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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 213 / Monday, November 8, 2021 / Notices
Congressional Review Act Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs designated this action as not a major rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 8042.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 77017772, and 77817786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a;
7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of November 2021.
Mark Davidson, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service Request for Information: Center for WIC Modernization and Delivery Food and Nutrition Service FNS, USDA.
ACTION: Notice: Request for information.
AGENCY:

The Food and Nutrition Service FNS is issuing this Request for Information RFI to gain insights from interested parties about establishing a resource center that supports State and local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children WIC agencies in improving the WIC application and certification journey.
This is a request for information that may inform a future cooperative agreement. It is not a solicitation for proposals or proposal abstracts. The purpose of this notice is to:
1. Determine the level of interest that exists for the proposed service;
2. Obtain information about the approach to providing the service, including needs, capabilities, and requirements; and 3. Gather information on the potential constraints and risks associated with this approach.
Information gathered through this RFI
may be used to inform potential strategies for supporting and improving State and local WIC operations. FNS
welcomes comments from all stakeholders.

SUMMARY:

Written comments must be received on or before December 8, 2021.
ADDRESSES: FNS is seeking information from a broad array of stakeholders such as nonprofits, WIC State agencies, WIC local agencies, and othersabout the Center for WIC Modernization and Delivery, the capabilities necessary to complete this work, relevant examples
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or case studies, and the capacity needed to support State and local WIC agencies.
Responses to this RFI may be submitted by a single party or by a team.
USDA invites submission of the requested information through one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Email: FNS will accept electronic submissions emailed to EMAIL. The email should contain the subject line, Response to RFI: Center for WIC
Modernization and Delivery.
All comments submitted in response to this RFI will be included in the record and will be made available to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments will be subject to public disclosure. USDA will make the comments publicly available via http www.regulations.gov.
Response to this RFI is voluntary.
Respondents should respond to this RFI
in a Microsoft Word document attached to email. This document should contain the following:
Three clearly delineated sections:
1 Cover page with company name and contact information; 2 approach, no more than 10 single-spaced pages in length; and 3 business information.
1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.
Times New Roman and 12 point font.
Privacy Note: All comments received from members of the public will be available for public viewing on regulations.gov.
In accordance with FAR 15.2023, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.
Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Widor, Director, Supplemental Food Programs Division at 703 305
2746.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ARPA; Pub. L. 1172 provided $390 million in funding for WIC to carry out outreach, innovation, and program modernization efforts to increase WIC
participation and redemption of benefits. See ARPA section 1106.
Despite clear evidence that WIC drives better health outcomes, only about 57%
of WIC-eligible mothers and children
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participated in the program in 2018. The funding provided through ARPA is a critical opportunity for WIC to undertake a range of high-impact projects to increase WICs participation rate through an improved enrollment and participant experience, and to reduce disparities in program delivery.
Given this unprecedented opportunity to invest in programmatic innovations, FNS solicited input from a diverse range of stakeholders. FNS convened 27
listening sessions representing different stakeholder perspectives, interests, and geographies on ways to increase program participation and retention, improve the participant experience, streamline benefit delivery, and reduce disparities in program delivery. FNS
also partnered with the U.S. Digital Service USDS to conduct research on how to improve the WIC certification process. This RFI is seeking information to build on that research.
FNS would like to partner with one or more organizations to create a Center for WIC Modernization and Delivery that will leverage human-centered design HCD, modern technology practices, and data to improve the certification journey for WIC participants. This Center will be a resource for the 89 WIC
State agencies States, DC, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations, and potentially WIC local agencies, to access cross-functional delivery capabilities to support digital transformation and service design initiatives. These capabilities might include data science, design, engineering, procurement, product management, and research expertise that states can leverage to develop and implement solutions aimed at improving WIC certification processes. The Center will work closely with FNS and USDS to define its approach and ensure solutions are practical, integrated into clinic practices, and drive towards a better participant journey through the WIC
program and improved outcomes. FNS
expects the Center to support WIC State agencies in improving enrollment and service delivery through a variety of ways, such as:
Supporting State and local agencies in developing project ideas and proposals aimed at improving the participant journey and program outcomes;
Helping State and local agencies use HCD, technology, and data more effectively in their clinic operations to increase enrollment and reduce disparities in program delivery;
Assisting State and local agencies in addressing technical and/or service gaps; and
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