Logisitic and Administrative Support Services for National Center for Education Research and National Center for Special Education Research

General Information: This SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE is to determine the availability of potential 8(a) small businesses that can provide the required work outlined in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS). This Sources Sought Notice is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a commitment by the Government. This is not a solicitation announcement for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this Notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. This does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). Description: The U.S. Department of Education (ED) anticipates the award of a single direct award Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with fixed price tasks and cost reimbursable tasks (related to reimbursing meeting participants for travel costs and honorarium) through the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program, to provide logistic and administrative support services for the National Center for Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) at the Institution of Education Sciences (IES). These activities are designed to assist NCER/NCSER in advancing the rigor and quality of education and special education research by planning meetings, hosting webinars, and creating dissemination materials. In response to this Draft Performance Work Statement (two PWS have been posted, the general overarching PWS for the IDIQ, and the PWS for the first anticipated task order to be awarded), ED hereby requests capability statements from eligible 8(a) contractors. These statements shall be no longer than six pages. The capability statement should describe the qualifications and experience of key staff, as well as related corporate experience and capacity, and have expertise, in each of the following areas: a. Planning, coordinating, and hosting meetings, trainings, and workshops. b. Planning, coordinating, hosting, and creating video recordings (508 Compliant) of webinars and teleconferences. c. Supporting the preparation of meeting summaries based on notes taken during the meeting. d. Delivering high-quality dissemination products (Power Points, brochures, handouts, and videos) under tight time constraints f. Developing print, video, and web-based production materials. g. Graphic design related to government reports and publications as well as government websites. h. Compliance with 508(a) compliance for individuals with disabilities. Objective: 1. This Request for Information (RFI) requests capability statements from 8(a) small business vendors only. 2. This RFI is to assist in a small business determination. The scope of the draft PWS encompasses Contractor support to provide logistical, technical, and analytical support. Tasks include: - Administrative and logistics support for meetings and technical working groups o Site Selection (if space is not available within ED) o Hotel Selection and arrangements for participants o Arranging travel for meeting participants (flight, lodging, ground transportation, per diem) o Reimbursing participants for travel costs and honoraria o Providing audio/video support during meetings o Preparing meeting materials (e.g., handouts, PowerPoint Presentations, name plates, name tags, etc.) o Providing note-taker for meetings and creating summary of meeting - Administrative and logistics support for webinars (live and pre-recorded webinar format) o Coordinate registration for live webinars o Provide webinar recording software and equipment (laptop with high quality microphone) during webinar recording o Create video file from webinar recording and vtt or other file for 508 Compliance for hosting webinar video on IES YouTube page o Provide video editing and re-recording as needed o Create transcripts of recorded webinars and live webinars o Create frequently asked questions documents based on questions asked by webinar participants and responses from NCER/NCSER staff - Administrative support for dissemination activities o Develop print and web-based dissemination materials (e.g., posters, flyers, and other written materials) o Develop short audio and video recordings to be posted to the IES website. o Provide graphic design support for publications and products, tailored for use by target audiences' preferred media and format 3. The SBA uses the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes to establish size standards on an industry by industry basis. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The size standard for this code is based on average annual receipts of $7,000,000 for three most recent completed fiscal years. Based on the size standard established, please provide whether or not your company is small or large. If you are a small business please also indicate if you are an eligible 8(a) vendor. If you believe a different NAICS code is more appropriate please include this in your response. 4. ED will evaluate the capability statements based on the relevant qualifications, knowledge, and expertise demonstrated in the areas below. A solicitation will be issued only to those Offerors that demonstrate the most capabilities in the areas identified below. - Administrative and logistics support for meetings (both pre-meeting, on-site support, and support for travel arrangements and reimbursements for participants) - Administrative and logistics support for live and pre-recorded webinars (including creating webinar recordings that are 508 Compliant) - Administrative support for creation of dissemination materials (including print, web-based, and video materials that are 508 Compliant) Structure of Responses: Offerors should submit capability statements in respond to this RFI by e-mail (only) to the Contract Specialist copying the Contracting Officer by 10 a.m. EST on Aug 3, 2017. The capability statements shall include Company Name, DUNS Number, Company Address, Point of Contact, Telephone Number, e-mail Address, and status/eligibility as an 8(a) vendor. The capability statements shall be limited to a maximum of 6 pages, using 12 point font. Offerors shall include resumes in the appendix Please submit capability statements electronically to Matthew Healey (Contract Specialist) at Matthew.Healey@ed.gov and cc: Sylvia Thomas (Contracting Officer) at Sylvia.Thomas@ed.gov. Disclaimer: The requested information to be provided is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. The government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. Any contract that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this RFI will be the outcome of the acquisition strategy determined by the Department.