[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 155 (Monday, August 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46649-46650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18420]
[[Page 46649]]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Gender Responsive
Management and Practice Assessment (Facility Version)
AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, 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 cooperative agreement with NIC to work with an advisory
team of experts on gender-informed policy and practice to complete the
design and initial testing of a women offender policy and practice
assessment protocol.
DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, August
22, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National
Institute of Corrections, 320 First St., NW., Room 5007, 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. Only e-mailed applications
which are submitted via http://www.grants.gov will be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and the
required application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web page at
http://www.nicic.gov. Click on ``About Us'' then ``Cooperative
Agreements'' for announcements. Hard copies of the announcement can be
obtained by calling Pam Davison at 1-800-995-6423 ext. 3-0484 or e-mail
[email protected].
All technical or programmatic questions regarding this solicitation
should be directed to Maureen Buell, Correctional Program Specialist,
National Institute of Corrections. She can be reached by calling 202-
514-0121 or by e-mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Over 18 months, a team of researchers and practitioners
outlined the essential domains of an assessment protocol for gender-
responsive policy, programs and operations for women offenders. To date
the domains address: Agency/Organizational Philosophy; External/System/
Stakeholder Support; Leadership and Management; Supervision and
Staffing; Assessment/Classification; Case Planning and Transitional
Planning; Core Treatment Programs; Services; Facility/Site; Behavior
Motivation/Discipline; Culture; and QA/Assessment. Goals of the Project
in the Development Phase: ----The intention of the protocol is to
provide specific guidance to agencies seeking to improve their
management and treatment of women offenders to improve outcomes. These
outcomes may include: Improved risk and needs assessment; targeting of
critical factors through case management that will reduce institutional
misconduct; revocation and re-offending; and improved interaction
between staff and women in custody settings.
The team that developed the draft protocol package will serve as
the core advisory team working with the successful applicant to
complete the assessment protocol package.
Scope of Work and Deliverables: NIC will award one cooperative
agreement for a 12 month period to work closely with the advisory team
to complete the design of the assessment protocol package.
The Advisory Group will provide a completed tool with methodology
and scoring parameters. The Recipient will: Develop a user manual for
the protocol (e.g., expanded definitions and citations);
Pilot the instrument in up to three agencies in jail and prison
settings. (It is anticipated that site visits will be 2-3 days in
length and teams will generally be 2-person teams.);
Participate in a series of conference calls (or on-line platforms
such as a Web-Ex system event) with sites applying as pilot locations;
Develop a resource guide to assist with development of
recommendations and post-assessment implementation of gender-responsive
practices. (Examples to include model programs and emerging
practices.);
Work with an advisory group (5-8 members) to conduct focus groups
with experts on women offender policy and programs to get feedback on
the instrument, its key domains and definitions, and readiness of the
field to use such an instrument;
Develop recommendations for evaluator training and certification;
and
Meet face-to-face with the advisory group on 1-2 occasions.
(Additional meetings can be conducted via conference call and/or on-
line platforms).
Specific Requirements: Required Expertise: The successful applicant
will need the conceptual skills and management capacity to complete the
protocol design and standardization, manage the testing of the
instrument in pilot sites conducting focus groups, and incorporate all
the feedback into a final assessment protocol package.
Application Instruction: Please prepare a cooperative agreement
proposal that consists of no more than 10 double spaced pages,
excluding statements of organizational capacity and summaries of the
experiences and capabilities of key project staff. Please submit
summaries of experience and expertise and not full curricula vitae. The
proposal must list all persons who will be involved in the project,
including their role within the organization related to this project,
areas of expertise related to this project, and complete contact
information.
The proposal must: Define project objectives and methodologies for
achieving project goals in the 12 months' period.
Provide a budget narrative that defines the relative use of
resources for the key objective areas.
Give at least one example of your experience or your team's
experience in delivering each of the following: Design of tools to
assess policies and programs in correctional settings; summarize
research on women offender risk and needs assessments, program
assessments and the like.
Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written,
typed double spaced and reference the ``NIC Application Number'' and
Title provided in this announcement. The package must include: OMB
Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance; 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); and an outline
of projected costs. The following additional forms must also be
included: OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget information--Non-Construction
Programs; OMB Standard Form 424B, Assurances--Non-Construction Programs
(available on 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://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf)
Applications may be submitted in hard copy, or electronically via
http://www.grants.gov. If submitted in hard
[[Page 46650]]
copy, there needs to be an original and six copies of the full proposal
(program and budget narratives, application forms and assurances). The
original should have the applicant's signature in blue ink.
Telephone Conference: A telephone conference will be conducted for
persons receiving this solicitation and having a serious intent to
respond on Friday, August 15 at 3 p.m. EDT. In the conference, the NIC
project manager will respond to questions regarding the solicitation
and expectations of work to be performed. Please notify Maureen Buell
electronically by close of business (4 p.m. EDT) on Wednesday, August
13 regarding your interest in participating in the conference. You will
be provided with a call-in number and instructions.
Authority: Public Law 93-415.
Funds Available: 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. The final budget and award
amount will be negotiated between NIC and the successful applicant. NIC
will fund one cooperative agreement for an estimated 12 month period
for the development phase of this project. Funds may only be used for
the activities that are linked to the desired outcomes of the project.
Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or
private agency, educational institution, organization, individual or
team with expertise in the described areas.
Review Considerations: Applications received under this
announcement will be subject to a 3 to 5 person NIC and joint funding
agency Review Process.
Number of Awards: One.
NIC Application Number: 08P06. This number should appear as a
reference line in the cover letter, in box 4a of 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.
Resources: Link to draft protocol located at http://www.nicic.org/WomenOffenders.
Thomas J. Beauclair,
Deputy Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. E8-18420 Filed 8-8-08; 8:45 am]
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