SSN 75N95022Q00524.pdf

PRESOLICITATION NOTICE

75N95022Q00524

PROCUREMENT TITLE: Undergraduate Summer Research Preparatory Course Classification Code: U005 NAICS Code: 611210 Size Standard: $27.5 Million

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement, to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

Small businesses are encouraged to respond.

Statement of Need and Purpose:

The purpose of the Scientific Research Preparatory Program is to train and support a diverse cohort of individuals, including those from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in science, and to prepare them to be competitive applicants for the NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) or an equivalent summer research training program in the U.S. The program is designed specifically for rising freshman and sophomore undergraduate students who have little or no prior research experience and intend to pursue a career in STEM-M (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine). In line with the NIH’s notice of their interest in diversifying the scientific workforce (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-031.html), the program will contribute to the development of students at institutions that have a historical focus of serving students from underrepresented populations (i.e., minority-serving institutions) and ultimately foster their career success in the sciences.

Both the enrichment activities during the academic year and the seven-to-eight-week summer course should promote strong mentor/mentee relationships within the institution as well as provide opportunities for students to network with scientists in the local community. A comprehensive curriculum should be offered to introduce students to both clinical and basic research, areas of biology including neuroscience, health disparities across a range of diseases, professional development topics, relevant areas of college readiness, and the many careers in biomedical research and in the field of medicine.

For this program, eligible institutions must (1) award science degrees to undergraduate students (B.S. and B.A.), (2) have a historical mission of educating students from backgrounds that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis, (i.e., African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and U.S. Pacific Islanders), and (3) received less than $6 million per year in NIH R01 support (total funding) within the last calendar year.

R01 support data for the latter requirement can be confirmed using the NIH RePORTER.

Background Information and Objective:

The Scientific Research Preparatory Program is a pilot program to prepare students, including those from traditionally underrepresented populations, for career success in biomedical research and medicine. The objective of this program is to expose diverse students to basic and clinical laboratory procedures and other training activities for scientists. The enrichment activities during the academic year and summer course will also offer mentoring opportunities, professional development and college readiness seminars, career exploration activities, and preparation for applying to the NIH Summer Internship Program (and other equivalent research programs) in future years.

Cohorts of 10-15 students per class level will be expected. Possible topics for a program will be provided, but each offeror is expected to tailor the curriculum to their student population and the existing resources at the institution. Virtual and hybrid (combination of in-person and virtual) program applications will be considered.

Students will acquire new technical and analytical skills, plus participate in professional development seminars and career planning activities. Basic laboratory facilities and access to local medical schools or clinical facilities are highly recommended to achieve the program’s goals.

This research preparatory program should offer hands-on laboratory activities, team-based research projects, and discussions on health disparities and areas of biology including neuroscience. The students shall be exposed to laboratory techniques commonly used in biomedical research, learn how to plan and perform experiments and analyze data effectively, maintain a laboratory notebook, and read and evaluate scientific literature. Students should also participate in a variety of academic support and career readiness seminars on topics such as time management, scientific writing, oral communication, and leadership skills. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about how health disparities affect various diseases and medical conditions that are often more prevalent in underserved rural, and urban communities. The curriculum shall also include a science lecture series; this training activity can give students a chance to interact with the institution’s faculty and distinguished scientists in the local community, to learn about their area of expertise and emerging technologies. Also, having weekly informal discussions about current events related to scientific developments and human health is strongly encouraged.

The following types of institutions are encouraged to apply:

• Hispanic Serving Institutions

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

General Requirements:

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform this Statement of Work.

Specific Requirements:

Level of Effort:

The Contractor shall furnish services, qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government under the terms of this contract. The Contractor must have extensive experience in providing academic support services to students from underrepresented populations as well as coordinating scientific research projects in the areas of biology.

The Contractor must oversee the curriculum in its entirety and provide the personnel for all employment needs of the program. A sample curriculum will be provided by NINDS, and coordination with the institution’s science departments and other local universities are highly recommended for access to laboratory and clinical facilities as well as the curriculum development for various scientific topics such as neuroscience and health disparities.

Government Responsibilities:

Review individual’s credentials before the final selections are made for all levels of the required personnel. No access to government facilities required. Government will not provide any space or equipment to contract personnel.

Delivery or Deliverables

Task 1: Identify qualified key personnel; travel personnel as needed.

Task 2: Define and identify the supplies (both administrative and scientific) as well as all curriculum needs for the entire program.

Task 3: Coordinate with selected personnel to identify the appropriate students for the yearly cohort.

Task 4: Coordinate with selected personnel to provide a list of student enrichment activities that will occur during the academic year. At least two activities (professional development workshops, career sessions, and/or scientific lectures) are required throughout the academic year, during both the Fall and Spring semesters.

Task 5: Coordinate with selected personnel to create the summer curriculum and schedule, including a list of seminar and workshop titles and speakers.

Task 6: Provide a tentative agenda for both the summer welcome and farewell ceremonies to the COR.

Task 7: Create weekly and/or final evaluations for the summer program for participant feedback, collecting data on the effectiveness and areas of improvement of the program, student learning outcomes, satisfaction of training activities offered (both scientific and professional development), the quality of teaching/classroom environment, administrative processes, student demographics, etc. It should be submitted to the COR at the end of the summer program.

Task 8: Track all participant’s academic progression and successes for at least 2-4 years, after completing the program. This could include if the student consistently had a strong GPA during their freshman and sophomore college years (3.0 or above), remained a science major throughout their four years of college, graduated from the university/college with a B.S. or B.A.

in the sciences, and/or participated in the NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) or an equivalent summer research training program as an undergraduate.

Reporting Requirements

The following documents must be provided to the COR for review within a month after the completion of the summer component of the program:

• A list of student participants,

• Finalized selected personnel with CVs attached,

• All training and courses materials used in the program,

• Finalized detailed schedule/curriculum for both the academic year and summer activities,

• Evaluation/survey results of the program, and

• Student tracking data

Travel

One of the program coordinators is required to be onsite during the ongoing activities, during the academic year as well as the summer course. Group leaders and guest speakers may travel to the site when necessary.

Key Personnel

• Two Program Co-Coordinators and Two Group Leaders: at least one program coordinator must have either a MD, PhD, or MD/PhD degree whereas both coordinators and group leaders should have experience working at a minority-serving institution, specifically with undergraduate advising, biomedical research experience, and/or teaching expertise in any area of biological sciences.

• Two Peer Mentors: both must be either a medical or graduate student or postdoctoral trainee who are actively involved in biomedical research at a local university and display a strong commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented populations.

• All personnel must be available from 8am to 5:30pm during the summer course as well as the specific times used for academic enrichment activities.

• All personnel must have experience with laboratory training and various techniques in any field related to biology.

Section 508—Electronic and Information Technology Standards:

Section 508 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that the Federal agencies’ electronic and information technology (EIT) is accessible to people with disabilities. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Final Rule for section 508 (EIT Accessibility) can be found at www.section508.gov and at the Access Board’s Web site at https://www.access-board.gov/508.htm. The contractor must state that it will comply with the requirements of Section 508.

The estimated period of performance:

Base Period: 12 Months

Capability statement /information sought:

Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products or services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Arun Mathur, at arun.mathur@nih.gov .

The response must be received on or before 08/22/2022, 12:00 PM, Eastern Time.

mailto:arun.mathur@nih.gov