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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

11.114:  Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT)

Popular Name:  SABIT

Objectives:  The SABIT program awards funding to qualified U.S. companies for training business executives and scientists from the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. SABIT exposes NIS business managers and scientists to a completely new way of thinking in which demand, consumer satisfaction, and profits drive production. Mid to senior level interns visiting the U.S. for internship programs with public or private sector companies will be exposed to an environment which will provide them with practical knowledge for restructuring their enterprises. The program provides first-hand, eye-opening experience to managers and scientists which cannot be duplicated by American managers traveling to their territories.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

11.114 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Any profit or nonprofit U.S. corporation, association, organization or other public or private entity. Agencies or divisions of the Federal government are not eligible.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Any profit or nonprofit U.S. corporation, association, organization, or other public or private entity.

Credentials/Documentation:  None.

11.114 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  Competitive Application Kit. Standard Forms 424, 424B and the CD-511, Certifications regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirement and Lobbying must be completed. These forms are available from the SABIT program; phone: (202) 482-0073, or SABIT homepage: www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html.

Award Procedure:  Each application will receive an independent, objective review by one or more ITA review panels (composed of three or four members) qualified to evaluate applications submitted under the program. Applications will be evaluated on a competitive, "rolling" basis as they are received in accordance with the evaluation criteria. ITA review panel(s) reserve the right to reject any application; to limit the number of interns per applicant; to waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received; and to consider other than competitive procedures to distribute assistance under this program and in accordance with the law.

Deadlines:  Proposals must be submitted by mail or courier (no facsimile copies will be accepted) to the Sabit Office on or before 5:00pm (Eastern) on the deadline date which is published in the applicable Federal Register Notice which will be 30 to 90 days after publication.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  About two or three months.

Appeals:  All award decisions are final. There is no appeal process.

Renewals:  Recipients may be eligible, pursuant to approval of an amendment of an active award, to host additional interns under the program.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those SABIT proposals which: (1) exhibit commitment to the intent and goals of SABIT by providing practical, on the job, non-academic, non-classroom training; (2) presents a realistic work plan describing, in detail, the training to be provided for the interns; (3) provide a section of application that identifies the logistics of the internship, the internship coordinator, the divisions in which the intern will be placed; anticipated housing arrangements, and a statement that notes applicant's commitment to intern's return to the NIS; (4) provide a general description of the profile of the intern the applicant would like to host. Evaluation criteria 1-4 will be weighted equally.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Three to six months training for managers or scientists in areas including agribusiness, environmental technology, financial services, telecommunications and/or energy. SABIT specialized programs in: Financial Services, Environmental Technology, Agribusiness, and Standards.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  $10,500 to 40,000.

11.114 RELATED PROGRAMS:

None.

11.114 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

To date, the SABIT program has trained over 1,750 interns in over 1,000 U.S. host companies. Recent survey results indicate that over 60 percent of U.S. company hosts that participate in SABIT, maintain some form of ongoing business relationship with their SABIT intern. Not only has the program exposed managers and scientists to American ways of innovation and management, but also assisted U.S. business to gain allies who can become their best customers in the NIS. Over $100 million in business revenues have been generated by American companies based solely on their SABIT interns.

11.114 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).

Obligations:  (Operations and Administration Assistance) FY 99 $921,000; FY 00 est $1,500,000; and FY 01 est $1,500,000.

Budget Account Number:  13-1250-0-1-376.

Authorization:  Foreign or Assistance Act of 1961, 632(a) and 735(b).

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Federal Register Notice: Docket No. 950329080-5080-01, SABIT brochures, SABIT Exchange Newsletter, Competitive Application Kit; All can be obtained free of charge from the SABIT office by phone: (202) 482-0073 or visiting the SABIT homepage: www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html.

11.114 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  SABIT Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Constitution Ave., NW., Room 3319, Washington, DC 20230. Phone: (202) 482-0073; Fax: (202) 482-2443, SABIT homepage: www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html.

Headquarters Office:  SABIT Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Constitution Ave., NW., Room 3319, Washington, DC 20230.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

11.114 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  None. Any costs beyond those covered by the award, including visa fees, housing costs exceeding $500 per month, insurance, and food and incidentals beyond $30 per day, any training-related travel within the U.S. and provision of the hands-on training will be covered by the grantee.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  The cooperative agreement is valid for one year. Funds are reimbursed to recipients upon submission of SF 270, SF 269, Final Report, proof of insurance, and airline ticket receipt.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  ITA will reimburse recipient firms for the round-trip international travel of each intern from the intern's home city in the NIS to the U.S. internship site. ITA will also reimburse recipient firms for the $30 per day stipend per intern for the awarded period, up to six months. ITA will reimburse recipient firms up to $500 per month per intern for housing cost. In general, each award will have a cap of $10,500 per intern for total cost of airline travel, stipend, and housing.

11.114 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  End of Internship Report, Submission of SF 270, SF 269, proof of medical insurance, and airline ticket receipts.

Audits:  The grants officer has the discretion to require by the terms and conditions of SABIT awards that recipients have an audit conducted in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. "In Accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), recipients that are States, Local Governments, Non-profit organizations (to include Hospitals), and Institutions of Higher Learning shall be subject to the audit requirements contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C. 7501-7507). Commercial organizations shall be subject to the audit requirements as stipulated in the award document."

Records:  All documents related to the award three years after submitting the final financial report, SF 269.