1 CSS POSTING 6-30.pdf

Christopher Fisher, CO 5/31/2023

NIEHS, Office of Acquisitions

Worker Training Program Support Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES

I. General Information

Document Type: Combined Synopsis/ Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services

Solicitation Number: 75N96023Q00039

Posted Date: 6/30/2023[Insert]

Original Response Date: 7/14/2023, 11AM EST

Current Response Date: 7/14/2023, 11AM EST

Product or Service Code: R699 – Support Administrative Other

Set Aside: Small Business Set Aside – 100%

NAICS Code: 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

II. Contracting Office Address

NIH/NIEHS

530 Davis Drive Morrisville, NC 27709

III. Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial

Products and Commercial Services, Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and Part 16.5, Indefinite

Delivery Contracts, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-03.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541611 with a small business size standard of $24.5 M.

Point of Contact

Christopher Fisher, Contracting Officer, E-mail christopher.fisher@nih.gov

Secondary Point of Contact

Henry Daniels, Contracting Officer, E-mail henry.daniels@nih.gov mailto:christopher.fisher@nih.gov mailto:henry.daniels@nih.gov

1. SERVICES AND PRICING

1.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

This contract will provide communication and technical support services for the direct benefit of the Government. The mission of the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) is to support the development of a network of non-profit organizations that are committed to protecting workers and their communities by delivering high-quality, peer-reviewed safety and health curriculum to target populations of hazardous waste workers and emergency responders. The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training is a national resource for hazardous waste worker curricula, technical reports, and weekly news on hazardous materials, waste operations, and emergency response. The Clearinghouse also functions as a national resource for the dissemination to the general public of program related information, technical reports and resource materials, and other materials that have been developed by the grantees of the NIEHS WTP, as specified by Section 126 (g) of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA). The Clearinghouse functions as a link between awardees of the NIEHS Worker Training cooperative agreements and other members of the general public who are concerned with quality worker health and safety training. The work of the Clearinghouse relates to all aspects of the NIEHS WTP including training support conducted through Interagency Agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). All parts of the program, including disaster response activities, web page development, technical workshops, white papers, research reports, technical briefs, News brief items and report topics are related to promoting Institute activities undertaken to support Superfund environmental restoration training, chemical emergency response, cleanup of the DOE nuclear weapons complex, transportation of hazardous materials and waste, disaster response, weapons of mass destruction response, as well as specialized environmental training for urban minority groups including environmental justice and Justice40 activities.

1.2 GENERAL - CONTRACT TYPE

The Government contemplates award of a single source Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and Part 16.5, Indefinite Delivery Contracts.

1.3 CONTRACT LINE ITEMS AND PRICING

See Attachment 1 - Price Quote by Position / Sample Task Order 1 / Sample Task Order 2

1.4 PRICING TERMS

The fully burdened labor rates specified in labor-hours shall be in accordance with the negotiated and agreed upon labor rates identified in the IDIQ pricing schedule and apply to the effective task order period of performance. Labor rates are not subject to adjustment. The labor-hour ceiling is not subject to an adjustment except as a result of a direct action or inaction by the Government which delays the Contractor from completing the task order within the time specified in the task order. Labor ceiling increases may only be approved via issuance of a fully executed bi-lateral modification by the Contracting Officer. However, in no event shall the Contractor perform, or be paid for any work which exceeds the labor-hour ceiling or not-to-exceed amount identified in each labor-hour task order.

2. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training for Hazardous Materials, Waste Operations, and Emergency Response

Background The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training for Hazardous Materials, Waste Operations, and Emergency Response, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) is the national resource for hazardous waste worker curricula, technical reports, and weekly news on hazardous materials, waste operations and emergency response. It also retains information on the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers; waste treatment personnel; skilled support personnel associated with an emergency/disaster; emergency responders in biological hazard response, infectious disease response, and medical waste cleanup; emergency responders in disasters;; workforce development training in environmental and construction fields; opioids and worker health and safety; and worker resiliency training. The NIEHS WTP National Clearinghouse supports the efforts of NIEHS WTP staff and grantees in providing health and safety training to workers engaged in activities related to hazardous waste removal, containment, and remediation; biosafety response and cleanup; and emergency response.

The mission of the NIEHS WTP is to support the development of a network of non-profit organizations that are committed to protecting workers and their communities by delivering high-quality, peer-reviewed safety and health curriculum to target populations of hazardous waste workers and emergency responders. Through the NIH extramural grants process, the WTP awards cooperative agreements to: 1) establish new national benchmarks for quality worker safety and health training; 2) create a major prevention education activity for NIEHS as technical scientific and translated research information is delivered to target populations with high risk toxic exposures; and 3) develop model occupational safety and health training for workers and their supervisors that perform dangerous jobs in the nation's hazardous waste management and remediation programs, as well as for emergency responders to uncontrolled hazardous materials releases and natural and manmade disasters.

The National Clearinghouse assists the WTP cooperative agreement grantees by providing information and technical support services to the program directors of NIEHS funded hazardous materials, waste operations, and emergency response worker training programs.

The Clearinghouse also functions as a national resource for the dissemination of program related information, technical reports, resource materials, and other materials that have been developed by the grantees of the WTP, as specified by Section 126 (g) of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) to the general public.

The National Clearinghouse shall function as a link between grantees of NIEHS WTP cooperative agreements and other members of the general public who are concerned with quality worker health and safety training. The work of the Clearinghouse will relate to all aspects of the NIEHS WTP including training support conducted through Interagency Agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and other federal entities. All aspects of the program, including web page development, technical workshops, research reports, and Newsbrief item topics will be related to supporting the NIEHS and WTP Strategic Plans and Institute activities undertaken to support Superfund environmental restoration training, chemical emergency response, cleanup of the DOE nuclear weapons complex, transportation of hazardous materials and waste, weapons of mass destruction response, biosafety response and cleanup, national disaster response, as well as specialized environmental and construction training for disadvantaged individuals.

Scope of the Requirement

The NIEHS WTP is seeking contractor support to augment its current programmatic capabilities and extend the span of the support and services to organizations which serve target worker populations that are engaged in activities related to hazardous waste removal, containment, and remediation; disaster response and cleanup; biosafety response and cleanup; and emergency response. Due to the complexity and the number of new emerging training innovations and technologies occurring in the worker health and safety arena, the NIEHS WTP has identified several training opportunities that are specifically related to the advancement of the program. In seeking to develop this document, these new emerging training technologies and innovative program management approaches must be woven and integrated into the framework of the existing training program with critical strategic support from the Clearinghouse operation.

It is clear that the context and technical approaches to safety and health training have undergone a rapid transition, as computer and telecommunications technology have unleashed a wealth of technical information resources and have established innovative modes of training development, delivery and evaluation. As the federal government's primary model training program, the NIEHS WTP views its mission as the exploration of new training technologies and methods for the evaluation of training effectiveness. This mission includes the creation of major prevention education activities for NIEHS as technical, scientific, and basic research information is delivered to target populations with high-risk toxic exposures;

the establishment and modification of national benchmarks for quality worker safety and health training in collaboration with the stakeholder community; and development of an innovative occupational safety and health training for workers and their supervisors who perform dangerous jobs in the nation’s hazardous waste management and remediation programs, for workers who respond to uncontrolled releases, for workers who respond and cleanup dangerous biosafety situations, and emergency disaster response. The Clearinghouse contractor shall provide expert advice, assistance, guidance or counseling, and subject matter expertise in support of the NIEHS WTP management, organizational and business improvement efforts. This may also include studies, analyses, and reports; development of training curricula; meeting/conference/webinar support; IT support; and consultative or implementation efforts.

The NIEHS WTP has learned that successful examples of training partnerships involve the creation of clear mechanisms for assuring avenues for input and collaboration by labor, management, academia, state and local government officials and other stakeholders, as well as a vision for integrating training into other workplace programs and initiatives. The NIEHS WTP has worked to establish a dynamic and valuable program, which plays a key role in supporting efforts to augment existing training partnerships, maintain regular channels for communication and information exchange, and perform outreach to new potential partners for improving the effectiveness of safety and health training delivery and protecting workers in high-risk occupations. The Contractor shall provide facilitation and related decision support services to the NIEHS WTP for engaging in collaboration efforts with its grantees, other federal agencies, outside working groups, or self-directed teams. The NIEHS WTP will continue to bring together diverse teams and/or groups with common and divergent interests to work on technical issues regarding HAZWOPER safety and health training issues and will seek contractor support for these processes.

Tasks for this contract include, but are not limited to:

• Development and maintenance of a web-based information resource center (webpage), health and safety library, and a curricula catalog for the cataloguing of training materials, and other information pertaining to worker health and safety training for hazardous materials, waste operations, biosafety response and cleanup, disaster response and cleanup, and emergency response;

• Assessment, data analysis, and evaluation activities in the collection, organization, analysis, preparation, processing and reporting of programmatic information related to the WTP. Provide subject matter expertise (health and safety training, industrial hygiene, disaster response, infectious disease, HAZMAT training, chemical exposure response training, evaluation and analysis, resiliency training, workforce development training in environmental and construction fields, workforce development, radiation response training, DOE nuclear weapons complex training etc.), clinical expertise, and assistance with the implementation of national training initiatives to improve worker health and safety;

• Assistance in preparation for the delivery of disaster specific training and response to man-made and natural disasters and emergency response activities.

Activities may include, but not be limited to, preparing program materials, conducting information assessments and gap analyses, data analyses, providing subject matter expertise (health and safety training, industrial hygiene, disaster response, infectious disease, HAZMAT training, chemical exposure response training, evaluation and analysis, workforce development, radiation response training, DOE nuclear weapons complex training etc.) providing expert review, developing specialized health and safety curricula, conducting pilot testing of developed curricula, evaluation of developed curricula, stakeholder and partnership identification and support, safety and health training guideline reviews, meeting support including translation and interpretation services, awardee training activity coordination, SBIR E-Learning program support; reports and white papers, logistical support for materials and equipment, developing/updating/printing disaster booklets and other emergency response training activities that may arise.

• Management of a national technical workshop series and information exchange on emerging worker safety and health training issues focused on hazardous waste management, environmental remediation, workforce development training, biosafety, national disaster response and chemical emergency response;

• Maintenance of the WTP Curricula Information and Data Management System (DMS), which is a private web-based application for entering and retrieving programmatic data, submitting training data, entering progress report information, utilizing the curricula submission upload function, and electronic mail;

• Maintenance of internet and computer-based communication and information services to facilitate the transmission of technical information related to the development of safety and health training programs for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders, the distribution of technical information, health and safety resource materials, NIEHS grantee-developed curricula and resources. All items posted on the web must comply with applicable Federal, HHS, NIH and NIEHS policies; and

• Other related activities as required to accomplish the overall scope and purpose of this contract.

Personnel I. Contractor Personnel Requirements

The Contractor shall minimally provide the following level-of-effort (personnel and supervision) to efficiently perform the duties described herein:

[The following is for information only and should not determine the specific labor proposed for this effort. The actual level-of effort will be negotiated, and this section will then be completed at time of award based on the negotiated level-of-effort.]

II. Personnel Assignments: The following is a brief description of recommended personnel assignments:

A) Program Manager shall be responsible for overall contract implementation, administration, staff supervision and execution of reporting requirements and deliverables. The contractor's Program Manager, or an appropriate designee, shall meet briefly (remotely) with WTP staff during weekly staff meetings, conduct a full day meeting monthly (in person, as applicable) with the COR and

B) WTP staff to discuss task areas and any problems, and to determine future tasks to be undertaken, meetings to be attended, and persons to be contacted. They shall record and forward to the COR any risks identified in the meeting, issues discussed in the meeting, the decisions rendered and the action items for each meeting member to address. This will include any risk handling activities and mitigation strategies. The Program Manager shall also hold a Yearly Clearinghouse meeting to cover the past year and shall prepare an operational matrix based upon the WTP Strategic Plan for activities for the upcoming year.

C) Senior Advisor(s)/Subject Matter Expert(s) shall be responsible for providing expert advice, assistance, guidance or counseling in support of the NIEHS WTP management efforts, as well as providing proficient examination of studies, curricula development, and analyses and reports documenting any proposed developmental, consultative or implementation efforts. These Subject Matter Experts shall include, but not be limited to, the following specialty areas: health and safety training, industrial hygiene, disaster response, infectious disease, HAZMAT training, chemical exposure response training, radiation response training, evaluation and analysis, and DOE nuclear weapons complex training. (This effort may require additional hours for subject matter experts for evaluation and DOE nuclear weapons complex training oversight.)

D) Writer/Editor/Research Analyst(s) shall be responsible for publication of the monthly Newsbrief, publication of the curricula catalogue and related documents, gathering of technical information, synopsizing of relevant documents, preparation of data for technical workshops, and coverage of relevant events, hearings, and conferences.

E) Meeting Planner(s) shall be responsible for logistical activities associated with planning and implementing meetings, conferences, and the national trainer’s exchange; identifying sites and negotiating contracts for meetings; and managing on-site logistical support activities including room setup and audiovisual requirements.

F) Web Developer/Programmer(s) shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of the website(s) and WTP Curricula Information & Data Management System that support the WETB staff and the WTP Grantees. In conjunction with the web sites task, the administrator shall provide technical assistance to the WTP grantees in accessing electronically available information resources on the WTP website(s).

G) Graphic Artist/Designer(s) shall be responsible for Developing and designing layouts across all mediums (print and electronic) that have a clear focus, theme, and message for intended audiences.

H) Production Assistant/Logistics Coordinator(s) shall be responsible for managing all curricula reproduction, maintenance of all relevant reference materials for use by the general public and organization of support activities for meetings and technical workshops.

I) Administrative/Clerical Assistant(s) shall be a responsible support person for the key project personnel in implementing project administration, execution, and management.

J) Key Personnel: As a minimum, the Program Manager shall be deemed as Key

Personnel in accordance with HHSAR Clause 352.270-5, incorporated by reference and further described in Section G, and shall have full authority to act on behalf of the Contractor. The Program Manager shall act as the central point of contact with the Government Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and shall resolve concerns or disputes with Government users. Throughout performance, the Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with current resumes for key personnel directly involved in the performance of this contract.

K) Personnel Selection: The Contractor shall be fully responsible for the selection, assignment, supervision, management, and control of employees in performance of this contract.

Performance Requirements

Management of Contract

NIEHS WTP National Clearinghouse management, coordination, reporting requirements, and Advisory Board establishment.

The Clearinghouse shall:

A) The Contractor shall prepare monthly progress and “time on task” summaries, including a description of the time spent by contractor employee on certain subtasks for that month, and provide a timeline of activities that clearly states the deadlines for each month’s deliverables. The contractor shall provide planned activities and next steps for the upcoming month in the monthly report, and identify any potential challenges or significant delays. The contractor shall suggest solutions or outline plans to address identified challenges and delays.

B) At the end of each month the contractor will provide a final invoice that includes the item description (e.g. task, travel), the amount billed for the current period, the funded amount for each category, and the amount remaining for the year; a breakdown of ‘hours by labor category’ summary that includes the rate and hours billed, for each contractor employee, and a breakdown of travel for each contractor employee for that month. Also required (for the COR) is a monthly progress report, broken out by task and subtask, of activities and accomplishments performed that month; and a budget breakdown, by subtask, that includes the funded budget, monthly expenditures for that contract year, the total spent to date, and the budget remaining.

C) The Contractor shall also participate in brief, remote weekly meetings with WTP staff, and conduct a full day meeting monthly with the COR and WTP staff, preferably in person at NIEHS. The Contractor shall also provide a report that provides prospective activities for the upcoming month, including travel, for review and preapproval at that time. The Program Manager shall also hold a Yearly Clearinghouse meeting to cover the past year and shall prepare an operational matrix based upon the WTP Strategic Plan for activities for the upcoming year.

D) Through data gathering and surveying of the NIEHS WTP and other interested parties in the HAZWOPER training field, the Contractor shall provide assistance to the COR in developing a strategic plan for the operations of the Clearinghouse and a separate/coordinated strategic plan for the WTP, which maximizes the usage of advanced technologies, and identifies key emerging issues that will impact the worker training field over the next five years.

E) The Contractor shall maintain and convene a National Clearinghouse Advisory

Board of current WTP grantees and pertinent subject matter experts, which will be a key vehicle to engage grantees and encourage information exchange to the Clearinghouse. This group will meet in person at least once a year to provide feedback on current activities and initiatives of the Clearinghouse and WTP and will also assess the appropriate technical assistance programs to be utilized. The Program Manager will decide specifics regarding group membership and meeting schedule.

Program Support, Materials and Information Assessment, and Subject Matter Expertise Develop, analyze, compile, and disseminate program research products to enhance on-going initiatives and to support new training initiatives and the continuation of program efficacy measures. These include, but are not limited to, activities to support the work of the WTP in the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers;

emergency and biosafety response; infectious disease training and cleanup; emergency disaster response and resiliency training; opioid disaster training; and the exploration of the acute and long-term health effects of environmental disasters.

The Clearinghouse Contractor shall develop:

A) Program Materials: Design, update, reproduce and distribute materials describing the NIEHS WTP and its grantees for the general public. The materials and/or print media shall describe the training programs, training content, accreditation, treatment of training records; related worker training regulations, workers and industries covered by the training, list the OSHA 1910.120 requirements, and list the NIEHS-supported training providers. The Program material shall be prepared by the Contractor per a timeline agreed upon by the COR and will be adhere to the appropriate NIH/NIEHS/OCPL style guides.

B) Information Assessment and Data Analysis: Collect, analyze, organize, and develop training materials to address and support the WTP. Collaborate with WTP staff in support of efforts to develop training activities, strategies for implementation, and reporting the product of training outcomes related to occupational exposures and occupational impact of specific areas of concern. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Literature searches for guidelines and peer-reviewed articles related to worker health and safety training.

• Review of health and safety guidelines issued by national organizations/government

• Identification and classification of the training done by health and safety organizations

• Contact with academia, private industry, and government entities to identify existing health and safety training and the groups to whom it was provided

• Interview of key stakeholders to determine training effectiveness

• Gap analysis of training and worker needs

• Analysis of training data

• Identification of training best practices

C) Research Products as Needed: The COR will advise the contractor to complete specific research products at will. The scope of each research product, timeline for delivery, description of the final product, and method of dissemination will be

D) decided upon by the Contractor and the COR at the start of each research project initiative. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Stakeholder identification - contact academia, industry, and government leaders

• Contact with academia, private industry, and government entities to identify existing training and the groups to whom it was provided

• Interview of key stakeholders to determine training effectiveness

• Identification of training requirements, potential audiences and needs, and training gaps

• Identification and classification of the training done by pertinent organizations

• Identification and categorization of workers involved in specific exposures to hazardous materials

• Identification of health and safety training that resulted in the appropriate level of safety and performance

• Identification of health and safety training best practices

• Development and preparation of health and safety training curriculum

• Preparation of health and safety white papers

E) Expert Review/Subject Matter Expertise as Needed: The Contractor shall provide subject matter expertise, clinical expertise, and assistance with the implementation of national training initiatives to improve worker health and safety. They shall participate and provide a medical and public health perspective to the development of strategy, operations, and evaluation of critical projects. They shall conduct expert reviews of any content products prepared on behalf of the WTP, including workshop reports, research products, and any other products identified by the COR. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Review of health and safety guidelines issued by national organizations/government

• Identification of health and safety training best practices

• Identification of centers of excellence

• Identification of health and safety training modalities

• High level assessment of health and safety training effectiveness

• Health and safety curricula development

• Pilot testing of developed curricula

• Program Evaluation (Review and evaluation of the overall initiatives, qualitative and quantitative feedback from WTP stakeholders, evaluation of the effectiveness of the training)

F) As Requested: The Contractor will disseminate pertinent information to WTP grantees about the NIEHS WTP via email, phone, written communications and conference management at the direction of the COR.

G) Partnerships and Representation: In assisting the WTP in facilitating partnerships among other agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), the Contractor shall identify potential partners, arrange meetings, and assist in the construction of appropriate partnerships. The Contractor staff will also represent the Clearinghouse, through speaking opportunities or presentations, at specific worker safety and health conferences, meetings, seminars and other events as requested by the COR. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• National conference presentations

• National Trainer’s Exchange

• Stakeholder meetings

• Master trainer meetings

H) Support for the Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP): The

Contractor shall promote the importance of HAZWOPER related training and work with those federal, state, and local partnerships that have been developed in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and other man made or natural disaster preparedness and training. This would include working with EPA, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies in support of the National Response Framework, National Disaster Recovery Framework, National Contingency Plan or other related activities. The Contractor will continue to promote the Program’s Emergency Support Activation Plan. These tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Production of supporting materials and/or training tools in preparation for and after a national natural or man-made disaster

• Training activity coordination during and after disaster situations (Manage and coordinate WTP grantee training activities, assistance with the needs of deployed trainers, logistics support)

I) Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP): The Contractor shall support the importance of HAZWOPER related training and support the goal of delivering comprehensive job training to increase the pool of individuals from disadvantaged and vulnerable communities who live near hazardous waste sites or in communities at risk of exposure to contaminated properties to obtain jobs in the environmental remediation and construction industries through this program. This

J) includes, but is not limited to, the support of the grantees in their activities, and the development of materials.

K) SBIR E-Learning Program: The contractor shall promote the importance of the work of small business concerns that further the development of Technology-enhanced training products for the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers; waste treatment personnel; skilled support personnel associated with an emergency/disaster; emergency responders in biological hazard response, infectious disease response, and medical waste cleanup; emergency responders in disasters; and worker resiliency training. This includes, but is not limited to, the development of documents and materials to support this program.

L) DOE – Integrated Safety Management: The Contractor shall support the health and safety training activities of grantees through facilitation and distribution of material as it relates to various DOE safety programs to include Integrated Safety Management and OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and 10 C.F.R. 851:

Worker Safety and Health Program, and other relevant DOE orders and activities associated with the NIEHS WTP.

Conference/Meeting Support

Arrange and manage webinars, technical meetings and workshops related to scientific, administrative, and regulatory issues associated with training in areas such as hazardous materials (HAZMAT); waste treatment; skilled support associated with an emergency/disaster; emergency biosafety response, infectious disease and cleanup;

emergencies in disasters and resiliency training; and opioids. A minimum of three such meetings or workshops shall be held during the contract year. The Contractor shall abide by HHS efficient spending regulations when planning and holding these meetings.

The Clearinghouse shall conduct:

A) Advanced Logistics: Provide administrative support with logistical details such as planning, budget estimates, site selection, meeting contract negotiation and coordination, lodging, registration, and development and distribution of preparatory materials and information developed in advance of the technical meetings or workshops. Administrative support shall include contacting attendees with information by telephone, in writing, or other appropriate means, and making travel arrangements for agency-designated participants, guest speakers and other guest participants as needed.

B) Technical Meeting Facilitation: Facilitate technical assistance activities related to grantee activities at the direction of the COR. Provide assistance to the COR with the development of agendas and supplying speakers with ready access to related and current information for presentations. Provide subject matter expertise in health and safety training as needed for the meeting/conference. The Contractor may also develop and provide recommendations with respect to topics, participants, and agenda items at the direction of the COR. Final technical meeting topics, schedule, and participants will be determined by the COR.

C) On-Site: Coordinate logistics and provide on-site assistance at the activity site to include registration of participants, distribution of materials, set-up for audiovisual requirements, and arrangement of note-taking and capturing of the technical workshop proceedings. Contractor staff must be knowledgeable and proficient in multimedia equipment and operations. The role of the Contractor will be in carrying out site logistics. Costs for travel, meals, per diems etc. are already carried by the NIEHS and its grantees, and thus will not need to be factored into the contract bid.

Expected number of participants will be 100 to 200 people per activity. Outside resource people and speakers for the Technical Meetings or Workshops will be identified by NIEHS and the Institute, if needed will cover their expenses. Workshop costs for the Contractor involve some on-site expenses including meeting room rentals, workshop materials, postage and shipping, audio-visual equipment rentals, and costs for recording the proceedings during the event. These costs will be approximated at the beginning of the contract year for each event and incorporated as part of the yearly budget. The Contractor will work with a WTP grantee in the development and administration of these workshops.

D) Report: Prepare, edit, publish and distribute the technical activity proceedings and final reports, which shall be completed at the direction of the COR. A copy of the completed reports should be posted on the Clearinghouse website and disseminated to all workshop participants, which will include grantee representatives and additional resource people.

Technical Support

Facilitate the transmission of technical information related to the development of safety and health training programs for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders through website development and maintenance. The contractor shall provide qualified personnel, materials, facilities, and equipment necessary to perform the activities described below. Access to the NIEHS virtual private network (VPN) is only provided with Government Furnished Property (GFP). NIEHS will provide computer laptops [number to be determined upon contract award] to the Contractor, given the property security clearances are processed for Contractor staff using the equipment, in order to complete the requirements of this task order as outlined in the performance work statement. The computer laptop specifications are determined by NIEHS.

The Clearinghouse Contractor shall coordinate and manage:

A) Website Development: The Contractor will be required to develop and update a Clearinghouse website (both content and the underlying functionalities) and develop new content and navigational and visualization tools at the direction of the COR.

Items on the webpage include, but are not limited to the following webpages: the WTP Curricula Catalog, Disaster and Response, Emerging Issues, Environmental Justice, Hazardous Materials- HAZWOPER, Meetings and Workshops, News and Resources, Training Development, and Where we Train. The contractor is expected to operate within the current IT requirements of NIEHS (PHP, MySql, Percussion, Cold Fusion, Thunderstone, HTML Standards, etc.) The information included on the website(s) will serve as a method of continued outreach and communication with the WTP Grantees, the general public, and other members of the training community. The use of increased web search indexing and capably shall be deployed to increase the accessibility of material on the website. Website content

B) shall be kept up-to-date and be responsive to sudden changes in the event of a national disaster. All website(s), functionalities and content created by the Contractor shall adhere to existing HHS, NIH, and NIEHS IT systems security, web policies, style guidelines, operational environment, meet Section 508 compliance requirements, specified user requirements, and all material shall be housed on the government’s server and shall not adversely affect system performance.

C) Website Maintenance: The Contractor shall maintain all website(s) specified by the

COR. The contractor is expected to operate within the current IT requirements of NIEHS. Material on the website(s) will be updated on a weekly basis and new material will be incorporated as provided by WTP staff, Clearinghouse staff, WTP Grantees, and content experts. The contractor shall produce accurate, well-written and designed, error-free web content; ensure that the website(s) remain accurate, up-to-date, and accessible at all times; remain current on new and emerging technologies and approaches; establish and implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure website security; and maintain confidentiality of sensitive Government information, data, and equipment. As part of ongoing website maintenance, the contractor will assure that (1) hyperlinks on the site are updated and refreshed, (2) new topical areas are created and populated with information, reviewed and updated twice a year, (3) the website is registered with top web search engines, (4) increase dissemination through the website to enhance the public awareness of the WTP, (5) the architecture of the site will be maintained and updated as agreed upon by the COR, and shall adhere to existing HHS/NIH/NIEHS web polices and style guidelines, (6) online help tools are created as necessary to increase the usability of the website (7) necessary changes are made to the online curricula catalog component of the WTP Data Management System to keep the online curricula catalog interface and content updated, (8) website content is kept up-to-date and be responsive to sudden changes in the event of a national disaster, and (9) perform any other updates and edits to existing software code to keep the website(s) dynamic. The Contractor shall also be responsible for managing the creation of materials that are specific only to the website, such as multimedia tutorials, graphic representations of historical overviews, and other items as directed by the COR. The Contractor shall follow Quality Assurance Standards for the WTP website and any changes under NIEHS web maintenance guidelines. The website must meet all Government and agency specific security requirements.

D) WTP Curricula Information and Data Management System (DMS): The Contractor shall maintain, update and develop the WTP Curricula Information and Data Management System (DMS), which is a private web-based application for entering and retrieving programmatic data, submitting training data, entering progress report information, utilizing the curricula submission upload function, and electronic mail.

Support of the WTP National Clearinghouse

A) HAZWOPER Training Information Collection (Quantity = 12): Monthly the Contractor shall continue and maintain the Health and Safety Library (HASL) which collects, catalogs, and archives a comprehensive list of technical documents, reference materials, and materials produced by the NIEHS WTP Grantees. Grantee produced materials which shall be supplied by the government include, but are not limited to digital copies of curricula, printed manuals and audio-visual materials such as CDs and DVDs. The Clearinghouse shall provide online access to technical documents and other grantee produced material via the WTP website and the online curricula catalog.

B) Curricula Catalog (Quantity = 12): Monthly the Contractor shall continue and maintain an online curricula catalog of technical information produced by the NIEHS WTP grantee training programs. The WTP Curricula Catalog System is a web-based system for entering, editing, displaying and querying curricula catalog information for WTP consortia, the WETB staff at NIEHS, and the general public. The primary objective of the Curricula Catalog System is to provide a structured interface that will facilitate the entry of training curricula catalog courses, courseware, on-line shopping cart and checkout system, curricula catalog courseware download feature, and the production of usable reports for data analysis. Based on historical information, NIEHS estimates that the volume of curricula download on an annual basis is 1,600 files (approximately 3.0 Gigabytes). The online catalog will provide copyright and quality assurance policy and caveats on the specific use of each set of curricula as determined by the grantee. The Contractor shall also maintain quality controls over material dissemination of digital, photocopied and printed versions of training manuals and curricula materials. The material shall be reproduced and made available to the general public at cost of production and shipping fees only, exclusive of handling fees.

C) Weekly Digital Newsbrief (Quantity = 52): Weekly the Contractor shall design and disseminate the weekly HAZWOEPR Newsbrief and activity report including, but not limited to, information about hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and emergency response, online learning advances, regulatory progress, legislative initiatives, grantee activities and other related material. The Contractor shall involve outside experts (HAZMAT, worker health and safety) in the identification and review of the Newsbrief. The Newsbrief shall be posted on the Clearinghouse website and distributed via electronic means. The Contractor shall save, archive, and index the Newsbriefs. The Newsbrief will be approved by the COR each week prior to distribution. Changes to the Newsbrief format shall be approved by the COR prior to distribution.

D) Issue and Trend Identification (Quantity = 12): Monthly the Contractor shall identify issues and trends in worker safety and health relevant to the WTP program. This will involve regular analysis, oral and written briefings on various topics.

Reporting Information Requirements

A) Monthly Progress: The Contractor shall prepare a monthly “time on task” summaries including a description of the time spent, by contractor employee, on certain subtasks for that month and provide a timeline of activities that clearly state the deadlines for each month’s deliverables.

B) Annual Progress Reports: The Contractor shall prepare an annual summary report of the entire contract work for the period covered. No annual report is required for the final year of contract performance.

C) Final Report: The Contractor shall prepare a final summary report upon completion of the work performed and results obtained for the entire contract period of performance. This report shall summarize tasks performed under the term of the contract and estimated projections for future effort. The contractor shall also submit, with the final report, a summary of salient results achieved during the performance of the contract.

D) Required Acknowledgment: In all publications resulting from activities performed under the contract, the Contractor shall acknowledge support of the

NIEHS WTP.

Delivery, Inspection and Acceptance

Item Submission Format

Dissemination Delivery Schedule and Quantity/ Frequency

Monthly Reports

Progress Electronic Submit to COR Monthly

Annual Reports

Progress Electronic Submit to COR and Contracting Officer 30 days after the end of the contract year

Yearly

Final Contract Report Electronic Submit to COR and Contracting Officer on or before contract expiration

Once at the end of the five-year contract

Post Workshop and Meeting Reports

Electronic Submit to COR 30 days following the technical meeting or workshop

As requested

Post Workshop Reports for Webinar or Conference Calls

Electronic Submit to COR 15 days following the event.

As requested

Website content Clearinghouse and

NIEHS

website/content management system

Continuous updates with initial updates beginning within three months of the award. Content to be reviewed by the COR prior to submission.

At a minimum, monthly

Program Brochure/Material

Various formats, both hard copy and electronic

Submit final to COR As requested

Research Reports Electronic Submit to COR As requested

Newsbrief Electronic Submit to COR Weekly

Webinar recordings Electronic Submit to COR within 30 days

As requested

Work plans/requirements documents

Electronic Submit to COR As requested

IT Security Plan Electronic Submit to COR Within 30 days following contract award

Performance Requirements Summary

NIEHS WTP National Clearinghouse management, coordination, reporting requirements, and Advisory Board Establishment

Deliverable

Performance Indicator

Acceptable Quality Level

Monitoring Method

Submission of Monthly and Time-on- Task Reports

Reports are high quality, fully edited, accurate, due by the 15th of each month for the prior month.

Provide monthly projection of activities to include any needed preapproval.

Reports are accurate and timely 98% of the time.

Deliverable

Weekly Staff Meeting Attendance, Monthly Clearinghouse Meeting, Yearly Clearinghouse Meeting

Program Manager to attend the weekly meeting for brief updates, appropriate Contractor staff to attend Monthly Clearinghouse Meetings, appropriate Contractor staff to attend a Yearly Clearinghouse Meeting

Attendance to expected meetings 98% of the time.

COR Monitoring

Clearinghouse Operations Strategic Plan and WTP Strategic Plan

Development/Update of a strategic plan for the operations of the Clearinghouse and a separate/coordinated strategic plan for the

WTP

Only minor edits required.

National Clearinghouse Advisory Board

Maintain and convene a National Clearinghouse Advisory Board of current WTP grantees and pertinent subject matter experts, which will be a key vehicle to engage grantees and encourage information exchange to the Clearinghouse.

Will meet in person (as appropriate) at least once a year to provide feedback on current activities and initiatives of the Clearinghouse and WTP, and will also assess the appropriate technical assistance programs to be utilized.

Deliverable; COR monitoring and direct feedback from those involved.

Develop, analyze, compile and disseminate program research products to enhance on-going initiatives and to support new training initiatives and the continuation of program efficacy measures.

Program Materials Materials presented in attractive, readable, highly informative format readily accessible to the general public adhering to Federal and NIH Plain Language guidance.

Only minor edits required 10% of the time.

Deliverable; COR monitoring and direct feedback from those involved.

Research Products Respond to requests for research products as needed.

Final research product meets the specific needs of the WTP; only minor edits required 10% of the time.

Deliverable;

monitoring and direct feedback from those involved

As Requested Disseminate pertinent information to grantees as requested.

Information is disseminated by specified deadlines 95% of the time.

Expert Editorial Review

Provides expert review of content products prepared on behalf of the WTP.

Provide sound analyses with accuracy and comprehensiveness 95% of the time.

Deliverable;

monitoring and direct feedback from those Involved

Partnerships and Representation

Facilitate partnership among other agencies and non-governmental organizations;

Contractor assists the WTP at worker safety and health conferences and meetings.

Values to be determined by the WTP’s requirements on a case-by-case basis.

Monitoring and direct feedback from those involved

Support for the…