[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 146 (Friday, July 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45618-45620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19223]


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 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Two Hearings of the 
National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board

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 period to begin no later than 
September 1, 2011. Work under this cooperative agreement will involve 
organizing two hearings of

[[Page 45619]]

the NIC Advisory Board. The hearings will assist the Board in providing 
directions to NIC and the corrections field on the subject of 
organizational culture (hearing 1) and cost containment 
(hearing 2). The first hearing will be held on November 2-3, 
2011 in San Diego, California. The second hearing will be held in April 
or May 2012 in Aurora, Colorado (note that the site for hearing 
2 will be the National Correctional Academy in Aurora, 
Colorado).

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, 
August 10, 2011. Selection of the successful applicant and notification 
of review results to all applicants will be made by September 1, 2011.

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 20001. At the front desk, call (202)307-3106, 
extension 0 for pickup.
    Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be accepted. Electronic 
applications 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/cooperativeagreements.
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Sherry Carroll. She can be reached 
by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The recipient of the award under this 
cooperative agreement will organize and coordinate all logistical 
details for two hearings of the NIC Advisory Board. All expenses for 
these two hearings, expected to last up to two days with up to 25 
invited witnesses, will be provided out of the funding awarded under 
this agreement. Witnesses for each meeting will be identified by NIC, 
and the location of the meetings will be in San Diego, California, and 
Aurora, Colorado. The recipient will also make arrangements for lodging 
for up to 15 members of the NIC advisory board and up to 10 NIC staff 
members, but will not be responsible for the Board or NIC staff travel, 
lodging, or per diem costs. Arrangements should allow for up to 25 
observers who will attend the hearings at their own expense, including 
Federal and state officials, the media, or other guests, to be 
accommodated. The recipient will not be required to coordinate travel 
or lodging for observers.
    The recipient of this award will assist NIC in locating an 
appropriate venue and coordinating local arrangements, including a 
meeting room to accommodate up to 75 people, food, and beverage 
services, at the site. The recipient will assist the 25 witnesses in 
each of the two hearings in arranging travel, lodging, and reimbursing 
costs in conformity with Federal guidelines. Some witnesses or 
presenters may also be eligible to receive compensation for their 
participation, which may be in the form of a white paper or 
presentation (up to $10,000 total for both hearings should be budgeted 
for this expense).
    With input from NIC, the recipient will prepare each hearing's 
agenda, participant lists, white papers, handouts, and supplementary 
materials; provide electronic copies to NIC communications staff; 
duplicate hard copy versions in sufficient quantities; and deliver them 
to the venue. With input from NIC, the participant will prepare and 
distribute a press release concerning the event, prepare press kits, 
and facilitate coverage of the hearings by national media outlets, 
including newspaper, radio, television, and Web-based news 
organizations. The recipient will arrange for or supply all audio-
visual equipment necessary for hearing 1. The recipient will 
also make the necessary arrangements to record the proceedings, either 
by audio or video, and with a note taker for each meeting.
    In addition to providing staff on site for each of the two 
hearings, the recipient should also budget for up to four, one-day 
planning sessions with NIC Advisory Board members and NIC staff to take 
place in Washington, DC, or Aurora, Colorado, during the award period.
    Deliverables: By the end of the project, the recipient of this 
award will deliver the following products: (1) Detailed notes of the 
proceedings of each hearing delivered within 30 days of the event; (2) 
Each of the white papers produced for the meetings, edited to be 
suitable for distribution to corrections practitioners and delivered in 
NIC's standard format; and (3) A summary report providing an overview 
of the meetings, their major themes, and any recommendations for the 
field.
    Required Expertise: Successful applicants should have the 
organizational capacity to complete all the tasks listed above, 
including demonstrated experience in organizing meetings of the size 
and type described, working closely with the media, and facilitating 
hearing coverage. Preference will also be given to applicants with a 
record of working with similar subject matter expert groups in 
government or criminal justice.
    Application Requirements: Applications 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, numbered pages. The application 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., September 1, 2011 
through June 30, 2012), a program narrative responding to the 
requirements in this announcement, a description of the qualifications 
of the applicant(s), an outline explaining projected costs, and the 
following forms: 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 Drug-Free 
Workplace Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.org/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 must be one, 
unbound original plus 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: Up to $100,000 is available for this project, 
subject to available funding, 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 
be used only for the activities that are directly related to the 
project.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or 
private agency, educational institution, organization, individual or 
team with expertise in the described areas.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC 
Administration Division.

[[Page 45620]]

    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:

Organizational (75%)

    Does the applicant have the necessary capacity and staff with the 
skills, knowledge, and expertise to demonstrate a high level of 
competency to carry out the tasks? Are the proposed project management 
and staffing plans realistic and sufficient to complete the project? 
Has the organization had past experience in organizing similar events 
in government or the criminal justice area?

Budget (25%)

    Is the proposed budget realistic? Does it provide sufficient cost 
detail/narrative and represent good value relative to the anticipated 
results? Is there evidence that the applicant has proposed the most 
cost effective way of performing the work? Are there any innovative 
strategies proposed to contain costs?

    Note:  NIC will NOT award a cooperative agreement to an 
applicant unless they have a Dun and Bradstreet Database Universal 
Number (DUNS) and are 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 work sheet can also be reviewed 
at the Web site.
    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 which will be 
included in the award package.
    Number of Awards: One.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 11AD11. This number should appear as a 
reference line in the cover letter, where the opportunity number is 
requested on the 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. 2011-19223 Filed 7-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P