24JD10 - Critical Incident ResponseFINAL_IIv2.pdf

24JD10

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking applications for funding under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to provide aid to federal, state, local, tribal, and community corrections departments and agencies when a critical incident occurs and foster safe, secure, and humane environments for staff, residents, clients, visitors, and the public. The recipient of this award will work collaboratively with representatives from NIC’s Community Services, Jails, and Prisons Divisions. G

NIC FY 2024 Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

Eligibility

NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). Recipients, including for-profit organizations, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply.

Proof of 501(c) (3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution is required.

NIC welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program. Only one (1) application will be accepted from a submitting organization.

NIC 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.

For additional eligibility information, see Section C. Eligibility Information.

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 March 20, 2024.

Late applications are neither reviewed nor considered.

For additional information, see How To Apply in Section D Application and Submission Information.

http://www.nicic.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

Contact Information

For programmatic questions concerning this solicitation contact Glenn Watson Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of Corrections at g2watson@bop.gov . Responses to programmatic questions will be posted on NIC’s website for public review. The website will be updated regularly, and postings will remain on the website until the closing date of this solicitation.

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

Applicants who experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the NIC at BOP-NIC/General@bop.gov within 24 hours after the application deadline and request approval to submit their application. Additional information on reporting technical issues is found under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How To Apply section.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: 24JD10 Release date: December 22, 2023 mailto:g2watson@bop.gov mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:BOP-NIC/General@bop.gov

Contents NIC FY 2024 Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

Eligibility

Deadline

Contact Information

NIC FY 2024 Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

(CFDA # 16.603)

A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals

Objectives

Deliverables

Applications must include in Program Narrative and Budget Narrative the incorporation of products delivered meet Plain Language and 508 Standards

Cooperative Agreements require significant staff involvement excluding the basic monitoring of the project, progress, deliverables and reports

B. Federal Award Information

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

C. Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include Statement of the problem

Project Design and Implementation

Logic Model

Timeline or Milestone Chart

Capabilities and Competencies, Résumés of All Key Personnel

Letters of Support/Memoranda of Understanding

Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

Budget and Budget Justification

How to Apply

All applicants are required to complete the following steps:

Acquire and maintain registration with the System for Award Management (SAM)

Acquire an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and a Grants.gov username and password

How to Submit an Application to the National Institute of Corrections via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace

Applicant Support

Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

Duplicate applications

Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues

E. Application Review Information Selection Criteria

Programmatic Review (40)

Organizational Review (35)

Management/Administrative Review (25)

Review Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information Federal Award Notices

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements

Plain Language

Section 508 Accessibility

Paperwork Reduction Act

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

H. Other Information Provide Feedback to NIC

NIC FY 2024 Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

(CFDA # 16.603)

A. Program Description

Overview As the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) approaches its 50th anniversary, it is important to reflect on the events and conditions of the nation’s correctional agencies that influenced the establishment of the National Institute of Corrections. In September 1971, a major riot at New York’s Attica prison focused national attention on corrections and the practice of imprisonment in the United States. In response to public concern and recognizing the problems in correctional facilities and programs at the state and local levels, Attorney General John N. Mitchell convened a National Conference on Corrections in December 1971.

From the recommendations of the National Conference on Corrections and a meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee, NIC was created by an act of Congress in 1974 to primarily assist federal, state, tribal, and community corrections departments and agencies in their efforts to develop and implement improved corrections programs and to assist them in the development, maintenance, and coordination of programs, facilities, services, treatment, and rehabilitation. NIC employs a multifaceted approach to accomplish its mission by offering a wide range of high-quality training programs, tailored technical assistance, information services, conference workshops, webinars, and other events. In so doing, NIC has built a legacy of being the foremost resource for correctional agencies in the nation. Part of NIC’s legacy has been its ability to rapidly respond to an agency’s urgent request for assistance, often following a critical incident involving the life, health, or safety of staff, residents, clients, visitors, or the public.

Corrections agencies in the United States are facing several challenges related to numerous issues, including staffing, funding, leadership, supervision, facility design and maintenance, policies and procedures, mental health, substance use and withdrawal, homelessness, healthcare, use-of-force, and contraband. As a result, critical incidents, including escapes, assaults, deaths, and threats to public safety occur. NIC’s ability to provide for a rapid and effective response to a correctional agency’s critical need is as important today as it was more than 50 years ago.

Statutory Authority: Public Law 93-415

Program-Specific Information NIC will triage requests for assistance with critical incidents (i.e., incidents that are serious, significant, or highly sensitive and that seriously disrupt operations and/or involve the life, health, or safety concerns of staff, residents, clients, visitors, or the public) from federal, state, local, tribal, and community corrections departments and agencies to determine the level of need required and a corresponding response.

Based on the level of need determined during triage, NIC will either refer the requesting agency to other existing resources, services, or providers, or deploy a Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), composed of an appropriate number of experts with varying skill sets, to the requesting agency. Once a request is triaged and a CIRT is determined to be the appropriate response, onsite activities should begin within three to twenty-one days. Onsite activities should then be conducted thoroughly and expediently.

After a comprehensive onsite assessment, the CIRT will out-brief agency leadership and generate a report of their assessment with actionable recommendations. Recommendations will be categorized by tier and an associated timeframe. For example, Tier I recommendations should occur within 30 days, Tier II recommendations within 90 days, and Tier III recommendations within 180 days. Services associated with Tier I recommendations will be provided by the CIRT. Tier I services may include, for example, referrals to other existing resources, services, or providers; policy revision or development; peer exchange; and additional or further in-depth assessments.

After an agency’s review of the draft report and follow-on discussions with NIC and the CIRT, a final report and action plan will be provided to the agency.

Goals The goal of this cooperative agreement is to aid federal, state, local, tribal, and community corrections departments and agencies when a critical incident occurs; foster safe, secure, and humane environments for staff, residents, clients, and visitors; and enhance public safety

Objectives The program’s overall objectives include the following:

1. Develop a model of services responsive to community supervision, jails and prisons.

2. Educate corrections agencies on the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program to ensure maximum outreach and accessibility of services.

3. Provide aid in collaboration with NIC program staff to corrections agencies that request assistance with a critical incident.

4. Conduct impact evaluations.

Deliverables The successful applicant must complete the following deliverables during the project period. The program narrative should reflect how the applicant will accomplish these activities.

General

1. Conduct an initial meeting with the NIC program manager to discuss the scope of work and all related aspects of the cooperative agreement within 30 days of award.

2. Conduct bi-weekly project team meetings. Awardee will document and provide summaries of all project meetings to the NIC program manager.

3. Conduct onsite assessments, creating recommendations, reports and appropriate implementation plans.

4. Facilitate virtual meetings as needed.

5. Produce written reports after each incident.

6. Conduct a close-out meeting at the completion of this cooperative agreement.

Develop a Model of Services

1. Identify and recruit a cadre of experts with varying skill sets and depth and breadth of experiences and backgrounds needed for assignment to CIRTs that will service federal, state, local, and community corrections departments and agencies. The awardee’s application should provide a list of proposed service providers along with letters of commitment and resumes.

2. Design a triage rubric to assess corrections agencies’ requests based on levels of need and immediacy of need for assistance.

3. Identify tiers of actionable recommended services with associated timeframes.

4. Develop templates for triage reports, assessment (composed of onsite and offsite activities), final reports, action plans, and impact evaluations for use with all types of corrections agencies, i.e., federal, state, local, tribal, and community. When NIC can provide an existing template, only modifications will be required.

Educate Corrections Agencies on the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

1. Facilitate an initial virtual planning meeting focused on gathering information from subject matter experts to assist the project team with developing content for an educational video for the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program. In addition to the SMEs, the NIC program manager, the awardee’s project director, and the awardee’svideo production expert will attend at a minimum. Anticipate facilitation of additional virtual meetings during the production phases as needed.

2. Collaborate with NIC’s video production team to create a 4- to 5-minute educational video for the program. The awardee should anticipate being involved in all phases of the video production process to include at a minimum designing, planning, scripting, storyboarding, producing, and editing all components of an educational video.

3. Conduct 3-5 webinars and present at four of the eight following national conferences as determined by

NIC:

• American Correctional Association

• American Jail Association

• Correctional Leaders of America

• American Probation and Parole Association

• Association of Paroling Authorities International

• National Association of Pretrial Services

• National Sheriffs’ Association

• National Association of Counties

4. Assist NIC Information Center web developers with the creation of a Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program webpage on NIC’s website.

5. Write 4 articles (submitted within 60 days of each other) each year during the duration of this cooperative agreement pertaining to Critical Incident Response and Assistance Programs that are to be included in NIC’s Quarterly Newsletter. The articles should be 250 to 500 words in length, have an accompanying photo or graphic, and include the identification of a critical issue requiring a response, the resulting response action, and tips on how to prevent critical incidents requiring such a response from occurring in the future. The awardee must coordinate with the NIC technical writer/editor on the article’s content as needed to finalize the article for publishing.

Provide Aid to Five Corrections Agencies that Request Assistance with a Critical Incident

1. Triage correctional agencies’ requests for assistance with a critical incident. Generate a triage report based on the collective information gathered from a triage team of appropriate subject matter experts, the project director, the NIC program manager, and other designated NIC personnel depending on the type of agency making the request, i.e., prisons, jails, or community corrections. The triage rubric will be used to determine the level of need and the immediacy of need for assistance. Provide triage results to the requesting agency.

2. Based on the level of need and immediacy of need for assistance, assign subject matter experts to a CIRT, designate a team lead, and prepare the CIRT to deploy to the requesting agency.

3. The following activities prior to the CIRT arriving onsite may include but are not limited to:

• Requesting and reviewing documentation relevant to the scope of the issues to be addressed, including, but not limited to, client records, facility inspection reports, staffing plans, post orders, policies and procedures, staff training, program schedules, a housing plan, a mission statement, service contracts, virtual focus/target group discussions with various impacted divisions within the agency, and any other program or agency reviews completed within the past 3 years from other organizations.

• Requesting and reviewing documentation on any current litigation, court rulings, consent decrees, and/or other relevant legal issues.

• Preparing and providing agency representatives an onsite agenda.

4. The anticipated length time spent by the CIRT on initial onsite activities is two to five days depending on the size of the agency and complexity of the incident. The following onsite activities should include but are not limited to:

• Meeting with agency executives and other designated staff to establish a mutual understanding of the intent and scope of the initial onsite visit.

• Reviewing the established agenda and discuss any requested modifications. At a minimum, the project manager should be contacted immediately if the agency’s request is not within the scope of work.

• Reviewing any documentation or contracts relevant to the scope of work not previously received.

• Conducting a thorough tour of the agency site or area of operations as appropriate.

• Conducting assessments relevant to the scope of work, including interviews with staff, residents, clients, or members of the public as appropriate.

• Conduct a formal debrief with the executive team of the agency and other designated key personnel and provide preliminary observations, findings, and recommendations.

5. Activities by the awardee and/or CIRT after the initial onsite visit should include but are not limited to:

• Developing a draft report that incorporates an executive summary as appropriate, the agency request for assistance, the triage report, pre- and onsite assessments, findings, and actionable recommendations by tier.

• Facilitating a virtual review of the draft report with agency executives. At a minimum, the NIC program manager, other designated NIC personnel, the project manager, and the CIRT members should be present. The purpose of the review would be to have a dialogue with agency representatives about the contents of the report and to clearly articulate the agency’s options regarding follow-up actions described in the report recommendations.

This engagement also allows the awardee the opportunity to include agency feedback in the final report.

• Submitting a finalized report to the NIC program manager in Word and PDF format. NIC personnel will provide the agency with a copy of the finalized report.

• Providing Tier I services within the associated timeframe to the agency and submitting a report of activities associated with those services to the NIC program manager within 15 days of the conclusion of all Tier I services.

Evaluations

1. Conduct surveys to evaluate CIRT service providers.

2. Conduct surveys to evaluate the program’s processes and services starting from the agency request through to the submission of the final report to the agency.

3. Conduct surveys at appropriate intervals to evaluate the quality and outcomes of the services provided from all tiers as applicable.

Specific Requirements

1. Subject matter experts (SMEs) with 10+ years of experience in their fields of expertise are required.

Critical Incident Response Teams must be composed of SMEs with the appropriate backgrounds and experience to effectively respond to critical incidents that occur in prisons, jails, and community corrections settings.

2. Final determination and approval of SMEs, rests with the NIC program manager.

3. The awardee is responsible for all team member expenses and fees.

4. Maintain regular, routine contact (i.e., monthly at a minimum) with the NIC program manager to provide updates on the progress and status of deliverables throughout the period of award.

5. Provide quarterly progress reports in adherence to written requirements and the prescribed schedule outlined in the award documents.

6. Provide documentation and reports of meeting (e.g., planning sessions, meetings of significance) outcomes to the NIC program manager. A final close-out report for the cooperative agreement is also required.

7. Ensure all electronic deliverables are compatible with NIC’s systems and adhere to requirements for Section 508, the Plain Writing Act of 2010, and are developed in accordance with the NIC Style Guide.

Award Conditions

The successful applicant will:

1. Describe the roles, 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.

2. Describe the management structure, staffing, and in-house or contracted capacity to complete each component.

3. 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 commitment letters, résumés, and position descriptions as well as work product examples where appropriate is required.

5. Provide specific examples of the applicant’s expertise as it relates to the objectives and deliverables.

6. Articulate a clear understanding of the range and nature of critical incidents (as defined above) in prisons, jails, and community services settings, the factors that contribute to these incidents, and the internal and external ramifications of these incidents.

Applications must include in Program Narrative and Budget Narrative the incorporation of products delivered meet Plain Language and 508 Standards.

NIC Staff Responsibilities Cooperative Agreements require significant staff involvement excluding the basic monitoring of the project, progress, deliverables and reports.

Significant staff involvement may include:

• Serving as subject matter expert(s) in the project.

• Approving subject matter experts.

• Approving the project timeline.

• Approving all video content

• Working collaboratively on all deliverables.

• Approving a service model prior to implementation.

In addition to the strategy and content of the program design, the successful applicant must complete the deliverables specified in the statement of work and program description during the project period. The program narrative should reflect how the applicant will accomplish these activities.

Before approving a deliverable, NIC reserves the right to test the deliverable against the applicant’s Section 508 claims. If NIC determines that the applicant’s claims were false and at higher level of conformance than what was actually received, NIC may, at its option, reject the deliverable and require the applicant to remediate the deliverable to align with the applicant’s stated Section 508 conformance claims before its approval.

Additionally, before approving a deliverable, NIC reserves the right to review the applicant’s deliverables for conformance to federal plain writing guidelines and NIC Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for Publication. If NIC determines that the applicant’s deliverables do not meet all applicable guidelines, NIC may, at its option, reject the deliverable and require the applicant to remediate the deliverable align with those guidelines.

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices.

NIC strongly emphasizes the use of data and evidence in policy making and program development.

• improving the quantity and quality of evidence NIC generates;

• integrating evidence into program, practice, and policy decisions within NIC and the field; and

• improving the translation of evidence into practice.

NIC 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. 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 NIC considers a program or practice to be evidence-based.

Accessibility Requirements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-

220) requires that when federal agencies develop, buy, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to and use of information and data comparable to employees and members of the public without disabilities.

Deliverables submitted as part of this project must conform to the Revised Section 508 Standards (see 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D), which are available online at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2017-title36-vol3/xml/CFR-2017-title36-vol3-part1194.xml.

All functional performance criteria apply when the requirements outlined Chapters 4–6 of the Revised 508 Standards either (1) do not address one or more functions of ICT or (2) provide lower accessibility and usability for people with disabilities than would be provided by using alternative design or technology. All Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level A and AA success criteria and 502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology and 503 Application of the Revised 508 Standards apply. All requirements for hardware features, components, and support services and documentation also apply. See https://www.section508.gov/

Plain Language Requirements The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires federal agencies to use plain writing in documents that are necessary for obtaining government funding, providing information about federal government benefits or services, or explaining to the public how to comply with a requirement that the federal government administers or enforces. The Act also requires agencies to use plain writing in every paper or electronic letter, publication, form, notice, or instruction. Its purpose is to improve the effectiveness and accountability of federal agencies. See http://www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage and https://plainlanguage.gov/law/

Deliverables submitted as part of this project must adhere to the federal plain writing guidelines, which are available at https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/, and the NIC Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for Publication, which is available at https://www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage.

Additional resources NIC training and technical assistance awardee standards. NIC has developed the TA Handbook] to https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2017-title36-vol3/xml/CFR-2017-title36-vol3-part1194.xml https://www.section508.gov/ http://www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage https://plainlanguage.gov/law/ https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/ https://www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage promote among providers the consistency and quality of NIC-sponsored training and technical assistance and to advance common expectations of performance excellence. The standards present minimum expectations that providers must meet for effective practice in the planning, coordination, delivery, and evaluation of training.

B. Federal Award Information

NIC expects to make one award for as much as $1,000,000.00 for a 12-month project period, beginning on May 5, 2024. Requests for amounts more than a total of $1,000,000, including direct and indirect costs will not be considered.

Type of award. NIC expects to make an award from this solicitation in the form of a cooperative agreement which is a particular type of grant used when NIC expects to have ongoing substantial involvement in award activities. Substantial involvement includes direct oversight and involvement with the grantee organization in implementation of the grant but does not involve day-to-day project management, additional information on the substantial involvement can be found in Section A. See Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements, under Section F. Federal Award Administration, for details regarding the federal involvement anticipated under an award from this solicitation.

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

If the awardee demonstrates significant progress toward implementing project activities and achieving project goals, NIC may, in certain cases, provide supplemental non-competitive funding for FY 2025 and FY 2026 to the awardee. With the supplemental funding, the project period can be extended up to two additional 12-month increments for an overall project period of 36 months. Important considerations in decisions regarding supplemental funding include, among other factors, the availability of funding, strategic priorities, assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and assessment of the progress of the work funded under the Award.

Performance measures capture outcomes of cooperative agreement activities, demonstrating if programs accomplish goals and objectives. Performance measures. NIC requires all applicants to submit quarterly progress reports demonstrating progress towards completion of the work proposed under this solicitation. The performance measures for this solicitation outlined on the following page:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1

Objective Performance Measure(s)

Description Data Grantee Provides

Develop a Model of Services

A list of proposed service providers along with letters of commitment and resumes.

Identify and recruit a cadre of experts with varying skill sets and depth and breadth of experiences and backgrounds needed for assignment to Critical Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) that will service federal, state, local, and community corrections departments and agencies.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with 10+ years of experience in their fields of expertise is required. Critical Incident Response Teams must be composed of SMEs with the appropriate backgrounds and experience to effectively respond to critical incidents that occur in prisons, jails, and community corrections settings.

Educate Corrections Agencies on the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program

• Create content for a 4- to 5-minute educational video.

• Conduct webinars and present at conferences.

• Assist NIC Information Center web developers with the creation of a Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program webpage.

• Write 4 articles (to be delivered every 60 days) each year during the duration of this cooperative agreement on the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program for

Facilitate an initial virtual planning meeting focused on gathering information from subject matter experts to assist the project team with developing content for an educational video for the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program.

Coordinate with the NIC Information Center and technical writer/editor regarding requirements for creation of the webpage and article series.

• Video content, i.e., storyboards, scripts, etc.

• Webinar and conference presentations conducted.

• Microsite developed on NIC website

• Series of CIRT newsletter articles created.

dissemination through NIC’s quarterly newsletter.

Provide Aid to Five Corrections Agencies that Request Assistance with a Critical Incident

The triage rubric will be used to determine level of need and the immediacy of need for assistance.

Triage corrections agencies’ requests for assistance with a critical incident. Generate a triage report based on the collective information gathered from a triage team of appropriate SMEs, the project director, the NIC program manager, and other designated NIC personnel depending on the type of agency making the request, i.e., prisons, jails, or community corrections.

Based on the level of need and immediacy of need for assistance, assign SMEs to a CIRT, designate a team lead, and prepare the CIRT to deploy to the requesting agency.

• Developing a draft report that incorporates an executive summary as appropriate, the agency request for assistance, the triage report, pre- and onsite assessments, findings, and actionable recommendations by tier.

• Facilitating a virtual review of the draft report with agency executives.

• Submit a finalized report to the NIC program manager.

• Provide Tier I services within the associated timeframe to the agency and submitting a report of activities associated with those services to the NIC program manager within 15 days of the conclusion of all Tier I services.

Conduct and Provide Evaluations

Conduct surveys to evaluate CIRT service providers.

Conduct surveys to evaluate the program’s processes and services starting from an

All surveys conducted and delivered to the NIC program manager.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Award recipients and subrecipients (including recipients or subrecipients that are pass-through entities) must, as described in Part 200 Uniform Requirements as sent out as set out at 2 C.F.R. 200.303:

Establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the nonfederal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

Comply with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards.

Evaluate and monitor the nonfederal entity's compliance with statute, regulations, and the terms and conditions of federal awards.

Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified, including noncompliance identified in audit findings.

Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the nonfederal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

Budget Information

Funding Restrictions Foreign Travel is not allowed unless prior written approval is received from Awarding Agency (NIC).

Equipment purchases are not allowed. Construction is not an allowable activity.

Incentives or Stipends Unless specifically listed in Section A, NIC will not fund incentives or Stipends.

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals NIC does not typically approve pre-agreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of NIC for all such costs. If approved, pre-agreement costs could be paid from grant agency request through to the submission of the final report to the agency.

Conduct surveys at appropriate intervals to evaluate the ramifications of services provided from all tiers as applicable.

funds consistent with a grantee’s approved budget, and under applicable cost standards. However, all such costs prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of an applicant.

Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting federal funding for those costs. Should there be extenuating circumstances that appear to be appropriate for NIC’s consideration as pre-agreement costs, the applicant should contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this announcement for details on the requirements for submitting a written request for approval.

Limitation on use of award funds for employee compensation; waiver With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, recipients may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year. The 2024 salary table for SES employees is available at the Office of Personnel Management website. Note: A recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with non-federal funds. (Any such additional compensation will not be considered matching funds where match requirements apply.)

C. Eligibility Information

NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). Recipients, including for-profit organizations, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply.

Proof of 501(c) (3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution is required.

NIC welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program. Only one (1) application will be accepted from a submitting organization.

NIC 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.

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement This solicitation does not require cost sharing or match. However, if a successful application proposes a voluntary cost share or match amount, and NIC approves the budget, the total cost share or match amount shall be incorporated into the approved budget, and becomes mandatory and subject to audit. Cost sharing or match will not be used as a factor during the merit review of applications.

Limit on Number of Application Submissions If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, NIC will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted. For more information on system-validated versions, see How To Apply.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2023/executive-senior-level

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

Applicants should anticipate that if they fail to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements, it may negatively affect the review of their application; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions. See attached checklist.

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, do not request funding within the funding limit, or that do not include the application elements that NIC has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, NIC has designated the following application elements as critical: Project Abstract, Program Narrative, Accessibility Conformance Report, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, Logic Model, Timeline or Milestone Chart and résumés of all key personnel.

Applicants should review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under How To Apply to be sure that they submit their applications in the permitted formats.

NIC strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Accessibility Conformance Report”, “Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of Understanding,” “Résumés”) for all attachments. Also, NIC recommends that applicants include résumés in a single file.

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of pre- applications, applications, and related information. This form can be found on Grants.gov and NIC’s website https://nicic.gov/invitations-bid-and-requests-proposal.

Intergovernmental review This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, applicants are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19 to indicate that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”)

Project Abstract Applications must include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 400 words or less. Project abstracts should be

• written for a general public audience;

• submitted as a separate attachment with “Project Abstract” as part of its file name; and

• single-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman) with 1-inch margins.

As a separate attachment, the project abstract will not count against the page limit for the program narrative.

The abstract should briefly describe the project’s purpose, the population to be served, and the activities that the applicant will implement to achieve the project’s goals and objectives. The abstract should describe how the applicant will measure progress toward these goals.

https://www.grants.gov/forms https://nicic.gov/invitations-bid-and-requests-proposal http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html

Program Narrative Applicants must submit a program narrative that presents a detailed description of the purpose, goals, objectives, strategies, design, and management of the proposed program. The program narrative should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, not exceeding 30 pages of 8½ by 11 inches, and use a standard 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman. Pages should be numbered “1 of 30,” etc. The tables, charts, pictures, etc., including all captions, legends, keys, subtext, etc., may be single-spaced and will count in the 30-page limit. Material required under the Budget and Budget Narrative and Additional Attachments sections will not count toward the program narrative page count. Applicants may provide bibliographical references as a separate attachment that will not count toward the 30-page program narrative limit. If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, NIC may consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.

The program narrative should address the following selection criteria: (1) statement of the problem; (2) goals, objectives, and performance measures; (3) program design and implementation; and (4) capabilities/competencies. The applicant should clearly delineate the connections between and among each of these sections. For example, the applicant should derive the goals and objectives directly from the problems to be addressed. Similarly, the project design section should clearly explain how the program’s structure and activities will accomplish the goals and objectives identified in the previous section.

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

Statement of the problem.

Applicants should describe any research or evaluation studies that relate to the problem and contribute to the applicant’s understanding of its causes and potential solutions. While NIC expects applicants to review the research literature for relevant studies, they should also explore whether unpublished local sources of research or evaluation data are available.

Goals, objectives, and performance measures.

Applicants should describe the goals of the proposed training and technical assistance program and identify its objectives. When formulating the program’s goals and objectives, applicants should be cognizant of the performance measures that NIC will require successful applicants to provide.

Goals. Applicants should describe the program’s intent to deliver training and technical assistance, as described in the previous section and outline the project’s goals.

Program objectives. Applicants should explain how the program will accomplish its goals.

Objectives are specific, quantifiable statements of the project’s desired results. They should be clearly linked to the training and technical assistance strategy identified in the preceding section and measurable.

NIC does not require applicants to submit performance measures data with their application.

Performance measures are included as an alert that NIC will require successful applicants to submit specific data as part of their reporting requirements. For the application, applicants should indicate an understanding of these requirements and discuss how they will gather the required data, should they receive funding.

Project Design and Implementation Applicants should detail how the project will operate throughout the funding period and describe the strategies that they will use to achieve the goals and objectives identified in the previous section.

Applicants should describe how they will complete the deliverables stated in the Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables section on page 5. NIC encourages applicants to select evidence-based practices for their programs.

Logic Model Applicants must include a logic model that graphically illustrates how the performance measures are related to the project’s problems, goals, objectives, and design. Applicants should submit the logic model as a separate attachment, as stipulated in Additional Attachments.

Timeline or Milestone Chart Applicants must submit a milestone chart that indicates major tasks associated with the goals and objectives of the project, assigns responsibility for each, and plots completion of each task by month or quarter for the duration of the award, using “Year 1,” “Month 1,” “Quarter 1,” etc., not calendar dates.

Applicants should submit the timeline as a separate attachment, as stipulated in Additional Attachments, page 19. On receipt of an award, the recipient may revise the timeline, based on training and technical assistance that NIC will provide.

Capabilities and Competencies, Résumés of All Key Personnel This section should describe the experience and capability of the applicant organization and any contractors or subawards that the applicant will use to implement and manage this effort and its associated federal funding, highlighting any previous experience implementing projects of similar design or magnitude. Applicants should highlight their experience/capability/capacity to manage subawards, including details on their system for fiscal accountability. Management and staffing patterns should be clearly connected to the project design described in the previous section. Applicants should describe the roles and responsibilities of project staff and explain the program’s organizational structure and operations. Applicants should include a copy of an organizational chart showing how the organization operates, including who manages the finances; how the organization manages subawards, if there are any;

and the management of the project proposed for funding.

Letters of Support/Memoranda of Understanding If submitting a joint application, as described under Section C: Eligibility Information, page 1, applicants should provide signed and dated letters of support or memoranda of understanding for all key partners that include the following:

expression of support for the program and a statement of willingness to participate and collaborate with it;

description of the partner’s current role and responsibilities in the planning process and expected responsibilities when the program is operational; and estimate of the percentage of time that the partner will devote to the planning and operation of the project.

Accessibility Conformance Report Applicants must provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for each type of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (e.g., electronic document, web-based content, web-based training, podcast, or video) offered through this Cooperative Agreement. Create the ACR using the Voluntary

Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Version 2.1 or later, located at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat. Complete each ACR in accordance with the instructions provided in the VPAT template.

Each ACR must address the applicable Section 508 requirements referenced in the statement of work and program description. Use the remarks/explanations column or additional narrative to explain how the ICT meets, fails to meet, or does not apply to the standards (e.g., user functionality, administrator functionality, and reporting). For ICT features that do not fully conform to Section 508 standards, describe your plan to remedy those features.

Finally, the applicant should describe the evaluation methods that were used to support Section 508 conformance claims. NIC reserves the right, prior to making an award decision, to perform testing on some or all of the applicant’s proposed ICT items to validate Section 508 conformance claims made in the ACR.

Plain Writing Attestation Letter For the deliverables offered with this Cooperative Agreement, applicants should provide a letter attesting to the adherence of requirements of the Plain Writing Act of 2010 and NIC Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for Publication https://nicic.gov/plainlanguage. Include a section describing the evaluation methods that were used to support plain writing claims.