SOLICITATION NOTICE
U -- GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
- Notice Date
- 1/20/2012
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- NASA Shared Services Center Procurement Division Building 1111 Stennis SpaceCenter, MS 39529-6000
- ZIP Code
- 39529-6000
- Solicitation Number
- NNX12TA66P
- Response Due
- 2/10/2012
- Archive Date
- 1/20/2013
- Point of Contact
- William Richard Horton, Contract Specialist, Phone 228-813-6120, Fax 228-813-6493, Email william.r.horton@nasa.gov - Eli Ouder, Contracting Officer, Phone 228-813-6168, Fax 228-813-6315, Email eli.c.ouder@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
William Richard Horton
(william.r.horton@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/NSSC intends to issue a sole source contract to Stevens Institute ofTechnology School of Systems & Enterprises/Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030 fora training program entitled Graduate Certificate in Program Management. The objectiveof the program is to provide a project management leadership curriculum for JSC employeesselected for the Project Leadership Program. The contractor shall provide a GraduateCertificate Program in Applied Project Management for Space Systems for 29 participantsin PLP. The curriculum in this program must satisfy the following requirements:The curriculum shall consist of two (2) modules earning each participant 3semester hours of graduate credit per module. The modules shall be delivered in thefollowing format:-Each technical module shall consist of 40 hours (5 days) of in-class instruction,divided into segments designated as Part A & Part B. Each technical module shall includean additional day (8 hours) of JSC, NASA and external speakers to supplement thetechnical curriculum provided by the contractor.-Participants shall have 6 weeks between Part A & Part B to accomplish classassignments, papers, and individual and group projects.-Participants shall have 6 weeks between the end of a module and the beginning ofthe next module. -The Tactical Issues module will consist of a 2-day course at the beginning ofeach of the three technical modules for 24 hours (3 days) of instruction.The curriculum shall emphasize core project management and systems engineeringcompetencies and principles including project planning, organizing for projectmanagement, stakeholder management, requirements development and management, scheduling,cost estimating and budgeting, acquisition and contract management, mission assurance,risk management, leadership, teamwork, strategic communications, decision-making, projectmanager maturity and strategic issues. The curriculum will be customized to address thesekey areas.The curriculum shall emphasize crucial activities spanning the entire projectlifecycle.The curriculum shall combine lectures, classroom activities, case studies,readings, individual and group projects, papers, and development assignments that can beapplied to the participants' on-the-job project work. The curriculum shall be provided onsite at NASA JSC or offsite within a 5 mileradius of NASA JSC.The curriculum shall be provided according to a flexible delivery schedule thatis suited to the needs and constraints of the participants in the PEP. This may includerescheduling modules to avoid interference with mission schedule mid goals or redesigningthe delivery format.The two modules included in this SOW shall emphasize the following projectmanagement and systems engineering capabilities mid topics:-Project Management Learning Laboratory This module combines hands-on, real-life problems with a simulation that helpsparticipants apply approaches, tools and techniques in project planning, monitoring andcontrol. Participants, working in small teams, organize and plan a project. Participantswill establish roles and responsibilities, define scope, generate activities, definecritical dependencies, develop schedules, estimate lifecycle cost, create/update budgets,develop a risk management plan and continuously reassess risk, track and manageperformance. As the simulation progresses, teams are challenged with typical problemsand are required to re-plan and re-program to accommodate changes. Participants gainexperience and invaluable perspectives on 'how-to' do project management.-Tactical Issues for Project ManagersThis module provides participants with invaluable tools and approaches to implementing aproject. Topics and exercises include: team development and dynamics, team challenges,leading and integrating multiple teams, conflict management, negotiation, strategic andintentional communications, creating and maintaining intensity and commitment, as well aspower, authority and influence. Learning is enhanced by focused role assignments coupledwith professional feedback on performance from coaches throughout the technicalcurriculum. Group feedback is provided by coaches and learning laboratory instructors.Individual feedback is provided via peer review tempered by coaches' review. This moduleis conducted in parallel with the other three technical modules to introduce an elementof realism and allow coaches to observe participants while working on group projects andprovide feedback.The curriculum shall provide instruction in accordance with NASA ProjectManagement Requirements NM 7120.81 (NASA Interim Directive (NID) for NASA ProceduralRequirements (NPR) 7120.5D), and NASA Procedural Requirements 7123. IA.Provider RequirementsThe contractor shall meet the following requirements:The contractor shall have demonstrated previous positive performance in providinga graduate certificate program in Applied Project Management for Space Systems at leastone NASA field center.The contractor shall be accredited in accordance with the U.S. Department ofEducation guidelines.The contractor shall have previously demonstrated a substantial knowledge of NASAspace system engineering practices, procedures, priorities and development requirements.The contractor shall have previously demonstrated a substantial knowledge of NASAproject management practices, procedures, priorities and development requirements.The provider must be flexible to allow tailoring of the assigned individual andgroup projects to make them more relevant to the participant.This offering shall be held at the Holiday Inn near NASAs Johnson Space Center beginningFebruary 27, 2012.Pursuant to FAR 13.106(b), the acquisition of these services has been determined to bereasonably available from only one source. Competition is impractical for the followingreasons: This unique curriculum in Project Management is provided by the Stevens Institute ofTechnology School of Systems and Enterprises and Howe School of Technology Management,which currently provides the largest graduate program in system engineering in the U.S.and is the largest provider of system engineering education worldwide. Stevens Instituteis an internationally-recognized university with specialization in system engineering andproject management for space applications. Stevens Institute provides the only graduatecertificate program in the country in project management with a focus on space systems.The Stevens Institute instructors have written and/or edited the only integratedcollection of 14 published textbooks and references that capture the full spectrum ofsystem engineering and project management and their application to NASA design experienceand lessons learned. Further, Stevens Institute is the provider of choice for projectmanagement training for the National Security Agency, Federal Aviation Administration,Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Energy and keyindustry organizations. These certificate programs are one-of-a-kind and provide NASA's aspiring and practicingsystem engineers with design experience and lessons learned from over 35 years of NASA,Department of Defense and industry experience designing and operating space missions andsystems. The project management curriculum is comprised of two, 3-semester hour modules whichconstitute are a unique combination of hands-on project management development: Space domain focus on project managementbalanced and integrated technical domain andsystem management tied to NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management RequirementsNM 7120.81 (NASA Interim Directive (NID) for NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7120.5D),and NASA Procedural Requirements 7123.1A. Hands-on courses and laboratories are delivered onsite which saves travel dollars forJSC and time for employees. The courses have a flexible delivery, scheduled to suit employee constraints and workschedules (for example employees attend 3 days in one week, have a break of 6 weeks, andthen complete the remaining 2 days in another week). Professors actually wrote the book. Project Management for Space Systems, along with ahost of NASA employees, industry and other government experts in project management forspace systems. This book forms the foundation of the curriculum. Each of the two courses earns participants 3-semester hours of graduate credit leadingto a Graduate Certificate in Project Management.Stevens faculty provided tailored courses that participants found directly applicable totheir project management roles and gave each of the modules high marks. In addition,Stevens project management courses are accredited by the Project Management Institute(PMI) and the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (GAC). Stevens was onlythe third university worldwide to receive this distinction when it was accredited in2004. Stevens has a significant leadership role in project management education andresearch; faculty currently have three PMI research grants in program and projectmanagement. The faculty provides the ability to tailor curriculum to meet the needs ofNASA and JSC, utilize NASA terminology, examples, and homework, and demonstrate knowledgeof project management as applied to space systems. Stevens Institute of Technology professors, Dr. Wiley Larson, Dr. Robert Seymour, Dr. Jeff Austin and their team, are the only known source that can provide the necessarybreadth and depth of this integrated curriculum across the spectrum of robotic spacesystems and crewed space systems. Research using the internet web determined that noother firms or universities were able to perform this requirement. Due to Steven'sInstitute's 55 years of unique experience in system engineering and project managementtraining and education with other governmental agencies and leading companies, and thefact that the workshops are derived from NASA experience, Stevens is the only reasonablechoice to meet NASA's requirements. The Steven's Institute is one of the oldestuniversities in the country, specializing in system engineering and project managementeducation and training. Their knowledge of NASA programs, culture, and interaction withpersonnel has proven their capability. Due to the legacy of success that this spacesystem engineering and project management development concept has demonstrated, there isno other source that can replicate the comprehensiveness and quality of this supplier'straining.The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using the procedures in FAR Part13.106.Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform theeffort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 3:00 p.m. centralstandard time on February 10, 2012. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluatedsolely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on acompetitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed efforton a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solelywithin the discretion of the government.Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.Capabilities and qualifications should be submitted to Amanda McInnis atAmanda.T.McInnis@nasa.gov.An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note 'B'.Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
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