SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Coordination of NIBIB's Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP) - Deliverables
- Notice Date
- 7/1/2015
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7902
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NHLBI-CSB-EB-2015-153-CDB
- Archive Date
- 7/31/2015
- Point of Contact
- Chris Bocus, Phone: 3014027888
- E-Mail Address
-
chris.bocus@nih.gov
(chris.bocus@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Deliverables DESCRIPTION: (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR Part 12 and Part 13, including Subpart 13.5-Test Program for Certain Commercial Items. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This acquisition is set-aside for small businesses only. (ii) The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NHLBI-CSB-EB-2015-153-CDB and the solicitation is issued as a request for proposal (RFP). Offerors shall submit their proposals no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday July 16, 2015 Eastern Standard Time (EST). Questions are due Tuesday July 7, 2015 at 12 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). (iii) The solicitation document, the incorporated provisions and clauses are those in the Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-82, effective June 08, 2015. (iv) The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541990 and the small business size standard is $15M. The acquisition is being conducted in accordance with the procedures of FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 13. (v) BACKGROUND: One of the five goals of the Strategic Plan of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is "Train the next generation of diverse and interdisciplinary scientists, bioengineers, and health care providers and promote the value of research that synergizes these disciplines." To help meet this goal NIBIB sponsors the Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP) for undergraduate biomedical engineering students who have completed their junior year of college. This ten week program, allows sixteen rising senior biomedical engineering students to participate under the mentorship of world class scientists in cutting-edge biomedical research projects in NIH laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland. The BESIP is a separate program from the general NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) in Biomedical Research. The sixteen interns (eight male and eight female), selected through a nationwide competition, have the opportunity to indicate preferences from a list of available NIH projects that involve areas of engineering or physical science expertise. The students participate in group meetings, attend planned lectures and laboratory visits, and are encouraged to submit posters to the NIH Poster Day where summer interns from all disciplines present their projects. The BESIP Director is responsible for the management and operation of the program. The specific hours logged may vary. Many of the functions and tasks of the BESIP operation can be accomplished via internet and telephone methods. Other activities are performed while on the NIH campus. PURPOSE: The purpose of this requirement is to coordinate and manage the duties and responsibilities of the BESIP program. Knowledge of NIH recruitment, selection, policies, and procedures is critical to the performance of this contract. Program assistance is needed throughout the entire calendar year, with a greater amount of hours logged during the application process and upon the arrival of the interns and commencement of the internship. Statement of Work: The contractor shall function as an individual contractor and not as a Federal Government employee and must perform the duties, responsibilities, and activities to support and manage the BESIP as described below: 1. Advertise the BESIP program to colleges and universities to solicit applications from students. a. Maintain a current list of Institution's Department Chairs and update the list as necessary. b. Compose e-mail memo for distribution to the Chairs of Biomedical Engineering Departments at over 90 colleges and universities throughout the United States. c. Send e-mail correspondence with follow-up reminders to Department Chairs, prior to the opening of the on-line web application site. 2. Coordinate with the NIBIB's webmaster and designated IT contractors regarding BESIP information. a. Post notice of BESIP program on the NIBIB website. b. Review and provide updates to BESIP application deadlines and eligibility requirements on the NIBIB website. c. Ensure that the latest project list, corresponding project descriptions, and updated information are posted on the NIBIB-BESIP website. 3. Assist NIH's IT Office of Training web contractor with the preparation and operation of the on-line application website. a. Provide information to modify the website design. b. Update the website's deadlines for BESIP applications and program eligibility requirements. c. Ensure the maintenance charges with NIH IT Office of Training web contractor are in conformance with program requirements. d. Handle technical issues or difficulties applicants may have when accessing the site. e. Provide notice to necessary stakeholders of when to open and close the web application site. 4. Provide continuous updates to the BESIP project portfolio. a. Maintain a working database of mentors and projects. b. Initiate contact via phone or e-mail with previous mentors to help ensure their retention into the upcoming program. c. Contact prospective mentors to add new projects to their current list. d. Retract inactive projects from the portfolio. 5. Assist mentors with project write-ups. a. Review the mentors' project write-ups to ensure that the engineering and physical science requirements for the bioengineering interns are met. b. Provide assistance and support to mentors to modify write-ups when initial requirements are not met. c. Organize all current project write-ups into one file. 6. Organize the BESIP Selection Committee and assist with preliminary meeting duties. a. Contact previous volunteers (total of seven NIH scientists). b. Recruit additional NIH scientists for Selection committee, if necessary. c. Arrange meeting times and locations. d. Coordinate the selection process. 7. Organize Selection Committee process. a. Establish written selection guidelines and communicate pertinent information to the Selection Committee members. b. Provide verbal and written instructions on the selection process. c. Compose the agendas and minutes for the Selection Committee meetings. d. Maintain and organize data of Selection Committee reviews, comments, and recommendations. e. Send notifications to committee members regarding final recommendations for incoming intern class. f. Review applications of all BESIP candidates and make selection. The selection will contain sixteen (16) Interns and six (6) to eight (8) Alternates. 8. Contact applicants for internship offers. a. Compose e-mail correspondence for accepted applicants containing pertinent program details. b. E-mail notifications to accepted applicants. Notification must request and record applicants' acceptance or decline of the BESIP offer. c. Contact alternate applicants via e-mail regarding their application status as an alternate. d. Select and notify applicants from the alternate pool and extend a pending offer when an offer has been declined by a selected applicant. 9. Continuously monitors the intern acceptance process. a. Respond to all applicant inquiries via e-mail or telephone. b. Send the names of the non-selected applicants to the IT web contractor and requests a mass e-mail notification to be sent to all non-selected applicants. c. Assist with intern travel arrangements to duty station. 10. Make recommendations for intern housing. a. Coordinate with NIH Facilities Manager for selection and acquisition of lodging. b. Monitor intern activities and interactions at housing location. 11. Provide accepted applicants information to the NIBIB Administrative Officer to perform the tasks required to access NIH facilities including systems, identification badges, and others. 12. Assure compliance of all new interns with NIH regulations involving: a. Mandatory training modules, such as lab safety courses b. IT required training for contractor's access to NIH network 13. Interact with students and monitor their progress during summer project work a. Meet regularly with interns for updates on project work and other issues. b. Discuss intern progress and performance with each mentor. c. Arrange lab tours and special lectures. d. Arrange, schedule, and advertise end-of-year seminar of intern projects. e. Collect and collate intern project reports. Deliverables: See attachment 1 (Deliverables) Privacy Act: Materials used in this program are subject to the Privacy Act and require stringent protective measures to prevent unauthorized disclosure of personal and proprietary data. The contractor will not disclose any information contained in the intern applications or selection data to anyone not directly connected to the BESIP and must protect the contents of the applications. Contract Type: Firm-Fixed Price Place of Performance: Work may be performed in NIBIB office space, at off-site locations such as the NIH main campus and local area hotels, or at the contractor's place of business. Security Requirements: Documents and media shall be transported in a secure and closed vehicle and maintained in a secure storage cabinet when not being used. At no point shall documents and media be exposed to anyone other than NIBIB staff or the designated contract staff. Electronic data shall be accessed only over Government secure networks based on the Government's specific clearance procedures. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information: The Government will provide the contractor with access to electronic data via on-site workstation linked to the NIH network or through a Government funded Voice Protocol Network (VPN) account for off-site access to the NIH network. In the course of assigning work, the Project Officer will provide grant applications and related documents in hard-copy and/or electronic media for the contractor's use. All materials, drafts, emails and related records are the property of the Government and shall be returned to the Project Officer on demand or upon completion of each project. Special Requirements: 1. Qualifications of Contract Staff: The contract staff shall meet the following qualification requirements: a. Expertise in biomedical imaging and/or bioengineering research with PhD preferred. b. Knowledge and prior experience in recruitment and selection at NIH. c. Knowledge and familiarity with NIH biomedical engineering and physical scientist staff and their relevant projects. d. Extremely organized with excellent time management skills. e. Strong verbal and written communication skills. f. Excellent interpersonal skills. g. Strong writing and editing skills. h. Excellent meeting facilitation skills. i. Previous successful experience with mentoring students. j. Previous experience coordinating and directing a training program for college level students. 2. Contractor(s) must currently be cleared or be able to obtain clearance for access to NIH systems. 3. Contractor(s) must visibly display a current NIH-provided Identification Card when engaged in NIBIB business and must clearly identify him/herself as a contractor in performing all assigned tasks, including electronic and written communication, as well as personal attendance at meetings and interactions with NIBIB, NIH, and Reviewer staff. Period of Performance: Base Period: August 15, 2015 through August 14, 2016 Option Period 1: August 15, 2016 through August 14, 2017 Option Period 2: August 15, 2017 through August 14, 2018 Option Period 3: August 15, 2018 through August 14, 2019 Option Period 4: August 15, 2019 through August 14, 2020 The contractor should not exceed 11 hours per week or 43 per month or 520 hours per contract year. (vii) The provision FAR clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is hereby incorporated by reference. (viii) The provision FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is hereby incorporated by reference. Quotes will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 13.106 using the following factors: Technical Capability, Past Performance and Price. (ix) In accordance with FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. (x) FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (xi) FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. (xii) FAR clause 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options, applies to this acquisition. (xiii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating does not apply to this acquisition. Offerors shall submit their quotations no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, July 16, 2015. The proposal must reference the RFP Number: HHS-NIH-NHLBI-CSB-EB-2015-153-CDB. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. This acquisition is set-aside for SMALL BUSINESSES. Proposals can be emailed to the Contract Specialist, Chris Bocus at chris.bocus@nih.gov; Quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered into the e-mail address inbox set forth above. Faxed proposals will NOT be accepted. All quotes shall contain the following: 1. Name of Contracting Organization; 2. Contract Number/RFP Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number); 3. Contract Type; 4. Total Contract Value and Discounts; 5. Description of Requirement; 6. Contracting Specialist's Name and Telephone Number; 7. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code; and 8. DUNS Number.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/HHS-NIH-NHLBI-CSB-EB-2015-153-CDB/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, MD / Contractor's Address, United States
- Record
- SN03783378-W 20150703/150702000134-fd34a9c105dd48a7b2e61095ee8d895c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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