[Federal Register: May 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 87)]
[Notices]
[Page 23997-23999]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06my03-68]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 03047]
Strengthening Blood Transfusion Services and Blood Safety in
Tanzania; Notice of Availability of Funds
A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
This program is authorized under sections 301, 307, and 317 of the
Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. 241, 2421, and 247b), as amended.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.283.
B. Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a grant program to
design an appropriate approach for strengthening blood transfusion
services and blood safety in Tanzania.
The purpose of the program is to assess key needs and resources and
to make recommendations for strengthening blood supply and transfusion
services in Tanzania. This program is being performed specifically in
Tanzania according to U.S. Congressional mandate for Department of
State, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
implementation in response to the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in
Tanzania.
On August 7, 1998, terrorists carried out nearly simultaneous
bombings of the U.S. Embassies, which were located in a residential
area of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and in downtown Nairobi, Kenya. Taken
together, these bombings had their intended terrorist and disastrous
effect: the occurrence of a large number of premature deaths, disabling
injuries, and post-traumatic psycho-social stress among the victims
directly affected and among their families and co-workers. In addition
to an enormous adverse impact on innocent people, the bombings caused
substantial damage to property and also revealed widespread weaknesses
in the disaster preparedness, management, and response capabilities,
including blood transfusion services.
In October 1998, at the request of President Clinton and Dr. Donna
Shalala, then Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and a team of experts
traveled to Kenya and Tanzania. Dr.
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Satcher and his team visited the bombing sites, bombing victims, and
Tanzanian Government institutions and non-governmental organizations
responsible for disaster management and Emergency Medical Services. The
Surgeon General reported to the Secretary of DHHS that there was a need
for two to three years of focused activities in which HHS agencies
could collaborate with USAID and other stakeholders to assist
Tanzanians.
This project for designing an appropriate approach for
strengthening blood transfusion services in Tanzania is part of a
larger CDC program for strengthening emergency medical preparedness in
the nation of Tanzania. Measurable outcomes of this project will be in
alignment with that program.
C. Eligible Applicants
Assistance will be provided to a public, private, for-profit, or
non-profit organization (including faith-based organizations) that has
at least one major operation headquartered in sub-Saharan Africa.
Eligible organizations will have significant experience in building,
operating, and transferring blood services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Competition is being limited to organizations with an established
presence in sub-Saharan Africa due to an acute urgency to begin the
project in response to recent increases in terrorist activity in the
region.
Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that
an organization described in section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue
Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive
Federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan.
D. Funding
Availability of Funds
Approximately $15,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund one award. It
is expected that the award will begin on or about September 15, 2003
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period
of up to one year. Funding estimates may change.
Use of Funds
1. Funds may be spent for reasonable program purposes, including
personnel, travel, supplies, and services. Equipment may be purchased
if deemed necessary to accomplish program objectives; however, prior
approval by CDC officials must be requested in writing.
2. All requests for funds contained in the budget, shall be stated
in U.S. dollars. Once an award is made, CDC will not compensate foreign
grantees for currency exchange fluctuations through the issuance of
supplemental awards.
3. The costs that are generally allowable in grants 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 World Health Organization,
Indirect Costs will not be paid (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.
4. The applicant may contract with other organizations under this
program; however the applicant must perform a substantial portion of
the activities (including program management and operations, and
delivery of prevention services for which funds are required.)
5. The applicant must obtain annual audit of these CDC 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.
6. A fiscal Recipient Capability Assessment may be required, prior
to or post award, in order to review the applicant's business
management and fiscal capabilities regarding the handling of U.S.
Federal funds.
Recipient Financial Participation: Matching funds are not required
for this program.
E. Program Requirements
In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program,
the recipient will be responsible for the following activities:
a. Review current literature and documentation related to blood
management in Tanzania.
b. Develop and organize an assessment plan.
c. Perform an in-country assessment of blood management in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, for a duration of not less than one week, and not
more than two weeks.
d. Review and disseminate the assessment findings to Tanzanian
health officials and CDC.
F. Content
Letter of Intent (LOI)
A LOI is not required for this program.
Applications
The Program Announcement title and number must appear in the
application. Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program
plan. The narrative should be no more than twenty pages, double-spaced,
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point
font.
The narrative should consist of, at minimum, a plan, objectives,
methods, evaluation, and budget. Provide a detailed budget and
justification based on the funds available.
G. Submission and Deadline
Application Forms
Submit the signed original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number
1920-0428). Forms are available at the following Internet address:
www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or if you have
difficulty accessing the forms on-line, you may contact the CDC
Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section
(PGO-TIM) at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to you.
Submission Date, Time, and Address
The application must be received by 4 p.m. Eastern Time July 7,
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-
PA03047, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine
Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146.
Applications may not be submitted electronically.
CDC Acknowledgement of Application Receipt
A postcard will be mailed by PGO-TIM, notifying you that CDC has
received your application.
Deadline
Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they
are received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Any
applicant who sends their application by the United States Postal
Service or commercial delivery services must ensure that the carrier
will be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing
date and time. If an application is received after closing due to (1)
carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee
for delivery by the closing date and time, or (2) significant weather
delays or natural disasters, CDC will upon receipt of proper
documentation, consider the application as having been received by the
deadline.
[[Page 23999]]
Any application that does not meet the above criteria will not be
eligible for competition, and will be discarded. The applicant will be
notified of their failure to meet the submission requirements.
H. Evaluation Criteria
Application
Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that
will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified
objectives of the grant. 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 outcome. These measures of effectiveness must be submitted
with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
An independent review group appointed by CDC will evaluate each
application against the following criteria:
1. Scientific or Technical Approach (30 points)
a. Provide evidence of demonstrated scientific expertise involving
programs for the promotion of public health in sub-Saharan Africa.
b. Provide evidence of demonstrated technical expertise in
developing blood transfusion and blood safety systems to include
methods that are culturally and technologically appropriate to sub-
Saharan Africa.
2. Methodology and Approach (20 points)
a. Provide evidence of demonstrated expertise in methodology for
evaluation and development of national blood safety and management
systems.
b. Demonstrate experience in providing staff training, strategic
planning, test kits, testing services, and operations planning in sub-
Saharan Africa.
c. Provide evidence of demonstrated successful experience involving
blood management services in developing nations of sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Staff Experience and Capability (20 points)
Provide evidence of demonstrated technical expertise and
professional experience of staff in the evaluation, organization, and
management of blood transfusion services in an African nation. Provide
evidence that management staff has ample experience in blood banking in
Africa. Provide assurance that the team will be headed by an MD from
sub-Saharan Africa and that the staff includes physicians with
expertise in hematology, blood transfusion, and infectious diseases.
4. Cultural Knowledge Requirements (20 points)
Provide evidence of demonstrated successful experience as a
consultant in sub-Saharan African countries.
5. Understanding of the Project (10 points)
a. Demonstrated clarity, feasibility, and practicality of the
proposed plan to accomplish this project.
b. Demonstrated recognition of the potential difficulties in
performance and appropriateness and soundness of proposed solutions.
6. Budget Justification (not scored)
The extent to which the budget is clearly explained, adequately
justified, and is reasonable and consistent with the stated objectives
and planned activities.
I. Other Requirements
Technical Reporting Requirements
Provide CDC with original plus two copies of a final financial
report and a final report of findings and recommendations. These
reports are due no more than 90 days after the end of the project
period.
Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this
announcement.
Additional Requirements
The following additional requirements are applicable to this
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the
program announcement, as posted on the CDC Web site.
AR-12--Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14--Accounting System Requirements
AR-15--Proof of Non-Profit Status
Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.
J. Where To Obtain Additional Information
This and other CDC announcements, the necessary applications, and
associated forms can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov.
Click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements''.
For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical
Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
For business management and budget assistance, contact: Angelia
Hill, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2785, E-mail address:
AHill@cdc.gov. For program technical assistance, contact: Mark Keim, MD,
International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch, National Center for
Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail
Stop F-48, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-488-
4597, E-mail address: MKeim@cdc.gov.
Dated: April 30, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-11141 Filed 5-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P