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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) DHS Science and Technology—Centers of Excellence Basic Ordering Agreements for Research, Analysis, and Technical Services The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Scien... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) DHS Science and Technology—Centers of Excellence Basic Ordering Agreements for Research, Analysis, and Technical Services The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, Office of University Programs (OUP), is requesting information from the scientific community regarding the continued utilization of Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) with current Centers of Excellence (COEs). DHS S&T intends to fund projects within the scopes of work of existing and future COEs requiring a contracting vehicle. DHS S&T proposes issuing five-year BOAs. The BOAs will be for homeland security mission-related unclassified and classified research, development analysis, and technical services requested by any DHS office or Component agency (Component) that are within the scope of each COE’s cooperative agreement. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for market research and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP. Furthermore, those who respond to this RFI will not receive feedback from DHS to their submissions other than acknowledgment of receipt, provided a submitter requests such an acknowledgement and addresses the mandatory responses/questions at (a)(1) – (a)(11) identified under Section 2.0, Responses Requested. This RFI does not commit the Government to enter into any contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for any information requested hereunder. By submitting a response, each respondent agrees that any and all costs the respondent incurs in responding to this request or in support of activities associated with this RFI shall be the sole responsibility of the respondent. The Government shall incur no obligations or liabilities to anyone for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future Request for Proposal (RFP). The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government or the respondent. All submissions become the property of the Government and will not be returned. 1.0 DESCRIPTION 1.1 Background The Homeland Security Act of 2002 granted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to create university-based COEs using grants, cooperative agreements or contracts. The COEs have significant homeland security-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics capabilities to provide technical services to DHS including: subject matter expertise, laboratories, engineering and other testing facilities, data bases, computer models, computer software and hardware, analytical tools, etc. The COEs are directly aligned with one or more of the DHS Components, creating linkages between DHS and other customers, as well as providing enduring multi-disciplinary research, development, testing, evaluation, education and training capabilities for DHS and the Nation. The COEs are authorized by Congress and chosen by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) through a competitive selection process. The designation of “Center of Excellence” is awarded to a university that brings together leading experts and researchers from other institutions, agencies, laboratories, think tanks, and the private sector to conduct multidisciplinary research and education for homeland security solutions. The S&T OUP’s mission is to maximize DHS’s return on investment in university-based research and education. OUP funds grants and cooperative agreements to the COEs to establish fundamental research and education programs in specific multi-disciplinary subject matter areas at each COE. DHS S&T expects the universities that comprise the COEs to obtain additional sources of funding beyond OUP’s base funding in order to support more directed research, development, testing, evaluation, education and training. Other S&T Divisions and DHS Components frequently need to access the capabilities created by the COEs at the lead or partner universities, e.g. for directed research, analysis, technical services, both unclassified and classified, as well as DHS-specific education and training that cannot be performed under S&T’s grants and cooperative agreements. Through this RFI, DHS S&T is pursuing funding strategies to meet emerging requirements. 1.2 Discussion DHS S&T seeks comments on the use of 2 (two) Basic Ordering Agreements to accommodate DHS requirements for COE research, analysis, and technical services (unclassified and classified), as well as DHS-specific science and engineering education and training. DHS S&T proposed to award BOAs to the current and future COE research lead university, to be renewed once after five years, and again at the end of its period of performance, both renewals being subject to suitable COE progress in research, development, test, evaluation, education and training. OUP will determine the need for a BOA for each COE research lead by matching university capabilities with DHS’s requirements and needs (S&T will address high priority requirements first). Two (2) new DHS COEs were established in 2018 and 2020. Table 1 below identifies those centers. BOAs enable DHS components to access the capabilities, experience, research results, technology, models and data that the COEs have developed with DHS funding. Characteristics: Versatile umbrella agreements between a federal agency (DHS in this case) and performing institutions (the lead university from the COE) Enables contracting officers within the funding agency to issue task orders to the performer that are within the scope of the BOA Designed to address the needs of DHS for specific research questions with deliverables on an identified cost and schedule performance Awarded for a five-year period of performance Table 1 Center of Excellence COE Subject Matter Area 1 Cross Border Threat Countering Biothreats in Supply Chains Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) 2 Terrorism Prevention Terrorism Prevention Counterterrorism Research (TPCR) Key DHS Partners: DHS cross-cutting for both CBTS and TPCR --------------------------------------------------END OF TABLE 1------------------------------------------------------- The task orders issued under the BOAs will be issued non-competitively to the respective BOA recipients. The total estimated annual value of all orders issued under each BOA is between one and five million dollars ($1M-$5M). Experience indicates that current task orders have been in the range of $25,000 to $1,000,000 in value. The value of task orders under new BOAs may be lower or higher. DHS S&T anticipates that the COE research lead university will use BOA subcontracts with current or new organizations to access the best possible skills, knowledge, and capabilities needed to address each task order. The DHS Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) S&T Acquisition Division will issue and administer the BOAs. DHS Components’ contracting offices will issue and administer their task orders under the BOAs, subject to a determination by the S&T Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) that the requested goods or services are within the scope of the relevant BOA. OPO will publish and issue an ordering guide to explain how to issue task orders under the BOA. Task orders issued under the BOA will be predominantly firm fixed-price. However, the BOAs will contain pertinent terms and conditions that will facilitate the issuance of fixed-price, time-and-materials, or cost-reimbursement type task orders as determined by the ordering Contracting Officer of the relevant DHS component. Designated ordering officers at DHS offices and Components will be able to issue task orders under the COE BOAs for unclassified or classified research, scientific or technical analyses, and technical services related to homeland security challenges and solutions. Orders will fit within the broad scope of COE capabilities and may include: a) Creating technologies and models b) Utilizing facilities and technologies c) Providing subject matter expert review, presentation, or testimony d) Testing and evaluation e) Conducting analyses or assessments f) Developing and delivering education and training materials g) Performing other relevant services within an existing COE scope of work. The Cross Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) COE will research and develop solutions, protocols, and capabilities to support DHS operations that detect, assess, and respond to known and unknown biological threats and other hazards that could adversely impact the United States’ people, agriculture, and economy. CBTS will aid DHS in reducing risks posed by biological threats and other hazards encountered at borders, ports of entry, and within the global supply chain. By researching the countering biological threats in supply chains, CBTS will assist DHS operations that protect and mitigate threats to the global supply chain and reduce the risk of exposing people and infrastructures to new and evolving biological threats. Task orders issued under the BOA will fall within this scope. This Center will support DHS by improving its operational capabilities that contribute the Nation’s layered defense. CBTS will work with S&T Offices, such as the Offices of Science & Engineering, and Mission & Capability Support, and DHS Component agencies e.g. United States Coast Guard (USCG), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD), and the Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A). The Terrorism Prevention Counterterrorism Research COE will explore the nature of countering terrorism operations from two perspectives— from the adversary’s (threat) perspective and from that of Homeland security stakeholders (federal, SLTT government, and private sector). Research from the adversary perspective will analyze the terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures, structures, capabilities and intentions in order to help develop and/or examine government courses of actions to reduce their capabilities to commit an act of terrorism. Research from the government perspective will seek to develop more effective partnerships for terrorism prevention among international, federal, SLTT and private sector entities, in part through after-action analysis of government response to terrorist incidents, including analysis of opportunities for prevention. The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) is a joint collaborative effort by DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and SLTT law enforcement partners. The NSI has concentrated on reporting information that has supported FBI terrorism investigations and watchlisting by the Terrorist Screening Center. The NSI is a standardized process—including stakeholder outreach, privacy protections, training, and facilitation of technology—for identifying and reporting suspicious activity in jurisdictions across the country and serves as the unified focal point for sharing SAR information. The TPCR COE will support the NSI in the review of existing indicators and behaviors, potential identification of new indicators related to homeland security threats, and later provide validation of those indicators and behaviors. The TPCR COE will directly support DHS terrorism prevention efforts. The goal of terrorism prevention is to render terrorism ineffective as a tactic in the United States by diminishing opportunities for recruitment and inspiration for the support and use of ideologically motivated violence. To accomplish this, prevention programs target radicalization and mobilization to violence. TPCR COE research will aim to develop analytic methods to support threat detection, awareness raising, community engagement, intervention programs and countering the narrative. TPCR COE research will also support DHS intelligence analyst requirements. The goal is to formalize analyst recruitment, training, and professional development. Research should be conducted into organizations with developed professional analyst career tracks to determine “best in class” programs that DHS will benefit from adopting. Research projects will aim to develop analytic programs to support recruiting, training, and further professionalizing the intelligence analyst profession. 2.0 RESPONSES REQUESTED Mandatory Responses/Questions: Describe your university’s/organization’s knowledge, experience, and capacity to administer FAR-based contracts and, in particular, BOAs. Describe your university’s/organization’s willingness to accept a FAR-based BOA and accompanying task orders in fulfillment of future DHS research, analysis, and technical services requirements. Does the award of a BOA impose a burden on your university/organization and on your partner organizations that you cannot accommodate given your institution’s current skills, capabilities, experience, and resources? Please explain. Which FAR-based contract type is preferred for orders issued under a BOA, if awarded to your university/organization for COE-related research, analysis, and technical services? [For example: Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF), Time and Materials (T&M).] Please rank order, from most preferred to least preferred, the contract types listed above. Are you willing and able (having the necessary facilities, practices, procedures, etc.) to accept and perform sensitive but unclassified (SBU) task orders under a FAR-based BOA? Are you willing and able (having the necessary facilities, practices, procedures, etc.) to accept and perform classified task orders under a FAR-based BOA? Describe your understanding and management practices for advancing technologies in the disciplines identified in Section 1.2. This includes describing processes in use at the submitting organization that manages the advancement of research through commercialization and market deployment. Describe the kinds of research, analysis, and technical service projects that your COE/organization might perform for DHS Components under the aforementioned BOA. Please include project examples. What other questions or concerns should DHS S&T consider with respect to implementing this BOA contracting approach? Since research performed under this BOA will address DHS mission needs, the availability of the results of such research for publication might be limited. Does this present an issue? Are there any issues regarding intellectual property rights that DHS should consider as it prepares its BOA for issuance? DHS expects to use the FAR clause on data rights 52.227-14. Pursuant to that clause, DHS expects to review scientific articles prior to publication to ensure that DHS’s security & mission needs are considered. 3.0 RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS At this time, proprietary information is not being requested. Respondents wishing to submit proprietary information should specifically mark or identify any information they perceive as proprietary/confidential for which they seek added protection. To the extent that any proprietary data is submitted with the RFI responses, it will be properly protected by DHS S&T. Respondents are advised that government support contractors may be involved with the review of the submitted information in addition to DHS employees. All government support contractors needed to review the information will be required to submit non- disclosure/confidentiality statements (if not already on file) with DHS. 4.0 SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTATION Respondents, at a minimum, must address the mandatory responses/questions identified under Section 2.0, (a) (1-11) and clearly identify which item is being answered for each response. Information must contain: Name and Address of Firm/Organization Business Size of Firm/Organization Socio-economic status of Firm/Organization Dunn & Bradstreet number for Firm/Organization Is your firm/ organization registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov. Responses must be provided no later than 30 business days after the posting of this announcement. DHS will not consider or review unsolicited proposals submitted in response to this RFI. Responses are not mandatory to receive a subsequent BOA award. Responses must be provided no later than thirty (30) business days after the posting of this announcement. DHS will not consider or review unsolicited proposals submitted in response to this RFI. Requirement of responses: pages numbers must be placed at the bottom left-hand corner, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, 8.5” by 11” paper, and no more than six (6) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. Respondents must submit their information in electronic versions to the following e-mail addresses: DHSCOEBOA@HQ.DHS.GOV and Marco.Macherelli@hq.dhs.gov Response must be in either Word or PDF format. The subject line of the e-mail must include the words “BOA RFI Response.” All interested parties should email their questions to the primary point of contact below: Primary Point of Contact: Secondary Point of Contact: Ms. Jessica T. Wilson Mr. Marco Macherelli Contracting Officer Contract Specialist jessica.wilson@hq.dhs.gov marco.macherelli@hq.dhs.gov 202-447-5096 202-447-5964