Funding Opportunity Title: Training of Latin American Health Care Workers through the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Republic of Panama, 37225-37232 [E7-13034]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 130 (Monday, July 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37225-37232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13034]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Funding Opportunity Title: Training of Latin American Health Care 
Workers through the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Republic of Panama

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health Emergency 
Preparedness, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Announcement Type: Single-Source, Cooperative Agreement.
    Funding Opportunity Number: Not applicable.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: The Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
(CFDA) number is 93.019.

DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the 
Office of Grants Management, Office of Public Health and Science 
(OPHS), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), no later than 5 
p.m. Eastern Time on August 8, 2007. The application due date 
requirement in this announcement supersedes the instructions in the 
OPHS-1 form.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be obtained electronically by accessing 
Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov or GrantSolutions at https://
www.GrantSolutions.gov. To obtain a hard copy of the application kits, 
contact OPHS/Office of Grants Management, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
550, Rockville, MD 20852 at (240) 453-8822. Applications must be 
prepared using Form OPHS-1 ``Grant Application,'' which is included in 
the application kit.
SUMMARY: This project will support the Gorgas Memorial Institute (GMI) 
to: (a) Develop a regional training center in Panama and (b) train 
community health workers, clinicians (physicians, nurses, and auxiliary 
medical workers) and select public-health professionals from Central 
and South America (i.e. Latin America), (c) facilitate partnerships 
between U.S. universities and their Latin American counterparts to 
develop human resources for health in Latin America, and (d) harness 
the energies of U.S. and other non-governmental organizations by 
partnering with them to advance community health training and program 
efforts in Latin America.
    These efforts will help engage significantly more areas of these 
countries to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies such 
as pandemic influenza, and they will contribute to improved and 
expanded provision of prevention and primary health care. This training 
of nurses, community health workers and physicians will focus on 
improving and expanding coverage and access to both public health 
emergency care and preventive and primary health care in underserved 
parts of Latin America (i.e., both underserved rural and poor urban 
communities). It is anticipated that as a result of this project, the 
healthcare work force will be better prepared to respond to public 
health emergencies such as pandemic influenza. Key to the selection of 
recipients for this training will be their availability and willingness 
to provide their health and medical care skills in underserved areas 
within the region. In addition to all appropriate medical care and 
health education or communication subjects, training supported by this 
project will emphasize infectious diseases, epidemiology, disease 
surveillance and outbreak response, among other subjects so graduates 
of training programs will be prepared to play contributing roles to any 
pandemic preparation and response.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: While a number of Latin American countries 
have made significant strides towards improving the quality of health 
care for their citizens, and extending that care into underserved 
areas, a number of countries and regions still suffer from a shortage 
of appropriately trained health-care workers and clinicians. Though all 
levels of medical care (primary, secondary and tertiary) warrant 
further investment and effort to meet Latin Americans' present and 
growing need for medical care, this need is perhaps most acute among 
rural and disadvantaged urban communities, where essential public 
health, prevention and primary care are absent or sparse. From a 
public-health perspective, focusing public investment on basic and 
essential primary care results in a maximization of benefits for the 
greatest number of people.
    Compounding the pre-existing and wide ranging needs for basic 
community, preventive and primary health care in this region are new 
threats from emerging infectious diseases that are looming on the 
horizon. The H5N1 strain of avian flu has become the most threatening 
influenza virus in the world that could cause a pandemic, and any 
large-scale outbreak of this disease among humans would have grave 
consequences for global public health, including in Latin America. 
Influenza experts have warned that the re-assortment of different 
influenza viruses may greatly increase the potential for the viruses to 
be transmitted more easily from person to person. Medical practitioners 
have also discovered several other, new avian viruses transmissible to 
humans. In the fight against avian and pandemic influenza, early 
detection and response is the first line of defense, and greater 
numbers of appropriately trained community and clinical health-care 
workers would play a vital role in helping respond to such public-
health emergencies.
    No funds provided under this cooperative agreement may support any 
activity that duplicates another activity supported by any component of 
HHS. Funds provided under this cooperative agreement may not supplant 
funding provided by other sources. Grantees must coordinate all funded 
activities with the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response (ASPR).

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Authority: Section 307(a) and (b) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 
242l); Section 1702(a)(2), (3) and (4)(A) and (C) (42 U.S.C. 300u-
1(a)(2), (3), and 4(A) and (C)); Section 1703(a)(1), (2), (3), and 
(4) (42 U.S.C. 300u-2(a)(1), (2), (3) and (4)); Section 1703(c) (42 
U.S.C. 300u-2(c)); and Section 1704 (1), (2), and (3) (42 U.S.C. 
300u-3(1), (2), and (3)); and Public Law 110-5, Continuing 
Appropriations Resolution, 2007 Section 20621.

    Purpose: This program proposes that GMI:
    (a) Continue developing and establishing a regional training center 
in Panama for health workers, medical clinicians (auxiliary health-care 
workers, community health aides, nurses, physician assistants, nurse 
practitioners, and physicians) and select public-health professionals 
from Central and South America. Development of such a center is 
understood to include the recruitment and retention of faculty and 
administrative staff, the development of curricula, and all appropriate 
inter-face with Panamanian, regional and international educational 
systems and peer groups.
    (b) Train significant numbers of community health workers and 
clinicians (physicians, nurses, and auxiliary medical workers) and 
select public-health professionals from Central and South American 
countries.
    (c) Through this cooperative agreement with HHS, explore and lead, 
where possible, the creation of partnerships between U.S. universities 
and Latin American counterpart institutions to further develop and 
train community-level health-care human resources, and identify policy 
and

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program options that can contribute to the greater expansion and 
sustainability of community-level health-care workers in currently 
underserved areas. Additional funds from HHS could be available in the 
future to further expand the number of these partnerships.
    (d) With HHS, investigate and develop approaches for collaborating 
with Latin American, U.S. and/or international non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) to help advance the training of the community and 
field health and medical personnel of these NGOs.
    (e) With HHS, investigate and develop approaches for collaborating 
with Latin American and U.S. NGOs to link, bridge and supplement these 
NGOs' community health initiatives, where possible, through GMI's 
provision of logistical support and a base of operations for the NGOs, 
working in agreement with GMI.
    (f) Identify organizations of U.S.-based emigrants and their Latin 
American places of origin throughout the countries of Central and South 
America, and pursue efforts to build or expand community health 
complements to any community assistance initiatives these organizations 
may be providing.
    (g) With HHS, international health organizations and NGOs, pursue 
coordinated efforts on health campaigns of public-health priority for 
which a campaign strategy approach offers merit (e.g., immunization 
promotion, including seasonal influenza immunization, polio 
eradication, oral rehydration therapy, etc.). Any campaigns should 
utilize the best available approaches to researching, development, 
implementation and evaluation. GMI will design and implement new 
teaching methods directed to the community, to adopt healthy lifestyles 
towards prevention.
    Measurable outcomes of the program will be the following:
    (a) Continue efforts begun in the first year of this effort, to 
develop appropriate teaching curricula, engage with appropriate 
Panamanian and international teaching/educational networks to ensure 
high educational standards; hire appropriately-trained teaching, 
administrative and management staff; and establish all appropriate 
management, fiscal, and business operations to support and sustain such 
a training institute.
    (b) Periodic reports of the number of people who have completed 
training; such reports should include details on the numbers of those 
who have dropped out midway, and those who have completed the training; 
pre- and post-test scores on key competency subject areas; numbers 
trained by type of health-care or clinical worker; town and country of 
origin of incoming students, as well as where those same students work 
and reside at six- and twelve-month intervals following the completion 
of their training; and the results of follow-up questionnaires sent to 
graduates that solicit feedback on their training and its 
appropriateness, and suggestions for how the school might improve its 
training. Any information Gorgas provides to HHS on training 
participants should remove individuals' personal data from the reports 
so that participants' privacy will be maintained. (See ``Reporting 
Requirements 2'' section later in this document for 
complementing reporting obligations pertinent to this outcome).
    (c) The number of partnerships with U.S. institutions explored, as 
well as the number for which formal partnerships have been created, 
where substantive exchange of training expertise, faculty, and/or 
students is documented and described.
    (d) The number of studies and recommendations of program and policy 
options available to Latin American countries that would contribute to 
expanded, sustained community-level health-care personnel.
    (e) The number of partnerships with Latin American, U.S. and/or 
international NGOs that are explored, and the number of such 
partnerships developed and formally established.
    (f) Detailed descriptions of the base-of-operations and logistics 
resources that GMI has developed and is maintaining, along with details 
of how it is communicating the availability of these resources to NGOs.
    (g) The number of Latin American, U.S. and/or international NGOs 
that have opted to use GMI's provision of base-of-operations and 
logistics support in a given time period, and details on the nature and 
extent of such utilization.
    (h) The number of health campaigns in which GMI participates, with 
detailed description(s) of the role(s) played by GMI along with the 
level of effort it contributed to each of these efforts.
    (i) Quantify and detail the number of organizations of U.S.-based 
emigrants with which GMI has identified and partnered with, to enhance 
their community-health activities, and provide details of those 
community-health activities.
    (j) The number of scholarships awarded to low income students, who 
will be participating in these trainings. Any information Gorgas 
provides to HHS on training participants should remove individuals' 
personal data from the reports so that participants' privacy will be 
maintained.
    Activities HHS anticipates the Grantee will perform:
    It is anticipated the grantee will undertake a variety of 
activities to realize the aforementioned purposes and outcomes. A list 
of what some of these activities might include follows.
    1. Continue establishing/developing appropriate teaching curricula 
for specific training modules and assemblages of trainees;
    2. In partnership with HHS, Panamanian Ministry of Health and NGOs, 
acquire didactic teaching resources and equipment that will allow 
appropriate training.
    3. Continue engaging in appropriate Panamanian and international 
teaching or educational networks to ensure high educational standards;
    4. Continue recruiting and hiring appropriately trained teaching 
and administrative staff;
    5. Continue establishing all appropriate management, fiscal, and 
business operations to support and sustain an efficient and effective 
training institute;
    6. Establishing an efficient performance monitoring and reporting 
system and submitting periodic reports to HHS;
    7. Continue pursuing and developing partnerships with U.S. 
educational institutions in expanding GMI's knowledge, contacts and 
resources for improving and expanding community training and 
sustainability of health workers;
    8. Pursuing and developing partnerships with Latin American, U.S. 
and/or international NGOs to provide these NGOs' healthcare staff with 
appropriate training;
    9. Identify an appropriate level of facilities that can function as 
a base of operation for NGOs, with appropriate contingency plans for 
expanding this level of facilities as interest and demand for it could 
grow;
    10. Identify, provide and assemble logistics resources for NGOs to 
enhance their community-health and outreach activities;
    11. In partnership with HHS, and NGOs, identify appropriate topics 
for health campaigns and participate in the implementation and 
assessment of those campaigns;
    12. Identify and approach fraternal organizations of U.S.-based 
emigrants that provide assistance to communities in Latin America, and 
partner with these groups to enhance their community-health activities.

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    13. In partnership with HHS, Panamanian Ministry of Health and 
NGOs, identify scholarships or fellowships to participating healthcare 
personnel attending these courses.
    This cooperative agreement will provide total funding of $600,000 
for all aspects of the described project.
    HHS will be substantially involved with the design and 
implementation of the grantee's described activities. This grant is 
being issued and will be managed by the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC)/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response (ASPR), with substantive involvement from the Office of Global 
Health Affairs (OGHA). In HHS international public health efforts, the 
Offices/Centers of OGHA, CDC and ASPR often collaborate on programs, 
issues and initiatives (e.g., avian influenza, disease surveillance, 
etc.).
    HHS staff members' activities for this program are as follows:
    1. Provide assistance in the design and implementation with any of 
the aforementioned objectives and activities, including the 
identification of U.S. universities, and NGOs.
    2. Provide liaison through HHS employees at U.S. Embassy(ies) in 
any participating or collaborating countries, as appropriate, and as 
relevant to the achievement of the purposes of this cooperative 
agreement.
    3. Organize an orientation meeting with the grantee to discuss 
applicable U.S. Government, HHS, and National Strategic Plan 
expectations, regulations and key management requirements, as well as 
report formats and contents. The orientation could include meetings 
with staff from HHS agencies and the Office of the Senior Coordinator 
for Avian and Pandemic Influenza at the U.S. Department of State.
    4. Review and approve the process used by the grantee to select key 
personnel and/or post-award subcontractors and/or subgrantees to be 
involved in the activities performed under this agreement.
    5. Review and approve the grantee's work plan and detailed budget;
    6. Review and approve the grantee's monitoring-and-evaluation plan, 
including for compliance with the strategic-information guidance 
established by OMB and HHS;
    7. Review, on a monthly basis, with the grantee to assess monthly 
disbursement requests and expenditures in relation to approved work 
plan and modify plans, as necessary.
    8. Meet via conference call on a quarterly basis with the grantee 
to assess quarterly technical and financial progress reports and modify 
plans, as necessary.
    9. Meet via conference call or in person with the grantee to review 
the final progress report.
    10. Provide technical assistance, as mutually agreed upon. This 
could include expert technical assistance and targeted training 
activities in specialized areas, such as strategic information and 
project management.
    11. Provide in-country administrative support to help the grantee 
meet U.S. Government financial and reporting requirements approved by 
OMB under 0920-0428 (Public Health Service Form 5161).
    12. Assist in assessing program operations and in implementing 
approaches to accurately monitor the progress and evaluate the overall 
effectiveness of the program.

II. Award Information

    This project will be supported through the cooperative agreement 
mechanism. CDC/ASPR anticipates making only one award for this proposed 
work. The anticipated start date is September 15, 2007 to run through 
to September 14, 2008. CDC/ASPR anticipates providing $600,000 for the 
12-month budget period. The total amount that the Gorgas Memorial 
Institute for Health Studies may request is $600,000. The funds in this 
cooperative agreement may not support indirect costs.
    Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $600,000.
    Approximate Total Project Period Funding: This cooperative 
agreement will provide total funding of $600,000 for a 12-month budget 
period. Funds under this cooperative agreement shall not apply to 
indirect costs.
    Approximate Number of Awards: One.
    Ceiling of Individual Award Range: Maximum dollar amount for the 
12-month budget period is $600,000, and will not include payment of any 
indirect costs.
    Throughout the project period, the commitment of HHS to the 
continuation of funding will depend on the availability of funds, 
evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in 
required reports), demonstrated commitment of the recipient to the 
principles of the terms and spirit of this agreement.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

    The only eligible applicant that can apply for this funding 
opportunity is the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies of 
Panama. The Republic of Panama has legacy of biomedical triumphs that 
began with the building of the Panama Canal. Recognizing the 
outstanding achievements of William Crawford Gorgas in eliminating 
Yellow Fever and controlling other tropical infections that made 
possible the construction of the Panama Canal, Panamanian President 
Belisario Porras proposed in 1920, the creation of the Gorgas Memorial 
Institute and Laboratories (GMI). GMI opened its doors in 1928, and 
since then has produced ground-breaking and internationally recognized 
work in the field of tropical medicine, emerging and re-emerging 
diseases.
    As a public health, training, and research institution, GMI offers 
strengths in several areas that are essential to the effective 
realization of this proposal's objectives and activities.
    Staffing: GMI has 201 workers that include trainers, physicians, 
scientists, technical staff and administrative staff. GMI scientific 
and technical expertise resides in its excellent professional staff 
members, six of whom are PhDs and 12 of whom are M.D.s. One of the 
physicians is a former Minister of Health. GMI has two veterinary 
physicians with PhDs and many technicians with master degrees in 
science. GMI has a specialist in geo-reference and a group trained in 
field isolation of dangerous organisms from animal tissues (developed 
during the Hanta virus epidemics). There is also an excellent 
administrative, medical library and informatics staff.
    Scientific and technical expertise: GMI is the National Public 
Health Laboratory and the reference laboratory for influenza, dengue 
and other pathogenic viruses in Panama. It is the reference laboratory 
for Central America and Panama for HIV/AIDS, measles, Hanta virus and 
viral encephalitis. Its parasitologists have worked and continue to 
work in malaria, leishmania and Chagas disease.
    GMI has a long and solid reputation in virology, easily confirmed 
by many distinguished virologists in the United States. The Gorgas 
Department of Virology has been extremely productive through its 
collaborations with the Yale University Arbovirus Research Unit, the 
University of Texas at Galveston and the CDC. GMI began working with 
influenza in 1976 and has contributed influenza isolates to the WHO, 
one of which is used in the current influenza vaccines. All these are 
health concerns of pressing significance for rural and underserved 
areas.
    Laboratory: It has well-established laboratories of virology, 
parasitology,

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immunology, genomics, entomology and food and water chemistry. GMI is 
the national Public Health Laboratory and this makes it the reference 
laboratory for malaria, tuberculosis and all viral and bacterial 
diseases. GMI also has departments of epidemiology and biostatistics, 
chronic disease studies, health policy, and health and human 
reproduction studies. In addition to all these areas of expertise, GMI 
is also the locus of the national human subjects committee (National 
Institutional Review Board). A new BLS-3 laboratory currently under 
construction, along with the expansion and improvement of existing 
laboratory space, is part of a modernization plan that will 
significantly enhance the capability of GMI laboratories to provide 
training in the role that laboratory services play in community health 
care delivery.
    Location: The unique geographic characteristics of Panama and its 
transportation (air, sea, and land) infrastructure make it an extremely 
central and accessible location for people from Central and South 
America who would attend for training.
    Strategic Partnerships: GMI has a history of developing effective 
relations and partnerships with leading organizations including the 
Smithsonian Museum, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and HHS/
CDC-MERTU in Guatemala, among others.
    Historical Medical Collaboration between the United States and 
Panama via GMI: American and Panamanian physicians and scientist have 
produced significant contributions since 1928, and those relationships 
continue up to present.

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching Funds

    Cost participation is encouraged. HHS will pay $600,000, while GMI 
is encouraged to provide an amount that will be specified in their 
proposal. GMI's contribution may include indirect expenses and in-kind 
contributions. The types of resources GMI could contribute may include 
but are not limited to: Personnel time and costs, provision of existing 
and physical space and structures, and the remodeling (and associated 
costs) of those physical facilities that are to be converted to 
teaching facilities, vehicles for transportation, and the development 
of a staging area for NGOs. If applicants receive funding from other 
sources to underwrite the same or similar activities, or anticipate 
receiving such funding in the next 12 months, they must detail how the 
disparate streams of financing complement each other.

3. Other

    If an applicant requests a funding amount greater than the ceiling 
of the award range, HHS will consider the application non-responsive, 
and the application will not enter into the review process. HHS will 
notify the applicant that the application did not meet the submission 
requirements.
Special Requirements
    If the application is incomplete or non-responsive to the special 
requirements listed in this section, the application will not enter 
into the review process. HHS will notify the applicant that the 
application did not meet submission requirements. HHS will consider 
late applications non-responsive.
    Please see ``Submission Dates and Times,'' Departments of Labor, 
Health and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies, Public 
Law 110-5, Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007 Section 20621, 
which provides that an organization that engages in lobbying activities 
is not eligible to receive Federal funds constituting a grant, loan, or 
an award.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package

    Application kits may be requested by calling (240) 453-8822 or 
writing to the Office of Grants Management, Office of Public Health and 
Science, Department of Health and Human Services, 1101 Wootten Parkway, 
Suite 550, Rockville, MD 20852. Applicants may also fax a written 
request to the OPHS Office of Grants Management at (240) 453-8823 to 
obtain a hard copy of the application kit. Applications must be 
prepared using Form OPHS-1.

2. Content and Form of Submission

    Application: Applicants must submit a project narrative in English, 
along with the application forms, in the following format:
     The length of the proposal should not exceed 50 pages;
     Font size should be no smaller than 12-point, and it 
should be single-spaced;
     Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches;
     Page-margin size: one inch;
     Number all pages of the application sequentially from page 
one (Application Face Page) to the end of the application, including 
charts, figures, tables, and appendices;
     Print only on one side of page; and
     Hold application together only by rubber bands or metal 
clips, and do not bind it in any way.
    The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the 
entire project period and must include the following items in the order 
listed:
    Understanding of the requirements: The application shall include a 
discussion of your organization's understanding of the need, purpose 
and requirements of this cooperative agreement. The discussion shall be 
sufficiently specific, detailed and complete to clearly and fully 
demonstrate that the applicant has a thorough understanding of all the 
technical requirements of this announcement.
    Review of the First Year's Implementation and Progress: The 
applicant should provide a concise but sufficiently detailed summary of 
all progress made to date during the first year of their grant 
collaboration with HHS. The review of first year accomplishments should 
reference each and every one of the specific ``measurable outcomes'' 
specified in the first year's RFA, and describe any and all progress 
made on each of these measurable outcomes. If no progress has been 
made, then that fact should be stated. Whenever possible, any progress 
made on these outcomes should be quantified. And whenever possible, 
estimates should be made of the degree of accomplishment or completion 
(e.g. 25%, 50%, etc.) has been achieved, where a quantified final goal 
or target for the grant was identified.
    Project Plan: The project plan must demonstrate that the 
organization has the technical expertise to carry out the work or task 
requirements of this announcement. The plan must contain sufficient 
detail to clearly describe the proposed means for pursuing and 
accomplishing each of the ``Measurable Outcomes'' and ``Grantee 
Activities'' described in Section I, and shall include a complete 
explanation of the methods and procedures the applicant will use. The 
project plan shall include discussions of the following elements:
    [cir] Objectives;
    [cir] Methods to accomplish the purposes of the cooperative 
agreement and the ``Grantee Activities;''
    [cir] Detailed time line for accomplishment of each activity;
    [cir] Ability to respond to emergencies;
    [cir] Ability to respond to situations on weekends and after hours; 
and
    [cir] Coordination with HHS, U.S. educational institutions, and 
NGOs.
    Staffing and Management Plan: The applicant must provide a project 
staffing and management plan, which must include time lines and 
sufficient detail to ensure that it can meet the Federal

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Government's requirements in a timely and efficient manner.
    [cir] The applicant must provide resumes that identify the 
educational and experience level of any individual(s) who will perform 
in a key position and other qualifications to show the key individuals' 
ability to comply with the minimum requirements of this announcement;
    [cir] The applicant must provide a summary of the qualifications of 
non-key personnel. Resumes must be limited to three pages per person; 
and
    [cir] The proposed staffing plan must demonstrate the applicant's 
ability to recruit, retain, or replace personnel who have the 
knowledge, experience, local-language skills, training and technical 
expertise commensurate with the requirements of this announcement. The 
plan must demonstrate the applicant's ability to provide bi-lingual 
personnel to train and mentor host-country participants.
    Performance Measures: The applicant must provide measures of 
effectiveness that will demonstrate accomplishment of this cooperative 
agreement's overall objectives and with the specific ``measurable 
outcomes'' delineated above. Measures of effectiveness must relate to 
the performance goals stated in the ``Purpose'' section of this 
announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative, and must 
measure the intended outcomes. The measures of effectiveness submitted 
with this application should reference and build upon and improve, 
where possible, those submitted by the Grantee in the previous year. 
The applicant must submit a section on measures of effectiveness with 
its application, and they will be an element for evaluation.
    Budget Justification: The budget justification must comply with the 
criteria for applications. The applicant must submit, at a minimum, a 
cost proposal fully supported by information adequate to establish the 
reasonableness of the proposed amount.
    Appendices: The applicant may include additional information in the 
application appendices, which will not count toward the narrative page 
limit. This additional information includes the following: Curricula 
Vitae, Resumes, Organizational Charts, Letters of Support, etc. An 
agency or organization is required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data 
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or 
cooperative agreement from the Federal government. The DUNS number is a 
nine-digit identification number, which uniquely identifies business 
entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy, and there is no charge. To 
obtain a DUNS number, access: https://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/
leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=https://
www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
    Additional requirements that could require submission of additional 
documentation with the application appear in section VI.2.--
Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

3. Submission Dates and Times

    The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) will assist with the 
administration of the grant and provides multiple mechanisms for the 
submission of applications, as described in the following sections. To 
be considered for review, applications must be received by the Office 
of Grants Management, Office of Public Health and Science, Department 
of Health and Human Services by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the date 
specified in the dates section of the announcement. Applications will 
be considered as meeting the deadline if they are received on or before 
the deadline date. The application due date in this announcement 
supersedes the instructions in the OPHS-1.
    Submission Mechanisms: The Office of Public Health and Science 
(OPHS) provides multiple mechanisms for the submission of applications, 
as described in the following sections. Applicants will receive 
notification via mail from the OPHS Office of Grants Management 
confirming the receipt of applications submitted using any of these 
mechanisms. Applications submitted to the OPHS Office of Grants 
Management after the deadlines described below will not be accepted for 
review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the 
grant announcement will not be accepted for review and will be returned 
to the applicant.
    While applications are accepted in hard copy, the use of the 
electronic application submission capabilities provided by the 
Grants.gov and GrantSolutions.gov systems is encouraged. Applications 
may only be submitted electronically via the electronic submission 
mechanisms specified below. Any applications submitted via any other 
means of electronic communication, including facsimile or electronic 
mail, will not be accepted for review.
    In order to apply for new funding opportunities which are open to 
the public for competition, you may access the Grants.gov Web site 
portal. All OPHS funding opportunities and application kits are made 
available on Grants.gov. If your organization has/had a grantee 
business relationship with a grant program serviced by the OPHS Office 
of Grants Management, and you are applying as part of ongoing grantee 
related activities, please access GrantSolutions.gov.
    Electronic grant application submissions must be submitted no later 
than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date specified in the DATES 
section of the announcement using one of the electronic submission 
mechanisms specified below. All required hardcopy original signatures 
and mail-in items must be received by the OPHS Office of Grants 
Management, (1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 20852) no 
later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the next business day after the 
deadline date specified in the DATES section of the announcement.
    Applications will not be considered valid until all electronic 
application components, hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items 
are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management according to the 
deadlines specified above. Application submissions that do not adhere 
to the due date requirements will be considered late and will be deemed 
ineligible.
    Applicants are encouraged to initiate electronic applications early 
in the application development process, and to submit early on the due 
date or before. This will aid in addressing any problems with 
submissions prior to the application deadline.
    Electronic Submissions via the Grants.gov Web site Portal: The 
Grants.gov Web site Portal provides organizations with the ability to 
submit applications for OPHS grant opportunities. Organizations must 
successfully complete the necessary registration processes in order to 
submit an application. Information about this system is available on 
the Grants.gov Web site, https://www.grants.gov.
    In addition to electronically submitted materials, applicants may 
be required to submit hard copy signatures for certain Program related 
forms, or original materials as required by the announcement. It is 
imperative that the applicant review both the grant announcement, as 
well as the application guidance provided within the Grants.gov 
application package, to determine such requirements. Any required hard 
copy materials, or documents that require a signature, must be 
submitted separately via mail to the OPHS Office of Grants Management, 
and if required, must contain the original signature of an individual 
authorized to act for the applicant agency and the obligations imposed 
by

[[Page 37230]]

the terms and conditions of the grant award. When submitting the 
required forms, do not send the entire application. Complete hard copy 
applications submitted after the electronic submission will not be 
considered for review.
    Electronic applications submitted via the Grants.gov Web site 
Portal must contain all completed online forms required by the 
application kit, the Program Narrative, Budget Narrative and any 
appendices or exhibits. All required mail-in items must be received by 
the due date requirements specified above. Mail-In items may only 
include publications, resumes, or organizational documentation. When 
submitting the required forms, do not send the entire application. 
Complete hard copy applications submitted after the electronic 
submission will not be considered for review.
    Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission 
via the Grants.gov Web site Portal, the applicant will be provided with 
a confirmation page from Grants.gov indicating the date and time 
(Eastern Time) of the electronic application submission, as well as the 
Grants.gov Receipt Number. It is critical that the applicant print and 
retain this confirmation for their records, as well as a copy of the 
entire application package. All applications submitted via the 
Grants.gov Web site Portal will be validated by Grants.gov. Any 
applications deemed ``Invalid'' by the Grants.gov Web site Portal will 
not be transferred to the GrantSolutions system, and OPHS has no 
responsibility for any application that is not validated and 
transferred to OPHS from the Grants.gov Web site Portal. Grants.gov 
will notify the applicant regarding the application validation status. 
Once the application is successfully validated by the Grants.gov Web 
site Portal, applicants should immediately mail all required hard copy 
materials to the OPHS Office of Grants Management, to be received by 
the deadlines specified above. It is critical that the applicant 
clearly identify the Organization name and Grants.gov Application 
Receipt Number on all hard copy materials.
    Once the application is validated by Grants.gov, it will be 
electronically transferred to the GrantSolutions system for processing. 
Upon receipt of both the electronic application from the Grants.gov Web 
site Portal, and the required hardcopy mail-in items, applicants will 
receive notification via mail from the OPHS Office of Grants Management 
confirming the receipt of the application submitted using the 
Grants.gov Web site Portal. Applicants should contact Grants.gov 
regarding any questions or concerns regarding the electronic 
application process conducted through the Grants.gov Web site Portal.
    Electronic Submissions via the GrantSolutions System: OPHS is a 
managing partner of the GrantSolutions.gov system. GrantSolutions is a 
full life-cycle grants management system managed by the Administration 
for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS), and is designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
as one of the three Government-wide grants management systems under the 
Grants Management Line of Business initiative (GMLoB). OPHS uses 
GrantSolutions for the electronic processing of all grant applications, 
as well as the electronic management of its entire Grant portfolio. 
When submitting applications via the GrantSolutions system, applicants 
are required to submit a hard copy of the application face page 
(Standard Form 424) with the original signature of an individual 
authorized to act for the applicant agency and assume the obligations 
imposed by the terms and conditions of the grant award. If required, 
applicants will also need to submit a hard copy of the Standard Form 
LLL and/or certain Program related forms (e.g., Program Certifications) 
with the original signature of an individual authorized to act for the 
applicant agency. When submitting the required forms, do not send the 
entire application. Complete hard copy applications submitted after the 
electronic submission will not be considered for review.
    Electronic applications submitted via the GrantSolutions system 
must contain all completed online forms required by the application 
kit, the Program Narrative, Budget Narrative and any appendices or 
exhibits. The applicant may identify specific mail-in items to be sent 
to the Office of Grants Management separate from the electronic 
submission; however these mail-in items must be entered on the 
GrantSolutions Application Checklist at the time of electronic 
submission, and must be received by the due date requirements specified 
above. Mail-In items may only include publications, resumes, or 
organizational documentation. When submitting the required forms, do 
not send the entire application. Complete hard copy applications 
submitted after the electronic submission will not be considered for 
review.
    Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission, 
the GrantSolutions system will provide the applicant with a 
confirmation page indicating the date and time (Eastern Time) of the 
electronic application submission. This confirmation page will also 
provide a listing of all items that constitute the final application 
submission including all electronic application components, required 
hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items, as well as the mailing 
address of the OPHS Office of Grants Management where all required hard 
copy materials must be submitted.
    As items are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management, the 
electronic application status will be updated to reflect the receipt of 
mail-in items. It is recommended that the applicant monitor the status 
of their application in the GrantSolutions system to ensure that all 
signatures and mail-in items are received.
    Mailed or Hand-Delivered Hard Copy Applications: Applicants who 
submit applications in hard copy (via mail or hand-delivered) are 
required to submit an original and two copies of the application. The 
original application must be signed by an individual authorized to act 
for the applicant agency or organization and to assume for the 
organization the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the 
grant award.
    Mailed or hand-delivered applications will be considered as meeting 
the deadline if they are received by the OPHS Office of Grant 
Management, on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date 
specified in the DATES section of the announcement. The application 
deadline date requirement specified in this announcement supersedes the 
instructions in the OPHS-1. Applications that do not meet the deadline 
will be returned to the applicant unread.

4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications

    Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

5. Funding Restrictions

    Allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and necessity of direct 
and indirect costs that may be charged are outlined in the following 
documents: OMB-21 (Institutes of Higher Education); OMB Circular A-122 
(Nonprofit Organizations) and 45 CFR part 74, Appendix E (Hospitals). 
Copies of these circulars can be found on the Internet at https://
frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log= 
linklog&to=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb.

[[Page 37231]]

    Restrictions, which applicants must take into account while 
preparing the budget, are as follows:
     Alterations and renovations (A&R) are prohibited under 
grants/cooperative agreements to foreign recipients. This is an HHS 
Policy. ``Alterations and renovations'' are defined as work that 
changes the interior arrangements or other physical characteristics of 
an existing facility or of installed equipment so that it can be used 
more effectively for its currently designated purpose or adapted to an 
alternative use to meet a programmatic requirement. Recipients may not 
use funds for A&R (including modernization, remodeling, or improvement) 
of an existing building.
     Reimbursement of pre-award costs is not allowed.
     Recipients may not use funds awarded under this 
cooperative agreement to support any activity that duplicates another 
activity supported by any component of HHS.
    Recipients may spend funds for reasonable program purposes, 
including personnel, travel, supplies, and services. Recipients may 
purchase equipment if deemed necessary to accomplish program 
objectives; however, they must request prior approval in an e-mail that 
explicitly notes the costs, and notes CDC/ASPR's approval of the 
explicit items for any equipment whose purchase price exceeds $10,000 
USD.
    The costs generally allowable in grants/cooperative agreements to 
domestic organizations are allowable to foreign institutions and 
international organizations, with the following exception: With the 
exception of the American University, Beirut and the WHO Secretariat, 
HHS will not pay indirect costs (either directly or through sub-award) 
to organizations located outside the territorial limits of the United 
States, or to international organizations, regardless of their 
location.
    Recipients may contract with other organizations under this 
program; however, the applicant must perform a substantial portion of 
the project activities (including program management and operations) 
for which it is requesting funds. Contracts will require prior approval 
in writing from CDC/ASPR.
    Applicants shall state all requests for funds in the budget in U.S. 
dollars. Once HHS makes an award, HHS will not compensate foreign 
recipients for currency-exchange fluctuations through the issuance of 
supplemental awards.
    The funding recipient must obtain an audit of these funds (program-
specific audit) by a U.S.-based audit firm with international branches 
and current licensure/authority in-country, and in accordance with 
International Accounting Standards or equivalent standard(s) approved 
in writing by CDC/ASPR.
    A fiscal Recipient Capability Assessment may be required, prior to 
or post award, to review the applicant's business management and fiscal 
capabilities regarding the handling of U.S. Federal funds.

6. Other Submission Requirements

    None.

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

    CDC/ASPR will evaluate applications against the following factors:
Factor 1: Project Plan (30 Points)
    CDC/ASPR will evaluate the extent to which the proposal 
demonstrates that the organization has the technical and institutional 
expertise to carry out the work/task requirements described in this 
announcement.
    CDC/ASPR will evaluate the applicant's project plan to determine 
the extent to which it provides a clear, logical and feasible technical 
approach to meeting the goals of this announcement in terms of 
workflow, resources, communications and reporting requirements for 
accomplishing work in each of the operational task areas.
Factor 2: Staffing and Management Plan (40 Points)
    (a) Personnel. CDC/ASPR will evaluate the relevant educational, 
work experience and local-language qualifications of key personnel, 
senior project staff, and subject-matter specialists to determine the 
extent to which they meet the requirements listed in this announcement.
    (b) Staffing Plan. CDC/ASPR will evaluate the staffing plan to 
determine the extent to which the applicant's proposed organizational 
chart reflects proper staffing to accomplish the work described in this 
announcement, and the extent of the applicant's ability to recruit, 
retain, or replace personnel who have the knowledge, experience, local-
language skills, training and technical expertise to meet requirements 
of the positions.
    (c) Management Plan. CDC/ASPR will evaluate the proposed plans for 
managing the continued development and institutionalization of the 
Regional Training Center, and all its associated functions, and also 
the plans for accomplishing each of the other ``measurable outcomes'' 
specified in this RFA.
Factor 3: Performance Measures (15 Points)
    CDC/ASPR will evaluate the applicant's description of performance 
measures, including measures of effectiveness, to determine the extent 
to which the applicant proposes objective and quantitative measures 
that relate to the performance goals stated in the Purpose section of 
this announcement, and whether the proposed measures will accurately 
measure the intended outcomes.
Factor 4: Understanding of the Requirements (15 Points)
    CDC/ASPR will evaluate the extent of the applicant's understanding 
of the operational tasks identified in this announcement to ensure 
successful performance of the work in this project. Because the focus 
of the work will include interaction with other countries in Central 
and South America, the applicant must demonstrate an understanding of 
the cultural, ethnic, political and economic factors that could affect 
successful implementation of this cooperative agreement.
    The applicant's proposal must also demonstrate understanding of the 
functions, capabilities and operating procedures of U.S. educational 
institutions, as well as U.S., Latin American and International NGOs, 
and describe the applicant's ability to work with and within those 
organizations.

2. Review and Selection Process

    CDC/ASPR will review applications for completeness. An incomplete 
application or an application that is non-responsive to the eligibility 
criteria will not advance through the review process. CDC/ASPR will 
notify applicants if their applications did not meet submission 
requirements.
    An objective review panel will evaluate complete and responsive 
applications according to the criteria listed in the AV.1. ``Criteria'' 
section above.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

    The successful applicant will receive a Notice of Award (NoA). The 
NoA shall be the only binding, authorizing document between the 
recipient and HHS. An authorized Grants Management Officer will sign 
the NoA, and mail it to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the 
application.
    Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of 
the application review by mail.

[[Page 37232]]

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    A successful applicant must comply with the administrative 
requirements outlined in 45 CFR part 74 and part 92 as appropriate. The 
Public Law 110-5, Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007 Section 
20621, requires that when issuing statements, press releases, requests 
for proposals, bid solicitations, and other documents describing 
projects or programs funded in whole or in part with Federal money, the 
issuance shall clearly state the percentage and dollar amount of the 
total costs of the program or project to be financed with Federal money 
and the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project 
or program to be financed by non-governmental sources.

3. Reporting Requirements

    The applicant must provide HHS/ASPR with a hard copy, as well as an 
electronic copy of the following reports in English:
    1. A quarterly progress report, due no later than 10 calendar days 
after the end of each quarter of the budget period. The quarterly 
progress report must contain the following elements:
    a. A listing of all of the ``Activities'' and ``Measurable 
Outcomes'' of the Cooperative Agreement, and a summary of the actual 
activities and progress that has been made with each and every one of 
these activities and measurable outcomes during the quarter;
    b. Disbursements requested during the quarter, and actual spending 
during the quarter:
    c. Proposed objectives and activities for the next quarterly 
reporting period;
    d. An update on the grant's budget, noting allocations by line 
item, draw down to date on each of the line items through the end of 
the quarter being reported upon, and the funds that remain in each line 
item, and overall;
    e. Any additional information that may be requested by CDC/ASPR.
    2. For every training course or module that is conducted, the 
applicant must provide the CDC/ASPR Project Officer with copies of the 
pre- and post-test results that were administered to every participant 
of every training class/module. These pre- and post-training test 
results should be provided in both an aggregated (i.e. summarized) 
format, and in a disaggregated (i.e. individual) format. Participants' 
personal information should be removed from these reports before they 
are shared with HHS, in order to protect the privacy and anonymity of 
the participants. These results must be provided to HHS no later than 
21 calendar days after the final day of the course for which they 
apply.
    3. An annual progress report, due no later than 15 calendar days 
after the end of the budget period, which must contain a detailed 
summary of all the elements required in the quarterly progress report 
described above;
    4. A final performance report, due no later than 30 days after the 
end of the project period; and
    5. A Financial Status Report (FSR) SF-269 is due 90 days after the 
close of the 12-month budget period.
    Recipients must mail/e-mail the reports to the CDC/ASPR Project 
Officer listed in the ``Agency Contacts'' section of this announcement.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For program technical assistance, contact: Craig Carlson, MPH, 
Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), 
Department of Health and Human Services, Telephone: 202-205-5228, E-
mail: craig.carlson@hhs.gov.
    For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact: 
DeWayne Wynn, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants 
Management, Office of Public Health and Science, Department of Health 
and Human Services, 1101 Wootten Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 
20857, Telephone: (240) 453-8822, E-Mail Address: 
DeWayne.Wynn.os@hhs.gov.

    Dated: June 28, 2007.
RADM William C. Vanderwagen,
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
 [FR Doc. E7-13034 Filed 7-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-37-P