[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35318-35319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13952]



[[Page 35318]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Corrections-Specific 
Resources for Extended Stakeholder Audiences

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

ACTION: Solicitation for a cooperative agreement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 involve 
the development of a series of resources dedicated to addressing the 
corrections-specific frequently asked questions of its extended 
stakeholder audiences, including family and community-based 
constituency groups. Sample content may include original feature 
writing, creation of fact sheets, audio podcasts, videos, and/or 
photography. This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC 
Research and Information Services Division.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 13RE3. 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, one 
or more awards will be made. The total amount of funds available under 
this solicitation is $50,000.00.
    Applications: All applicants must be submitted electronically via 
http://www.grants.gov. Hand delivered, mailed, faxed, or emailed 
applications will not be accepted.

DATES: Applications must be submitted before midnight on Monday, July 
1, 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: Under United States Public Law 93-415, the National 
Institute of Corrections was assigned with authority by Congress to 
``serve as a clearinghouse and information center for the collection, 
preparation, and dissemination of information on corrections.'' By this 
authority, the National Institute of Corrections has become one of the 
largest national repositories for corrections-related information. 
Under this cooperative agreement, the awardee will develop materials 
designed to provide corrections-related information to extended 
stakeholder audiences.
    Providing these resources will help reduce misconceptions among 
stakeholders about the nature and role of corrections in a community, 
as part of a local government structure, and as a participant in 
ensuring the public safety, public health, and general welfare of 
citizens. In addition, these resources will help correctional 
audiences, their stakeholders, and related community partners make 
informed choices in the future about the correctional laws and policies 
in their local area that affect them.
    A proposal responsive to this solicitation should, at a minimum, 
include evidence of understanding that making accurate information 
available about the criminal justice system can help increase knowledge 
among stakeholders about corrections and related criminal justice 
operations. A proposal should also include evidence of the ability to 
create content, such as original feature writing, fact sheets, audio 
podcasts, videos, mobile apps, interactive maps, and/or photography, 
etc. that can be used as part of a systematic public education program.
    Experience in corrections or a journalism-related occupation is not 
required. Most valued is an applicant's ability to translate criminal 
justice information accurately in plain language for the general 
public. The ability to write long-form as well as shorter pieces of 
content is required. The applicant must have a firm command of writing 
skills, fact gathering, and research.
    In addition, expertise in some aspect of media production (Web, 
mobile, broadcast, social media, etc.) is required. The applicant must 
be able to supply material, such as audio, photo, video, mobile 
application, etc., to ``advance the story,'' giving those who read 
feature material an opportunity to engage actively and in depth with a 
topic.
    A proposal should also reveal the applicant's ability and 
experience in working under weekly or daily deadlines and adhering to 
regular content development schedules.
    Scope of work: Tasks to be performed through this cooperative 
agreement include (1) conducting background research using primary and 
secondary sources, (2) writing original content in a consumer friendly 
style, (3) developing interactive content, such as video, podcast, 
mobile application, or other multimedia material, (4) revising material 
as needed to adhere to agency specifications, (5) surveying current 
topics in corrections and proposing items to cover, and (6) planning 
and adhering to a content development schedule created in consultation 
with NIC staff.
    This project will be completed in conjunction with the NIC Research 
and Information Services Division; however, the awardee will be 
expected to work closely with all NIC staff and contractors as needed 
on all aspects of the project.
    The awardee will participate in an initial meeting with designated 
NIC staff for a project overview and preliminary planning. 
Additionally, the awardee will meet routinely with NIC staff to discuss 
the activities noted in the project timeline submitted during the 
course of the cooperative agreement. Meetings will be held weekly and 
may be conducted via telephone, webinar, and/or videoconference with at 
least one onsite as agreed upon by NIC and the awardee. Some travel 
expenses may be covered by NIC and therefore are negotiable depending 
on the meeting and/or awardee's location.
    Deliverables: Deliverables expected be produced under this 
cooperative agreement include at a minimum (1) a final report that 
summarizes the project and provides recommendations for follow up work, 
(2) 52 weeks of weekly feature articles (800 to 2,500 words) (content 
only) describing or explaining concepts in corrections, (3) 26 weeks of 
bi-weekly media (such as audio, photo, video, mobile application, etc.) 
supporting feature content, (4) 12 months of monthly fact sheets 
(content only) describing or explaining concepts in corrections.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Donna 
Ledbetter, Writer/Editor, 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: Application Requirements: Applications 
should be typed, double spaced, in 12-point font, and reference the 
project by the ``NIC Opportunity Number'' (13RE3)

[[Page 35319]]

and title in this announcement, ``Corrections-Specific Resources for 
Extended Stakeholder Audiences''. 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 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. Large attachments to the 
proposal describing the organization or examples of other past work are 
discouraged.
    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 CRR 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, including major sub-
tasks, 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 listed under the scope of 
work? Does the applicant organization, group, or individual have the 
organizational capacity to achieve all project tasks? Are the proposed 
project management and staffing plans realistic and sufficient to 
complete the project within the project time frame?

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 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:  
This number should be entered in section 10 of the Application for 
Federal Assistance (SF-424). You should enter 16.602 (Research and 
Policy Formulation) in section 10 of the SF-424. You are not subject 
to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 and should check Box b. 
in section 16.


Robert Brown, Jr.
Acting Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2013-13952 Filed 6-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P