12nationaljissol.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for BJA’s National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative. This program furthers the Department’s mission by contributing to the development of policies and technology to support key national initiatives and facilitate direct services to criminal justice practitioners.

National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative FY 2012 Competitive Grant Announcement

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are national, regional, state, or local public and private entities, including for-profit (commercial) and nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), federally recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, and units of local government that support initiatives to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.

BJA may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations in future years.

Deadline Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. (See “How To Apply,” page 23.) All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 19, 2012. (See “Deadlines: Registration and Application,” page 3.)

Contact Information

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606–545–5035 or via e-mail to support@grants.gov.

Note: The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the BJA Justice Information Center at 1-877-927-5657, via email to JIC@telesishq.com, or by live web chat. The BJA Justice Information Center hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date.

Grants.gov number assigned to announcement: BJA-2012-3193 Release Date: March 1, 2012 http://www.usdoj.gov/ http://www.ojp.gov/flash.htm http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp mailto:JIC@telesishq.com http://www.justiceinformationcenter.us/

BJA-2012-3193

OMB No. 1121-0329 Approval Expires 02/28/2013

CONTENTS

Overview 3

Deadlines: Registration and Application 3

Eligibility 4

National JIS Initiative—Specific Information 4

Performance Measures 18

Notice of Post-Award FFATA Reporting Requirement 23

How To Apply 23

What an Application Should Include 25 Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Program Abstract

Program Narrative Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable) Other Standard Forms

Selection Criteria 28

Review Process 29

Additional Requirements 30

Provide Feedback to OJP on This Solicitation 31

Application Checklist 32

National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative CFDAs #16.751 and 16.738

Overview

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) seeks to enhance the ability of justice agencies to share information in order to support critical public safety and criminal justice activities. BJA plans to address this nationwide need by developing and implementing national policy and best practices, creating national consensus standards and guidelines in support of information sharing and interoperability, and delivering training and technical assistance (TTA) services.

Through this solicitation, BJA is seeking to enable the nation’s criminal justice community to improve information sharing through advanced technology and tools that increase efficiency, enhance operations, and promote cost savings and reuse. BJA’s National Justice Information Sharing (JIS) Initiative works collaboratively with key stakeholders and national partner organizations to identify critical issues and problems, and provide resources in response to emerging challenges in law enforcement, courts, corrections, community corrections, offender reentry, criminal justice-involved human/social services, and tribal justice.

This program is funded under the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by Pub. L. No.112-55, div. B, title II, 125 Stat. 552, 615, the Byrne Competitive Program helps communities improve the functioning and capacity of their state and local criminal justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local, state and tribal needs.

Funds may not be used for the acquisition of land, construction projects, or security enhancements or equipment to non-governmental entities not engaged in law enforcement, law enforcement support, criminal or juvenile justice, or delinquency prevention. The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a) et seq.) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system. The JAG Program authorization also provides that up to 5 percent of the funds available to carry out subpart 1 of Title I, Part E of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (“Omnibus”) may be granted, among other reasons, for one or more of the purposes specified in Section 501 of Title I, Part E, Subpart 1 of Omnibus upon a determination that it is necessary“ to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime” (42 U.S.C. 3756(b)(1)). Furthermore, the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2012, Pub. L. No. 122-55, div. B, title II, 125 Stat. 552, 621, provides that up to 3 percent “of funds made available to the Office of Justice Programs for grant or reimbursement programs may be used by such Office to provide training and technical assistance.”

Deadlines: Registration and Application

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. OJP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. The deadline to apply for funding under this announcement is 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 19, 2012. Note on the date submissions are due, staff assistance through the BJA Justice Information Center is only available until 8:00 p.m. eastern time (see “Contact Information” on the title page for more information about BJA’s Justice Information Center). See the “How To Apply” section, page 23 for more details.

Eligibility

Refer to the title page for eligibility under this program.

National JIS Initiative—Specific Information

BJA seeks to strengthen the criminal justice system by soliciting applications in the nine specific categories described below, which collectively support BJA’s National JIS Initiative. To ensure the effectiveness of this and other grant programs, BJA supports: the delivery of high-quality TTA to state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies; the establishment of collaborative partnerships across the bounds of agency, discipline, and jurisdiction; and the implementation of policies, practices, and technology solutions to criminal justice system problems that can be replicated in jurisdictions across the nation.

Each proposed project should leverage BJA’s JIS program and DOJ’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global). Successful applicants must demonstrate effective procedures for collaboration and coordination among stakeholders at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels, and understand the relationships between the proposed activities and other complementary initiatives across the country. Applicants must be willing and able to participate in, and contribute to, the national dialogue regarding effective strategies for the use of information sharing and technology to improve criminal justice outcomes.

For more information regarding current BJA JIS national programs and DOJ’s Global-supported products and solutions, including activities described in the categories below, see www.it.ojp.gov. Also see the BJA web site for the latest information regarding funding opportunities and solicitations, including frequently asked questions or other solicitation-specific guidance that may be posted.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

Specific objectives and deliverables for each category are described below. Whenever possible, BJA encourages the use of technology to enhance evidence-based strategies. Applicants should describe processes for measuring the outcomes and costs-benefits of proposed JIS programs. Performance measures are also required to document the outcomes that result from the use of federal funds.

Successful JIS grantees will also be expected to participate in a collaboration process working with BJA staff to focus on proactive strategic communication and development of deliverables that can be replicated nationally by jurisdictions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices

OJP considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence (generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations). Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention.

http://www.it.ojp.gov/ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/

Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which OJP considers a program or practice to be evidence-based. OJP’s CrimeSolutions.gov web site is one resource that applicants may use to find information about evidence-based programs in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

Award Amount, Length, and Categories

Each application should explicitly state the category number and title being addressed in the abstract and first page of the program narrative (see “What an Application Should Include,” page 25). A single application may not be intended to address more than one category;

however, an organization may submit multiple applications, provided that each application addresses a different category.

In order to be eligible, applicants must submit proposals that describe projects that are national in scope. For the purpose of this solicitation, “national in scope” is defined as projects whose direct beneficiaries include criminal justice agencies and organizations throughout the country, their personnel, and the citizens they serve, without restriction to geographic areas. For example, a proposal to develop a technology training program that is available to students on a nationwide basis meets the definition; a training program that is limited to one agency or unit of government does not meet the definition.

The period of performance for awards made under this solicitation shall be 12 months (with the exception of Category 7, which shall be 24 months) and the project start date should be on or after October 1, 2012. The maximum budget request that will be accepted is unique to each category. There is no minimum budget requirement in any category, but applicants should be realistic in their budget proposals. The amount budgeted will be evaluated against the benefits and deliverables specified in the proposal to ensure efficient use of resources, and will be an important criterion used during proposal evaluation (see “Selection Criteria,” page 28).

Note: As described above, applications must explicitly state the category and program title being addressed. Applications that do not respond to the specific requirements of the identified category will not be peer reviewed or considered for funding under this solicitation.

Award Information and Requirements Awards made under this solicitation shall be in the form of cooperative agreements. BJA uses cooperative agreements to reflect the relationship between BJA and an eligible recipient when

(1) the principal purpose of the relationship is the transfer of money or anything of value to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by federal statute, and (2) BJA anticipates substantial involvement with the recipient during performance of the contemplated activity.

BJA TTA projects (labeled as “TTA” in the category names below) are required to coordinate all TTA activities with BJA’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC). At the time this solicitation was posted, the precise requirements and protocols were still under development, but once completed the successful applicant will be required to comply with these protocols in order to ensure coordinated delivery of services among TTA providers and effective use of BJA TTA grant funding. BJA reserves the right to modify these protocols at any time with reasonable advance notice provided to the grantee prior to execution.

http://www.crimesolutions.gov/

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

CATEGORY 1: NATIONAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE MODEL. Competition ID: BJA- 2012-3194 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $900,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is a program designed to enable effective and efficient sharing of information between justice and partnering agencies. A partnership of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, as well as countless state, local, tribal and private sector stakeholders, NIEM represents the foundation of hundreds of information sharing projects at all levels of government. NIEM is comprised of a data model, tools, and training and technical support services that assist implementers in adopting standards-based approaches to sharing data, and is supported by a robust governance structure that incorporates practitioner involvement from all NIEM user domains.

Through this category, BJA is soliciting an applicant to provide software development, data modeling/architecture, and advanced-level technical assistance to support ongoing NIEM program operations.

The successful applicant will be responsible for maintaining the NIEM data model (currently version 2.1) and all related tools and specifications. The data model is represented in eXtensible Markup Language (XML), with a number of NIEM-specific modeling constructs (see the NIEM Naming and Design Rules for details). The data model is segmented into domains, each of which has an independent but coordinated governance process. The applicant must facilitate domain decision making by assessing proposed changes, managing the domain model update process, managing reconciliation and harmonization of data elements across domains, and tracking issues or bugs as they are identified (currently done through the NIEM Configuration Control Tool, or NCCT). The applicant shall deliver new releases of the NIEM model as determined by the NIEM Executive Steering Council, and support the NIEM governance process which identifies requirements, proposes technical solutions, recommends updates of tools and specifications, and subsequently informs improvements of the model.

The applicant will also maintain, update, and develop new specifications that institutionalize the technical direction provided by NIEM governance. These include the Naming and Design Rules (NDR), the Model Package Description (MPD) Specification, the Tools Architecture, the NIEM Versioning Architecture, and any others required to facilitate NIEM program management and implementer-oriented information exchange development processes.

The applicant will be responsible for developing, hosting, maintaining, and enhancing tools that may be necessary to support NIEM model management, vendor adoption (such as through publication of application program interfaces (APIs) and web services), or information exchange specification (Information Exchange Package Documentation, or IEPD) and Service Specification development. New tool development must be accomplished through consultation and coordination with BJA and the NIEM Program Management Office prior to execution.

https://www.niem.gov/documentsdb/Documents/Technical/NIEM-NDR-1-3.pdf https://www.niem.gov/documentsdb/Documents/Technical/NIEM-NDR-1-3.pdf

Lastly, the applicant will provide technical assistance as needed to all NIEM governance committees, domains, and other stakeholder groups as required to carry out the above tasks.

Priority will be given to those stakeholders associated with the justice domain (Justice) and the children, youth, and family services (CYFS) domain and their immediate exchange partners. All activities performed under this cooperative agreement must be done in consultation with BJA and the NIEM Program Management Office prior to execution.

For additional detail on current NIEM activities and resources, visit:

• www.niem.gov

• tools.niem.gov/

• www.it.ojp.gov/default.aspx?area=nationalInitiatives&page=1012

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Hosting and maintaining the NIEM data model (to include all previous versions) and all related specifications and guidelines.

• Developing new NIEM releases as required, including all relevant tool and specification development/updates, and supporting any required cross-domain data element harmonization/reconciliation.

• Developing tools to simplify information exchange implementation.

• Serving as tier 3 technical support to the NIEM help desk, and providing subject matter expertise as needed to NIEM stakeholders and governance groups.

• Supporting the XML Structure Task Force (Justice domain) and the Children, Youth, and

Family Services (CYFS) domains, and any related activities designated by BJA to enable implementation of information sharing capacity within and across these communities.

CATEGORY 2: FEDERATED IDENTITY, PRIVILEGE MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL

PRIVACY IMPLEMENTATION. Competition ID: BJA-2012-3195 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $600,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

The Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM) program is a critical element of BJA’s information sharing strategic action plan to ensure that information is always shared securely and with trusted partners. The collection of agencies that agree upon a common framework to share data among distributed systems using GFIPM is known as a Federation. A program developed in partnership with DOJ’s Global, GFIPM solves numerous interoperability challenges, such as single sign-on, fine-grained access control, and technical privacy enforcement, all while preserving local control over all data.

The successful applicant will be responsible for development and maintenance of all GFIPM specifications, tools, and reference implementations. Many of these resources are nearing maturity but critical work remains, for example, to enhance the normative use of web services and the Global Reference Architecture within a GFIPM-based solution. The GFIPM metadata specification forms the core of Federation interoperability and must continue to mature and be refined through continued integration of GFIPM concepts with those of the technical privacy framework. These improvements, for example, will leverage use of eXtensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) to enable data element-level access and fine-grained authorization rules.

http://www.niem.gov/ http://tools.niem.gov/ http://www.it.ojp.gov/default.aspx?area=nationalInitiatives&page=1012

The applicant will also support emerging Federation partnerships that implement GFIPM through targeted delivery of technical assistance to support operational implementation of federations such as the National Information Exchange Federation (NIEF). The applicant will maintain a reference federation to facilitate conformance and interoperability testing, and broadly support efforts to replicate success and expedite field adoption. The applicant will also be responsible for appropriate technical assistance for both practitioners seeking to implement GFIPM, and to relevant Global working groups and task teams to ensure the evolution of GFIPM standards and guidelines stay consistent and coordinated with the Global Standards Package (GSP) working through the Global Standards Council (GSC).

For more information on the GFIPM program and current products, visit:

• www.it.ojp.gov/default.aspx?area=nationalInitiatives&page=1179

• www.gfipm.net/

• Hosting, maintaining, and developing all GFIPM specifications, software, documentation, and reference implementations to support GFIPM adoption nationwide.

• Providing in-depth technical assistance to DOJ, national stakeholder organizations, justice agencies, and solution providers on leveraging federated identity and privilege management tools and concepts to improve information sharing securely and effectively.

• Assisting jurisdictions in implementing the Global technical privacy framework, and promoting the use of XACML-based policy enforcement in conjunction with GFIPM-based access control methods.

• Supporting the NIEF as an operational body, ensuring that policy meets practice with respect to implementation of GFIPM in the field.

CATEGORY 3: JIS ARCHITECTURE AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT (TTA).

Competition ID: BJA-2012-3196 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $750,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

Criminal justice professionals understand that information sharing is a critical element to better serve the public. However, they are not always knowledgeable regarding the latest technology, best practices, and tools in order to implement information sharing in a comprehensive way. To address this need, BJA is seeking support to offer justice agencies essential technical assistance services to educate and guide jurisdictions on the application of DOJ’s Global Information Sharing Standards Toolkit (GISST) and, in particular, facilitate adoption of information sharing architectures according to the Global Reference Architecture (GRA).

Leveraging these concepts will enable information sharing capability in the short term and ensure agencies remain agile and poised for future enhancements as well as minimize future costs associated with policy and technology changes.

The successful applicant will be responsible for delivery of a range of technical assistance services to the field, from remote communication consisting of a phone call or e-mail, to comprehensive onsite assistance potentially requiring research of the problem and generation of a recommendations report. All technical assistance engagements should be carried out in such a way as to benefit not only the requesting agency, but also to document outcomes and share best practice solutions to help move the broader community toward using evidence-based practices, data-driven strategies, and smart-on-crime solutions.

http://www.it.ojp.gov/default.aspx?area=nationalInitiatives&page=1179 http://www.gfipm.net/

The applicant will also support DOJ’s Global and related efforts to develop national best practices with respect to information sharing standards, guidelines, and tools by serving on the Global Standards Council (GSC), GSC task teams, and other working groups as required to ensure adequate coordination between the work of Global and the needs of the practitioner community. In doing so, the applicant may also be required to develop publications or communications materials that fill in the “gaps” between Global guidelines and practical implementation requirements.

Lastly, the applicant will also support development of tools that improve the ability of justice practitioners to govern information sharing projects, and translate exchange business requirements into technical specifications that enable automated information sharing to occur.

First and foremost, this includes the Justice Information Exchange Model (JIEM) tool, but may include others as the maturity of the GRA and the propagation of architectures in non-criminal justice fields must be addressed.

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Delivering a minimum of 12 in-depth technical assistance engagements, to include documentation of outcomes and best practices for replication.

• Supporting DOJ’s Global, BJA, and other relevant working groups by serving as a point of coordination between standards-based information sharing efforts and the needs of the field.

• Developing publications and tools as necessary, including leveraging of JIEM, to improve the ability of justice practitioners to proactively engage in information sharing that serves both immediate needs and future scalability.

• Coordinating all TTA service engagements with BJA’s NTTAC as described in the “Award Information and Requirements” section on page 5.

CATEGORY 4: JIS TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE (TTA). Competition ID:

BJA-2012-3197

BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $850,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

While the collective work of DOJ’s Global and numerous partners have delivered critical tools to share information effectively, the use of these tools can often be confusing or unclear to new adopters. The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), for instance, is an extremely powerful tool for sharing data in a commonly-understood format; however, its optional and over-inclusive philosophy toward data modeling means that there are a great many choices left to the implementer with respect to how they use NIEM to facilitate the exchange. Therefore, maintaining a comprehensive training program is essential for efficient and effective adoption nationwide.

The successful applicant will be responsible for delivery of training courses on justice information sharing-related topics. Currently, this consists primarily of the NIEM practical implementers course, but this will soon be expanded to cover training on Global Reference Architecture (GRA), Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM), and others.

The applicant will develop and maintain the training curricula and all related materials to include presentations, handouts, practical exercises, and online (distance) learning tools. The applicant will also maintain a roster of certified trainers equipped to perform on-site training delivery and technical assistance, including train-the-trainer functions and mentoring.

The training is anticipated to be delivered primarily by leveraging private industry partners who are subject matter experts in XML, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), etc., but the trainer pool should include experts from any sector provided that they meet the minimum criteria for training delivery. There must also be an evaluation component that measures the impact of training both immediately afterward and long-term. The precise vetting process for trainers and the strategy for collecting evaluation data will be recommended by the applicant post-award and approved by BJA prior to execution.

The applicant shall participate in planned activities to develop new training curricula, at a minimum, for GRA and GFIPM training modules, and will be directly responsible for pilot testing the new materials with the field. The end result will be a comprehensive JIS training curriculum consisting of several modules, each of which will be delivered on-demand as needed to requesting jurisdictions and on a periodic, rotating basis across the country.

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Delivering at least 12 discrete training events including a blend of both in-person and online training, to be distributed across the country and based on requests from criminal justice jurisdictions.

• Maintaining the trainers pool, developing new trainers, and fostering collaboration among trainers to promote consistent, high-quality training.

• Supporting development of new training modules for GRA and GFIPM, and incorporating into the JIS training curriculum for delivery.

• Providing technical assistance as needed to support the education and training of justice agencies in the use of Global information sharing tools and techniques (including help desk support).

CATEGORY 5: BJA’s GLOBAL SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL POLICY, PRACTICE, AND TECHNOLOGY (TTA). Competition ID: BJA-2012-3198 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

Through the work of DOJ’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global), there has been immeasurable progress made toward improving the way justice and public safety agencies collaborate and share information. While success stories abound, it remains true that many of the advancements have occurred in pockets, within particular lines of business, and focused on single business problems. The technology solutions in use today have reached a point of maturity where it is now necessary to examine the criminal justice system as a whole, and develop strategic ways to fundamentally change how justice agencies collect, share, and use information.

The Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) recently circulated a vision paper titled “Reinventing Our Nation’s Justice and Public Safety Business Model Through Information Sharing.” In doing so, PM-ISE has set forth a roadmap for transformation—one which requires the support of BJA, DOJ’s Global, and additional stakeholders in order to become reality. In pursuit of this goal, Global has proposed several guiding principles:

1. Develop consistent government-wide, national approaches to sharing information.

2. Demand interoperability through the use of common standards and coordination between government networks.

3. Focus on outcomes that inform and improve justice and public safety decision making.

4. Promote responsible information sharing policies, practices, and values that foster a

“need to share” mentality while preserving privacy and civil liberties protections.

The successful applicant will propose a TTA and implementation strategy that will meet the goals of PM-ISE and DOJ’s Global in Transforming the Justice and Public Safety Business Model. The applicant will be responsible for working closely with BJA to support DOJ’s Global and related efforts, as well as coordinating with PM-ISE and all public and private stakeholders in order to inform project activities and evaluate outcomes.

It is suggested that applicants focus both on meeting the broad TTA needs of the field, while also focusing specific attention on certain high priority issues. These may include:

• Support development of national, industry standards for sharing officer deconfliction data to improve officer safety and cross-agency coordination of investigations to include:

o Leveraging national, industry standards for identity and access management.

o Incorporating the sharing and use of geospatial data.

• Identify issues and provide solutions to advance investigations of Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases, and pilot more effective ways of enabling fraud task forces to analyze healthcare data without compromising personal information to include:

o Exploring advanced data aggregation methods that protect personal privacy rights and civil liberties.

o Use advanced data access and tagging methodologies, via attribute-based access control, to enable privacy policy automation.

• Support establishment of uniform, industry standards for pawnshop data collection and sharing with law enforcement officials.

• Identify opportunities and propose solutions for broader adoption of handheld (mobile) devices among public safety officers to improve access to critical information in the field.

• Identify pilot sites for the above, with particular emphasis on cloud-based shared services that meet the needs of local public safety and/or law enforcement agencies to improve efficiencies and reduce implementation costs.

While applicants are encouraged to address the above issues in their proposal, BJA also anticipates that applicants will propose additional topics that warrant particular focus for which improved information sharing strategies and techniques can improve criminal justice and public safety outcomes.

In support of these activities, the applicant will be responsible for identification of issues, coordinating collaborative partnerships, supporting working groups/committees, producing products and tools, developing documentation and reports, and facilitating community outreach and communication. All project activities, including TTA engagements, must be conducted in coordination with BJA and other partners as required.

• Supporting BJA and DOJ’s Global in developing and promoting solutions that advance the field and holistically improve the function of the criminal justice and public safety communities.

• Providing TTA services that promulgate strategic deployment of evidence-based practices in information sharing and technology.

• Identifying major information gaps that impair justice and public safety decision making (including those above) and propose implementation solutions.

• Support BJA-approved pilot site implementations to enable field adoption and promote timely outcomes.

• Coordinating all TTA service engagements with BJA’s NTTAC as described in the Award Information and Requirements section on page 5.

CATEGORY 6: IMPROVING CORRECTIONAL AGENCY INFORMATION SHARING (TTA)

Competition ID: BJA-2012-3199 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $600,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

BJA is seeking applicants to support technical assistance (TA) and pilot site implementation to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions that result in justice information sharing enhancements which increase the effectiveness of offender management efforts. The applicant should propose and engage in collaborative partnership with appropriate organizations that have expertise in offender management strategies, in the translation of the contemporary justice research and literature into effective policies and practices, and in the implementation of strategies that leverage information sharing technology conforming with DOJ’s Global standards and tools.

The successful applicant will be required to:

• Define and implement a comprehensive, objective process to identify state, local, and/or tribal jurisdictions with whom to work to improve offender management through the implementation of information sharing technology that supports complementary policies and practices that are evidence-based, smart on crime, and/or data driven. It is expected that one or more of the sites will focus specifically on enhancing offender reentry policies and practices and leverage BJA’s current pilot site initiatives at the state and county levels. In addition, consideration should be given to jurisdictions that are past or current Second Chance Act, Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM), and/or Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) sites.

• Establish within the application budget a specific, significant percentage (e.g., 75 percent of the requested funds) to directly support site-based implementation of technical solutions at the identified project sites).

This initiative is specifically designed to support projects with the capacity to engage collaboratively with peer and national partners to demonstrate results through evaluation for subsequent replication. The applicant’s proposal should include coordination with law enforcement, corrections, community corrections, and other appropriate practitioners in the field, as well as established national leadership organizations, such as the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) and the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA).

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Working with BJA and stakeholders to select project sites and identify implementation needs including technical assistance requirements.

• Enabling project success through delivery of policy guidance, technology assistance, implementation support, and promulgation of evidence-based strategies built on emerging work and research in the justice community.

• Developing solutions leveraging DOJ’s Global-supported tools including the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM), and the Global Reference Architecture (GRA).

• Documenting positive results and providing technical assistance to other jurisdictions as needed to replicate project successes.

• Coordinating all TTA service engagements with BJA’s NTTAC as described in the Award Information and Requirements section on page 5.

CATEGORY 7: BUILDING A NATIONWIDE CRIME ANALYSIS CAPABILITY (TTA)

Competition ID: BJA-2012-3200 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $1,600,000 and for a project period of 24 months. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

Many innovations in law enforcement over recent years have been rooted in improvements in data collection, new software such as crime mapping and analytic tools, and the propagation of the Internet and social networking sites, which have collectively enabled greater identification of crime patterns and trends, sharing criminal incident data, and ultimately solving crimes. Many jurisdictions have harnessed these evolving capabilities by developing local and regional Crime Analysis Centers (CACs) which analyze crime data real-time to enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to prevent, reduce, and solve crimes.

This project will convene a subject matter expert (SME) panel comprised of stakeholders from existing analysis centers and law enforcement agencies to describe the current successes and challenges within a crime analysis environment with particular emphasis on the products and benefits of the CAC from a local law enforcement perspective. The successful applicant will propose a TTA program that will leverage the expertise across current CAC implementations to

1) develop an Implementation Guide to recommend evidence-based practices for the creation or enhancement of an analysis center; 2) provide funding to support at least 4-6 pilot sites to use, evaluate, and refine the guide to replicate best practices in other jurisdictions; and 3) provide hands-on TTA support to those sites as well as any other jurisdiction requesting assistance in implementing a crime analysis capability.

The CAC Implementation Guide should highlight core elements associated with policy, operations, technology, and address the following aspects of crime analysis, at minimum:

• Designing technical solutions that enable real-time sharing of crime data and analytical products on a local, regional, and statewide basis.

• Emphasizing regional collaboration to address particular crime needs including distance learning tools and communication.

• Informing fusion centers regarding what products and services would assist the mission of CACs and, in turn, enable CACs to provide better support to local law enforcement agencies in fighting crime.

• Promoting consistent technology architecture to ensure stakeholder agencies are able to fully leverage CAC resources.

• Ensuring CAC staff members utilize available training programs, particularly for analysts, and adhere to national guidelines and best practices for law enforcement analytical capabilities.

Upon completion of the Implementation Guide, the applicant shall use a competitive process to select at minimum 4-6 pilot sites that propose to establish or enhance a crime analysis capability. These sites will validate best practices in real-world settings and provide feedback for enhancement of the content of the Implementation Guide. Pilot sites will also receive critical start-up funding for initializing or improving their local crime analysis program. Site selection criteria shall be determined in accordance with BJA policy and final selections may only be made with the concurrence of BJA. The applicant should propose a strategy for allowing selected sites to collaborate on a peer-to-peer basis, as well as with the project team and SME panel to coordinate activities, share innovative concepts, and validate approaches. Each pilot site, once approved, will receive resource support to carry out proposed activities in the form of a subgrant. For this purpose, the applicant should reserve at minimum 60 percent of the total amount requested for the disbursement of subgrants. For example, if the requested amount is $1,600,000, then no less than $960,000 should be set aside for site-based subgrants. To continue the example, if four pilot sites are proposed, then each site would receive approximately $240,000 for implementation. The precise figures would vary in practice based on the amount proposed for subgrants and the number of successful applicants. Each pilot site will be required to document project outcomes and lessons learned in a site report that will be shared with BJA and the field.

The applicant shall also serve as a TTA provider to both the pilot sites as well as other jurisdictions requesting assistance nationwide. Requests may encompass a wide range of activities, such as planning, governance, policy development, operations, and technology deployment/integration. All requests for assistance and supported TTA engagements must be coordinated with BJA’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC). The Implementation Guide, documented pilot outcomes, and all other project deliverables shall be developed for dissemination through BJA’s NTTAC beyond the life of the cooperative agreement to ensure BJA’s ability to sustain support to CACs in the future.

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Identifying a panel of SMEs and facilitating collection of stakeholder feedback to identify challenges faced by CACs of different size and scope, as well as common best practices and successes.

• Developing and disseminating an Implementation Guide that features data-driven strategies for successful CAC operation. The Guide should include an emphasis on identifying existing and potential analytical products created by fusion centers that can be harnessed by the CAC to assist local and state crime fighting efforts.

• Conducting a competitive selection process and providing subgrants to at least 4-6 pilot sites to support those jurisdictions in implementing crime analysis capabilities as well as validating best practices and informing content for the Implementation Guide.

• Coordinating TTA service engagements with BJA’s NTTAC as described in the “Award Information and Requirements” section on page 5.

CATEGORY 8: STATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE TECHNOLOGY COORDINATION AND

ENHANCEMENT (TTA). Competition ID: BJA-2012-3201 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $300,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the Award Amount, Length, and Categories section on page 5.

The success of criminal justice information technology (IT) projects often depends on strong leadership and coordination at the state level. Without it, projects can become fragmented, as diverging priorities and budget factors may outweigh a more strategic approach that meets state and national needs for information sharing and interoperability. Advancements in technology enable agencies at all levels of government to improve operations and save costs, but the full adoption of national standards and evidence-based practices is essential to realize the full benefits of those advancements.

This project will promote the use of evidence-based practices in data sharing, privacy protection, security, and interoperability at the state level through engagement of the State Administering Agency (SAA) community, and foster state leadership and coordination of IT investments that support justice information sharing. The project will not only help improve implementation strategies for information sharing at the local, county, state, and tribal levels, but also maximize the impact of BJA grant funding to those jurisdictions, as well as ensure that national policy efforts are being adequately informed by stakeholders across the justice system.

The SAA is an agency within a state and designated by the Governor to have the authority to accept criminal justice funding on behalf of that state. The SAA has a unique role to identify criminal justice issues, coordinate programs, conduct planning activities, develop policy, and support implementation initiatives. The successful applicant must demonstrate past history in the successful ability to work in close partnership with the SAA of each state and territory to inform project activities and validate outcomes.

Responsibilities and deliverables, at a minimum, include:

• Delivering TTA products that promote replication of information sharing best practices at an executive/policy level, targeted at state leaders and IT managers.

• Delivering monthly webinars and/or conference calls to provide state leaders with timely information on policy, technology, and grant-related developments.

CATEGORY 9: IMPLEMENTING PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES PROTECTIONS FOR

INFORMATION SHARING PRACTITIONERS (TTA). Competition ID: BJA-2012-3202 BJA anticipates making one award under this category through a cooperative agreement, in an amount not to exceed $800,000. The project must be national in scope, as defined in the “Award Amount, Length, and Categories” section on page 5.

The ability of criminal justice and intelligence professionals to collaborate and share information is the foundation of effective public safety and counter terrorism initiatives. Access to actionable information can mean the difference between effective decision making and prevention, and the type of intelligence failures that culminated in the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, as the breadth of information available to practitioners increases, so does the inherent risk of compromising the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties (PCRCL) of private citizens. Therefore, a comprehensive, national strategy is needed in order to promote not only effective information sharing, but controlled, responsible sharing as well.

Section 1016(d) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 called for the issuance of guidelines that would establish the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) in a manner that protects and preserves individual PCRCL while enabling broader information sharing and collaboration. In December 2005, a Presidential directive was issued that reinforced this requirement and instructed the development of further guidelines to address the acquisition, access, use, and storage of personally identifiable information (PII) within the ISE. To meet these mandates, the ISE Privacy Guidelines were released by the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) in December 2006 and are currently being adopted and implemented by federal, state, local, and tribal agencies and private sector entities participating in the ISE.

The successful applicant will demonstrate the ability to support the ISE and related initiatives in the full implementation of the ISE Privacy Guidelines. The applicant will be responsible for supporting the ISE Privacy and Civil Liberties subcommittee of the Information Sharing and Access Interagency Policy Committee (ISA IPC) and updating the guidelines as required based on committee direction. The applicant will also implement a TTA program that will assist agencies and national programs on PCRCL methods of adoption including Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), Privacy Act routine uses, and technology support/automation. The TTA program will enable adoption of appropriate PCRCL protections that are at least as comprehensive as the ISE Privacy Guidelines primarily among federal agencies, fusion centers, and private sector entities participating in the ISE.

The successful applicant must demonstrate subject matter expertise in both development and practical execution of privacy policies.