SOLICITATION NOTICE
D -- Web Hosting Platform for 360 Degree Multi-Rater Assessment Instruments
- Notice Date
- 6/30/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 518210
— Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, NETC Acquisition Section, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD, 21727
- ZIP Code
- 21727
- Solicitation Number
- HSFEEM-06-Q-041
- Response Due
- 7/21/2006
- Archive Date
- 9/30/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined commercial synopsis/solicitation (solicitation #HSFEEM-06-Q-0041), supplemented with additional information included herein. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation for quotes, since a separate written solicitation will not be issued. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U. S. Fire Administration (USFA), National Emergency Training Center (NETC) has a requirement for provision of a web-based platform for administering and scoring multi-rater assessment instruments commonly referred to as ?360? assessments.? This requirement will be set aside 100% for small business. The NAICS code is 518210, Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services, and the small business size standard is $23 million [average annual receipts for three preceding fiscal years]. Award of a firm-fixed-price commercial purchase order, using simplified acquisition procedures, is anticipated. All questions pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted to teresa.dingle@dhs.gov, in writing no later than July 10, 2006. Quotation packages shall be submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Emergency Training Center, NETC Acquisition Section, E114B, 16825 S. Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727 or emailed to teresa.dingle@dhs.gov, no later than 4:00 p.m., July 21, 2006. DHS/USFA sponsors and supports a resident, executive education program at the National Fire Academy (NFA), National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, Maryland, entitled the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP). One of the main objectives of EFOP is to develop the leadership capacity of its participants or students (hereafter referred to as ?subjects?), who are either senior fire executives or other individuals in key positions from fire and emergency services organizations. The subjects are not employees of DHS/USFA, but are representatives or employees of emergency services organizations from all over the United States of America. EFOP is a 4-year program, consisting of four 2-week courses in residence. Each year also requires the completion of an applied research project as a post-course activity. Both the courses and the research projects are developed academically to position the EFOP as a graduate-level program. At any given time, there are approximately 800 participants within the EFOP, with an average of 200 enrolled at each of the four tiers or courses of the program. Two of the courses would feature 360? instruments with feedback. Since 1987, USFA has purchased and included copyrighted or proprietary psychological assessment instrumentation and scoring services within EFOP courses. The instrumentation has been previously purchased each year, and as used, has provided feedback information to EFOP participants regarding their leadership effectiveness and other related skill areas. This information has been supportive to a basic premise established within USFA?s approach to leadership development: self-awareness is critical for making changes to facilitate personal development and growth. Some of the instruments previously used are self-assessment in nature, whereby others are multi-rater (multi-rater is defined as an instrument which contains both a self-assessment rating and other observer ratings, such as subordinates, peers, and/or superiors). The advantage of using a multi-rater instrument enables the participant to receive feedback that results in a perceived comparison between self and others. This specific procurement shall result in the contractor providing to the government a web-based multi-rater (feedback and assessment) platform in which USFA can feature their selected assessment instruments for administration, scoring, and feedback report generation for subjects. The contractor shall host the software on the contractor?s website. The contractor shall provide a web-based multi-rater assessment platform (360?) that will facilitate the administration, completion, and scoring of assessment instruments. The product will be hereafter referred to as ?platform? for purposes of this procurement. The platform shall be totally (100%) web-based and accessible to any subject and their raters who have internet access. The scales and rating elements that the product measure shall be capable of being reconfigured and the reconfiguration shall enable to government to create its own assessment rating areas. The platform shall feature the ability to generate and send personalized reminders (for assessment instrument completion) to both subjects and their raters. The platform shall contain report generation capability for the scoring and production of participant feedback reports. The platform shall contain automatic step-by-step reminders to ensure that appraisals are maintained according to completion schedules. The platform shall have a ?save and resume function? so that participants and their observing raters may complete the instrument over a period of time. The platform shall demonstrate and contain an intuitive user interface, making it easy and simple for participants and their raters to complete the assessment regardless of the rating elements. The software shall offer security to the government, the subjects, and the raters (including preservation of the rater?s identity). Appropriate security to restrict access to the platform shall be provided. The platform area purchased by the government shall be capable of customization, to include use of the government?s name, seal/logo and identity. The platform shall feature and include project management capabilities to enable the government?s administrator(s) to prepare, monitor, and score the assessments, and to subsequently print feedback reports. The platform product must meet the requirements established within Section 508 (Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA]) for the completion of the questionnaire form component. If the platform does not comply with Section 508, the contractor shall make a statement to that effect in the quotation package. The platform, once purchased by the government, shall contain a license for indefinite use (in perpetuity) without any additional fees or charges. It is recognized by the government that the license is separate from and does not include any charges for web-hosting or annual maintenance fee(s). The government desires to purchase assessment services on a per annum basis for 500 participants. It should be noted that these subjects are individual assessments and will not be repeated within the same year. The contractor shall host the platform for a minimum period of one year. The contractor shall provide pricing for hosting of the platform on its web-site on a per annum basis, for four option years beyond the base period of one year. The government is not obligated to exercise any of the option years. The contractor shall provide training to the government of the software product and any related processes to support implementation and use, and this training shall take place at NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland. The contractor shall provide full written documentation regarding the platform, to include all aspects of creating an assessment tool, administering to a group of subjects, monitoring completion, scoring and printing feedback reports, and use of historical data over a period of time. This documentation shall be provided at the time of training. Your quotation package shall include: (1) Your company?s web-site (URL) address and any additional access required in order to be able to conduct a review of your web-site; (2) An on-line demonstration of your web-site?s 360?, multi-rater platform;(3) Two client references for web-hosting services that are similar in nature to this requirement, inclusive of the each client?s company name/agency, point of contact name, current email address, current phone number); (4) A quality control plan. Quotation packages submitted must demonstrate compliance with all elements of the government?s information reflected in this announcement. In order to be considered for award, the offeror must meet/be acceptable on all evaluation factors. The quotation packages will be evaluated based upon go/no-go, meaning award will be made to the lowest-priced technically acceptable offeror. The evaluation factors are as follows: (1) The offeror must demonstrate compliance with all elements reflected in this announcement; (2) The offeror must demonstrate acceptable past performance; (3) The offeror must demonstrate an acceptable Quality Control Plan. The business portion of the quote shall list: (1) cost to support 500 participant license(s); (2) Base Year Hosting and set-up fees; (3) Base year maintenance fees; (4) Cost to train the Government, to include all documentation and support materials. Additionally, a firm-fixed-price, for-the-job comprehensive/summary of the entire quote (base year and four option years) shall be submitted. The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions apply to this procurement: FAR 52.212-1 Instructional to Offeror-Commercial Items, 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items. In compliance with FAR 52.212-5, the following additional clauses are incorporated as part of and apply to this acquisition: 52.203-10 Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity, 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns, 52.222-6 Equal Opportunity, 52.222-35 Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans, 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers, 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era, 52.225-3 Guy American Act-Supplies, 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options, and 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. The clause at 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisitions also applies to this acquisition.
- Record
- SN01081075-W 20060702/060630220434 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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