FOA-ILAB-25-45 Shipbuilding.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Program Office:

OTLA

Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for: Revitalizing Domestic Manufacturing by Developing the Next Generation of America’s Shipbuilders through International Partnerships

Announcement Type: _________

Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ILAB-25-45

Assistance Listing Number: 17.401

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is Friday, September 26, 2025. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

All technical questions related to the content of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) must be submitted no later than 10 business days prior to the close date of the FOA.

Award decisions are expected to be made between 09/30/2025 and 12/31/2025.

The Department will make its best efforts to make award decisions within this timeframe, but please be aware that there are a variety of circumstances that may result in a later or earlier than expected award decision.

To apply: Submit applications via https://www.grants.gov/ in response to this funding opportunity number.

Please refer to Section IV for application submission instructions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $8,000,000 total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for 1 cooperative agreement to fund an $8,000,000 technical assistance project with the objective to contribute to sustaining the future of the shipbuilding industry in the United States by establishing mechanisms for international collaboration to draw on expertise in support of expanding the number of skilled U.S. workers and training institutions with shipbuilding skills and knowledge. The 4-year project will create an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program that would facilitate the training of https://www.grants.gov/

U.S. workers in allied countries with advanced shipbuilding expertise, as well as the development of a specialized internationally recognized trade curricula to enable subsequent training in the United States. The project will partner U.S.-based educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, and, where possible, shipyards, with foreign educational institutions, training centers, and/or shipyards in Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and/or other countries.

The duration of the project will be 48 months from the award date. Applicants may propose a shorter period of performance in line with their proposed strategy.

Eligible applicants include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organizations, including any faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, or public international organizations (PIOs). Please see section III of this funding opportunity announcement for complete eligibility requirements.

Faith-based organizations are encouraged to apply, as are all organizations. Those that meet the eligibility requirements may receive awards under this funding opportunity. DOL will not, in the selection of recipients and administration of the grant, discriminate on the basis of an organization’s religious character, affiliation, exercise, or lack thereof, or on the basis of conduct that would not be considered grounds to favor or disfavor a similarly situated secular organization.

Applicants may propose outcomes they consider realistic and essential to achieving the project objective.

Applicants selected for award will be required, within the first six months of award, to carry out additional in-country needs assessments and consultations with partners and relevant stakeholders to assess and identify gaps, risks, and opportunities, analyze stakeholder capabilities and interests, understand potential harm and refine and/or validate the proposed project design, including performance indicators and targets, assumptions, risk mitigation and project sustainability strategies. All post-award refinements to the project strategy will be subject to approval by USDOL.

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications to be Submitted

3. Eligible Participants

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. Technical Proposal

2. Cost Proposal

3. Submission Date, Times, and Process

C. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

D. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

E. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

1. General Requirements

2. Audits and Attestation Engagements

3. Administrative Standards

4. Other Legal Requirements

5. Other Administrative Standards

6. Special Program Requirements

C. REPORTING

1. Quarterly Federal Financial Report (SF 425, FFR)

2. Semi-Annual Technical Progress Reports

3. Final Technical Report

4. Indirect Cost Rates

5. Closeout Reports

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

IX. APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Acronyms APPENDIX B: Definitions APPENDIX C: Relevant Grant and/or Contract Experience APPENDIX D: Requirements for Application Submission APPENDIX E: Past Performance Questionnaire APPENDIX F: Sustainability Strategy Template

ENDNOTES

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) prioritizes the interests of American workers in U.S. trade and international labor and employment policy. ILAB’s mission is to promote a level global playing field for U.S. workers and companies. ILAB seeks to ensure that American workers and businesses benefit from the Administration’s trade agenda by counteracting labor practices overseas that undermine American competitiveness, including vigorously enforcing labor provisions in trade agreements and promoting trade policy that advances opportunities and skills development for American workers and businesses.

ILAB’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) works to make sure that U.S. trade partners fulfill their promises and play by the rules, and that American workers are able to compete on a level playing field by negotiating strong labor provisions in trade agreements and preference programs, monitoring for compliance, enforcing trade agreement and preference program commitments, and sharing technical expertise. See ILAB’s webpage for additional information:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab.

ILAB has extensive experience in carrying out international labor activities in support of United States trade objectives by establishing partnerships and other collaborations with foreign trade partners as well as facilitating similar collaborations for U.S. private sector stakeholders.

This FOA solicits applications to implement 1 project with the objective to contribute to sustaining the future of the shipbuilding industry in the United States by drawing on the expertise of foreign partners to expand the number of skilled U.S. workers and training institutions with shipbuilding skills and knowledge. The 4-year project will create an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program that would facilitate the training of U.S. workers in partner countries with advanced shipbuilding expertise, as well as the development of a specialized and internationally recognized trade curricula to enable subsequent training in the United States. The project will partner U.S.-based training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, or educational institutions (career and technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, and, where possible, shipyards with foreign educational institutions, training centers, and/or shipyards in Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and/or other countries. This project would leverage the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact framework but not be limited to icebreaker ships.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

ILAB is authorized to award and administer grants and cooperative agreements by Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2024, PL 118-47, Division D, Title I, as continued under the FY 2025 Full-year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, PL 119-4.

C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States have been weakened by decades of domestic neglect and unfair trade and labor practices by foreign competition. This has caused the decline of a once-strong U.S. industrial base, eliminated good https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilabh

American jobs, and empowered our adversaries, threatening U.S. national security. The U.S.

constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally, while China is responsible for producing approximately half. China has targeted dominance of the maritime sector through state subsidies and suppression of wages and legitimate collective bargaining for workers.

The America First Trade Policy aims to use trade policy to both achieve reciprocal trade and revitalize U.S. domestic manufacturing.0Fi Acknowledging the impact of the decline in the U.S.

shipbuilding sector workforce, the Executive Order on Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance aims to rebuild maritime industries and workforce in the United States to promote national security and economic prosperity. Specifically, the Executive Order calls for the expansion of shipbuilding training, including through the establishment of scholarships to send promising maritime experts abroad to learn cutting edge techniques, subjects, and other advanced technologies. The urgency of these efforts is highlighted by the trade remedies arising from a Section 301 investigation into China’s unfair targeting of maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance that penalize the use of Chinese ships in United States commerce.1F ii These remedies incentivize U.S.-built and -flagged vessels for shipping and encourage capital investment in the production of shipbuilding capacity of the United States. As America revitalizes its shipbuilding industry, DOL/ILAB is uniquely positioned to address workforce challenges in the shipbuilding and maritime sector by fostering international partnerships with educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, and shipyards that train U.S. workers to spur workforce development with a focus on critical skills, as well as to reduce unfair competition in global shipbuilding.

The most immediate demand and priority for ships in the United States are for U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, as well as commercial vessels that would comply with the Jones Act, which requires that only U.S.-built vessels transport cargo between United States ports.

However, the United States also expects a rapid expansion of demand for tankers that carry liquified natural gas (LNG) as a result of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 301 Action Plan that would require LNG to be transported on U.S.-built vessels. In addition, other priority vessels include: bulk carriers, tankers, roll-on/off, containers, cable, and heavy-lift vessels.2F iii

Currently, there is a shortage of skilled workers in the shipbuilding sector in priority trades. The shipbuilding sector is experiencing an aging workforce, a decline of entry level workers, and lack opportunities for career advancement. This has contributed to the U.S. shipbuilding sector experiencing significant delays of ships under construction and cost overruns. In 2025, the U.S.

Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that found that the construction of U.S. Navy vessels is delayed anywhere from five months to 25 months.3F iv In addition, labor unions indicate recruitment and retention problems for workers in key trades within the shipbuilding sector due to the cyclical and inconsistent nature of ship orders, as well as competition for temporary workers. Workers with compatible job skills also are lost to other sectors due to higher wages and better benefits.

To address these shortages in the U.S. shipbuilding industry, several U.S. partners with advanced shipbuilding capabilities have offered to share this expertise with the United States. For example, through the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact), Finland and Canada have agreed to exchange knowledge, information, and resources regarding polar icebreakers,4F v including international exchange of personnel between shipyards for training and workforce development purposes.5F vi One of the four ICE Pact working groups is on workforce development collaboration.

DOL is a member of this working group, which has identified opportunities to collaborate with Finland and Canada to share technical expertise and best practices on workforce development in the icebreaker industry.

The Republic of Korea has also expressed interest in sharing skills and technical capacity with American workers in the shipbuilding sector. Japan too has offered to establish a fund to help revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry and support U.S. efforts. The Republic of Korea and Japan are the second- and third-leading shipbuilder nations globally after China.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. Approximately $8,000,000 total costs is expected to be available to fund 1 award. Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $8,000,000 total costs. Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, USDOL reserves the right to increase the amount of an award or to use such funds to select additional recipients from applications submitted in response to this announcement.

In addition to its normal consultative role as grantor, ILAB’s substantial involvement in program activities may focus on elements that are essential to meet program requirements and ensure achievement of program objectives and outcomes. ILAB’s involvement may include, but not be limited to:

• Liaising with in-country USG officials and host country governments on matters related to the project.

• Collaborating substantially on the project strategy and implementation, as well as the development of the project document package.

• Collaborating substantially on project monitoring activities, including but not limited to, work plans, progress reports, evaluations, attestation engagements, site visits, conference calls.

• Collaborating substantially on the development and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan and all of its components.

• Providing highly specialized input on the design and implementation of activities related to strengthening international labor standards, labor justice institutions, and legal and policy frameworks, among others.

• Being substantially and actively involved in designing research, service provision, and/or capacity building activities jointly with the recipient.

• Reviewing and providing input on project’s planning for sustainability and collaborating to promote sustainability of project efforts, including through replication of good practices.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The required period of performance is 48 months from the award date. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. Only allowable costs incurred during the period of performance may be charged to the federal award (2 CFR 200.1 Period of performance). Applicants may propose a shorter period of performance in line with their proposed strategy.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• U.S. organizations:

o Nonprofits, including any faith-based organizations or community-based organizations o Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education o Private Institutions of Higher Education o Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) o Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities o Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions o Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions

(AANAPISIs) o Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) o Minority Serving Institutions o Native American tribal organizations (Federally recognized) o For-Profit organizations

• Non-U.S. organizations:

o Non-U.S. Entities, including PIOs, as described in 2 CFR 200.1.

Applicants selected for award, including PIOs, must abide by DOL's requirements in the term and conditions of the award, in alignment with U.S. appropriation laws and applicable U.S.

regulations.

Applicants do not need previous experience managing federal awards, but they must speak persuasively about their ability to leverage other previous experience and bring it to scale in support of a large federal investment.

The following types of organizations are not eligible to apply nor to participate as subrecipients/contractors:

• Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to be associated with terrorism.

• Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to have been debarred or suspended.

• Organizations planning to charge a fee (profit) associated with a project funded by a

USDOL award.

• Foreign governments and entities that are agencies of, or operated by or for, a foreign state or government are not eligible to apply. However, they may be eligible to participate as a subrecipient in certain instances, subject to USDOL approval. NOTE: If an exception to this subrecipient eligibility criterion might be appropriate, the application must include a detailed justification for the possible exception. USDOL funds are not intended to duplicate existing foreign government efforts or substitute for activities for which such governments have already assumed responsibility. USDOL will make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis after receiving the application.

Faith-based organizations are encouraged to apply, as are all organizations. Those that meet the eligibility requirements may receive awards under this funding opportunity. DOL will not, in the selection of recipients and administration of the grant, discriminate on the basis of an organization’s religious character, affiliation, exercise, or lack thereof, or on the basis of conduct that would not be considered grounds to favor or disfavor a similarly situated secular organization.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria Use the following checklist as a guide when preparing the application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. It is recommended to use this checklist to ensure that the application contains all required items. If the application does not meet all of the screening criteria, the application will not move forward to the merit review process.

2. Number of Applications to be Submitted Multiple applications from an organization are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted by the deadline will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, USDOL will not replace it with an earlier application.

Applicant entities are not precluded from participating as partners on another entity’s application.

3. Eligible Participants

a. Participants Eligible to Receive Training The intent of this FOA is to a fund project that provides technical assistance to U.S.-based educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, and shipyards to contribute to sustaining the future of the shipbuilding industry in the United States by expanding the number of skilled U.S.

workers and training institutions with shipbuilding skills and knowledge.

Applicants must propose a project that will create an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program that would facilitate the training of U.S. workers in allied

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.B.3.a Eligibility requirements are met Section III.A The components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (USDOL will attempt to open documents but will not troubleshoot any problems related to opening files.)

Section IV.B.3.b

Applicant has registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) and maintains an active account Section IV.B.2.a

Completed and signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, including a Unique Entity Identifier Number Section IV.B.2.c

Funding request on SF-424 does not exceed the ceiling amount of $8,000,000 total costs. Section II.A

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2.d Technical Proposal Section IV.B.1 Attachments to Technical Proposal

• Abstract

• Work Plan

• Sustainability Strategy Template

• Evidence of Country Presence

• Project Management Organizational Chart

Section IV.B.1

Cost Proposal Section IV.B.2 Budget Narrative Section IV.B.2.e countries with advanced shipbuilding expertise, as well as the development of a specialized internationally recognized trade curricula to enable subsequent training in the United States.

b. Veterans’ Priority for Participants 38 U.S.C. § 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service are at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at www.grants.gov, contains all of the information needed to apply for funding.

Applicants should note that it includes hyperlinks to external forms and resources. Applicants are required to comply with all parts of the FOA, including those parts found at the hyperlinks.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION

SUBMISSION

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of two separate and distinct parts:

(1) a Technical Proposal, including attachments; and (2) a Cost Proposal, including the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and related forms identified as follows. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts of the application. If the funding amount is not consistent, the amount requested on the SF-424 will be considered for the purpose of the award.

1. Technical Proposal Applicants should use their technical expertise to propose how to meet the requirements of the FOA and must provide justification for their choices based on evidence (see definition in Appendix B), analysis of contextual opportunities and constraints, and available resources within the requirements of the FOA. Applicants must include specific citations to the evidence used to support their proposed project strategy. If there is limited evidence to support the proposed intervention(s), applicants may propose to pilot an innovative approach but must include and describe a plan for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention(s).

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 http://www.grants.gov/

All pages of the application must be numbered. All required documents (including attachments) must be submitted in English. Any additional documentation submitted that is not required or specifically requested under this announcement will not be considered during the merit review process.

Technical Proposals must be no more than 50 single-sided, double-spaced pages (8.5 x 11 inches with 1-inch margins). If any page limits required by this FOA for any part of the application are exceeded, the content that exceeds the page limit will not be considered during the merit review process. Font style must be Times New Roman and font size must be 12-point. The Cover Page, Acronyms List, Table of Contents, required attachments to the Technical Proposal, and the Cost Proposal do not count toward the page limit and do not have any spacing restrictions. Different fonts and font sizes may be used for tables, text boxes, and graphics. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they are legible and meet electronic submission requirements. Documents which cannot be read or accessed by the Department will not be considered during the merit review process. Please see section IV.B.3. for the file format requirements for electronic submissions.

The following instructions provide all the information needed to complete the Technical Proposal. Applicants should carefully read and consider each section and include all required information. The Technical Proposal will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V, Application Review Information. Applicants must use the same section headers identified in this FOA for each section of the Technical Proposal:

a. Abstract (Executive Summary)

Applicants must submit as an attachment an abstract summarizing the proposed project including, but not limited to, the project objective, proposed outcomes, sub-outcomes (if included in this FOA), outputs, and activities. The abstract should describe the proposed project in plain language and include the following sections:

1) Applicant’s Name and Title for the Project. The applicant’s name and title for the proposed project.

2) Purpose. A brief description of the purpose for the award, including a description of the geographic area to be served (if applicable), population(s) to be served (if applicable), number and description of individuals, groups and institutions5 to be served (if applicable), and the funding level requested.

3) Activities to be Performed. A brief description of award specific activities and other deliverables.

4) Expected Outcomes. The project objective, proposed outcomes, and outputs.

5) Intended Beneficiaries. Intended beneficiary(ies) or recipient(s) of the project activities.

6) Subrecipient Activities. If sub-awards are proposed, then specify the activities to be provided and the name of each proposed sub-awardee, if known.

The abstract is limited to two double-spaced single sided 8.5 x 11-inch pages with 12-point text font, Times New Roman font style, and 1-inch margins. When submitting in Grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled "Abstract."

b. Table of Contents The table of contents must list all required documents and include their corresponding page numbers.

c. Project Narrative The Project Narrative must describe in detail the applicant's response to the FOA. At minimum, the Project Narrative must contain the following sections:

1) Problem Analysis (up to 6 points)

a) Scope of the Problem (up to 2 points)

Applicants will be evaluated based on their degree of understanding the scope and nature of the problem that forms the basis of the project design. Applicants must describe the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problems and the consequences of not addressing the need. Applicants must identify how the problem affects American workers and/or businesses. This information must be supported by relevant empirical data and evaluations, including citations.

b) Intended Population / Institutions Requiring Assistance (up to 2 points)

The analysis must include discussion of specific actors within the system (individuals, groups, institutions, coalitions, or networks) that have influence and/or interest in addressing the problem. This discussion should clearly describe the needs of the intended population(s) or institution(s). The problem analysis must be supported by relevant empirical data, including citations.

c) Proposed Geographic Scope (up to 2 points):

The applicant must identify and provide a justification for the proposed target implementation area(s) and the number of individuals and institutions/groups that the applicant expects to work with. Applicants may choose one or more of the following scopes: local (municipal or provincial), regional (contiguous area within country), sectoral or supply chain (within country), national, multi-country (contiguous or non-contiguous), industry or supply chain (regional or global). Within the chosen geographic scope, applicants must identify the specific site(s) where awarded applicants will implement project interventions.

2) Project Design (up to 35 points)

a) Project Strategy and Sustainability Strategy (up to 25 points) The applicant's Project Strategy and Sustainability section will be evaluated based on its responsiveness to the unmet need described in its Problem Analysis.

The project-level objective is to contribute to sustaining the future of the shipbuilding industry in the United States by expanding the number of skilled U.S. workers and training institutions with shipbuilding skills and knowledge. The 4-year project will create an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program that would facilitate the training of U.S. workers in partner countries with advanced shipbuilding expertise, as well as the development of a specialized and internationally recognized trade curricula to enable subsequent training in the United States. The project will partner U.S.-based training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, or educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), and, where possible, shipyards with foreign educational institutions, training centers, and/or shipyards in Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and/or other countries.

Requirements Across Technical Proposal

Applicants must propose a strategy to achieve the project-level objective stated above, including a description of all major areas of proposed project interventions.

Applicants must propose outcomes necessary to achieve the project-level objective, how the outcomes are interrelated, and a rationale for how they contribute to the achievement of the project’s overall objective. Outcomes proposed by applicants may be revised during the project validation process post-award in consultation with

USDOL.

Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed strategy will address gaps identified in the problem analysis, identify any potential barriers, and describe how the project will work to overcome those barriers. Applicants must clearly describe how the proposed project interventions will benefit American workers and/or businesses either directly or indirectly.

Applicants must provide evidence of the effectiveness of their proposed strategy. If there is limited evidence to support the proposed intervention(s), applicants may propose to pilot an innovative approach but must include and describe a plan, including appropriate allocation in the M&E budget, for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention(s).

In addition, applicants must clearly describe in their proposed strategy how they will integrate sustainability and risk management into their project strategy, beginning in the early stages of project implementation. For the purpose of this FOA, sustainability refers to outcomes and impacts that maintained or expanded after a project withdraws its resources through the exit process. Applicants are not required to develop an integrated sustainability strategy for every outcome, but rather, only where appropriate and needed to maximize long-term impact.

The proposed project will pair domestic and foreign institutions, enabling partnerships between U.S. educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, and/or shipyards with international counterparts to develop an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program. The project will have two key components. The first is a fellowship program with a hands-on training component whereby U.S. workers in various trades travel to a partner country to learn skills necessary for building ships in the United States. The second component is for U.S. trainers and curriculum developers to collaborate with the partner countries to create an internationally recognized curriculum for a shipbuilding training program that will allow for the expansion of shipbuilding trade skills and knowledge to be shared more widely with workers in the United States.

• Design, establish, and implement an international shipbuilding fellowship through partnerships that pair U.S.-based educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, and/or shipyards with counterparts in foreign countries (Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and/or other countries). The fellowship program must send U.S. workers, including veterans and people with disabilities, from the shipbuilding industry to receive hands-on training in a partner country. The U.S. workers must be focused on in-demand shipbuilding trades (including but not limited to boilermakers, industrial electricians, steel workers, steamfitters, shipwrights, and welders).

The applicant must consult and partner with relevant institutions in the United States such as trade unions, worker organizations, educational institutions, industry, and training centers to identify qualified U.S. workers, apprentices, and students that would be eligible for the international shipbuilding fellowship program.

• Design, establish, and implement or expand or modernize a program with U.S.

trainers and curriculum developers to collaborate with partner countries to develop an internationally recognized curriculum for a shipbuilding training program that would be delivered at U.S.-based educational institutions, training centers, or registered apprenticeship training centers. Drawing on the foreign training provided to U.S. workers in the international shipbuilding fellowship, the curriculum must be grounded in hands-on, practical skills and knowledge needed to build and sustain the shipbuilding industry in the United States. The curriculum must focus on key shipbuilding trade skills including but not limited to boilermakers, industrial electricians, steel workers, steamfitters, shipwrights, and welders. The curriculum may focus on additional topics such as additive manufacturing, automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, quality assurance and inspections.

USDOL has informed host government officials of the proposed project. Applicants must propose strategies for collaborating with the relevant government agencies in each country.

Efforts must be made to avoid duplication and to build upon relevant previous or ongoing activities in the target countries. Applicants must include a mapping of the landscape of current relevant programming in the target countries. Applicants must also demonstrate how they intend to coordinate with other relevant projects and initiatives, including those funded by the host government (where applicable), USDOL, other USG agencies, and other donor governments and organizations.

Applicants must include a brief description of the consultative process undertaken in preparing their proposal.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have undertaken an initial assessment of the needs, resources, interests, influence and capabilities of all target groups, institutions, organizations or structures that are deemed vital to sustaining project outcomes, by describing the process of conducting the assessment and the results.

Applicants must plan for long-term sustainability of outcomes in their proposed strategies. The applicant’s description of the project strategy should:

• Explain the flow of inputs to activities, activities to outputs, outputs to outcomes, outcomes to the project objective, and the sustained impact on worker rights that the project will contribute to.

• Explain the flow of inputs to activities, activities to outputs, outputs to outcomes, outcomes to the project objective, and the sustained impact on worker rights that the project will contribute.

• Fully justify proposed interventions by explaining their purpose and the problems they are intended to address. If available, note any applicable research that establishes evidence of a causal relationship or correlation between interventions and expected outcomes. Proposed interventions, including the activities and outputs that comprise them, should be fully described and should be ambitious but realistic given the implementing environment, scope of the problems to be addressed, and proposed budget.

• Demonstrate knowledge of political, social, cultural, or other traditions and norms pertaining to and impacting the interventions proposed in the target sectors, including how these issues will be considered while implementing project activities.

• Demonstrate the long-term sustainability of all efforts and outcomes in the design of the proposal, including which outcomes have the potential to be sustained after the end of the project and explain how the responsibility for sustaining them is expected to transition to local stakeholders, systems and institutions.

• Identify risks and opportunities inherent in the project design that could impact the likelihood of achieving or sustaining project outcomes, and describe appropriate mitigation and response strategies. At a minimum, applicants must include a risk register table that lists potential risks along with strategies to mitigate these risks in this section.

• Recognize possible external factors or shocks and their potential influence on the project, expected outcomes, and their sustainability.

Sustainability must be the centerpiece of the project strategy and should be integrated beginning in the early stages of project design and implementation. “Sustainability” is concerned with measuring whether the benefits of an activity are likely to continue after donor funding has been withdrawn. Applicants must take into account the likelihood that the benefits or effects of a particular output or outcome will continue after donor funding ends. In developing the project strategy, applicants must consult with key stakeholders to ensure that the proposed strategy takes into account the factors, partners, and institutions that are likely to have the strongest influence over, and the capacity and willingness to sustain the desired outcomes and impacts.

After award, the selected recipients will be required to refine the Sustainability Strategy, report on it in each of their progress reports and modify or update the strategy as needed. Although there are restrictions on the awarding of subawards or contracts to government entities, to the extent possible, recipients should consider engaging relevant government agencies through other mechanisms, as well as partnering with other local organizations or associations to strengthen their capacity.

b) Project Milestones and Targets (up to 10 points)

The applicant's Project Milestones and Targets section will be evaluated based on how well it supports the overall project strategy, as well as for how reasonable project targets are with consideration to the allocation of project resources (e.g., budget, staffing) to support the meeting of those targets. In the Technical Proposal, applicants will propose outcomes clearly linked to the project objective. Proposed outcomes should be able to demonstrate benefit to target populations, institutions, systems or processes, including American workers and/or businesses.

In this narrative section, applicants must propose outcome measures and tangible, annual milestones to track progress of proposed outcomes. Applicants must describe how American workers and/or businesses will be impacted by the project directly or indirectly, as well as the underlying criteria informing the applicant’s choice of proposed outcomes and milestones. Outcomes, milestones and associated targets will be finalized post-award, during the validation phase. In the narrative, applicants should explain their rationale for the milestones and outcome measures and targets.

Applicants are encouraged to use both qualitative and quantitative milestones, and qualitative milestones should be objectively verifiable.

The project would focus on U.S.-based educational institutions6F vii (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, and shipyards that train U.S. workers, including veterans and people with disabilities, in the following priority trades (including but not limited to): boilermakers, industrial electricians, steel workers, steamfitters, shipwrights, and welders.

Applicants should partner with U.S.-based entities where existing shipyards of all sizes are located, along the Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes region, West Coast, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands and Territories of the United States. In considering locations and potential partnerships, applicants are encouraged to partner with USG-funded grantees that include a focus on the maritime sector7F viii and contact state apprenticeship offices8F ix in these areas to locate ship building registered apprenticeship programs. Foreign partners shall include educational institutions, training centers, and/or shipyards in Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and/or other countries. Other countries may also be considered post-award or may later be identified and approved by DOL as necessary, such as Spain, German, Italy, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

3) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Agreement and Capacity Statement (up to 4 points)

The applicant's M&E Agreement and Capacity Statement will be evaluated based on how well it addresses USDOL’s M&E requirements (outlined below). Applicants must confirm in their proposal their commitment to strong project M&E. They must also confirm their agreement to collaborate with USDOL in developing and revising required M&E deliverables, including the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (M&E Plan).

M&E requirements include:

• development of the M&E Plan, in collaboration with USDOL, to include a logic model or results framework, performance monitoring plan (PMP) with milestones and indicators, Excel-based data reporting form, and Learning Agenda;

• development of baseline values and establishing targets for milestones and indicators;

• implementation of the M&E plan which includes the collection, disaggregation, quality assessment, analysis, and reporting of milestone and indicator data throughout the period of performance as required by USDOL;

• ensuring adequate M&E staffing capacity with clear roles and responsibilities to support monitoring, evaluation and learning activities throughout the project’s period of performance;

• development and refinement of a Sustainability Strategy post-award, including a Stakeholder Register and Risk Management Plan; and

• collaboration with USDOL on required performance evaluations, audits, studies, or other learning activities to pursue specific evidence-building activities that will help advance learning and accountability.

After the award is made, USDOL will work with the recipient to refine project outcomes, develop the M&E Plan and to identify project-specific indicator definitions, targets, units of measure and data disaggregation. All agreed upon indicators and disaggregation must be reported in the semi-annual progress reports in a spreadsheet format. USDOL will also work with the recipient on plans for data collection, analysis, learning, and usage.

4) Work Plan (up to 15 points) The applicant's Work Plan must be submitted as an attachment. It will be evaluated based on how clearly and realistically it outlines major activities and milestones and their related deadlines. The Work Plan must identify major project activities and milestones, deadlines for completing these activities, and person(s) or institution(s) responsible for completing these activities for the entire life of the project, as well as a sustainability plan. The Work Plan must correspond to activities identified in the Project Design, Budget and Budget Narrative. Applicants may choose an appropriate format for their Work Plan, but the format must include a field/column where the applicant, if funded, would report on the status of plan items (e.g., not yet started, on track, delayed, completed).

d. Organizational Capacity (up to 30 points) This section must describe the qualifications of the proposed applicant and/or any proposed subrecipients to implement the project.

1) Country Presence (up to 5 points)

Applicants must describe their ability and plans to collaborate directly with relevant national, regional and/or local government and non-government agencies, and other organizations as relevant to this project in each country, and their past experience working with these stakeholders.

2) Partners (up to 13 points)

The applicant's Partners section will be evaluated based on how well it supports effective implementation of the applicant’s project strategy and the needs outlined in their problem analysis section. Applicants must describe their approach for working with organizations in the target country(ies) to implement project activities to advance the objective of the project. Where they exist, applicants must describe any established partnerships and how they will be leveraged (either formally or informally) during project implementation, including with local organizations that have capacity and experience working on issues related to the objective of the project. Applicants without established in-country partnerships must describe how they will build local partnerships and/or describe any other partnerships that will be leveraged to achieve the project objective.

Applicants that propose formal project implementation partners (i.e., as subrecipients) must include a brief description of such partners, including a description of the partners’ role in implementing the proposed project strategy and how this approach will strengthen the overall proposal. Applicants must provide documentation demonstrating these partners' support and commitment to the project.

Applicants must suggest specific U.S.-based educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), training centers, registered apprenticeship programs, and shipyards in their proposal. The geographic location of the U.S.-based entities and shipyards should be where existing shipyards exist, such as but not limited to the Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes region, West Coast, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands and Territories of the United States. They may also suggest foreign counterparts in Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and/or other countries. It is recommended (but not required) that applicants provide letters of support or other documentation from U.S. shipyards or shipbuilding companies to support the project proposal. It is required that applicants partner with a shipyard, shipbuilding employer, or shipbuilding industry association as a mandatory partner during the implementation of this project. Applicants may suggest the required shipbuilding partner in their proposal or work with DOL/ILAB to connect and solidify that partnership for the project. Once the award is made, DOL/ILAB will make final determinations regarding participating U.S.

entities and foreign partners, helping facilitate international and private sector partnerships as necessary. The selected implementer will work to solidify these partnerships, together with DOL/ILAB, during the validation stage of the project. The U.S. Department of State and the Maritime Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation will also support this process. As part of the project design, the applicant must describe how they will empower U.S. workers, worker organizations, educational institutions (career technical education programs, community colleges, etc.), and shipyards to address the challenges that the shipbuilding industry is facing in its workforce.

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