Attachment_1_-_Statement_of_Work.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES

OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTRACT FORENSIC FIREARM TRAINING INSTRUCTORS

January 8, 2016

STATEMENT OF WORK

1.0 OVERVIEW

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Office of Science and Technology (OST), National Firearms Examiner Academy (NFEA) is issuing this Statement of Work (SOW) for Contract Forensic Firearm Instructors, with the intent to issue multiple Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) with fixed daily rates. ATF anticipates that opportunities to provide instruction will be rotated among successful instructors after consideration of availability, rates, geographic location and positive instructor ratings. ATF is not obligated to select an instructor to teach a specified course or to continue to use an instructor following BPA award. The selection of an instructor under the BPA is within ATF’s discretion and authority, and is not subject to protest or dispute procedures.

In support of ATF’s Strategic Plan and mission objectives, OST is dedicated to supporting Federal, State and local law enforcement, through the dissemination of ATF’s unique knowledge and expertise to reduce violent crime, collect revenue and protect the public. The NFEA’s mission is to:

1. Assess, design, deliver and evaluate innovative training programs.

2. Facilitate a creative learning environment that fosters continuous employee development.

3. Create an adaptable workforce capable of meeting current and future mission requirements.

2.0 SCOPE

The NFEA has a number of responsibilities with regard to the assessment, development, delivery, and evaluation of its training programs and is seeking to obtain contract instructors to further support their training efforts. The NFEA delivers 18 modules of training involving a number of firearm related topics to a variety of students including Federal, State and local firearm and toolmark examiners and trainees. The NFEA program manager must maintain the ability to update and change curricula on a regular basis, so the requirements for specific skills sets and the frequency of their use may vary greatly depending on current staffing levels and types of courses being offered. The following considerations and requirements apply:

1. Instructors must possess unique experience, education, and training requirements that support ATF’s forensic training missions in the area of firearms, ammunition and their components.

2. ATF uses a variety of instructional methods, including classroom lectures and demonstrations, and practical exercises (PE). The contractor shall provide input for the revision or amendment of the lectures, demonstrations, and exercises to provide updated materials, as appropriate and necessary for the course requirements.

3. Past experience instructing for the NFEA and its export modules will be given special consideration.

4. Many of the modules require the instructor to provide both classroom as well as laboratory instruction. Contract instructors must possess unique qualifications based on their experience as firearm and toolmark examiners, law enforcement investigators, technical laboratory experience, and/or research and development experience.

5. Instructors’ rates may be used for instruction or to develop training content.

3.0 ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSTRAINTS

The following are assumptions and constraints underlying this task, which should be considered in developing a technical solution:

1. Instructors:

a. Must be able to travel to the training site dictated by the training agreement. This may involve travel domestically or internationally depending on the program.

b. Must have a flexible work schedule that meets the needs of the training being provided.

c. Must be able to pass a background investigation check as required by the training program or training facility.

d. Must be willing to volunteer for random drug testing.

e. Must have access to the internet and maintain a working email address to receive notifications regarding their agreements and upcoming trainings. Instructors will notify NFEA staff of any changes to any contact information.

f. Must maintain their company information as required in the System for Award Management (SAM).

2. Instructors must not have been:

a. Convicted of a felony offense.

b. Convicted for an offense involving violence against a law enforcement officer.

c. Convicted for an offense involving rape, child brutality, or child molestation.

d. Convicted for an offense of either drug or firearms sales or trafficking activities.

e. Convicted for an offense that, if revealed, would reflect poorly upon the Federal Government or would otherwise present a threat to the safety and security of employees.

f. Must not be currently subject to disciplinary action by an employer, released from a position as a result of a disciplinary action, or have resigned from a position prior to the culmination of a disciplinary investigation.

g. Must not be a prohibited person in regards to possessing and transferring firearms as per Federal statutes.

3. Instructors must be able to demonstrate professional behavior and instructional expertise that meet ATF and the NFEA standards.

4. Instructors must come prepared to provide training, which includes being intimately familiar with the lesson plan, its requirements and instructional strategies, lesson materials, safety instructions where applicable, and evaluation requirements.

5. Instructors must meet ATF evaluation requirements for instructional and content expertise while providing instruction. ATF staff will regularly evaluate instructor’s instructional skills, adherence to provided lesson plans, and adherence to any safety requirements.

6. Instructors must report to the Program Manager as required by the reporting instructions.

7. Instructors must follow security protocols for handling and securing student tests or examinations and access to ATF facilities. Facility security requirements may be site specific.

8. Instructors must follow ATF safety directives in regards to the topical area being instructed as well as any lesson plan or site specific requirements. ATF policies that may affect the conduct of training are as follows:

1. ATF Laboratory Firearms Safety Guidelines for Forensic Firearms Examiners

2. ATF O 1600.5B - ATF Safety, Health and Environmental Services

9. The NFEA will provide course lesson plans for all modules of training and any instructor deviation must be agreed upon in advance and in writing.

10. When applicable, instructors may be asked to provide input into updates and revisions to course lesson plans.

11. Instructor travel and per diem will be in accordance with Federal Government Travel Regulations.

12. The NFEA may expand on the listed minimum experience, education, and training requirements depending on the needs of the module being taught.

13. When applicable, instructors may be required to physically demonstrate the skills being taught. Instructor skill levels must exceed minimum standards set for the students. Instructors may be asked to either provide documentation in advance to verify this requirement or the requirement may be validated through observation and evaluation by the NFEA staff.

14. In order to ensure instructors maintain their proficiency in their area of expertise instructors may be required to submit evidence of additional training or certifications every two (2) years from date of award.

15. Training will occur at the National Laboratory Center, Ammendale, Maryland unless otherwise notified. The NFEA will provide training materials and equipment unless specified otherwise.

3.1 Copyright clause

Instructors may not utilize any materials or information provided by ATF (unless publicly available) including regulations, policies, directives, correspondence, standard operating procedures (SOPs), photographs or videos, or any classified, law enforcement sensitive, or confidential information for the purposes of any other production, contract or project. Any lesson plans, curriculum, agenda, photographs, videos or materials prepared by the instructor for ATF under this contract shall be deemed ATF proprietary data and as such is the sole property of the United States Government. The Instructor may not copyright, resell, share, present, or transmit any materials or information provided to the Instructor by ATF without the prior written permission of ATF.

3.2 Expert Witness/Industry Consultant Clause

The instructor is prohibited from contracting to testify against ATF or any Federal governmental entity while contracted to provide goods or services to ATF under this or any other Department of Justice contract. Further, the instructor agrees that he/she is prohibited from testifying as an expert or contractual witness against ATF or any governmental entity on any matter that requires the instructor to rely upon or reference any lesson plans, curricula, or courses prepared by the instructor pursuant to this contract, or upon any materials or information provided to contractor by ATF, that is not otherwise publicly available. The instructor may not share or transmit to his or her agents, employee(s), employer(s) any of the aforementioned materials, information, lesson plans, curricula or courses for the purpose of testimony as an expert or contractual witness in any proceeding; administrative, civil or criminal.

Instructors generally are not prohibited from acting as consultants for industry Federal firearms licensees (FFLs), or Federal explosives licensees or permittees (FELs), lobbying groups, associations, or any private entity to assist with improving compliance with Federal laws and regulations. However, the instructor is prohibited from serving as a consultant or advisor, to industry FFLs, FELs, lobbying groups, associations, or any private entity on any matter related to any ATF adverse actions, to include administrative hearings, warning conferences, or revocation hearings while contracted to provide goods or services to ATF under this or any other Department of Justice contract.

3.3 Professional Insurance Coverage

Instructors are responsible for acquiring and maintaining their own professional insurance for all work provided in relation to this agreement. In the event of injuries as a result of participation in training, demonstrations, or other work provided under this agreement, instructors are not compensated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or the U.S. Department of Justice through workers compensation, employee insurance, automobile insurance, rental insurance, travel insurance, or any other similar mechanism. Further, any damage to any equipment or materials used or owned by the instructor employed in work conducted under this agreement is the responsibility of the instructor. As the burden of responsibility regarding insurance coverage solely belongs to the instructor, the Bureau does not require proof of insurance for this agreement.

3.4 Background Investigation

All instructors are subject to a background investigation. Once an agreement has been placed by ATF, the instructor will be required to complete a personnel security package which includes forms SF 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions; ATF F 8620.26, Credit Release; ATF F 8620.27, Non-Disclosure Agreement; and questionnaires regarding drug use and financial declarations. The package also includes two fingerprint cards that must be completed and provided along with a passport type photo.

In addition, instructors are required to provide personal information electronically through the Department of Justice e-QIP on-line application. Instructors will be sent a unique link into e-QUIP via email, where they will be required to provide the requested information in the system. Instructors are to print out the specified signature pages from e-QIP and include the signed documents in the personnel security package when it is completed and returned.

Failure to complete e-QIP and submit the personnel security package in a timely manner may result in the immediate termination of the agreement.

3.5 Instructor Qualifications

Attachment 1 details the recommended core instructor qualifications required to support ATF and provides a detailed description of instructor qualifications by knowledge area. Generally, there are a limited number of contract instructors required for each iteration of the NFEA program, and the topics usually require specific and advanced knowledge, training, and experience.

3.6 Quality Control

The instructor will describe his/her plan to provide evidence of continuing education in the area of subject matter expertise and/or training knowledge area and certifications.

3.7 Ordering and Invoicing Requirements

Ordering

The NFEA Program Manager will contact successful contractors to determine availability of potential instructors for identified training needs. Typically the NFEA provides instructors a minimum lead time of sixty (60) days. However, when backfilling instructors or some other emergency training requirement, the NFEA may make instructor availability requests with much shorter lead times.

For routine requests, the NFEA will allow the instructor up to five (5) business days from the time of request to respond affirmatively, before seeking an instructor from another source. For non-routine requests, the Program Manager will determine the amount of available response time allowed on a case-by-case basis and provide this information to the contractor at the time of the request. No instructor will have recourse against ATF when situations dictate instructor scheduling outside of the standard time frames for placing instructor calls.

Invoicing

Complete invoicing instructions will be included in the terms and conditions of the Blanket Purchase Agreement. However, ATF expects instructors to invoice upon completing the assigned course in the format required.

4.0 Technical Capabilities

Qualifications (Experience, Education and Training): Instructors should provide a brief summary detailing an overview of the experience, education, and training background as it relates to the CLIN proposed and the benefits they can provide to ATF as a Contract Training Instructor. The instructor will provide a copy of his/her resume or professional curriculum vitae detailing qualifications. Instructors who are qualified to teach in several subject areas should identify the applicable area prominently in the title of the resume. Individual documentation may be submitted for multiple subject areas if the instructor’s qualifications match the ATF requirements for both.

Each instructor shall be required to provide their approach to maintain currency in their area of subject matter expertise and updates to continuing education and required certifications.

4.1 Past Performance/References

In this section of the proposal the instructor shall provide 3 references for past performance data as noted below:

1. For 3 efforts during the past 3 years

2. Include a description and scope for the effort with dollar value.

3. Include client references and contact information for each of the efforts described utilizing the format in Attachment 2.

4.2 Cost Factor

The contractor shall propose a fixed daily rate and a fixed ½ day rate (less than 4 hours) for each instructor category/CLIN for which he/she is qualified and intends to provide service. All proposed rates should include all anticipated charges with the exception of travel and per diem that is allowable under the Federal Travel Regulations. Contract instructors will bill actual time scheduled/worked during training sessions, and associated travel, lodging, and per diem costs. Travel time and course preparation time will not be charged separately and must be incorporated into the daily fees if the instructor wishes to be compensated for the time.

If the contractor’s price is bound by any special conditions, these conditions must be stated in the Price Proposal.

Attachment 1

Section 4.2 (continued) Instruction: Offerors shall enter the daily rates for the specialty areas and BPA years which are being offered.

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

5.0 BACKGROUND

The information in this section is provided for the contractor to reference in preparing their proposal.

There is no formal standard on lead times for instructor selection, but ATF does provide reporting instructions to all students and instructors typically 30 to 45 days prior to a course, so actual instructor selection/notification should take place no less than 60 days prior to a class. However, in the event of a need to backfill ATF instructors who have cancelled or are otherwise unavailable, ATF sometimes provides only 1-2 weeks advance notice.

Statement of Work Addendum Recommended Core Instructor Requirements:

Unless otherwise noted in the course specific instructor requirements, ALL instructors are recommended to meet the following experience, education, training and certification requirements unless noted otherwise:

1. Minimum of ten years law enforcement experience with a majority of this experience in the subject area to be instructed.

2. Must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

or

3. A high school education with a diploma or a GED equivalency certificate and an additional 5 years of general law enforcement/or forensic related experience (for a total of 15 years of experience) may be substituted for a Bachelor’s Degree.

1. Must have successfully completed an instructor training course or demonstrate experience in providing forensic firearms identification instruction in either a professional or academic classroom setting.

2. Can provide verifying documentation upon request (e.g., certificate of successful completion or attendance) to show that the instructor is maintaining subject matter currency through recent continuing education and attendance at training activities in the subject matter being taught. Subject matter currency may also be validated through the publication of subject matter related articles and research in nationally recognized professional journals or trade magazines.

Attachment 1 (Continued) Recommended Minimum Instructor Requirements by Specific Knowledge Area:

Law Enforcement/Inspector Instructor (Specialist) (CLIN 1001F)

Instructors with law enforcement investigation and enforcement skills that are considered part of a mission critical specialty program that may have unique experience, education, and training requirements.

Must meet all education/experience as indicated above in Minimum Instructor Requirements.

Must meet all minimum training and certification requirements as indicated above in Minimum Instructor Requirements.

Program Technical Specialist

(CLIN 1002F)

Instructing on a topic that is considered part of a mission critical specialty program that may have unique experience, education, and training requirements. Forensic laboratory experience is mandatory.

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of 5 years of experience in the subject area to be instructed.

or A high school diploma/GED equivalency certificate and 15 years of related experience in the subject area to be instructed.

Must meet all minimum training and certification requirements as indicated above in Minimum Instructor Requirements.

Firearms Examiners Laboratory instructors utilized for forensic firearms identification must have completed the ATF National Firearms Examiners Academy or be certified by the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners in subject matter area of instruction or completed 1500 hours of a combination of formal and on the job training in forensic firearms identification.

Technical and Professional Development Instructor/Trainer

(CLIN 1003F)

or A high school diploma/GED equivalency certificate and 10 years of related experience in the subject area to be instructed.

Must meet all minimum training and certification requirements as indicated above in Minimum Instructor Requirements.

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