[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1814-1816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-505]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Curriculum Development: 
Training for Correctional Industries Directors

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) Transition and 
Offender Workforce Development (T/OWD) and Academy Divisions are 
seeking applications for the development of a competency based, blended 
modality training curriculum that will provide Correctional Industries 
Directors with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to set 
organizational priorities, identify strategic objectives, create 
measurable goals, establish collaborative partnerships, utilize current 
labor market information, and provide specialized services and 
programming that support the offenders' long term attachment to the 
labor force.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EST on Friday, February 
12, 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, dial 7-3106, extension 0 
for pickup.
    Faxed applications will not be accepted. Electronic applications 
can be submitted via http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Michael 
Guevara, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of 
Corrections. He can be reached by calling 303-365-4415, 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:
    Overview: NIC is looking to develop a curriculum, which follows 
NIC's Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP) model, to be written 
based on occupational documentation that includes a completed DACUM 
(Developing A Curriculum) and a

[[Page 1815]]

DACUM validation for the position of Correctional Industries Director. 
It is anticipated that the curriculum will utilize blended learning 
formats to accommodate the possibility of distance learning. The 
curriculum will be piloted and changes made based upon evaluation of 
the pilot.
    Background: NIC has been committed for years to improving offender 
transition, workforce development, and correctional industries. In an 
effort to expand on the resources NIC provides the field in these 
areas, a DACUM was completed for the job of Correctional Industries 
Director. This was followed by a DACUM validation. The next step is to 
create and pilot a training curriculum for this position.
    Purpose: To create and pilot a complete training curriculum for 
Correctional Industries Directors.
    Scope of Work: At the end of this Cooperative Agreement, a 
curriculum will have been developed using NIC's Instructional Theory 
Into Practice (ITIP) model. This model can be found on NIC's Web site 
via the following link: http://www.nicic.org/pubs/1992/010714.pdf. The 
curriculum will include a facilitator's manual, participant's manual, 
and all relevant supplemental material (such as PowerPoint slides, 
visual and/or audio aids, handouts, exercises, etc.). The use of 
blended learning tools such as a live web-based training environment 
(e.g. WebEx) or supplemental on-line training courses is encouraged. 
Clear learning objectives will be contained in each lesson, and 
delivery modality will be based on how to most efficiently and 
effectively achieve these objectives. The curriculum will have been 
piloted and changes incorporated as necessary. A pre-and post-test, as 
well as quizzes will have been developed as necessary. Consideration 
will be given to advance work for participants, such as reading 
assignments or taking an online course through NIC's Learning Center. 
An evaluation, to be distributed at the conclusion of the training, 
will also have been developed. This evaluation will examine the 
content, processes, and delivery of the program. The evaluation will be 
designed with the purpose in mind of helping to revise and improve the 
training and curriculum. After it is developed under this cooperative 
agreement, the proposed evaluation protocol must be submitted to NIC 
for review and approval before use.
    Specific Requirements: The training curriculum will be based on a 
recently established needs assessment identified through the use of a 
DACUM for Correctional Industries Directors. Modules may address the 
following: Dynamic Leadership; Financial Self-Sufficiency; Offender 
Workforce Development; Marketing Strategies; Staff Workforce 
Competencies; Stakeholder Network; Internal and External Customer 
Satisfaction; Reentry Services; Organizational Performance; Engaging in 
Legislative Processes, and Balancing Internal/External Environments.
    Document Requirements: The following are the expected document 
requirements. Note: Publications produced under this award must follow 
the ``Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for 
Publication'' as found in the General Guidelines for Cooperative 
Agreements included in the award package. All final publications 
submitted for posting on the NIC Web site must meet the federal 
government's requirement for accessibility (508 PDF or HTML file). All 
documents developed under this cooperative agreement must be submitted 
in draft form to NIC for review before the final products are 
delivered.
    Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written, 
contain no more than 20 double spaced typed pages (exclusive of resumes 
and summaries of experience), and reference the project by the ``NIC 
Opportunity Number'' and Title in this announcement. 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 program narrative in response to the statement of work and 
a budget narrative explaining projected costs. 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://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf.)
    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: 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 only be used for 
the activities that are linked to the desired outcome of the project.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with NIC's Transition 
& Offender Workforce Development and Academy Divisions.
    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 subjected to a 3 to 5 person NIC Peer Review 
Process. The criteria for the evaluation of each application will be as 
follows:

Programmatic (60%)

    Is there demonstrated knowledge of curriculum development? Is a 
specific model of curriculum development (e.g. ITIP) proposed? Is there 
demonstrated knowledge of training for leadership and executive 
positions? Is there demonstrated knowledge of techniques and/or 
interventions that successfully address acquisition and retention of 
new knowledge, skills and abilities? Does the proposal include blended 
and distance learning approaches? Are project goals/tasks adequately 
discussed? Is there a clear statement of how project goals will be 
accomplished, to include: major tasks that will lead to achieving the 
goal, the strategies to be employed, required staffing and other 
required resources? Are there any innovative approaches, techniques, or 
design aspects proposed that will enhance the project?

Organizational (20%)

    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 goals of the 
project? Are the proposed project management and staffing plans 
realistic and sufficient to complete the project within the 12-month 
time frame?
Project Management/Administration (20%)
    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

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structure to ensure effective coordination? Is the proposed budget 
realistic, does it provide sufficient cost detail/narrative, and does 
it 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 CRR 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: 10A30. 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. 2010-505 Filed 1-12-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P