[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 94 (Monday, May 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27581-27583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11661]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, 
Transgender, and Intersex Guidance Project

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 a 12-month project period. Work under this 
agreement will result in a policy guide for corrections practitioners 
charged with the care and custody of lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) offenders. In addition to providing 
guidance in selected operational areas (see Goal 2 and Supplementary 
Information), the guide will provide: (1) A brief summary of the 
relevant case law, (2) a description of current terms and definitions 
relevant to the LGBTI population, including an acknowledgment that 
these terms evolve and change over time, and (3) a list of topics that 
should be addressed in initial and ongoing staff training. 
Informational resources, websites, and sources for additional support 
should accompany each of these three areas.
    It is anticipated that the policy guide will be used by individuals 
from Federal, State, and local corrections agencies of all sizes and 
funding levels, including primarily correctional administrators, 
medical and mental health staff, and training coordinators. 
Consequently, the guide must provide sufficient rationale and 
background information where needed, be easy to understand and 
convenient to use, and provide resources for further study and 
followup.
    Ultimately, the policy guide will allow users to determine best 
practices for their specific agency or facility; write policy, 
procedure, and post orders that will allow implementation and 
monitoring of these practices; and develop staff and offender training 
and orientation materials.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 11, 
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 can be 
submitted via http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement can 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, Correctional Program 
Specialist, Research and Evaluation Division, National Institute of 
Corrections. She can be reached by calling 1-800-995-6423 extension 4-
0374 or by e-mail at [email protected].
    Project Goals: This project consists of five goals, and the 
recipient of the award under this cooperative agreement will complete 
each as follows:
    Goal 1: Develop a work plan including major milestones, a 
description of NIC's role in the project, NIC review and approval 
points, and a project schedule. Note 1: The proposal should describe 
the major components

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and tasks of the work plan. Subtasks will be developed as the project 
progresses. Note 2: The project schedule will be shown by quarters and 
reflect the number of months from the award date, as opposed to actual 
dates.
    Goal 2: Obtain input from corrections practitioners, the medical 
and mental health community, and LGBTI advocates. This input should 
focus on, but not be limited to, problems experienced in managing LGBTI 
offenders, best practice, the areas for which guidance would be most 
helpful, and how the guide can be structured for convenient use. In 
addition to, or in conjunction with the input received under Goal 2, 
the guide might contain guidance on LGBTI identification and risk 
assessment, intake and routine search procedures, offender orientation, 
classification and housing procedures, ongoing monitoring and 
reclassification procedures, provision of medical and mental health 
services, and considerations for the investigative process, privacy 
issues, and the identification of policy and practice with unintended 
consequences that can negatively affect LGBTI offenders.
    Goal 3: Provide for NIC's approval an overview of the guide to 
include anticipated, measurable short-term and intermediate user 
outcomes and brief descriptions of the format and structure, major 
components and their content, and any appendixes, forms, or additional 
information.
    Goal 4: Develop and ``test'' the first draft of the guide. Included 
under this goal is the collection and assessment of feedback from 
potential users and the development of recommended changes for NIC 
approval.
    Goal 5: Revise the guide as indicated and deliver a copy of the 
product that meets NIC's standards for acceptable submissions. For all 
awards in which a document will be a deliverable, the awardee must 
follow the Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for 
Publication as found in the ``General Guidelines for Cooperative 
Agreements,'' which will be included in the award package.
    Document Preparation: 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. All 
final documents and other media submitted for posting on the NIC Web 
site must meet the Federal government's requirement for accessibility 
(508 PDF or HTML file). The awardee must provide descriptive text 
interpreting all graphics, photos, graphs, and/or multimedia to be 
included with or distributed alongside the materials and must provide 
transcripts for all applicable audio/visual works.
    Required Expertise: Applicant organizations and project teams 
should be able to demonstrate the capacity to accomplish all five 
project goals and have experience with and/or an understanding of 
correctional operations, LGBTI populations, and medical, mental health, 
and legal issues that will affect correctional policy and practice.
    Application Requirements: The application should be concisely 
written, typed double-spaced and reference the NIC Opportunity Number 
and Title provided in this announcement. The program narrative text is 
to be limited to 25 double-spaced pages, exclusive of resumes and 
summaries of experience (do not submit full curriculum vitae). In 
addition to the program narrative, 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 that the 
applicant operates under (e.g., July 1 through June 30); and an outline 
of projected costs. 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 
(all OMB Standard Forms are available at http://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.org/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf.)

    Authority:  Public Law 93-415.

    Funds Available and Budget Considerations: Up to $75,000 is 
available for this project, but preference will be given to applicants 
who provide the most 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. This project will 
be a collaborative venture with the NIC Research and Evaluation 
Division.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any State or 
general unit of local 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 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%)

    Are all of the five project goals adequately discussed? Is there a 
clear statement of how each project goal will be accomplished, 
including 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 (35%)

    Does the proposed project staff possess the skills, knowledge, and 
expertise necessary to complete the tasks and include all of the 
elements listed under the project goals and supplementary information? 
Does the applicant agency, institution, organization, individual or 
team have the organization capacity to achieve the five project goals? 
Are the proposed project management and staffing plans realistic and 
sufficient to complete the project within the nine-month timeframe?

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 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 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: 10PEI36. This number should appear as a

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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: 16.602.
    Executive Order 12372: This program is not subject to the 
provisions of Executive Order 12372.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2010-11661 Filed 5-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P