Market_Research_Questionaire_final_1.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Prisons Administration Division

Field Acquisition Office Grand Prairie, Texas 75051

MARKET RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

Vocational Training Certificate Program – Small Business Setup

Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Phoenix, Arizona

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is conducting market research in compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 10. The Government contemplates awarding an indefinite-delivery, requirements-type contract with firm fixed unit prices. The services will be provided for prisoners held in the custody of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, located at the Federal Correctional Institution, in Phoenix, Arizona. We anticipate a single solicitation will be issued for Vocational Training Certificate Program – Small Business Setup. Successful completion of a program must lead to either transferrable credits resulting in a College Certificate, Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, Associate in Science (A.S.) degree, Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S) degree, or an Industry-Recognized Certificate which qualifying inmates for a least an entry-level position or employment. Credits earned from the College Certificate, A.A. degree, A.S. degree, or A.A.S. degree must be transferrable to a four-year college. The provider must be a post-secondary institution, vocational training or industry-based school recognized by an official accrediting agency. The requirement for this service is estimated at approximately 256 sessions per year. One (1) session is equivalent to one hour. The anticipated schedule for the provision of the instruction services is Monday thru Friday, between 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. Specific dates for instructions will be determined by mutual agreement of the institution and the contractor.

Please answer the following questions:

1. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for General Physician Services is 611210, which sets the small business size standard at $20.5 million (below $20.5 million in gross revenues is considered small, above $20.5 million in gross revenues is considered large). Based on this standard, what is your business size small or large?

Small Large

2. Are there any questions or concerns with the Statement of Work? If so, please list your questions and or concerns below.

3. Can your firm provide the service as either a prime contractor or as a subcontractor?

Prime Subcontractor

4. What kind of form do you use to report earned income on the individual performing the services?

W2 1099

5. If you are a small business, what level of subcontracting, if any, would your firm utilize?

Services (except construction) require at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.

6. Is your firm eligible for participation in one of the following small business programs? If so, please indicate the program.

“8(a)” program Women-owned small business concern Veteran-owned small business concern Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern Use of a price evaluation adjustment for a small disadvantaged business concern

7. Can your firm provide firm fixed unit prices for future contract periods (for example: a contract with a base year and four option years, equaling a total of five years)? Please indicate the maximum number of years you can provide firm-fixed unit prices.

5 years 4 years 3 years 2 years 1 year only

8. Does your firm have employees with correctional experience?

Yes No

9. What is the industry rate standard for providing pricing:

Per Session Per Student Per Hour Other

10. If you selected “Other” in question 9 above, what do you believe the industry standard should be?

11. How many calendar days does your firm need to prepare a proposal resulting from this solicitation?

15 days 30 days 45 days 60 days

12. The Federal Acquisition Regulation requires the following insurance: Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s liability not less than $100,000 and General Liability no less than $500,00 per occurrence. Are these rates and requirements consistent with regulatory requirements in Texas?

Yes No

If not, what are the standard rates of insurance? ________________________________________

13. What level of liability insurance is considered as the “community standard” for Junior Colleges?

14. Is your company registered in System For Award Management (SAM)?

Yes No

All potential quoters are advised if a solicitation is issued it will include the clause at FAR 52.212-4 (Feb 2007) for Commercial Items, paragraph (t) System For Award Management (SAM). This clause requires all contractors doing business with the Federal Government after September 30, 2003, to be registered in the SAM database. If your company is not registered in SAM, registration can be completed at https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1.

15. If awarded a contract, how many calendar days following an award would it take your firm to begin providing services to the institution?

16. Please note that all individuals providing services at the institutions must undergo a security clearance investigation. This investigation may take 30 calendar days or longer to complete.

calendar days

17. Please furnish the following information in reference to your firm:

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

Point of Contact: ___________________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________________________

E-mail Address: ____________________________________________________

I greatly appreciate your time you have taken to complete this questionnaire. Please email your response to vmills@bop.gov no later than May 24, 2019. Please feel free to contact me at (972) 352-4542 if you have any questions.

/s/ Sincerely, Veronica Mills, Contracting Officer Federal Bureau of Prisons U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Complex Field Acquisition Office 346 Marine Forces Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75051

NOTE: The resulting solicitation will be distributed solely through the General Services Administration eBuy website at www.ebuy.gsa.gov/advantage or Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fedbizopps.gov.. Hard copies of the solicitation will not be available. The website provides downloading instructions to obtain all documents relating to the solicitation. All future information concerning this acquisition, including the pre-solicitation notices, solicitation, and any subsequent amendments, will be distributed solely through the website. Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the website to ensure they have the most up-to-date information about the acquisition.

mailto:vmills@bop.gov

DRAFT - STATEMENT OF WORK

(AOE Funded Occupational Education Programs) Occupational Training Program Provider

Subject:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, Field Acquisition Office, intends to make a single award to a post-secondary institution, vocational training or industry-based school that will be responsible for providing instruction in Occupational Training Instructor for the Small Business Startup Program for the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Phoenix. Successful completion of the training program must qualify inmates for at least entry-level employment in a specified field upon release.

Place of Performance:

Occupational training instruction will be performed in the Education Department (or other area identified by the Supervisor of Education) at the Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix, located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Schedule of Performance:

The courses shall be instructed utilizing six hours of classroom instruction (6 hours equal 1 session), with an estimated number of 24 instructional sessions per week per program.

Typically, the contractor will provide services between the hours of 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, excluding Federal holidays; other days/hours may be implemented if necessary to meet program requirements and these days/hours may be adjusted to meet the needs of the institution. Any breaks in service, including lunch breaks, will be unpaid. (Specific dates for the classes will be determined by the Supervisor of Education and the contractor).

Estimated annual sessions are approximately 256 sessions for each program per 12-month period. The sessions are on a requirements basis; therefore, schedule and sessions can change.

(See chart below)

PROGRAM TITLE/COURSE ESTIMATED SESSIONS PER

YEAR

Small Business Startup – FCI & Camp 256

Due to the nature of the correctional setting, work sessions may be delayed or cancelled with little notice. The reasons for such delays may include but are not limited to inclement weather and institution emergencies. When an instructor placed on site by the contractor reports to the institution but is unable to deliver services because of such delays, he or she will be paid for one

(1) session. Normally, any remaining sessions for that day will be suspended, and the instructor will be free to leave; he or she will not be paid for the remaining unperformed sessions.

In the event of any instructor’s absence, the contractor shall provide replacement coverage. If the contractor fails to provide coverage, the Government may seek contractual remedy.

Education Background and Qualifications:

The contractor shall not be a self-employed individual or individual employed by a post-secondary institution. The contract must be between the Federal Correctional Institution and post-secondary institution, vocational training school or industry-based school.

The occupational education program must fall under the provider’s umbrella of accreditation and lead to transferrable credits resulting in a college certificate, A.A., A.A.S. or A.S. degree.

Industry-accepted certification is also acceptable. Providers must be accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. If required for employment, certification tests from outside organizations may be administered to individual inmates upon completion of a specific occupational education program. However, the individual skill competency certification will not replace the training program’s overall accreditation.

The occupational education program must lead to a college certificate, A.A., A S., A.A.S. or industry-recognized certificate qualifying inmates for at least an entry- level position of employment. Credits earned from the college certificate, A.A., A.S., or A.A.S. must be transferrable to a four-year college.

Four-year degree programs and programs in liberal arts/general studies are not authorized, although limited and specific courses of a liberal arts/general studies nature may be permitted if directly related to preparation for a specific occupation or vocation.

Supplies and Equipment:

The contractor will develop curriculums to include lesson plans with scope and sequence for the Small Business Startup Program. The contractor will make recommendations to the Supervisor of Education pertaining to the selection and purchase of additional supplies and equipment.

The institution will provide the supplies, equipment, and curriculum materials for Small Business Startup, such as learning resource packets or textbooks.

Description of Duties:

The contractor will provide instruction for Small Business Startup in accordance with Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5353.01, Occupational Education Programs, and Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training and Leisure Time Program Standards.

Marketable programs shall afford inmates the opportunity to gain in demand skills in a specific occupation, industry, or trade. The marketable program must qualify inmate graduates for at least an entry-level position in Small Business Startup. As a precondition of the proposal for the contract, the contractor shall specify in writing to the Supervisor of Education the position(s) of employment for which inmate graduates will be eligible to apply.

Scope of Performance:

The Supervisor of Education shall determine the minimum and maximum number of enrollments.

Instructors placed on site by the contractor are responsible for the maintenance of transcripts, student attendance records, statistics, and certification records.

The contractor will provide a written curriculum which establishes measurable behavioral objectives and procedures. The curriculum must include clear criteria which establish minimum expectations for program completion, provisions for the assessment of student progress, must identify the hands-on competencies and must require the students to demonstrate them. In addition to core classes needed to attain a college certificate, an industry-accepted certificate, an Associate in Arts degree (A.A.), an Associate in Science degree (A.S.), or an Associate in Applied Science degree (A.A.S.), the curriculum must also include a course on resume development.

The contractor shall assist in the recruitment of employers affiliated with the identified occupation to participate in the institution’s mock job fair.

Attire:

The contractor is expected to wear professional clothing while on duty. The attire worn shall also be appropriate for the correctional environment in which the contract employee will be performing.

Inmate/Classroom Management:

Provisions of service under this contract will require instructors placed on site to have frequent and unsupervised contact with inmates. Instructors will not be responsible for the management of inmates other than to ensure those inmates involved in activities within the contractor’s scope of work shall abide by all rules in effect to ensure their safety and well-being. Instructors will report any infraction of institutional rules and regulations by inmates to the appropriate institutional staff.

Payment Terms:

Payment terms as specified in FAR 52.212-4(g) apply. The contractor shall provide a monthly invoice to the Federal Correctional Institution - Phoenix Accounting Department which accurately reflects days worked, number of sessions, and the total amount due for the previous month’s services. The due date for making an invoice payment by the designated payment office shall be the 30th day after the designated billing office has received a proper invoice, or the government has accepted the services performed by the contractor. The contractor can, however, offer discount payment terms for prompt payments as specified in block 12 on the SF-1449 form of this solicitation. Half sessions will not be authorized for payment.

Inmate Management:

Provision of services will require frequent and unsupervised contact with inmates. The contract employee shall not be responsible for the management of any inmates, other than to ensure inmates involved within the contract’s scope of work abide by all rules to ensure their safety and well-being. The successful contractor shall attend the Institution Familiarization Orientation program prior to assuming institution involvement. Reimbursement to the contractor for the time spent in the institution orientation or other specific security related training will be at the contract rate, prorated hourly. The contractor may, at any time, be removed from the institution at the discretion of the CEO. The contractor is to constantly be aware of security and maintain a professional relationship with inmates at all times. Any violation of the institution rules and regulations are to be brought immediately to the attention of any Government employee employed at the institution.

The contractor will be required to provide documentation to the COR, or designee, of any infractions of institutional rules and regulations by inmates for proper action.

Institution Security:

The contractor/contract employees shall agree to all regulations prescribed by the institution for the safety, custody, and conduct of inmates. The contract employee will be required to operate a system of records as identified for medical treatment documentation, and will require adherence to the Privacy Act of 1974. The contract employee will be required to sign in and out of the institution for accountability purposes. A badge will be issued and worn at all times for proper identification.

Non-Personal Services/Common Law Employee Information:

The service is a contractual arrangement and not a personnel appointment. Payment is based on the provision of an end product or the accomplishment of a specific result. The service does not constitute an employer/employee relationship. The contractor will not be subject to Government supervision, except for security related matters. However, contractor performance shall be monitored.

If the resulting contract is made to an individual(s), the provision of these services has been determined to meet certain criteria for creating common law employee relationship. Therefore, the BOP is responsible for the payment of FICA taxes (7.65%) and the withholding of the individual’s taxes. These responsibilities apply only when award of this solicitation is made to an individual.

It does not apply to companies or individuals who are incorporated. For evaluation purposes, an additional 7.65% will be added to the price submitted by individuals who are not incorporated.

List of Programs:

Small Business Startup - The Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Small Business Start-Up program is designed to meet the needs of individuals who wish to become entrepreneurs. Courses provide a background in marketing, management, finance, and a capstone course in which students complete a business plan. The goal of the Small Business Start-Up certificate is to create a foundation for prospective small business owners and contribute to the long-term success of the business community.