[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 232 (Friday, December 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63792-63794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29011]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--The Prison Rape 
Elimination Act (PREA) Technical Assistance Project

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, 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 a 12-month period to begin in February 2010. 
Section 5 of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requires NIC to 
provide ``training and education programs for Federal, State, and local 
authorities responsible for the prevention, investigation, and 
punishment of instances of prison rape.'' NIC's technical assistance 
program is used to provide much of this training and education. Work 
under this cooperative agreement award will continue the technical 
assistance component of NIC's PREA Initiative.
    The role of an NIC technical assistance provider is to help 
agencies improve operations, services, and programs. NIC funded PREA 
assistance builds the requester's capacity to accomplish a task or set 
of tasks related to addressing sexual violence and abuse in 
correctional settings. The assistance can range from simple delivery of 
information about PREA to more complex organizational reviews, 
assessments, and accompanying recommendations.
    It is anticipated that technical assistance requests will be 
considered from state and local agencies charged with housing and/or 
supervising detained and sentenced offenders, and various Federal 
agencies with detention, correctional, and supervision 
responsibilities. Requests for PREA assistance will be submitted 
directly to NIC. The PREA Initiative Project Manager will review, 
approve, and forward the requests to the recipient of the cooperative 
agreement award. Although assistance provided under this award will 
focus on issues of inmate on inmate and staff on inmate sexual abuse 
and violence, NIC has other programs and initiatives that may be 
considered in the overall response to the request. As appropriate, the 
Project Manager will consult with other NIC staff regarding strategies, 
programs, services, or products that might also assist the requester. 
The Project Manager will provide initial and general guidance regarding 
the type of response to be provided, and may participate in early 
discussions with the awardee and representatives from the requesting 
agency to further refine the assistance response.
    The applicant will submit an initial protocol that will outline the 
basic tasks and sub-tasks to be completed in providing technical 
assistance. Guidance on what should be included can be found under 
Supplementary Information. In addition, the applicant should include a 
communications plan which describes notifications, updates, and 
approvals between the requester, the recipient, and the NIC Project 
Manager. After the award is made, this protocol will be further refined 
as necessary and approved by NIC.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, January 
4, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to Director, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street, NW., Room 5007, 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 desk, call (202) 307-3106, extension 0 for pickup. 
Faxed applications will not be accepted. The only electronic 
applications (preferred) that will be accepted must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and a link 
to the required application forms can also be downloaded from the NIC 
Web site at http://www.nicic.gov.
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Dee Halley, CPS, Research and 
Evaluation Division, National Institute of Corrections.
    She can be reached by calling 1-800-995-6423 ext 40374 or by e-mail 
at [email protected]. Questions will be accepted until one week prior to 
the application due date. At this time responses to the questions will 
be posted on the NIC Web site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Protocol Elements

    The applicant should design and submit an initial protocol which 
will guide the provision of technical assistance. The protocol should 
define the basic types of assistance to be provided (information 
delivery, training, etc.) and include time-frames,

[[Page 63793]]

NIC approval points, and generally describe the following elements: (1) 
The development of the assistance response. A key developmental 
activity will be the identification of specific requester goals; (2) 
the identification of eligible providers and their assignment to 
specific technical assistance projects. Consideration should be given 
to an individual's areas of expertise and experience and/or experience 
with addressing issues of sexual misconduct, abuse, or violence in 
correctional settings; (3) the development of an assistance work plan 
for each project. The assistance plan should be as detailed as possible 
including dates, providers, activities related to preparation, onsite 
work, and report development and submission. In addition to hard 
copies, the report and all materials related to the project must be 
submitted in electronic form; (4) the structure and basic content to be 
included in technical assistance reports. The report should follow the 
guidelines set out in the ``NIC Technical Assistance Policies for 
Technical Resource Providers'' found on the NIC Web site at http://www.nicic.gov/TRP; (5) what in addition to the technical assistance 
will be forwarded to the requester and NIC. Project materials might 
include, but not be limited to, agendas, participant lists, briefing 
packages, lesson plans, hand-outs, correspondence, and agency materials 
reviewed by the providers. The number of staff briefed or trained 
during the event should be included in the report overview or summary; 
(6) how technical assistance projects will be evaluated and the results 
reported. The award recipient will conduct evaluations immediately 
following or shortly after the event. It is anticipated that NIC will 
conduct further evaluations of selected projects to determine the 
agency's progress toward achieving the goals articulated in the work 
plan.

Technical Assistance Guidance

    Although requests and responses will frequently fall into specific 
groups or types, requests and responses may have unique elements. In 
addition to the guidance provided in the ``NIC Technical Assistance 
Policies for Technical Resource Providers'' and the ``TA Provider 
Handbook'' (http://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/Library/022876.pdf). the 
following provides further information on providing PREA assistance.

General Guidance

    Requesters generally ask NIC to: Deliver information about PREA; 
Facilitate the development of broad strategies and initiatives to 
address PREA, and/or help design and plan systemic responses to 
specific issues such as policy development, prevention, classification 
and orientation, security and protection, medical and mental health 
treatment and follow up, staff training, reporting, investigations, 
prosecutions, and sanctions.

Requests for Information Dissemination

    Although agencies began addressing PREA issues as early as 2004, 
many still request basic information about the law itself. These 
requests can often be addressed through referral to the NIC and other 
web-sites. Others require onsite work. Generally, requests for 
information dissemination should be evaluated against the following 
criteria. The presentation should be at least \1/2\ day. Depending on 
the length and specific content to be covered, no more than two 
providers should be onsite. The potential audience for conference 
workshops should be reasonably large. In the case of agency briefings, 
the audience should consist of individuals who have the authority to 
influence or ensure systemic changes and/or set agency policy.

Requests for Training

    NIC receives numerous requests for PREA training. Responding to 
these requests can significantly impact PREA assistance funds. Requests 
for training should be evaluated against the following criteria: 
Training should be designed to build capacity, (developing those who 
will train or educate others). Such assistance might help requesters 
determine training needs, develop training designs and curriculum, and 
prepare agency staff to train on topics regarding or related to sexual 
misconduct, abuse, and violence. Training provided to those responsible 
for designing procedures, and policy development and implementation is 
desirable. Generally, NIC funded trainers should not return to a site 
for repeat sessions, or deliver pre-service or ongoing, in-service 
training; when possible, funds approved for training requests should be 
used to develop strategies and products that can be used by 
correctional agencies nationwide. If this is possible, the requesting 
agency will be made aware of, and agree to this outcome.

Requests for Assessment and Intervention

    Agencies may require and request assistance in assessing their 
overall operation and its vulnerability to incidents of sexual offenses 
between inmates, or between staff and inmates. Still others 
experiencing a specific problem or set of problems may request 
assistance in identifying the source, depth, and/or impact of the 
problem(s), and developing an effective response.
    Occasionally an agency will request assistance that goes beyond an 
assessment and into intervention. These types of assistance may entail 
activities that take the provider out of the role of ``advisor'' and 
involve him or her significantly in the operations of the agency. 
Indicators of this type of intervention may be multiple site visits, 
visits which last for several days, and activities which engage the 
provider in internal agency difficulties or disputes. Such requests 
will be thoroughly reviewed and the responses carefully planned with 
input from the NIC leadership and the PREA Project Manager.

Project Goals

    Under this cooperative agreement, the recipient of the award will: 
(1) Develop an initial and final protocol for the provision of 
technical assistance; (2) deliver the projected number of technical 
assistance projects, and; (3) deliver through quarterly reports (a) 
progress on meeting the project goals, and (b) an assessment of the 
field's progress in addressing PREA issues.

Required Expertise

    Successful applicants should be able to demonstrate that they have 
the organizational capacity to carry out all of the project goals, 
experience in correctional policy and practice, and knowledge of PREA, 
the proposed standards forwarded by the National Prison Rape 
Elimination Commission to the U.S. Attorney General for consideration, 
and various strategies to address the issue of sexual violence and 
abuse in correctional settings.
    Application Requirements: The application should be concisely 
written, typed double spaced and reference the ``NIC Opportunity 
Number'' and Title provided in this announcement. Please limit the 
program narrative text to 20 double spaced pages, exclusive of resumes 
(do not submit full curriculum vitae) and summaries of organizational 
experience. The application package must include: OMB Standard Form 
424, 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 that the applicant operates 
under (e.g., July 1 through June 30), a program narrative responding to 
the requirements in this announcement, a description of the 
qualifications of the applicant(s), an outline of projected

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costs, and the following forms: OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget 
Information--Non Construction Programs, OMB Standard Form 424B, 
Assurances--Non Construction Programs (these forms are available at 
grants.gov), DOJ/NIC Certification Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf.). Additional Resources: Go to http://www.nicic.gov.
    Applications may be submitted in hard copy, or electronically via 
http://www.grants.gov. If submitted in hard copy, there needs to be an 
original and three copies of the full proposal (program and budget 
narratives, application forms and assurances). The original should have 
the applicant's signature in blue ink.
    Authority: Public Law 93-415.
    Funds Available and Budget Considerations: Up to $150,000 is 
available for this project, but preference will be given to applicants 
who provide the most cost efficient solutions in accomplishing the 
scope of work. Determination will be made based on best value to the 
Government, not necessarily the lowest bid. Funds may only be used for 
the activities that are directly related to the project.
    NIC will not specify the number of events to be completed. In 
developing the proposed budget, applicants should estimate the average 
cost for a technical assistance project, to include the number of 
providers, the overall number of fee days, airfares, and travel and 
miscellaneous expenses. The applicant should estimate the number of 
technical assistance projects to be completed.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC Research 
and Evaluation Division.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or 
private agency, educational institution, organization, individual or 
team with expertise in the described areas.
    Review Considerations: Applications received under this 
announcement will be subject to the NIC Review Process. The criteria 
for the evaluation of each application will be as follows:
Programmatic (40%)
    Is the required protocol (Goal 1) included and reflective of the 
applicants understanding of the project? Are all of the protocol 
elements present and sufficiently detailed to offer a clear 
understanding of how each of the tasks will be accomplished? Are 
Project Goals Two and Three adequately discussed?
Organizational (35%)
    Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the organization and the 
proposed project staff demonstrate a high level of competency to carry 
out the tasks? Does the applicant organization have the necessary 
experience and organizational capacity to carry out all three goals of 
the project? Are the proposed project management and staffing plans 
realistic and sufficient to complete the projected number of technical 
assistance projects within the time frames proposed?
Project Management/Administration (25%)
    Does the applicant identify reasonable objectives, milestones, 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 insure effective coordination? Is 
the proposed budget realistic, provide sufficient cost detail/
narrative, and represent good value relative to the anticipated 
results?

    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.ccr.gov. A CCR handbook and worksheet can also be reviewed 
at the Web site.
    Number of Awards: One.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 10PEI35. 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: 16.603.
    Executive Order 12372: This program is subject to the provisions of 
Executive Order 12372. E.O. 12372 allows states the option of setting 
up a system for reviewing applications from within their states for 
assistance under certain Federal programs. Applicants (other than 
Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact State 
Single Point of Contact (SPOC), a list of which can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. E9-29011 Filed 12-3-09; 8:45 am]
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