Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA), Program Year 2006, 8019-8027 [E7-2996]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 35 / Thursday, February 22, 2007 / Notices
initial claims and appeal of denied
claims. The regulation requires specific
information to be disclosed at different
stages of the claims process. It also
requires claims denial notices to be
provided within specific time frames
and to include specific information.
Agency: Employee Benefits Security
Administration.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of currently approved collection.
Title: PTE 80–83—Sale of Securities
to Reduce Indebtedness of Party in
Interest.
OMB Number: 1210–0064.
Type of Response: Recordkeeping.
Affected Public: Private Sector:
Business or other for-profits.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
25.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 25.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2.
Estimated Total Annualized Capital/
Startup Costs: $0.
Estimated Total Annual Costs
(operating/maintaining systems or
purchasing services): $0.
Description: Section 408(a) of the
Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 authorizes the Secretary of
Labor ‘‘to grant a conditional or
unconditional exemption of any
fiduciary or class of fiduciaries or
transactions, from all or part of the
restrictions imposed by section 406 and
407(a).’’ In order to grant such
exemptions under 408(a), however, the
Secretary must determine that the
exemption is administratively feasible,
in the interest of the plan and its
participants and beneficiaries, and
protects the rights of participants and
beneficiaries. To insure the exemption
is not abused, that the rights of
participants and beneficiaries are
protected, and that compliance with
exemption’s conditions is taking place,
the Department often requires minimal
information collection pertaining to the
exempted transactions.
Agency: Employee Benefits Security
Administration.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of currently approved collection.
Title: Prohibited Transaction Class
Exemption 75–1 Security Transactions
with Broker-Dealers, Reporting Dealers
and Banks.
OMB Number: 1210–0092.
Type of Response: Recordkeeping.
Affected Public: Private Sector:
Business or other for-profits.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
9,752.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 9,750.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,625.
Estimated Total Annualized Capital/
Startup Costs: $0.
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Estimated Total Annual Costs
(operating/maintaining systems or
purchasing services): $0.
Description: This class exemption
from the prohibited transaction
provisions of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974 permits
certain banks, registered broker-dealers,
and reporting dealers in government
securities who are parties in interest to
employee benefit plans to engage in
specified kinds of securities transactions
with the plans.
Agency: Employee Benefits Security
Administration.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of currently approved collection.
Title: Petition for Finding Under
Section 3(40) of ERISA.
OMB Number: 1210–0119.
Type of Response: Reporting.
Affected Public: Private Sector:
Business or other for-profits.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
45.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 45.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 0.
Estimated Total Annualized capital/
startup costs: $0.
Estimated Total Annual Costs
(operating/maintaining systems or
purchasing services): $120,420.
Description: The Department’s
regulations at 29 CFR 2570.150 et seq.
provide procedures for an entity against
whom state jurisdiction has been asserts
to petition the Secretary to make a
finding under section 3(40)(A)(i) of
ERISA that the entity is established or
maintained under or pursuant to one or
more collective bargaining agreements.
The regulations establish procedures for
initiating an administrative proceeding
before the Office of Administrative Law
Judges (ALJs) and establish that an ALJ’s
decision shall constitute a finding under
section 3(40)(A)(i) of ERISA. The
regulations also provide for an appeal of
an ALJ decision to the Secretary.
Agency: Employee Benefits Security
Administration.
Type of Review: New collection
(Request for a new OMB control
number).
Title: HDCI 2 Survey of Group Health
Plans.
OMB Number: 1210–0NEW.
Type of Response: Reporting.
Affected Public: Private Sector:
Business or other for-profits.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
5,000.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 5,000.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 417.
Estimated Total Annualized capital/
startup costs: $0.
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Estimated Total Annual Costs
(operating/maintaining systems or
purchasing services): $0.
Description: EBSA exercises delegated
authority under ERISA to protect
workers’ pensions and group health
benefits and has issued regulations
under Part 7, codified at 29 CFR
2590.701–1 et seq., to effectuate these
rights and provide guidance to affected
group health plans pertaining to a
number of laws applicable to group
health plans, including Health
Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the
Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health
Protection Act of 1996, the Mental
Health Parity Act of 1996, and the
Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act
of 1998. In 2001, EBSA conducted a
program to increase compliance with
these laws, the Health Disclosure and
Clainms.
Issues: Fiscal Year 2001 Compliance
Project (HDCI). EBSA is now planning
to conduct a follow-up program to
assess the effectiveness of its
compliance assistance efforts that will
involve the examination of a number
and variety of group health plans that is
sufficient to constitute a representative
sample of existing plans from which
EBSA can extrapolate compliance rates
for group health plans in general.
However, in order to make its
assessment meaningful, EBSA must first
identify ERISA-covered single-employer
group health plans in two groups: (1)
Plans sponsored by firms with 3–99
employees, and (2) plans sponsored by
firms with 100 or more employees.
EBSA intends to conduct a narrowscope, one-time telephone survey of
business firms in order to identify a
representative sample of large and small
group health plans sponsored by
private-sector employers. The agency
intends to ask each firm a limited
number of questions designed to
determine whether the firm sponsors a
group health plan covered by Title I of
ERISA and how many employees are
covered under the plan.
Darrin A. King,
Acting Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E7–2895 Filed 2–21–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–29–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training
Administration (ETA)
Solicitation for Grant Application
(SGA), Program Year 2006
Announcement Type: New.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 35 / Thursday, February 22, 2007 / Notices
Notice of availability of funds and
solicitation for grant applications for
Workforce Innovation in Regional
Economic Development (WIRED)
Initiative—Third Generation.
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/
DFA PY 06–09
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 17.268
DATES: The closing date for receipt of
applications is April 13, 2007. A
Webinar for prospective applicants will
be held for this grant competition in
February 2007. The date and access
information for the Webinar will be
posted on the U.S. Department of
Labor’s Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) Web site at https://
www.doleta.gov.
SUMMARY: In the 21st century global
economy, talent development is a
critical component in our nation’s
economic competitiveness. To stay
ahead of global competition, we must
identify strategies to further integrate
workforce development, economic
development, and education at the
regional level—where companies,
workers, researchers, entrepreneurs and
governments come together to create a
competitive advantage. Launched in
February 2006, the Workforce
Innovation in Regional Economic
Development (WIRED) Initiative focuses
on the role of talent development in
driving regional economic
competitiveness, job growth and new
opportunities for American workers.
The goal of WIRED is to expand
employment and advancement
opportunities for workers and catalyze
the creation of high-skill and high-wage
opportunities in regional economies.
The WIRED Initiative is currently
providing regions across the country
with grant funding and ongoing
technical assistance from ETA and a
cadre of experts in order to help them
achieve these goals.
To further support regions that are
seeking to transform their economies
and enhance their global
competitiveness through talent
development, ETA is announcing a new
round of grants for the third generation
of regions under the WIRED Initiative.
The third generation is designed to fully
engage local workforce investment
boards in collaborative partnerships and
transformational leadership within
regional economies nationwide. The
Department of Labor is making $65
million available for this new round of
grants. This round of the WIRED
Initiative will take place over the course
of three years and the Department
anticipates that individual grant awards
will total $5 million over this period.
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Only Governors may apply on behalf of
regions within their states or across state
lines. Each Governor may submit up to
two applications.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
solicitation provides background
information on the WIRED Initiative and
critical elements required of projects
funded under the solicitation. It also
describes the application submission
requirements, the process that eligible
applicants must use to apply for funds
covered by this solicitation, and how
grantees will be selected. This
announcement consists of eight parts:
• Part I provides background
information on the WIRED Initiative.
• Part II describes the size and nature
of the anticipated awards.
• Part III describes the qualifications
of an eligible applicant.
• Part IV provides information on the
application and submission process.
• Part V explains the review process
and rating criteria that will be used to
evaluate applications.
• Part VI provides award
administration information.
• Part VII contains ETA contact
information.
• Part VIII addresses Office of
Management and Budget information
collection requirements.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Background
The world is now witnessing one of
the greatest economic transformations in
history. Revolutions in technology and
information have ushered in the era we
know as globalization. This era is
marked by tremendous advances in
communications, travel, and trade,
allowing individuals instant access to
commerce from almost anywhere in the
world. As a result, American businesses
now compete not only with companies
across the street, but also with
companies around the globe. In the new
global economy, talent development is a
key factor in our nation’s economic
competitiveness.
Global competition is typically seen
as a national challenge. In reality,
regions are where companies, workers,
researchers, entrepreneurs and
governments come together to create a
competitive advantage in the global
marketplace. That advantage stems from
the ability to transform new ideas and
new knowledge into advanced, high
quality products or services—in other
words, to innovate.
Those regions that are successful in
creating a competitive advantage
demonstrate the ability to network
‘‘innovation assets’’—people,
institutions, capital and infrastructure—
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to generate growth and prosperity in the
region’s economy. These regions—such
as San Diego, California; the Research
Triangle in North Carolina; and the
Greater Austin region of Texas—are
successful precisely because they have
connected three key elements:
workforce skills and lifelong learning
strategies, investment and
entrepreneurship strategies, and
regional infrastructure and economic
development strategies.
While some regions of the country
have thrived as a result of globalization,
others have struggled to compete. For
example, some regions are seeking to
transform their economies because they
have been dependent on a single
industry that is not faring well in the
global economy and others have been
negatively affected by global trade.
These regions are being forced to
revitalize and reinvent themselves.
B. WIRED Initiative
To facilitate the growth of a regional
economy requires attention to three
critical elements. These elements were
identified in a groundbreaking report,
Innovate America, published by the
Council on Competitiveness. The first
element is infrastructure. This includes
not only the traditional factors such as
highways, bridges, and buildings, but
also 21st century factors like access to
broadband and wireless networks. The
second is investment, including the
availability of risk capital and the
conditions that encourage the use of
such capital.
The third critical element is talent. A
region may possess a strong
infrastructure and the investment
resources for success, but without the
talented men and women to use those
elements for economic growth, they are
meaningless. Talent can also drive the
other two elements because investment
capital is smart money and it will follow
the talent while infrastructure can be
built to support a growing economy.
The WIRED initiative was launched in
recognition that this third key element,
talent, drives prosperity. In other words,
the bedrock of a nation’s
competitiveness is a well educated and
skilled workforce.
Many regions have made considerable
progress in incorporating talent and
skills development into their larger
economic strategies and integrating
workforce development, economic
development, and education efforts into
a comprehensive system that is both
flexible and responsive to the needs of
businesses and workers. However, ETA
recognizes the importance of supporting
regions that need additional technical
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and financial assistance to achieve these
goals.
In response, ETA launched the
WIRED Initiative in February 2006. The
goal of the WIRED Initiative is to
expand employment and advancement
opportunities for American workers and
catalyze the creation of high-skill and
high-wage opportunities in the regional
economies. ETA invested in 13 regional
economies across the country—the first
generation of WIRED regions—and is
providing these regions with grant
funding, technical assistance, access to
a cadre of experts, and peer-to-peer
learning opportunities.
An additional 13 regions—the second
generation of WIRED regions—were
invited to participate in the WIRED
Initiative as ‘‘virtual’’ sites. These
regions originally received small
planning grants and the opportunity to
be a part of the WIRED learning
network. In January 2007, ETA
announced that these regions would be
provided with additional funding to
support the strategies identified to
transform their regional economies.
WIRED grantees have a unique
opportunity to design and implement
strategic approaches that will transform
their regional economies and the
systems that support those economies.
In addition to financial support, ETA
staff work closely with WIRED regions
to provide technical assistance to
support their development of innovative
approaches to workforce development,
economic development and education
that go beyond traditional strategies in
preparing workers to compete and
succeed both within the United States
and globally.
A key focus for WIRED regions is to
implement strategies that will result in
their workforce investment system
becoming a key component of their
region’s economic development
strategy. In this vision, elements of a
transformed workforce system are:
• The workforce investment system
operates as a talent development
system; it is no longer defined as a job
training system. Its goal is an educated
and prepared workforce—on a U.S. or
global standard.
• Workforce investment system
formula funds are transformed,
providing tuition assistance for postsecondary education for lifelong
learning opportunities aligned with the
region’s talent development strategy.
• The workforce investment system
no longer operates as an array of siloed
programs and services.
• The workforce investment boards
are structured and operate on a regional
basis and are composed of regional
strategic partners who drive
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investments, aligning spending with a
regional economic vision for talent
development.
• Economic and workforce
development regions are aligned, and
these regions adopt common and
innovative policies across the
workforce, education and economic
development systems and structures
that support talent development and the
regional economy.
• The workforce investment system is
agile enough to serve the innovation
economy, recognizing the reality that 2⁄3
of all new jobs are created by small
businesses.
• The workforce investment system
actively collaborates with economic
development, business, and education
partners to gather and analyze a wide
array of current and real time workforce
and economic data in order to create
new knowledge about regional
economies and support strategic
planning, routinely track economic
conditions, measure outcomes, and
benchmark economic competitiveness
in the global marketplace.
C. Regional Approach
Economic regions do not typically
correspond to geographic or political
jurisdictions such as state, county, local
workforce investment area, or municipal
boundaries. Such boundaries do not
always match labor market areas as
evidenced by Philadelphia’s tri-state
area or the greater Kansas City area,
among others. The WIRED Initiative
focuses on labor market areas that are
comprised of multiple jurisdictions
within a state or across state borders, or
non-contiguous regional economies.
Factors that contribute to the formation
of a region include economic
interdependence, such as common
industries or sectors; assets, such as
human and financial capital and
infrastructure; and networks, such as
leadership or investor networks.
A key to success for the WIRED
Initiative is the quality and strength of
the regional partnership. The
partnership should be a strong team
composed of the organizations
necessary to transform the regional
economy, including workforce, civic,
business, investor, education,
government, entrepreneurial, and
philanthropic organizations. To be able
to drive economic transformation, the
leaders involved in the partnership
should be at the most senior level and
have decision-making authority over
their organization’s activities and
resources.
Governors are asked to submit an
application on behalf of the regional
partnership. State officials have a
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critical role to play in this effort by
providing leadership and helping to
facilitate an environment that is
conducive to innovation. At the same
time, regional leaders from a variety of
fields must invest in this process and be
dedicated to taking the necessary action
steps.
D. Technical Assistance and Learning
Opportunities
Regions in the WIRED Initiative have
the opportunity to participate in a
robust learning network focused on
creating competitive advantages for
regional economies in the global
marketplace. ETA works closely with
and provides technical assistance and
support to regions throughout the
implementation of the WIRED Initiative.
Regions also have opportunities for
peer-to-peer learning, most notably
through WIRED Academies. The
Academies are held three times per year
and provide regions with opportunities
to network and share their challenges
and promising practices, as well as
consult with experts from the
workforce, education, and economic
development communities; Federal
departments and agencies; and the
private sector. The regions also have
access to an interactive Web site, the
Collaborative Workspace, which
facilitates the exchange of resources and
information among the learning
network. Additionally, ETA facilitates
linkages between the WIRED regions
and other key Federal agencies—such as
the Departments of Commerce,
Agriculture, Energy, Transportation,
Interior, Defense and Education and the
National Science Foundation—to
further support WIRED regions in their
efforts.
ETA is compiling resource tool kits,
such as a regional assessment tool and
an asset mapping tool, and promising
practices regarding workforce and
economic development strategies. These
resources will be disseminated widely
to the workforce investment system and
economic development community, so
that all regions, even those not selected
to participate, will benefit from the
WIRED Initiative.
II. Award Information
A. Award Amount
Each competitively selected project
will be funded at approximately $5
million over a period of three years—$1
million in the first year, $2 million in
the second year, and $2 million in the
third year. However, this does not
preclude funding decisions above or
below this amount, based on the
number and quality of submissions and
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III. Eligibility Information
the availability of funds. ETA
anticipates awarding a total of $65
million in third generation WIRED
grants over a three-year period.
A. Eligible Applicants
B. Use of Funds
The WIRED Initiative supports the
transformation of regional economies
through the development and
implementation of broad,
comprehensive, innovative approaches
to workforce development, economic
development, and education. WIRED
grants will be funded with H–1B fees as
authorized under Sec. 414(c) of the
American Competitiveness and
Workforce Improvement Act of 1998
(Pub. L. 105–277, title IV), as amended
by Pub. L. 108–447 ( codified at 29
U.S.C. 2916a). These funds are focused
on the development of the workforce,
and may be used to provide job training
and related activities for workers to
assist them in gaining the skills and
competencies needed to obtain or
upgrade employment in industries or
economic sectors projected to
experience significant growth. Funds
may also be used to enhance the
provision of job training services and
information. Activities related to
training may include: supporting talent
development related to
entrepreneurship; supporting talent
development related to small business
development; and purchasing
equipment to train job seekers and
workers for high-growth occupations.
Activities to enhance training and
information may include: development
and implementation of model activities
to build core competencies and train
workers; identifying and disseminating
career and skill information; developing
or purchasing regional data tools or
systems to deepen understanding of the
regional economic landscape and labor
market; and integrated regional
planning such as increasing the
integration of community and technical
college activities with activities of
businesses and the public workforce
investment system to meet the training
needs of business. Applicants are
expected to leverage additional
resources to support the
transformational strategies and activities
that are beyond those allowed by these
funds.
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C. Period of Performance
The period of performance will be 36
months from the date of execution of the
grant documents. ETA may approve a
request for a no-cost extension to
grantees for an additional period of time
based on the success of the project and
other relevant factors.
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State Governors 1 are the eligible
applicants. The Governor must submit
an application on behalf of a specific,
defined multi-county region and a
regional team of public and private
partners. The application must clearly
identify the state entity that will serve
as the grant recipient, the state entity or
local workforce investment board that
will serve as the project’s fiscal agent,
and the sub-recipient that will have
responsibility for administering the
project on the Governor’s behalf. The
grant application form should contain
the information of the state agency that
is serving as the grant recipient.
Given that one of the significant goals
for WIRED is to fully align the public
workforce investments with a regional
economic growth agenda, regional
partnership teams must include a senior
representative of the workforce
investment system within the region as
the lead, or co-lead with at least one
other regional partner, for the region’s
WIRED grant activities. Examples of
senior workforce system representatives
include the chair or the executive
director of a local workforce investment
board or a senior representative of a
regional workforce consortium.
In addition to workforce investment
system partners, other mandatory
partners of a regional partnership team
must include senior leaders from the
following entities:
• Education, including K–12,
community colleges, and four year
institutions within the region;
• Regional business leadership; and
• Economic development at the
regional/local level.
Joint applications for regions that
cross state lines will be accepted. All
participating Governors of multi-state
regions must jointly submit and sign the
transmittal letter for the application.
Applications for multi-state regions
must identify the state entity that will
be the grant recipient, the state agency
or local workforce investment board that
will serve as the project’s fiscal agent,
and the sub-recipient with
responsibility for administering the
project on the Governors’ behalf.
Regional economies are typically
defined as geographically contiguous
areas. However, a proposal that makes
an innovative case for a non-contiguous
regional economy will be considered.
Non-contiguous areas that only share
1 For the purpose of this application, the
definition of State Governor includes the Governor
of Puerto Rico and the Mayor of the District of
Columbia.
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similar circumstances will not be
considered.
Each Governor is permitted to submit
up to two applications. Governors may
not submit applications for any of the 26
first and second generation regions that
have already received a WIRED grant, as
specified in Attachment A. However, a
small overlap between the existing
WIRED regions and an applying region
will be permitted.
Applicants are not allowed to receive
assistance in developing their
applications from organizations and
individuals under contract or
subcontract with ETA for activities
related to the WIRED Initiative,
including M.H. West & Co., Inc; The
Council for Adult & Experiential
Learning; The Council on
Competitiveness; and New Economy
Strategies.
B. Leveraged Resources
Cost sharing or matching is not
required for eligibility. However,
aligning resources and leveraging
funding is a key component of success
in the WIRED Initiative. Therefore,
applicants are expected to leverage
significant resources at the Federal, state
and regional levels to advance their
proposed transformational strategies.
While the failure to offer leveraged
resources as a part of an application will
not preclude consideration of the
application, it will place the applicant
at a significant competitive
disadvantage since one of the evaluation
criteria, worth 10 points, evaluates the
quality of the leveraged resources.
Leveraged resources are cash or in-kind
contributions devoted to advancing the
strategies described in the applicant’s
proposal. The identification of existing
or planned initiatives within the region
that can be aligned and integrated into
the WIRED efforts to transform the
regional economy are also considered to
be leveraged resources.
Leveraged resources could come from
a variety of sources including: public
sector (e.g., Federal, state or local
governments); non-profit sector (e.g.,
community organizations, faith-based
organizations, or education and training
institutions); private sector (e.g.,
businesses or industry associations);
investor community (e.g., angel
networks); philanthropic community;
and the economic development
community. Leveraged resources should
not be included on the Standard Form
424-A budget form. These resources
should be discussed in the technical
proposal and the budget narrative.
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C. Other Eligibility Requirements
1. Administrative Costs The
administrative cost limit for each project
will be negotiated at the time of award.
2. Distribution Rights By accepting the
grant, selected applicants agree to give
ETA the right to use and distribute all
materials developed with grant funds
such as training models, curriculum and
technical assistance products. Materials
developed with grant resources are in
the public domain; therefore, ETA has
the right to use, reuse, modify, and
distribute all grant-funded materials and
products to any interested party,
including broad distribution to the
public workforce investment system via
the Internet or other means.
3. Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently
Religious Activities by Organizations
that Receive Federal Financial
Assistance The government is generally
prohibited from providing direct
Federal financial assistance for
inherently religious activities. See 29
CFR part 2, subpart D. Grants under this
solicitation may not be used for
religious instruction, worship, prayer,
proselytizing, or other inherently
religious activities. Neutral, nonreligious criteria that neither favor nor
disfavor religion will be employed in
the selection of grant recipients and
must be employed by grantees in the
selection of sub-recipients.
4. Orientation Grant recipients and
sub-recipients designated by Governors
to either administer the project or serve
as the fiscal agent will be required to
participate in an orientation session
covering grant management issues.
IV. Application and Submission
Information
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A. Address to Request Application
Package
This announcement includes all
information and forms needed to apply
for this funding opportunity.
B. Content and Form of Application
Submission
The proposal must consist of two
separate and distinct parts, Parts I and
II. Applications that fail to adhere to the
instructions in this section will be
considered non-responsive and may not
be given further consideration.
Part I of the proposal is the Cost
Proposal and must include the
following three items:
• The Standard Form (SF) 424,
‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’
(available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
sf424.pdf). The SF–424 must clearly
identify the state applicant and be
signed by an individual with authority
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to enter into a grant agreement. Upon
confirmation of an award, the
individual signing the SF 424 on behalf
of the applicant shall be considered the
representative of the applicant.
• Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS)
number. All applicants for Federal grant
and funding opportunities are required
to have a DUNS number. See OMB
Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 FR
38402 (June 27, 2003). Applicants must
supply their DUNS number on the SF–
424. The DUNS number is a nine-digit
identification number that uniquely
identifies business entities. Obtaining a
DUNS number is easy and there is no
charge. To obtain a DUNS number,
access this Web site: www.dnb.com/us/
or call 1–866–705–5711.
• The SF–424–A Budget Information
Form (available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
sf424a.pdf). In preparing the Budget
Information Form, the applicant must
provide a concise narrative explanation
to support the request. The budget
narrative should break down the budget
and leveraged resources by the activities
specified in the technical proposal.
Applicants may choose to identify the
organizations that would receive
funding for these activities, but this is
not required. The narrative should also
discuss precisely how the
administrative costs support the project
goals.
Please note that applicants that fail to
provide a SF–424, SF–424–A and/or a
budget narrative will be removed from
consideration prior to the technical
review process. Leveraged resources
should not be listed on the SF–424 or
SF–424–A Budget Information Form,
but must be described in the budget
narrative and in Part II of the proposal.
The amount of Federal funding
requested for the entire period of
performance must be shown together on
the SF–424 and SF–424–A Budget
Information Form. Applicants are also
encouraged, but not required, to submit
OMB control number 1890–0014:
Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity
for Applicants, which can be found at
https://www.doleta.gov/sga/forms.cfm.
Part II of the application is the
technical proposal. The technical
proposal must demonstrate the
applicant’s capabilities to plan and
implement a demonstration project
under the WIRED Initiative in
accordance with the selection criteria.
The Technical Proposal is limited to 25
double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5-inchby-11-inch pages with 12-point font and
1-inch margins. Any pages over the 25page limit will not be reviewed. In
addition, the applicant may provide
resumes, a staffing pattern, statistical
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information, and related materials in
attachments which may not exceed 10
pages. Letters of commitment from
partners may be submitted as
attachments and will not count against
the allowable maximum page totals. The
applicant must reference any
participating entities in the text of the
Technical Proposal.
Except for the discussion of leveraged
resources in response to the evaluation
criteria, no cost data or reference to
prices should be included in the
technical proposal. The following
information is required as part of the
technical proposal:
• A table of contents listing the
application sections.
• A 2–3 page abstract summarizing
the proposed project and applicant
profile information including: (1)
applicant name; (2) project title; (3)
identification of region; (4) overview of
strategies; (5) regional partnership
members; and (6) requested funding
level.
• A timeline outlining project
activities.
Please note that the table of contents,
the abstract, and the timeline are not
included in the 25-page limit.
Applications that do not meet these
requirements will not be considered.
Applications may be submitted
electronically on www.grants.gov or in
hard-copy via U.S. mail, professional
delivery service, or hand delivery.
These processes are described in further
detail in Section IV(3). Applicants
submitting proposals in hard-copy must
submit an original signed application
(including the SF 424) and one (1)
‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings,
staples or protruding tabs to ease in the
reproduction of the proposal by DOL.
Applicants submitting proposals in
hard-copy are also requested, though
not required, to provide an electronic
copy of the proposal on CD–ROM.
C. Submission Dates and Times
The closing date for receipt of
electronic and mailed applications
under this announcement is April 13,
2007. Mailed applications must be
received at the address below no later
than 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on that
date, except as identified in the ‘‘Late
Applications’’ paragraph below.
Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or
facsimile (fax) will not be honored. No
exceptions to the mailing and delivery
requirements set forth in this notice will
be granted.
Applicants may apply online at
https://www.grants.gov by the date and
time specified above. Any application
received after the deadline will not be
accepted. Please note that it may take
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several days to complete the ‘‘Get
Started’’ step to register with Grants.gov.
It is strongly recommended that those
submitting applications through
Grants.gov immediately initiate this step
in order to avoid unexpected delays that
could result in the disqualification of
their application. If submitted
electronically through https://
www.grants.gov, applicants should save
the application document as a .doc or
.pdf file.
A Webinar for prospective applicants
will be held for this grant competition
in February 2007. The date and access
information for the Webinar will be
posted on ETA’s Web site at https://
www.doleta.gov.
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D. Addresses
Mailed applications must be
addressed to the U.S. Department of
Labor, Employment and Training
Administration, Division of Federal
Assistance, Attention: Ms. Laura Patton
Watson, Reference SGA/DFA PY 06–09,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room
N–4716, Washington, DC 20210.
Applicants are advised that mail
delivery in the Washington area may be
delayed due to mail decontamination
procedures. Hand-delivered proposals
will be received at the above address.
E. Late Applications
Any application received after the
exact date and time specified for receipt
at the office designated in this notice
will not be considered, unless it is
received before awards are made, was
properly addressed, and: (a) was sent by
U.S. Postal Service registered or
certified mail not later than the fifth
calendar day before the date specified
for receipt of applications (e.g., an
application required to be received by
the 20th of the month must be
postmarked by the 15th of that month)
or (b) was sent by overnight delivery
service or submitted on Grants.gov to
the addressee not later than one working
day prior to the date specified for
receipt of applications. It is highly
recommended that online submissions
be completed one working day prior to
the date specified for receipt of
applications to ensure that the applicant
still has the option to submit by
overnight delivery service in the event
of any electronic submission problems.
‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped
or otherwise placed impression
(exclusive of a postage meter machine
impression) that is readily identifiable,
without further action, as having been
supplied or affixed on the date of
mailing by an employee of the U.S.
Postal Service. Therefore, applicants
should request the postal clerk to place
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a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’
postmark on both the receipt and the
package. Evidence of timely submission
to an overnight delivery service must be
demonstrated by equally reliable
evidence created by an overnight
delivery service indicating the time and
place of receipt by the overnight
delivery service. Failure to adhere to the
above instructions will be a basis for a
determination of non-responsiveness.
F. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not
subject to Executive Order (EO) 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
G. Funding Restrictions
Determinations of allowable costs will
be made in accordance with the
applicable Federal cost principles as
indicated in Part VI(2). Disallowed costs
are those charges to a grant that the
grantor agency or its representative
determines not to be allowed in
accordance with the applicable Federal
cost principles or other conditions
contained in the grant.
• Economic interdependence (e.g.,
common industry or economic sectors).
• Assets (e.g., human capital,
financial capital, research and
development institutions, educational
institutions, and infrastructure).
• Networks (e.g., leadership and
investor networks). Applicants must
also include a map of the region and a
list of the counties and major cities in
the region.
Assessment of this criterion will be
based on the quality of the information
presented and the extent to which the
defined area represents a regional
economy, as demonstrated by the
applicant.
A. Rating Criteria
This section identifies and describes
the criteria that will be used to evaluate
the proposals for the WIRED Initiative:
(1) Identification of Region (15 points)
(2) Regional Labor Market and
Economic Landscape (10 points)
(3) Strength of Partnership (30 points)
(4) Strategies for Transformation (35
points)
(5) Leveraged Resources (10 points)
2. Regional Labor Market and Economic
Landscape (10 points)
Through narrative discussion and
data displays, the applicant must
provide an overview of the labor market
and economic landscape of the region
that describes the conditions that are
driving the need for transformation in
the region. Discussion should include,
but is not limited to, the following:
• Industries or economic sectors that
are declining in the region, as well as
those that are emerging or growing.
• Characteristics related to the
regional labor force, such as skill and
education levels, income levels, and
commuting patterns.
• Indicators of impacted economic
elements in the region, such as high
unemployment rate, low average wages,
and low levels of new job creation.
• Worker dislocations stemming from
mass layoffs and/or natural disasters.
• The extent to which foreign trade
has impacted the regional economy.
• Indicators of innovation such as
entrepreneurial activity and small
business development, investment
capital, and patent data.
Assessment of this criterion will be
based on the quality of the information
presented and the extent of
demonstrated need for regional
economic transformation.
1. Identification of Region (15 points)
Applicants must define the region of
focus in the proposal and demonstrate
why the selection comprises a regional
economy. Regional economies are
typically defined as geographically
contiguous areas. However, a proposal
that makes an innovative case for a noncontiguous regional economy will be
considered. Non-contiguous areas that
only share similar circumstances will
not be considered.
This discussion should include, but is
not limited to, how the following factors
contribute to the formation of the
region:
3. Strength of Partnership (30 points)
The applicant must demonstrate that
the strategic partnership is a strong team
of regional leaders. The partnership
must be representative of the entire
region and have the authority to drive
a transformation strategy within the
region. The partnership must include a
senior representative of the workforce
investment system within the region as
the lead, or co-lead with at least one
other regional partner, for the region’s
WIRED grant activities. Examples of
senior workforce system representatives
include the chair or the executive
director of a local workforce investment
H. Other Submission Requirements
Applications may be withdrawn by
written notice or telegram (including
Mailgram) received at any time before
an award is made. Applications may be
withdrawn in person by the applicant or
by an authorized representative thereof,
if the representative signs a receipt for
the proposal.
V. Application Review Information
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board or a senior representative of a
regional workforce consortium.
In addition to workforce investment
system partners, other mandatory
partners of a regional partnership team
must include senior leaders from the
following entities:
• Education, including K–12,
community colleges, and four year
institutions within the region;
• Regional business leadership; and
• Economic development at the
regional/local level.
Additional recommended partners
include: local elected officials; the
philanthropic community; other
education and training providers;
business organizations such as
chambers of commerce; seed and
venture capital organizations or
individuals; investor networks;
entrepreneurs; and faith and
community-based organizations.
The discussion must:
• Include a comprehensive list of the
strategic partners that will be included
in the WIRED Initiative and articulate
each partner’s role.
• Include the positions and/or titles
of the individuals from each of the
organizations that will be involved in
the regional partnership.
• Demonstrate that integration or a
high level of coordination already exists
between partners. If a high level of
integration or coordination does not
exist, then the applicant must
demonstrate that it has the capacity to
quickly establish these links and discuss
strategies for strengthening the
partnership.
• Demonstrate that the administrative
entity has the capacity to lead the
regional partnership in implementing
the WIRED Initiative. Discussion should
include, but is not limited to, the
administrative entity’s leadership and
staff capacity and experience
implementing initiatives of this caliber.
Assessment of this criterion will be
based on the comprehensiveness of the
partnership, the degree to which each
partner plays a committed role, and the
capacity of the administrative entity to
lead the regional partnership.
4. Strategies for Transformation (35
points)
The applicant must describe the
strategies that will be undertaken by the
regional partnership and explain how
these strategies will transform the
regional economy and how they will
support the region’s overall economic
vision and goals. In addition, the
applicant must describe how the
strategies will transform the workforce
development, economic development,
and education systems in the region and
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result in more effective ways of
collaboration and networking of assets
and resources. Assessment of this
criterion will be based on three areas: 1)
strength of the strategies; 2)
identification of targeted industries and
economic sectors; and 3) discussion of
goals.
Strategies. Applicants must describe
how the strategies will be
operationalized and how they will
create a lasting impact on the region and
build on and transform existing
initiatives. Applicants must explain
how the strategies will be aligned and
integrated in order to unite the region
around an economic growth agenda. In
addition, in describing the strategies
that would be undertaken with the
requested funds, the applicant must
demonstrate how the strategies will:
• Address the identified workforce
and economic development challenges
in the region.
• Increase integration and synergy
among the workforce development,
economic development and education
systems.
• Increase opportunities for
entrepreneurship and small business
development and the capacity for
innovation within both new and
existing businesses.
• Create connections between
research and business development.
• Build upon and align with current
state and local strategic plans currently
in place under the Workforce
Investment Act, the Department of
Commerce’s economic development
programs, the Department of Housing
and Urban Development’s community
development programs, and other
applicable federal programs.
Targeted High Growth Industries and
Economic Sectors. Applicant must
describe the high growth industries and
economic sectors that will be the focus
of the strategies. Applicant must explain
why these industries and economic
sectors have been chosen, how the
strategies will support the continued
growth of these industries, and how
supporting these industries will
contribute to the growth of the regional
economy.
Goals. Applicants should demonstrate
a results-oriented approach to managing
and operating their grant. Therefore,
applicants must describe the goals for
each strategy and describe how WIRED
grant resources will enable the
partnership to accomplish its goals.
Applicants should articulate clear
outcomes for each strategy.
5. Leveraged Resources (10 points)
Applicants must clearly describe any
funds and resources leveraged in
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support of the proposed strategies and
demonstrate how these funds will be
used to contribute to the goals of the
WIRED Initiative. Leveraged resources
are cash or in-kind contributions
devoted to advancing the strategies
described in the applicant’s proposal.
Existing or planned efforts within the
region that can be aligned and
integrated into the WIRED Initiative to
transform the regional economy may
also be considered to be leveraged
resources. Important elements of the
explanation include:
• Which partners have contributed
leveraged resources and the amount of
each contribution, including an
itemized description of each cash or inkind contribution.
• The quality of the leveraged
resources, including the purpose of the
funds and the extent to which each
contribution will be used to further the
goals of the initiative.
• Evidence, such as letters of
commitment, that key partners have
expressed a clear commitment to
provide the contribution.
Leveraged resources could come from
a variety of sources including: public
sector (e.g., Federal, state or local
governments); non-profit sector (e.g.,
community organizations, faith-based
organizations, or education and training
institutions); private sector (e.g.,
businesses or industry associations);
investor community (e.g., angel
networks); philanthropic community;
and the economic development
community.
Assessment of this criterion will be
based on the extent to which the
application fully describes the amount,
commitment, nature, and quality of
leveraged resources. Applications will
be scored based on the degree to which
the source and use of funds is clearly
explained and the extent to which
leveraged resources are fully integrated
into the initiative to support grant
outcomes.
B. Review and Selection Process
Applications for the WIRED Initiative
will be accepted commencing on the
date of publication of this
announcement until the closing date
and time. A technical review panel will
carefully evaluate applications against
the rating criteria described in Part V(1),
which are based on the policy goals,
priorities, and emphases set forth in this
SGA. Up to 100 points may be awarded
to an application, based on the Rating
Criteria described in Part V(1). The
panel results are advisory in nature and
not binding on the Grant Officer. The
Grant Officer may consider any
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information that comes to his or her
attention.
The ranked scores will serve as the
primary basis for selection of
applications for funding, in conjunction
with other factors such as urban, rural,
and geographic balance; uniqueness and
innovative aspects of the proposal; the
availability of funds; and proposals that
are most advantageous to the
government. The government reserves
the right to award grants with or
without discussions or negotiations
with applicants. Should a grant be
awarded without negotiations, the
award will be based on the applicant’s
signature on the SF–424, which
constitutes a binding offer.
VI. Award Administrative Information
A. Award Notices
All award notifications will be posted
on the ETA Web site at https://
www.doleta.gov.
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B. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements—Administrative Program
Requirements
All grantees will be subject to all
applicable Federal laws (including
provisions in appropriations law),
regulations, and the applicable Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
Circulars. The applicants selected under
the SGA will be subject to the following
administrative standards and
provisions, if applicable:
• Workforce Investment Act—20
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part
667.200 (General Fiscal and
Administrative Rules).
• Non-Profit Organizations—2 CFR
part 230 (Cost Principles, formerly
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Circular A–122) and 29 CFR part
95 (Administrative Requirements).
• Educational Institutions—2 CFR
part 220 (Cost Principles, formerly OMB
Circular A–21) and 29 CFR part 95
(Administrative Requirements).
• State and Local Governments—2
CFR par 225 (Cost Principles, formerly
OMB circular A–87) and 29 CFR part 97
(Administrative Requirements).
• All entities must comply with 29
CFR parts 93 and 98, and where
applicable, 29 CFR parts 96 and 99.
• In accordance with Section 18 of
the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–65 (2 U.S.C. 1611), nonprofit entities incorporated under
Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(4)
that engage in lobbying activities will
not be eligible for the receipt of Federal
funds and grants.
• 29 CFR part 2, subpart D—Equal
Treatment in Department of Labor
Programs for Religious Organizations;
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17:50 Feb 21, 2007
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Protection of Religious Liberty of
Department of Labor Social Service
Providers and Beneficiaries.
• 29 CFR part 30—Equal Employment
Opportunity in Apprenticeship and
Training.
• 29 CFR part 31—Nondiscrimination
in Federally Assisted Programs of the
Department of Labor—Effectuation of
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• 29 CFR part 32—Nondiscrimination
on the Basis of Handicap in Programs
and Activities Receiving or Benefiting
from Federal Financial Assistance.
• 29 CFR part 33—Enforcement of
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Handicap in Programs or Activities
Conducted by the Department of Labor.
• 29 CFR part 35—Nondiscrimination
on the Basis of Age in Programs or
Activities Receiving Federal Financial
Assistance from the Department of
Labor.
• 29 CFR part 36—Nondiscrimination
on the Basis of Sex in Education
Programs or Activities Receiving
Federal Financial Assistance.
• 29 CFR part 37—Implementation of
the Nondiscrimination and Equal
Opportunity Provisions of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998
(WIA).
(Note: Except as specifically provided in
this notice, ETA’s acceptance of a proposal
and award of Federal funds to sponsor any
program(s) does not provide a waiver of any
grant requirements and/or procedures. For
example, the OMB Circulars require that an
entity’s procurement procedures must ensure
that all procurement transactions are
conducted, as much as practical, to provide
open and free competition. If a proposal
identifies a specific entity to provide
services, then ETA’s award does not provide
the justification or basis to sole-source the
procurement, i.e., avoid competition, unless
the activity is regarded as the primary work
of an official partner to the application.)
C. Reporting and Evaluation
Requirements
1. Evaluation
ETA has undertaken a comprehensive
evaluation of the WIRED Initiative. The
evaluation is intended to: provide a
thorough understanding of the
implementation of WIRED strategies in
the regions; learn about changes that
occur in economic indicators such as
job growth, average wage, tax base,
reliance on public sector subsidies, and
the unemployment rate; and ascertain to
what extent these changes and other
indicators of regional progress were
influenced by WIRED activities. ETA
will require that selected applicants
participate in the evaluation of WIRED.
Therefore, in applying for these grants,
applicants agree to cooperate in this
evaluation.
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2. Performance Requirements
WIRED grantees are required to report
outcomes for the Common Performance
Measures, which measure entry into
employment, retention in employment,
and earnings. Additional information on
ETA’s Common Measures policy can be
found in Training Employment
Guidance Letter No. 17–05, Common
Measures Policy for the Employment
and Training Administration’s (ETA)
Performance Accountability System and
Related Performance Issues (February
17, 2006), located on the ETA Web site
at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/.
3. Quarterly Financial Reports
A Quarterly Financial Status Report
(SF 269) is required until such time as
all funds have been expended or the
grant period has expired. Quarterly
financial reports are due 30 days after
the end of each calendar year quarter.
Grantees must use ETA’s Online
Electronic Reporting System.
4. Quarterly Progress Reports
The grantee must submit a quarterly
progress report to the designated
Federal Project Officer within 30 days
after the end of each calendar year
quarter that provides a detailed account
of activities undertaken during that
quarter. The Department may require
additional data elements to be collected
and reported on either a regular basis or
special request basis. Grantees must
agree to meet the Department’s reporting
requirements.
The quarterly progress report must be
in narrative form and must include:
(1) In-depth information on
accomplishments including success
stories, upcoming grant activities, and
promising approaches and processes.
(2) Progress toward performance
outcomes included in the grantee’s
statement of work, including updates on
product, curricula, and training
development.
(3) Challenges, barriers, or concerns
regarding progress.
(4) Lessons learned in the areas of
administration and management,
implementation, partnership
relationships, and other related areas.
Final Report. A draft final report must
be submitted no later than 60 days prior
to the expiration date of the grant. This
report must summarize activities,
employment outcomes, and related
results, and should thoroughly
document the solution approach. After
responding to ETA’s questions and
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comments on the draft report, three
copies of the final report must be
submitted no later than the grant
expiration date. Grantees must agree to
use a designated format specified by the
Department to prepare the final report.
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VII. Agency Contacts
Any technical questions regarding
this SGA should be faxed to Ms. Laura
Patton Watson, Chief of the Division of
Federal Assistance, Fax number (202)
693–2705 (not a toll-free number). You
must specifically address your fax to the
attention of Ms. Laura Patton Watson
and should include the following
information: SGA/DFA PY 06–09, a
contact name, fax, and telephone
number. Answers to questions will be
posted on ETA’s Web site at https://
www.doleta.gov during the SGA period.
For further information contact Ms.
Laura Patton Watson, Chief of the
Division of Federal Assistance, at (202)
693–3961 (not a toll-free number). This
announcement is also being made
available on https://www.grants.gov.
VIII. Other Information
OMB Information Collection No.
1205–0458. Expires September 30, 2009.
According to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of
information unless such collection
displays a valid OMB control number.
Public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to
average 20 hours per response,
including time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the
data needed, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information.
Send comments regarding the burden
estimated or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to
the U.S. Department of Labor, the OMB
Desk Officer for ETA, Office of
Management and Budget, Room 10235,
Washington, DC 20503. PLEASE DO
NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED
APPLICATION TO THE OMB. SEND IT
TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE
SPONSORING AGENCY.
This information is being collected for
the purpose of awarding a grant. The
information collected through this
‘‘Solicitation for Grant Applications’’
will be used by the Department of Labor
to ensure that grants are awarded to the
applicant best suited to perform the
functions of the grant. Submission of
this information is required in order for
the applicant to be considered for award
of this grant. Unless otherwise
specifically noted in this
announcement, information submitted
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14:11 Feb 21, 2007
Jkt 211001
in the respondent’s application is not
considered to be confidential.
Signed at Washington, DC, this twelfth day
of February, 2007.
Laura Patton Watson,
Grant Officer, Employment and Training
Administration.
Attachment A: List of Regions Currently
Receiving WIRED Grants
First Generation WIRED Regions
• Coastal Maine
• Northeast Pennsylvania
• Upstate New York
• Piedmont Triad North Carolina
• Mid-Michigan
• West Michigan
• Florida’s Great Northwest
• Western Alabama and Eastern
Mississippi
• North Central Indiana
• Greater Kansas City
• Denver Metro Region
• Central and Eastern Montana
• California Innovation Corridor
Second Generation WIRED Regions
• Central-Eastern Puerto Rico
• Southwestern Connecticut
• Northern New Jersey
• Delaware Valley
• Appalachian Ohio
• Southeastern Michigan
• Tennessee Valley
• Southwestern Indiana
• Southeastern Wisconsin
• Arkansas Delta
• Rio Grande Valley
• Wasatch Range
• Northern California
[FR Doc. E7–2996 Filed 2–21–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice (07–015)]
8027
Hybrid and Resulting Metal/Composite
Hybrid Laminate;
NASA Case No. LAR–17235–1:
Interferometric Rayleigh Scattering
Measurement System;
NASA Case No. LAR–17168–1:
Cylindrical Piezoelectric Fiber
Composite Actuator Assemblies;
NASA Case No. LAR–17346–1:
Flexible Thin Metal Film Thermal
Sensing System;
NASA Case No. LAR–17307–1: Open
Loop Heat Pipe Radiator Having a FreePiston for Wiping Condensed Working
Fluid;
NASA Case No. LAR–17082–1:
Composite Material Having a
Thermally-Reactive-Endcapped Imide
Oligomer and Carbon Nanofillers;
NASA Case No. LAR–16950–1:
Ferroelectric Light Control Device;
NASA Case No. LAR–17257–1:
Systems and Methods for Detecting a
Failure Event in a Field Programmable
Gate Array;
NASA Case No. LAR–16858–1:
Photogrammetric System and Method
Used in the Characterization of a
Structure;
NASA Case No. LAR–17268–1:
Reprogrammable Field Programmable
Gate Array With Integrated System for
Mitigating Effects of Single Event
Upsets;
NASA Case No. LAR–16886–1:
Method and System for Sensing and
Identifying Foreign Particles in a
Gaseous Environment;
NASA Case No. LAR–16083–1:
Physiological Using Interface for a
Multi-User Virtual Environment;
NASA Case No. LAR–16409–1: Wet
Active Chevron Nozzle for Controllable
Jet Noise Reduction.
Government-Owned Inventions,
Available for Licensing
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
inventions for licensing.
Dated: February 7, 2007.
Keith T. Sefton,
Deputy General Counsel, Administration and
Management.
[FR Doc. E7–2907 Filed 2–21–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510–13–P
AGENCY:
The inventions listed below
assigned to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, have been
filed in the United States Patent and
Trademark Office, and are available for
licensing.
DATES: February 22, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Linda B. Blackburn, Patent Counsel,
Langley Research Center, Mail Code
141, Hampton, VA 23681–2199;
telephone (757) 864–9260; fax (757)
864–9190.
NASA Case No. LAR–17165–1: Resin
Infusion of Layered Metal/Composite
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice (07–016)]
Government-Owned Inventions,
Available for Licensing
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
inventions for licensing.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The inventions listed below
assigned to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, have been
filed in the United States Patent and
E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM
22FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 35 (Thursday, February 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8019-8027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2996]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA), Program Year 2006
Announcement Type: New.
[[Page 8020]]
Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for grant
applications for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development
(WIRED) Initiative--Third Generation.
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY 06-09
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.268
DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications is April 13, 2007.
A Webinar for prospective applicants will be held for this grant
competition in February 2007. The date and access information for the
Webinar will be posted on the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and
Training Administration (ETA) Web site at https://www.doleta.gov.
SUMMARY: In the 21st century global economy, talent development is a
critical component in our nation's economic competitiveness. To stay
ahead of global competition, we must identify strategies to further
integrate workforce development, economic development, and education at
the regional level--where companies, workers, researchers,
entrepreneurs and governments come together to create a competitive
advantage. Launched in February 2006, the Workforce Innovation in
Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative focuses on the role of
talent development in driving regional economic competitiveness, job
growth and new opportunities for American workers. The goal of WIRED is
to expand employment and advancement opportunities for workers and
catalyze the creation of high-skill and high-wage opportunities in
regional economies. The WIRED Initiative is currently providing regions
across the country with grant funding and ongoing technical assistance
from ETA and a cadre of experts in order to help them achieve these
goals.
To further support regions that are seeking to transform their
economies and enhance their global competitiveness through talent
development, ETA is announcing a new round of grants for the third
generation of regions under the WIRED Initiative. The third generation
is designed to fully engage local workforce investment boards in
collaborative partnerships and transformational leadership within
regional economies nationwide. The Department of Labor is making $65
million available for this new round of grants. This round of the WIRED
Initiative will take place over the course of three years and the
Department anticipates that individual grant awards will total $5
million over this period. Only Governors may apply on behalf of regions
within their states or across state lines. Each Governor may submit up
to two applications.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation provides background
information on the WIRED Initiative and critical elements required of
projects funded under the solicitation. It also describes the
application submission requirements, the process that eligible
applicants must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation,
and how grantees will be selected. This announcement consists of eight
parts:
Part I provides background information on the WIRED
Initiative.
Part II describes the size and nature of the anticipated
awards.
Part III describes the qualifications of an eligible
applicant.
Part IV provides information on the application and
submission process.
Part V explains the review process and rating criteria
that will be used to evaluate applications.
Part VI provides award administration information.
Part VII contains ETA contact information.
Part VIII addresses Office of Management and Budget
information collection requirements.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Background
The world is now witnessing one of the greatest economic
transformations in history. Revolutions in technology and information
have ushered in the era we know as globalization. This era is marked by
tremendous advances in communications, travel, and trade, allowing
individuals instant access to commerce from almost anywhere in the
world. As a result, American businesses now compete not only with
companies across the street, but also with companies around the globe.
In the new global economy, talent development is a key factor in our
nation's economic competitiveness.
Global competition is typically seen as a national challenge. In
reality, regions are where companies, workers, researchers,
entrepreneurs and governments come together to create a competitive
advantage in the global marketplace. That advantage stems from the
ability to transform new ideas and new knowledge into advanced, high
quality products or services--in other words, to innovate.
Those regions that are successful in creating a competitive
advantage demonstrate the ability to network ``innovation assets''--
people, institutions, capital and infrastructure--to generate growth
and prosperity in the region's economy. These regions--such as San
Diego, California; the Research Triangle in North Carolina; and the
Greater Austin region of Texas--are successful precisely because they
have connected three key elements: workforce skills and lifelong
learning strategies, investment and entrepreneurship strategies, and
regional infrastructure and economic development strategies.
While some regions of the country have thrived as a result of
globalization, others have struggled to compete. For example, some
regions are seeking to transform their economies because they have been
dependent on a single industry that is not faring well in the global
economy and others have been negatively affected by global trade. These
regions are being forced to revitalize and reinvent themselves.
B. WIRED Initiative
To facilitate the growth of a regional economy requires attention
to three critical elements. These elements were identified in a
groundbreaking report, Innovate America, published by the Council on
Competitiveness. The first element is infrastructure. This includes not
only the traditional factors such as highways, bridges, and buildings,
but also 21st century factors like access to broadband and wireless
networks. The second is investment, including the availability of risk
capital and the conditions that encourage the use of such capital.
The third critical element is talent. A region may possess a strong
infrastructure and the investment resources for success, but without
the talented men and women to use those elements for economic growth,
they are meaningless. Talent can also drive the other two elements
because investment capital is smart money and it will follow the talent
while infrastructure can be built to support a growing economy. The
WIRED initiative was launched in recognition that this third key
element, talent, drives prosperity. In other words, the bedrock of a
nation's competitiveness is a well educated and skilled workforce.
Many regions have made considerable progress in incorporating
talent and skills development into their larger economic strategies and
integrating workforce development, economic development, and education
efforts into a comprehensive system that is both flexible and
responsive to the needs of businesses and workers. However, ETA
recognizes the importance of supporting regions that need additional
technical
[[Page 8021]]
and financial assistance to achieve these goals.
In response, ETA launched the WIRED Initiative in February 2006.
The goal of the WIRED Initiative is to expand employment and
advancement opportunities for American workers and catalyze the
creation of high-skill and high-wage opportunities in the regional
economies. ETA invested in 13 regional economies across the country--
the first generation of WIRED regions--and is providing these regions
with grant funding, technical assistance, access to a cadre of experts,
and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
An additional 13 regions--the second generation of WIRED regions--
were invited to participate in the WIRED Initiative as ``virtual''
sites. These regions originally received small planning grants and the
opportunity to be a part of the WIRED learning network. In January
2007, ETA announced that these regions would be provided with
additional funding to support the strategies identified to transform
their regional economies.
WIRED grantees have a unique opportunity to design and implement
strategic approaches that will transform their regional economies and
the systems that support those economies. In addition to financial
support, ETA staff work closely with WIRED regions to provide technical
assistance to support their development of innovative approaches to
workforce development, economic development and education that go
beyond traditional strategies in preparing workers to compete and
succeed both within the United States and globally.
A key focus for WIRED regions is to implement strategies that will
result in their workforce investment system becoming a key component of
their region's economic development strategy. In this vision, elements
of a transformed workforce system are:
The workforce investment system operates as a talent
development system; it is no longer defined as a job training system.
Its goal is an educated and prepared workforce--on a U.S. or global
standard.
Workforce investment system formula funds are transformed,
providing tuition assistance for post-secondary education for lifelong
learning opportunities aligned with the region's talent development
strategy.
The workforce investment system no longer operates as an
array of siloed programs and services.
The workforce investment boards are structured and operate
on a regional basis and are composed of regional strategic partners who
drive investments, aligning spending with a regional economic vision
for talent development.
Economic and workforce development regions are aligned,
and these regions adopt common and innovative policies across the
workforce, education and economic development systems and structures
that support talent development and the regional economy.
The workforce investment system is agile enough to serve
the innovation economy, recognizing the reality that \2/3\ of all new
jobs are created by small businesses.
The workforce investment system actively collaborates with
economic development, business, and education partners to gather and
analyze a wide array of current and real time workforce and economic
data in order to create new knowledge about regional economies and
support strategic planning, routinely track economic conditions,
measure outcomes, and benchmark economic competitiveness in the global
marketplace.
C. Regional Approach
Economic regions do not typically correspond to geographic or
political jurisdictions such as state, county, local workforce
investment area, or municipal boundaries. Such boundaries do not always
match labor market areas as evidenced by Philadelphia's tri-state area
or the greater Kansas City area, among others. The WIRED Initiative
focuses on labor market areas that are comprised of multiple
jurisdictions within a state or across state borders, or non-contiguous
regional economies. Factors that contribute to the formation of a
region include economic interdependence, such as common industries or
sectors; assets, such as human and financial capital and
infrastructure; and networks, such as leadership or investor networks.
A key to success for the WIRED Initiative is the quality and
strength of the regional partnership. The partnership should be a
strong team composed of the organizations necessary to transform the
regional economy, including workforce, civic, business, investor,
education, government, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic
organizations. To be able to drive economic transformation, the leaders
involved in the partnership should be at the most senior level and have
decision-making authority over their organization's activities and
resources.
Governors are asked to submit an application on behalf of the
regional partnership. State officials have a critical role to play in
this effort by providing leadership and helping to facilitate an
environment that is conducive to innovation. At the same time, regional
leaders from a variety of fields must invest in this process and be
dedicated to taking the necessary action steps.
D. Technical Assistance and Learning Opportunities
Regions in the WIRED Initiative have the opportunity to participate
in a robust learning network focused on creating competitive advantages
for regional economies in the global marketplace. ETA works closely
with and provides technical assistance and support to regions
throughout the implementation of the WIRED Initiative. Regions also
have opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, most notably through
WIRED Academies. The Academies are held three times per year and
provide regions with opportunities to network and share their
challenges and promising practices, as well as consult with experts
from the workforce, education, and economic development communities;
Federal departments and agencies; and the private sector. The regions
also have access to an interactive Web site, the Collaborative
Workspace, which facilitates the exchange of resources and information
among the learning network. Additionally, ETA facilitates linkages
between the WIRED regions and other key Federal agencies--such as the
Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Interior,
Defense and Education and the National Science Foundation--to further
support WIRED regions in their efforts.
ETA is compiling resource tool kits, such as a regional assessment
tool and an asset mapping tool, and promising practices regarding
workforce and economic development strategies. These resources will be
disseminated widely to the workforce investment system and economic
development community, so that all regions, even those not selected to
participate, will benefit from the WIRED Initiative.
II. Award Information
A. Award Amount
Each competitively selected project will be funded at approximately
$5 million over a period of three years--$1 million in the first year,
$2 million in the second year, and $2 million in the third year.
However, this does not preclude funding decisions above or below this
amount, based on the number and quality of submissions and
[[Page 8022]]
the availability of funds. ETA anticipates awarding a total of $65
million in third generation WIRED grants over a three-year period.
B. Use of Funds
The WIRED Initiative supports the transformation of regional
economies through the development and implementation of broad,
comprehensive, innovative approaches to workforce development, economic
development, and education. WIRED grants will be funded with H-1B fees
as authorized under Sec. 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and
Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277, title IV), as
amended by Pub. L. 108-447 ( codified at 29 U.S.C. 2916a). These funds
are focused on the development of the workforce, and may be used to
provide job training and related activities for workers to assist them
in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain or upgrade
employment in industries or economic sectors projected to experience
significant growth. Funds may also be used to enhance the provision of
job training services and information. Activities related to training
may include: supporting talent development related to entrepreneurship;
supporting talent development related to small business development;
and purchasing equipment to train job seekers and workers for high-
growth occupations. Activities to enhance training and information may
include: development and implementation of model activities to build
core competencies and train workers; identifying and disseminating
career and skill information; developing or purchasing regional data
tools or systems to deepen understanding of the regional economic
landscape and labor market; and integrated regional planning such as
increasing the integration of community and technical college
activities with activities of businesses and the public workforce
investment system to meet the training needs of business. Applicants
are expected to leverage additional resources to support the
transformational strategies and activities that are beyond those
allowed by these funds.
C. Period of Performance
The period of performance will be 36 months from the date of
execution of the grant documents. ETA may approve a request for a no-
cost extension to grantees for an additional period of time based on
the success of the project and other relevant factors.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
State Governors \1\ are the eligible applicants. The Governor must
submit an application on behalf of a specific, defined multi-county
region and a regional team of public and private partners. The
application must clearly identify the state entity that will serve as
the grant recipient, the state entity or local workforce investment
board that will serve as the project's fiscal agent, and the sub-
recipient that will have responsibility for administering the project
on the Governor's behalf. The grant application form should contain the
information of the state agency that is serving as the grant recipient.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For the purpose of this application, the definition of State
Governor includes the Governor of Puerto Rico and the Mayor of the
District of Columbia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Given that one of the significant goals for WIRED is to fully align
the public workforce investments with a regional economic growth
agenda, regional partnership teams must include a senior representative
of the workforce investment system within the region as the lead, or
co-lead with at least one other regional partner, for the region's
WIRED grant activities. Examples of senior workforce system
representatives include the chair or the executive director of a local
workforce investment board or a senior representative of a regional
workforce consortium.
In addition to workforce investment system partners, other
mandatory partners of a regional partnership team must include senior
leaders from the following entities:
Education, including K-12, community colleges, and four
year institutions within the region;
Regional business leadership; and
Economic development at the regional/local level.
Joint applications for regions that cross state lines will be
accepted. All participating Governors of multi-state regions must
jointly submit and sign the transmittal letter for the application.
Applications for multi-state regions must identify the state entity
that will be the grant recipient, the state agency or local workforce
investment board that will serve as the project's fiscal agent, and the
sub-recipient with responsibility for administering the project on the
Governors' behalf.
Regional economies are typically defined as geographically
contiguous areas. However, a proposal that makes an innovative case for
a non-contiguous regional economy will be considered. Non-contiguous
areas that only share similar circumstances will not be considered.
Each Governor is permitted to submit up to two applications.
Governors may not submit applications for any of the 26 first and
second generation regions that have already received a WIRED grant, as
specified in Attachment A. However, a small overlap between the
existing WIRED regions and an applying region will be permitted.
Applicants are not allowed to receive assistance in developing
their applications from organizations and individuals under contract or
subcontract with ETA for activities related to the WIRED Initiative,
including M.H. West & Co., Inc; The Council for Adult & Experiential
Learning; The Council on Competitiveness; and New Economy Strategies.
B. Leveraged Resources
Cost sharing or matching is not required for eligibility. However,
aligning resources and leveraging funding is a key component of success
in the WIRED Initiative. Therefore, applicants are expected to leverage
significant resources at the Federal, state and regional levels to
advance their proposed transformational strategies. While the failure
to offer leveraged resources as a part of an application will not
preclude consideration of the application, it will place the applicant
at a significant competitive disadvantage since one of the evaluation
criteria, worth 10 points, evaluates the quality of the leveraged
resources. Leveraged resources are cash or in-kind contributions
devoted to advancing the strategies described in the applicant's
proposal. The identification of existing or planned initiatives within
the region that can be aligned and integrated into the WIRED efforts to
transform the regional economy are also considered to be leveraged
resources.
Leveraged resources could come from a variety of sources including:
public sector (e.g., Federal, state or local governments); non-profit
sector (e.g., community organizations, faith-based organizations, or
education and training institutions); private sector (e.g., businesses
or industry associations); investor community (e.g., angel networks);
philanthropic community; and the economic development community.
Leveraged resources should not be included on the Standard Form 424-A
budget form. These resources should be discussed in the technical
proposal and the budget narrative.
[[Page 8023]]
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
1. Administrative Costs The administrative cost limit for each
project will be negotiated at the time of award.
2. Distribution Rights By accepting the grant, selected applicants
agree to give ETA the right to use and distribute all materials
developed with grant funds such as training models, curriculum and
technical assistance products. Materials developed with grant resources
are in the public domain; therefore, ETA has the right to use, reuse,
modify, and distribute all grant-funded materials and products to any
interested party, including broad distribution to the public workforce
investment system via the Internet or other means.
3. Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently Religious Activities by
Organizations that Receive Federal Financial Assistance The government
is generally prohibited from providing direct Federal financial
assistance for inherently religious activities. See 29 CFR part 2,
subpart D. Grants under this solicitation may not be used for religious
instruction, worship, prayer, proselytizing, or other inherently
religious activities. Neutral, non-religious criteria that neither
favor nor disfavor religion will be employed in the selection of grant
recipients and must be employed by grantees in the selection of sub-
recipients.
4. Orientation Grant recipients and sub-recipients designated by
Governors to either administer the project or serve as the fiscal agent
will be required to participate in an orientation session covering
grant management issues.
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Address to Request Application Package
This announcement includes all information and forms needed to
apply for this funding opportunity.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
The proposal must consist of two separate and distinct parts, Parts
I and II. Applications that fail to adhere to the instructions in this
section will be considered non-responsive and may not be given further
consideration.
Part I of the proposal is the Cost Proposal and must include the
following three items:
The Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance'' (available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
sf424.pdf). The SF-424 must clearly identify the state applicant and be
signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement.
Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF 424 on
behalf of the applicant shall be considered the representative of the
applicant.
Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. All applicants for
Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a DUNS
number. See OMB Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 FR 38402 (June 27,
2003). Applicants must supply their DUNS number on the SF-424. The DUNS
number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies
business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no
charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access this Web site: www.dnb.com/us/ or call 1-866-705-5711.
The SF-424-A Budget Information Form (available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424a.pdf). In preparing the Budget
Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative
explanation to support the request. The budget narrative should break
down the budget and leveraged resources by the activities specified in
the technical proposal. Applicants may choose to identify the
organizations that would receive funding for these activities, but this
is not required. The narrative should also discuss precisely how the
administrative costs support the project goals.
Please note that applicants that fail to provide a SF-424, SF-424-A
and/or a budget narrative will be removed from consideration prior to
the technical review process. Leveraged resources should not be listed
on the SF-424 or SF-424-A Budget Information Form, but must be
described in the budget narrative and in Part II of the proposal. The
amount of Federal funding requested for the entire period of
performance must be shown together on the SF-424 and SF-424-A Budget
Information Form. Applicants are also encouraged, but not required, to
submit OMB control number 1890-0014: Survey on Ensuring Equal
Opportunity for Applicants, which can be found at https://
www.doleta.gov/sga/forms.cfm.
Part II of the application is the technical proposal. The technical
proposal must demonstrate the applicant's capabilities to plan and
implement a demonstration project under the WIRED Initiative in
accordance with the selection criteria. The Technical Proposal is
limited to 25 double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch pages
with 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Any pages over the 25-page limit
will not be reviewed. In addition, the applicant may provide resumes, a
staffing pattern, statistical information, and related materials in
attachments which may not exceed 10 pages. Letters of commitment from
partners may be submitted as attachments and will not count against the
allowable maximum page totals. The applicant must reference any
participating entities in the text of the Technical Proposal.
Except for the discussion of leveraged resources in response to the
evaluation criteria, no cost data or reference to prices should be
included in the technical proposal. The following information is
required as part of the technical proposal:
A table of contents listing the application sections.
A 2-3 page abstract summarizing the proposed project and
applicant profile information including: (1) applicant name; (2)
project title; (3) identification of region; (4) overview of
strategies; (5) regional partnership members; and (6) requested funding
level.
A timeline outlining project activities.
Please note that the table of contents, the abstract, and the
timeline are not included in the 25-page limit. Applications that do
not meet these requirements will not be considered.
Applications may be submitted electronically on www.grants.gov or
in hard-copy via U.S. mail, professional delivery service, or hand
delivery. These processes are described in further detail in Section
IV(3). Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy must submit an
original signed application (including the SF 424) and one (1) ``copy-
ready'' version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in
the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting
proposals in hard-copy are also requested, though not required, to
provide an electronic copy of the proposal on CD-ROM.
C. Submission Dates and Times
The closing date for receipt of electronic and mailed applications
under this announcement is April 13, 2007. Mailed applications must be
received at the address below no later than 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on
that date, except as identified in the ``Late Applications'' paragraph
below. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (fax) will
not be honored. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements
set forth in this notice will be granted.
Applicants may apply online at https://www.grants.gov by the date
and time specified above. Any application received after the deadline
will not be accepted. Please note that it may take
[[Page 8024]]
several days to complete the ``Get Started'' step to register with
Grants.gov. It is strongly recommended that those submitting
applications through Grants.gov immediately initiate this step in order
to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the disqualification of
their application. If submitted electronically through https://
www.grants.gov, applicants should save the application document as a
.doc or .pdf file.
A Webinar for prospective applicants will be held for this grant
competition in February 2007. The date and access information for the
Webinar will be posted on ETA's Web site at https://www.doleta.gov.
D. Addresses
Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal
Assistance, Attention: Ms. Laura Patton Watson, Reference SGA/DFA PY
06-09, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210.
Applicants are advised that mail delivery in the Washington area may be
delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered
proposals will be received at the above address.
E. Late Applications
Any application received after the exact date and time specified
for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be
considered, unless it is received before awards are made, was properly
addressed, and: (a) was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or
certified mail not later than the fifth calendar day before the date
specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to
be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of
that month) or (b) was sent by overnight delivery service or submitted
on Grants.gov to the addressee not later than one working day prior to
the date specified for receipt of applications. It is highly
recommended that online submissions be completed one working day prior
to the date specified for receipt of applications to ensure that the
applicant still has the option to submit by overnight delivery service
in the event of any electronic submission problems. ``Postmarked''
means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a
postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without
further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of
mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore,
applicants should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand
cancellation ``bull's eye'' postmark on both the receipt and the
package. Evidence of timely submission to an overnight delivery service
must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by an
overnight delivery service indicating the time and place of receipt by
the overnight delivery service. Failure to adhere to the above
instructions will be a basis for a determination of non-responsiveness.
F. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order (EO)
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
G. Funding Restrictions
Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with
the applicable Federal cost principles as indicated in Part VI(2).
Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency
or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with
the applicable Federal cost principles or other conditions contained in
the grant.
H. Other Submission Requirements
Applications may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram
(including Mailgram) received at any time before an award is made.
Applications may be withdrawn in person by the applicant or by an
authorized representative thereof, if the representative signs a
receipt for the proposal.
V. Application Review Information
A. Rating Criteria
This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be
used to evaluate the proposals for the WIRED Initiative:
(1) Identification of Region (15 points)
(2) Regional Labor Market and Economic Landscape (10 points)
(3) Strength of Partnership (30 points)
(4) Strategies for Transformation (35 points)
(5) Leveraged Resources (10 points)
1. Identification of Region (15 points)
Applicants must define the region of focus in the proposal and
demonstrate why the selection comprises a regional economy. Regional
economies are typically defined as geographically contiguous areas.
However, a proposal that makes an innovative case for a non-contiguous
regional economy will be considered. Non-contiguous areas that only
share similar circumstances will not be considered.
This discussion should include, but is not limited to, how the
following factors contribute to the formation of the region:
Economic interdependence (e.g., common industry or
economic sectors).
Assets (e.g., human capital, financial capital, research
and development institutions, educational institutions, and
infrastructure).
Networks (e.g., leadership and investor networks).
Applicants must also include a map of the region and a list of the
counties and major cities in the region.
Assessment of this criterion will be based on the quality of the
information presented and the extent to which the defined area
represents a regional economy, as demonstrated by the applicant.
2. Regional Labor Market and Economic Landscape (10 points)
Through narrative discussion and data displays, the applicant must
provide an overview of the labor market and economic landscape of the
region that describes the conditions that are driving the need for
transformation in the region. Discussion should include, but is not
limited to, the following:
Industries or economic sectors that are declining in the
region, as well as those that are emerging or growing.
Characteristics related to the regional labor force, such
as skill and education levels, income levels, and commuting patterns.
Indicators of impacted economic elements in the region,
such as high unemployment rate, low average wages, and low levels of
new job creation.
Worker dislocations stemming from mass layoffs and/or
natural disasters.
The extent to which foreign trade has impacted the
regional economy.
Indicators of innovation such as entrepreneurial activity
and small business development, investment capital, and patent data.
Assessment of this criterion will be based on the quality of the
information presented and the extent of demonstrated need for regional
economic transformation.
3. Strength of Partnership (30 points)
The applicant must demonstrate that the strategic partnership is a
strong team of regional leaders. The partnership must be representative
of the entire region and have the authority to drive a transformation
strategy within the region. The partnership must include a senior
representative of the workforce investment system within the region as
the lead, or co-lead with at least one other regional partner, for the
region's WIRED grant activities. Examples of senior workforce system
representatives include the chair or the executive director of a local
workforce investment
[[Page 8025]]
board or a senior representative of a regional workforce consortium.
In addition to workforce investment system partners, other
mandatory partners of a regional partnership team must include senior
leaders from the following entities:
Education, including K-12, community colleges, and four
year institutions within the region;
Regional business leadership; and
Economic development at the regional/local level.
Additional recommended partners include: local elected officials;
the philanthropic community; other education and training providers;
business organizations such as chambers of commerce; seed and venture
capital organizations or individuals; investor networks; entrepreneurs;
and faith and community-based organizations.
The discussion must:
Include a comprehensive list of the strategic partners
that will be included in the WIRED Initiative and articulate each
partner's role.
Include the positions and/or titles of the individuals
from each of the organizations that will be involved in the regional
partnership.
Demonstrate that integration or a high level of
coordination already exists between partners. If a high level of
integration or coordination does not exist, then the applicant must
demonstrate that it has the capacity to quickly establish these links
and discuss strategies for strengthening the partnership.
Demonstrate that the administrative entity has the
capacity to lead the regional partnership in implementing the WIRED
Initiative. Discussion should include, but is not limited to, the
administrative entity's leadership and staff capacity and experience
implementing initiatives of this caliber.
Assessment of this criterion will be based on the comprehensiveness
of the partnership, the degree to which each partner plays a committed
role, and the capacity of the administrative entity to lead the
regional partnership.
4. Strategies for Transformation (35 points)
The applicant must describe the strategies that will be undertaken
by the regional partnership and explain how these strategies will
transform the regional economy and how they will support the region's
overall economic vision and goals. In addition, the applicant must
describe how the strategies will transform the workforce development,
economic development, and education systems in the region and result in
more effective ways of collaboration and networking of assets and
resources. Assessment of this criterion will be based on three areas:
1) strength of the strategies; 2) identification of targeted industries
and economic sectors; and 3) discussion of goals.
Strategies. Applicants must describe how the strategies will be
operationalized and how they will create a lasting impact on the region
and build on and transform existing initiatives. Applicants must
explain how the strategies will be aligned and integrated in order to
unite the region around an economic growth agenda. In addition, in
describing the strategies that would be undertaken with the requested
funds, the applicant must demonstrate how the strategies will:
Address the identified workforce and economic development
challenges in the region.
Increase integration and synergy among the workforce
development, economic development and education systems.
Increase opportunities for entrepreneurship and small
business development and the capacity for innovation within both new
and existing businesses.
Create connections between research and business
development.
Build upon and align with current state and local
strategic plans currently in place under the Workforce Investment Act,
the Department of Commerce's economic development programs, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development's community development
programs, and other applicable federal programs.
Targeted High Growth Industries and Economic Sectors. Applicant
must describe the high growth industries and economic sectors that will
be the focus of the strategies. Applicant must explain why these
industries and economic sectors have been chosen, how the strategies
will support the continued growth of these industries, and how
supporting these industries will contribute to the growth of the
regional economy.
Goals. Applicants should demonstrate a results-oriented approach to
managing and operating their grant. Therefore, applicants must describe
the goals for each strategy and describe how WIRED grant resources will
enable the partnership to accomplish its goals. Applicants should
articulate clear outcomes for each strategy.
5. Leveraged Resources (10 points)
Applicants must clearly describe any funds and resources leveraged
in support of the proposed strategies and demonstrate how these funds
will be used to contribute to the goals of the WIRED Initiative.
Leveraged resources are cash or in-kind contributions devoted to
advancing the strategies described in the applicant's proposal.
Existing or planned efforts within the region that can be aligned and
integrated into the WIRED Initiative to transform the regional economy
may also be considered to be leveraged resources. Important elements of
the explanation include:
Which partners have contributed leveraged resources and
the amount of each contribution, including an itemized description of
each cash or in-kind contribution.
The quality of the leveraged resources, including the
purpose of the funds and the extent to which each contribution will be
used to further the goals of the initiative.
Evidence, such as letters of commitment, that key partners
have expressed a clear commitment to provide the contribution.
Leveraged resources could come from a variety of sources including:
public sector (e.g., Federal, state or local governments); non-profit
sector (e.g., community organizations, faith-based organizations, or
education and training institutions); private sector (e.g., businesses
or industry associations); investor community (e.g., angel networks);
philanthropic community; and the economic development community.
Assessment of this criterion will be based on the extent to which
the application fully describes the amount, commitment, nature, and
quality of leveraged resources. Applications will be scored based on
the degree to which the source and use of funds is clearly explained
and the extent to which leveraged resources are fully integrated into
the initiative to support grant outcomes.
B. Review and Selection Process
Applications for the WIRED Initiative will be accepted commencing
on the date of publication of this announcement until the closing date
and time. A technical review panel will carefully evaluate applications
against the rating criteria described in Part V(1), which are based on
the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this SGA. Up to
100 points may be awarded to an application, based on the Rating
Criteria described in Part V(1). The panel results are advisory in
nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer may
consider any
[[Page 8026]]
information that comes to his or her attention.
The ranked scores will serve as the primary basis for selection of
applications for funding, in conjunction with other factors such as
urban, rural, and geographic balance; uniqueness and innovative aspects
of the proposal; the availability of funds; and proposals that are most
advantageous to the government. The government reserves the right to
award grants with or without discussions or negotiations with
applicants. Should a grant be awarded without negotiations, the award
will be based on the applicant's signature on the SF-424, which
constitutes a binding offer.
VI. Award Administrative Information
A. Award Notices
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Web site at
https://www.doleta.gov.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements--Administrative
Program Requirements
All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws
(including provisions in appropriations law), regulations, and the
applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. The
applicants selected under the SGA will be subject to the following
administrative standards and provisions, if applicable:
Workforce Investment Act--20 Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) part 667.200 (General Fiscal and Administrative Rules).
Non-Profit Organizations--2 CFR part 230 (Cost Principles,
formerly Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-122) and 29
CFR part 95 (Administrative Requirements).
Educational Institutions--2 CFR part 220 (Cost Principles,
formerly OMB Circular A-21) and 29 CFR part 95 (Administrative
Requirements).
State and Local Governments--2 CFR par 225 (Cost
Principles, formerly OMB circular A-87) and 29 CFR part 97
(Administrative Requirements).
All entities must comply with 29 CFR parts 93 and 98, and
where applicable, 29 CFR parts 96 and 99.
In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure
Act of 1995, Public Law 104-65 (2 U.S.C. 1611), non-profit entities
incorporated under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(4) that engage
in lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of Federal
funds and grants.
29 CFR part 2, subpart D--Equal Treatment in Department of
Labor Programs for Religious Organizations; Protection of Religious
Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and
Beneficiaries.
29 CFR part 30--Equal Employment Opportunity in
Apprenticeship and Training.
29 CFR part 31--Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted
Programs of the Department of Labor--Effectuation of Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964.
29 CFR part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap
in Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal
Financial Assistance.
29 CFR part 33--Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the
Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department
of Labor.
29 CFR part 35--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in
Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the
Department of Labor.
29 CFR part 36--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in
Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial
Assistance.
29 CFR part 37--Implementation of the Nondiscrimination
and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of
1998 (WIA).
(Note: Except as specifically provided in this notice, ETA's
acceptance of a proposal and award of Federal funds to sponsor any
program(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/
or procedures. For example, the OMB Circulars require that an
entity's procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement
transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open
and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to
provide services, then ETA's award does not provide the
justification or basis to sole-source the procurement, i.e., avoid
competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of
an official partner to the application.)
C. Reporting and Evaluation Requirements
1. Evaluation
ETA has undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of the WIRED
Initiative. The evaluation is intended to: provide a thorough
understanding of the implementation of WIRED strategies in the regions;
learn about changes that occur in economic indicators such as job
growth, average wage, tax base, reliance on public sector subsidies,
and the unemployment rate; and ascertain to what extent these changes
and other indicators of regional progress were influenced by WIRED
activities. ETA will require that selected applicants participate in
the evaluation of WIRED. Therefore, in applying for these grants,
applicants agree to cooperate in this evaluation.
2. Performance Requirements
WIRED grantees are required to report outcomes for the Common
Performance Measures, which measure entry into employment, retention in
employment, and earnings. Additional information on ETA's Common
Measures policy can be found in Training Employment Guidance Letter No.
17-05, Common Measures Policy for the Employment and Training
Administration's (ETA) Performance Accountability System and Related
Performance Issues (February 17, 2006), located on the ETA Web site at
https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/.
3. Quarterly Financial Reports
A Quarterly Financial Status Report (SF 269) is required until such
time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired.
Quarterly financial reports are due 30 days after the end of each
calendar year quarter. Grantees must use ETA's Online Electronic
Reporting System.
4. Quarterly Progress Reports
The grantee must submit a quarterly progress report to the
designated Federal Project Officer within 30 days after the end of each
calendar year quarter that provides a detailed account of activities
undertaken during that quarter. The Department may require additional
data elements to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or
special request basis. Grantees must agree to meet the Department's
reporting requirements.
The quarterly progress report must be in narrative form and must
include:
(1) In-depth information on accomplishments including success
stories, upcoming grant activities, and promising approaches and
processes.
(2) Progress toward performance outcomes included in the grantee's
statement of work, including updates on product, curricula, and
training development.
(3) Challenges, barriers, or concerns regarding progress.
(4) Lessons learned in the areas of administration and management,
implementation, partnership relationships, and other related areas.
Final Report. A draft final report must be submitted no later than
60 days prior to the expiration date of the grant. This report must
summarize activities, employment outcomes, and related results, and
should thoroughly document the solution approach. After responding to
ETA's questions and
[[Page 8027]]
comments on the draft report, three copies of the final report must be
submitted no later than the grant expiration date. Grantees must agree
to use a designated format specified by the Department to prepare the
final report.
VII. Agency Contacts
Any technical questions regarding this SGA should be faxed to Ms.
Laura Patton Watson, Chief of the Division of Federal Assistance, Fax
number (202) 693-2705 (not a toll-free number). You must specifically
address your fax to the attention of Ms. Laura Patton Watson and should
include the following information: SGA/DFA PY 06-09, a contact name,
fax, and telephone number. Answers to questions will be posted on ETA's
Web site at https://www.doleta.gov during the SGA period.
For further information contact Ms. Laura Patton Watson, Chief of
the Division of Federal Assistance, at (202) 693-3961 (not a toll-free
number). This announcement is also being made available on https://
www.grants.gov.
VIII. Other Information
OMB Information Collection No. 1205-0458. Expires September 30,
2009.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden
for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding
the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of
information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the
U.S. Department of Labor, the OMB Desk Officer for ETA, Office of
Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. PLEASE DO NOT
RETURN YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THE OMB. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS
PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a
grant. The information collected through this ``Solicitation for Grant
Applications'' will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that
grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the
functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in
order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant.
Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information
submitted in the respondent's application is not considered to be
confidential.
Signed at Washington, DC, this twelfth day of February, 2007.
Laura Patton Watson,
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration.
Attachment A: List of Regions Currently Receiving WIRED Grants
First Generation WIRED Regions
Coastal Maine
Northeast Pennsylvania
Upstate New York
Piedmont Triad North Carolina
Mid-Michigan
West Michigan
Florida's Great Northwest
Western Alabama and Eastern Mississippi
North Central Indiana
Greater Kansas City
Denver Metro Region
Central and Eastern Montana
California Innovation Corridor
Second Generation WIRED Regions
Central-Eastern Puerto Rico
Southwestern Connecticut
Northern New Jersey
Delaware Valley
Appalachian Ohio
Southeastern Michigan
Tennessee Valley
Southwestern Indiana
Southeastern Wisconsin
Arkansas Delta
Rio Grande Valley
Wasatch Range
Northern California
[FR Doc. E7-2996 Filed 2-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P
