RFQ-DC-15-00169.docx

REQUEST FOR QUOTE # RFQ-DC-15-00169

COMBINED ANNOUNCEMENT AND SOW FOR STUDENT SERVICES CONTRACTS

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory

SECTION I - ANNOUNCEMENT

1. Summary

2. Agency and the Office Mission

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

The Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking individuals, at least 18 years of age whom have completed a Bachelors of Science or Bachelors of Arts degree in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, environmental science, toxicology, pharmacy, physiology, or related fields of study to provide services under a contractual agreement to assist in a project focused on elucidating and describing the biological modes/mechanisms by which chemicals cause adverse effects in fish and wildlife and organizing that information into adverse outcome pathway (AOP) frameworks that can support the use of a wider range of data types as a basis for regulatory decision-making.

Students or recent graduates, who are EPA ORD employees, or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee, are not eligible to participate.

These contracts are expected to begin approximately July 2015. The hourly rate is commensurate with the minimum required level of education and experience, as follows: $21.52 per hour for a student who has completed a bachelor’s degree. The student contractor must be currently enrolled in a degree program at an accredited University/College or a recent graduate within the last 24 months. The student contractors will be paid the basic hourly rate only for the number of hours worked and will not receive overtime pay for any hours worked beyond the 40-hour work week. The student contractors do not accrue leave or holiday benefits and are not paid for any non-work days, regardless of the reason. The student contractors are considered independent contractors; therefore, Federal, State, Local, Social Security, and Medicare taxes will not be withheld. The student contractors are responsible for reporting income to authorities and paying all taxes.

The student contractors are responsible for all costs of transportation to and from the principal duty station location. EPA does not provide housing, meals or other living expenses while working at the principal duty station. Non-U.S. citizens may be eligible to participate, depending on their immigration status and the applicable regulations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). All non-US citizens must submit, as part of their proposal package, evidence of their immigration status that allows them to work in the United States. Students should possess a current US Visa and be able to obtain US work authorization in a timely manner if offered a contract. Students without a US Visa are not eligible.

Academic degrees fulfilled outside of the United States must be judged to be equivalent to that achieved in accredited U.S. education programs in order to be acceptable for this contract. More information about the evaluation of foreign education can be found at the U.S. Department of Education's web site at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

If applicable, applicants shall submit all necessary documents to a recognized private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, usually named a credential evaluation service. To be suitable, the foreign credential evaluation must include and describe (i) type of education received by the applicant (i.e., conventional, by mail, or online), (ii) degree of education relative to the U.S. education system, and testify that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials, (iii) the content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained, (iv) the ranking of the awarding foreign schools’ credit and authenticity in its own country's education system, (v) what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, (vi) the qualifications of the evaluator, and (vii) any indications as to other concerns such as falsification. Foreign credential evaluations that do not include all the above information or indicate there is not enough information on which to make a sound evaluation will not be accepted.

INTERESTED PARTIES MUST COMPLETE ATTACHMENT 1, “STUDENT PROPOSAL FORM FOR RFQ-DC-15-00169”. Please provide a one or two page resume or statement of qualifications, this proposal form and attach a copy of all your college/university transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable, if it is apparent from the transcript copy that is a copy of an official document and that the school is identified), submit via FedConnect at https://www.fedconnect.net referencing RFQ# RFQ-DC-15-00169, AND via email to Danny Uhr, Contracting Officer, at uhr.danny@epa.gov. The submission deadline is 6:00 PM EST July 6, 2015.

The Government will make contract award based on all evaluation factors (student's knowledge and skills, course work, work or volunteer experience, research laboratory experience, research publications and grade point average as it relates to the services described in this Announcement and the Statement of Work). Evaluation factors will be listed in the website mentioned above, please check the evaluation factors document on the website given above. Personal or telephone interviews may be conducted with the most promising candidates. The Government may elect to award contracts to multiple students under this Announcement.

Questions regarding this student contract should be directed to the contracting officer Danny Uhr, at uhr.danny@epa.gov. Questions regarding the technical aspects of the contracted duties and responsibilities should be directed to Jodi Stauber the EPA technical mentor for the contracted activities, at stauber.jodi@epa.gov.

SECTION II - STATEMENT OF WORK

1. Project Description

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

The Mid-Continent Ecology Division (MED) is one of four ecology divisions of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. The Mid-Continent Ecology Division is located in Duluth, MN. The MED is the focal point ORD research related to freshwater ecotoxicology and freshwater ecology. A primary objective of the ecotoxicological research at MED is to provide the scientific basis and technological means to enable the prediction of whether or not an environmental agent will produce adverse effects in aquatic organisms and minimize the uncertainty of such predictions.

2. Description of Student Services:

The student contractor will work as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team. As part of the team, the student contractor will conduct experiments aimed at characterizing the effects of chemical contaminants and/or physical stressors at multiple levels of biological organization ranging from molecular endpoints to population-level impacts. Specific duties may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following tasks:

Biologist/Biochemist (s) for in vitro hormone assay development. The student contractor shall provide support for research investigating the effects of chemicals on vertebrate hormone systems using in vitro assays. This research will be conducted using amphibian and/or other vertebrate model organisms. The student’s duties will include, but will not be limited to, in vitro enzyme assays, preparation of microsomes, collection of tissues for culture, preparation of tissue culture media using sterile techniques, tissue explant culture, and conducting tissue culture-based assays. The student will maintain accurate laboratory notebooks, write-up brief summary reports of assay protocols and results, and participate in research group meetings. Written or oral presentation of scientific results internally or at regional, national, or international scientific meetings, symposia, or workshops. The student may be required to travel (using a government vehicle or other forms of transportation) to attend and/or participate in meetings, training, or conferences and present papers in support of this Statement of Work. Some background or course work in chemistry is desirable.

Mentors: Mike Hornung (Hornung.Michael@epa.gov) or Matt Etterson (Etterson.matt@epa.gov).

Chemist(s) for endocrine disruptor assay development in aquatic vertebrates. The student contractor will analyze chemical form and concentration in sub-cellular samples, tissues, and exposure media, and prepare solutions for chemical dosing and concentration analyses as requested. The student will process and analyze samples using a variety of analytical instrumentation which may include LC and GC using a variety of detectors. The student will assist in general laboratory activities which may include one or more of the following: conducting routine chemical and biochemical analyses, preparation of common reagents, and cleaning of laboratory glassware, The student shall maintain careful and accurate records in a laboratory notebook, record results in summary spreadsheets, write-up summary reports of sample analyses following provided guidance, and participate in research group meetings. The student will assist in the review and entry of chemical structural information in databases as required. The student will assist with collection of environmental samples from field locations and subsequent sample extraction, concentration, and clean-up as needed to support chemical and biological analyses. Written or oral presentation of scientific results internally or at regional, national, or international scientific meetings, symposia, or workshops. The student may be required to travel (using a government vehicle or other forms of transportation) to attend and/or participate in meetings, training, or conferences and present papers in support of this Statement of Work.

Mentors: Sigmund Degitz (degitz.sigmund@epa.gov), Dan Villeneuve (villeneuve.dan@epa.gov), or Rick Kolanczyk (Kolanczyk.Rick@epa.gov).

The student contractor shall follow all QA requirements for scientific data collection at NHEERL. The notebook and all other data, results, presentations, and publications produced under this order will be the property of the Environmental Protection Agency. The student contractor shall perform duties, as requested, according to specifications and instructions provided by the mentor. All necessary training and oversight will be provided by EPA scientist serving as a student mentor.

3. Required Expertise, Skills, Education and/or Experience:

The student contractor must have completed a Bachelor’s degree in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, environmental science, toxicology, pharmacy, physiology, or related fields of study. Previous research experience, as well as training or experience in biochemistry, molecular biology, and/or organic chemistry, are preferred qualifications. The student contractor will need to know basic safety requirements in the laboratory and field and will be given additional safety training at the laboratory.

4. Required Background Investigation and Suitability Determination:

Student contractors awarded a contract will have to undergo a background investigation, a check of FBI fingerprint files, and a suitability determination by the Environmental Protection Agency. Upon receipt of the contract award, go immediately to link http://cdx.epa.gov/warning.asp and register with the Central Data Exchange (CDX) and complete the iBoard application. Notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) as soon as this process is completed. The student contractor must review and complete the requirements before beginning work on-site at the EPA. If a background check reveals information to indicate the student contractor represents a risk to the interests of EPA and the national security, the contract may be terminated.

5. Description of Working Conditions:

The primary duty location is the EPA facility in Duluth, MN. The majority of work will be performed in a laboratory and office setting, but some work in field and/or laboratory settings other than the primary duty location may be required. However, monitoring and maintaining experiments and organisms used in experiments may require the student contract to work some weekends and government holidays as approved by the COR. Work in locations other than the primary duty station may require overnight travel for up to three consecutive weeks in duration before returning to the duty station. The student contractor may enter the building only during business hours or when specifically instructed by the mentor to perform duties outside of normal business hours. The student contractor will be required to wear safety apparel and to strictly obey all safety and facility security requirements.

6. Duration and Compensation:

The work will begin approximately July 2015 and terminate approximately July 2016. The contract may be continued to include two (2) option periods. The initial contract (base period) will be for 12 months, not to exceed 1,928 hours. The first option period will be for 12 months, not to exceed 1,928 hours. The second option period will be for 12 months, not to exceed 1,928 hours. All of the option periods are dependent on the availability of funds and performance of the student contractors. It is anticipated that the student contractor will work up to an average of 40 hours per week. The majority of the work will be Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; some evening, week-end and holiday work should be expected. Work will be performed under a variety of settings including office, library, laboratory, and field. The work is not particularly hazardous or physically strenuous. Field and laboratory health and safety training will be provided.

The rate of compensation for this position includes the cost of self-employment taxes for social security and Medicare.

7. Taxes:

The student is responsible for paying all Federal, State or local income taxes required as a result of income received under this order.

8. Quality Assurance Requirements:

The student contractor will be governed by the US EPA quality system, as described in the approved quality management plan for the organization where the student contractor is working. Approved quality management plans are in full compliance with the US EPA’s quality system requirements as expressed in these two documents:

Policy and Program Requirements for the Mandatory Agency-wide Quality System, EPA Order 5360.1 A2, May 2000

EPA Quality Manual for Environmental Programs, EPA Order 5360 A1, May 2000

Work performed by the student contractor in a laboratory setting must be in compliance with the above referenced quality management plan. The Mentor is responsible for ensuring this compliance.

Additionally, the student contractor must be taught the basic principles of ORD Policies and Procedures Manual, Chapter 13--Quality Assurance, policies 13.2 (PAPER LABORATORY RECORDS) and 13.4 (MINIMUM QUALITY ASSURANCE [QA]/QUALITY CONTROL [QC] PRACTICES FOR ORD LABORATORIES CONDUCTING RESEARCH), and other ORD and EPA QA policies as they are approved.