The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking applications for funding under the fiscal year (FY) 2023. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to provide training and related assistance for the Strategic Inmate Management Initiative.
Goals
The goal of this cooperative agreement is to promote safe, secure, clean, quiet, humane, and engaged jails.
Deadline
Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. NIC encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. In addition, NIC urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date. All applications are due to be submitted and in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 15, 2023.
Objectives
The objectives of this cooperative agreement are to:
- Provide SIM training.
- Provide SIM related assistance.
- Assist with SIM material development and/or updates as needed.
Deliverables
Cooperative agreement deliverables include the following:
General
- Conduct an initial meeting with the NIC Program Manager to discuss the scope of work and all related aspects of the cooperative agreement within 15 days of award.
- Facilitate virtual planning meetings with the project director, subject matter experts (SMEs), and the NIC program manager.
- Facilitate virtual meetings as needed.
Training
- Coordinate and deliver two full SIM offerings with two sites as designated by the NIC Program Manager. Coordination and delivery tasks for each site include the following:
- Review current SIM application(s) with the NIC Program Manager.
- Facilitate the virtual readiness assessment using the APEX Screener and Survey Monkey. There is a minimum of four virtual meetings in this process.
- Conduct a one- to two-day onsite operational assessment.
- Deliver the Strategic Inmate Management: The Administration’s Role training.
- Provide virtual coaching using the SIM Coaching Model.
- Deliver the Strategic Inmate Management: The Housing Officer and Supervisor Roles trainings.
- Deliver the Strategic Inmate Management: Training for Trainers training.
- Conduct co-facilitated training support during a jurisdiction’s instructor-led Strategic Inmate Management: The Housing Officer and Supervisor Roles trainings.
- Evaluate services and participant learning.
- Facilitate agency use of the SIM self-assessment tool.
- Provide and ship supplemental training materials.
- Work with NIC to identify instructors for each course, including new eligible instructors who can be selected for each course to build program capacity.
- Contract and compensate a minimum of three technical resource providers to provide training and related assistance under the cooperative agreement.
- Coordinate all training logistics such as agency point of contact, dates, location, and registration.
- Coordinate a debrief session with a jurisdiction’s leadership following each training program.
- Complete a final report for each jurisdiction upon completion of all training programs as well as a final project report at the conclusion of this cooperative agreement.
Related Assistance
SIM takes a comprehensive approach to the managing the behavior of incarcerated individuals, focusing on both correctional operations and organizational culture. As such, there may be a need to provide additional related services to current SIM sites, potential SIM sites, and/or constituents. Related assistance may include:
- Conference presentations and/or webinars.
- Integration assistance customized to specific agency needs as they endeavor to adopt SIM as their operational philosophy. Examples of this assistance could include site visits to assess operational and cultural integration of SIM, policy reviews, procedure reviews, additional coaching, mentoring, etc.
- Customized SIM training using established SIM curricula, or creation of new material, as approved by the NIC Program Manager.
Material Development and/or Updates
Providing resource materials, such as publications, is an integral piece of the SIM Initiative and services. Over the past 18 months, NIC has developed three publications that are in the final internal review phase. As such, the successful applicant will review the publications and submit a final editing, graphic design, and marketing plan for the publications. Given the unique needs of each jurisdiction, some materials may need to be updated or created.
Specific Requirements
- Final determination of project team, subject matter experts, technical resource providers, and instructors' rests with the NIC program manager.
- The awardee is responsible for all team member expenses and fees.
- Maintain regular, routine contact with the NIC program manager regarding programmatic and deliverable progress throughout the period of award.
- Provide quarterly progress reports in adherence to written requirements and the prescribed schedule outlined in the award documents.
Award Conditions. The successful applicant will:
- Describe the roles and responsibilities and qualifications of the applicant, its partners, and each organization’s role. Demonstrate the capability of the lead organization and any collaborative partners to implement each component of the project.
- Describe the management structure, staffing, and in-house or contracted capacity to complete each component.
- Describe how the proposed management structure and staffing of the project will facilitate the delivery of those components. The management and organizational structure described should match the staffing needs necessary to accomplish the tasks outlined in the Timeline/Project plan. Information on the personnel assigned to these tasks, including résumés and position descriptions, as well as work product examples, will contribute to the assignment of points relative to this criterion.
- Provide specific examples of the applicant’s expertise as it relates to the objectives and deliverables.
- Articulate a clear understanding of leadership competencies, organizational culture, and management of the incarcerated population.
Applications must include in Program Narrative and Budget Narrative the incorporation of products delivered meet Plain Language and 508 Standards.