SSN CRRC Fellows.pdf

Sources Sought Notice

This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quote and does not constitute a commitment by the Government. The Government is currently conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 to identify potential small business sources to fulfill the requirement and gather information on current capabilities of businesses within the market. All information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Proprietary information submitted should be marked appropriately. All submitted information shall remain with the United States (U.S.) Government and will not be returned.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Acquisition and Grants Office, Eastern Acquisition Division is conducting market research to identify small business sources capable of providing subject matter expertise support services relevant to the requirement needs described herein for the National Ocean Service, Office for Coastal Management (OCM). The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541690, “Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services.” The small business size standard for this NAICS code is $19 million.

The nature of the work pertains to administering personnel pay and benefits, as well as providing annual training and career counseling to Fellowship Program participants. The contractor must have access to a network of universities, in order to widely advertise the Fellowship Program to gauge potential interested fellows.

For informational purposes, a DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS) is attached to assist sources in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the overall requirement. Small Business sources that believe they have the capabilities to provide the required services stated herein, are requested to provide a response of no more than 10 pages that must address the following:

(1) Company name and address

(2) Company point of contact - name, phone and email address

(3) System for Award Management Unique Entity Identification Number

(4) Company’s Size in relations to NAICS Code 541690 (e.g., large business, small business) any and all small business socioeconomic status’ (e.g. 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, and/or women owned small business), as validated via the System for Award Management and/or SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS).

(5) Clear demonstration of the capability to provide the following services:

a. Administrative assistance in distributing pay and benefits among fellows located across the United States, as well as the Pacific and Caribbean Islands.

b. Expertise in professional development training services as well as career counseling.

c. A network of contacts in universities with the ability to widely advertise/market the Fellowship Program to locate any potential interested candidates. (Please demonstrate a network of at least 20 universities including minority serving institutions)

(6) Any Government Wide Acquisition Vehicle held contracts and their respective contract numbers, if applicable

Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice. Interested sources shall submit an electronic copy response to the information requested above to Brian Davis, Contract Specialist, via email at erik.desantis@noaa.gov, no later than 4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) Monday, January 08, 2024. The electronic copy of your response must be in pdf format and readable by Adobe. Any questions or responses to this Sources Sought announcement shall be directed to Mr. De Santis via the email address provided. Information received will be utilized solely for market research purposes.