Notice2024-31630
Solicitation for Annual Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award
Primary source
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Published
January 6, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation Department
Abstract
The annual Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award (the award) is a component of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative that seeks to raise awareness among transportation stakeholders about human trafficking and increase training and prevention to combat the crime. The award serves as a platform for transportation stakeholders to creatively develop impactful and innovative counter-trafficking tools, initiatives, campaigns, and technologies that can be shared with the broader community to help stop human trafficking. The award is open to individuals and entities, including non-governmental organizations, transportation industry associations, research institutions, and State and local government organizations. Entrants compete for a cash award of up to $50,000 to be awarded to the individual(s) or entity selected for creating the most impactful counter-trafficking initiative or technology.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 3 (Monday, January 6, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 3 (Monday, January 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 737-739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31630]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[DOT-OST-2024-0127]
Solicitation for Annual Combating Human Trafficking in
Transportation Impact Award
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The annual Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation
Impact Award (the award) is a component of the Department of
Transportation's (DOT) Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking
initiative that seeks to raise awareness among transportation
stakeholders about human trafficking and increase training and
prevention to combat the crime. The award serves as a platform for
transportation stakeholders to creatively develop impactful and
innovative counter-trafficking tools, initiatives, campaigns, and
technologies that can be shared with the broader community to help stop
human trafficking. The award is open to individuals and entities,
including non-governmental organizations, transportation industry
associations, research institutions, and State and local government
organizations. Entrants compete for a cash award of up to $50,000 to be
awarded to the individual(s) or entity selected for creating the most
impactful counter-trafficking initiative or technology.
DATES: Submissions will be accepted from January 6, 2025 through 11:59
p.m. PST/2:59 a.m. EST on March 7, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Additional information regarding the Department's counter-
trafficking activities can be found at <a href="http://www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking">www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking</a>.
Additional information regarding the Department's counter-
trafficking activities can be found at <a href="http://www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking">www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking</a>. To register your intent to compete individually
or as part of a team, visit <a href="http://www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking">www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking</a>, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a7d3d5c6c1c1cec4cccec9c0e7c3c8d389c0c8d1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9eeaecfff8f8f7fdf5f7f0f9defaf1eab0f9f1e8">[email protected]</span></a>, or contact the Office
of International Transportation and Trade at (202) 366-4398.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Award Approving Official: The Secretary of Transportation
(Secretary).
Subject of Award Competition: The Combating Human Trafficking in
Transportation Impact Award recognizes impactful, innovative, and
shareable approaches to combating human trafficking in the
transportation industry.
Problem
As many as 27.6 million men, women, and children are held against
their will and trafficked into forced labor and commercial sex.
Transportation figures prominently in human trafficking enterprises
when traffickers move victims, which uniquely positions the industry to
combat the crime.
Challenge
The Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award is
looking for the best innovators to develop original, impactful, unique,
and shareable human trafficking tools, initiatives, campaigns, and
technologies that can help stop these heinous crimes in the
transportation industry.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the Combating Human Trafficking in
Transportation Impact Award competition, private entities must be
incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United
States, and individuals must be citizens or permanent residents of the
United States. There is no charge to enter the competition.
Rules, Terms, and Conditions
The following additional rules apply:
1. Entrants shall submit a project to the competition under the
rules promulgated by the Department in this Notice;
2. Entrants must indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Federal
Government from and against all third-party claims, actions, or
proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities,
costs, and expenses relating to or arising from participant's
submission or any breach or alleged breach of any of the
representations, warranties, and covenants of participant hereunder.
Entrants are financially responsible for claims made by a third party;
3. Entrants may not be a Federal entity, Federal employee acting
within the scope of their employment, or a family member of a Federal
Employee;
4. Entrants may not be an employee or family member of an employee
of the U.S. Department of Transportation;
5. Entrants shall not be deemed ineligible because an individual
used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees during a
competition if the facilities and employees are made available to all
individuals participating in the competition on an equitable basis;
6. The entries cannot have been submitted in the same or
substantially similar form in any other previous Federally sponsored
promotion or Federally sponsored competition;
7. Entrants previously awarded first place are not eligible to
reenter for the same or substantially similar project;
8. Entries which, in the Department's sole discretion, are
determined to be substantially similar to another entity's entry
submitted to this competition may be disqualified;
9. The competition is subject to all applicable Federal laws and
regulations. Participation constitutes the entrants' full and
unconditional agreement to these rules and to the Secretary's
decisions, which are final and binding
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in all matters related to this competition;
10. Entries must be original, be the work of the entrant and/or
nominee and must not violate the rights of other parties. All entries
remain the property of the entrant. Each entrant represents and
warrants that:
<bullet> Entrant is the sole author and owner of the submission;
<bullet> The entry is not the subject of any actual or threatened
litigation or claim;
<bullet> The entry does not and will not violate or infringe upon
the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or
other legal rights of any third party; and
<bullet> The entry does not and will not contain any harmful
computer code (sometimes referred to as ``malware,'' ``viruses,'' or,
``worms'').
11. By submitting an entry in this competition, entrants agree to
assume any and all risks and waive any claims against the Federal
Government and its related entities (except in the case of willful
misconduct) for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue
or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from
their participation in this competition, whether the injury, death,
damage, or loss arises through negligence of otherwise. Provided,
however, that by registering or submitting an entry, entrants and/or
nominees do not waive claims against the Department arising out of the
unauthorized use or disclosure by the agency of the intellectual
property, trade secrets, or confidential information of the entrant;
12. The Secretary or the Secretary's designees have the right to
request additional supporting documentation regarding the application
from the entrants and/or nominees;
13. Each entrant grants to the Department, as well as other Federal
agencies with which it partners, the right to use names, likeness,
application materials, photographs, voices, opinions, and hometown and
state for the Department's promotional purposes in any media, in
perpetuity, worldwide, without further payment or consideration;
14. If selected, the entrant and/or nominee must provide written
consent granting the Department and any parties acting on their behalf,
a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to
display publicly and use for promotional purposes the entry
(``demonstration license''). This demonstration license includes
posting or linking to the entry on Department websites, including the
Competition website, and partner websites, and inclusion of the entry
in any other media, worldwide;
15. Applicants that are Federal grant recipients may not use
Federal funds to develop submissions or to fund efforts in support of a
submission;
16. Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract
to develop submissions or to fund efforts in support of a submission;
and
17. The submission period begins on January 6, 2025. Submissions
must be sent by 11:59 p.m. PST/2:59 a.m. EST on March 7, 2025. The
timeliness of submissions will be determined by the time stamp of the
Microsoft Form submission. Competition administrators assume no
responsibility for lost or untimely submissions for any reason.
Submission Requirements
Applicants must submit entries using the following Microsoft Forms
link: <a href="https://forms.office.com/g/XVPzafGs5G">https://forms.office.com/g/XVPzafGs5G</a>. Please contact
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6511170403030c060e0c0b0225010a114b020a13"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a0d4d2c1c6c6c9c3cbc9cec7e0c4cfd48ec7cfd6">[email protected]</span></a> for any submission issues via Microsoft Forms.
Expression of Interest: While not required, entrants are strongly
encouraged to send brief expressions of interest to DOT prior to
submitting entries. The expressions of interest should be sent by
February 5, 2025 to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f0848291969699939b999e97b0949f84de979f86"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93e7e1f2f5f5faf0f8fafdf4d3f7fce7bdf4fce5">[email protected]</span></a>, and include the following
elements: (1) Name and title of entrant(s); (2) Telephone and email
address; and (3) A synopsis of the concept, limited to no more than two
pages.
Please ensure your submission package includes EACH of the
following twelve elements:
1. Mode(s)
Specify which transportation mode(s) the proposal will focus on.
2. Title
The proposal title.
3. Entity
The name of the organization(s) being nominated, or the name(s) and
title(s) of the individual(s) being nominated.
4. Submitted By
Include name, title, phone, email, website URL, and mailing
address.
If the point of contact for the proposal is different, also specify
their name, title, phone, and email.
5. Background
Brief background regarding the submitting individual(s) or
organization(s) that includes relevant counter-trafficking expertise.
6. Partners
If applicable, list the partners who will be engaged in proposal
development and/or implementation, including a brief background for
each.
7. Letters of Support
You may submit supporting letters, which may be from subject matter
experts or industry, and may address the technical merit of the
concept, originality, impact, practicality, measurability and/or
applicability. Proposals with letters of support should include an
itemized list with the name, title, and organization for each letter.
8. Proposal Description (1 Sentence)
A high-level description of the proposal including all
deliverable(s).
9. Proposal Summary (1 Paragraph)
A detailed synopsis of the proposal, including how efficacy will be
measured and its anticipated impact.
10. Proposal Overview and Impact/Measurability (1-2 Pages)
A proposal description that presents a logical approach and
workable solution to addressing the issue of human trafficking in the
transportation industry. Include responses to the following questions:
Is the concept unique? Are anticipated beneficiaries clearly
identified? Were human trafficking survivors consulted in the proposal
development and/or how will survivor input be included in
implementation? Are anticipated resources and costs outlined in detail?
Can the proposal be implemented in a way requiring a finite amount of
resources (e.g., fixed costs, low or no marginal costs, and a clear
path to implementation and scale beyond an initial investment)? For
impact and measurability, include a description of how the proposal
will be evaluated, and its potential impact on human trafficking in the
transportation industry. Include responses to the following questions:
How will the proposal's impact be measured? How will the proposal
contribute to counter-trafficking efforts in the transportation sector?
If not a national proposal, can the proposal be scaled nationally?
11. Supporting Documents (No Page Limit)
The paper(s) and/or technologies, programs, video/audio files, and
other related materials, describing the proposal and addressing the
selection criteria. As applicable, this can include a description of
success of a previous or similar proposal and/or documentation of
impact. DOT may request additional
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information, including supporting documentation, more detailed contact
information, releases of liability, and statements of authenticity to
guarantee the originality of the work. Failure to respond in a timely
manner may result in disqualification.
12. Eligibility Statement
A statement of eligibility by private entities indicating that they
are incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the
United States, or a statement of eligibility by individuals indicating
that they are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Initial Screening
The Office of International Transportation and Trade (OITT) will
initially review applications to determine that all required submission
elements are included, and to determine compliance with eligibility
requirements.
Evaluation
After the Initial Screening, OITT, with input from the relevant
Operating Administrations, will judge entries based on the factors
described below: technical merit, originality, impact, practicality,
measurability, and applicability. The Secretary will make the final
selection. The Department reserves the right to not award the prize if
the selecting officials believe that no submission demonstrates
sufficient potential for sufficient transformative impact. The
following factors will be given consideration:
Technical Merit
<bullet> Does the proposal present a clear understanding of the
issue of human trafficking in the transportation industry and utilizes
a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach?
<bullet> Does the proposal present a logical and workable solution
and approach to addressing human trafficking in the transportation
industry?
<bullet> Were survivors of human trafficking consulted in the
development of the proposal concept and is survivor input outlined in
the description of proposal implementation?
Originality
<bullet> Is the concept new or a variation of an existing idea?
<bullet> Does the concept possess and clearly describe its unique
merits?
Impact/Measurability
<bullet> Can the proposal make a significant impact and/or
contribution to the fight against human trafficking in the
transportation industry?
<bullet> Does the proposal clearly describe the breadth of impact?
<bullet> Does the submission clearly outline how the proposal will
be measured?
<bullet> Will the proposal result in measurable improvements?
Practicality
<bullet> Does the proposal clearly identify anticipated
beneficiaries of the proposal?
<bullet> Does the proposal clearly outline anticipated resources
and all costs to be incurred by executing the concept?
<bullet> Can the proposal be implemented in a way that requires a
finite amount of resources (specifically, the submission has fixed
costs, low or no marginal costs, and a clear path to implementation and
scale beyond an initial investment)?
Applicability
<bullet> Is the proposal national or can it be scaled nationally?
Award
Up to three winning entries are expected to be announced. The
first-place winner will receive up to a $50,000 cash prize. A plaque
with the first-place winner(s) name and the date of the award will be
on display at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and a display copy
of the plaque(s) will be sent to the first-place award winner. Two
additional plaques will be awarded to recognize the two runners up. At
the Department's discretion, DOT may pay for invitational travel
expenses to Washington, DC, for up to two individuals or
representatives of the first-place winner and runners up, should
selectees be invited to present their proposal(s) for DOT officials.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719 (America COMPETES Act).
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 30, 2024.
Carol A. Petsonk,
Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-31630 Filed 1-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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