Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement-Curriculum Development: Planning and Implementing Effective Mental Health Services in Jails, 35319-35321 [2013-13945]

Agencies

• Department of Justice
• National Institute of Corrections

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35319-35321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13945]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Curriculum Development: 
Planning and Implementing Effective Mental Health Services in Jails

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 involve 
developing curriculum, based on the Instructional Theory Into Practice 
(ITIP) model, to train participants in the purpose, functions, and 
operational complexities surrounding the housing and treatment issues 
of inmates exhibiting signs and symptoms of mental illness. The awardee 
will produce a program description (overview), detailed narrative 
lesson plans, a participant manual that follows the lesson plans, and 
presentation slides for each lesson plan. A qualified awardee will have 
expertise in developing effective mental health treatment inside of 
jails and extensive experience in working with local jails on issues 
related to inmate mental health treatment. This project will be a 
collaborative venture with the NIC Jails Division.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 13JD02. 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.

[[Page 35320]]

    Number of Awards and Funds Available: Under this solicitation, one 
award will be made. The total amount of funds available under this 
solicitation is $120,000.00. 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 
https://www.grants.gov. Hand delivered, mailed, faxed, or emailed 
applications will not be accepted.

DATES: Application must be submitted before midnight on Wednesday, July 
3, 2013.

    Authority: Pub. L. 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: Local jails face significant challenges in managing 
inmates who are mentally ill. Often, jails do not have the trained 
personnel or other resources to provide adequate services to these 
inmates and would benefit greatly from a collaborative working 
relationship with the community's mental health services provider. The 
purpose of this curriculum is to help local jail practitioners and 
mental health service providers (1) understand the key elements of 
effective mental health services for jail inmates and (2) forge a 
productive working relationship that facilitates the provision of 
services for offenders with mental illness.
    Scope of Work: The cooperative agreement awardee will draft a 
curriculum on (1) the key elements of effective mental health services 
in jails and (2) the need for and types of collaboration necessary 
between the jail and community mental health services. The awardee will 
also pilot the curriculum and revise the curriculum based on an 
assessment of the pilot. The schedule of activities for this project 
should include, at a minimum, the following:

Meetings

    The cooperative agreement awardee will attend an initial meeting 
with the NIC project manager for a project overview and preliminary 
planning. This will take place shortly after the cooperative agreement 
is awarded.
    The awardee will also conduct two meetings with NIC staff and up to 
five subject matter experts (SMEs) in attendance. The purpose of these 
meetings is to identify clearly the needs for and obstacles to 
implementing effective mental health services in jails. Note that the 
SMEs will be selected by NIC in consultation with the awardee, but all 
costs associated with their meeting attendance will be paid by the 
awardee.
    The awardee will meet up to three times with NIC staff during the 
development of the draft curriculum. One meeting will be devoted to 
drafting a framework for the curriculum, including module topics, 
performance objectives, estimated timeframes, sequencing, and potential 
instructional strategies. The other meetings will focus on lesson plan 
development, review, and revision, and on other project issues, as they 
arise. These meetings will last up to 3 days each.
    The awardee will meet up to two times with NIC staff during the 
refinement of the draft curriculum into a final product. These meetings 
will focus on curriculum revisions and other project issues as they 
arise.
    The applicant should plan for all meetings to take place at the NIC 
office in Washington, DC. However, NIC will make provision for meetings 
through electronic means if unforeseen circumstances require.

Development of Draft Curriculum

    The cooperative agreement awardee will draft the full curriculum in 
consultation with NIC staff. Once the curriculum is drafted, the 
awardee will send it to NIC staff and selected jail mental health 
professionals for review.
    The jail mental health professionals will be chosen by NIC in 
consultation with the awardee, but the awardee will reimburse them for 
time and expenses related to the review. The draft curriculum must be 
submitted sufficiently in advance of the pilot to ensure there is time 
to make any required changes.

Curriculum Pilot

    The draft curriculum will be piloted to determine needed 
refinements. Although the length of the program will be determined by 
the content, the awardee should project that the program will last up 
to 3 full days.
    The awardee, in conjunction with NIC, will identify up to three 
trainers for the program. The awardee will contract with and pay all 
costs associated with the trainers, including travel, lodging, meals, 
fees, and miscellaneous expenses. The awardee will also furnish each 
trainer with a set of the approved lesson plans, participant manual, 
and presentation slides. NIC will select program participants; notify 
participants of selection and program details; supply training 
materials, including participant manuals; and secure, through a 
partnership agreement with a local jurisdiction, training space.
    NIC staff will attend the entire program, and the awardee will work 
closely with NIC staff during program delivery. At the end of each 
program day, the awardee will meet with NIC staff to review the modules 
delivered.

Curriculum Revision and Final Product

    Based on the pilot and discussions with NIC staff, the awardee will 
revise the curriculum. The awardee will submit the revised curriculum 
to NIC staff for final review and make any remaining changes. The 
awardee will submit the completed curriculum to NIC in hard copy and on 
disk.
    Deliverables: The final curriculum will include a program 
description (overview), detailed narrative lesson plans and a 
participant manual that follows the lesson plans (both in Word format) 
and presentation slides for each lesson plan (in PowerPoint format). 
The curriculum will be designed according to the ITIP model for adult 
learners. Lesson plans will be in a format that NIC provides.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic 
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Mike 
Jackson, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of 
Corrections who may be reached by email at mpjackson@bop.gov. 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'' (13JD02) and title in this 
announcement, ``Curriculum Development: Planning and Implementing 
Effective Mental Health Services in Jails.'' 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'

[[Page 35321]]

qualifications and expertise relevant to the project, but should not 
attach lengthy resumes. Applicants must also attach a lesson plan in 
ITIP format, the corresponding participant material and the 
presentation slides from a curriculum that they have developed as a 
sample for consideration. 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 
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.
    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: 
https://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. 2013-13945 Filed 6-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P