[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39514-39516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16276]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Women Offenders:
Developing an Agencywide Approach
AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.
ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking
applications from organizations, groups, or individuals to enter into a
18-month cooperative agreement to implement a blended-learning training
program entitled Women Offenders: Developing an Agencywide Approach.
This project will be completed in conjunction with the NIC Community
Services Division and the awardee will work closely with NIC staff on
all aspects of the project. To be considered, applicants must
demonstrate, at a minimum, in-depth knowledge of (1) evidence-based,
gender-responsive research and knowledge and practice in the policy,
programming, and operation of women's jails, prisons, and community
supervision agencies; (2) the preparation needed for the delivery of a
blended-learning curriculum to correctional audiences and related
stakeholders; (3) specific examples of expertise in directing
implementation of similar projects in which blended learning was used;
and (4) working collaboratively with correctional leadership and
related stakeholders.
DATES: Applications must be received by August 15, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street NW., Room 5002, Washington,
DC 20534. Applicants are encouraged to use Federal Express, UPS, or
similar service to ensure delivery by the due date.
Hand delivered applications should be brought to 500 First Street
NW., Washington, DC 20534. At the front security desk, dial 7-3106,
ext. 0 for pickup.
Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted. Electronic
applications can only be submitted via http://www.grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and links
to the required application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web
site at http://www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements.
All technical or programmatic questions concerning this
announcement should be directed to Maureen Buell, Correctional Program
Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, Community Services
Division. Ms. Buell can be reached directly at 1-800-995-6423 ext.
40121 or by email at [email protected]. In addition to the direct reply,
all questions and responses will be posted on NIC's Web site at
www.nicic.gov for public review (the names of those submitting
questions will not be posted). The Web site will be updated regularly
and postings will remain on the Web site until the closing date of this
cooperative agreement solicitation. Only questions received by 12:00
p.m. (EDT) on August 8, 2012 will be posted on the NIC Web site.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Established by Congress in 1974, NIC has worked closely
with federal, state, and local jails, prisons, and community
corrections on a broad range of initiatives. Related to this
solicitation, NIC has worked diligently to develop products through
collaborative partnerships that reflect research and experience
relevant to justice-involved women. Within that body of work, there is
an awareness that correctional policy and practice has been created to
manage primarily male offenders and then applied to female populations,
bypassing issues that contribute to women's pathways to criminal
justice involvement, imprisonment, transition/reentry, and community
supervision. The program in this solicitation, Women Offenders:
Developing an Agencywide Approach, provides a roadmap for agency
planners to effect policy and practice in managing the increased
numbers of justice-involved women.
The delivery of this training event is designed for audiences of
correctional leadership and management who influence agency policy and
practice and are invested in improving systemic (i.e., improved
management of correctional resources, including staff, programs, use of
physical space, etc.) and individual outcomes (i.e., risk reduction/
recidivism, reduction in behavioral health symptoms) in the management
of women committed to the justice system. The blended-learning program
will be hosted regionally.
Scope of Work: The awardee will use the existing curricula, Women
[[Page 39515]]
Offenders: Developing an Agencywide Approach, and other adjunct
materials already developed for use in the 2.5- to 3-day training
events. Additionally, the awardee may add additional current and
relevant materials that will enhance the quality of the program. The
awardee will also ensure that any adaptations to program content and
instructional strategies are previously approved by NIC and effectively
contribute to meeting the program goals.
All the activities noted will be conducted collaboratively with
NIC. The awardee will (1) review and become familiar with the
established curriculum, lesson plans, presentation slides, participant
and trainer manuals, as well as any other adjunct training materials in
preparation for program delivery. Any additional materials will be
shared with NIC staff to ensure relevance and appropriateness to the
established curriculum. (2) Pay fees and expenses for the instructors
(faculty) delivering the program. If qualified, the project director
and designated project staff may be included as instructors (faculty).
(3) Work with NIC to print instructor and participant materials and
assume additional costs not covered by NIC related to provision of the
materials. The awardee will send one full set of these materials to NIC
prior to the delivery of the program for approval. (4) Establish
criteria for choosing the regional training sites while considering
some of the following criteria: regions that have expressed interest in
hosting and have access to appropriate space, a region's or
jurisdiction's desire to implement and/or enhance current practice with
its female offender population, geographic consideration (accessibility
by participant teams without incurring costs that cannot be covered by
the host agency [NIC will not be responsible for participant travel,
lodging, or per diem costs]), agencies that are interested in
developing and/or enhancing correctional partnerships. (5) Select
instructors (faculty) with appropriate expertise and knowledge,
negotiate their work, pay their fees and expenses, and supervise their
work. (6) Actively work with NIC to determine participant team
eligibility and notify participant teams of program acceptance. (7)
Sequence blended-learning training events to include what activities
will occur before the onsite portion of the training, activities
onsite, and post-training activities either virtual or onsite. The
awardee will distribute materials to participant teams and faculty,
deliver webinar events and engage after the training in followup tasks
including ongoing, but time-limited, virtual coaching of participant
teams. (8) Lead participant teams through a strategic planning process
using the established curriculum. (9) Ensure that the NIC program
evaluation form is both distributed to and collected from participants.
The results will be shared with NIC to be used as feedback for future
training.
Document Length: The length of the application should be determined
by content. Brevity and clarity are encouraged.
Meetings: The cooperative agreement awardee will participate in an
initial meeting with the NIC staff for a project overview and
preliminary planning prior to September 15, 2012. Additionally, the
awardee should plan to meet with NIC staff routinely to discuss the
activities noted in the timeline (see below) during the course of the
cooperative agreement. Meetings will be held no less than quarterly and
may be conducted via webinar or in person as agreed upon by NIC and the
awardee.
Document preparation: For all awards in which a document will be a
deliverable, the awardee must follow (1) the Guidelines for Preparing
and Submitting Manuscripts for Publication as found in the ``General
Guidelines for Cooperative Agreements,'' which can be found on our Web
site at http://www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements; and (2) NIC
recommendations for producing documents using plain language, which can
be found at www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage.
All final publications submitted for posting on the NIC Web site
must meet the federal government's requirement for accessibility (508
PDF, 508 HTML file, or other acceptable format). The awardee must
provide descriptive text interpreting all graphics, photos, graphs,
and/or multimedia associated with publication. All documents developed
under this cooperative agreement must be submitted in draft form to NIC
for review prior to the final products being delivered.
Application Requirements: An application package must include OMB
Standard Form 425, Application for Federal Assistance; a cover letter
that identifies the audit agency responsible for the applicant's
financial accounts as well as the audit period or fiscal year under
which the applicant operates (e.g. July 1 through June 30); an outline
of projected costs with the budget and strategy narratives described in
the announcement. The following additional forms must also be included:
OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs;
OMB Standard Form 424B, Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (both
available at www.grants.gov); DOJ/FBOP/NIC Certification Regarding
Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and
the Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/General/certif-frm.pdf ).
Applications should be concisely written, typed double spaced, and
reference the NIC opportunity number and title referenced in this
announcement. If you are hand delivering or submitting via Fed-Ex,
please include an original and three copies of your full proposal
(program and budget narrative, application forms, assurances, and other
descriptions). The original should have the applicant's signature in
blue ink. Electronic submissions will be accepted only via
www.grants.gov.
Place the following at the top of the abstract: Project title;
Applicant name (Legal name of applicant organization); Mailing address;
Contact phone numbers (voice, fax); Email address, and; Web site
address, if applicable.
The narrative portion of the application should include, at a
minimum, the following:
Opening statement: A statement indicating the applicant's
understanding of the project's purpose, goals, and objectives. The
applicant should state this in language that is specific and that fully
explains the proposed activities.
Project Design and Implementation: This section should describe the
design and implementation of the project fully as noted in the scope of
work.
Project Management: Include a chart of measurable project
milestones and timelines for the completion of each aspect of the
project.
Capabilities and Competencies: This section should describe the
qualifications of the applicant organization, any involvement of
partner organizations, and the expertise of key staff to be involved in
the project. Please attach resumes that document relevant knowledge,
skills, and abilities to complete the project for the project principle
and each staff member assigned. If the applicant organization has
completed similar projects in the past, please include the URL/Web site
or ISBN number for accessing a copy of the referenced work.
Budget: The budget should detail all costs for the project, show
consideration for all contingencies for the project, note a commitment
to work within the proposed budget, and demonstrate the ability to
provide deliverables according to schedule.
[[Page 39516]]
Authority: Public Law 93-415.
Funds Available: NIC is seeking the applicant's best ideas
regarding accomplishment of the scope of work and the related costs for
achieving the goals of this solicitation. Funds may be used only for
the activities that are linked to the desired outcome of the project.
The funding amount will not exceed $50,000 for a period of 18 months.
Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any state or
general unit of government, private agency, educational institution,
organization, individual, or team with expertise in the described
areas. Applicants must have demonstrated ability to implement a project
of this size and scope.
Review Considerations: Applications will be reviewed by a team.
Among the criteria used to evaluate the applications are indication of
a clear understanding of the project requirements as stated in the
solicitation; background, experience, and expertise of the proposed
project staff, including any sub-contractors; effectiveness of an
innovative approach to the project; clear, concise description of all
elements and tasks of the project with sufficient and realistic time
frames necessary to complete the tasks; technical soundness of project
design and methodology; financial and administrative integrity of the
proposal, including adherence to federal financial guidelines and
processes; a sufficiently detailed budget that shows consideration of
all contingencies for this project and commitment to work within the
proposed budget; and indication of availability to work with NIC staff.
Applications received under this announcement will be subject to a
collaborative review process. The criteria for the evaluation of each
application will be as follows:
Programmatic: 40 Points
Are all of the tasks and activities adequately covered? Is there a
clear description of how each project activity will be accomplished,
including major tasks; the strategies to be employed; required
staffing; responsible parties, and other required resources? Are there
any unique or exceptional approaches, techniques, or design aspects
proposed that will enhance the project?
Project Management and Administration: 20 Points
Does the applicant identify reasonable objectives, milestones, or
measures to track progress? Are the proposed management and staffing
plans clear, realistic, and sufficient to complete the project? Is the
applicant willing to meet with NIC as specified in the solicitation for
this cooperative agreement?
Organizational and Project Staff Background: 30 Points
Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the organization and the
proposed project staff demonstrate a high level of competency to
complete the tasks? Does the applicant/organization have the necessary
experience and organizational capacity to complete all goals of the
project? If consultants and/or partnerships are proposed, is there a
reasonable justification for their inclusion in the project and a clear
structure to ensure effective coordination?
Budget: 10 Points
Is the proposed budget realistic, does it provide sufficient cost
detail/narrative, and does it represent good value relative to the
anticipated results? Does the application include a chart that aligns
the budget with project activities along a timeline with quarterly
benchmarks? In terms of program value, is the estimated cost reasonable
in relation to the work performed and project objectives?
Note: NIC will NOT award a cooperative agreement to an
applicant who does not have a Dun and Bradstreet Database Universal
Number (DUNS) and is not registered in the Central Contractor
Registry (CCR).
Applicants can obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the
dedicated toll-free request line at 800-333-0505. Applicants who are
sole proprietors should dial 866-705-5711 and select option 1.
Applicants may register in the CCR online at the CCR Web site:
www.ccr.gov. Applicants can also review a CCR handbook and worksheet at
this Web site.
Number of Awards: One
NIC Opportunity Number: 12CS19. This number should appear as a
reference line in the cover letter, where indicated on Standard Form
424, and outside of the envelope in which the application is sent.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 16.601.
Executive Order 12372: This project is not subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372.
Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2012-16276 Filed 7-2-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P