[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41088-41090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16475]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Support Services for
Community Services Division Networks
AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S., Department of Justice.
ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is soliciting
proposals from organizations, groups, or individuals to enter into a
cooperative agreement for an 18-month period to begin no later than
September 15, 2013. Work under this cooperative agreement will provide
support services to NIC Community Services Division sponsored networks.
The networks are designed for NIC to assist in meeting the needs of the
field of community corrections by serving defined groups of members.
Each of the networks typically meets twice per fiscal year, for a total
of up to ten meetings. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is for
the awardee to provide specific support services to each of the network
managers. Some of the potential tasks include attending network
meetings to keep track of meeting minutes accurately, provide support
to the network manager, prepare a summary report for the network
participants, prepare a detailed report for the network manager, create
a quarterly report on the ``Hot Topics'' from all the networks
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combined that may benefit the field at large, and other administrative
duties relevant to each network meeting. This project will be a
collaborative venture with the NIC Community Services Division.
NIC Opportunity Number: 13CS19. This number should appear in the
reference line in your cover letter, on Standard Form 424 in section 11
with the title of your proposal, and in the right justified header of
your proposal.
Number of Awards and Funds Available: Under this solicitation, 1
(one) award will be made. 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 awarded under this
solicitation may be used only for activities directly related to the
project as described herein unless otherwise amended in writing by NIC.
Applications: All applicants must be submitted electronically via
http://www.grants.gov. Hand delivered, mailed, faxed, or emailed
applications will not be accepted.
DATES: Application must be submitted before midnight on Tuesday, July
30, 2013.
Authority: Public Law 93-415.
Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or
private agency, educational institution, organization, individual or
team with expertise in the described areas.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: NIC works closely with federal,
state, and local corrections agencies on a broad range of projects,
from operational issues to research and innovative practices. Part of
that work has included the formation of networks that promote the
sharing of vital information between peers, training opportunities, and
the NIC's access to key agency leaders in defining and planning future
NIC work. Networks typically focus on hot topics and trends in the
field and the development of evidence-based and promising practices.
The NIC Community Services Division currently sponsors 5 networks: (1)
Community Corrections Collaborative Network (CCCN), which has 10
members and comprises the leading associations that represent
probation, parole, pretrial, and treatment professionals around the
country (i.e., APPA, APAI, ICCA, NAPSA, and NAPE); (2) Executive
Directors of Paroling Authorities, which comprises executives from
state parole board agencies with offender release authority; (3)
Executives of Probation and Parole, which has approximately 30 members
and comprises executive leaders at the state agency level responsible
for both probation and parole supervision; (4) Pretrial Executives
Network, which has 15 members and comprises executives from some of the
most established evidence-based pretrial services programs; and (5)
Urban Chiefs Network, which has 15 members and comprises community
corrections executives representing jurisdictions that are local and
urban. The network meetings occur periodically throughout the year and
are of 2 to 2.5 days in duration.
Scope of Work: The intent of this solicitation is for the awardee
to provide support services to each of the NIC Community Services
Division sponsored networks. Support services may include attendance at
network meetings, detailed note taking, collection of supplementary
materials and preparation of a summary report for distribution to
network members, preparation of a final report for the network manager,
and post-network meeting reports, such as policy briefs or issue
papers. In providing support services to each of the networks, the
applicant should be organized, flexible, and able to multitask during
network meetings. The applicant should have strong writing and editing
skills. It is also preferred that the applicant have experience working
with executive-level staff. The applicant should also demonstrate the
skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to provide the deliverables
described in this solicitation. If applicant proposes to include
consultants or partnerships, the application should contain detailed
justification for their inclusion. The awardee may perform some or all
of the deliverables listed in this solicitation for each of the network
meetings. The network managers will coordinate with the awardee prior
to a network meeting and determine the deliverables that are being
requested for that particular network meeting. If support services are
being requested by the network manager, the awardee may be asked to
provide some or all of the deliverables listed in this solicitation.
The proposed budget should outline each of the services listed under
the project deliverables and the cost associated with each service. The
network manager will select individual services based on the need of
the network manager and meeting. The network manager will then
coordinate with the awardee prior to the event and ensure the awardee
is clear about what services are needed for that network meeting. Upon
being awarded this solicitation, the awardee will meet with the project
manager to discuss the expectations of each of the network managers and
provide answers to any questions pertaining to the scope of work.
Deliverables: (1) Provide support services at each of the NIC
sponsored network meetings, which includes but is not limited to
distributing meeting materials to network members, taking note of
proceedings, producing a copy of the meeting minutes, developing an
appropriately edited and formatted summary report for electronic
distribution to participants and a detailed report for the network
manager's use; (2) develop a quarterly bulletin of ``Hot Topics'' from
information gathered across the network meetings. Hot topics should be
taken from the agenda topics or discussions from each of the network
meetings and put into a bulletin format. The bulletin will be developed
in collaboration with the network managers; (3) develop other written
materials as assigned, e.g., training materials to be used at
conference workshops or training sessions; and (4) consult with the NIC
network managers regarding special projects. Special projects may
include developing a 3- to 5-page policy brief or issue paper based on
the network meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Gregory
Crawford, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of
Corrections who may be reached 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
or affiliations 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.
Application Requirements: Applications should be typed, double
spaced, in 12-point font, and reference the project by the ``NIC
Opportunity Number'' 13CS19 and title in this announcement, ``Support
Services for Community Services Division Networks.'' The package must
include: A cover letter that identifies the audit agency responsible
for the applicant's financial accounts as well as the audit period or
fiscal year that the applicant operates under (e.g., July 1 through
June 30); a concisely written program narrative, not to exceed 30
numbered pages, in response to the statement of work, and a detailed
budget with a
[[Page 41090]]
budget narrative explaining projected costs. Applicants may submit a
description of the project teams' qualifications and expertise relevant
to the project, but should not attach lengthy resumes. Attachments to
the proposal describing your organization or examples of other past
work beyond those specifically requested above are discouraged. These
attachments should not exceed 5MB.
The following forms must also be included: OMB Standard Form 424,
Application for Federal Assistance; OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget
information--Non-Construction Programs; OMB Standard Form 424B,
Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (these forms are available at
http://www.grants.gov) and DOJ/NIC Certification Regarding Lobbying;
Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and the Drug-
Free Workplace Requirements (available at http://nicic.gov/Downloads/General/certif-frm.pdf. Failure to supply all required forms with the
application package may result in disqualification of the application
from consideration.
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).
A DUNS number can be received at no cost by calling the
dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-800-333-0505 (if
you are a sole proprietor, you would dial 1-866-705-5711 and select
option 1).
Registration in the CCR can be done online at the CCR Web site:
http://www.bpn.gov/ccr. A CCR Handbook and worksheet can also be
reviewed at the Web site.
Review Considerations: Applications received under this
announcement will be subject to the NIC Review Process. Proposals which
fail to provide sufficient information to allow evaluation under the
criteria below may be judged non-responsive and disqualified. The
criteria for the evaluation of each application will be as follows:
Programmatic (40%)
Are all of the project tasks adequately discussed? Is there a clear
statement of how each task will be accomplished, to include the overall
project goal(s), major tasks to achieve the goal(s), the strategies to
be employed in completing the tasks, required staffing, and other
required resources? Are there any approaches, techniques, or design
aspects proposed that are new to NIC and will enhance the project?
Organizational (35%)
Do the proposed project staff members possess the skills,
knowledge, and expertise necessary to complete the tasks listed under
the scope of work? Does the applicant organization, group, or
individual have the organizational capacity to complete all project
tasks? Does the proposal contain project management and staffing plans
that are realistic and sufficient to complete the project within the
project time frame?
Project Management/Administration (25%)
Does the applicant identify reasonable objectives and/or milestones
that reflect the key tasks, and measures to track progress? 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? Is the proposed budget realistic,
does it provide a sufficient cost detail/narrative, and does it
represent good value relative to the anticipated results?
Specific Requirements: Documents or other media that are produced
under this award must follow these guidelines: Prior to the preparation
of the final draft of any document or other media, the awardee must
consult with NIC's Writer/Editor concerning the acceptable formats for
manuscript submissions and the technical specifications for electronic
media. For all awards in which a document will be a deliverable, the
awardee must follow the guidelines listed herein, as well as follow 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 www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements.
All final documents and other materials submitted under this
project must meet the federal government's requirement for Section 508
accessibility, including those provisions outlined in 1194 Subpart B,
Technical Provisions, Subpart C, Functional Performance Criteria; and
Subpart D, Documentation and Support, NIC's government product
accessibility template (see www.nicic.gov/section508) outlines the
agency's minimum criteria for meeting this requirement; a completed
form attesting to the accessibility of project deliverables should
accompany all submissions.
Note Concerning Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number:
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) should be entered
into box 10 of the SF 424. The CFDA number for this solicitation is
16.601, Training and Staff Development. You are not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and should check box b under section 16.
Robert M. Brown, Jr.,
Acting Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2013-16475 Filed 7-8-13; 8:45 am]
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