Career Services PWS_Final.pdf

USMMA

Professional Development and Career Services

USMMA and SMA GRADUATES CAREER SERVICES

Performance Work Statement for the Career Services Request for Proposal

09 September 2022

PWS for Career Services Page 1 of 8

Table of Contents

1.0 General

2.0 Specific Requirements/Tasks

3.0 Contractor Quality Assurance

5.0 Delivery or Deliverables

6.0 Meetings

7.0 Required Travel and Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

8.0 Government Furnished Property/Equipment/Information

9.0 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

10.0 Performance Standards Contractor Must Meet:

11.0 Observation of Legal Holidays and Excused Absences

Note that while, as a matter of policy, some agencies require the government to prepare the PWS, the guidance at FAR 37.602(a) stipulates that “a Performance work statement (PWS) may be prepared by the Government or result from a Statement of objectives (SOO) prepared by the Government where the offeror proposes the PWS.”

https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/current/far/html/Subpart%2037_6.html#wp1074648

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1.0 General

1.1 Introduction

The mission of USMMA’s Department of Career Services is to assist Midshipmen with career development. The Department provides a range of career counseling services ranging from information dissemination such as reminders of a midshipman’s obligation, resume assistance, introduction to internship opportunities, and to graduate employment options. The Department has limited resources to assist Midshipmen in communicating with organizations, learning about opportunities available with them, and in applying for positions.

Although USMMA has a Professional Development & Career Services Department, additional resources are needed to support career development activities that specifically focus on connecting graduates to afloat jobs as they become service obligated and until the end of the obligation period (three years for State Maritime Academy Student Incentive Payment recipients and five years for USMMA midshipmen).

State Maritime Academies also provide a level of career services assistance to their SIP cadets who are service obligated (receiving student incentive payments). The support provided to USMMA through this contract will also be available to the six maritime academies and their SIP cadets.

1.2 Objective

The Maritime Administration is seeking a qualified Career Placement Support Services contractor who can identify industry knowledge, trends and maritime career opportunities and has capabilities to support the United States Merchant Marine Academy Midshipmen and State Maritime Academies (SMA) Student Incentive Program (SIP) participants. The students and graduates, obligated to the Federal government upon graduation, will benefit from a dedicated maritime career support service that provides career related counseling, referral, and employment preparation services in accordance with attached PWS.

1.3 Scope of Work

Respondents must be able to provide career services for USMMA and SIP participants and graduates (excluding those who plan to go into active duty upon graduation) to include as Part A:

Part A:

• Individualized assistance to undergraduates before start of senior year to provide internship guidance, resume writing assistance, and career counseling

• Individualized assistance to undergraduates during senior year to assist with interview preparations, employment guidance, and to discuss hiring trends of maritime career network

• Provide bi-annual and annual written assessments of the availability of afloat jobs across the maritime industry, including specific factors that are/will impact afloat employment in the maritime industry, as well as a forecasting of future employment opportunities for graduates, including employment shortages and areas of growth/emerging trends and declines in employment opportunities

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• Provide bi-annual and annual reports to USMMA/MARAD on the number and names of graduates that have contacted the contractor for career services and the number, names, positions, and employers of graduates who actually obtained employment through such service – report must be submitted by January 1st and July 1st or as directed by USMMA/MARAD.

• Coordinate a pre-determined number of PDCS Potential Presentations/Workshops and/or SMA career fair visits.

Part B:

Expanding on the services provided in Part A, to include graduates from both USMMA and the SMAs who are service obligated for the duration of their respective service obligation periods:

• Provide information dissemination services to graduates that include materials/reports on maritime employment, trends and potential opportunities that support graduates in their efforts to secure an afloat job

• Database management of graduates that tracks the interaction/information dissemination or other activities provided as part of the overall contract, including monthly reporting and provision of data file to USMMA/MARAD

1.4 Background

Under 46 U.S.C. § 51306 and 46 CFR § 310.58 graduates from USMMA have a five-year employment service obligation following graduation. Similarly, under 46 U.S.C. § 51509 and 46 CFR § 310.7, SIP graduates from the SMAs have a three-year employment service obligation. These graduates from USMMA (approximately 175-225 annually) and SIP (approximately 50-70, annually) are expected to fulfill this obligation independently and MARAD does not provide assistance in finding employment prior to or after graduation. Of the total number of midshipmen/cadets graduating, approximately 35% will go into active duty and therefore will not require any support offered through the services included in this contract. Unlike other Federal service academies (whereby DOD guarantees graduate employment through active duty), MARAD does not guarantee employment. The success or failure of USMMA and SIP programs is measured by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the basis of whether the USMMA and the SIP graduates fulfill their service obligation. MARAD is charged with monitoring the USMMA and SIP graduates on the performance of their service obligation.

Under the current program structure, graduates must submit an Employment Determination Request (EDR) to MARAD for employment that is other than US Flag Afloat, NOAA Corp, the US Public Health Service (USPHS), or the US Armed Forces. Other types of employment must be approved by MARAD as meeting a graduate’s service obligation. In order for MARAD to approve service in a shoreside position or as an officer aboard a foreign flag vessel not through a U.S. labor union, a determination has to be made by MARAD that a graduate conscientiously sought an afloat position as an officer aboard a U.S. flag vessel and that such afloat employment is not available to them.

Currently, the determination of whether afloat employment is available to graduates is accomplished through dialogs between MARAD and various shipping companies, labor unions, and government agencies that traditionally hire maritime academy graduates. These

PWS for Career Services Page 4 of 8 conversations typically occur while attending the SMAs’ annual briefings, meetings with the labor unions and maritime companies, and various maritime industry meetings. Additionally, through the EDR process, we communicate with these groups to validate the graduate’s claims that s/he sought afloat employment. This is an individualized process leading to a determination as to whether employment was available to that graduate at that time.

Above the level of support the academies career services department provides, graduates would benefit from engagement with a dedicated afloat, maritime support program that is available to all midshipmen/cadets who become service obligated to assist them in their quest for maritime employment, upon graduation.

1.5 Period of Performance

One-year contract with an option to extend if exercised for two (2) one-year options, and MARAD evaluation of the contractor performance.

1.6 Place of Performance

Options for Places of Performance: Virtual, Onsite at USMMA or a combination, and must include at a minimum bi-annual in person trips to the USMMA and State Maritime Academies as follows:

Academy Location U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY 11024-1699 California Maritime Academy 200 Maritime Academy Drive, Vallejo, CA 94590 Great Lakes Maritime Academy 1701 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49686 Massachusetts Maritime

Academy 101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532

State University of New York Maritime College 6 Pennyfield Avenue, Fort Schuyler, NY 10465

Maine Maritime Academy Castine, ME 04420

Texas A&M Maritime Academy 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, P.O. Box 1675, TX 77553

2.0 Specific Requirements/Tasks

2.1 Task One

2.1.1. Develop Project Management Plan (PMP) to include approach, resources, timeline and milestones

2.1.2. Create tracking of potential users of service (Database file)

2.2 Task Two

2.1.3. Implement approved PMP over contract period –

a. First phase - preparatory work in assisting with internships

b. Second phase - to assist in finding afloat jobs to include counseling and information dissemination.

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2.3 Task Three

Provide reports to stakeholders of activities including cadet/midshipmen participation numbers, maritime employment market reports, as required under this contract.

2.4 Task Four (Part B)

Provide information dissemination to graduates throughout their service obligation.

3.0 Contractor Quality Assurance.

In accordance with FAR subpart 46.4 – Government Contract Quality Assurance performance-based service acquisition, the offeror shall include as part of their response their quality assurance plan. Once approved the Government will develop a Quality Assurance Surveillance plan.”

5.0 Delivery or Deliverables

Part A

5.1 Project Management Plan that includes midshipmen/cadet outreach component, timelines etc.,

5.2 Monthly status reports of student engagement

5.3 Bi-annual and annual reports (with quarterly progress updates) on number and names of students that have contacted the contractor for career services and the number, names, positions, and employers of graduates who actually obtained employment through such service – report must be submitted 01Jan/July 01.

5.4 Bi-annual and annual written assessment of the availability of afloat jobs across the maritime industry, including specific factors that are/will impact afloat employment in the maritime industry, as well as a forecasting of future employment opportunities for graduates, including employment shortages and areas of growth/emerging trends and declines in employment opportunities

Part B

Information Dissemination to graduates through an agreed mechanism including monthly reporting and provision of data file to USMMA/MARAD.

Notice to Awardee:

All information and data related to this project that the contractor gathers or obtains shall be both protected from unauthorized release and considered the property of the government. The contracting officer will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract. Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, must not be publicized without the written approval of the contracting officer.

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6.0 Meetings

Initial kick off meeting will be held virtually or in-person at MARAD or USMMA. Subsequent program meetings will be held as needed, and no less than quarterly.

7.0 Required Travel and Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

All travel related costs incurred under this contract to attend career fairs, site visits, meetings and/or events are not included in the overall cost in providing the services. All Government directed travel will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulation.

8.0 Government Furnished Property/Equipment/Information

There is no MARAD/USMMA Government Furnished Property/Equipment associated with this contract. Any database files thar are created and containing records used for the purpose of this contract will remain the property of MARAD.

9.0 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

Student Incentive Program (SIP)

State Maritime Academies (SMA)

10.0 Performance Standards Contractor Must Meet:

Performance Objective (The Service required—usually a shall statement)

Standard Performance Threshold (This is the maximum error rate. It could possibly be “Zero deviation from standard”)

Method of Surveillance

PRS #

Bi-annual & annual report on number and names of students that have been contacted for career services and the number, names, positions, and employers of graduates who actually obtained employment through such service

The contractor provides a bi-annual and annual report with quarterly progress updates

Report is on time and complete in all required detail.

Report must be submitted 01JAN and

01 JULY.

Written quarterly progress update

PRS #

Bi-annually written assessment of the availability of afloat jobs across the maritime industry

The contractor provides a bi-annual and annual report with quarterly progress updates

Report is on time and complete in all required detail.

Report must be submitted 01JAN and

01 JULY.

Written quarterly progress updates.

PRS #

To assist cadets in finding afloat employment/internships in the maritime industry

The contractor provides sufficient resources to

Annual target of cadets engaged by contractor of 200

Written quarterly progress updates

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11.0 Observation of Legal Holidays and Excused Absences

(a) The Contractor is not required to perform services on 11 federal holidays. The Government hereby provides Notice and Contractor hereby acknowledges Receipt that Government personnel observe the listed days as holidays:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Inauguration Day Juneteeth Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day

(b) In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:

Any other day designated by Federal Statute.

Any other day designated by Executive Order Any other day designated by President’s Proclamation

(c) It is understood and agreed between the Government and the Contractor, that observance of such days by Government personnel shall not otherwise be a reason for an additional period of performance, or entitlement to compensation. In the event the Contractor’s personnel work during the holiday, they may be reimbursed by the Contractor, however, no form of holiday or other premium compensation will be reimbursed either as a direct or indirect cost, other than their normal compensation for the time worked.

This provision does not preclude reimbursement for authorized premium pay.

meet the objective

PRS #

Development and Acceptance of a Project Management Plan that includes midshipmen cadet outreach component, timelines etc., A complete PMP that includes all information to manage the workload of cadet outreach

Clearly defined plan provided on time

Quarterly progress update of plan