SOW.pdf

Federal Bureau of Prisons Central Office, Washington, D.C.

Parenting Curriculum Statement of Work

1.0 Introduction and Purpose

1.1 Introduction

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a federal agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ). It consists of 122 institutions throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, Central Office (Headquarters), 6 regional offices, 2 staff training centers, and 26 Residential Reentry Management offices.

The BOP is responsible for the custody and care of approximately 153,000 adult Federal offenders. Approximately 84 percent of these inmates are confined in BOP-operated facilities, while the remainder are confined in secure, privately managed facilities, community-based facilities, and/or local jails.

The Reentry Services Division (RSD) Women and Special Populations Branch (WASPB) identifies, tracks, and provides services to seven distinct special populations within the Bureau of Prisons, including parents.

Roughly 66 percent of all federal offenders are parents.

However, the number increases to 80 percent when the female population is examined exclusively. Currently, the BOP has a national parenting program, which is delivered through a series of DVD and specialty programs. In addition, the BOP has two residential parenting programs for pregnant women: Mothers and Infants Together (MINT), which is a residential community based program; and the Residential Parenting Program (RPP), which is contracted through the State of Washington. The BOP recognizes the importance of all healthy family relationships in providing inmates with support while incarcerated and during reentry.

With the signing of First Step Act (FSA) in December of 2018, the BOP has been tasked with developing and implementing evidence-based recidivism reduction programs, productive activities, and procedures designed to ensure the most comprehensive reentry services are available to federal offenders.

Research has demonstrated the importance of family reunification and supportive community connections in preventing recidivism.

In addition, inmates may have supportive relationships which fall outside legal definitions of family. The Bureau of Prisons encourages family engagement and maintenance of these support networks.

1.2 Purpose

The contractor will develop a holistic curriculum to provide programing focused on health and prosocial familial relationships that can be delivered at all 122 BOP facilities.

The contractor will develop separate curriculums for each of the following topics:

• Understanding and addressing changing family dynamics as the result of incarceration;

• Building and maintaining a healthy marriage or partnership;

• Building and maintaining healthy family relationships with adult relatives;

• Caring for an aging or disabled family member; and

• Parenting skills from prison and beyond.

The contractor will develop separate gender-specific modules for male and female offenders for each of these curricula. These curricula are to be gender-responsive and trauma-informed, addressing the unique needs of both female and male inmates. The male and female curriculums shall include information regarding factors impacting minority families during and post-incarceration, as well as resources to address these issues.

2.0 Scope of Work

2.1 Functional Requirements

2.1.1 Curriculum

Curriculum deliverables will be two separate curricula, a male curriculum and female curriculum for each of the five topics listed in Section 1.2, Purpose. The curriculum will include: a facilitator’s guide, program materials, and resource information for inmate families (i.e., visiting spouses or custodial parents). All of the curricula must meet the criteria of an Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction (EBRR) program or Productive Activity (PA) as defined in the FSA. The contractor will provide modules for each of the curricula that can be used by the inmate and targeted family member(s) both during in-person visitation and via distanced communication (U.S. mail, telephonic, or email).

The curriculums shall address at a minimum the following subject areas:

• Understanding and addressing changing family dynamics as the result of incarceration: Will address the role and impact of trauma and/or traumatic events as it pertains to family relationships; how family roles change as the result of incarceration; barriers created by criminal thinking and criminal lifestyle to health family relationships.

Additionally, methods for addressing dysfunctional relationships, how to mend them and move forward.

• Building and maintaining a health marriage or partnership:

This curriculum addresses the impact trauma and abuse play in a relationship, understanding the characteristics of both health and unhealthy relationships, when should a relationship be terminated (and how), and how to build and maintain prosocial functional relationships.

• Building and maintaining health family relationships with adult relatives: Addressing the damage that criminal lifestyle, criminal thinking and incarceration have had on familial relationships; reviewing the different roles family members play in an inmate’s support system and supporting adults who played parental roles during an inmate’s absence.

• Caring for an aging or disabled family member: Provide a general knowledge base for disabilities issues, building trust in a potentially damaged relationship, strategies for supporting a person with a disability, navigating the health care system, methods to advocate for a person living with a disability, and a review of available community resources.

• Parenting skills from prison and beyond: The parenting curriculum will provide strategies on how to build family relationships with spouses, significant others and children, facilitating knowledge and understanding regarding the impact of a parent's incarceration on children/family members to include extended family, and how to assist in childhood development. Additionally, the curriculum will provide strategies on how to meet the needs of justice involved parents as it relates to educational/vocational skills/training, employment skills, job searching/ retention skills, family finances, literacy issues, stress management, conflict resolution, and child care. This program will include a minimum of four interactive activities that inmates and their children can independently complete while in visitation. They will focus on topics such as shared past positive experiences, coping with separation, understanding facts and myths about incarceration, building positive relationships, etc. This will include handouts, pamphlets and items that children complete with a parent and can take home with them following the visit.

• The each of the five family curriculum shall include the following components:

o Support the development and maintenance of positive relationships between inmates and various family members, which may include their spouse or partners, adult family members, children, and any other family member. The contractor should understand that a “family member” is used broadly and may include an individual who is not biologically related to the inmate.

o The family programming curriculum and associated program activities must be structured in a manner that provides an opportunity for inmate, visiting spouses, family members, and/or children to interact in ways designed to strengthen family relationships, communication, and conflict resolution skills. This should include modules that can be used during in-person visitations, or visits from a distance, via telephone or mail. Distance module exercises should not require hands-on instruction by the facilitator.

The inmate will complete them with the family member and share the assignment with the facilitator or class as appropriate.

o All of the curricula will address contextual factors impacting minority families/children during incarceration, and identify resources to overcome associated challenges. In addition, the curriculum will address, as appropriate, the role of minority fathers in families, strategies to strengthen minority fatherhood, and how to increase family involvement during incarceration.

o Address literacy issues of the inmate and corresponding family members.

o Examine and address the impact of alcoholism and substance abuse, its impact on children/family members and strategies to treat addiction. It will not attempt to treat this disorder, however.

o The contractor shall provide the five structured family program curricula in English and Spanish. In addition, resources for each program will include pamphlets, national contact numbers, website information and other resources that are appropriate for in-person distribution during inmate visitation or that can be shared with the inmate’s family member via U.S. Mail.

2.1.2 Parenting Curriculum Resource Tools

The contractor is required to have and demonstrate the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to develop the five curricula (minimum requirements listed in section 2.1.3). Accordingly, the purpose of this contract is to develop and implement curricula focused on building positive and prosocial family relationships consistent with requirements of this Statement of Work, the rules and procedures of all BOP institutions, and all federal and state laws and requirements that are in effect during the term of this contract. The manner and method in performing the tasks outlined in the Statement of Work are at the discretion of the contractor, who shall perform in accordance with professional standards and methods as outlined in the BOP's Parenting Program Statement. The BOP has the sole discretion to determine the contractor's compliance with the contract.

Each curriculum must last a minimum of 12-weeks, with a one hour session per week being optimal. The five curricula will be designed and written for a layperson to act in the capacity of the facilitator.

2.1.3 Qualifications/Minimum Technical Requirement:

The contractor must specifically identify the individual(s) that will be performing these services under any subsequent contract award. The contractor must provide proof that their candidate(s) meet all qualifications. The candidate(s)'s name and qualifications must be submitted at the time the quote is submitted. Contractors must submit with their quote a resume, photocopies of documents evidencing education, training, and experience. The contractor shall possess the necessary skills, abilities, and credentials to develop family programming curriculums. Professional staff shall only perform those duties for which their position, certification and degree dictates.

• The contractor must demonstrate experience, knowledge and familiarity with the following: advocacy for justice-involved offenders and/or their families, in-prison adult populations, female offender populations, treatment approaches used for victims of used for victims of abuse and the potential ensuing trauma, and cognitive-behavioral interventions.

• The contractor must have experience in developing curriculum for incarcerated individuals.

• The contractor must have and demonstrate experience and knowledge in family dynamics, family counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy methods.

• The contractor must demonstrate experience providing services related to parenting and families that includes justice-involved individuals.

• The contractor must have knowledge of international, federal, state, and local laws regarding child custody and experience in providing counseling/consultation in these areas.

• Staff must be approved by the Bureau prior to providing services.

• The contractor shall hire key personnel to be approved by the Bureau to meet SOW requirements.

• The contractor will identify the key personnel by name, position, and responsibility.

• The contractor will staff all key personnel positions throughout the performance of the contract.

• The contractor will notify the Bureau in writing if any key personnel vacate a position permanently and indicate when an equivalent replacement will be made. The replacement staff must be equivalent in credentials and experience. The notification to the BOP will occur within three calendar days of the vacancy.

3.0 Deliverables

Table 1. Deliverables The contractor must provide the BOP with a digital program consisting of no less than:

• Interactive Journals

• Facilitator Guide

• Participant curriculum booklets. Each curriculum should be a minimum of 24 pages including illustrations, interactive scenarios and space for participants to record their thoughts and responses.

• Handouts

• Program Activities

• Resource Guide for visiting spouses and/or custodial parents

• Information pamphlets for use in the inmate visiting room which provide nation resources related to child care services, veteran’s benefits, welfare support, legal assistance, disease prevention, prenatal and post-natal care, and affordable housing.

• A companion interactive DVD video for each curriculum to prompt participant discussion. Each DVD should be 7 to 10 minutes in length.

Deliverable Format Description Due Date Meeting Minutes for Bimonthly Meetings

MS Word Record of significant meeting discussion to include action items and responsible parties.

Within 2 business days of meeting’s conclusion

Weekly Progress Report

MS Word Status report of completed work during the previous and subsequent week.

This report will be provided by email to the COR. This report will also identify any foreseeable or unresolved issues.

Weekly, within 3 business days after the end of the week

Monthly Progress Report

MS Word Status report of completed work during the previous 30 days and subsequent 30 days.

This report will be provided by email to the COR. This report will also identify any foreseeable or unresolved issues.

Monthly, within 4 business days after the end of the month

5.0 Payment Schedules/Invoices

The contractor will provide an itemized invoice for all services rendered on a monthly basis as verified by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Itemized invoices will include:

the specific deliverable accomplished; the hours associated with the tasks as associated with the project team member; and a description of the work performed with sufficient detail for the COR to review. The contractor will submit invoices and deliverables via e-mail to the Bureau of Prisons Central Office Business Office (BOP-ADM-Businessoffice-S@bop.gov) and the COR (BOP-RSD-WASPBranch-S@bop.gov) Payments will be made to the contract for work completed in the prior month. Final payment during the year will be made to the consultant/contractor after the review of all deliverables are completed with no identified issues.

6.0 Program Evaluation

The contractor will develop the parenting curriculum incorporating the identified project components and key requirements stated in section 1.2, 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 of this SOW.

The contractor will work with the COR to ensure all components needed for the program evaluation is completed on or before September 30, 2021.

7.0 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be for one (1) year, which includes curriculum development, implementation, consulting services, and training of Central Office staff. The BOP anticipates the overall engagement of this contract to begin before the end of Fiscal Year 2022. Upon the award of the contract, the COR will host a mandatory preliminary meeting for initial introductions of involved parties. This meeting may be held via video or teleconference.

8.0 Place of Performance

The work (e.g., implementation of the family programming curriculums) will occur at all 122 BOP facilities. The curriculums and related materials will be reviewed by the COR and Central Office staff prior to the dissemination and implementation at BOP facilities.

9.0 Security and Clearance Requirements

If/when it becomes necessary for a contractor to enter a secure BOP facility, all required contractor personnel shall have personnel security clearances consistent with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD 12) for the highest mailto:BOP-ADM-Businessoffice-S@bop.gov mailto:BOP-RSD-WASPBranch-S@bop.gov level of information processed by the system(s) they use. The provisions of Department of Justice Order DOJ 1700.01, “Contractor Security Requirements”, Federal Bureau of Prisons Information Security Program Statement 1237.16 and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Management Manual 3000.03 shall be followed to determine appropriate security clearance levels.

The contractor will follow the DOJ CONTRACTOR RESIDENCY

REQUIREMENT BUREAU OF PRISONS(JUNE 2004.

Contractor security clearances, including the submission of security clearance forms, etc., shall be coordinated with the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) prior to contract employee arrival at the BOP institution. As determined by the TPOC and/or Human Resource Security Specialist, clearances may require one or all of the following:

• National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check

• DOJ-99 (name check)

• FD-258 (fingerprint check)

• Law Enforcement Agency checks

• Vouchering of Employers over past five years

• Resume/Personal Qualifications

• OPM-329-A (Authority for Release of Information)

• NACI check (if applicable)

• Urinalysis Test (for detection of marijuana and other drug usage)

Note: If it is determined that a urinalysis (U/A) is required, it will be administered at the closest BOP site. If a test is positive for drug usage, the assigned individual(s) shall be excluded from performance of work for this requirement, and subject to the same security requirements, the contractor shall provide acceptable replacement staff.

The contractor shall employ effective safeguards and security controls to ensure information associated with the work is protected from loss, damage, computer viruses, or other destructive incidents. The safeguards employed should ensure that materials and services are secured in a manner that prevents tampering, sabotage, or other means of deliberate alteration. This provision applies to all BOP information resources while under the control of the contractor. As referenced in the BOP Policy Statement 1237.13, Information Security Programs, the contractor, while controlling BOP information assets, shall implement necessary safeguards, including administrative, physical, and personnel controls as outlined in said policy.

DOJ 2640.2F: The Department of Justice does not permit the use of Non-U.S. citizens in the performance of this contract or commitment for any position involves access to or development of any DOJ IT systems. By signing the contract document or beginning performance, the contractor agrees to this restriction.

10.0 Project Management and Coordination

The BOP will appoint a COR for this project. The COR is responsible for: receiving all deliverables; inspecting and accepting the services provided for this requirement in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract;

providing direction to the contractor which clarifies the contract effort; fills in details or otherwise serves to accomplish the contractual scope of work; evaluates performance;

and certifies all invoices/vouchers for acceptance of the services furnished for payment prior to forwarding the original invoice to the payment office and a copy to the contracting officer.

The COR does not have the authority to alter the contractor's obligations under the contract action, direct changes that fall within the change clause, and/or modify any of the expressed terms, conditions, specifications, or costs of this agreement.

If, as a result of technical discussions, it is desirable to alter/change the contractual obligations or requirements, the Contracting Officer shall issue such changes in writing under signature.

The contractor will provide a Project Manager and contact information. The Project Manager will lead the overall execution of the activities in this SOW, including providing oversight of any tasks required by the SOW. The Project Manager will serve as the primary liaison between the Government and the contractor.

Additionally, the Project Manager shall ensure that:

• All contractor staff are knowledgeable regarding SOW requirements

• All staff are highly qualified/efficient and capable of completing a variety of tasks related to the SOW

• All issues related to the project are communicated to and coordinated with the COR