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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION DIVISION OF GRADUATE EDUCATION (DGE) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) RFI No. 49100420K0004 Title: NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Monitoring 1. SUBMITTAL INFORMATION RFI Issue... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION DIVISION OF GRADUATE EDUCATION (DGE) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) RFI No. 49100420K0004 Title: NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Monitoring 1. SUBMITTAL INFORMATION RFI Issue Date: July 31, 2020 Due date for RFI Responses will be submitted: August 14, 2020 by 12:00 PM (Noon) Eastern Time. All responses shall be submitted to the attention of Quintin Hackshaw at qhacksha@nsf.gov and the subject line should reference RFI No. 49100420K0004. See below Section 5 entitled “REQUESTED CONTENT OF RESPONSES TO THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION” for submittal content instructions. 2. INTRODUCTION ******* This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. ******* The National Science Foundation (NSF) is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources for an anticipated future award. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information, for planning purposes, regarding: the availability and capability of qualified sources to perform the work in specific task areas. Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. Part 10, the Government is conducting market research to: Determine what sources exist that are capable of satisfying the potential Government’s requirements listed below, Determine the capabilities of potential contractors, Determine the size and status of potential sources, and Determine the level of competition (i.e. small business set-aside or full and open). 3. BACKGROUND The NSF is an independent U.S. Government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. With an annual budget of about $7.5 billion, NSF funds approximately 20% of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal funding. Its stated mission is to promote the progress of science, to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure the national defense. 4. DRAFT SCOPE OF WORK The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Division of Graduate Education (DGE) in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) potentially requires support for development and administration of (1) a web-based program monitoring and reporting system to provide NSF staff with data and reports on NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) award activities, (to include survey instrument development, data collection, analysis, reporting, and storage activities); and (2) a website that provides a forum for engaging the research community, serves as a recruiting tool for existing NRT projects, and facilitates dissemination of information about the NRT program. Background: The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that ensure that graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The NRT is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. (Additional information on the NRT program is available online via https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505015). Currently, NRT awardees provide NSF with information on their activities through periodic research performance progress reports. As a potential future acquisition, the NRT program seeks to establish a tailored program monitoring system that will use internet-based information and communication technologies to collect, review, and validate specific data on NRT awards. EHR has established similar systems for other programs and is committed to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness with which respondents provide, and NSF staff can access and analyze data on funded projects within and across programs. To this end, it is critical that any future NRT program monitoring system align with existing program monitoring data collections and analysis and reporting formats, processing, and procedures. Separately, the NRT program seeks to establish a public-facing website that provides a forum for engaging the research community, serves as a recruiting tool for existing NRT projects, and facilitates dissemination of information about the NRT program. General Requirements: The NRT program requires support for the potential future development and administration of a program monitoring and annual/final reporting system. This includes: Survey instrument development with subsets of questions aimed at different project participants (e.g., Principal Investigators (PIs), trainees); Web-based data collection development; Data collection and non-response follow-up activities; Data analysis, and data report generation; and Design, development, and maintenance of a public website to provide information about the NRT program and a forum for members of the NRT community. 5. REQUESTED CONTENT OF RESPONSES TO THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NSF encourages any interested organizations to submit a Capability Statement to the individual identified in Section 1 above via email by the response date. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. The Capability Statement shall clearly identify the following, regarding the interested organization(s): Name, Address, Point of Contact; Size Standard and applicable NAICS codes for the proposed requirement; Identify if you have an applicable GSA Schedule Contract, Best in Class or Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) vehicle for the requirement identified in Section 4; Identify all applicable classifications for your organization, such as: a. Small Business? b. Woman-owned business? c. 8(a) business? d. Large business e. Small disadvantaged business f. HUBZone business? g. SDVOB business? h. Non-profit? Description of relevant experience with establishing a tailored program monitoring system that can utilize internet-based information and communication technologies to collect, review, and validate specific data; Description of relevant experience with establishing a public-facing website that can meet the potential requirements as described in Section 4 above; and Description of experience developing and obtaining approval for information collection request (ICR) draft packages from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Description of three (3) active or past projects for work as described in Section 4 above within the same size, complexity, and scope. A response shall be submitted to the individual identified in Section 1 above as either a Microsoft Word or searchable Adobe PDF document and should not exceed ten (10) pages in length, 12-point standard font. Do not submit marketing materials, slide presentations, or technical papers. This is neither a Request for Proposals nor an announcement of a forthcoming solicitation. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of identifying sources that can provide and deliver the needed information. After reviewing the responses, the NSF: May or may not choose to meet with responders. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability and issues. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide and deliver the needed information. Continue to refine the objectives of the requirement and/or associated tasks. Solicit proposals to procure the requirement. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. NSF has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur a cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. The NSF is not obligated to contact any or all respondents, hold meetings with any or all respondents, or solicit proposals as a result of this request. NSF will not reimburse costs associated with responding to this request and does not intend to pay for the information received. No Contract, Cooperative Agreement or Other Instrument will be awarded as a result of this Request for Information ******* Addtional NAICS Codes that may be applicable to any potential future requirement ******* NAICS Code Description 541720 Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities 519130 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals 511201 Software Publishers 561410 Document Preparation Services 541910 Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 518210 Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services