Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement-Evidence-Based Decision Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems: Planning and Development for Implementation, 43926-43929 [2013-17500]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
43926
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Notices
All
technical or programmatic questions
concerning this announcement should
be directed to Robert M. Brown, Jr.,
Deputy Director, National Institute of
Corrections who may be reached by
email at rbrown@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 12point font, and reference the project by
the ‘‘NIC Opportunity Number’’ 13AC11
and the announcement, ‘‘Executive
Excellence: Correctional Executive
Development Resource. 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
https://www.grants.gov) and DOJ/NIC
Certification Regarding Lobbying;
Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; and the DrugFree 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.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:15 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
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
PO 00000
Frm 00079
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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.
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.
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. 2013–17496 Filed 7–19–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–36–P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative
Agreement—Evidence-Based Decision
Making in State and Local Criminal
Justice Systems: Planning and
Development for Implementation
National Institute of
Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.
ACTION: Solicitation for a Cooperative
Agreement.
AGENCY:
The National Institute of
Corrections (NIC) is soliciting proposals
from organizations, groups, or
individuals to enter into a cooperative
agreement for a 15-month period to
begin no later than August 15, 2013.
Work under this cooperative agreement
will be an extension of the NIC’s
Evidence-Based Decision Making
(EBDM) in Local Criminal Justice
Systems initiative. It will require the
coordination of jurisdictions receiving
technical assistance under EBDM and
review of work produced under other
cooperative agreements that resulted in
deliverables under EBDM. Work under
this cooperative agreement will involve
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Notices
all activities necessary to plan for the
successful implementation of EBDM in
a statewide structure.
Specifically, the awardee will plan a
comprehensive structure for
implementation, including development
of a technical assistance (TA) plan and
the tools required to build capacity to
implement EBDM within local
jurisdictions and state-level criminal
justice planning committees. The
awardee will also revise ‘‘A Framework
for Evidence-Based Decision Making in
Local Criminal Justice Systems’’ to
include needed content changes and
additions to support statewide
implementation; develop activities and
tools needed to select a state that,
through an identified process, is
determined to have the greatest
potential for successful planning and
implementation of EBDM at the
statewide level; provide TA to current
EBDM sites and their states’ criminal
justice coordinating counsels and
executive administration in preparation
for statewide planning for EBDM
implementation. This project will be a
collaborative venture with the NIC
Community Services Division.
NIC Opportunity Number: 13CS14.
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
award will be made. The total amount
of funds available under this solicitation
is $480,000.00. 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 https://
www.grants.gov. Hand delivered,
mailed, faxed, or emailed applications
will not be accepted.
DATES: Application must be submitted
before midnight on Monday, August 5,
2013.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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: The purpose of the
EBDM Initiative is to equip criminal
justice policymakers with the
information, processes, and tools that
result in measurable reductions in
pretrial misconduct and post-conviction
reoffending. The initiative to date has
built the capacity within seven local
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:15 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
criminal justice systems to (1) improve
the quality of information used to make
individual case decisions in local
systems and (2) engage these systems as
policymaking bodies to improve the
effectiveness of their decisions
collectively at identified decision
points. Local officials involved in this
initiative include judges, prosecutors,
public defenders, police, sheriff, human
service providers, county executives,
probation, and pretrial services
directors.
A copy of ‘‘A Framework for
Evidence-Based Decision Making in
Local Criminal Justice Systems’’ is
available at https://nicic.gov/Library/
024372. The ‘‘Roadmap to Phase II’’
outlines the primary objectives of TA
targeted at each of the seven local
systems. A copy of the roadmap is
available at https://static.nicic.gov/
Public/roadmap phase ii final 2.docx.
The work completed to date on the
EBDM initiative, including the
Framework document, tools, and TA,
have not addressed criminal justice
decisions beyond an offender’s
placement in prison.
The intent of this proposal is to
perform the activities required to
expand the decision making points of
the current EBDM Framework to
include parole review, reentry
(including institution and community
planning), parole release and setting of
conditions of parole supervision,
responses to parole violations of
conditions of community supervision,
and revocation and termination of
parole. It will expand collaborative
partnerships to include the executive
decision makers from state criminal
justice agencies and build their capacity
to (1) improve the quality of information
used to make individual case decisions
in state systems, (2) engage agencies as
policymaking bodies to improve the
effectiveness of their decisions
collectively at identified decision
points, and (3) improve the effectiveness
of state policy and legislative mandates
to support local jurisdictions’ criminal
justice system goals. It will link and
coordinate state and local collaborative
bodies to (1) improve the quality of
information used to make individual
case decisions managed at both the state
and local levels and (2) engage these
state and local agencies as policymaking
bodies to improve the effectiveness of
their decisions collectively at identified
decision points. State officials will
include chief judge, attorney general,
chief public defender, department of
corrections director, parole release and
supervision authority, state police,
director of health and human services,
PO 00000
Frm 00080
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
43927
victim’s rights, and the governor’s
office.
Included within this proposal is the
provision of TA for current EBDM sites
to help them prepare for statewide
implementation, as well as the
development of a protocol to establish
an effective process for state site
selection.
Scope of Work: The goal of this
cooperative agreement is to develop the
tools and protocols needed to select and
build the capacity to implement EBDM
within a statewide structure. This is will
be accomplished through the following
primary tasks: (1) Develop the ‘‘The
Framework for Evidence-Based Decision
Making in Local and State Criminal
Justice Systems.’’ This document will be
a revision and update of ‘‘Framework
for Evidence-Based Decision Making in
Local Criminal Justice Systems.’’ The
updated document will include all of
the relevant findings and information
needed to guide decision points beyond
prison placement. The updates and
revision must be consistent with the
current principles of EBDM. (2) Develop
tools and protocols to build the capacity
of state-level systems to make evidencebased decisions modeled after the tools
and protocols developed and tested in
‘‘The Roadmap to Phase II.’’ The
revisions and updates will include any
knowledge, skill building, and
information that would be specific to
state-level executives and collaborative
bodies. (3) Develop a protocol to link
and coordinate local collaborative
bodies to their state collaborative body.
This link and coordination is intended
to improve the quality of information
and the effectiveness of the decisions of
state and local bodies in reaching their
harm reduction goals. This link has not
been developed or tested in previous
EBDM work and will require new
development. (4) Develop all the tools
and processes needed to select a state
that has the greatest potential of
completing the planning and
implementation phases of EBDM. Learn
more about the EBDM phases at
https://www.nicic.gov/ebdm. The same
selection process should be used for the
local jurisdiction selection within this
award and it should be modified for
selection of the state that will receive
future NIC technical assistance as part
of this initiative. (5) Deliver TA to
current states participating in the EBDM
initiative (Colorado, Indiana, Oregon,
Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin) to
prepare them for the state selection
process if they choose to participate.
Thirty percent of the total budget of this
cooperative agreement will be devoted
to this effort. The TA should be both
prescriptive and individual to the
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
43928
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Notices
specific developmental needs of each
state. (6) Propose a technical assistance
plan that develops the prerequisite
skills and knowledge that each state
should possess as it begins the selection
process and state-level collaboration.
Proposals should also mention an
applicant’s ability to provide
specialized ad-hoc technical assistance
specific to the needs of the individual
states. (7) Use local and state selection
criteria to make the final selection of the
state, including up to four of its local
jurisdictions, to serve as NIC’s pilot sites
during the planning and
implementation phases.
The order in which these tasks are to
be completed will be determined at the
initial planning meeting.
DELIVERABLES: (1) A manuscript of
‘‘A Framework for Evidence-Based
Decision Making in Local and State
Criminal Justice Systems,’’ (2) Tools and
protocols needed to build state and local
criminal justice system capacity to make
evidence-based decisions, (3) Tools and
protocols needed to link and coordinate
state and local collaborative bodies, (4)
Tools and processes to select the EBDM
pilot state, including up to four of its
local jurisdictions that will link to the
state-level collaborative body, (5)
Working documents of all the tools,
protocols, and processes that are
developed under this cooperative
agreement. The documents must be in a
format accessible to NIC and ready for
use in selected sites. (6) EBDM state
selection, including the local
jurisdictions that will serve as NIC’s
pilot sites, (7) TA to the current EBDM
states (6 eligible states) to prepare them
for EBDM state selection, (8) Planning
meetings and updates with the assigned
NIC correctional program specialist
throughout the award period, including
at a minimum, (a) an in-person planning
meeting with NIC staff to be held within
2 weeks of the award and (b) meeting
routinely with NIC staff to discuss the
progress of the project deliverables.
Meetings will be held no less than
quarterly and may be conducted in
person, by phone, or online as agreed
upon by both the NIC staff and awardee,
(9) All documentation submitted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All
technical or programmatic questions
concerning this announcement should
be directed to Lori Eville, Correctional
Program Specialist, National Institute of
Corrections who may be reached by
email at leville@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
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:15 Jul 19, 2013
Jkt 229001
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 12point font, and reference the project by
the ‘‘NIC Opportunity Number’’ 13CS14
and title in this announcement,
‘‘Evidence-Based Decision Making in
State and Local Criminal Justice
Systems: Planning and Development for
Implementation.’’ 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
https://www.grants.gov) and DOJ/NIC
Certification Regarding Lobbying;
Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; and the DrugFree 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 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 140 / Monday, July 22, 2013 / Notices
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 16.602, Research and
Policy Formulation. 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. 2013–17500 Filed 7–19–13; 8:45 am]
Robert Pavosevich by telephone at 202–
693–2935 (this is not a toll-free number)
or by email at
Pavosevich.Robert@dol.gov.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; National
Longitudinal Study of Unemployment
Insurance Recipients (NLS–UI)
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Policy/Chief Evaluation
Office, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Labor
(DOL), as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the
general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing collections
of information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This
program helps to ensure that required
data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and
financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection
requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed.
A copy of the proposed ICR can be
obtained by contacting the office listed
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
17:15 Jul 19, 2013
Written comments must be
submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before
September 20, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either one of the following methods:
Email: Pavosevich.Robert@dol.gov; Mail
or Courier: Robert Pavosevich, U.S.
Department of Labor ETA/OUI/DFAS,
Room S–4231, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW., Washington DC 20210.
Instructions: Please submit one copy of
your comments by only one method. All
submissions received must include the
agency name and OMB Control Number
identified above for this information
collection. Because we continue to
experience delays in receiving mail in
the Washington, DC area, commenters
are strongly encouraged to transmit their
comments electronically via email or to
submit them by mail early. Comments,
including any personal information
provided, become a matter of public
record. They will also be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB
approval of the information collection
request.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
BILLING CODE 4410–36–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
below in the addresses section of this
notice.
Jkt 229001
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background: The unemployment
insurance (UI) program was designed to
reduce financial hardships for
unemployed workers, assist with
reemployment, and ameliorate the
negative effects of unemployment on the
economy as a whole. By providing
temporary income support, UI benefits
can smooth the transition to new
circumstances, reduce financial distress,
and provide workers with a buffer while
they search for jobs. Furthermore, to
reduce the potential incentive for UI
recipients to prolong their
unemployment, UI benefits are timelimited and provide only a partial
replacement of lost earnings.
Understanding how workers adjust to
the changes in income during and after
UI claim spells would enable
policymakers to assess how well the
program is serving the nation’s workers
and refine it to meet the needs of
unemployed workers while encouraging
them to return to work. However,
information about UI recipients is
generally obtained from retrospective
surveys, which might not provide
sufficient insight into the dynamic
adjustments after job loss or the
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
43929
recipients’ satisfaction with the program
structure.
The National Longitudinal Study of
Unemployment Insurance Recipients
(NLS–UI), funded by the U.S.
Department of Labor, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief
Evaluation Office, will help
policymakers and program
administrators gain information about
the experiences of UI recipients. The
study will examine the extent to which
the UI program reduces recipients’
financial hardships, the ways in which
job search and reemployment
expectations change during and after
benefit collection, and customers’
satisfaction levels with the UI program.
The study will address research
questions in six broad topic areas: (1)
Adequacy of UI benefits, (2)
reemployment expectations, (3) job
search, (4) total UI benefit usage, (5)
employment outcomes, and (6) UI
recipients’ satisfaction with the UI
program.
This package requests clearance for
three surveys of UI recipients that will
take place over approximately nine
months. The surveys will be timed to
coincide with the early, middle, and
post-UI collection experiences of about
2,800 UI recipients in two states who
filed to receive a first payment during
2013. Each survey will take about 25
minutes, on average, and they will be
administered by web and computerassisted telephone interviewing.
Administrative UI claims data will also
be collected from both states to obtain
identifying and contact information
about UI recipients who will be
surveyed and to learn about their UI
benefit collection experiences.
II. Desired Focus of Comments:
Currently, the Department of Labor is
soliciting comments concerning the
above data collection for the National
Longitudinal Study of Unemployment
Insurance Recipients (NLS–UI).
Comments are requested to:
* evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
* evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
* enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
* minimize the burden of the
information collection on those who are
to respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
E:\FR\FM\22JYN1.SGM
22JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43926-43929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17500]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement--Evidence-Based Decision
Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems: Planning and
Development for Implementation
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 a 15-month period to begin no later than
August 15, 2013. Work under this cooperative agreement will be an
extension of the NIC's Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) in Local
Criminal Justice Systems initiative. It will require the coordination
of jurisdictions receiving technical assistance under EBDM and review
of work produced under other cooperative agreements that resulted in
deliverables under EBDM. Work under this cooperative agreement will
involve
[[Page 43927]]
all activities necessary to plan for the successful implementation of
EBDM in a statewide structure.
Specifically, the awardee will plan a comprehensive structure for
implementation, including development of a technical assistance (TA)
plan and the tools required to build capacity to implement EBDM within
local jurisdictions and state-level criminal justice planning
committees. The awardee will also revise ``A Framework for Evidence-
Based Decision Making in Local Criminal Justice Systems'' to include
needed content changes and additions to support statewide
implementation; develop activities and tools needed to select a state
that, through an identified process, is determined to have the greatest
potential for successful planning and implementation of EBDM at the
statewide level; provide TA to current EBDM sites and their states'
criminal justice coordinating counsels and executive administration in
preparation for statewide planning for EBDM implementation. This
project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC Community Services
Division.
NIC Opportunity Number: 13CS14. 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
award will be made. The total amount of funds available under this
solicitation is $480,000.00. 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
https://www.grants.gov. Hand delivered, mailed, faxed, or emailed
applications will not be accepted.
DATES: Application must be submitted before midnight on Monday, August
5, 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: The purpose of the EBDM Initiative is to equip criminal
justice policymakers with the information, processes, and tools that
result in measurable reductions in pretrial misconduct and post-
conviction reoffending. The initiative to date has built the capacity
within seven local criminal justice systems to (1) improve the quality
of information used to make individual case decisions in local systems
and (2) engage these systems as policymaking bodies to improve the
effectiveness of their decisions collectively at identified decision
points. Local officials involved in this initiative include judges,
prosecutors, public defenders, police, sheriff, human service
providers, county executives, probation, and pretrial services
directors.
A copy of ``A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local
Criminal Justice Systems'' is available at https://nicic.gov/Library/024372. The ``Roadmap to Phase II'' outlines the primary objectives of
TA targeted at each of the seven local systems. A copy of the roadmap
is available at https://static.nicic.gov/Public/roadmap phase ii final
2.docx.
The work completed to date on the EBDM initiative, including the
Framework document, tools, and TA, have not addressed criminal justice
decisions beyond an offender's placement in prison.
The intent of this proposal is to perform the activities required
to expand the decision making points of the current EBDM Framework to
include parole review, reentry (including institution and community
planning), parole release and setting of conditions of parole
supervision, responses to parole violations of conditions of community
supervision, and revocation and termination of parole. It will expand
collaborative partnerships to include the executive decision makers
from state criminal justice agencies and build their capacity to (1)
improve the quality of information used to make individual case
decisions in state systems, (2) engage agencies as policymaking bodies
to improve the effectiveness of their decisions collectively at
identified decision points, and (3) improve the effectiveness of state
policy and legislative mandates to support local jurisdictions'
criminal justice system goals. It will link and coordinate state and
local collaborative bodies to (1) improve the quality of information
used to make individual case decisions managed at both the state and
local levels and (2) engage these state and local agencies as
policymaking bodies to improve the effectiveness of their decisions
collectively at identified decision points. State officials will
include chief judge, attorney general, chief public defender,
department of corrections director, parole release and supervision
authority, state police, director of health and human services,
victim's rights, and the governor's office.
Included within this proposal is the provision of TA for current
EBDM sites to help them prepare for statewide implementation, as well
as the development of a protocol to establish an effective process for
state site selection.
Scope of Work: The goal of this cooperative agreement is to develop
the tools and protocols needed to select and build the capacity to
implement EBDM within a statewide structure. This is will be
accomplished through the following primary tasks: (1) Develop the ``The
Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local and State
Criminal Justice Systems.'' This document will be a revision and update
of ``Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Local Criminal
Justice Systems.'' The updated document will include all of the
relevant findings and information needed to guide decision points
beyond prison placement. The updates and revision must be consistent
with the current principles of EBDM. (2) Develop tools and protocols to
build the capacity of state-level systems to make evidence-based
decisions modeled after the tools and protocols developed and tested in
``The Roadmap to Phase II.'' The revisions and updates will include any
knowledge, skill building, and information that would be specific to
state-level executives and collaborative bodies. (3) Develop a protocol
to link and coordinate local collaborative bodies to their state
collaborative body. This link and coordination is intended to improve
the quality of information and the effectiveness of the decisions of
state and local bodies in reaching their harm reduction goals. This
link has not been developed or tested in previous EBDM work and will
require new development. (4) Develop all the tools and processes needed
to select a state that has the greatest potential of completing the
planning and implementation phases of EBDM. Learn more about the EBDM
phases at https://www.nicic.gov/ebdm. The same selection process should
be used for the local jurisdiction selection within this award and it
should be modified for selection of the state that will receive future
NIC technical assistance as part of this initiative. (5) Deliver TA to
current states participating in the EBDM initiative (Colorado, Indiana,
Oregon, Minnesota, Virginia, Wisconsin) to prepare them for the state
selection process if they choose to participate. Thirty percent of the
total budget of this cooperative agreement will be devoted to this
effort. The TA should be both prescriptive and individual to the
[[Page 43928]]
specific developmental needs of each state. (6) Propose a technical
assistance plan that develops the prerequisite skills and knowledge
that each state should possess as it begins the selection process and
state-level collaboration. Proposals should also mention an applicant's
ability to provide specialized ad-hoc technical assistance specific to
the needs of the individual states. (7) Use local and state selection
criteria to make the final selection of the state, including up to four
of its local jurisdictions, to serve as NIC's pilot sites during the
planning and implementation phases.
The order in which these tasks are to be completed will be
determined at the initial planning meeting.
DELIVERABLES: (1) A manuscript of ``A Framework for Evidence-Based
Decision Making in Local and State Criminal Justice Systems,'' (2)
Tools and protocols needed to build state and local criminal justice
system capacity to make evidence-based decisions, (3) Tools and
protocols needed to link and coordinate state and local collaborative
bodies, (4) Tools and processes to select the EBDM pilot state,
including up to four of its local jurisdictions that will link to the
state-level collaborative body, (5) Working documents of all the tools,
protocols, and processes that are developed under this cooperative
agreement. The documents must be in a format accessible to NIC and
ready for use in selected sites. (6) EBDM state selection, including
the local jurisdictions that will serve as NIC's pilot sites, (7) TA to
the current EBDM states (6 eligible states) to prepare them for EBDM
state selection, (8) Planning meetings and updates with the assigned
NIC correctional program specialist throughout the award period,
including at a minimum, (a) an in-person planning meeting with NIC
staff to be held within 2 weeks of the award and (b) meeting routinely
with NIC staff to discuss the progress of the project deliverables.
Meetings will be held no less than quarterly and may be conducted in
person, by phone, or online as agreed upon by both the NIC staff and
awardee, (9) All documentation submitted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All technical or programmatic
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Lori
Eville, Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of
Corrections who may be reached by email at leville@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'' 13CS14 and title in this
announcement, ``Evidence-Based Decision Making in State and Local
Criminal Justice Systems: Planning and Development for
Implementation.'' 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
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 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.
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
[[Page 43929]]
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 16.602,
Research and Policy Formulation. 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. 2013-17500 Filed 7-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P
