[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 137 (Monday, July 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41892-41894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17487]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
National Institute of Corrections
Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Guidebook for Building
High Performance Correctional Organizations
AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.
ACTION: Solicitation for 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 eight-month period to begin in September
2010. Work under this agreement will continue NIC's High Performance
Correctional Organizations Project that has been developed over the
past four years. This project will consolidate the work into a
guidebook to be placed in the public domain for use by correctional
administrators.
The project funded under this cooperative agreement will continue
and extend the work of Building High Performance Correctional
Organizations (BHPCO) and other NIC projects.
Intended outcome: The intended outcome for this project will
include creating a guidebook for jails, community corrections and
prisons; developing ways to address agency inefficiencies that result
from the lack of a holistic and integrated perspective; establishing a
core set of values or guiding principles that agencies can apply to
correctional disciplines to enhance business practices; improving
organizational performance by assessing strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, resources and threats; prioritizing goals and
objectives; and containing costs associated with operating correctional
agencies and systems.
DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, August
2, 2010. Selection of the successful applicant and notification of
review results will be announced to all applicants by September 30,
2010.
ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to Director, National
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street, 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, call (202) 307-3106,
extension 0 for pickup. Faxed or e-mailed applications will not be
accepted. Electronic applications can be submitted only via http://www.grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: A copy of this announcement and the required
application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web site at http://www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements.
All technical questions concerning this announcement should be
directed to Pamela Davison. She can be reached by calling 1-800-995-
6423 ext 0484 or by e-mail at [email protected]. All programmatic
questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Sherry
Carroll. She can be reached by calling 1-800-995-6423 ext 0378 or by e-
mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Project Goals: The BHPCO Guidebook is a compendium of advice and
best practice guidance that inform higher performance in correctional
institutions. Its intended audience includes managers, executives,
supervisors, and staff personnel vested in success and continuous
improvement, contributing to a just and humane society through their
work in safe, functional, correctional facilities. At a minimum, the
Guidebook--a series of stand-alone issuances that can be compiled as
chapters in a larger volume--provides credible, easily accessible
reference material in a variety of areas in which correctional
administrators are most vulnerable, where desired and current state
gaps are at their widest, and where system-wide competency needs are
defined. Because the variety of institutions is broad and the
complexity of the myriad systems influencing performance is unique to
individual cases, material presented in the guide cannot be expected to
satisfy all end-state situational solutions. Instead, it offers current
best practice advice, assessment, guidance, learning, and resource
direction, enabling the foundation of a learning culture and a high
performance mindset.
The recipient of the award under this cooperative agreement will:
(1) Coordinate chapters of the guidebook on leadership, assessments,
intervention, change management and other related topics; (2) schedule
and provide logistics for one face-to-face meeting (may also include
stipend fees) for NIC selected guidebook team members of up to ten
members; (3) compile an information library of resources and case
studies from organizations going through organizational change; (4)
provide the guidebook in hardcopy and electronic Word 2003 or higher
format; (5) create learning objectives in preparation for a second
cycle of the guidebook project to train pilot participants on the
prototype guidebook; (6) refine assessment tools previously developed
for this project linking assessments to interventions; (7) identify any
additional information and/or language that will enhance cohesion of
the guidebook for audience member's consumption; and (8) become
familiar with Baldrige criteria.
Background: Through a number of prior cooperative agreements, NIC
has been developing a definition, identifying characteristics of a high
performing correctional organization (HPCO) and developing assessment
tools for an HPCO. During 2006, NIC sponsored a workgroup of subject
matter experts. The group identified nine categories or core guiding
principles
[[Page 41893]]
considered as important factors in determining criminal justice system
performance on the state or local governance level for community
corrections. Those principles are: (1) Leadership and management
development, (2) information and knowledge management; (3)
comprehensive criminal justice planning, (4) offender management, (5)
collaborative partnerships, (6) organizational development, (7)
accurate, fair and timely processes, (8) stewardship of public
resources, and (9) public safety.
In 2008, the work evolved through a series of interviews, focus
groups, sites visits, content analyses, and literature reviews. A group
of roundtable members authored the HPCO definition and created a
preliminary draft model. The group authored the following definition:
An HPCO provides public safety through guiding principles, beliefs,
attitudes, and behaviors that the organization as a whole and each
member of its workforce embody and promote. An HPCO visibly
demonstrates alignment in values-oriented mission statements, vision,
and strategic plans; distributive leadership that actively engages
performance measures to instigate continuous learning within the work
force and among partners; diligent stewardship of resources.
The HPCO realizes it is part of a wider community, which must be
related to with open communication and transparency.
Design Preliminary Model: Various models were examined for visual
appeal, content, and format to be used by the roundtable members to
serve as examples for the creation of the draft HPCO model. The current
model is nonlinear, emphasizes nine to ten core values and incorporates
the Baldrige National Quality Program criteria.
Required Expertise: Successful applicants should be able to
demonstrate that they have the organizational capacity to fulfill all
the goals of the project, including experience in organizing and
providing ongoing support for complex, multi-year projects, extensive
experience in correctional policy and practice, and a record of success
in working with correctional agencies on implementation, organizational
development, or technical assistance projects. Preference will also be
given to applicants with a record of working with interdisciplinary
teams in a variety of fields beyond corrections.
Application Requirements: Applications should be concisely written,
typed double spaced and reference the ``NIC Opportunity Number'' and
Title provided in this announcement. Please limit the program narrative
text to up to 15 double-spaced pages, exclusive of resumes and
summaries of experience (do not submit full curriculum vitae). The
application 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., January 1 through December 31), a program narrative responding
to the requirements in this announcement, a description of the
qualifications of the applicant(s), an outline explaining projected
costs, and the following forms: 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 Drug-Free
Workplace Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/certif-frm.pdf).
Applications may be submitted in hard copy, or electronically via
http://www.grants.gov. If submitted in hard copy, there needs to be an
unbound original and three copies of the full proposal (program and
budget narratives, application forms and assurances). The original
should have the applicant's signature in blue ink.
Authority: Public Law 93-415.
Funds Available: Up to $100,000 is available for this project,
subject to available funding, but preference will be given to
applicants who provide the most cost efficient solutions in
accomplishing the scope of work. Determination will be made based on
best value to the Government, not necessarily the lowest bid. Funds may
be used only for the activities that are directly related to the
project.
Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any public or
private agency, educational institution, organization, individual, or
team with expertise in the areas described.
This project will be a collaborative venture with the NIC
Administration Division. A blog for the project is on NIC's website.
Literature analysis summaries, meeting reports, the annotated
bibliography, and a Web-based survey can be found on the blog. Visit
http://community.nicic.org/blogs/hpco/default.aspx today!
Review Considerations: Applications received under this
announcement will be subject to the NIC Review Process. The criteria
for the evaluation of each application will be as follows:
Programmatic: Are all of the tasks adequately discussed? Is there a
clear statement of how each of the tasks will be accomplished,
including the staffing, resources, and strategies to be employed? Are
there any innovative approaches, techniques, or design aspects proposed
that will enhance the project?
Organizational: Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the
organization and the proposed project staff demonstrate the high level
of competency in high performing organizations, culture, Baldrige
criteria, and change management needed to complete the tasks? Does the
applicant organization have the necessary experience and organizational
capacity to complete all eight goals of the project? Are the proposed
project management and staffing plans realistic and sufficient to
complete the project within the 8-month timeframe?
Project Management/Administration: Does the applicant identify
reasonable objectives, 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 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:
http://www.ccr.gov. A CCR Handbook and work sheet can also be reviewed
at the Web site.
Number of Awards: One.
NIC Opportunity Number: 10M15. This number should appear as a
reference line in the cover letter, where the opportunity number is
requested on the Standard Form 424, and outside of the envelope in
which the application is sent.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 16.602.
[[Page 41894]]
Executive Order 12372: This program is not subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372.
Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2010-17487 Filed 7-16-10; 8:45 am]
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