Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program

The purpose of amendment #1 is to answer questions received, update the statement of work and evaluation factors as necessary and to extend the due date for proposals.

The due date for proposals is extended to 1:00 PM eastern local time on Monday, April 28th.  The remaining proposal submission instructions remain the same.

See Amendment #1 attachment for additional information.

Offerors responding to this solicitation MUST acknowledge this amendment in order to be considered for award.  Proposals that fail to acknowledge this amendment on their coversheet will NOT be evaluated.

Request for Proposals - HU0001-14-R-0005

Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the Nation's federal health sciences university and is committed to excellence in military medicine and public health during peace and war. We provide the Nation with health professionals dedicated to career service in the Department of Defense and the United States Public Health Service and with scientists who serve the common good. We serve the uniformed services and the Nation as an outstanding academic health sciences center with a worldwide perspective for education, research, service, and consultation; we are unique in relating these activities to military medicine, disaster medicine, and military medical readiness. USU is located in Bethesda, MD on the grounds of the Naval Support Activity Bethesda.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a request for proposals (RFP) in accordance with the procedures of FAR Part 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR Part 15 - Contracting by Negotiation. The RFP incorporates all provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 05-72 (January 30, 2014) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) (March 11, 2014).

During its last accreditation survey of the Uniformed Services University (USU) School of Medicine (SOM), the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) identified "medical student diversity and pipeline programs" (MS-8) as an area of partial or substantial noncompliance. MS-8 states "a medical education program should work within its own institutions...to make admission to medical education programs more accessible to potential applicants of diverse backgrounds. Institutions can accomplish that aim through a variety of approaches, including...academic enrichment programs for applicants who may not have taken traditional pre-medical coursework." USU has identified enlisted military members as a group that is important to our mission to increase diversity and has selected this group for an enrichment program that will provide the academic preparation, guidance and mentorship required for competitive application to medical school.

The Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program-hereafter referred to as the "Program"-directly supports the Department of Defense's Priorities for 21st Century Defense mission to have a "ready and capable force" as well as the Military Health System Strategic Initiative to "implement policies, procedures and partnerships to meet individual medical readiness goals." It does so by retaining highly-qualified, experienced, often battle-tested service members in support of military readiness needs. The Program is also part of a comprehensive plan that supports the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Performance and Readiness strategic goal to "recruit, train, educate and retain a diverse workforce", and the USU strategic objective to increase matriculation from among enlisted service members as a significant initiative for student diversity.

The program will begin in the fall of 2014 and the initial cohort of participants will not exceed 12 students. A new cohort of students will begin each year and is expected to increase to 25 students each year from 2016 forward. There will be a total maximum of 50 students enrolled in the program concurrently starting in academic year 2017.

It is our intent to award a five (5) year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Firm Fixed Price task order contract for these services, with an estimated ceiling of $15,000,000.00. Vendors must be registered in the SAM.gov database (www.sam.gov), with completed certifications and representations by the due date for proposals.

This is a new requirement for USU and there is no incumbent contractor currently providing these services.

Offerors responding to the solicitation, must at a minimum, meet the requirements listed below. Proposals submitted by offerors who do not meet the minimum requirements listed below, will not be considered for award and their proposal will be determined to be non-responsive.

• Accredited baccalaureate degree granting institution, accredited by the U. S. Department of Education and its affiliated bodies, such as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Experience in granting graduate level certificates or Master's degrees, so that students may earn a graduate certificate or Master's degree after completion of the second year of the Program curriculum
• Received a 3-Very Competitive rating or higher by Barron's College
• Located within 50 miles of USU (Bethesda, MD): The service members selected for this program, will be assigned to USU and will be required to commute from their duty station to the selected offeror. The offeror is not responsible for providing housing to members in the program.

Please see attached solicitation and applicable provisions and clauses for this requirement.