2025 and 2026 NDSEG PWS CAO 31MAR25.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

NATIONAL DEFENSE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GRADUATE (NDSEG)

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

2025 and 2026 FELLOWSHIP CLASSES

31 MARCH 2025

PREPARED BY

AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

CONTENTS

Section/Paragraph Page

1. General Information 3

1.1 Description 3

1.2 Background 3

1.3 Eligibility 3

1.4 Objectives 3

1.5 Application 5

1.6 Location of Institution 5

1.7 Tenure 5

1.8 Stipends and Allowances 5

1.9 Evaluation and Selection 6

1.10 Conditions of Appointment 6

1.11 Changes to Fellowships 6

1.12 Deferrals 6

1.13 Withdrawals 6

1.14 Internships 6

1.15 Mentorships 7

1.16 Program Cycle 7

1.17 Contracting Officer’s Representative 7

1.18 Contractor Program Manager 8

2. Description of Services 8

3. Task Order Access Fee 14

4. Service Contract Reporting 14

5. Estimated Program Timeline 15

6. Services Summary Table 15

1. General Information – This is a non-personal services task order to provide National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship services to be directed by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for the Department of Defense (DoD). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over any sub-task order service providers performing the services herein. Such task order service providers shall be accountable solely to the Prime Contractor who, in turn, is responsible to the Government in accordance with (IAW) the terms and conditions of the contract and Performance Work Statement (PWS).

1.1 Description – The NDSEG Contractor shall provide all personnel, supplies, facilities, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide the NDSEG services as defined in this PWS.

1.2 Background – The DoD NDSEG Fellowship Program, established in 1989 by direction of Congress, sponsored by the Army, Navy, and Air Force/Space Force, serves as a means of increasing the number of United States (U.S.) citizens receiving doctoral degrees in science and engineering (S&E) disciplines of military importance. Since program inception, over 4,700 fellowships have been awarded from over 75,000 applications received. The DoD, through the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering and the military services, promotes education in science and engineering (S&E) disciplines relevant to the Defense mission. One means of promoting S&E education is through awarding fellowships to encourage promising young scientists to pursue doctoral degrees in designated disciplines. The three-year Fellowship program, described herein, will award up to 200 fellowships annually, and is designed to encourage baccalaureate, masters, and current PhD candidates (with three or more years remaining in their course of study) to enter or continue graduate school at an U.S. accredited granting college, university, or technical institution and ultimately gain doctorates that align to the DoD services Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) and other strategy documents in research and development. The broad research area disciplines include, but are not limited to: aeronautical and astronautical engineering; artificial intelligence and machine learning, astrodynamics; biomedical engineering, biosciences (includes toxicology); biotechnology; chemical engineering; chemistry; civil engineering; cognitive, neural, and behavioral sciences; computer and computational sciences; cyber sciences (includes “hard” networks, cybersecurity, disinformation); electrical engineering; geosciences (includes terrain, water, and air); materials science and engineering; mathematics;

mechanical engineering; naval architecture and ocean engineering (includes undersea systems);

oceanography (includes ocean acoustics, remote sensing, and marine meteorology); political, economic, and sociocultural sciences; physics (including optics); quantum sciences; and space physics. The Government may revise the disciplines annually to ensure relevancy to the DoD mission is maintained. For the most relevant research areas, please review the tri-services BAAs and strategy documents. NDSEG Fellowships will be awarded for full-time study and research leading to doctoral degrees. Preference will be given to applicants who indicate an intention to pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, one of the specialties related to one of the agencies’ BAAs and strategy documents.

1.3 Eligibility – The NDSEG Fellowship Program is open only to U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals. Dual citizens may apply. The term “U.S. national” applies to a citizen of the United States or a native of a possession of the United States, such as American Samoa. It does not refer to a citizen of another country who has applied for U.S. citizenship. Persons who hold permanent resident status are ineligible to apply.

are eligible to apply if they have received or will receive a baccalaureate degree in the year of their Fellowship application or have three years or more remaining of their graduate study in science or engineering at an U.S. accredited granting college, university, or technical institution.

1.4 Objectives – The objectives of the NDSEG Fellowship Program task order are provided below.

a. Attraction of applicants (outreach and promotion): The intent of NDSEG is to attract highly qualified potential or current students pursuing doctorates in DoD relevant research disciplines (see section 1.2). The Contractor shall actively pursue STEM students pursuing doctoral degrees at Carnegie classification R1 – R3 institutions an aggressive campaign utilizing various platforms (social media, professional conferences and workshops, webinars, university visits). The Contractor should make every effort to increase the percentage of applicants from underrepresented institutions by 5% each year.

b. Attraction and Recruitment of selection panel experts: The Contractor shall attract and select subject matter experts (SMEs) in the DoD relevant research disciplines (see section 1.2) to comprise the selection panel board(s). These SMEs will be from academia, government, and industry science and technology communities. The academic or industry panelists must (1) work or have worked within the last five years as an active researcher, professor, or department head at an accredited university, government, or industry and hold a PhD or equivalent degree; or

(2) work or have worked within the last ten years as an active researcher, professor, or department head at an accredited university, government, or industry and hold a master’s degree and have a depth of technical expertise and experience reflected in publications, and a respected reputation in their technical or academic community. The DoD panelist must (1) work or have worked within the last two years at a DoD agency as an active researcher and hold a PhD or equivalent degree; or (2) work or have worked within the last five years as an active researcher and hold a master’s degree and have a depth of technical expertise and experience reflected in publications, and a respected reputation in their technical or academic community. All applications must be submitted via the secure contractor website.

c. The Contractor will maintain and manage the selection panels. Selection panel members must be approved by the Government Program Manager (GPM).

d. Evaluation of applicants: The selection panel board(s) will review and rank all applicants. The initial review will result in the top 20% per research discipline being selected and eligible for final selection as DoD NDSEG fellows. Final selection of DoD NDSEG fellows will be made by DoD selection panels. DoD selection panels will consist of scientists and engineers from the Department of the Air Force (the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the United States Space Force (USSF)), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

e. Placement and management of NDSEG fellows: The Contractor will manage the execution and placement of fellows and all financial matters (tuition, stipend, other expenses, travel, and benefit payments) for fellows once awarded the DoD NDSEG fellowship. The Contractor will serve as the liaison between the fellows and the GPM on all matters relating to the NDSEG fellowship. The Contractor will submit status reports for current and former fellows annually (see section 2.2.8.4.4 and 2.2.8.4.5).

f. Attraction and Recruitment of DoD mentors: The Contractor shall assist DoD to attract potential mentors who are current DoD S&Es in DoD laboratories. The mentors must (1) work in a DoD organization; (2) work or have worked within the last two years as an active researcher and hold a PhD or equivalent degree; or (3) work or have worked within the last five years as an active researcher or industry and hold a master’s degree and have a depth of technical expertise and experience reflected in publications, and a respected reputation in their technical or academic community. Potential mentor applications must be submitted via the contractor website. Mentee and mentor pairings must be assigned and authorized by the DoD agency NDSEG program managers.

g. Management of DoD NDSEG Mentoring Program: The Contractor shall coordinate and administer all aspects of the mentoring program for 2025 and 2026 fellowship classes and their DoD mentors.

The DoD will collaborate with Contractor on best practices, lessons learned, and other resources where applicable.

1.5 Application – An NDSEG Fellowship application must be submitted electronically to qualify for consideration via a contractor developed secured website. A complete fellowship application consists of:

(1) contractor provided application form including contact information, demographic information, field of study, and proposed research in relevance to the DoD; (2) proposed DoD sponsoring agency and research technical discipline area; (3) official undergraduate transcript(s); (4) other DoD fellowships or program participation; and (5) one contractor provided Reference Evaluation Forms that capture professional assessment of candidate by individual references. If for any reason an application does not contain all the required elements, it will not be reviewed. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the completeness of NDSEG application.

1.6 Location of Institution – NDSEG fellows may select any U.S. accredited granting college, university, or technical institution to pursue their doctoral degrees in science or engineering. During part of their tenure, fellows may study or engage in research or fieldwork away from their academic institutions if, in the judgment of the faculty and with the prior approval from the GPM, such arrangements further the fellow’s education and contribute directly to the attainment of an advanced degree, and the fellow is officially enrolled and earning academic credit.

1.7 Tenure – The duration of an NDSEG Fellowship is a maximum of 36 months during three consecutive years at any U.S. accredited granting college, university, or technical institution in an appropriate discipline starting in the fall following the completion of the recipient’s Bachelor or Master of Science degree. The availability of funds for the second and third years of each three-year award is contingent upon certification to the DoD awarding agency by the fellow’s institution that the fellow has made satisfactory academic progress toward an advanced degree in one of the science or engineering disciplines.

1.8 Stipends and Allowances –The NDSEG fellowship will pay the fellows’ full tuition and required fees (excluding room and board). The NDSEG fellowship also provides stipends, prorated monthly based on a 12-month academic year. Stipend amounts are determined for each Fellowship class by the DoD. The monthly stipend is $3,700 ($44,400 annually) for fellowship tenure. T h e NDSEG fellowship will pay for the minimum health insurance coverage offered through the institution or health insurance of the fellows own choosing, up to a total value of $1,600. The fellow may be reimbursed for health insurance costs up to $1,600/year. The fellow must submit proof of the institution’s requirement to maintain health insurance, as well as proof of any amount paid for health insurance to be reimbursed. Any excess insurance costs will be the responsibility of the f ellow and can be paid using the stipend. If the fellow is not enrolled in an institutionally approved academic study and/or research during the summer months, financial support will not be provided. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure NDSEG fellows are in good academic standing prior the distribution of stipends and allowances. (see section 2.2.4.1). There are no dependent allowances.

Fellowship recipients are responsible for the payment of all federal and state taxes based upon their fellowship income.

1.9 Evaluation and Selection – NDSEG fellowships will be awarded on a merit basis. This merit-based evaluation of applicants will rely on the applicant’s application, to include academic records, and recommendations regarding each applicant’s qualifications. Each application will be evaluated by a panel of STEM experts who have doctoral degrees from the science and engineering discipline of the applicant’s proposed advanced degree program; a list of top-ranked applicants results from the evaluation panel.

Participating DoD agencies will select final awardees from the top-ranked applicants. Final selection of fellows will be made by DAF, ARO, ONR, and other sponsoring DoD agencies (if applicable). Each agency will interact and foster their selected awardees. The Contractor will notify successful and unsuccessful applicants within 14 days of official award fellows’ acceptance.

1.10 Conditions of Appointment – Fellows will be required to enroll in full-time programs leading to graduate degrees in fields specified in the announcement. Such programs may include a reasonable amount of teaching or similar activities as are, in the institution’s opinion, contributory to the fellow’s academic progress. If institution requires teaching or similar activity, the fellow may receive compensation if authorized by the GPM. The scholarly development of fellows, and not the service to academic institutions, will govern the authorization of these activities by the GPM. A fellow may not accept simultaneous remuneration from another fellowship, e.g., if an applicant is offered both an NSF and an NDSEG Fellowship, the applicant must choose between the two offers. Fellows may still be eligible for other scholarships and internships (see section 1.15), not fellowships, given by an institution to offset expenses.

1.11 Changes to fellowship - After the award is made, a major change in coursework, institution attended, or tenure of a fellow requires prior approval of the sponsoring agency and GPM/COR. All requests must be submitted three weeks prior to the effective date of the change.

1.12 Deferrals – An NDSEG fellow may be granted one or more deferrals from the NDSEG Program. A fellow may receive up to 12 months in deferral(s). Deferrals may be granted under the following conditions:

1) the fellow is fulfilling an active-duty military service obligation with the Department of Defense; 2) the fellow has a diagnosis of a health condition (i.e., physical or mental) that prevents the fellow from progressing in their academic studies, or 3) a fellow’s immediate family member (spouse, domestic partner, or child) requires medical care or assistance from the fellow. Upon return to the program, the fellow will be given the remaining time from the original fellowship award time to complete their fellowship. Fellows will not be given any additional time beyond the original award time to complete the program. Failure of the fellow to return to academic studies after 12 months will result in removal from program. No fellowship program can extend beyond the period of performance of the contract. All deferrals are contingent upon the availability of government funding. All deferrals must be approved in advanced by the Contractor and submitted weekly, if applicable, to the GPM/COR. A request for a deferral may be disapproved at the discretion of the sponsoring agency. This shall be done IAW CDRL 0021

1.13 Withdrawals – It is the responsibility of the NDSEG fellow to notify the Contractor, who then will notify the GPM, of withdrawals within 24 hours. Stipends and benefits will cease to NDSEG fellow based on the withdrawal date.

1.14 Internships – Fellows may be allowed to participate in internships at DoD facilities and non-DoD facilities that are conducting research relevant to the fellows’ program of study. It is the responsibility of the DoD agency offering the internship to perform a risk protection review prior to the internship start date.

Each DoD agency must complete the notify the GPM/COR via written correspondence of the review completion date not later than 30 days prior to internship start date. Fellows who participate in these internships may retain stipends for the duration of the internship. These internships will not be grounds to request a deferral of the fellowship award. Stipends are subject to cease during paid internships. However, if the internship does not equal the $3,700 NDSEG monthly stipend, the DoD will pay the difference of the monthly stipend to meet the $3,700. Internships will be completed during one or more academic periods during the graduate institution academic year, or when invited by a DoD or non-DoD agency to perform research. While participating in an internship, the fellow must continue to be academically enrolled and progressing towards their degree. Internships at non-DoD facilities will require coordination and prior written approval from the sponsoring DoD agency, GPM/COR, and the CO.

1.15 Mentorships – Fellows will be assigned DoD mentors and required to participate. The mentoring program will provide resources on professional career development, career opportunities, and career advisement as it relates to STEM. DoD will provide additional resources on content and DoD specific opportunities where applicable. See section 2.2.6.

1.16 Program Cycle – Information regarding current NDSEG Fellowship opportunities and applications is normally released in August/September of each year. Applications will be accepted August/September to November/December annually. In December/January, applications will undergo review and categorization and are then presented to contractor-managed selection panels in February. DoD services selection panels will review and select NDSEG fellows in March/April. Applicants will be notified of their selection/non-selection in April. Payment of stipends and academic expenses commences with the start of the academic year, in September.

1.17 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) –The COR shall be the GPM. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. For purposes of this PWS, the COR shall execute duties IAW DFARS 201.602-2. The COR shall be the contractor's primary point of contact for performance under all existing terms and conditions of the contract. The COR is authorized to perform, but not necessarily limited to, the following functions:

• Assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract; perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance.

• Maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract; providing regular feedback, in writing, to the Contractor and CO when performance is considered good, less than adequate, or satisfactory IAW contract terms and conditions.

• Issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including process charts, and execution plans.

• Monitor the Contractor's performance and notify both the CO and Contractor of any deficiencies.

• Oversee and evaluate the Contractor’s performance. Provide feedback into CPARs (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) database IAW GPM/COR function.

A COR letter of designation shall be sent to the Contractor. The letter of designation states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially regarding changes in cost or price estimates and changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting contract or any order against the contract.

The GPM/COR at contract award shall be:

Ms. Ellen M. Robinson Phone: (703) 835-3078 E-mail: ndseg.afosr@us.af.mil

1.18 Contractor Program Manager (CPM) – The CPM is required to have no less than seven years’ experience working with fellowship programs, five years’ experience working with DoD organizations, and bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering discipline. The CPM shall be responsible for maintaining communication with the CO and COR, immediately notifying them of any issues that may affect the execution of tasks or have an adverse impact to the program. The Contractor is responsible for implementing and maintaining management control systems necessary to plan, organize, direct, and control all activities under this task order. Within five days of contract award, the Contractor shall designate a CPM (and alternate) and inform the COR and CO of the name and contact info of the CPM (and alternate) who shall be the Government single point of contact for all performance under the terms and conditions of this contract. This shall be done IAW CDRL 0001. Contractor personnel, CPM or otherwise, shall only take direction under existing terms and conditions of the contract from the COR and/or the CO. Additionally, all material changes to the contract must be coordinated with the government CO prior to taking effect. The CPM must submit a Quality Control Plan (QCP) within five business days of contract award. The QCP addresses the “detection” function that defines the type, number, Acceptable Quality Levels (AQLs), and frequency of quality assurance/control inspections planned by the Contractor that meet the intent of the applicable FAR 52.246 or FAR 52.212-4(a) clauses. Prior to the pre-performance meeting, the MFT requires the winning contractor to fully address any deficiencies identified in the Quality Management System. Any QCP revisions must be submitted to the COR/GPM within three business days. This shall be done IAW CDRL 0019.

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

2.1 Contractor support is needed to provide administration services to accomplish the objectives of the NDSEG Fellowship Program. The Contractor shall continuously monitor the program, assess the effectiveness and efficiency of methods employed and inform the Government of opportunities to improve the program. As identified in paragraph 1.4, the objectives of this program are to:

• Increase the number of U.S. citizens or nationals, to include HBCUs and MSIs, trained in disciplines of science and engineering of DoD relevance.

• Develop continuing relationships with recipients and the sponsoring military services; each service is responsible for mentoring and interacting with its selected awardees.

• Attract science and engineering baccalaureate graduates to pursue doctorates in DoD mission-related research areas from R1 – R3 U.S. institutions.

2.2 The Contractor shall provide the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment, and other resources required for the administration of this program as set forth in the following tasks:

2.2.1. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT OUTREACH STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT ELIGIBLE,

HIGHLY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS

The Contractor shall develop a website for the NDSEG program and NDSEG fellows to utilize during tenure. The website will include program overview, mentor program, fellows and evaluator portals. The Contractor shall market and promote the NDSEG program to attract the highest qualified prospective applicants via a contractor developed website. The website shall include, but not limited to, program overview, fellows and evaluators portal, and mentor information. CDRL 0014. The outreach effort shall include the design and distribution of advertising and application materials and an appropriate method to reach audiences from which qualified applicants will be drawn. The outreach effort shall be wide ranging, national in scope and comparable to other nationally renowned undergraduate and graduate level science and engineering fellowship programs. The Contractor shall identify relevant media for communicating the program. The Contractor shall submit marketing strategy to the GPM for approval. The strategy should include marketing to diversified S&T community (HBCU/MIs, R1-R3 U.S. institutions, & professional organizations, workshops, and conferences). CDRL 0002. Data, reports or analysis containing personally identifiable information (PII) shall be maintained, handled and transmitted consistent with all applicable laws and regulations.

2.2.2. DISTRIBUTE, RECEIVE, LOG, PROCESS, SORT AND TRACK APPLICATION

MATERIALS

The Contractor shall administer and coordinate the application process via contractor secured website. The Contractor shall distribute descriptive announcements and applications as well as forms for such activities as evaluating applications and tracking progress. The Contractor shall collect and categorize applications for review and selection by technical panels. The database should be updated promptly with application information so that demographic lists, alphabetical lists, and other data are easily accessible. The Contractor will be expected to provide demographic and other analyses of applicants or selectees as requested by the sponsoring agencies.

2.2.3. COORDINATE EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

2.2.3.1 The Contractor shall ensure that all eligibility requirements have been met by the applicant prior to evaluation. Evaluation of each application should be based on all available evidence of merit, including, but not limited to undergraduate transcripts, personal statements, and reference evaluation forms.

Applications that are incomplete and/or do not meet minimum eligibility requirements should not be made available to panel members for evaluation.

2.2.3.2 The Contractor shall successfully solicit the willing participation of high caliber evaluators from academia, government (DoD and other federal agencies), and industry who have doctoral degrees from the science and engineering disciplines (S&E) detailed in section 1.2. The Contractor shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that evaluation panels include a minimum of three (3) DoD (DAF, Army, & Navy) S&Es per research discipline area. Selection of qualified evaluators is a vital component in the successful operation of the program. While the DoD agencies rely on the Contractor to identify and convene appropriate panels of technical experts, the agencies reserve the right to review and approve recommended panelists. The Contractor shall arrange and coordinate discipline-specific panel meetings to review and evaluate applications.

After a rank order listing of the applicants is submitted per discipline, the DoD agencies reserve the right to make final selections for bestowal of Fellowship awards. The Contractor shall support the fellow selection process including providing system access and tools to allow for easy, intuitive review and ranking of the top candidates by discipline, and overall, by service and DoD. Honorariums are authorized for selection panel members in all research disciplines except DoD personnel.

2.2.3.3 The Contractor shall formally notify all applicants (including unsuccessful applicants) in writing of the outcome of the review process and make formal offers of appointment to selected applicants in writing.

The Contractor shall verify all successful applicants’ meet the citizenship eligibility requirement detailed in section 1.3. All correspondence sent to successful and unsuccessful applicants must be approved by the GPM and CO.

2.2.4. ADMINISTER PAYMENT OF STIPENDS AND ACADEMIC EXPENSES

2.2.4.1 Upon selection of the fellowship recipients, the Contractor shall establish administrative files for each new fellow. Each new fellow's information will be entered into the administrative database. Presently, fellowships provide stipends, fellow's allowances, and full tuition and required fees to the institution. The DoD shall determine annual stipends each year for each class prior to distribution of applications. Stipends are paid monthly directly to the fellows and tuition and fee payments are paid based on the fellows’ matriculating institutions’ billing practices. The Contractor shall implement an electronic direct deposit system to effectively distribute stipend and academic fees even during peak payment periods. Stipend payments shall be electronically transferred directly to each fellow's financial institution monthly. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure NDSEG fellows are in good academic standing prior the distribution of stipends and allowances. Tuition and fees shall be electronically transferred directly to the educational institution’s financial institution at the beginning of each semester/quarter of enrollment. Tuition and fees are considered pass through funds; they are reimbursed after the payments are made to the institutions. CDRL

2.2.4.2 The Contractor shall report the amounts of all stipend payments and allowances on each fellowship recipient to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the appropriate Federal forms and within the

IRS required timeframes.

2.2.5. ADMINISTER AND COORDINATE DEFERRAL PROCESS

2.2.5.1 The Contractor shall administer and coordinate the deferral process for NDSEG fellows. In order for a request for a deferral to be considered, a fellow must complete a contractor provided deferral request form that will include: (1) a brief description of the reason for deferral request (2) proposed start and end dates for the deferral, and (3) supporting documentation for the request, i.e., a letter from the fellow’s academic advisor/university supporting the request, military orders, or a statement from a physician/psychologist. The Contractor shall report/forward all deferral requests to the GPM. An NDSEG fellow may receive one or more deferrals, but the total deferral period cannot exceed 12 months. No fellowship program can extend beyond the period of performance of the contract. All deferrals are contingent upon the availability of government funding. All deferrals must be approved in advance, and a request for a deferral may be disapproved at the discretion of the agency.

2.2.6. ADMINISTER AND COORDINATE MENTOR PROGRAM

2.2.6.1 The Contractor shall administer mentoring resources (mentoring agreement and mentoring guide) between DoD mentors and assigned mentees, coordinate the on-going mentor-mentee engagement, validate quarterly meetings are conducted, and assist with overall communication via correspondence. The Contractor website will post mentoring information and other resources. The DoD will assign the mentors to mentees by sponsoring agency, reassign mentors (when applicable), provide the mentoring agreement and mentoring guide to the Contractor for distribution, and promote the mentoring program and application via the Contractor website. The DoD will provide DoD S&Es with general mentoring information including the fellows’ roster and projected research information and direct them to the Contractor website for mentoring application. Upon the collection of all interested potential DoD mentors, the Contractor will submit information to GPM/COR.

The GPM will distribute to appropriate DoD sponsoring agency and they will assign the mentor to the mentee.

The Contractor will be responsible for the distribution of all mentoring resources. The mentoring agreement will include mentee/mentor name, contact information, and mentoring expectations (minimum quarterly meetings, monthly communication). The mentoring guide will include long term career statement, short term career goals, current and future research trajectory (significance, innovation, approach and DoD and broader impacts), development plan (opportunities and completion dates), areas of opportunities and concerns. If there are mentoring specific questions that may only be answered by DoD, the Contractor will notify the GPM/COR. If a mentor is no longer able to fulfill their duties, the Contractor will notify the GPM/COR and appropriate DoD sponsoring agency. The DoD sponsoring agency will assist with reassignment. CDRL 0017

2.2.7. GATHER, STORE AND MAINTAIN DATA PERTINENT TO ADMINISTRATION OF THE

NDSEG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

2.2.7.1 The Contractor shall create and maintain a database management system for NDSEG Fellowship program information via contractor secured website. The Contractor shall ensure there are personnel sufficiently trained in database management such that they can maintain the system and generate required reports and queries for information. The Contractor shall maintain records of all applicants for four years from date of application to the program; records of selectees shall be maintained for ten years following end of fellowship tenure or shall transfer to a new contractor upon task order completion. The Contractor shall maintain a database of all fellowship recipients in the program, to include information regarding the fellow's institution, current address and home of record address, scientific discipline, academic record, thesis topic, publications, comments and any benefits derived from participation in the program, whether or not the fellow participated in summer employment at a DoD facility, current status of fellow, payments made to the fellow and to the fellow’s academic institution, and other data of potential interest for analysis. This database shall be capable of generating multiple queries in a timely manner with accurate and comprehensive information provided to DoD and Congressional personnel regarding the program's demographics, minority participation, attrition, follow-on research opportunities and program finances. The database must also be capable of transferring data to a successor contractor’s database system. See section 2.2.8.4.5.

2.2.8. PROVIDE REGULAR AND AD HOC REPORTS REGARDING DEMOGRAPHICS,

PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS, AND TRENDS

2.2.8.1 Data, reports, or analysis containing personally identifiable information (PII) shall be maintained, handled, and transmitted consistent with all applicable laws and regulations. The Contractor will have access to information, records, and data which may be sensitive and/or proprietary. The Contractor shall not divulge sensitive and/or proprietary information to anyone not authorized to receive such information. All Contractor personnel shall be required submit to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement upon receipt of award.

CDRL 0016

2.2.8.2 The Contractor shall provide calendar quarterly financial reports and calendar quarterly program reports in a malleable format, such as a Microsoft Word document or Excel spreadsheet, and in hard copy on the status of applications, placements, progress, interactions, and payments of stipends, allowances, tuition and fees, to permit timely re-estimates of program costs. The Contractor shall provide calendar monthly financial reports on the distribution of tuition/stipends/benefits to the GPM for review. Fiscal year-end reports on these program features, as well as a final program report solicited from the Fellowship recipients, are also required. The Contractor shall provide to AFOSR and the other sponsoring DoD agencies, annual summaries and evaluations of the program demographics, academic progress, difficulties noted in providing services and appropriate suggested revisions of program procedures, as well as the fiscal year-end report including program highlights appropriate for high-level dissemination within the DoD RDT&E community.

CDRL 0010

2.2.8.3 The Contractor shall conduct quarterly and one annual Program Management Review (PMR) with the GPM, CO, and other government personnel at the discretion of the GPM. The annual PMR will be held in conjunction with the fourth quarterly review. CDRL 0003

2.2.8.4 The Contractor shall provide the following annual reports in a malleable format, such as a Microsoft Word document or Excel spreadsheet, and in hard copy on a recurring basis. Due dates will align with the cycle of the program and parallel to the academic year, August 1st to July 31st. For example, the applicant analysis will be used to assess the effectiveness of outreach efforts and so should be completed in time for sufficient review and possible implementation of changes in time for the next iteration of program activities. The Contractor should recommend a timeline, to be approved by the GPM, with milestones to respond to this list of reports. In all cases, written results are required.

2.2.8.4.1 Applicant Analysis Report – This report shall include the following information on applicants:

(1) undergraduate school; (2) discipline; (3) gender; (4) ethnic group; (5) participation in other DoD or government fellowship or scholarship programs; and (6) matriculating institution state distribution. The information shall be analyzed and evaluated to the extent that the outreach effort can be judged for effectiveness. Include information on minority recruiting that includes a description of the effort conducted to attract qualified minority applicants, and a description of the results. CDRL 0004

2.2.8.4.2 Selectee Analysis Report – This report shall include the following information on selectees:

(1) undergraduate school; (2) intended graduate school; (3) discipline; (4) gender; (5) ethnic group; (6) other DoD or government fellowships or scholarships; and (7) matriculating institution state distribution. Include a list of selectees who declined the NDSEG Fellowship and their reasons why. The information shall include an analysis so that trends can be inferred and critiqued, and the outreach effort can be evaluated for effectiveness. CDRL 0005

2.2.8.4.3 Academic Report – This report will monitor each student’s progress, before the end of each academic year as certified by advisors and as evidenced by transcripts, provide general summations in cases of satisfactory progress, and a written “alert” to the appropriate agency in case(s) of unsatisfactory progress by fellow(s). CDRL 0006

2.2.8.4.4 Annual Current Fellows Status Report – This report shall include: (1) list of fellows who intend to complete their doctoral degrees, how they plan to pursue their degrees, thesis topics, and any publication or patent information; (2) list of fellows who have completed NDSEG Fellowship Program tenure and do not plan to pursue their doctoral degrees and why; (3) list of annual dropouts, reasons why they left the program, and plans for subsequent study or employment; (4) final program report and (5) list of fellows who have completed internships, their locations and brief work description. CDRL 0007

2.2.8.4.5 Annual Former Fellows Status Report –This report shall include information on former

Fellows for at least t e n years following the end of fellowship tenure to include: (1) academic pursuits and plans if former Fellow is in school; (2) employment information if the former fellow is employed; and (3) any publication or patent information. The Contractor will survey former NDSEG fellows to collect the data required for this report. CDRL 0008

2.2.8.4.6 Ad Hoc Reports – These reports shall provide any evaluation/assessment/analysis in response to current political/managerial/ philosophical question(s) based on the following factors (singly or in some combination): (1) demographic; (2) ethnic background; (3) graduate school choice; (4) advisor; (5) discipline; (6) academic progress, requirements; (7) fellowship conditions and provisions compared to similar programs; (8) GPA’s; (9) gender; (10) Fellow’s coursework and (11) trends. This includes ad hoc requests for data or reports from DoD to allow their response to any inquiries. CDRL 0009

2.2.8.4.7 Calendar Quarterly Financial Status Report – Financial and administrative information on applications, placements, progress, interactions, and payments of stipends, allowances, tuition and fees, travel, balance, or carry-over due to dropouts will be executed based on the calendar quarterly schedule (January – March, April-June, July-September, and October-December). This report must include a line-item corresponding to each current NDSEG fellow indicating the amounts paid in tuition and fees, stipends, and any other funds. The quarterly report should include a metric for payments that tracks on-time and late payments. CDRL 0010

2.2.8.4.8 Calendar Monthly Stipend Financial Status Report – Financial information on payment of stipends, allowances, tuition and fees, and travel for NDSEG fellows. This report may be submitted in MS excel spreadsheet format to GPM by the fifth day of the month. CDRL 0011

2.2.8.4.9 Panel Review Report – Financial and administrative information on the NDSEG review panel to include information on all panelists invited to the panel (including reviewer names, contact information, and employment), panelists who participated, and the itemized cost of the panel including costs per panelist. The review panel will occur during the base year only. CDRL 0012

2.2.9. OTHER DIRECT COSTS (ODCs), including but not limited to travel (if/as applicable)

2.2.9.1 The NDSEG fellow is authorized a travel budget up to $5,000 over their tenure for professional development. All trips must be for professional development including touring DoD mentor’s facilities/laboratories, meeting with DoD appointed mentors, performing research, and/or participating in professional societies’ conferences/workshops to present research to further the NDSEG fellows’ professional development. The professional development travel must be approved by the GPM prior to travel. CDRL 0013

2.2.9.2 When traveling under the provisions listed in section 2.2.10.1-2, NDSEG fellows shall be authorized travel expenses consistent with the substantive provisions of the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) and the limitation of funds specified in the applicable travel CLIN of the contract. The Contractor shall coordinate fellows’ travel, lodging and per diem reimbursement.

2.2.9.3 The NDSEG fellow is authorized up to $1,500 for defined allowable non-travel professional development costs during the fellowship tenure. Allowable costs include dissertation/research related costs (limited to dissertation preparation or publication costs, costs for archiving, preservation, and public access to primary data only), and registration and supply costs related to professional/skill development. Parking permits, textbooks, and laptops do not qualify as allowable costs. Requests for professional exams/certifications may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Other expenses not specifically listed are not allowable costs and will not be considered for reimbursement. We will not approve equipment costs.

CDRL 0020

2.2.10. COST TASK ORDER LINE-ITEM NUMBERS (CLIN) CONSIDERATIONS

2.2.10.1 Other Direct Costs (ODCs), including but not limited to travel (if applicable): The task order shall be Firm Fixed Price (FFP). However, given the nature and uncertainty of the effort, there shall be cost CLINs associated with the cost of the contract. The purpose(s) of these CLIN(s) shall be to provide travel expenses to DoD research facilities and laboratory site visit for NDSEG fellows. When directed to travel, NDSEG fellows are required to have GPM approval prior to travel and shall be authorized travel expenses consistent with the substantive provisions of the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) and the limitation of funds specified in the applicable travel CLIN of the contract. For these reasons, cost CLIN(s) shall exist simply because they represent costs that cannot be reasonably anticipated or accurately predicted before task order award and, as such, shall be priced on a not to exceed NTE basis. All ODCs shall require Government pre-approval/authorization by the GPM. The denial of any direct cost by the GPM shall not relieve the Contractor from performance under the FFP portion of the contract. Additionally, at the discretion and pre-approval of the GPM, contractor personnel may be required to travel or to incur additional miscellaneous ODCs during the performance of this task order that will be subsequently determined to be required for task order performance. CDRL 0013

2.2.10.2 Indirect Costs: Given that this task order shall include deliverables and is not intended to acquire a mere level of effort, the cost CLINs under this task order shall constitute a relatively insignificant part of the total task order value, and all costs shall be pre-approved by the government, the government has intentionally chosen to omit a provision for any indirect costs: there shall be no indirect costs allowed under this contract. Proposals under this task order should ensure that FFP CLINs consider the potential for any indirect costs.

2.2.10.3 All cost CLINS shall be straight cost reimbursable with no provision for fee (profit). This is intentional.

2.2.10.4 Contractor invoice and subsequent government payment against this specific CLIN (or CLINs) shall be "pass through" from the government through the prime contractor and directly to each NDSEG fellow. Under no circumstance shall the prime contractor charge a profit on this specific CLIN or accept a stipend price from the government and then negotiate a lower stipend price with the research associate.

Proposals against this PWS shall consider the pass-through nature of this specific CLIN (or CLINs).

2.2.10.5 Profit: It is expected that a fair and reasonable profit shall occur under the task order resulting from this PWS. Profit should be included under the fixed price portion of the contract and as previously stated, not part of the cost CLINs.

2.2.11. TRANSFER DATABASE OF THE NDSEG FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FROM INCUMBENT

CONTRACTOR TO SUCCESSOR CONTRACTOR

2.2.11.1 To minimize any decrease in productivity and prevent possible negative impact on the program, the Contractor shall develop a detailed transition plan on how the NDSEG database, required reports, and financial records of past, present, and future Fellowship recipients to a successor task order will be executed upon the end of the contract term. The transition plan shall include a 30-day timeline of the key activities with start and end dates to ensure minimal disruption to program. The Contractor shall plan for online continuity and accessibility to the current NDSEG website. The transition plan will ensure no adverse impact to the program during the transition period and ensure continued support to the NDSEG fellows and mentors.

CDRL 0016

3. TASK ORDER ACCESS FEE

3.1 GSA operating costs associated with the management and administration of OASIS are recovered through a Contract Order Access Fee (CAF). The CAF is a percentage of the total task order amount invoiced, and the CAF percentage is set at the discretion of GSA. GSA maintains the unilateral right to change the percentage at any time.

3.2 The Contractor must include estimated CAF on all Order quotes and proposals, regardless of Order type and are required to include CAF as a separate line on all orders. The Contractor shall be responsible for collecting the CAF from the ordering agency and for remitting CAF to GSA in accordance with contract requirements.

4. SERVICE CONTRACT REPORTING

4.1. The Contractor shall report the following information via System Award Management (SAM) website: 1) contract number and order number, 2) the total dollar amount invoiced for services performed during the previous Government fiscal year under the order, 3) the number of Contractor direct labor hours expended on the services performed during the previous Government fiscal year.

The Contractor shall require each first-tier subcontractor providing services under this contract to provide the following detailed information to the Contractor in sufficient time to submit the report:

1) subcontract number (including subcontractor name and unique entity identifier) and 2) the number of first-tier subcontractor direct-labor hours expended on the services performed during the previous Government fiscal year. The Contractor will enter the data into SAM not later than 31 October annually for services performed during the preceding Government Fiscal Year (FY). The Contractor shall advise the subcontractor that the information will be made available to the public as required by section 743 of Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010. Service contractor reporting of information is required in the SAM when a contract or order: 1) has a total estimated value, including options, that exceeds $3 million and 2) is for services in the following service acquisition portfolio groups: Logistics management services, Equipment-related services, Knowledge-based services, and Electronics and communications services in accordance with DFARS 204.1703. The Contractor will use the Service Contract Reporting Quick Start Guide for Contractors for instructions on how to input the required information located at the following SAM website: www.sam.gov.

http://www.sam.gov/

5. ESTIMATED PROGRAM TIMELINE

Program Marketing and Outreach June - October Fellowship Application Period August/September – October/November Evaluation Panel Application Period September – November Mentor Selection Period September – December Fellowship Application Review Phase I December – mid January Fellowship Application Review Phase II February - March Fellowship Final Selections & RISC Reviews March- April Fellowship Award Notifications Sent May Fellowship Award Announced May/June Fellowship Award Begins 01 September Program Management Reviews August, November, February, and May

6. SERVICES SUMMARY TABLE 1

Performance Objective

PWS

Paragraph

Performance Threshold

Method of Surveillance

1. Develop and…