FY 2012 National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS X) Project Phase 1 | Apply Online

FY 2012 National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) Project Phase 1 - FAQs

What is the FY 2012 NCS-X Project Phase 1 grant opportunity?

It is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to build the early foundation for a new national crime data collection system called the National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X).

What is the main purpose of NCS-X?

The central aim is to create an ongoing, statistically valid national collection of incident-level crime records based on offenses known to law enforcement. The intent is to modernize how national crime statistics are produced by using detailed incident records instead of relying only on summary reporting.

What does "incident-level" crime data mean in this context?

Incident-level data refers to detailed records about individual crime incidents that are already captured in law enforcement record management systems (RMS). The project is designed to draw from those detailed records and share them through automated information exchanges for statistical purposes.

How is NCS-X different from traditional summary reporting?

Traditional summary reporting aggregates crime counts, while NCS-X is designed to use detailed incident records that law enforcement agencies already collect. This approach is intended to support quicker production of reliable national crime estimates and provide more analytical detail.

What are the expected benefits of NCS-X?

NCS-X is intended to (1) support faster production of reliable national crime estimates and (2) provide useful analytical information back to participating law enforcement agencies so they can better understand local crime patterns and improve operations.

What is Phase 1 focused on?

Phase 1 is focused on establishing the machinery needed to make a national, sample-based incident reporting system work in practice, including project coordination and technical approaches for extracting and standardizing incident data from diverse local systems.

What type of award is this?

This opportunity is a cooperative agreement, meaning BJS anticipated substantial involvement in shaping the work, milestones, and deliverables as the project develops, rather than treating it as a fully independent effort.

What does BJS involvement mean under a cooperative agreement?

It means BJS expected to be actively involved as the project evolves, helping guide the work plan, milestones, and deliverables, instead of simply issuing an award and receiving periodic reports with minimal interaction.

How many awards did BJS expect to make?

BJS expected to make a single award under this Phase 1 solicitation.

What was the maximum funding amount available?

The maximum (ceiling) amount was $2,000,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed for this opportunity.

Who was BJS looking for as the Phase 1 awardee?

BJS sought one applicant to serve as the primary project partner responsible for overall project management and coordination, technological systems design, implementation support, and technical assistance to jurisdictions.

What kinds of responsibilities were included for the Phase 1 partner?

Based on the solicitation summary, responsibilities included planning and managing work across multiple stakeholders, helping design or adapt technical approaches for extracting and standardizing incident-level data from diverse local systems, and providing hands-on assistance so jurisdictions can provide data consistently and securely for statistical purposes.

What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?

The funding activity category is Information and Statistics.

What CFDA number is associated with this program?

The program is associated with CFDA number 16.734 (Special Data Collections and Statistical Studies).

What legal authority was cited for this solicitation?

The authority cited was Section 302 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, which allows BJS to make grants or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with a wide variety of entities for the collection and analysis of criminal justice statistics.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included national, regional, state, or local public and private entities. The solicitation explicitly included for-profit and nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and units of local government, as long as the applicant supported initiatives aimed at improving the functioning of the criminal justice system.

Is this opportunity limited to government agencies only?

No. The eligibility description explicitly included both public and private entities, including for-profit and nonprofit organizations, in addition to governmental and tribal entities.

Who was the sponsoring agency?

The sponsoring agency was the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on May 25, 2012, and it closed on July 9, 2012.

What were the creation and archive dates?

The creation date was June 5, 2012, and the archive date was August 8, 2012.

Where could applicants find the full announcement?

The solicitation provided a link to the full announcement: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/ncse12sol.pdf

Who was the listed contact for access issues or questions?

The listed contact was Cathy Maston, Management and Program Analyst, at 202-307-5992.

What broader goal was this grant intended to support?

In plain terms, it was meant to help move national crime statistics toward a modernized approach that is quicker, more detailed, and built on real incident-level law enforcement data, while remaining statistically representative rather than requiring all agencies to report the same way immediately.