RFI - PIECP.pdf

US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS (OJP)

BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE (BJA)

PRISON INDUSTRY ENHANCEMENT CERTIFICATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

This Request for Information (RFI) is being released pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 10 Market Research. The information collected through the process is considered to be market research as described by FAR

2.101 and in accordance with FAR 10.002. This is NOT a Request for Proposals (RFP), and nothing shall be construed herein or through the Sources Sought process to commit or obligate the Government to further action. In addition, vendors responding to this RFI shall bear all risks and expenses of any resources used to provide the requested information. The submission of capability information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is issuing this RFI to identify any and all qualified and vendors, both large and small (e.g., 8(a); Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business; Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Business; Small Disadvantaged Business; Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women- Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business) having an interest in and possessing the resources and expertise to provide support for The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) services.

The anticipated NAICS code applicable to this RFI: 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The anticipated contract type is Time & Material. The anticipated period of performance is a base year plus four (4) option years commencing October 1, 2026.

The incumbent for this task is National Correctional Industries, Inc.

SECTION 1.0 Scope

The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) was created to encourage states and counties to establish employment opportunities for inmates that approximate those found in the private sector. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing technical assistance to Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program certificate holders and their cost accounting centers to enhance prison industry programs, which assist incarcerated individuals in developing marketable skills that will increase job training and skills development as well as increase the likelihood of meaningful employment upon release. States or counties participating in the program must have statutory authority to administer prison industry projects. Project officials shall consult with organized labor and local private industry prior to start-up; pay prevailing local wages; assure that the certified program will not displace free-world workers; employ inmates only on a voluntary basis; provide benefits including the compensation of injured workers;

comply with all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements; and involve the private sector. The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Technical Assistance Program (PIECTAP) provides assistance to entities that hold PIECP certificates and to entities interested in applying for PIECP certificates.

The overall scope of Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Technical Assistance Program (PIETAP) includes assisting PIECP certificate holders and CACs with implementing and operating PIECP in accordance with 18 U.S.C.

1761(c) and the BJA PIECP requirements, including eligibility, inmate wages, non-inmate worker displacement, benefits, deductions, voluntary PIECP inmate worker participation, consultation with organized labor, consultation with local private industry, and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Additionally, technical assistance will include providing technical assistance to entities interested in applying for a PIECP certificate. Technical assistance will be limited to entities that hold PIECP certificates and to entities interested in applying for PIECP certificates. The scope of assistance provided under this award is limited to those technical issues related to compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and certification procedures as well as promoting PIECP best practices. State and local correctional agencies seeking assistance in developing a prison industry program to further successful reentry and related goals may be eligible to receive assistance from other OJP/BJA training and technical assistance providers.

Also, the contractor will assist BJA with planning and ongoing activities as necessary to support PIECP.

SECTION 2.0 - Specific Work Requirements/Responsibilities

This section provides a description of the logistical, administrative, management and support services that will be required to support BJA’s efforts to ensure that PIECP certificate holders are meeting statutory requirements and other guidelines associated with PIECP.

This section describes the general requirements for this effort. The services to be provided under this requirement shall support BJA and PIECP certificate holders. It is anticipated that the organization which enters into the contract with BJA shall have expertise in the development and operations of prison industries programs as well as demonstrated success in assessing major programs for compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations and/or guidelines.

Task 1: Initial Planning Activities - In support of this effort, the contractor shall coordinate the following:

The contractor shall participate in meetings with BJA staff as necessary to support the strategic planning process for managing and monitoring PIECP certificate holders. The meetings will be held in Washington, DC and/or teleconference; therefore, the contractor will need to budget for travel to attend minimally one planning meeting to include lodging, airfare, meals and incidental expenses. Planning meetings may include other BJA technical assistance providers to ensure a coordinated project management effort. For time and materials contracts the FAR states that contractors can only be reimbursed for actual costs, therefore budget accordingly.

Other initial planning activities and tasks within this objective shall include:

• Developing assessment forms for use during PIECP compliance assessments;

• Preparing and maintain documents that include a list of all PIECP certificate holders and a description of the prison industries for each certificate holder;

• Developing a schedule of when and how many site assessment visits will be conducted to PIECP certificate holders and CACs based on the program compliance risk;

• Working with BJA to develop a system to determine which certificate holders and CACs are high-, medium-, and low-risk regarding program compliance;

• Working with BJA to develop an assessment system to determine when ad hoc compliance visits are necessary;

• Drafting materials that highlight the availability and types of PIECP technical assistance; and

• Working with BJA to develop a system that will enable BJA and/or the contractor to determine which certificate holders are high, medium, and low risk in reference to PIECP compliance.

Task 2: Assist BJA in ongoing activities as necessary to support the administration of PIECP and publishing of program outputs.

This task shall include:

• Conducting presentations, when appropriate and approved by BJA;

• Publish summary of PIECP CAC activities/operations;

• Conducting aggregate analysis of PIECP CAC quarterly status reports of PIECP projects by capturing data, such as the number of inmates employed, amount of wage deductions, amount of wages paid, and program trends;

• Undertaking other training and technical assistance functions deemed necessary by BJA to support the program;

• Coordinating with other federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Bureau of Prisons regarding PIECP requirements and guidelines when appropriate; and

• Assisting BJA with program inquiries from stakeholders and the public at-large regarding program outputs and compliance-related matters.

Task 3: Assist PIECP certificate holders and CACs with implementing and operating PIECP in accordance with 18 U.S.C. 1761(c) and the BJA PIECP requirements, including eligibility, inmate wages, non-inmate worker displacement, benefits, deductions, voluntary PIECP inmate worker participation, consultation with organized labor, consultation with local private industry, and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act

Tasks shall include:

• Identifying areas where technical assistance may be necessary and work with BJA to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance;

• Collecting quarterly statistical data on PIECP certificate holders and perform analysis of cumulative data that details the progress of PIECP projects and identify challenges, successes, and/or promising practices;

• Conducting 15-18 proactive and ad hoc onsite assessments (per year), 2-3 desk reviews (per year), and/or telephonic meetings with project staff to assess program compliance and develop recommendations for program compliance as necessary;

• Sending pre-compliance visit letters to certificate holders in order to schedule visits and outline the topics to be covered during the visit;

• Drafting compliance reports, per BJA specifications, based on observations and recommendations made during onsite visits, telephonic meetings, and desk reviews to provide to BJA for review and comment in order to assist sites in meeting their obligations; and

• Developing compliance corrective action plans in consultation with BJA and provide follow-up technical assistance to certificate holders.

Task 4: Provide technical assistance to entities interested in applying for a PIECP certificate.

Tasks shall include:

• Assisting PIECP applicants with compiling the necessary information and addressing the program requirements for PIECP certification and

• Conducting ad hoc presentations to educate potential applicants about PIECP.

Task 5: Transition:

The contractor shall plan for the transfer of work control, delineating the method for processing and assigning tasks during the phase-out period.

4.1 Phase-out

The contractor shall provide a phase-out plan no later than sixty (60) days prior to expiration of this contract. The contractor shall maintain complete documentation that is totally assessable to the designated Government representatives via a web portal or some other portal as the Government directs. The contractor may overlap with an incoming contractor during transition for a nominal period of 30 days and will work with Government personnel and the incoming contractor to transfer knowledge, information and documentation for all projects and tasks related to this contract.

Respondents to this RFI shall provide the following information:

a) Vendor background summary including, contractor name, address, DUNS, point of contact information, email, phone, website address, small business designation, and any GSA schedule number (or other Federal Supply schedule number).

b) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

c) Past Performance - Provide a list of previous contracts where similar services were provided. Provide customer/Government Agency contact information where these services were provided including: contact name and organization, telephone number, and email address.

The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to provide services consistent in scope with what is described in this notice and otherwise anticipated.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Interested vendors should monitor a government point of entry site for further information.

Submission Instructions: Interested vendors who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this RFI Notice by Friday, February 13, 2026, 11:59PM Eastern Time. All responses under this RFI Notice must be emailed to alisha.wells@usdoj.gov.