products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government."
D. ADMINISTRATIVE
REQUIREMENTS
1. General
Grantee
organizations are subject to applicable U.S. Federal laws (including provisions
of appropriations law) and the applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Circulars. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with
the applicable U.S. Federal cost principles. The grantee will also be required
to submit to a bi-annual independent audit, and costs for such an audit should
be included in direct or indirect costs, whichever is appropriate.
The grant
awarded under this SGA is subject to the following administrative standards and
provisions, if applicable:
29 CFR Part 36 Federal Standards for Nondiscrimination
on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal
Financial Assistance.
29
CFR Part 93 New Restrictions on Lobbying.
29 CFR Part 95 Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and
other Non-Profit Organizations, and with Commercial Organizations, Foreign
Governments, Organizations Under the Jurisdiction of Foreign Governments and
International Organizations.
29 CFR Part 96 Federal Standards for Audit of Federally
Funded Grants, Contracts and Agreements.
29 CFR Part 98 Federal Standards for Government-wide
Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for
Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).
29 CFR Part 99 Federal Standards for Audits of States,
Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
Applicants are reminded to
budget for compliance with the administrative requirements set forth. This includes the cost of
performing administrative activities such as financial audit, closeout, evaluation, document
preparation, as well as compliance with procurement and property standards. Copies of all
regulations referenced in this SGA are available at no cost, on-line, at
www.dol.gov.
2. Sub-contracts
Sub-contracts
must be awarded in accordance with 29 CFR 95.40-48. In compliance with
Executive Orders 12876, as amended, 13230, 12928 and 13021, as amended, the
Grantee is strongly encouraged to provide sub-contracting opportunities to
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and
Tribal Colleges and Universities.
3. Key
personnel
The
applicant shall list an individual(s) who has been designated as having primary
responsibility for the conduct and completion of all project work. The
applicant must submit written proof that key personnel will be available to
begin work on the project no later than three weeks after award. The Grantee
agrees to inform the GOTR whenever it appears impossible for this individual(s)
to continue work on the project as planned. The Grantee may nominate
substitute personnel and submit the nominations to the GOTR; however, the
Grantee must obtain prior approval from the Grant Officer for all key
personnel. If the Grant Officer is unable to approve the personnel change,
he/she reserves the right to terminate the grant.
4. Encumbrance
of grant funds
Grant
funds may not be encumbered/obligated by the Grantee before or after the period
of performance. Encumbrances/obligations outstanding as of the end of the
grant period may be liquidated (paid out) after the end of the grant period.
Such encumbrances/obligations shall involve only specified commitments for
which a need existed during the grant period and which are supported by
approved contracts, purchase orders, requisitions, invoices, bills, or other
evidence of liability consistent with the Grantee's purchasing procedures and
incurred within the grant period. All encumbrances/obligations incurred during
the grant period shall be liquidated within 90 days after the end of the grant
period, if practicable.
5. Site
visits
USDOL,
through its authorized representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times,
to make site visits to review project accomplishments and management control
systems and to provide such technical assistance as may be required. If USDOL
makes any site visit on the premises of the Grantee or a sub-contractor(s)
under this grant, the Grantee shall provide and shall require its
sub-contractors to provide all reasonable facilities and assistance for the
safety and convenience of Government representatives in the performance of
their duties. All site visits and evaluations shall be performed in a manner
that will not unduly delay the work.
V. REVIEW
AND SELECTION OF APPLICANTS FOR AWARD
A. THE
REVIEW PROCESS
USDOL will
screen all applications to determine whether all required elements are present
and clearly identifiable. Each complete application will be objectively rated
by a technical panel against the criteria described in this announcement.
Applicants are advised that panel recommendations to the Grant Officer are
advisory in nature. The Grant Officer may elect to select a Grantee on the
basis of the initial application submission; or, the Grant Officer may
establish a competitive or technically acceptable range for the purpose of
selecting qualified applicants. If deemed appropriate, following the Grant
Officer's call for the preparation and receipt of final revisions of
applications, the evaluations process described above will be repeated to
consider such revisions. The Grant Officer will make final selection
determination based on panel findings and consideration of factors that may be
most advantageous to the Government, such as geographic distribution of the
competitive applications, cost, the availability of funds and other factors.
The Grant Officer's determination for award under this SGA is final.
NOTE: Selection of an organization as
a grant recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as
submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, USDOL may enter into
negotiations about such items as program components, funding levels, and
administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the
negotiations do not result in an acceptable submission, the Grant Officer
reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the
application. Award is also contingent upon signature of a letter of agreement
between USDOL and relevant ministries in target countries.
B.
RATING CRITERIA AND SELECTION
The
technical panel will review applications written in the specified format (see
Section III.B and Appendix A) against the various criteria on the basis of 100
points. Five additional points will be given for non-federal or leveraged
resources. Applicants are requested to prepare their written response (45 page
maximum) on the basis of the following rating factors, which are presented in
the order of emphasis that they will receive.
| Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness |
45 points |
| Organizational Capacity |
30 points |
| Management Plan/ Key Personnel/Staffing |
25 points |
| Leveraging |
5 extra points |
1.
Project/Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness (45 points)
This part
of the application constitutes the preliminary project document described in
section IV.B.1 and outlined in Appendix A. (Note: The supporting logical
framework matrix will not count in the 45-page limit but should be included as
an annex to the project document. To guide applicants, a sample logical
framework matrix for a hypothetical child labor education project is available
at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm.
The
applicant should describe in detail the proposed approach to comply with each
requirement in Section IV.A of this solicitation.
This
component of the application should demonstrate the applicant's thorough
knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and challenges involved in
providing education to children engaged in or at risk of engaging in child
labor, particularly its worst forms; best-practice solutions to address their
needs; and the implementing environment in the selected country. When
complying with the project document outline, the applicant should at minimum
include a description of:
- Children
Targeted
The applicant will identify which and how many children will benefit from
the project, including the sectors in which they work, geographical
location, and other relevant characteristics. Note: Timebound country
applicants must target the sectors, geographical areas, and children
identified in Timebound Project documents.
- Needs/Gaps/Barriers The applicant will
describe the specific gaps/educational needs of the children targeted that
the project will address.
- Proposed
Strategy
The applicant will discuss the proposed strategy to address
gaps/needs/barriers and its rationale.
- Description
of Activities
The applicant will provide a detailed description of proposed activities
that relate to the gaps/needs/barriers to be addressed including training
and technical assistance to be provided to project staff, host country
nationals, and community groups involved in the project. Ideally, the
proposed approach should build upon existing activities, and government
policies and plans and avoid needless duplication.
- Work
Plan The
applicant will provide a detailed work plan and timeline for the proposed
project, preferably with a visual such as a Gantt chart.
- Program
Management and Performance Assessment The applicant will describe: 1) how
management will ensure that the goals and objectives will be met; 2) how
information and data will be collected and used to demonstrate the impacts
of the project; and 3) what systems will be put in place for self-assessment,
evaluation and continuous improvement. USDOL has already developed common
indicators and a database system for monitoring childrens educational
progress that can be used and adapted by Grantees after award so that they
do not need to set up this type of system from scratch.
- Budget/Cost
Effectiveness
The applicant will show how the budget reflects program goals and design
in a cost-effective way so as to reflect budget/performance integration.
The budget should be linked to the activities and outputs of the
implementation plan listed above. This section of the application should
explain the costs for performing all of the requirements presented in this
solicitation, and for producing all required reports and other
deliverables. Costs must include labor, equipment, travel, audits,
evaluations, and other related costs. Preference may be given to
applicants with low administrative costs, and all costs should be reported
as they will become part of the cooperative agreement upon award. This section
will be evaluated in accordance with applicable Federal laws and
regulations. The budget must comply with Federal cost principles (which
can be found in the applicable OMB Circulars) and with ILAB budget
requirements contained in the application instructions in Section III of
this solicitation. Applicants are advised that customs and Value Added
Tax (VAT) exemptions may not be allowed, and should take into account such
costs in budget preparation. If major costs are omitted, the Grantee
may not be allowed to include them later.
2.
Organizational Capacity (35 points)
The
applicant should present the qualifications of the organization(s) implementing
the program/project. The evaluation criteria in this category are as follows:
- International
Experience
The organization applying for the award has international experience
implementing basic, transitional, non-formal or vocational education
programs that address issues of access, quality, and policy reform for
vulnerable children including children engaged in or at risk of child
labor, preferably in the country of interest or neighboring countries.
- Country
Presence
An applicant must demonstrate a country presence, or the capability to
establish a country presence, independently or through a relationship with
another organization(s) with country presence, which gives it the
capability to work directly with government ministries, educators, civil
society leaders, and other local faith-based or community organizations.
Applicants without country presence must provide evidence that legal
country presence can be established within 90 days of award. For
applicants that do not have independent country presence, documentation of
the relationship with the organization(s) with such a presence must be
provided, or the capacity to establish such a relationship within 90 days
of award.
- Fiscal
Oversight
The organization shows evidence of a sound financial system. The results
of the most current independent financial audit must accompany the
application, and applicants without one will not be considered.
- Coordination If two or more
organizations are applying for the award in the form of a partnership,
they must demonstrate an approach to ensure the successful collaboration
including clear delineation of respective roles and responsibilities. The
applicants must also identify the lead organization (Grantee) and submit
the partnership agreement. Partners of the Grantee will be designated as
contractors or sub-contractors.
The application must include information about previous
grant or contracts of the applicant and partners that are relevant to this
solicitation including:
- The
organizations for which the work was done;
- A
contact person in that organization with their current phone number;
- The
dollar value of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement for the
project;
- The
time frame and professional effort involved in the project;
- A
brief summary of the work performed; and
- A
brief summary of accomplishments.
This information on previous grants and contracts held by
the applicant and partners shall be provided in appendices and will not
count in the maximum page requirement.
3.
Management/Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing (25 points)
Successful
performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the management skills and
qualifications of the individuals committed to the project. Accordingly, in
its evaluation of each application, USDOL will place emphasis on the
applicant's management approach and commitment of personnel qualified for the
work involved in accomplishing the assigned tasks. This section of the
application must include sufficient information to judge management and
staffing plans, and the experience and competence of program staff proposed for
the project to assure that they meet the required qualifications. Information
provided on the experience and educational background of personnel should
include the following:
- The
identity of key personnel assigned to the project. "Key personnel
are staff who are essential to the successful operation of the project and
completion of the proposed work and, therefore, may not be replaced or
have hours reduced without the approval of the Grant Officer.
- The
educational background and experience of all staff to be assigned to the
project.
- The
special capabilities of staff that demonstrate prior experience in
organizing, managing and performing similar efforts.
- The
current employment status of staff and availability for this project. The
applicant must also indicate whether the proposed work will be performed by
persons currently employed or is dependent upon planned recruitment or
sub-contracting.
Note that
management and professional technical staff members comprising the applicant's
proposed team should be individuals who have prior experience with organizations
working in similar efforts, and are fully qualified to perform work specified
in the Statement of Work. Where sub-contractors or outside assistance are
proposed, organizational control should be clearly delineated to ensure
responsiveness to the needs of USDOL. Key personnel must sign letters of
agreement to serve on the project, and indicate availability to commence work
within three weeks of grant award.
In this
section, the following information must be furnished:
- Key
personnel
For each country for which an application is submitted, the applicant must
designate the key personnel listed below. If key personnel are not
designated, the application will not be considered.
i.
A Project
Director (Key Personnel) to oversee the project and be responsible for
implementation of the requirements of the grant. The Program Director must
have a minimum of three years of professional experience in a leadership role
in implementation of complex basic education programs in developing countries
in areas such as education policy; improving educational quality and access;
educational assessment of disadvantaged students; development of community
participation in the improvement of basic education for disadvantaged children,
and monitoring and evaluation of basic education projects. Points will be
given for candidates with additional years of experience including experience
working with officials of ministries of education and/or labor. Preferred
candidates will also have knowledge of child labor issues, and experience in
the development of transitional, formal, and vocational education of children
removed from child labor and/or victims of the worst forms of child labor.
Fluency in English is required and working knowledge of the official
language(s) spoken in the target countries is preferred.
ii.
An Education
Specialist (Key Personnel) who will provide leadership in developing the
technical aspects of this project in collaboration with the Project Director.
This person must have at least three years experience in basic education
projects in developing countries in areas including student assessment, teacher
training, educational materials development, educational management, and
educational monitoring and information systems. This person must have
experience in working successfully with ministries of education, networks of
educators, employers' organizations and trade union representatives or
comparable entities. Additional experience with child labor/education policy
and monitoring and evaluation is an asset. Working knowledge of English
preferred, as is a similar knowledge of official language(s) spoken in the
target country.
- Other
Personnel
The applicant must identify other program personnel proposed to carry out
the requirements of this solicitation.
- Management
Plan The
management plan must include the following:
i.
A description
of the functional relationship between elements of the project's management
structure;
ii.
The identity
of the individual responsible for project management and the lines of authority
between this individual and other elements of the project.
- Staff
loading Plan
The staff loading plan must identify all key tasks and the person-days
required to complete each task. Labor estimated for each task must be
broken down by individuals assigned to the task, including sub-contractors
and consultants. All key tasks should be charted to show time required to
perform them by months or weeks.
- Roles
and Responsibilities The applicant must include a resume and description of the
roles and responsibilities of all personnel proposed. Resumes must be
attached in an appendix. At a minimum, each resume must include: the
individual's current employment status and previous work experience,
including position title, duties, dates in position, employing organizations,
and educational background. Duties must be clearly defined in terms of
role performed, e.g., manager, team leader, consultant, etc. Indicate
whether the individual is currently employed by the applicant, and (if so)
for how long.
4.
Leverage of Grant Funding (5 points)
The
Department will give up to five (5) additional rating points to applications
that include non-Federal resources that significantly expand the dollar amount,
size and scope of the application. These programs will not be financed by the
project, but can complement and enhance project objectives. Applicants are
also encouraged to leverage activities such as micro-credit or income
generation projects for adults that are not directly allowable under the
grant. To be eligible for the additional points, the applicant must list the
source(s) of funds, the nature, and possible activities anticipated with these
funds under this grant and any partnerships, linkages or coordination of
activities, cooperative funding, etc.
Signed at
Washington, D.C., this 21st day of March, 2003.
LAWRENCE J. KUSS
Grant
Officer.
APPENDIX
A: PROJECT DOCUMENT FORMAT
7.
Sustainability
Annex A:
Full presentation of the Applicants Logical Framework matrix
(A worked
example of a Logical Framework matrix and other background documentation for
this SGA are available from the ILAB Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0301/bkgrdSGA0301.htm.)
