Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Training Curriculum Development for Probation and Parole Supervision Executives, 38655-38657 [2012-15842]

Agencies

• Department of Justice
• National Institute of Corrections

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 125 (Thursday, June 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38655-38657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15842]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Training Curriculum 
Development for Probation and Parole Supervision Executives

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 who would like to 
enter into a 12-month cooperative agreement with NIC to develop and 
pilot a training curriculum that prepares executives of probation and 
parole supervision agencies in their new position. This curriculum 
should be between 32-40 hours, include a blended approach to training 
using instructor-led face-to-face and Web-based instructional delivery 
strategies, and be based on NIC's Instructional Theory Into Practice 
(ITIP) model.

DATES:  Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 
20, 2012.

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 20534. At the front desk, dial 7-3106, extension 0 
for pickup.
    Faxed applications will not be accepted. Electronic applications 
can only be submitted via www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and the 
required application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web page at 
www.nicic.gov.
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Robbye Braxton, Correctional Program 
Specialist, National Institute of Corrections at rbraxtonmintz@bop.gov 
or to Jim Cosby, Community Services Division Chief, at jcosby@bop.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The goal is to develop and pilot a training 
curriculum for probation and parole supervision executives that will 
describe their role and function as chief executive officer of a 
criminal justice agency. The curriculum should promote the use of 
evidence-based practices in planning and implementation, describe an 
executive's responsibility in the transition/reentry of offenders, 
clarify the collaborative role of an executive with other stakeholders 
in the criminal justice system, and examine the executive's leadership 
role in influencing an organizational culture that supports an agency's 
mission and goals.
    Background: Generally an alternative to incarceration, probation is 
a court ordered period of correctional supervision in the community. 
Conversely, parole is a period of conditional supervised release in the 
community following a term of incarceration. There are many agencies 
that combine the functions of probation and parole community 
supervision in

[[Page 38656]]

one agency. This combination increases the need for various offender 
management strategies, programs, and services. According to the most 
recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics titled ``Probation 
and Parole in the United States, 2010,'' the number of adult 
probationers under community supervision was 4,887,900. The report also 
indicated that the number of adult parolees under community supervision 
was at 840,700. And while the report indicates a declining trend, these 
numbers--more than 5 million offenders--illustrate the need for 
continuing effective services to further reduce recidivism and increase 
public safety.
    This training will prepare newly appointed probation and parole 
executives to function in their position successfully in an evidence-
based era. Issues of agency leadership, motivation, communication, 
decision-making, strategic planning, and managing daily operations are 
often new to these executives. While many come to the position with a 
myriad of criminal justice experiences, some have never been in a 
position of chief executive officer.
    Statement of Work: Under this cooperative agreement, the goal is to 
develop and pilot a blended ITIP curriculum that prepares probation and 
parole supervision executives for their new role and responsibilities. 
This work will occur in four phases. The first phase is curriculum 
development and design, where probation and parole executive-level 
competency areas--knowledge and skills--will be identified through the 
developing-a-curriculum (DACUM) process. The curriculum is then 
designed using the ITIP model. The second phase is training for 
trainers (T4T). The newly designed curriculum will be presented to 
select trainers. The training will introduce trainers to the 
curriculum, adult learning theories, and facilitation styles. The third 
phase is pilot testing. This is the delivery of the new curriculum to 
participants from various jurisdictions. Finally, the last phase is 
revision, and it will involve assessments of and changes to the 
curriculum in order to produce the final deliverable.
    Tasks to be performed under this cooperative agreement include: (1) 
Create a 32- to 40-hour blended training curriculum based on the ITIP 
model. The awardee under this solicitation will develop content areas--
probation and parole executive competencies--as the basis for the 
curriculum. The awardee will participate in initial meetings with the 
NIC Correctional Program Specialist (CPS) assigned to manage the 
cooperative agreement to ensure understanding of and agreement on the 
scope of work to be performed. The awardee must consider and use NIC's 
positions relative to transition, evidenced-base practices, and 
offender programming in the development of the curriculum. In addition, 
the awardee will develop slide shows, a participant manual, and any 
other participant materials such as handouts or pre- and post-training 
assignments. The final curriculum, including its format, must be 
approved in advance by NIC. (2) Design, facilitate and validate the 
DACUM. The awardee will work with NIC's CPS to identify subject matter 
experts to serve on both the original DACUM and the validation DACUM. 
NIC will approve the final list of subject matter experts for both 
sessions. The DACUM will take place at the National Training Academy in 
Aurora, CO. The DACUM validation will occur virtually. (3) Design and 
facilitate a three- or four-day, T4T workshop based on the new 
curriculum. The awardee will work with NIC's CPS to identify potential 
trainers for the T4T, and NIC's CPS will approve the final list of 
trainers. During this session, trainers will become familiar with adult 
learning theory and its connection to facilitation styles. The session 
will include opportunities for the trainers to practice facilitating 
the modules, and the awardee, along with NIC's CPS, will provide 
feedback to trainers. The T4T session will take place at the National 
Training Academy in Aurora, CO. (4) Pilot the curriculum. The 
curriculum will be delivered to participants from various 
jurisdictions. The awardee will work with NIC's CPS in managing some of 
the pilot training logistics, such as setting training dates, 
reproducing trainer and participant materials, and acquiring any 
necessary equipment or additional information. The awardee will be 
present during the pilot to observe and assess the training. At the 
conclusion of each training day, the team--CPS, trainers and awardee--
will participate in debriefing sessions to assess training and 
curriculum concerns/issues. The pilot will take place at the National 
Training Academy in Aurora, CO. (5) Develop an assessment instrument of 
the curriculum in consultation with NIC's CPS and NIC's Research and 
Information Services Division. (6) Participate in planning meetings 
with NIC's CPS to coordinate the curriculum development, review the 
DACUM information, assess the pilot training, and review final 
curriculum revisions. Awardee expenses for these meetings are limited 
to the cost of travel, lodging, meals, incidental expenses, and 
compensation. The awardee should plan for up to four 2-day meetings. 
Two of the meetings will take place at the National Training Academy in 
Aurora, CO, after the DACUM and pilot training. The other two meetings 
will take place in Washington, DC, at NIC's offices. All other meetings 
will occur either by telephone or virtual meeting.
    Required Expertise: The successful applicant will need the skills, 
abilities, and knowledge in the following areas: Knowledge of the role 
of probation and parole and its function in the criminal justice 
system; The ability to develop a curriculum using the Instructional 
Theory Into Practice (ITIP) format; Expertise in a variety of 
instructional delivery strategies including, instructor-led 
synchronous/asynchronous Web-based e-learning; Skill in designing 
training curriculum linked to training objectives; Knowledge of 
evidence-based practices, offender transition, and how these areas 
relate to probation and parole supervision; Knowledge of training 
evaluation methods; Effective written and oral communication skills.
    As part of this cooperative agreement, NIC will provide funding for 
participant expenses (travel, lodging, and meals) for the initial 
DACUM; participant expenses (travel, lodging, and meals) for the 
training for trainers workshop; and participant and trainer expenses 
(travel, lodging, and meals) for the pilot training. The awardee will 
not be responsible for these costs and should not include them in their 
application.
    Document Requirements: Documents or other media 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. The awardee must follow the guidelines listed herein, as well as 
follow (1) 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 and (2) NIC recommendations for producing media 
using plain language, which can be found at www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage.
    All final documents and other media submitted under this project 
may be posted on the NIC Web site and must meet the federal 
government's requirement for accessibility (e.g., 508 PDFs or HTML 
files). The awardee must provide descriptive text interpreting all 
graphics, photos, graphs, and/or

[[Page 38657]]

multimedia that will be included with or distributed alongside the 
materials and must provide transcripts for all applicable audio/visual 
works.
    Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written, 
typed, double spaced, and reference the project by the NIC Opportunity 
Number and title in this announcement. 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 program 
narrative, not to exceed 30 pages, in response to the statement of 
work; and 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.
    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 
https://www.grants.gov) and DOJ/NIC Certification Regarding Lobbying; 
Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and the Drug-
Free Workplace Requirements available at https://nicic.gov/Downloads/General/certif-frm.pdf.
    In addition, please submit with your typed application a copy of an 
ITIP curriculum, which must include all lesson plans and slide show 
presentations. The curriculum should be one that your organization has 
developed or developed in collaboration with another organization. You 
are not required to submit participant materials and/or manuals, but 
you may do so. The curriculum and related materials should be submitted 
on a disc.
    Failure to supply all required forms with the application package 
may result in disqualification of the application from consideration.
    NIC project managers will post answers to questions received from 
potential applicants on its Web site during the time when the 
solicitation is open to the public.


    Authority:  Pub. L. 93-415

    Funds Available: Up to $90,000 is available for this project, 
subject to available funding. Preference will be given to applicants 
who provide the most cost efficient solutions in accomplishing the 
scope of work, not necessarily the lowest bid. 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 may be used only for the activities that are linked to the 
desired outcome of the project.
    This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC Community 
Services Division.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any private 
agency, educational institution, organization, individual, or team with 
expertise in the described areas.
    Review Considerations: Applications received under this 
announcement will be subjected to the NIC Review Process. Proposals 
that fail to provide sufficient information to allow evaluation under 
the criteria below may be judged non-responsive and disqualified.
    The criteria for the evaluation will be as follows:

Programmatic (45%)

    Are all of the six project tasks discussed adequately? Is there a 
clear statement of how each task will be accomplished, the strategies 
to be employed, required staffing, and other required resources? Has 
the applicant demonstrated a clear understanding of ITIP and curriculum 
design concepts? Are there any innovative approaches, techniques, or 
design aspects proposed that will enhance the project?

Organizational (30%)

    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 five 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 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?

    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: 
https://www.bpn.gov/ccr. A CCR handbook and Worksheet can also be 
reviewed at the Web site.
    Number of Awards: One
    NIC Opportunity Number: 12CS12. This number should appear as a 
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: 16.601.
    Executive Order 12372: This project is not subject to the 
provisions of Executive Order 12372.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2012-15842 Filed 6-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P