[Federal Register: December 1, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 230)]
[Notices]               
[Page 67186-67192]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01de03-80]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Health Resources and Services Administration

 
Rapid Expansion of Antiretroviral Therapy Programs for HIV-
Infected Persons in Selected Countries in Africa and the Caribbean 
Under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

    Announcement Type: New.
    Funding Opportunity Number: 04080.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.941.

[[Page 67187]]

    Key Dates: Application Deadline: December 31, 2003.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Authority: This program is authorized under section 301(a) and 
307 of the Public Health Service Act, [42 U.S.C. 241(a) and 242l] as 
amended and under Public Law 108-25 (United States Leadership 
Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003) [22 U.S.C. 
7601].

    Purpose: President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has called 
for immediate action to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the 
Caribbean. An important aspect of the President's bold vision is to 
treat at least two million HIV-infected persons with combination 
antiretroviral therapy (ART) within five years. This funding 
opportunity responds to the President's call for rapid, accountable, 
and sustainable action.
    The primary purpose of this funding announcement is to rapidly 
expand ART for low-income HIV-infected persons. An additional intent is 
to develop sustainable indigenous capacity to continue these programs 
after the project ends. Funds will be awarded to organizations with 
excellent HIV programs that currently provide care or care and ART. 
Services should be delivered in a manner that is consistent with 
national plans and policies. The following countries are eligible: 
Botswana, C[ocirc]te d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, 
Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, 
Zambia.
    Measurable outcomes of this program will be in alignment with the 
following performance goal for President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief: Treat two million HIV-infected people in 14 countries in Africa 
and the Caribbean heavily afflicted by AIDS (see above). CDC expects to 
work in close collaboration with the Health Resources Services 
Administration (HRSA) in supporting awardee activities under this 
cooperative agreement.
    This initiative is a coordinated effort led by the Office of the 
Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State and involves various 
U.S. Federal Government agencies including the Department of State, 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Defense 
and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Activities

    The recipient must manage a program to support all of the following 
activities in the countries in which they currently meet eligibility 
requirements. Awardee activities for this program are as follows:
Clinical Care
    a. Diagnose HIV infection correctly.
    b. Provide comprehensive care including appropriate prophylaxis and 
treatment for opportunistic infections (OI) including tuberculosis (TB) 
and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to national 
guidelines. If such guidelines do not exist, use World Health 
Organization (WHO) or other international guidelines.
    c. Provide ART according to national guidelines and algorithms that 
cover when and how to initiate therapy, use first- and second-line 
regimens, and use regimens for special circumstances, such as 
pregnancy, co-infection with TB, and where appropriate, children.
    d. Evaluate and manage adverse effects of drugs.
    e. Maintain adequate clinical records.
    f. Provide counseling and social support to ensure adherence to 
treatment regimens.
    g. Provide referrals for additional care and support needs.
    h. Provide monitoring and care for HIV-infected persons not yet 
eligible by medical criteria for ART.
Drug and Health Commodities Management
    a. Select and procure appropriate drugs in the correct amounts in 
accordance with U.S. government policies and national and international 
law.
    b. Develop and maintain ongoing quality assurance for secure and 
reliable storage and distribution systems, and prevent the diversion 
and theft of drugs and commodities.
    c. Maintain record-keeping systems.
Laboratory Services
    Ensure the availability and appropriate use of laboratory 
capabilities for diagnosing HIV infection, opportunistic infections, 
and other co-morbid events, and for appropriate evaluation of drug 
toxicities consistent with national guidelines. This includes access 
to: (1) Physical infrastructure; (2) trained staff; (3) equipment; (4) 
supplies and reagents; and (5) quality assurance.
Training
    a. Assure training and continuing education to health care workers, 
such as doctors, nurses, clinical assistants, nurse practitioners, 
pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and community workers (including 
persons living with HIV/AIDS).
    b. Training should address the diagnosis, treatment, and care of 
HIV.
    c. Provide training to increase the capacity of indigenous staff.
    d. Provide management training as needed.
Community Mobilization and Behavior Change
    Limited funding in this award (no more than seven percent of the 
budget) is available for community mobilization and behavior change to 
promote the use of ART. These activities should include employment of 
people living with HIV/AIDS where appropriate. The specific goals of 
this activity include: (1) For those at risk of infection--encourage 
them to seek testing; (2) 2. For those not infected--reduce the risk of 
acquiring HIV and other STIs; and (3) For those infected--reduce the 
risk of HIV transmission and encourage care seeking behavior and 
adherence to therapy.
Monitoring and Evaluation
    a. Implement a system for ongoing review and adjustment of program 
activities.
    b. Measure uptake and clinical outcomes to assess impact, including 
monitoring for adverse outcomes, such as drug resistance at the 
population level in the populations being served.
    c. Collect program indicators as recommended by national and United 
States Government (USG) guidelines, that have been or will be 
developed.
    d. Assist in dissemination of evaluations and lessons learned from 
these programs.
    In a cooperative agreement, HHS staff are substantially involved in 
the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring. HHS 
will work under the guidance and supervision of the Office of the 
Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State.
    CDC and HRSA Activities for this program are as follows:
    a. Provide scientific and technical assistance in refining the 
plan.
    b. Provide ongoing technical assistance in addressing problems 
encountered in implementing the plan, as well as for the delivery of an 
effective ARV treatment program through regular telecommunication and 
on-site support.
    c. Assist in evaluating program operations and overall 
effectiveness of the program through the joint review of clinical 
operations and joint analysis of monitoring data.
    d. Assist the awardees with sophisticated technical elements, such 
as ARV resistance monitoring, through direct support from CDC or by 
facilitating linkages with other national or international 
organizations.

[[Page 67188]]

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement.
    CDC involvement in this program, including technical collaboration 
with and support from HRSA, is listed in the Activities Section above.
    Fiscal Year Funds: 2004.
    Approximate Total Funding: $115 million.
    Approximate Number of Awards: Five or six.
    Approximate Average Award: $17 million.
    Floor of Award Range: $7 million.
    Ceiling of Award Range: $25 million.
    Anticipated Award Date: January 15, 2004.
    Budget Period Length: 12 months.
    Project Period Length: 5 years.
    Throughout the project period, HHS's commitment to continuation of 
awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds, evidence of 
satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required 
reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best 
interest of the Federal Government.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may be submitted by organizations that have experience 
in: (1) Directly providing clinical care for HIV-infected persons 
(including management of TB and other opportunistic infections, as well 
as clinical follow up), or directly providing such care plus treatment 
with ART, or (2) assisting in providing clinical care or care and 
treatment with ART through funding and technical assistance (need to 
show evidence of an operational presence in the countries your 
organization proposes to work). Eligible applicants must have provided 
these services for three or more years in at least three of the 
following countries: Botswana, C[ocirc]te d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, 
Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, 
Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Either United States (U.S.) or non U.S. 
organizations are eligible to apply.
    No funds made available under this solicitation may be used to 
provide assistance to any group or organization that does not have a 
policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. This 
written statement of certification must be signed by authorized 
person(s) within the applicant group or organization, including the 
individuals submitting the application. No funds made available under 
this solicitation may be used to promote or advocate the legalization 
or practice of prostitution or sex trafficking. Nothing in the 
preceding sentences shall be construed to preclude the provision to 
individuals of palliative care, treatment, or post-exposure 
pharmaceutical prophylaxis, and necessary pharmaceuticals and other 
commodities, including test kits, condoms, and, when proven effective, 
microbicides.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Matching funds are not required for this program.

III.3. Other

    If you request a funding amount greater than the ceiling of the 
award range, your application will be considered non-responsive and 
will not be entered into the review process. You will be notified that 
your application did not meet the submission requirements.
    If your application is incomplete or non-responsive to the 
requirements listed in this section, it will not be entered into the 
review process. You will be notified that your application did not meet 
submission requirements.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that 
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to 
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address To Request Application Package

    To apply for this funding opportunity use application form CDC 
1246. Application forms and instructions are available on the CDC web 
site, 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) staff at: 770-488-2700. Application forms can be mailed to 
you.

IV.2. Content and Form of Submission

    You must include a project narrative with your application forms. 
Your narrative must be submitted in the following format:
    [sbull] Maximum number of pages: 40 (Note: Eligibility and budget 
narrative are not included in the page total). If your narrative 
exceeds the page limit, only the first pages which are within the page 
limit will be reviewed.
    [sbull] Single-spaced.
    [sbull] Font size: 12-point unreduced.
    [sbull] Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches.
    [sbull] Page margin size: One inch.
    [sbull] Printed only on one side of page.
    [sbull] Held together only by rubber bands or metal clips; not 
bound in any other way.
    [sbull] Written in English.
    Your narrative should address activities to be conducted over the 
entire project period, and must include the following items in the 
order listed:
1. Eligibility: No Page Limit
    Provide evidence that your organization meets the eligibility 
requirements for this funding announcement. Examples could include a 
copy of an agreement between your organization and a host country 
institution, annual reports, or registration as an operating entity 
within the countries you propose to work.
    This should be the first topic addressed in your program narrative. 
If you do not provide adequate documentation, your application will be 
deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed. If you need to include 
substantiating documents, include these in the appendix under a section 
titled ``Eligibility.''
2. Need: 2 Page Max
    Describe the need for treatment services in the catchment areas in 
which you intend to provide ART. Address the following:
    a. Estimated number of infected persons in the catchment area where 
you intend to provide ART.
    b. Estimated number of infected persons receiving ART in your 
proposed catchment areas and the number of persons receiving ART 
through your organization (if any) and the number of facilities your 
organization supports to provide ART (if any).
    c. Number of persons with whom you intend to initiate treatment 
with ART and the number of facilities in which you will provide ART for 
each year of the next five years.
    d. Provide this information in a table format: for columns--base 
and years 1 through 5; for rows--number of infected persons (baseline 
only), number receiving ART (baseline only), number receiving ART 
through your program (baseline only), number of facilities where ART is 
being provided (baseline only), the number of persons your organization 
intends to initiate treatment with ART for each of the next five years, 
and the number of facilities for each year.
    e. Describe your proposed patient population, including 
socioeconomic status and gender.

[[Page 67189]]

3. Current HIV Care and Treatment Services: 16 Pages Max
    Address the following and describe whether your organization or 
partnering organizations is responsible for these activities (Include 
supporting documents in the appendix under the heading, ``Current HIV 
care and treatment services.''):
    a. Clinical care--
    (1) Current services--Describe the types of facilities in which you 
are currently providing services (e.g., hospital, clinic), locations, 
relationship to government health services, and the types of HIV 
related care and treatment provided. Also indicate any fees for 
services.
    (2) Describe your strategies for diagnosis, treatment and 
prophylaxis for opportunistic infections, including TB. Also describe 
laboratory and clinical follow-up.
    (3) If your program is currently providing ART, describe the 
criteria for initiation and continuation of ART and first- and second-
line ART regimens. Also describe laboratory and clinical follow up as 
well as strategies to promote adherence. Indicate whether these are 
consistent with national guidelines.
    b. Drug and health commodities--Describe your system to select, 
procure, store, track, distribute, and provide pharmaceuticals to 
patients, and measures to prevent the theft and diversion of drugs and 
commodities. Indicate sources for procurement of pharmaceuticals and 
laboratory supplies.
    c. Laboratory services--Describe the following:
    (1) Laboratory facilities for diagnosis and treatment of HIV, STIs, 
and opportunistic infections such as TB;
    (2) Capability of performing CD4 tests at each facility including 
type of equipment used;
    (3) Staff qualifications;
    (4) Quality assurance measures.
    d. Training activities--Describe training programs for HIV care and 
treatment, including laboratory services. Include information about 
course titles, types and numbers of persons trained, length of each 
course, training facilities, follow-up activities, and trainer 
qualifications.
    e. Community mobilization and behavior change--Describe your 
activities to promote HIV testing in the proposed catchment areas and 
to provide behavioral change counseling to persons the program tests 
for HIV.
    f. Monitoring and evaluation--Describe your current system to 
record program indicators, including patient outcomes.
4. Goals and Objectives: 2 Page Max
    Address the following:
    a. Provide goals for your project and measures of effectiveness by 
which you can assess the success of your program. One of these measures 
must be the number of HIV-infected persons to whom you will be 
providing ART by the end of each year of the project.
    b. Describe major activities to achieve project goals and a 
timeline for implementation of the project in the first year and a more 
general timeline for four years.
5. Rapid Expansion of ART: 14 Pages Max
    Describe your plans for increasing the number of infected persons 
who receive ART. Address the following areas:
    a. Clinical care--Explain how you plan to increase the number of 
persons receiving ART and maintain or improve the quality of care 
provided in three or more of the eligible countries. Include protocols 
you will use. Provide an estimate of annual per patient cost for HIV 
treatment based on your total budget. Describe your policy for charging 
fees to patients. Explain how the proposed program will strengthen the 
national network for providing ART and is consistent with Ministry of 
Health (MOH) expansion plans.
    b. Drug and health commodities--Describe how you plan to expand the 
drug management system to ensure appropriate treatment of the projected 
number of persons on ART.
    c. Laboratory services--Describe how you will increase your HIV-
related services. If you plan to perform CD4 counts or viral load 
testing for initiating or monitoring ART, describe plans to develop 
this capacity or to collaborate with others to do so.
    d. Training--Describe your training needs including the number and 
type of staff that need to be trained and how the training will be 
accomplished. Describe how your program will ensure that training of 
indigenous personnel will occur within 5 years.
    e. Community mobilization and behavior change--Describe the methods 
you will use to increase the number of persons who seek HIV testing and 
the methods you will use to increase the number of persons to whom you 
provide counseling. Describe your efforts to support adherence to 
therapy.
    f. Monitoring and Evaluation--Describe your proposed monitoring and 
evaluation plan, including a list of key indicators to track program 
performance.
    g. Sustainability--Applicants should develop a one-page description 
of capacity building activities for each year's work plan. Proposed 
activities must include capacity building as defined as activities 
promoting host country infrastructure development and strengthening of 
management, service delivery, and evaluation systems and clinical/
cultural competency.
    In order to accomplish sustainable systems development the 
following activities are suggested:
    [sbull] Identify key stakeholders and engage potential in-country 
partners;
    [sbull] Develop or expand a formal (preferably host country) 
advisory group to plan for on-going services;
    [sbull] Define the components of care with other health or social 
service providers;
    [sbull] Research funding sources; and
    [sbull] Develop an exit plan.
    The overall strategy and program must fit into National host 
country strategies including continuation of the program funding and 
staffing.
6. Management Plan, Staffing, and infrastructure: 6 Pages Max
    Address the following:
a. Collaborating Organizations
    (1) Describe which organizations you will financially support under 
this cooperative agreement and the role each will play.
    (2) List the organizations with whom you intend to collaborate and 
what role each will play.
    (3) Provide letters of support from these organizations as well as 
the MOH. These letters should be included in the appendix under a 
section titled, ``Letters of Support.'' The letters should indicate 
support for the goals and objectives of your proposed project and 
indicate what support they will provide, e.g., referrals to your 
program.
    b. Management plan--Provide an organizational chart and describe 
the responsibilities of key staff.
    c. Staffing--Describe number and types of staff needed to treat the 
projected number of persons with ART. Indicate what percentage of 
clinical and senior management are citizens of the country in which 
services will be provided. Describe plans to increase these 
percentages. Also describe the number and types of new staff that will 
need to be hired in each country.
    d. Infrastructure--Describe the physical facilities where services 
will be provided and the equipment needed.
7. Budget Narrative: No Page Limit
    Guidance for completing your budget can be found on the CDC Web 
site, at the following address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm
.

[[Page 67190]]

    You are 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 http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
    For more information, see the CDC Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/pubcommt.htm
.
    If your application form does not have a DUNS number field, please 
write your DUNS number at the top of the first page of your 
application, and/or include your DUNS number in your application cover 
letter.
    Additional information may be included in the application 
appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative 
page limit. This additional information includes: Curriculum Vitae, 
Resumes, Organizational Charts, Letters of Support, and other pertinent 
documents.
    Additional requirements that may require you to submit additional 
documentation with your application are listed in ``VI.2. 
Administrative and National Policy Requirements''.

IV.3. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline Date: December 31, 2003.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC 
Procurement and Grants Office by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline 
date. If you send your application by the United States Postal Service 
or commercial delivery service, you must ensure that the carrier will 
be able to guarantee delivery of the application by the closing date 
and time. If CDC receives your application 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, you will be given the opportunity to 
submit documentation of the carriers guarantee. If the documentation 
verifies a carrier problem, CDC will consider the application as having 
been received by the deadline.
    This program announcement is the definitive guide on application 
format, content, and deadlines. It supersedes information provided in 
the application instructions. If your application does not meet the 
deadline above, it will not be eligible for review, and will be 
discarded. You will be notified that your application did not meet the 
submission requirements.
    CDC will not notify you upon receipt of your application. If you 
have a question about the receipt of your application, first contact 
your courier. If you still have a question, contact the PGO-TIM staff 
at: 770-488-2700. Before calling, please wait two to three days after 
the application deadline. This will allow time for applications to be 
processed and logged.

IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications

    Executive Order 12372 does not apply to this program.

IV.5. Funding Restrictions

    Funding restrictions, which must be taken into account while 
writing your budget are as follows:
    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 HHS/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, HHS/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, the Gorgas Memorial Institute, 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. You must obtain annual audit of these HHS/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 HHS/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.
    7. Use of these funds for the purchase of antiretroviral drugs, 
laboratory reagents, and laboratory equipment for antiretroviral 
treatment projects requires prior approval in writing by HHS/CDC 
officials.
    8. Funds may be used only for activities associated with HIV/AIDS. 
HHS/CDC funds may be used for direct costs such as salaries; necessary 
travel; operating costs, including supplies, fuel, utilities, etc.; 
staff training costs, including registration fees and purchase and 
rental of training-related equipment; renovation of clinical or lab 
facilities; and purchase of HIV testing reagents, test kits, and 
laboratory equipment for HIV testing.
    9. No funds made available under this solicitation may be used to 
provide assistance to any group or organization that does not have a 
policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. This 
written statement of certification must be signed by authorized 
person(s) within the applicant group or organization including the 
individuals submitting the application. No funds made available under 
this solicitation may be used to promote or advocate the legalization 
or practice of prostitution or sex trafficking. Nothing in the 
preceding two sentences shall be construed to preclude the provision to 
individuals of palliative care, treatment, or post-exposure 
pharmaceutical prophylaxis, and necessary pharmaceuticals and other 
commodities, including test kits, condoms, and, when proven effective, 
microbicides.
    10. No funds appropriated under this solicitation shall be used to 
carry out any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for 
the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug.

IV.6. Other Submission Requirements

    Application Submission Address: Submit the original and two hard 
copies of your application by mail or express delivery service to: 
Technical Information Management-PA 04080, CDC Procurement and Grants 
Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341.
    Applications may not be submitted electronically at this time.

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

    You are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will 
demonstrate

[[Page 67191]]

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. 
These should be included in your project narrative under ``4. Goals.''
    Your application will be evaluated against the following criteria:
A. Current Capability: 80 Total
1. Clinical Care: 20
    Does the applicant demonstrate significant experience in 
implementing or assisting HIV care and treatment programs in the 
proposed countries? Does the applicant describe technically sound 
clinical care protocols? Is the applicant currently providing ART?
2. Drug & Health Commodities: 15
    Does the applicant describe all aspects of drug management? Do 
procedures appear to be adequate, including to prevent theft and 
diversion?
3. Laboratory Services: 15
    Are facilities adequate? Are staff qualified? Are there adequate 
quality assurance measures in place? Is the lab capable of performing a 
broad range of tests? Can the lab perform CD4 tests?
4. Training: 10
    Does the applicant have a history of providing training on a broad 
number of relevant topics to all levels of staff?
5. Community Mobilization and Behavior: 5
    Does the applicant describe efforts to promote testing and plans to 
provide counseling? Did the applicant describe methods to increase the 
number of persons who seek HIV testing and methods to increase the 
number of persons to whom it will provide counseling? Did the applicant 
describe efforts to support adherence to therapy?
6. Monitoring and Evaluation: 10
    Is there a M&E plan in place? Does the plan measure indicators that 
track program performance?
7. Sustainability: 5
    Is the plan for sustainability reasonable and feasible?
B. Feasibility of Expansion Plan: 80 Total
1. Clinical care: 25
    Does the applicant propose to provide ART in three or more of the 
eligible countries? Is the plan to increase the number of persons 
receiving ART feasible? Is the estimated cost per patient reasonable? 
Are plans to assure quality of care adequate? Does the applicant 
demonstrate consistency with national plans?
2. Drug & Health Commodities: 15
    Are plans to provide services and assure quality adequate?
3. Laboratory Services: 15
    Is the plan to increase laboratory services feasible?
4. Training: 15
    Is the plan to expand training feasible? Does the training plan 
address the needs of the program? Does the applicant address training 
needs of indigenous staff?
5. Community Mobilization and Behavior: 5
    Did the applicant describe how the program will increase the number 
of persons tested and counseled?
6. Monitoring and Evaluation: 5
    Does the plan measure indicators that track program performance?
C. Organizational Structure, Management, and Staffing: 20 Total
1. Organizational Structure: 7
    Is the proposed mix of organizations adequate to achieve program 
objectives? Were letters of support including those of the MOH 
provided?
2. Staffing: 8
    Are the number and types of staff reasonable? Does the applicant 
provide a realistic sustainability plan?
3. Facilities: 5
    Are the facilities adequate to provide the proposed services?
D. Measures of effectiveness: 10 Total
    Do the measures of effectiveness address the number of persons 
receiving ART and clinical outcomes? Are timelines reasonable?
E. Budget: 10 Points
    Is the budget reasonable for the proposed activities?

V.2. Review and Selection Process

    Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement 
and Grants Office (PGO) staff, and for responsiveness. Incomplete 
applications and applications that are non-responsive to the 
eligibility criteria will not advance through the review process. 
Applicants will be notified that their application did not meet 
submission requirements.
    An objective review panel will evaluate complete and responsive 
applications according to the criteria listed in the ``V.1. Criteria'' 
section above.
    In addition, the following factors may affect the funding decision:
    [sbull] Geographic distribution--to ensure that funding is not 
concentrated in any one catchment area.
    [sbull] Cost sharing.
    [sbull] Number of persons to be treated.
    [sbull] No award will be made without the concurrence of the U.S. 
Embassy and the CDC representative in the country under consideration.

V.3. Anticipated Announcement Award Date

    January 15, 2004.

VI. Award Administration Information

VI.1. Award Notices

    Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Grant Award (NGA) 
from the CDC Procurement and Grants Office. The NGA shall be the only 
binding, authorizing document between the recipient and CDC. The NGA 
will be signed by an authorized Grants Management Officer, and mailed 
to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the application.
    Unsuccessful applications will receive notification of the results 
of the application review by mail.

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    45 CFR Part 74 and Part 92.
    For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, see the 
National Archives and Records Administration at the following Internet 
address: http://www.access.pgo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
    The following additional requirements apply to this project:

[sbull] AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
[sbull] AR-4 HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Provisions
[sbull] AR-5 HIV Program Review Panel Requirements
[sbull] AR-6 Patient Care
[sbull] AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
[sbull] AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
[sbull] AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
[sbull] AR-14 Accounting System Requirements

[[Page 67192]]

[sbull] AR-16 Security Clearance Requirement
[sbull] AR-23 States and Faith-Based Organizations
[sbull] AR-24 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
Requirements
[sbull] AR-25 Release and Sharing of Data
    Additional information on these requirements can be found on the 
CDC web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/ARs.htm
.

VI.3. Reporting Requirements

    You must provide CDC with an original, plus two hard copies of the 
following reports:
    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.
    f. Measures of Effectiveness.
    2. Semi-annual progress report, due 7 months after the beginning of 
each budget period. This report should contain the following elements:
    a. Progress on achieving objectives.
    b. Modification or new activities.
    3. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    4. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days 
after the end of the project period.
    These reports must be sent to the Grants Management Specialist 
listed in the ``Agency Contacts'' section of this announcement.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement, contact: Technical 
Information Management Section, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 
Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For program technical assistance, contact:

Tedd Ellerbrock, M.D., Project Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Global AIDS Program, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E-04, 
Atlanta, GA 30333, Telephone: 404-639-8944, E-mail: tellerbrock@cdc.gov., or
Joel Kuritsky, M.D., Project Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Global AIDS Program, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E-04, Atlanta, GA 30333, Telephone: 404-639-8618, E-mail: jnk2@cdc.gov.

    For budget assistance, contact: Diane Flournoy, Grants Management 
Specialist, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341, Telephone: 770-488-2072, E-mail: dmf6@cdc.gov.

    Dated: November 25, 2003.
Edward Schultz,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-29894 Filed 11-28-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P