Applicant Questions and INL Answers_Colombia Drug Courts NOFO.pdf

Applicant Questions & INL Answers

Notice of Funding Opportunity: Colombian Juvenile Drug Court Expansion

Opportunity Number: INL20CA0009-WHPColombia-DrugCourts-01212020

Posted: February 11, 2020

If you submitted a question by the posted question deadline but do not see your question answered in a satisfactory manner below, please email Grants Officer Katelyn Smith at

SmithKB@state.gov.

Q: Regarding Eligibility/Registry (Page 1 and 12), does the prime recipient need to be registered or could a sub-recipient/member of a consortium fulfill this requirement on behalf of a prime applicant?

A: INL apologizes for the confusion related to the requirement for in-country business registration. Upon conferring with INL-Bogota, it has been determined that in-country business registration is not required of applicants (nor sub-recipients) at this stage. It’s possible that INL may require the selected applicant/grantee to obtain Colombian business registration if it is determined that lack of registration will hinder the success of the project. The updated NOFO document, with this requirement removed, was uploaded to the Documents section of this solicitation on February 11, 2020.

Q: Should an in-country program manager/director be based in Bogota (nearer to INL) or

Medellin (nearer to the expansion model)?

A: It is preferable that the in-country program manager be based in Bogotá, as the institutions of the National government and the technical committee are in Bogotá

Q: With reference to Objective 3, Page 7, are the experts required to speak Spanish or will translation costs be accepted under certain circumstances?

A: Per 2 CFR 200, translation costs are an allowable expense. The experts do not necessarily need to speak Spanish.

Q: Who is responsible for selecting drug court staff? Will this be done locally? What role, if any, will the grantee play in this process?

A: National and local government. The grantee will not play a role in this process.

mailto:SmithKB@state.gov

Q: Is the grant funding expected to be used, in part, to pay (or supplement) drug court staff salaries?

A: No

Q: Can INL confirm that project funds will not be used to fund provision of social services, for example mental health treatment, psycho-social services, or other similar ancillary services?

A: Applications should not budget for the provision of social services.

Q: Can INL confirm and/or clarify that the project should not finance drug treatment services or alternative programs that juveniles may be ordered to undergo?

A: Applications should not budget for drug treatment services.

Q: Is the judicial coordinator analogous to a drug court coordinator?

A: The drug court coordinator is different than the judicial coordinator.

Q: Can INL confirm that project funds should not be budgeted to fund court coordinator (or similar) positions?

A: Applications should not budget for court coordinators (or similar positions).

Q: Can INL confirm that project funds should not be budgeted for office equipment, furnishings, and renovations to the pilot court or the seven expansion courts?

A: Applications should not budget for office equipment, furnishing, or renovations for the courts.

Q: If the initial training is to commence after this award, may respondents to this NOFO include, as a part of the 3-year expansion plan, recommendations to the MOJ for the timing and nature of the MOJ-funded site visits, training, and observation?

A: Yes, and its recommended.

Q: Could INL please provide interested offerors with a copy of the 2-year viability study referenced in the NOFO that was prepared by the Government of Colombia prior to the establishment of the Medellin pilot court?

A: We cannot share that information at this time with all applicants, but the information will be provided to the selected grantee at the appropriate time.

Q: Is it expected/required that all 7 sites are operational with some type of evaluation during the initial 3-year period under a single grant?

A: Yes. The grantee must evaluate each new drug treatment court, which ideally will occur toward the end of the initial three-year period of performance.

Page 9 of the NOFO , under Objective 6, §2 reads “The MOJ is already funding the initial site visits, training, and observation for the approximately 20 drug treatment staff in the seven expansion cities.”

Q: Have the initial site visits, training, and/or observation already commenced, or will they occur after this funding is awarded?

A: Initial site visits, trainings and observation have already started. The national government team and staff from the pilot program had been providing training to the new regions.

Q: Can INL clarify that the “Example Outcome Indicators” listed on page 9 of the NOFO are illustrative targets for the project and that offerors are free to propose alternative target outcome indicators as appropriate?

A: Yes, the indicators and targets listed on page 9 and 10 of the NOFO are examples and may be revised and/or expanded upon as desired by the applicant.

Q: Will INL please allow offerors to use fonts other than Times New Roman in tables, charts, and graphics? Will INL please allow offerors to use a minimum 10-point font size for tables, charts, and graphics?

A: Yes, this is fine. The font guidelines apply generally to the overall application but can be revised as needed by the applicant.

Q: Can INL please clarify that the Technical Narrative’s 15 page limit does not include the required documents listed in items #2-5 (not #2-4) and items #7- 16 (not #6-16) ? Can INL please clarify whether the Executive Summary (maximum 2 pages) is included or excluded from the 15-page proposal narrative page limit?

A: The Proposal Narrative requirement listed on page 18 of the NOFO “Required Application

Documents” has been revised in the updated NOFO document. It clarifies that the fifteen-page limit for the Proposal Narrative does not include any other documents, (i.e. cover page, table of contents, logic model, etc.). All required documents, whether submitted in one document or separately, should not exceed the page limit specified for that particular document.