20170413_SCA_NOFO_Countering TIP_grants.gov final.pdf

United States Department of State

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Countering Trafficking in Persons in Sri Lanka

This is the announcement of funding opportunity number, SCA-SCAAQM-16-006.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.700

Application Deadline: June 12, 2017

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Sri Lanka is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a destination country, for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. As of March 2017, Sri Lanka has been on the Tier 2 Watch List in the Trafficking in Persons Report for four consecutive years.

The 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report recommends that Sri Lanka continue to work on improving efforts to investigate and prosecute suspected traffickers and convict and punish offenders, including allegedly complicit officials, while respecting due process; continue to train officials on victim identification and referral procedures, especially to ensure victims are not detained or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of having been subjected to human trafficking, such as migration violations or prostitution; improve protection services to ensure identified victims, including men and children, receive specialized care services; take steps to eliminate all recruitment fees charged to workers by licensed labor recruiters and instead ensure they are paid by employers; expand the Bureau of Foreign

Employment’s mandate to include the regulation of sub-agents; and promote safe and legal migration rather than imposing discriminatory policies.

To assist efforts to counter trafficking in persons (TIP) in Sri Lanka, the U.S. Department of

State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) announces an open competition for proposals from organizations seeking to provide assistance on eliminating worker paid recruitment fees, improving victim identification and referral systems; improving victim assistance and psychosocial services; and/or working with core agencies, such as the Bureau of

Foreign Employment, on regulatory reform to protect migrant workers and reduce trafficking.

Applicants should outline project concepts that address Sri Lanka’s need for technical expertise and capacity building to implement various countering TIP processes and mechanisms.

Proposals should respond to SCA’s objective to support Sri Lanka through assistance programs that promote respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Successful applicants will: 1) demonstrate a clear understanding of the country context and operating environment, including existing U.S. government or other donor funded programs working in the same or similar areas; 2) identify specific capacities in partner entities that they will seek to build; 3) have a strong theory of change describing how their proposed project will impart sustainable capacity; 4) demonstrate expertise and prior success in building sustainable

2016 Trafficking in Persons Report https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2016/index.htm capacity that is relevant to the proposal; 5) demonstrate their own capacity to manage foreign assistance funding; 6) outline a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to assess project progress, outcomes, and impact; 7) demonstrate connections and relationships with intended partners and beneficiaries or strategies for guaranteeing beneficiary engagement.

Awards are subject to the availability of funding.

Projects should have the potential lead to long-term and sustainable improvements that enhance ongoing anti-trafficking approaches in Sri Lanka.

The authority for this funding opportunity is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA).

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

SCA anticipates having approximately $1,185,000 available to support approximately 1-2 successful applications submitted in response to this NOFO, subject to the availability of funding. Applicants can submit one application in response to the solicitation.

Applications should not request less than $500,000 and no more than $1,185,000.

Applicants should include an anticipated start date between September 2017 – December 2017 and the period of performance should be between 18-36 months.

SCA will prioritize projects with clearly defined milestones, outcomes, and other evidence of impact, as well as those with a strong monitoring and evaluation component. Projects with a potential cost sharing will be looked upon favorably, although this is not a requirement. As follow-on funding is inherently uncertain, applicants should submit proposals that seek to leverage existing U.S. or donor resources, or amplify the impact of ongoing programs and diplomatic engagement. Project proposals may be submitted prior to the submission deadline, but will not be reviewed until after deadline.

SCA reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under circumstances deemed to be in the best interest of the U.S. government, pending the availability of funds and approval of the designated grants officer.

The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, and (d) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (though it is not under obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarification, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1 Eligible Applicants

Technically eligible submissions are those that: 1) Arrive via https://www.Grants.gov/ by the designated due date and time, and 2) heed all instructions contained in the NOFO and this Proposal

Submission Instructions (PSI).

As of this date, the U.S. Department of State requires that all SCA awards applicants submit proposals through Grants.gov SCA urges organizations to begin the registration process well in advance of the submission deadline.

For assistance with Grants.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@Grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure proposals have been submitted and received in advance of the deadline.

SCA urges prospective applicants to confirm as soon as possible that their organization has a current

Unique Entity Identifier (Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number) and a current registration in the

System for Award Management (www.sam.gov)—both federal requirements—and then to immediately initiate registration for your organization in SAMS Domestic. SAMS Domestic user accounts are specific to the registered individual in your organization, rather than the organization as a whole. If multiple or separate individuals will be responsible for electronically negotiating, accepting, and countersigning any awards in SAMS Domestic, each individual must have a separate user account registration.

C.2 Additional Eligibility Considerations

All potential applicants should have knowledge of existing programs in the proposed country, to include those funded by the U.S. government as well as other governments and international organizations, in order to avoid duplication of efforts. Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities and relevant stakeholders, including public sector partners and NGOs, and have demonstrable experience in administering successful and preferably similar projects. SCA encourages applications from foreign-based NGOs headquartered in the country relevant to this NOFO.

While, applicants may form consortia one organization should be designated as the lead applicant with the other members as sub-award partners. SCA reserves the right to request additional background information on applicants that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards, and these applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.

SCA is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its projects and activities. SCA welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management

(SAM)(www.sam.gov) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the

OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR,1986 Comp., p.

189) and 12689 (3 CFR,1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally no entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Excluded Parties List System in

SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

Applicants must acquire all required registrations in the United States and/or in other relevant countries. All intellectual property considerations and rights must be fully met in the United

States and/or in other relevant countries.

Additional requirements may apply if necessary based upon review of individual applications.

SCA will conduct one round of grant reviews. All applications received by the deadline and found to meet the preliminary eligibility requirements will be reviewed upon the closing of the solicitation period

Applications received from organizations not meeting the above-listed eligibility criteria will be deemed technically ineligible and not subject to review. SCA reserves the right to award one, several, or no grants from applications received.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D.1 Application Submission Method and Deadline

Applications are due no later than 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), on June 12, 2017 on https://www.Grants.gov/ under the announcement title “Countering Trafficking in

Persons in Sri Lanka,” funding opportunity number SCA-SCAAQM-16-006. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day.

This NOFO and all required forms can be downloaded at Grants.gov. If you have trouble obtaining them, please contact the SCA point of contact in section F with your request and a reference to funding opportunity SCA-SCAAQM-16-006.

Please read carefully the entire announcement and follow the guidelines outlined herein before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the NOFO deadline has passed, SCA staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.

D.2 Content and Form of Application Submission

For all application documents, please ensure:

1. All documents are in English and all costs are in U.S. dollars;

https://www.grants.gov/

2. All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;

3. All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper;

4. All documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.

Captions and footnotes may be 10 point Times New Roman font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width;

5. Applicants are encouraged to combine multiple documents in a single Word Document or

PDF.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Applicants who have done so in the past and experienced technical difficulties were not able to meet the deadline. We recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via

Grants.gov early to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered.

D.2.1 Application Requirements

Applicants must follow the NOFO instructions and conditions contained herein and supply all information required. Failure to furnish all information or comply with stated requirements will result in disqualification from the competition. Applicants must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by this NOFO. The penalty for making false statements in proposals to the USG is prescribed on 18 U.S.C.1001.

Complete applications must include the following:

1. Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424a and SF-424b.

2. If your organization engages in lobbying the U.S. government or Congress, or pays for another entity to lobby on your behalf, the SF-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” form is also required.

3. Table of Contents (not to exceed one [1] page, Microsoft Word) listing all documents and attachments, with page numbers.

4. Executive Summary (not to exceed two [2] pages, Microsoft Word) that includes:

a. Name and contact information for the project’s main point of contact;

b. A statement of work or synopsis of the project, including concise breakdown of the project’s objectives, activities, and expected results;

c. The total amount of funding requested and project length; and

d. A brief statement of how the project is innovative, sustainable, and will have a demonstrated impact.

5. Proposal Narrative (not to exceed five [5] pages, Microsoft Word) shall describe the efforts the applicant will undertake to address the priorities and goals of this announcement. The narrative shall include a strong project design and clearly defined objectives. Project design should include submitter’s theory of change that demonstrates project activities will contribute to project objectives. Proposals should address identified gaps and needs based on available sources of information. Provide an overview of the full sequence of proposed project activities, including beginning and end dates and locations of events. Account for all functions or activities identified in the application.

The proposed activities should be described in sufficient detail to show how objectives and goals will be met.

6. Detailed Line-Item Budget (Excel; see Tab A) includes three [3] columns: the request for federal funds, any cost sharing contributions, and total budget. A summary budget should be included using the OMB approved budget categories (as in SF-424A). Costs must be presented in whole U.S. dollars.

7. Budget Narrative (not to exceed one [1] page, Microsoft Word) includes an explanation and justification for each line item in the detailed budget spreadsheet, as well as the source and a description of all cost-share offered. For ease of review, SCA asks applicants to order the budget narrative to correspond to the Detailed Line-Item Budget.

Personnel costs should indicate the percentage of time devoted to the project and the rate.

The budget narrative should communicate to SCA any information that might not be readily apparent in the budget, not simply repeat with words what is stated numerically in the budget.

8. Logic Model (not to exceed two [2] pages, Microsoft Word) should provide expected linkages between program inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative (not to exceed two [2] pages, Microsoft Word) that outlines the applicant’s basic approach to monitoring and evaluating their programs, including methods of reporting and recording programmatic successes and challenges.

This document should cite a reporting plan, sources of data that might be used, how baselines and targets will be established and, if necessary, refined and adjusted to measure outputs, outcomes, and objectives. Proposals should include follow-up monitoring activities within the proposed period of performance to determine effectiveness of program implementation.

10. Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Indicator Table (not to exceed one [1] page, Microsoft Word).

11. Risk Analysis (not to exceed one [1] page, Microsoft Word). SCA recognizes that all programs have some level of risk due to internal/external variables that have the potential to adversely affect a program. Risk management should address how the program design incorporates the identification, assessment, and management of key risk factors. SCA will review the risk analysis based on the organization’s ability to identify risks that could have an impact on the overall program as well as how the organization will manage these risks.

12. Key Personnel and Organizational Capability (not to exceed two [2] pages, Microsoft

Word). Applications must include a clear description of the applicant’s management structure, previous experience with the relevant issue or country, and any other relevant organizational experience and background that may relate to the proposed activities.

Besides information about the organization as a whole, this section must also identify the staffing plan for the proposed project. Please include short bios that demonstrate relevant professional experience of key personnel. Given the limited space, CVs are not recommended for submission.

13. Timeline (not to exceed one [1] page, Microsoft Word): The timeline of the overall proposal should include activities, evaluation efforts, and program closeout.

14. NICRA/Indirect Cost Rate: If your organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) and will include NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA must be included as a .pdf file. Applicants should indicate in the proposal budget how the rate is applied and if any of the rate will be cost-shared. This document will not be reviewed by the panelists, but rather used by project and grant staff if the submission is recommended for funding. Therefore, its inclusion does not count against the submission page limitations, as described above. If your proposal involves sub-grants to organizations charging indirect costs, please submit the applicable NICRA also as a .pdf file.

Per 2 CFR 200.414, applicants may elect to charge a de minimis rate of up to 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. As described in 2

CFR 200.403, factors affecting allowability of costs, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all federal awards until such time as a non-federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-federal entity may apply to do at any time.

15. Audit: Include a copy of your organization’s most recent audit; if applicable (please refer to the 2 CRF 200 for requirements). Like the NICRA documentation, this document will not be reviewed by the Review Committee and will not be counted against the page limitations.

The recipient’s proposal should include the cost of an audit that: Complies with the requirements of 2 CFR 200 Subpart F “Audit Requirements”; complies with the requirements of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) No. 92-9, “Audits of Not-for-Profit Organizations Receiving federal

Awards”; complies with AICPA Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards AU

Section 551, “Reporting on Information Accompanying the Basic Financial Statements in

Auditor-Submitted Documents,” where applicable. When the U.S. Department of State is the largest direct source of federal financial assistance (i.e., the cognizant federal

Agency) and indirect costs are charged to federal grants, a supplemental schedule of indirect cost computation is required

A non-federal entity that expends $750,000 or more during the non-federal entity's fiscal year in federal awards must have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200 subpart F. For more information, see Audit Services, 2 CFR 200.425.

16. Certification of Training Requirement for Victim Assistance Personnel: This is a requirement for programs that provide assistance to trafficking victims, per the

Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), sec. 107A(b)(1) (P.L.

110-457). Applicants must submit an attachment that contains the following statement undersigned by an official authorized to submit the proposal:

The applicant hereby certifies that, to the extent practicable, persons or entities providing legal services, social services, health services, or other assistance have completed, or will complete, training in connection with trafficking in persons.

D.2.2 Additional Application Documents Strong applications will also contain the following:

Individual Letters of Support and/or Memorandum of Understanding specific to the project implementation (e.g. from proposed partners or sub-award recipients) and will not count towards the page limit.

SCA reserves the right to request additional documents not included in this NOFO.

Additionally, to ensure that all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the SCA Review

Panel will review from the first page of each section up to the page limit and no further.

D.2.3 Additional Information Requested

Successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, will include:

● Written responses and revised application documents addressing conditions and recommendations from the SCA Review Panel;

● Completion of the Department’s Financial Management Survey, if receiving SCA funding for the first time;

● Submission of required documents to register in the Payment Management System managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, if receiving SCA funding for the first time (unless an exemption is provided);

● Other requested information or documents included in the notification of intent to make a

Federal award or subsequent communications prior to issuance of a Federal award.

Note: If ultimately provided with a notification of intent to make a Federal award, applicants typically have two to three weeks to provide additional information and documents requested in the notification of intent. The deadlines may vary in each notification of intent and applicants must adhere to the stated deadline in the notification of intent.

D.2.4 Information on Standard Forms

Please see Tab B for instructions for completion of Standard Forms 424, 424A, and 424B.

D.3 Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have:

● A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), formerly referred to as DUNS. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and

Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards.

● An active registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application.

Organizations should verify that they have a UEI (DUNS) number or take the steps needed to obtain one as soon as possible. Instructions for obtaining a UEI (DUNS) number can be found at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do

Instructions for registering with www.sam.gov can be found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/

Note: The process of obtaining a SAM registration usually takes 48 hours. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

● If you are based in the United States or pay employees within the United States, prior to registering in SAM you will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code.

● If you are based outside of the United States and do not pay employees within the

United States, you do not need an EIN from the IRS. However, you will need a NATO

CAGE (NCAGE; https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx) code before you can have an active registration in SAM.

All organizations must also continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or application under consideration by a Federal award agency. SAM requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM and to maintain that active registration. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time SCA is ready to make an award, the applicant may be deemed unqualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

SCA may not review applications from or make awards to applicants that have not completed all applicable UEI and SAM requirements.

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award

Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/ https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx https://www.sam.gov/ guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

D.3.1 Exemptions

An exemption from these requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if:

● An applicant is a foreign organization located outside of the United States without a UEI

(DUNS) and SCA determines that acquiring one is impractical given the geographic location; or

● If an applicant’s identity must be protected due to potential endangerment of their mission, their organization’s status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant.

* Organizations requesting exemption from SAM.gov, NCAGE, and UEI (DUNS) should email the point of contact in the solicitation. If establishing your SAM.gov account as private rather than public view, please notify SCA at the time of submission.

Note: Foreign organizations will be required to register with the NATO Support Agency (NSPA) to receive a NCAGE code in order to register in SAM. NSPA will forward your registration request to the applicable National Codification Bureau (NCB) if your organization is located in a NATO or Tier 2 Sponsored Non-NATO Nation. As of March 2016, NATO nations included

Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America; and Tier 2 nations included Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Israel, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Serbia, and Singapore.

NSPA and/or the appropriate NCB forwards all NCAGE code information to all Allied

Committee 135 (AC/135) nations, which as of March 2016 also included Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Montenegro, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South

Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. All organizations are strongly advised to take this into consideration when assessing whether registration may result in possible endangerment.

D.4 Funding Restrictions

SCA will not consider applications that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization.

Project activities whose direct beneficiaries are foreign militaries or paramilitary groups or individuals will not be considered for SCA funding given purpose limitations on funding.

Restrictions may apply to any proposed assistance to police or other law enforcement. Among these, pursuant to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), no assistance provided through this funding opportunity may be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country when there is credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. In accordance with the requirements of section 620M of the

FAA, also known as the Leahy law, project beneficiaries or participants from a foreign government’s security forces may need to be vetted by the Department before the provision of any assistance.

Federal awards generally will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs; however, the grants officer may approve pre-award costs on a case by case basis.

Funds CANNOT be used to fund religious organizations or partisan political activity; personal trips abroad; trade activities; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research;

ongoing operational expenses; infrastructure; or purely representational expenses.

D.5 Application Submission

All application submissions must be made electronically via www.Grants.gov. This system requires registration by the applying organization. Please note: the Grants.gov registration process can take 10 business days or longer, even if all registration steps are completed in a timely manner.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that it has an active registration in Grants.gov.

Applicants are required to document that the application has been received by Grants.gov in its entirety. SCA bears no responsibility for disqualification that result from applicants not being registered before the due date, for system errors in Grants.gov, or other errors in the application process. Additionally you must save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully.

Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted. Reasonable accommodations may, in appropriate circumstances, be provided to applicants with disabilities or for security reasons. Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in the applicable solicitation and these instructions.

SCA encourages organizations to submit applications during normal business hours (Monday

– Friday, 9:00AM- 5:00PM Eastern Time). If an applicant experiences technical difficulties and has contacted the appropriate helpdesk but is not receiving timely assistance (e.g. if you have not received a response within 48 hours of contacting the helpdesk), you may contact the SCA point of contact listed in section F. The point of contact may assist in contacting the appropriate helpdesk, but an applicant should also document their efforts in contacting the help desk.

Applicants may also contact the SCA point of contact listed in the NOFO if experiencing technical issues with Grants.gov that may result in a late submission.

Applicants experiencing technical difficulties should follow these three steps:

1. Contact the helpdesk for Grants.gov immediately.

http://www.grants.gov/

2. Document (including screenshots) technical issues AND efforts to contact the helpdesk.

3. Submit all of the required documents to the SCA point of contact listed in the solicitation before the deadline.

Note: The Procurement Office will determine technical eligibility of all applications

D.6 Grants.gov Applications

Please be advised that completing all the necessary registration steps for obtaining a username and password from Grants.gov can take more than two weeks.

Please refer to the Grants.gov website for definitions of various "application statuses" and the difference between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from Grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Additionally you must remember to save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully.

Grants.gov Helpdesk:

For assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@Grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

D.7 Anti-Prostitution Policy and Requirements

Grantees are required to agree to the following conditions prior to a grant being awarded:

1. None of the funds made available herein may be used to promote, support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall be construed to preclude assistance designed to combat trafficking in persons, including programs for prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers and others who profit from trafficking in persons, by ameliorating the suffering of, or health risks to, victims while they are being trafficked or after they are out of the situation that resulted from such victims being trafficked.

2. The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this award.

D.8 Training Certification All organizations receiving funds must agree to the following:

"This organization hereby certifies that, to the extent practicable, persons or entities providing legal services, social services, health services, or other assistance have completed, or will complete, training in connection with trafficking in persons." The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this award. TVPA sec.

107A(b)(1)(22 U.S.C. 7105A(b)(1)).

mailto:support@grants.gov

D.9 Executive Order Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal

Contracts

Any applicant’s hiring process must be consistent with the U.S. government’s position on preventing human trafficking among federal contractors, specifically:

The Executive Order expressly prohibits federal contractors, subcontractors, and their employees from engaging in certain trafficking-related practices, such as misleading or fraudulent recruitment practices; charging employees recruitment fees; and destroying or confiscating employees' identity documents, such as a passport or a driver’s license.

D.10 U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security Applicants are encouraged to review the goals of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security for their relevance to applications. In particular, Outcome 3.3 of the Plan provides guidance on efforts to combat trafficking:

“Engage with international and/or civil society organizations to ensure that standard operational procedures are in place to prevent human trafficking, especially among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including appropriate assistance and procedures for unaccompanied minors, to identify potential trafficked persons, and to refer survivors to appropriate service providers. As appropriate, provide support to international and civil society organizations to set up emergency care services for trafficking survivors.”

And:

“Promote establishment of local coalitions or taskforces comprised of relevant government authorities and civil society organizations to combat human trafficking as part of the justice reform measures in post-conflict areas.”

D.11 U.S. Department of State Policy on Disabilities

The United States Government has made a commitment to protect and advance human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people, including persons with disabilities. To that end, President

Obama signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on July 30, 2009, to ensure that every person living with a disability can benefit from the same access and protections, in the United States and abroad.

D.12 U.S. Department of State Policy on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered

Individuals

In preparing applications, applicants are reminded that the Department’s priorities for advancing

LGBT equality abroad are to eliminate violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Advancing the human rights of LGBT people, as with our support for other marginalized or vulnerable people, complements and reinforces other U.S.

foreign policy priorities, including strengthening civil society, promoting the rule of law, supporting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls, protecting refugees and asylum seekers, and furthering anti-trafficking efforts, among others. Due to these intersections, violations or abuses of the human rights of LGBT people often also have negative implications for other U.S. foreign policy priorities.

D. 13 Leahy Vetting Requirement

This requirement applies to training or other assistance to be furnished to any unit or individual member of the security forces of a foreign country. Leahy vetting is required when training or assistance is provided to foreign security forces, including when such assistance is provided under a grant or cooperative agreement. Department guidance provides the following information on the type of personnel who are considered security forces and thus must be vetted under Leahy:

“The Leahy amendment refers to the ‘security forces of a foreign country.’ It makes no distinction between military and civilian. The key is whether the individual is a member of a security force unit. In broad terms, any division or entity (to include an individual) authorized by a State or political subdivision (city, county, etc.) to use force (including by not limited to the power to search, detain, and arrest) to accomplish its mission would be considered a security force. ‘Security forces’ thus could be units of law enforcement or the military. Prison guards, customs police, border police, tax police, and the coast guard would be examples of the types of units included in the category of ‘security forces.’ Members of these types of units should be considered as subject to the Leahy

Amendment and be vetted either as individuals or as part of the unit being trained.

Examples of persons who are not considered ‘security forces’ include: government bureaucrats, prosecutors, judges, civilian members of NGOs, international organizations or task forces and forensic lab workers.”

The vetting process may take considerable time, and applicants should plan training activities with sufficient time for vetting to be completed.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

The technical applications will be reviewed in accordance with the Technical Review Criteria set forth below. Applicants should organize the narrative sections of their technical applications in the same order as the selection criteria. Technical review of applications will be based on the extent and appropriateness of proposed approaches and feasibility of achieving the strategic objectives, in accordance with the following criteria.

If an award is not made on the initial applications, SCA may request clarification and supplemental materials from applicants whose proposals have a reasonable chance of being selected for award. The entry into discussion is to be viewed as part of the review process and shall not be deemed by SCA or the applicants as indicative of a decision or commitment upon the part of SCA to make an award to the applicants with whom discussions are being held.

E.1 Technical Review Criteria

A technical review committee, using the criteria shown in this Section, will review the technical applications. The various functional elements of the technical criteria are assigned weighted scores, so that the applicants will know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of applications.

Where technical applications are considered essentially equal, cost may be the determining factor. Applicants should note that these criteria serve as the standard against which all applications will be reviewed and serve to identify the significant matters which applicants should address in their applications.

The relative importance of each criterion is indicated by the number of points assigned. A total of 100 points is possible.

Based on applications that responsive to the requirements outlined above, the review panel will use the following criteria when rating proposals:

1. Program Narrative [35 possible points] Projects should note how activities directly contribute to FRC capacity-building as described in this NOFO. The proposal should demonstrate a logical approach and show how the project objectives and tasks are linked and how they will be achieved and measured during the project period. Proposed projects should address long-term institutional and/or organizational development with an emphasis on moving towards sustainability.

2. Plan for Measuring Program Effectiveness [10 possible points] Output and outcome indicators should be clearly linked to project goals and objectives. The project should demonstrate the capacity for engaging in both periodic monitoring and end of project evaluation to articulate the effectiveness of the intervention.

3. Organizational Capability and Record of Performance [35 possible points] CT will consider the demonstrated past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Proposed personnel and organizational resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's goals. Roles and responsibilities of primary staff, including key personnel, under this potential award should be clear.

4. Budget Detail and Cost Effectiveness [10 possible points] The presentation of each line-item and corresponding budget narrative should demonstrate that the organization’s efforts will be consistent with sound financial management practices and efficient use of US federal funds.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation Approach [10 possible points] Applicants should outline on one page their basic approach to monitoring and evaluating their programs, including methods of reporting and recording programmatic successes and challenges. Proposals should include follow-up monitoring activities within the proposed period of performance to determine effectiveness of program implementation. Though not required, SCA strongly supports the inclusion of third-party evaluators as part of the project proposals.

E.2 Cost Review

Costs will be reviewed for reasonableness, allowability, allocability, and cost-effectiveness.

The pre-award review of cost-effectiveness will include an examination of the application’s budget detail to ensure it is a realistic financial expression of the proposed project and does not contain estimated costs that may be unallocable, unreasonable, or unallowable. Applications that have more efficient operational systems that reduce operation costs will be favorably considered on that factor.

Applications that maximize direct activity costs and minimize administrative costs are encouraged. Other considerations are the completeness of the application, adequacy of budget detail, and consistency with elements of the technical application. In addition, the organization must demonstrate adequate financial management capability, to be measured by a responsibility determination.

F. CONTACT INFORMATION

For technical submission questions related to this solicitation, please contact:

Ms. Jacqueline Homann, Program Officer – Sri Lanka

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

Office of Regional Affairs

HomannJA@state.gov

For assistance with Grants.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

For a list of federal holidays visit:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/

With the exception of technical submission questions, during the solicitation period U.S.

Department of State staff in Washington and overseas shall not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been transmitted.

G. DISCLAIMER

Issuance of the NOFO and negotiation of applications does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. SCA reserves the right to reduce, mailto:HomannJA@state.gov https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the project evaluation requirements. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all of the submissions received.

By submitting an application for consideration in response to this NOFO, applicant agrees to the

Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions found at:

https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/Pages/TermsandConditions.aspx

Applicants are also advised that any Department of State award will be subject to the regulations found in 2 Code of Federal Regulations 200 found at: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl and any other conditions required by the

Department of State and SCA.

The information in this solicitation is binding and may not be modified by any SCA representative. By submitting an application, the applicant accepts the conditions and requirements described in this solicitation. Explanatory information provided by SCA that contradicts this language will not be binding. Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government. SCA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase application budgets in accordance with the needs of the project evaluation requirements.

https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/Pages/TermsandConditions.aspx http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl

TAB A: BUDGET GUIDELINES

Complete budgets will provide a detailed line-item budget outlining specific cost requirements for proposed activities. A minimum of three columns should be used to delineate the bureau funding request, cost-share by applicant, and total project funding. Complete applications will include a budget narrative to clarify and justify individual line-items (i.e., calculations of how the costs were derived per month or year, their necessity, and overall contribution to the project’s cost-effectiveness).

The three-column proposal line item budget should include the following components, in the format below:

SCA Request Cost Share Total

A. PERSONNEL

B. FRINGE BENEFITS

C. TRAVEL

D. EQUIPMENT (items $5,000 and above)

E. SUPPLIES (items below $5,000)

F. CONTRACTUAL (subgrants or consultant fees)

H. OTHER DIRECT COSTS

I. TOTAL DIRECT CHARGES

(Sum of A-H Subtotals)

J. INDIRECT CHARGES (NICRA or 10% de minimis)

K. TOTAL COSTS (Sum I-J)

Note: The above is designed to serve as an example of the format for complete budget submissions and is NOT exhaustive. Please utilize the budget template available on

Grants.gov. Individual line items included in each applicant’s budget should reflect specific project activities (pax = participants).

Before grants are awarded, SCA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of SCA’s program and availability of funds.

As mentioned above, the detailed budget should also include an accompanying budget narrative that explains and justifies each line item, in the suggested format below:

LINE-ITEM BUDGET

A. Personnel – Identify staffing requirements by each position title and brief description of duties for this project. For clarity, list the annual salary of each position, percentage of time, and number of months devoted to the project (e.g., Administrative Director: $30,000/year x 25% x

8.5 months; calculation: $30,000/12 = $2,500 x 25% x 8.5 months = $5,312.). A non-federal entity must follow its written entity-wide policies and practices including compensation.

B. Fringe Benefits – State the costs of benefits separately from salary costs and explain how benefits are computed for each category of employee - specify type and rate.

C. Travel – Staff and/or Participant travel:

a) International airfare

b) Domestic travel (within the United States)

c) In-country travel (within the partner country/ies)

d) Per diem/maintenance, which includes lodging and meals and incidental expenses

(M&IE) for both participant and staff travel. Per diem rates may not exceed the published U.S. government allowance rates, however institutions may use per diem rates lower than official government rates. Rates of maximum allowances for U.S. travel are available at http://www.gsa.gov and foreign per diem rates are available at https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp

e) Staff refers to grantee organization staff only, and not sub-grantee staff or contractors

D. Equipment – Provide justification for any equipment purchase, defined as tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a unit cost of $5,000 or more.

E. Supplies – List items separately using unit costs to the maximum extent practicable (and the percentage of each unit cost being charged to the grant). Organizations that have supplies as part of their indirect cost pool may not charge them to the grant.

F. Contractual –

a) Sub-grants. For each sub-grant, please provide a detailed line-item budget breakdown, using the approved OMB budget format, explaining specific services.

b) Consultant Fees. Costs may include lecture fees, honoraria, travel, and per diem for outside speakers or independent evaluators. List the number of people and rates per day (e.g., 2 consultants x $150/day x 2 days).

G. Other Direct Costs – These will vary depending on the nature of the project. The inclusion of each line item should be justified in the budget narrative. Line items such as equipment rental, photocopying, postage, telephone/fax, or printing may be included here.