Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

SEE AMENDMENT A0001 which provides answers to solicitation questions. See also revised Statement of Work. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items and/or services prepared in acco... SEE AMENDMENT A0001 which provides answers to solicitation questions. See also revised Statement of Work. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items and/or services prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is NIH-NINDS-CSS-20-5673698 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-04, dated 15 January 2020. The associated NAICS code 611430 (Professional and Management Development Trainingwith the small business size standard $12 million. This requirement is a 100% small business set-aside. Statement of Need and Purpose: The purpose of this requirement is to procure Executive Level Project Management training for established scientific management staff (“participants”). The majority of our participants are Ph.D. level scientists with leadership roles in both project and program management. Therefore, the primary objective is to obtain project management training appropriate for executive level project managers targeting the unique problems they face. A successful course will address NINDS’ specific challenges while engaging participants who may not be interested in becoming project management certified and are interested in improving their processes within their individual roles. Therefore, it is essential the curriculum furnished by the Contractor balances the needs to meet the NINDS specific challenges while also allowing for some participants to meet the training requirements to attempt PMP Certification upon successful completion of the executive level project management training. Again, training should not merely target PMP certification, however Contractor should be prepared to train knowing that approximately 10-20% of the participants will attempt for Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification upon successful completion of training under this contract. NINDS’ objectives are to seek specialized training for managers and non-managers in project management with the goals to 1) offer participants “real life” project management case studies and scenarios and obtain diverse perspectives from instructors, other participants, and other practical resources and tools and 2) provide participants scenarios involving other sectors’ (public and private) outlining the issues or challenges faced, how they addressed them, the final outcome, and how it may relate to participants. Areas that training shall include NINDS specific executive level training topics and the Project Management Professional (PMP) knowledge areas and processes including, but not limited to: fundamentals of project management, project management tools and application, risk assessment and management, leading project teams, team and conflict management, negotiation skills, cost estimate and control, and practical solutions to complex issues that participants may face at NINDS. Background Information: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people’s health and save lives. NINDS scientific management staff: Annually manage research grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts at approximately $2.0 billion; Develop programmatic initiatives to fulfill future NINDS requirements in an array of neurological diseases; Develop and manage systems to evaluate research proposals; Assist in the development of NINDS strategic plans and its sub-components; Oversee and coordinate various projects, products, and other strategic initiatives across the organization Some challenges NINDS staff face include, but are not limited to: Managing Milestones – How to use, set, manage, and communicate? Project Timeline - Is project moving along in a timely manner to meet goals by end of the project period? How are delays handled? Facilitating Meetings – Such as regulatory pathways (including FDA) Communication- Managing top-down communication Project Planning/Management – Initiatives, workshops, and management of both internal and external stakeholders Time Management/Workload – Techniques for delegation Multitasking and Managing Multiple Simultaneous Priorities – Tools for time management Pre-Clinical and Early-Clinical Project Management – Management of projects with regulatory approvals (Investigational New Drug (IND), Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), etc.) Coordination of Grants - Principle Investigator (PI) resources with government resources and contractors Project Requirements: Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work below: Please refer to RFQ Attachment #1 - Statement of Work (SOW) for complete details and specifications.***** Period of Performance: Two separate cohorts will occur within each annual performance period and will cover approximately 52 hours each. Cohorts will include approximately 25 participants each, with the Government having the option to increase the quantity of participants up to 40 total. The estimated period of performance will be on or about the following: Base Period: August 15, 2020 through August 14, 2021. Option Period One: August 15, 2021 through August 14, 2022. Place of Performance: The place of performance shall be at 6001 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852 which is a leased U.S. Government facility. Alternate location, if necessary, will be within the local area and contractor will be advised in advance. Additionally, virtual training opportunities will be needed in the event the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Operating Status* does not allow for in-person training, such as with Covid-19 that makes in-person training impractical or unsafe. Therefore, the Contractor must have the capability to host the class virtually with a minimum of 48 hours notice, if needed. Contract Type Contemplated: A Firm Fixed Price Contract with Quantity Options. Offerors should propose a firm fixed price for the Base Period and a firm fixed price for Option Period One. Offerors are also requested to provide a fixed price Quantity Option to increase participants for each cohort as follows: Base Period Quantity Option –– additional 5 participants (can be exercised up to 3 times per Cohort/6 times per annual performance period for a total cohort ceiling of 40 students) Option Period 1 Quantity Option –– additional 5 participants (can be exercised up to 3 times per Cohort/6 times per annual performance period for a total cohort ceiling of 40 students) RFQ Attachments: Offerors are requested to provided a signed FAR Provision 52.204-24 with their response. Attachment #1 - Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment #2 – FAR Provision 52.204-24 Attachment #3 - Reps and Certs Attachment #4 - Terms and Conditions Attachment #5 - Invoice and Payment Instructions Attachment #6 – Evaluation Criteria Evaluation Criteria: See attached Evaluation Criteria. Resumes or Curriculum Vitae shall be provided for all proposed instructor(s) and key personnel.**** All quotations from responsible quoters will be evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Panel according to the technical evaluation factors outlined in the attached Evaluation Criteria. The NIH may elect to discuss or obtain additional information and/or request revisions from only one quoter or any number of quoters in accordance with Part 13 Procedures. Quoters may be invited to give an Oral Presentation to present information to clarify or augment written information submitted. The Government reserves the right to evaluate quotations and award a contract/order without discussions with quoters. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to make no award at all. Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. The Offerors are requested to provided a signed FAR Provision 52.204-24 (Attachment #2) with its offer. The provision at FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The Offerors should include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items, with its offer (Attachment #3). The FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition, Alternate I (JAN 2017). Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items applies to this acquisition (Attachment #4). Additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition (Attachment #4). The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. The price proposal must include a fixed price for the base period, a fixed price for the option period one, and fixed prices for the quantity options. The price proposal shall include a detailed explanation to support the fixed price costs proposed. Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror’s capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. The offeror must submit two documents: 1) a technical response and 2) a separate price quotation. The Technical Response shall not exceed 30 single sided pages in length. 30 page limit excludes cover pages, index, and resumes. The price quotation must be in sufficient detail to support the proposed fixed price and should include the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. DATE QUESTIONS DUE: Any questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted electronically to the listed point of contact by 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Fax responses will NOT be accepted. DATE OFFERS DUE: All responses must be received by 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, July 31, 2020, and reference number NIH-NINDS-CSS-20-5673698. Responses may be submitted electronically to Danny Cohn, Contracting Officer, at danny.cohn@nih.gov. Fax responses will not be accepted. The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation: Danny Cohn, (301) 402-7111.