Sources_Sought_Notice_1.pdf

FIC LOGISTICS SUPPORT SERVICES

Small Business Sources Sought

Contract Opportunity Type: Sources Sought (Original) Sources Sought Notice: 75N94024R00028 All Dates/Times are: EASTERN STANDARD TIME, NEW YORK, USA Published Date: May 6, 2024 Response Date: June 6, 2024, 5:00 PM ET Description: FIC Logistics Support Services Contracting Office Address: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA), 6710-B Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD.

Attachments/Links: A draft Statement of Work (SOW) has been added to this opportunity.

CLASSIFICATION

Original Set Aside: None.

NAICS Codes: 541611 -Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services and 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Place of Performance: The Contractor shall be expected to perform the primary duties and functions off-site; however, may be required to provide staff to perform specific tasks on-site at the NIH offices in Bethesda, MD, unless otherwise approved by the Government.

Anticipated Period of Performance: It is anticipated that this will be a single award BPA type contract with one (1) base year (some severable and non-severable services) and four (4) option years (some severable and non-severable services). The period of performance for this contract will be sixty months which will include a base year for 12 months, followed by four 12-month option periods (if all Options are exercised). The anticipated start date is September 27, 2024.

INTRODUCTION

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding:

(1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under NAICS code 541611 or 541990 should not submit a response to this notice.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) does not intend to award a contract based on responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this sources sought notice, the NICHD may issue a pre solicitation notice and a request for proposal (RFP). However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against NICHD shall arise as a result of a response to this source sought notice or the NICHD’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

The NICHD is seeking capability statements from all eligible small business concerns under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541611 or 541990. All eligible small business concerns responding to this source sought announcement must have the capabilities to provide the services as stated below.

BACKGROUND

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) is dedicated to advancing the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by supporting and facilitating global health research conducted by U.S. and international investigators, building partnerships between health research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, and training the next generation of scientists to address global health needs. As related to its mission, the FIC has increased partnerships with other Federal agencies as well as outside organizations in recent years. Due to the increase in partnerships and funding, the FIC has a need for organized and planned support to manage the programs and its related funding effectively and appropriately. The FIC needs support for the Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (DIEPS), Division of International Science Policy, Planning and Evaluation (DISPPE), and Office of Administrative Management and International Services (OAMIS).

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this contract is to provide FIC logistical program support in the US and abroad for the following activities: 1)virtual, hybrid and in person meeting and logistical support for workshops, conferences and meetings; 2) travel support for one or more participants, including lodging and ground transportation as required from diverse geographic locations with some that may require special accommodations; 3) grant and contract support including sub awards monitoring, 4) directed payments for interns, contractors and other specialist consultants and procurements, 5) training and development program services. However, not all work performed can be anticipated, and the work that might be required under this contract is not limited to these examples.

The Contractor shall provide support and services in the following technical categories:

1. Conference Support Services

2. Travel Support Services

3. Grant and Contract Support Services

4. CareerTrac and Program Evaluation Support Services

5. Training and Development Program Support Services

TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

A copy of the draft Statement of Work (SOW) pertaining to this requirement, which is subject to revisions, is attached to this notice.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall meet the following requirements and/or qualifications:

Provide a Program Manager (PM) to manage the overall performance objectives, contract deliverables, quality control, and the placement of qualified personnel, so that cost, schedule, and quality requirements are tracked and communicated to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Offeror shall demonstrate in the proposal thoroughness and effectiveness of the plan for the transition and conduct of the task activities, including recognition of the scope of activities, relative duration of activities and interdependence of task activities.

1. Program Manager

Minimum General Experience Requirements:

- Ten (10) years of experience managing projects of similar size and scope with at least five (5) years of experience in managing Government contracts. Must have experience in individual Project Management as well as management of several related projects simultaneously.

Functional Responsibilities:

• Coordinates and monitors the scheduling, pricing, and technical performance of company programs. Responsibilities also include aiding in the negotiation of contracts and contractual changes and coordinating preparations of proposals, plans, specifications, and financial conditions of contracts. Applying education, training and experience through critical thinking and expert analysis that supports decision-making to solve problems and challenges in implementing and executing programs and objectives. Develops new concepts and the methodology to execute them. Ensures adherence to master plans and schedules, develops solutions to program problems, and directs work of incumbents assigned to program from various departments. Ensures projects are completed on time and within established budget. Acts as advisor to program team regarding projects, tasks, and operations.

• Assign qualified Project Managers to requests based on experience and expertise.

Minimum Education Requirements:

- A relevant Master‘s Degree (business or technology related field), ten (10) years general experience with at least five (5) years of specialized experience managing government contracts required. Degree requirements may be substituted based on having sufficient specialized experience and relevant certifications (Project Management Professional).

Additional Knowledge/Experience/Competency Areas Required:

- Ten (10) years of experience in the role of a Program Manager. Eight (8) years of experience serving in the role of a Program Manager within the previous ten (10) years in the following areas:

o Portfolio/Project Management Services o Business Needs Analysis Services o Enterprise Governance o Risk Management Services o Change Management Services o Critical Thinking

- Active/Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.

- Experience leading teams of twenty (20) or more staff.

- Prior experience working with Senior Leadership on complex projects that have short-and long-term milestone dates. Additionally, be able to prioritize projects and implement effective change management in a dynamic work environment.

- Very strong communication skills both oral and written.

- Preferred having strong skills in the following key areas including strategic thinking, negotiating, multi-tasking, time management, teamwork, planning, ‘out of the box thinking, being able to assess a situation in a timely manner especially unplanned events or priority changes for decision making purposes and executing to a defined schedule.

- Experience leading activities and opportunities of foreign governments and foreign financial institutions.

2. Subject Matter Expert (4x)

1. SME for Grants and Contracts

2. SME for Travel and Logistics

3. SME for Financial Management

4. SME for Procurement (or a candidate with relevant experience)

Minimum Experience:

- Eight (8) years of hands-on relevant experience.

Functional Responsibility:

- For Grants, Contracts and Procurement SME’s: Serve as the expert analyst on large or technically complex projects. Develops multi-stage competition process using a mixture of internal controls approaches for solving complex business improvement issues or problems. Performs program audits, cost benefit, and risk analysis studies. Provides estimates of the effect of project and program changes and major additions. Prepares statistical and quantitative risk assessment models as needed. Creates business needs and business cases for proposed solutions.

- For Travel, Event and Logistics SME: Serve as the expert analyst/lead specialist on large or technically complex projects. Provides comprehensive services supporting individual and group travel worldwide. Develops event-related documentation and approaches for solving complex business improvement issues or problems. Performs travel audits, cost benefit analysis, and risk analysis to prioritize organizational goals and map projects to align with project objectives and priorities. Provides cost estimates, detailed travel itineraries, purchase air and local ground transportation. Monitors and create travel expense reports. Creates business needs and business cases as needed for associated adjustments.

- For Financial Management SME: Serve as expert analyst on complex financial projects.

Mastery of the concepts, principles, practices, laws, and regulations of budgeting and/or financing. Conducts financial analyses for programs. Develops narrative materials for program officials. Ability to prepare and report in-depth analysis of data in a very short amount of time. Analyzes specific budgetary and financial areas of concern and recommends procedures and methods for change. Develops, recommends, and implements budgetary/financial policies based on analyses. Conducts regular and special budget analysis to identify trends and patterns. Assesses systems and procedures used to generate financial reports for the quality, and utility of the data and data displays.

Minimum Education:

- Requires a bachelor’s degree in related disciplines.

Additional Knowledge Areas Preferred:

- Eight (8) or more years of hands-on intermediate to expert level experience using

Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Microsoft Visio or similar tools for creating workflow diagrams.

- Knowledge of spreadsheet, database and word processing applications for personal computers.

- Experience working in a collaborative environment.

- Experience managing aspects of grant and cooperative agreement applications.

- Experience evaluating budget justifications and financial arrangements.

- Experience monitoring post-award activities or grants, contracts and procurements.

- Strong oral and writing skills.

- Experience working with scientific researchers.

- Experience working in a Project Management Office.

- Strong skills in the following key areas: strategic thinking, multi-tasking, negotiation, conflict management, time management, planning and executing to a defined schedule/budget.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• The contractor must be able to provide qualified personnel with proven expert experience in: Enterprise Governance, Program/Project Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Strategic Development and Implementation, Data Visualization, Program Analysis and Management Support.

• Help plan and execute stakeholder communications and management activities including but not limited to identifying stakeholders, assessing their needs and expectations, and planning and implementing engagement methods.

• Advise on and help implement change management best practices where appropriate, including but not limited to assisting in communicating details and value for proposed changes and monitoring and planning for assumptions, risks, dependencies, costs, and/or cultural impact that may result from implementing proposed changes.

• Coordinate with enterprise governance and risk management stakeholders to understand and facilitate alignment and/or integration of processes as appropriate.

• Develop and/or facilitate updates to documents and work products, including but not limited to charters, registers, schedules, management plans, analyses, business needs documents, stakeholder communications, presentations, briefings, spreadsheets, forms/surveys, reports, and policy and/or process documents.

• Develop and maintain resources and document organization on Microsoft Teams Sites, SharePoint, Smartsheet, and other storage locations as needed.

• Provide work products that fully comply with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

• Provide examples or documented experience working with Global health NGOs: (i.e., World Health Organization, World Bank, Pan-American Health Organization, U.S.

National Academies, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.).

• Have or have access to staff located in various geographical countries/regions(i.e., Sub- Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Eurasia, South and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and the Caribbean etc.)

• Arrange and pay for conference facilities within the U.S. and abroad (usually low- and middle-income countries) in the region of sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe etc.).

• Provide on-site logistical support abroad, usually in low- and middle-income countries taking place in remote areas.

• Making logistical arrangements for workshops and travel, lodging and other arrangements for research and training activities conducted in the US and abroad.

• Disburse funds in foreign country when on-site as necessary.

• Distribute funds by check, ACH payment, or wire transfer for domestic and international projects and to individuals.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT/INFORMATION SOUGHT

Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer and Specialist. The capabilities statement shall specifically address each task requirement separately.

The vendor response shall also include any other specific and relevant information related to the requirements of this project that will enable the Government to determine the capabilities of the company to perform the specialized requirements described in this Notice. Interested organizations must demonstrate and document in any response submitted to this market survey extensive experience with and the ability to perform all of the specialized requirements elsewhere described.

The capability statement must not exceed ten (10) single sided pages in length using a minimum 10-point font size.

CAPABILITIES/REQUIREMENTS

Capability statements will be evaluated based on the following:

• Demonstrated ability to recruit, retain, and backfill the key personnel position identified above.

• Demonstrated ability to meet all technical requirements identified above and in the statement of work.

• Demonstrated experience successfully performing previous work of similar size and scope.

o At least two (2) examples must be provided, but no more than five (5).

o The response must include the dollar value and the number of FTEs supporting the example. Additionally, provide what percentage of this work was accomplished by your firm versus team members, subcontractors, etc.

Capabilities Statements shall provide the following for evaluation purposes:

The vendor responses must demonstrate their expertise and experience in the areas described above and, in the SOW. Please note that failure to specifically demonstrate capability to provide the required services in your response to this market survey may affect the Government's review of industry's ability to perform these services. The vendor's response shall be in sufficient detail to allow the Government to assess the capability of your firm.

The vendor response shall also include any other specific and relevant information related to the requirements of this project that will enable the Government to determine the capabilities of the company to perform the specialized requirements described in this Notice.

Interested small business organizations are required to identify their size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The Government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

All capability statements must provide the following: 1) company name and address, UEI number; 2) point of contact; 3) phone/email; 4) business size and status under referenced NAICS code; 5) type of small business your organization classifies itself as (WOSB, HUBZONE, etc.).

All capability statements sent in response to this sources sought notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Nicole Freid, Contracting Officer, at nicole.freid@nih.gov and Chris Bocus, Contracting Officer at chris.bocus@nih.gov in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by June 6, 2024 at 5:00 PM, ET and must reference solicitation notice number 75N94024R00028. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time to be considered.

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After review of the responses received, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices may be published in the System for Award Management (SAM). However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The solicitation release date is pending.

mailto:nicole.freid@nih.gov mailto:chris.bocus@nih.gov