Questions and Answers- DFOP0019393.pdf

Questions and Answers for “Southern Cone Cooperation Law Enforcement and

Criminal Justice Sector Support”

DFOP0019393

August 4, 2026

Question 1:

Could INL please clarify whether the total funding amount is intended exclusively for administrative and logistical personnel costs, or whether it also covers the full set of event related expenses (such as catering, flights, meeting rooms, lodging, ground transportation, interpretation, and other items listed under Project Activities)?

INL Response:

The award covers the full set of activities and deliverables listed in the NOFO, not just personnel/administrative costs. Section A explicitly lists Travel Documents, Travel Advances, Airline Tickets, Insurance, Interpretation/Translation, Ground Transportation, Lodging, Event

Management, Refreshments and Meals, and related items as fundable activities under this cooperative agreement.

Question 2:

Should the award budget also cover travel related costs for the administrative and logistical team when they are required to travel in order to organize or support INL sponsored events? If so, how many trips to which cities should we budget for? And for what size of events (given that larger events require larger support teams)?

Applicants should budget travel for staff based on a realistic estimate tied to the anticipated volume of INL SCC events across the five target countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay).

Applicants should propose a scalable staffing/travel model (e.g., tiered by event size) rather than a fixed trip count, to keep costs proportional to actual activity level, consistent with the NOFO's

Cost Effectiveness criteria (administrative costs must be "necessary, justified, and in good proportion to direct activity costs").

Question 3:

Is the award recipient expected to identify and nominate speakers or subject matter experts, or will

INL designate the individuals to be consultants for each event?

On page 7 of the NOFO: Event Keynote Invitees: When required, the potential applicant shall help recruit/invite/contract with appropriate speakers, subject matter experts, trainers, and interpreters etc. to accomplish the event’s objectives.

Also, on page 1 of the NOFO, the grant-assistance’s type is listed as a Cooperative Agreement which notates INL having substantial involvement. Please reference page 10 of NOFO: For cooperative agreements, INL may be substantially involved in the following ways:

•Approval of the recipient’s annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the Cooperative Agreement;

•Approval of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan; and

•Other country- or project-specific approvals will be included in the award documents

Question 4:

To confirm: the award recipient is responsible for preparing and submitting all documentation required for Leahy Vetting, correct? If unforeseen circumstances prevent submission within the

60-day timeframe described in the NOFO, would INL allow the current 20-workingday deadline to remain in effect?

According to the NOFO section 3 pages 24 – 25; “The recipient will be required to exercise due diligence to ensure compliance with the Leahy provision and State Department policy, and to cooperate with the State Department in implementation of the Leahy requirement for funds under this award. The Department implements the Leahy requirement by vetting units or individuals proposed for training or other assistance to check for credible information of a gross violation of human rights by such units or individuals. To facilitate State Department vetting, the Recipient must provide the required information for proposed participants at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to commencing award activities. This information should be submitted to the U.S. Embassy in the country where the award will be implemented in order to initiate Leahy vetting procedures.”

The 20‑working‑day deadline that was mentioned appears to be a separate processing or review period, not a general extension policy. Whether the 60‑day deadline can be extended depends on the agency’s discretion and the nature of the delay.

4 FAM 622 establishes that the Leahy Law prohibits Department foreign assistance funds from supporting foreign security force units where there is credible information of a gross human rights violation and directs questions to State-Leahy@state.gov for program-specific coverage determinations.

mailto:State-Leahy@state.gov

Question 5:

Could INL please clarify the expected level of detail for the Change Map in the context of a logistics support cooperative agreement? Given that specific events and travel activities will be defined by INL during implementation rather than at proposal stage, should the Change Map present high-level outcomes and operational processes aligned with the project goal and objectives, or should it also include detailed activity sequences and sub-activities for each potential logistics function described in the NOFO?

Per Appendix A, the Change Map should document goals, objectives, key implementation activities, and indicators "in very specific terms," but full detail is not required at the application stage. The NOFO notes that if full performance monitoring information isn't available at proposal stage, applicants should mark the Change Map and PIRS as "notional," with a finalized version due within 60 days of award. Given that specific events/travel activities will be defined during implementation, applicants should submit a high-level Change Map aligned to program goals/objectives rather than granular activity sequences.

Question 6:

Will DOS/INL allow 10-point Times New Roman font for tables, graphics, and footnotes?

The NOFO specifies that "all Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New

Roman font," with no stated exception for tables, graphics, or footnotes. Applicants should use 12-point font throughout unless INL issues a specific exception in the Q&A.

Question 7:

Could DOS/INL confirm whether the cover page and table of content are included in the 20-page limit for the proposal narrative?

The NOFO lists "Cover Page" and "Table of Contents" as required components under the

"Proposal Narrative – Maximum 20 pages" heading, indicating they are counted within the 20-page limit.

Question 8

An acronyms list may be provided for ease of reference. Could DOS/INL confirm that the acronyms list is not included in the 20-page limit for the proposal narrative and/or may be provided as an attachment?

Since an acronyms list is a reference aid rather than substantive narrative content, INL could allow it to be submitted as a brief attachment excluded from the 20-page limit — minimizing burden on applicants without affecting the evaluators' ability to assess the technical proposal.

Question 9:

Does INL have a breakdown or estimate of the number or percentage of events and travel that will take place within target countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) versus internationally (in the U.S. or in third countries)?

INL does not have a fixed breakdown at this time, as this will depend on program needs identified during implementation. Applicants may reasonably assume that the majority of events/travel will occur within the SCC target countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay), with occasional events in the U.S. or third countries for specialized technical assistance or exchange visits, consistent with Project Objective 3.

Question 10:

Page 8 – Activity 11: Does INL anticipate an eventual increase in program funding that would result in monthly expenses reaching the stated range of $50,000 USD to $100,000 USD?

The NOFO already states this range as an existing requirement — "the award recipient must maintain adequate cash flow to cover monthly expenses ranging from $50,000.00 USD to

$100,000.00 USD during the reimbursement period" — under the current $500,000 award ceiling and 24-month period of performance. This reflects anticipated expense levels under the current funding structure, not a future funding increase.