Eng SOI civil servant_PAS-Ukraine-FY23-07.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY KYIV, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Statement of Interest (SOI)

Funding Opportunity Title: Supporting English Language Training Needs for Ukrainian Professionals and Civil Servants Funding Opportunity Number: PAS-Ukraine-FY23-07 Deadline for Applications: July 5, 2023 CFDA Number: 19.900 Total Amount Available: $200,000 (awards may range from $25,000 to 200,000)

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the U.S. Embassy Kyiv Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a program (or programs) to help meet the needs of Ukrainian professionals and civil servants who will need English to carry out duties now or in the future. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

The submission of the SOI is the first step in a two-step process. Applicants must first submit a concise 3-page statement of interest designed to clearly communicate program idea and objectives. This is not a full proposal. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to requiring the development of a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program idea(s) by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decision(s) are made.

Program Purpose & Objectives:

This opportunity seeks to support initiatives that foster the development of civil society and democratic governance by equipping civil servants with the English language proficiency necessary to engage Western-oriented reform and integration. Successful proposals will be built on a sustainable model and will closely support new and existing Ukrainian government efforts to improve English among Ukrainian civil servants and government officials, as well as Ukrainian professionals in strategic industries.

Successful proposals will support objectives that include – but are not limited to - the following:

1. Improve quality of English language training for Ukrainian professionals who have a need to use English, either through online, blended, or in-person formats.

2. Build capacity of Ukrainian government officials to engage with international partners through relevant English language training.

3. Strengthen ties between the United States and Ukraine through collaborative activities and products that promote mutual understanding and democratic values.

Proposals can be for online, blended, or in-person training and could include an exchange component. Strong proposals will demonstrate prior experience working with the Ukrainian government and knowledge about current and planned initiatives for improving English among civil servants. Proposals should account for needs and challenges of teaching English to working adults and must include a plan for sustainability.

Participants and Audiences:

Ukrainian civil servants and government officials; Ukrainian professionals in the spheres of strategic industries, including but not limited to energy, border service, civil infrastructure, communications, food industry, and education; Ukrainian English language instructors who work with adult professionals.

The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:

• Programs relating to partisan political activity;

• Charitable or development activities;

• Construction programs;

• Programs that support specific religious activities;

• Fund-raising campaigns;

• Lobbying for specific legislation or programs;

• Scientific research;

• Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or

• Programs that duplicate existing programs.

Authorizing legislation, type and year of funding:

Funding authority rests in the Foreign Assistance Act. The source of funding is FY2023 AEECA Funding.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 12-24 months Number of awards anticipated: up to 3 awards (dependent on amounts) Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $25,00 to a maximum of $200,000 Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2023 AEECA under the Foreign Assistance Act Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2023.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 24 months or less.

The U.S. Embassy Kyiv of Department of State retains the right to execute non-competitive continuation amendment(s). Any amendment(s) is based on performance, pending availability of funds and is not guaranteed.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply: Ukrainian and U.S. non-commercial organizations (both Public and Private) are eligible to apply. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations must meet the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is encouraged, but there is no requirement for cost sharing or matching funds for this competition.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section E.4 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov.

a) Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the requirements and guidance included in this NOFO. Not following the guidance will result in the proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.

b) Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal in this competition.

If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process.

Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the PSI document.

c) Taxes: Successful applicants are responsible for complying with all applicable tax treaties and federal, state and local laws on tax withholding and reporting for project participants.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Application Package Interested applicants may request the full text of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) via email to KyivRELO@state.gov. The NOFO may also be found on www.grants.gov as well as the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv: https://ua.usembassy.gov/education-culture/regional-english-language-office/

Content and Form of Application Submission Please follow all instructions below carefully. SOIs that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:KyivRELO@state.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://ua.usembassy.gov/education-culture/regional-english-language-office/ https://ua.usembassy.gov/education-culture/regional-english-language-office/

1. Maximum 3-page SOI that includes:

• A brief project description summarizing goals, objectives outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, and proposed timeline.

• A clear statement of the applicant’s organizational capacity to carry out the proposed activity and manage U.S. Government funds.

• Documents fully in English

• The anticipated budget (in U.S. dollars)

2. Budget and Budget Justification Narrative: The budget should outline the administrative costs involved in carrying out activities. Describe each of the budget expenses in detail.

Submission Dates and Times

SOIs are due no later than July 5, 2023, 5 PM, Eastern Standard Time

1. Funding Restrictions 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 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.

All organizations applying to receive Federal assistance must have an active account with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) before an award can be made. Please indicate the status of SAM registration when submitting the proposal:

• In Progress

• Submitted OR

• Active

Proceed to register in SAM.gov by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov SAM registration must be renewed annually.

2. Other Submission Requirements

Please submit the Application Package by e-mail attachment to KyivRELO@state.gov

Applications should be in PDF or Microsoft Word form.

Applications are due no later than July 5, 2023

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

Each SOI will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below.

https://www.sam.gov/ mailto:KyivRELO@state.gov

• Quality of Program Idea: The SOI is responsive to program framework. The idea is communicated well and is feasible. SOI’s that promote creative approaches to address program objectives are highly encouraged. The proposed timeline is reasonable.

• Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants : The SOI should demonstrate the organization’s expertise and previous experience in administering programs. If a local partner is identified SOI should briefly describe the partner’s role and experience.

• Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives: The SOI should clearly articulate proposed program activities and expected results towards achieving program objectives and goal(s).

2. Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible SOIs. All eligible SOIs will be reviewed against the criteria listed above. SOIs are reviewed individually against the criteria and not against competing SOIs. For a fair review all panelists will review the first page of the SOI up to the page limit and no further. The panel may provide conditions and/or recommendations on SOIs to enhance the proposed program. Conditions must be addressed, and recommendations should be addressed, in a full proposal application.

3. Following the review, any successful SOI applicants will be contacted and instructed to submit full applications. A full application will include:

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations)

• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

• SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) for individual or organization exempted from registering in SAM.

4. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

Required Registrations:

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

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. 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.

The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee.

Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from

4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

● Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov.

● Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov.

● Please note that as of November 2022 and February 2022 respectively, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code or CAGE code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration and wishes to remove a CAGE or NCAGE code from their SAM.gov registration, the applicant should submit a help desk ticket (“incident”) with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online at www.fsd.gov using the following language: “I do not intend to seek financial assistance from the Department of Defense. I do not wish to obtain a CAGE or NCAGE code. I understand that I will need to submit my registration after this incident is resolved in order to have my registration activated.”

Organizations based outside of the United States and that DO NOT plan to do business with the DoD should follow the below instructions:

Step 1: Proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI and complete the SAM.gov registration process.

SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually.

Organizations based outside of the United States and that DO plan to do business with the DoD in addition to Department of State should follow the below instructions:

Step 1: Apply for an NCAGE code by following the instructions on the NSPA NATO website linked below:

NCAGE Homepage:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/sc/CageList.aspx NCAGE Code Request Tool (NCRT):

Exemptions An exemption from the UEI and sam.gov registration requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis 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.

• For an applicant, if the Federal awarding agency makes a determination that there are exigent circumstances that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fsd.gov%2Fgsafsd_sp%3Fid%3Dgsafsd_kb_articles%26sys_id%3Dc81018e71b1601d0937fa64ce54bcb57&data=05%7C01%7Cfjeldkk%40state.gov%7C0cc4e2b471f44abcd32308db093ecead%7C66cf50745afe48d1a691a12b2121f44b%7C0%7C0%7C638113937577534024%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=W2ShcazZBQbanYGj0cLOTnUJwv%2BGL4xfwr83%2BycQY2E%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fsd.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfjeldkk%40state.gov%7C0cc4e2b471f44abcd32308db093ecead%7C66cf50745afe48d1a691a12b2121f44b%7C0%7C0%7C638113937577534024%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=t32ANWzgpiB93pMWoq%2BFCSHz4YJY9QF1S1iQzCsS6RM%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feportal.nspa.nato.int%2FAC135Public%2Fscage%2FCageList.aspx&data=05%7C01%7Cfjeldkk%40state.gov%7C0cc4e2b471f44abcd32308db093ecead%7C66cf50745afe48d1a691a12b2121f44b%7C0%7C0%7C638113937577534024%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=v3TLT8F%2FNfk5SuTcI2zw7SMhV4HK542OhP9XDx4ln%2BY%3D&reserved=0 identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a Federal award. In these instances, Federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the Federal award date.

Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must email the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the application can be deemed eligible for review.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Terms and Conditions: Before submitting the SOI, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply if a full proposal application is requested and awarded, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:

2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions which are available at: https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the SOI application process, please contact: KyivRELO@state.gov

A follow-up solicitation via email will be sent directly to those organizations who submitted successful SOIs. It is not reposted on Grant.gov or a public website. The follow-up solicitation must follow the full NOFO template as well as provide any specific recommendations or conditions articulated by the review panel.

https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/ mailto:KyivRELO@state.gov