[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43921-43923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17495]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Core Competencies for 
Corrections Learning and Performance Professionals

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 15, 2013. Work under this cooperative agreement will involve 
the development of a core competency model and a corresponding 
complement of competency assessment instruments. The model will 
identify the core competencies both of learners in a corrections agency 
and corrections learning and performance staff. NIC will use the model 
to assess its current learning catalog and to conduct ongoing needs 
analysis regarding learning and performance in corrections via the data 
it collects from the assessment instruments. Corrections professionals 
will use the model and assessment instruments as a skills gap analysis, 
professional development tool, and human resource management tool that 
will assist them with staff selection and retention, performance 
management, and succession management. This project will be a 
collaborative venture with the NIC Academy Division.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 13AC09. 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 
Award will be made. The total amount of funds available under this 
solicitation is $100,000.00. Funds awarded under this solicitation may 
only be used 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 Thursday, 
August 8, 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: As NIC envisions its work with corrections learning 
professionals in the 21st century, we foresee multiple challenges, 
including major shifts in staff roles and responsibilities, learning 
delivery methods, the role of technology, and the incorporation of 
research-based practices into program design and delivery. These shifts 
call for the reassessment of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, 
characteristics, and traits necessary for learning and performance 
staff to achieve superior performance on the job and for the 
development of a competency model that will place learning 
professionals in a position to enhance the performance of their agency.
    NIC has identified the core roles in corrections learning and 
performance as (1) Learning Administrator: Full-time learning program 
staff member with a leadership role, approving authority for 
curriculum, budget, staffing, etc. (i.e., agency training director); 
(2) Full-Time Learning Professional: Full-time learning program staff 
responsible for program coordination, including delivery, 
administrative review, and record keeping (i.e., facility or agency 
training coordinator); (3) Adjunct Learning Professional: Part-time 
learning program staff responsible for delivery of content but whose 
primary job duties are outside the training department (i.e., firearms 
instructor or field training officer); (4) Learning Designer: Full- or 
part-time learning program staff responsible for designing learning 
content; and (5) Learner: Correctional staff member who participates in 
learning events voluntarily or as a requirement of his or her position.
    NIC defines competency as a collection of knowledge, skills, 
traits, characteristics, and attitudes that are demonstrated through 
superior performance that optimizes organizational outcomes. 
Competencies are related not just to a job but to superior performance 
on a job.
    A proposal responsive to this solicitation should, at a minimum, 
identify a plan to address the scope and timeframe of the project, 
determine the methodology necessary to develop staff profiles and 
ascertain the core competencies essential for superior performance by 
corrections learning and performance professionals, and identify a team 
that includes members with learning and performance subject matter

[[Page 43922]]

expertise, project management experience, and experience in the 
development and implementation of assessment instruments.
    Scope of Work: The qualified applicant team will be able to: 
Develop a profile for each of the five identified core roles in 
corrections learning and performance programs and include a narrative 
description with the role title, scope of authority, responsibilities, 
associated tasks, and commonly held positions associated with the 
title;
    Identify emerging roles in corrections learning and performance and 
future implications for the competency model;
    Identify core competencies for each of the five staff profiles;
    Develop a narrative description of each core competency, including 
its definition, knowledge base, relevant research and theory, primary 
skills, characteristics and traits of high performers, available tools 
and resources for developing proficiency in the competency;
    Develop a narrative description of the attitudes and behaviors of 
staff who reflect proficiency at the basic, intermediate, and advanced 
level for each core competency;
    Compile the profile and competency data into final publication 
document(s);
    Design and implement a self-assessment instrument that will 
identify an end-user's current level of proficiency in the competencies 
associated with a staff profile. The instrument must be in a file 
format that is compatible with electronic delivery and that can be 
housed in NIC's Learning Management System.
    Deliverables: At a minimum, the awardee will deliver the following 
products in complete and compliant form: (1) A narrative review of the 
entire project; (2) profiles for each of the five identified roles in 
corrections learning and performance; (3) a roster of core competencies 
for each of the identified profiles, with descriptive narrative for 
each competency; (4) written documents for publication that include the 
project narrative, staff profiles, and core competencies; and (6) a 
self-assessment instrument for each of the staff profiles.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Amanda 
Hall, 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: Application Requirements: Applications 
should be typed, double spaced, in 12-point font, and reference the 
project by the ``NIC Opportunity Number 13AC09'' and title in this 
announcement, ``Core Competencies for Corrections Learning and 
Performance Professionals.'' 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. 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 System for Award 
Management (SAM).

    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 SAM can be done online at the SAM Web site: 
https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/
    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.

[[Page 43923]]

    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 16.603--
Technical Assistance/Clearinghouse. You are subject to the provisions 
of Executive Order 12372. The order allows states the option of setting 
up a system for reviewing applications from within their states for 
assistance under certain Federal programs. You must notify the Single 
State Point of Contact in your state, if it exists, of this application 
before NIC can make an award. Applicants (other than Indian tribal 
governments recognized by the Federal government) should contact their 
State Single Point of Contact (SPOC), a list of which can be found at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. Check the appropriate box 
in section 16 of the SF-424.

Robert M. Brown, Jr.,
Acting Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2013-17495 Filed 7-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P