Peer and Merit Review Services
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is for planning purposes and shall not be constructed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of responses received to this RFI. Furthermore, those who respond to this RFI should not anticipate feedback with regards to their submissions; other than acknowledgment of receipt, provided a sources requests such an acknowledgement.
The Government will not pay for any response provided as result of this RFI. All cost incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the expense of the interest sources. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation, should there be one. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned. Interested sources are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information. Government technical experts drawn from staff within DHS and other Federal Agencies may review responses. The Government may use selected support Contractor personnel to assist in the review of RFI response. These support Contractors will be bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary information.
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of the RFI is to identify qualified and interested sources with the capability to provide peer and merit review services required by any office or component of DHS on behalf of Science and Technology (S&T), Office of University Programs (OUP) (see attached Scope of Work).
II. QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY
a. Describe your firm’s knowledge of and experience using web-based interaction tools to perform peer and merit reviews, including ad-hoc reviews, focus groups, workshops, large meetings, and study groups of SMEs and professional practitioners of similar size, scope, and complexity to meet DHS or other federal agency requirements in the past three (3) years.
b. Describe your firm’s existing database of relevant SMEs from a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines applicable to homeland security-related research.
c. Describe your firm’s experience planning, scheduling, facilitating, and documenting the results from workshops and meetings for scientific members and experts of the federal, academic, and non-profit and industry communities in the past three (3) years.
d. Describe your firm’s experience in providing organization and facilitation of multi-day, multi-session annual reviews of university research and education programs with federal, state, local, and private sector stakeholders participating.
e. Describe your firm’s experience operating and conducting training for DHS approved web-based portal and software programs for electronic (non-face-to-face) reviews, data collection, reviewer ratings, written justifications, and the tabulation and scoring of input from multiple reviewers in the past three (3) years.
III. RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Responses shall be a maximum of six (6) pages and include the following information:
Firm’s Legal Business Name and Physical Address
Firm’s Point of Contact (POC) (Name, Phone Number, Email Address, and Website URL)
Firm’s SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI) Number and CAGE Code/Firm’s Business Size/Socio-Economic Category under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services Size Standard $21.5M.
Identify if your firm holds a Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) and/or General Service Administration (GSA) Schedule contract number, if applicable.
Identify if your firm would be interested in competing for this requirement as a prime contractor or subcontractor, if solicited. If subcontracting, identify any joint ventures or teaming arrangement that would be pursued.
Submission shall be made using Microsoft Office application. Font shall not be smaller than 12-point Times New Roman. Please provide your response to this RFI no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on August 25, 2022 to LeShanna Calahan at LeShanna.Calahan@hq.dhs.gov.
NOTE: The Government reserves the right to hold one-on-one meetings as result of responses received from this RFI as part of its market research efforts. Meetings may be held with companies who provide comprehensive and relevant responses to the topic and questions in this notice.
70RSAT22RFI000013 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
8/4/22, 4:13 PM Notice of Intent -- Peer and Merit Review Services
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) on behalf of the Office of Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP) intends to award a Time and Material (T&M) BPA on a limiting sources basis to Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Incorporated located at 100 ORAU Way Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6.
Scope: OUP has a requirement for contractor to provide peer review and merit services which include (but is not limited to) : 1) identify and reach out to a large number of relevant Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines applicable to homeland security; 2) organize, support, and implement on-site (in-person), off-site (web-based), and mixed (in-person and web-based) peer and merit reviews of S&T-funded proposals and programs using these SMEs; 3) organize and facilitate peer reviews, ad hoc reviews, or study groups of SMEs and professional practitioners using existing web-based interaction tools; and 4) provide OUP with administrative, management, and logistics support for the conduct and facilitation of Center Of Excellence (COE) biennial reviews and site visits. Specific tasks in support of the above activities include:
Pre-review activities
Create and maintain an electronic database of existing SMEs and continually update this database as additional experts are identified.
Prepare merit review procedures as directed by DHS; provide technical guidance to ensure reviews follow established policies and procedures.
Provide, operate, and conduct training for a DHS-approved web-based system and software programs for electronic reviews, data collection, tabulating and scoring input from multiple reviewers.
Assist in collecting white papers and full applications via electronic means and prepare these for review by SMEs.
Assist DHS in the identification of potential SMEs, scientists, and engineers in research areas related to the DHS mission to serve on merit review panels/study groups.
Assist OUP staff in identifying academic peers suitable to review each COE’s research and progress by evaluating research quality, productivity, educational quality, management ability, connections to customers, research results transition, and involvement of minority serving institutions, among others.
Provide technical support, such as reviews of publications, to support the integrity of the review process.
Provide trained moderators to facilitate the discussion of proposals with maximum objectivity and other activities with maximum productivity.
Assist DHS in assigning reviewers to proposals and proposals to panels; set-up proposals for electronic delivery and distribute to appropriate personnel.
Logistical and management support for DHS personnel conducting the site review to include managing and travel coordination for non-federal participants.
Activities during review
Manage merit review meetings, either face-to-face or via teleconference, to foster rigorous professional discussions about the merits of each proposal reviewed.
Establish a productive work environment for reviewers.
Ensure confidentiality of SMEs chosen to participate in review panels.
Identify potential conflicts-of-interest and refer these to the Selection Manager for disposition.
Provide administrative services including note-taking, coordination, and distribution of written materials, transcription, and production of an executive summary of reviewers’ ratings/findings.
Aggregate individuals’ ratings statistically, via electronic means, on selected review criteria and overall ratings using a variety of central tendency or scoring rules.
Calculate a final rating and outcome justification from the external peer review for each proposal received in response to the NOFO.
Post-review activities
Provide electronic reports of the results and provide documentation and reports of the outcome of the review.
Provide advanced reporting on the review results to include visual depictions of review results and any identified trends to supplement the narrative.
Place of Performance: The primary place of performance will be the Contractor’s facilities with periodic visits to the Department of Homeland Security facilities in the Washington Metro Area.
Period of Performance: 24 months from date of award
The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this effort is 541611 and the small business size standard is $21.5M.
This announcement constitutes as the only synopsis for this requirement; and is issued for
notification purposes only. Market research was conducted to support limiting sources. This notice of intent is NOT a request for proposals or quotations. Therefore, no solicitation document exists for this requirement. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Responses to this notice shall be addressed in writing to the Contracting Officer, LeShanna.Calahan@hq.dhs.gov and Contract Specialist, Aleyson Huesgen@hq.dhs.gov by December 15, 2022, at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. Questions by phone will not be considered.
RSUP-23-00003 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
12/1/22, 6:14 AM