80HQTR20R0013 DRFP Attachment A - SOW.pdf

RFP# 80HQTR20R0013

ATTACHMENT A: STATEMENT OF WORK

FOR THE NASA POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAM (NPP)

(3/20/20) Page 1 of 15

ATTACHMENT A

Statement of Work

RFP 80HQTR20R0013

CONTRACT TBD

(3/20/20) Page 2 of 15

I. Background

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is chartered in the National Aeronautics and Space Act [51 U.S.C. § 20101 et seq.] with, among other objectives, the expansion of human knowledge of the Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and space.

Working from this Congressional authorization, U.S. National Space Policy directs NASA to advance fundamental scientific knowledge of our Earth system, Solar System, and the Universe.

NASA’s historic and enduring purpose aligns to the following four major strategic themes:

DISCOVER, EXPLORE, DEVELOP, and ENABLE. These four single-words characterize the Strategic Goals located in the Agency’s 2018 Strategic Plan and correspond to NASA’s missions of scientific discovery of the Earth, of other worlds, and of the cosmos as a whole. NASA’s plan further explains that the agency maintains its purpose to serve the American public and to support National priorities through these six elements:

• Fostering New Discoveries and Expanding Human Knowledge

• Global Engagement and Diplomacy

• Interactions with the Nation’s Security and Industrial Base Posture

• Economic Development and Growth

• Addressing National Challenges

• Leadership and Inspiration

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) is an example of a long-running, public program clearly aligned to the agency’s strategic plan and contributing to fostering new discoveries, expanding knowledge, promoting economic development, and fostering global engagement, in particular.

The NASA Postdoctoral Research Program (NPRP) and the NASA Postdoctoral Management Program (NPMP) comprise the NPP. The NPRP and NPMP Fellowships provide individuals with the opportunity 1) to conduct NASA-inspired, independent research and/or 2) to experience research management professional development relevant to NASA's Mission and Vision.

U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPR), and foreign nationals who are eligible for a J-1 visa as a Research Scholar, participate in on-going NASA research at Host Organizations such as NASA Centers or facilities, NASA-affiliated institutes, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), or other institutions determined by NASA. Researchers providing opportunities at these Host Organizations are considered Host Advisors. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), Science Mission Directorate (SMD), and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) can participate in NPP, with the majority of the fellows supported by the SMD.

No NPP fellow incurs any formal obligation to the Government of the United States, nor are fellows considered to be federal employees of NASA, i.e., civil servants. When accepting the terms of a NPP appointment, a Fellow agrees that the receipt of stipend payments shall not be construed as an employment relationship with NASA.

(3/20/20) Page 3 of 15

The NPP is a major investment that promotes access to and creation of mutually-beneficial free and open scientific data and ideas. NPP places fellows with NASA employees, Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) contractors, and other researchers at the Host Organizations. The contractor selects Fellows based on NASA's research priorities, quality of applications, availability of funding, and host organization input. Appointments are made for one year, but are renewable up to an approximate maximum of three years. The total number of NASA Fellows on tenure at any time is around 200, with approximately 90 new fellows selected each year.

A. The NASA Postdoctoral Research Program (NPRP):

1. The NPRP provides highly qualified postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to conduct research at a specific Host Organization proposed by the applicant.

2. NPRP Fellows are doctoral-level STEM (Science, Technology (e.g., computer science), Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals in disciplines relevant to NASA’s mission who can apply their special knowledge and talents to research areas that are of interest to them and to the Host Organization.

3. Two types of Fellows are supported by the NPRP program: Research Fellows, who are within five or fewer years from the date their degree was conferred; and Senior Research Fellows, who are normally five years or more beyond the doctorate, and who have achieved significant professional accomplishments in their field.

4. Fellowships are renewable for a year at a time and may be renewed for up to three years, contingent upon demonstrated progress in the selected research topic and availability of funding. Most Fellowships are two years in duration. About 15% of Fellows renew for a third year. Third-year Fellows may be extended for short periods of less than 2 months beyond the end of the third year under certain circumstances, e.g., to enable Fellows to communicate their NPP research via a national or international conference; to compensate for research time lost to a government shutdown or other NASA host request, as described in the NPP policies and procedures. Awards for a single year are rare.

5. Currently, Research Fellows receive a minimum annual stipend of $63,000. Research Fellows’ stipends can vary based on tenure in the program, locality-based cost-of-living adjustments, expertise, etc. Stipends for Senior Research Fellows are negotiated on a case-by-case basis using experience-based criteria, including the number of years beyond the doctoral degree, career achievement (academic rank and professional title), current income, etc. The current approximate maximum senior stipend is $138,000.

6. Eligible Fellows receive a relocation allowance modeled after Federal government relocation guidelines and not to exceed $12,000.

7. All Fellows shall receive an allowance of at least $10,000 to support research dissemination and personal professional development, including but not limited to abstract submission fees, conference registration fees, Host Organization-required training, publication charges, poster costs, and travel.

NASA funds a stipend supplement for individual and family insurance plans. Currently, the contractor provides the option to participate in health insurance that meets J-1 visa requirements to all Fellows and their dependents.

(3/20/20) Page 4 of 15

B. The NASA Postdoctoral Management Program (NPMP):

1. The NPMP provides scientists and engineers an opportunity to gain management experience in combination with their research background.

2. Only NASA Headquarters participates as a placement site for NPMP.

3. The maximum total duration of an NPP Fellow is 3 years. At minimum, the first year must be spent at a Host Organization as a NPRP Fellow before applying to and being accepted into the NPMP. The NPMP portion of the entire Fellowship can be up to 2 years at NASA Headquarters.

4. The NPMP Fellow undertakes a meaningful and significant research management developmental program. An advisor at NASA Headquarters ensures that the Fellowship tenure provides a research management development opportunity relevant to Headquarters that furthers the Fellow’s future career direction.

5. Policies and procedures for NPMP, total compensation package, renewals, relocation, travel, and miscellaneous allowances, and contractor burden are the same as for the

NPRP.

II. Scope of Services

Contractor shall provide the following services:

A. Program-Level Services

1. The contractor shall provide the materials, facilities, supplies, administrative support, programmatic support, and expertise necessary to promote and administer the NPRP and

NPMP.

2. The contractor shall process J-1 Research Scholar visas, etc. to implement all relevant immigration and naturalization laws and otherwise assist applicants from the international research community, for whom, as sponsor, the contractor will be responsible. The contractor shall be approved by the Department of State as a sponsor of a research scholar program as described at https://j1visa.state.gov/programs/research-scholar/.

3. For financial accountability, the contractor shall have expertise in standard government financial accounting and provide specialized reporting at the individual fellow level that tracks a Fellow's funding and costs based on the individual’s start date in NPP.

4. For efficient operation of application proposal reviews, the contractor shall have expertise in the organization and implementation of peer reviews and provide evidence of access to a broad expert Reviewer Pool to serve on Primary and/or Secondary External Peer Review. Secondary External Peer Review Panels may be face-to-face, virtual or both.

5. Representatives at the Host Organization prepare summary annual reports that provide an accounting of the scientific productivity of individual NPP Fellows at the Host Organizations during the previous 12 months. The report contains information such as publications in peer reviewed journals or conference proceedings, presentations/posters at professional meetings, patent applications, awards and other honors. Representatives at

(3/20/20) Page 5 of 15 the Host Organizations may request assistance from the contractor with the preparation, fact-checking, review, etc. of an annual report tracking past activities and incoming Fellows.

B. Website and Knowledge Management Services

The contactor shall create, design, manage, and incrementally improve a NPP on-line system to enable reliable, efficient, and effective program operation via on-line, internet, and/or cloud services. To insure an effective implementation of this NPP on-line system, the contractor shall have expertise in the development and maintenance of on-line applications with a web-based, front-end interface and an information management or database system back-end.

The contractor shall develop, provide and maintain a web-based system that provides ready, accurate, streamlined and reliable access to NPP applications and funded Fellows’ administrative records in a manner consistent with NASA and Federal policies on privacy, security, and accessibility. The website shall enable all aspects of the program and operate as a paperless administrative system for NPP Fellows, except where paper is required by statute (e.g., J-1 visa documents). Users of this system include, but are not limited to, the contractor, external reviewers, NPP Fellows, applicants, Host Organization Representatives, NASA HQ Personnel, the Contracting Officer, etc.

The website shall provide access to the following audiences, with appropriate access controls and the minimum the functionality described below. The system shall be accessible to NASA users and other end users authorized by NASA, and the data it contains may only be used for purposes authorized by NASA. Significant changes must be approved by NASA. All active and archived content and code must be made available to NASA for inspection, use, dissemination, and transfer to follow-on contractors at the discretion of NASA (see Section

II.I.2).

1. Public Portal – Containing general information about the NPP program including but not limited to: the distinction between the NPRP and NPMP; research opportunities;

application information; FAQs and policies and procedures descriptions covering all aspects of the NPRP and NPMP needed by potential candidates and selected participants.

The FAQ and NPP policies and procedures information include, but are not limited to, definitions, procedures for accepting an award and beginning tenure, visas, taxes, travel, reporting, renewing award, resignation and early departure, publications, copyrights, patents, government shutdowns, teleworking policies and a description of the Total Compensation Plan, such as leave of absence, stipend, health insurance, if provided, and family leave. Information about publications, copyrights, patents, and other related topics shall be consistent with NASA policies.

2. Applicant Portal - Facilitating the submission of an NPP application and supported by off-line assistance to address questions and technical difficulties. This portal must accept applications from applicants who attended universities that do not provide transcripts.

There will be approximately 500 unique submissions annually.

(3/20/20) Page 6 of 15

3. Fellow Portal – Containing information regarding all submissions, actions and required information provided by each Fellow or provided by the contractor to the Fellow. This information is to include but is not limited to a) enrollment of a Fellow by the contractor (stipend, taxes, insurance, visa information, etc.); b) travel (accounts, submission and resubmission (after rejection) of travel requests/reimbursements, information about Federal travel regulations, travel manual) c) submission of a self-evaluation in order to request a renewal; d) long-term absence, e.g., maternity/paternity/ medical/etc.

information and monitoring, etc. There will be approximately 300 unique users in a calendar year.

4. Advisor Portal – Containing all information of interest to Advisors, such as Host Organization-specific information for local Advisors (e.g., roles and responsibilities of Advisors) and actions required of NPP Advisors. NPP Advisor actions include, but are not limited to: a) creating or updating Research Opportunities that the contractor disseminates to the NPP applicants, b) reviewing of applications to their Research Opportunities, travel requests, the self-evaluation that is submitted by a Fellow for a renewal of the appointment, etc. and c) completion and submission of a funding request to the Host Organization Representatives for research/lab-funded NPP Fellows. There will be approximately 300 unique users in a calendar year.

5. Host-Organization Representative Portal- Providing representatives access to information and services that support their role in:

a) processing applications and research opportunities (e.g., processing advisor reviews of applications to their posted Research Opportunities, communicating offer recommendations to the contractor, etc.)

b) processing of Fellows’ requests (e.g., reviewing and making tenure renewals, foreign travel reports, other travel and ODC requests and status, etc.)

c) providing and using information relevant to the NPP (e.g., policies and procedures, recruitment materials, manuals, financial statements.

e) supplying Mission Directorates with requested reports, documents, etc.

There will be approximately 20 Host-Organization Representatives using this portal.

6. Contracting Officer Portal- Required for foreign travel approval and travel reporting.

7. Reviewer Portal – Providing reviewer access and information including, but not limited to: a) assignment of and access to proposals to be reviewed, b) information about the evaluation criteria and scoring, and c) input of reviews and scores. The Reviewer Portal also provides the information and records the actions required to evaluate these external peer reviews to assess outliers and reconsider/revise scores. NASA requires a minimum 3 external reviewers for each NPP application, so the number of external reviewers may exceed 3000 unique users.

8. Mission Directorate Portal – Enabling the posting of all submissions to NASA HQ, including annual reports, budget documents and, in particular, funding forms for research/lab-funded Fellows. This portal would handle the communications between those at Host Organizations (Advisors, Host Organization Representatives) and Mission Directorates at NASA HQ to facilitate all aspects of approving research/lab-funded Fellows, including notification, processing status, and dates of submission/approval by

(3/20/20) Page 7 of 15

Advisor, Host Organization Representative, NASA HQ program manager, NPP Mission Directorate points-of-contact and the hand-off to finance for funds application to the NPP contract. Data from completed approval/funding processes for research/lab-funded Fellows must remain accessible. There will be approximately 20 unique users of this portal.

9. Administrator Portal – The Contractor controls all portals (1-8) through this portal and will determine the number of users necessary for efficient operation. This Administrator Portal will allow access to all the information provided by the other portals.

Finally, the system must integrate information provided and actions performed by prospective Advisors, External Reviewers, Fellows, etc. from the various portals.

C. Soliciting Applicants

To announce the opportunities and solicit applications to the NPP, the contractor shall perform the following tasks:

1. Prepare and distribute informational material through the NPP web site Public Portal, various other media, and participation at select major science meetings such as the American Geophysical Union (AGU), American Astronomical Society (AAS), the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring https://instituteonteachingandmentoring.org/about.

etc., in order to announce the NPP to the widest possible community for the relevant fields of research and to attract a diverse representation of prospective participants.

2. Post the NASA-provided Research Opportunities that include a brief summary of the research topics of interest and the NASA researcher(s) who would serve as Advisor(s) for that opportunity, as well as the primary point-of-contact if there are multiple Advisors, and general information that can be used to organize and search the opportunities. These research opportunities may be added, deleted, or updated at any time during the year.

Each applicant must apply to a particular research opportunity posted by a NPP Host Organization and specify an Advisor associated with that opportunity.

3. Initiate recruitment activities for the NPP to attract well-qualified applicants in all of the science and engineering areas of interest to NASA, particularly U.S. citizens in subdisciplines where they are traditionally underrepresented.

4. Devise a plan and implement special efforts to recruit well-qualified applicants from U.S.

populations traditionally underrepresented in NASA's scientific research and engineering endeavors to encourage applicant pool diversity (e.g., gender, racial and ethnic diversity).

D. Receiving and Reviewing Applications

In support of receiving and reviewing applications, the contractor shall:

1. Maintain a minimum of 3 application cycles each year assuming no lapses in NASA funding. Under the current program, the application deadlines are March 1, July 1, and November 1.

(3/20/20) Page 8 of 15

2. Receive and process applications and supporting documents, including institution-specific cases that impact an applicant’s ability to provide a complete application (e.g., some academic institutions do not have or do not distribute transcripts, or transcripts from institutions outside of the United States are not available in English, etc.)

3. Monitor and collect the Research Advisor's review of applicant proposals and decide whether to send a proposal to external review, typically within 2 weeks of application submission.

4. Conduct a Primary External Peer Review of all applications in a manner consistent with the NASA-provided guidelines, e.g., avoiding conflict-of-interest and appearance of bias in accordance with SMD Policy Directive-01A. The Primary External Peer Review and, if needed, the Secondary External Peer Review Panel (see 6. below) shall evaluate the applications based on the following criteria: a) the scientific merit of the proposed research (as defined in Appendix D of the NASA Guidebook for proposers including the qualifications and capabilities of the prospective fellow), and b) the academic and research record, letters of recommendation, and Research Advisor’s Review of the applicant. The primary and secondary external peer review members will provide written reports of their reviews to the contractor (e.g., via a Reviewers portal) who will manage their confidentially and the subsequent appropriate distribution to the representative(s) of the Host Organization(s). If conflict of interest (COI) occurs and the contractor’s COI avoidance plan is not applicable, the contractor may consult NASA regarding mitigation strategies.

5. Convene a Primary External Peer Review that shall consist of at least three (3) independent subject matter experts for each application. The reviewers must demonstrably be experts in the NASA-related research or technology development topics proposed. The contractor’s pool of peer reviewers must have the discipline diversity sufficient to address the full scope of topics covered in the NPP opportunities and have the depth needed to provide enough experts within each focused discipline area. The contractor will provide the reviewers with the complete Review Package, i.e. the applications and instructions to subject matter experts for review and scoring to encourage consistent evaluation. The reviewers of a Primary External Peer Review perform their work independent of each other and do not collaborate.

6. When necessary, convene a Secondary External Peer Review Panel of subject matter experts who were not part of the primary review described in D.5. A secondary review is required in each discipline area where there are proposals having significant disparity among the primary reviews. These Secondary External Peer Review Panels will review the proposals and the primary reviewer scores as a team to examine outlier scores and provide to the contractor adjusted scores where outliers exist in each evaluation area in an attempt to resolve the difference of opinion.

7. Provide the results of the complete review of each proposal to the representative of the appropriate Host Organization within 60 days of application submission. These results shall include the final review scores (total score by reviewer, and weighted average scores by review areas before and after any Secondary External Peer Review Panel adjustments) as well as the application package and other required information from the

(3/20/20) Page 9 of 15 application submission and review process. Application Package: proposal; 3 letters of reference; transcripts; CV with publications, awards and honors; advisor review. Other Information: Application cycle, research area, applicant name, PhD discipline, PhD institution, PhD date, Sr or regular postdoc, demographic information (e.g., race, gender, ethnicity), citizenship, birth country, current VISA, research opportunity #, Research Opportunity Title, Proposal Title, Advisor name, advisor institution, phone, email, Host Organization, Review scores (scientific merit, References, Academic/Research Record, Center score, Overall score), advisor division, advisor branch.

8. Using the Host Organization Representative’s Portal, provide a mechanism for Host Organization Representatives to specify the Host Organization's recommendation (e.g., Offer, etc) and the funding codes for each selectee.

9. After receipt of guidance from the Host Organizations, prepare Offer, Waitlist, or No Offer letters to notify NPP applicants electronically of their selection decision through a formal letter delivered digitally.

E. Enrolling New Fellows

In support of new Fellow enrollment, after an offer has been made, accepted by the applicant, and a start date established with the Advisor and Host Organization Representative, the contractor shall promptly inform the incoming Fellow of the steps in the enrollment process and begin that process. The Fellow is to be enrolled and ready for on-boarding at the Host Organization on their start date. The enrollment information shall include the policies, processes, requirements, and schedule associated with the enrollment of both US citizens and foreign nationals. At a minimum the contractor will:

1. Provide a mechanism for the Host Organizations Representatives to set and revise start dates,

2. Sponsor J-1 visas for foreign nationals and their families in a timely manner, including assistance to expedite in-country arrival, access to Social Security Numbers.

3. Administer and support relocation,

4. Provide compensation (see F.2. below for details),

5. Provide tax information,

6. Provide access to travel system, processes and requirements,

7. Perform Ph.D. verification.

F. Supporting Fellows During Their Tenure

The contractor shall administer the NPP to include, but not be limited to, the following tasks in support of the Fellows:

1. Provide an orientation and on-going support to the Fellows to communicate regulations and audit requirements related to travel, etc.

2. Provide a payroll system for the Fellows’ monthly compensation and ODC reimbursements compliant with the U.S. Tax Code and relevant tax treaties for non-U.S.

(3/20/20) Page 10 of 15

Fellows. The contractor shall provide all Fellows with a monthly statement that includes the information that Fellows need to meet quarterly and/or yearly tax obligations. The contractor shall provide all Fellows with their required annual tax forms no later than 60 days before Tax Day. Fellows are responsible for filing their taxes and meeting their U.S.

tax obligations. The contractor shall offer J-1 visa holders international tax software based on the tax treaties to help these Fellows determine their US tax obligations.

3. Maintain a record of insurance status for each Fellow and any dependents as necessary to comply with U.S. law (whether U.S. citizens or J-1 visa holders).

4. Provide a Total Compensation Plan comparable to similar Fellowship programs.

5. Provide travel support services including:

a) Access to travel services:

i. Contractor shall directly provide travel agency services or referrals to an outside service that Fellows can choose to use. Contractor-provided services should include domestic and international booking capability for all forms of lodging and transportation and expert knowledge of federal travel regulations including the Fly America Act and related regulations.

ii. Contractor shall provide access to travel services for relocation.

iii. Contractor shall provide the submission and processing of expense payments and reimbursements for travel, relocation (from within and outside the U.S.) and ODC’s as authorized for the NPP.

iv. Contractor shall provide travel cash advance services for each trip that a Fellow requests.

v. Contractor shall be prepared to provide in-transit travel assistance for a Fellow should issues arise.

b) Monitoring of travel both for situational awareness and tracking when necessary for

NASA and NASA reporting requests. The following are the minmum tracking information requirements:

i. A record, before departure, of a Fellow’s travel plans for Advisors and Host Organization, so the whereabouts of Fellows are known in case of emergencies anywhere in the world.

ii. Preapproval of foreign travel by the Contracting Officer.

iii. Up-to-date individual balance estimates for a Fellow’s Travel and ODC allowance.

6. Develop in advance and keep current the relevant policies regarding compensation, travel, and ODC reimbursement, and outside income whether J-1 or US.

(3/20/20) Page 11 of 15

7. Develop and execute a plan for communication of the information in paragraph 5.b.i above in the event of a furlough or other federal government shutdown during which NASA email accounts are inaccessible.

8. Provide services for Fellows to request support and reimbursement for personal development and ODC items such as conference and abstract registration fees, publication charges, etc. and documentation of these processes.

9. Promulgate NPP policies and procedures, and provide guidance to the Fellows on i) the submission of research proposals to fund their research after the NPP Fellowship, (ii) engaging in work outside of the NPP Fellowship, and iii) policies during a government shutdown lasting more than a few days.

10. Assure participants’ compliance with the Fellowship tenure. An NPP participant may not receive full-time funding from another appointment, fellowship, scholarship, grant, etc.

during the Fellowship’s tenure that is related to their NASA research. Incidental lectures or short-term consultations are permitted with the approval of the contractor so long as they are directly related to the objectives of the participant’s program.

G. Financial Reporting and Program Effectiveness

The contractor shall be responsible for performing the following tasks related to data gathering and reporting on various levels:

1. Provide Monthly Contractor Financial Management Status Reports organized by Host Organization, by Fellow, and by Mission Directorate/Funding Source.

2. Provide Monthly financial reports by location and by Fellow. These reports shall:

a) Show a monthly Host Organization Balance summary of beginning and ending balances including the details of the additions and subtractions for the month.

b) Provide one integrated monthly financial report for Host Organizations with Fellows at multiple physical facilities while identifying the location of each Fellow.

c) Show monthly actual costs due to stipend, travel, relocation, health insurance and burden as well as unspent funds by category.

d) Provide monthly accounting by individual Fellows including partial months in the program when Fellows start and end their appointments.

e) Provide monthly accounting information showing individual funds applied (HQ slot funding, research funding, Host Organization Balance funding) and funds spent for each Fellow.

f) Track separately each Fellow’s funding information corresponding to different locations, mission directorates, divisions, projects, or programs. Funding for Fellows may be allocated from any of the mission directorates, and within a mission directorate there may be multiple funding streams corresponding to different divisions, projects, or programs. The contractor will be required to track these separately.

(3/20/20) Page 12 of 15

3. Provide a short-term/yearly assessment and evaluation of the program in the form of an Annual Report. The short-term goal of the NPP is to identify and continue the career development of promising STEM researchers in disciplines of interest to NASA so that a pool of highly skilled professionals is available to fill the future workforce needs of NASA/government, industry, academia, and related not-for-profit institutions. The Annual Report shall include a year-end statistical report (Calendar Year or Fiscal Year) and a year-end program evaluation comprised of the following information:

a) A summary of recruitment efforts, and a list of total applications and awards by doctoral discipline.

b) A summary by year (after the first year) of the number of applications and awards;

number of applications by trimester within each year; applications by and awards to underrepresented individuals in NASA's science and engineering disciplines by gender, race, and ethnicity; number of Fellows and Senior Fellows on tenure each year and by Host Organization; number of U.S./Lawful Permanant Residents (LPR)

vs. non-U.S. Fellows (including country of citizenship).

c) For Fellows ending tenure during the year, the contractor shall provide summaries of:

i. Post-tenure positions by categories, e.g., hired by NASA; hired by a contractor or on cooperative agreement for on-site support to NASA; other U.S.

Government research laboratory position; domestic college or university faculty position; foreign college or university faculty position; aerospace industry position; non-aerospace industry position; nonprofit organization position; other position; no position, or no report.

d) A roll-up of the information provided in the Monthly Financial Status Reports.

e) A summary evaluation of the Fellow's scientific and technical performance for the year based upon renewal evaluations provided by the Fellow and the Advisor.

4. Create and then provide on-going support for a NPP program assessment, evaluation, learning agenda and logic model that examines the effectiveness and provides for the continuous improvement of the NPP. Following award, the contractor will meet with NASA regarding the study’s research questions.

a. Contractor shall propose a limited set of activities that helps NPP to determine how effective the program has been in achieving its short, intermediate and longer-term goals related to research career development and individual leadership potential.

b. Contractor shall design and plan a continuing study of NPP Fellows’ career paths for 5, 10, 15 years, and through the life of the Agency’s postdoctoral program. The contractor shall implement the first phase of this plan during contract period of performance.

c. All study products shall be designed and organized to be delivered to NASA and/or to any successor NPP contractor in order to ensure the long term continuity and preservation of data.

5. Visit participating program locations to meet with the Advisors and become familiar with the Fellows’ working environments and situations; review the status of the host program;

(3/20/20) Page 13 of 15 and meet with NPP Fellows on tenure, as appropriate. During the visit, the Host Organization may choose to include a forum for Fellows to present their scientific and technical research results. Visits shall be coordinated with the Host Organization Representatives and associated Headquarters Mission Directorate NPP points-of-contact.

6. Hold an Annual Program Meeting to review the program status and implementation with NPP Host Organization Representatives and Mission Directorate NPP points-of-contact, review the contractor's Annual Report, Annual Performance Report, discuss and recommend changes and additions to policies, procedures and on-line system functionality, report on the short-term and long-term program evaluation, and plan for future program years. NASA will coordinate the meeting location with the contractor, which will typically be at one of the Host Organizations, in the Washington, DC area, or may be at the contractor’s location. Presentation materials and a summary of the Annual Program Meeting will be available to Host Organization Representatives and Mission Directorate points-of-contact via their NPP portals.

H. Operational Performance Plan and Metrics

The contractor shall design and implement a metrics-based performance plan that enables reliable and efficient day-to-day operation of all aspects of the NPP. The plan should accommodate unique circumstances occasionally encountered by applicants, Fellows, Advisors, and Host Organization Representatives. This plan shall include but is not limited to metrics related to the performance of the following tasks:

1. Applicant submissions, application reviews and selection

a) Applicant assistance, roadblocks to submission, completion rates of applications.

b) Advisor reviews and recommendation for External Review

c) Reviewer Pool: overall size, discipline diversity, depth, and size within discipline

d) Selection of external reviewers and completion of proposal reviews and submission of all information to Host Organizations for selection decisions

e) Selection decisions by Host Organizations

f) Offer and arrival decisions by applicants

2. Response time to inquiries concerning the NPP and resolution of those questions and issues (e.g., response to program inquiries during peak and non-peak application periods).

3. Travel and relocation request submission, review, approval, reimbursement, tracking and history of Fellow travel requests e.g. travel request submission day of arrival.

4. Posting and removal of research opportunity submissions and updates.

5. Schedule for stipend payment (direct deposit and checks as appropriate); delivery of quarterly and yearly income statements for tax purposes.

6. Notification of renewals (Fellow, Advisor, Host Organization Representative), status of approvals, history of Fellow renewals

7. Delivery of monthly financial reports for HQ and Host Organization Representatives, error rates in reports.

(3/20/20) Page 14 of 15

8. Record keeping for applicants who accept Offers due no later than 10 business days after starting tenure:

a) Proof of enrollment into health insurance, social security numbers, Ph.D. receipt

b) Foreign National J-1 visa requests, transfers and processing; all aspects required for legal entry into the country and documentation required to obtain a badge at a NASA installation.

The contractor shall provide a draft Annual Performance Report which NASA (including Host Organization Representatives) will review, adjust periodically, and approve through the life of the program.

I. Phase-In and Phase-Out Activities

If applicable, the contractor shall participate in phase-in activities prior to start of this contract and phase-out activities at the end of this contract.

1. Phase-In: The newly-selected contractor shall engage in a 90-day transition period into the NPP in cooperation with the outgoing incumbent NPP contractor. During this transition period the incumbent will slowly transition all aspects of the NPP.

a) Contractor shall provide continuity of Fellows’ compensation, applicable visas, and travel and ODC allowance. All of these functions shall be fully transitioned and fully functional before the end of the transition period.

b) Contractor shall ensure continuity of the applicant Offer process.

c) Host Organization Representatives and NASA HQ shall receive complete and accurate monthly financial accounting and travel cost reporting beginning with the first month the contractor is responsible for financial issues (i.e., submission of first travel requests).

d) Contractor shall have a fully functional on-line system with all the required capabilities at the end of the 90-day transition period.

e) Contractor shall meet minimum performance metrics at the end of the 90-day transition period.

2. Phase-out: If applicable, 90-days prior to the end of this contract, the contractor shall support a 90-day transition period of all aspects of the NPP to a follow-on contractor.

During this transition period, the incumbent will carefully transition all aspects of the NPP to the new contactor and phase out of the NPP program while the new follow-on contractor picks up the contract responsibilities.

a) This transition shall include the transfer of all materials, data, information and processes related to the operation of the NASA Postdoctoral Program. These items shall be prepared and ready for easy transition and use by the follow-on contractor and shall include but not be limited to the following:

i. All Fellow data collected during the contractor’s tenure anas well as data passed to the incumbent from the previous contractor. These data shall include proposals, application information and materials, reviews, funding, travel, individual reviewer scores and summaries, renewal evaluations.

(3/20/20) Page 15 of 15

ii. All Applicant data collected by the current contractor; to include proposals, reviews, selection decision, application materials, reviewer scoring;

iii. All information on the public portal of the NPP website, such as research opportunities, policies and procedure, FAQs, etc.

iv. All information and reports available via the Applicants, Fellows, Host Organization Representatives, and Mission Directorate portals

v. All internal policies, procedures, guidance that are NOT posted to the public portal that are used to enable the operation of the NPP (e.g., renewal policies and procedures, extension policies and procedures, proposal review guidelines given to primary and secondary external peer reviewers, etc.)

vi. All research opportunities including those that have been placed in stasis or removed from the public portal.

vii. Pool of reviewer names and contact information; their area of expertise, their signed confidentiality statements as well as any information on the quality and timeliness of individual reviewer’s efforts and level of availability.

viii. J-1 visa operational policies and procedures related to immigration (e.g., J-1 visa issuance, J-1 visa transfers into and out of the NPP program, and J-2 visas for family members)

ix. Transfer of visas to new contractor - All visas for Fellows in the NPP at the time of the transition shall be transferred to the follow-on contractor. Visas should be set up so they can be transferred to a follow-on contractor.

x. Customized reports and data transfer activities required by specific NPP Host Organizations.

xi. Contents and data from NPP-related web pages (e.g., but not limited to opportunities, policies and procedures) for future continuity.

J. The contractor must be available for a post-award conference within two weeks of the award.