[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41088-41090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16475]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Support Services for 
Community Services Division Networks

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 an 18-month period to begin no later than 
September 15, 2013. Work under this cooperative agreement will provide 
support services to NIC Community Services Division sponsored networks. 
The networks are designed for NIC to assist in meeting the needs of the 
field of community corrections by serving defined groups of members. 
Each of the networks typically meets twice per fiscal year, for a total 
of up to ten meetings. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is for 
the awardee to provide specific support services to each of the network 
managers. Some of the potential tasks include attending network 
meetings to keep track of meeting minutes accurately, provide support 
to the network manager, prepare a summary report for the network 
participants, prepare a detailed report for the network manager, create 
a quarterly report on the ``Hot Topics'' from all the networks

[[Page 41089]]

combined that may benefit the field at large, and other administrative 
duties relevant to each network meeting. This project will be a 
collaborative venture with the NIC Community Services Division.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 13CS19. 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, 1 
(one) award will be made. 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 awarded under this 
solicitation may be used only for activities directly related to the 
project as described herein unless otherwise amended in writing by NIC.
    Applications: All applicants must be submitted electronically via 
http://www.grants.gov. Hand delivered, mailed, faxed, or emailed 
applications will not be accepted.

DATES: Application must be submitted before midnight on Tuesday, July 
30, 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: NIC works closely with federal, 
state, and local corrections agencies on a broad range of projects, 
from operational issues to research and innovative practices. Part of 
that work has included the formation of networks that promote the 
sharing of vital information between peers, training opportunities, and 
the NIC's access to key agency leaders in defining and planning future 
NIC work. Networks typically focus on hot topics and trends in the 
field and the development of evidence-based and promising practices. 
The NIC Community Services Division currently sponsors 5 networks: (1) 
Community Corrections Collaborative Network (CCCN), which has 10 
members and comprises the leading associations that represent 
probation, parole, pretrial, and treatment professionals around the 
country (i.e., APPA, APAI, ICCA, NAPSA, and NAPE); (2) Executive 
Directors of Paroling Authorities, which comprises executives from 
state parole board agencies with offender release authority; (3) 
Executives of Probation and Parole, which has approximately 30 members 
and comprises executive leaders at the state agency level responsible 
for both probation and parole supervision; (4) Pretrial Executives 
Network, which has 15 members and comprises executives from some of the 
most established evidence-based pretrial services programs; and (5) 
Urban Chiefs Network, which has 15 members and comprises community 
corrections executives representing jurisdictions that are local and 
urban. The network meetings occur periodically throughout the year and 
are of 2 to 2.5 days in duration.
    Scope of Work: The intent of this solicitation is for the awardee 
to provide support services to each of the NIC Community Services 
Division sponsored networks. Support services may include attendance at 
network meetings, detailed note taking, collection of supplementary 
materials and preparation of a summary report for distribution to 
network members, preparation of a final report for the network manager, 
and post-network meeting reports, such as policy briefs or issue 
papers. In providing support services to each of the networks, the 
applicant should be organized, flexible, and able to multitask during 
network meetings. The applicant should have strong writing and editing 
skills. It is also preferred that the applicant have experience working 
with executive-level staff. The applicant should also demonstrate the 
skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to provide the deliverables 
described in this solicitation. If applicant proposes to include 
consultants or partnerships, the application should contain detailed 
justification for their inclusion. The awardee may perform some or all 
of the deliverables listed in this solicitation for each of the network 
meetings. The network managers will coordinate with the awardee prior 
to a network meeting and determine the deliverables that are being 
requested for that particular network meeting. If support services are 
being requested by the network manager, the awardee may be asked to 
provide some or all of the deliverables listed in this solicitation. 
The proposed budget should outline each of the services listed under 
the project deliverables and the cost associated with each service. The 
network manager will select individual services based on the need of 
the network manager and meeting. The network manager will then 
coordinate with the awardee prior to the event and ensure the awardee 
is clear about what services are needed for that network meeting. Upon 
being awarded this solicitation, the awardee will meet with the project 
manager to discuss the expectations of each of the network managers and 
provide answers to any questions pertaining to the scope of work.
    Deliverables: (1) Provide support services at each of the NIC 
sponsored network meetings, which includes but is not limited to 
distributing meeting materials to network members, taking note of 
proceedings, producing a copy of the meeting minutes, developing an 
appropriately edited and formatted summary report for electronic 
distribution to participants and a detailed report for the network 
manager's use; (2) develop a quarterly bulletin of ``Hot Topics'' from 
information gathered across the network meetings. Hot topics should be 
taken from the agenda topics or discussions from each of the network 
meetings and put into a bulletin format. The bulletin will be developed 
in collaboration with the network managers; (3) develop other written 
materials as assigned, e.g., training materials to be used at 
conference workshops or training sessions; and (4) consult with the NIC 
network managers regarding special projects. Special projects may 
include developing a 3- to 5-page policy brief or issue paper based on 
the network meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Gregory 
Crawford, Correctional Program Specialist, 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: Applications should be typed, double 
spaced, in 12-point font, and reference the project by the ``NIC 
Opportunity Number'' 13CS19 and title in this announcement, ``Support 
Services for Community Services Division Networks.'' 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

[[Page 41090]]

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. Attachments to 
the proposal describing your organization or examples of other past 
work beyond those specifically requested above are discouraged. These 
attachments should not exceed 5MB.
    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 CCR 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, to include the overall 
project goal(s), major tasks to achieve the goal(s), the strategies to 
be employed in completing the tasks, required staffing, and other 
required resources? Are there any approaches, techniques, or design 
aspects proposed that are new to NIC and will enhance the project?

Organizational (35%)

    Do the proposed project staff members 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 complete all project 
tasks? Does the proposal contain project management and staffing plans 
that are realistic and sufficient to complete the project within the 
project time frame?

Project Management/Administration (25%)

    Does the applicant identify reasonable objectives and/or milestones 
that reflect the key tasks, 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:  
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) should be entered 
into box 10 of the SF 424. The CFDA number for this solicitation is 
16.601, Training and Staff Development. You are not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and should check box b under section 16.


Robert M. Brown, Jr.,
Acting Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2013-16475 Filed 7-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P