[Federal Register: July 8, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 130)]
[Notices]
[Page 40668-40670]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08jy03-72]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 03061]
Expansion of Reference Laboratory Infrastructure To Support HIV/
AIDS/STD/TB Control Activities in the Republic of Zambia; Notice of
Availability of Funds
Application Deadline: August 7, 2003.
A. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
This program is authorized under section 307 of the Public Health
Service Act, (42 U.S.C. 2421), as amended. The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance number is 93.941.
B. Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announces the
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2003 funds for a cooperative agreement
program with the national reference laboratories that support HIV,
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Tuberculosis (TB)
surveillance and control activities in Zambia.
The purpose of this program is to build Zambia's national reference
laboratory capacity to effectively monitor and control HIV/AIDS and
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), as well as TB, the most common
opportunistic infection associated with HIV in Zambia. Funds in this
agreement may be used to support surveillance of these diseases and
enhancements in information technology and capacity to analyze and
disseminate reference laboratory findings. Collaborative activities
between CDC and reference laboratories are intended to profoundly
improve the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS, STD and TB program activities in
Zambia.
The United States Government (USG) seeks to reduce the impact of
HIV/AIDS in specific countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the
Americas through its Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic
(LIFE) initiative. To carry out this initiative, the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) has organized its Global AIDS Program
(GAP) to strengthen capacity and expand activities in the areas of (1)
HIV prevention; (2) HIV care, support and treatment; and (3) capacity
and infrastructure development, especially for HIV/AIDS surveillance
activities.
Targeted countries represent those with the most severe epidemics
and the highest number of new infections. They also represent countries
where the potential for impact is greatest and where U.S. Government
agencies are already active. Zambia is one of these targeted countries.
Through CDC, HHS is working in a collaborative manner with national
governments and other agencies to develop programs of assistance to
address the HIV/AIDS epidemics in LIFE Initiative countries. In
particular, CDC's mission in Zambia is to improve surveillance for HIV,
TB and STIs and to strengthen and make more effective programs for
preventing and treating these diseases.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one or
more of the following performance goals for the National Center for
HIV/STD/TB Prevention: Strengthen the capacity nationwide to monitor
the epidemic, develop and implement effective HIV prevention
interventions and evaluate prevention programs, and improve HIV/AIDS
information management and decision making by developing well
coordinated databases by 2005.
C. Eligible Applicants
Applications may be submitted by research institutions, hospitals,
and government reference laboratories in Zambia. Applicants must be
actively involved in surveillance of HIV, STIs or TB on a national or
regional level. CDC has been working closely with the Government of the
Republic of Zambia (GRZ) to build its national laboratory system.
Because the intent of this agreement is to support national public
health laboratory infrastructure, applicants must have a mandate from
the GRZ to provide reference laboratory services within the system.
D. Funding
Availability of Funds
Approximately $300,000 is available in FY 2003 to fund
approximately three awards. It is expected that the average award will
be $100,000, ranging from $90,000 to $110,000. It is expected that the
awards 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 five years.
Funding estimates may change.
Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports
and the availability of funds.
Use of Funds
Funds may not be used for:
1. Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the
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purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV
infection (with the exception AZT and nevirapine in Prevention of
Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) cases and with prior written
approval), occupational exposures, and non-occupational exposures and
will not be used for the purchase of machines and reagents to conduct
the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient care.
2. No funds appropriated under this Act shall be used to carry out
any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the
hypodermic injection of any illegal drug.
Funds may be used for:
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. 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.
3. 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.)
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.
You 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.
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 activities listed in 1.
Recipient Activities, and CDC will be responsible for activities listed
in 2. CDC Activities.
1. Recipient Activities
a. The applicant will plan and implement activities to build
information technology capacity that supports reference laboratory
work. This may include a local area network (LAN) and Internet access
that will be used to disseminate information and communicate with
public health officials within and outside of Zambia. This may also
include training in the analysis and handling of laboratory data.
b. The applicant will plan and implement laboratory-based
activities to monitor the impact or assist in controlling HIV, STDs or
TB in Zambia. This may include disease or drug-resistance surveillance,
infrastructure building and training.
2. CDC Activities
a. CDC will provide technical assistance in designing and building
local area networks, setup of databases and other information
technology projects.
b. CDC will provide specifications for computer equipment and
assist in the procurement process in order to achieve project goals.
c. CDC will assist in developing and implementing data and
information dissemination plans for HIV, AIDS, TB, and STI data and
results.
d. CDC provide technical assistance including support from Atlanta-
based staff for planning and implementing laboratory activities,
particularly in the areas of disease surveillance and laboratory
quality assurance from reference labs to peripheral labs.
e. CDC will also assist in developing specifications for laboratory
equipment and supplies as needed to achieve project objectives.
F. Content
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 20 pages, double-spaced,
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced 12-point
font.
The narrative should consist of background information about the
laboratory and its place in the national laboratory structure,
objectives for the agreement and a description of how they will be
accomplished, background on the staff members who will work with CDC to
implement the project, and a description of prior and proposed
collaboration with the Zambia CDC office. A detailed budget
justification is required.
G. Submission and Deadline
Application Forms
Submit the signed original and two copies of your proposal and PHS
5161-1 (OMB Number 0920-0428). Forms are available at the following
Internet address: http://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.
Forms are also available in the application kit, available from the CDC
Zambia Office, American Embassy, Lusaka, tel. +260-1-250955.
Submission Date, Time, and Address
The application must be received by 4 p.m. eastern time August 7,
2003. Submit the application to: Technical Information Management-PA
03061, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, USA.
Applications may be e-mailed to pgotim@cdc.gov. If you e-mail your
application, you must also mail a hard copy of the application to the
address listed above, for documentation purposes.
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 4:00 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
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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.
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 cooperative agreement. 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. Importance of the Laboratory in Zambia's Public Health Laboratory
Network (40 points)
The extent to which the applicant's proposal demonstrates the key
role of the laboratory for HIV, STD or TB control programs and disease
surveillance in Zambia.
2. Ability To Jointly Work with CDC on the Project (20 points)
The extent to which the applicant documents their ability to work
with CDC to jointly develop laboratory capacity in the areas of HIV,
STIs or TB.
3. Personnel (20 points)
The extent to which professional personnel involved in this project
are qualified to develop and implement laboratory projects in the areas
of HIV, STIs or TB.
4. Administration (20 points)
The adequacy of the plans to account for, prepare reports, monitor,
and audit expenditures under this agreement.
5. Budget (Reviewed, but not scored)
The extent to which the itemized budget for conducting the project
is itemized and justified.
Does the application adequately address the requirements of title
45 CFR part 46 for the protection of human subjects? Not scored;
however, an application can be disapproved if the research risks are
sufficiently serious and protection against risks is so inadequate as
to make the entire application unacceptable.
Does the application adequately address the CDC policy requirements
regarding the inclusion of women, ethnic, and racial groups in the
proposed research? This includes:
1. The proposed plan for the inclusion of both sexes and racial
ethnic minority populations for appropriate representation.
2. The proposed justification when representation is limited or
absent.
3. A statement as to whether the design of the study is adequate to
measure differences when warranted.
4. A statement as to whether the plans for recruitment and outreach
for study participants include the process of establishing partnerships
with community(ies) and recognition of mutual benefits.
I. Other Requirements
Technical Reporting Requirements
Provide CDC with original plus two copies of:
1. Interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of
the budget period. The progress report will serve as your non-competing
continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
a. Current Budget Period Activities Objectives.
b. Current Budget Period Financial Progress.
c. New Budget Period Program Proposed Activity Objectives.
d. Detailed Line-Item Budget and Justification.
e. Additional Requested Information.
2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of
the budget period.
3. Final financial and performance reports, 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.
AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
AR-4 HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Provisions
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14 Accounting System Requirements
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: Shirley
Wynn, Grants Management Specialist, Procurement and Grants Office,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road,
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146. Telephone: 770-488-1515. E-mail: zbx6@cdc.gov. For program technical assistance, contact: David B. Nelson, Chief
of Party, Global AIDS Program, Zambia, American Embassy, Corner of
Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka, Zambia. Telephone:
+260-1-250955. E-mail: nelsond@zamcdc.org.zm.
Dated: July 1, 2003.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-17156 Filed 7-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P