NIH Professional Support to Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) Division of Policy and Education in Support of OLAW Mission

This is a sources sought notification for commercial services prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Part 10, utilizing FAR 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. 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 the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541611 - Administrative Management & General Management Consulting Services. Title: NIH Professional Support to Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) Division of Policy and Education in Support of OLAW Mission Purpose It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), to procure expert technical consulting services to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare on behalf of the National Institutes of Health. Background It is the policy of the Public Health Service (PHS) to require institutions to establish and maintain proper measures to ensure the appropriate care and use of all live vertebrate animals involved in research, research training, and biological testing activities conducted or supported by the PHS. The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), OER, NIH, is responsible for the general administration and implementation of the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy). OLAW supports educational and training programs to instruct personnel at PHS Assured institutions in the conduct of humane animal care and use, as required by Public Law 99-158, Animal in Research, the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 and described by the PHS Policy, thereby contributing to the quality of PHS-supported activities. The OLAW Division of Policy and Education requires immediate professional support in developing and producing training materials to assist PHS Assured institutions in establishing and maintaining programs for the appropriate care and use of live vertebrate animals involved in research, research training, and biological testing activities conducted or supported by the PHS. Scope of Work Provide professional staff support to the OLAW Division of Policy and Education for approximately 30 hours per month, from September 30, 2012 through September 29, 2013 with four (4) option years. Required Tasks Independently and not as an agent of the federal government with Director, Division of Policy and Education, OLAW, the vendor will be required to do the following: Assess training and educational needs of personnel at PHS Assured institutions. Develop targeted training and educational modules to meet identified needs. Assess effectiveness of OLAW training and educational programs. Develop and recommend mechanisms for assessing effectiveness of PHS oversight of animal care and use programs. Prepare reports and evaluations of OLAW activities, draft documents (e.g., letters, guidance), and make suggestions to the Director on technical matters requiring expertise in the PHS Policy interpretation, implementation of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations and AVMA Report on Euthanasia. Participate in meetings with OLAW, in person and via electronic media, as necessary. Conduct educational and for-cause site visits as a member of OLAW site visit team. Provide notes, photographs, drawings and written reports relevant to site visit, as request by OLAW professional staff. Attend national and regional educational meetings, workshops, forums, and other activities, related to the implementation of PHS Policy as approved by the Project Officer in order to stay current on issues. Participate in the OLAW Online Seminars program by developing, hosting, moderating, planning, and supporting the webinar series. Mandatory Requirements Extensive knowledge and experience in education and training, including academic biomedical research education, secondary education, adult education, interactive online, and web-based training. Extensive knowledge of and expertise in teaching PHS Policy, Guide for the Care and Use Laboratory Animals, the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations, and the AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia with direct experience in applying these guidelines to biomedical research and animal care and use programs at PHS Assured institutions. Comprehensive understanding and extensive experience with IACUC oversight of animal models research. Experience with animal models research at PHS Assured institutions from an academic perspective (e.g., IACUC, principle investigator, the public). Experience and training in communications regarding the use of animals in biomedical research. Experience in the use of online meeting software (e.g., GoToMeeting) Place of Performance Work will be performed remotely and onsite at OLAW office located in Bethesda, MD. Other Considerations: The proposed acquisition will be procured in accordance with the policies and procedures under FAR 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which will be considered by the National Library of Medicine. This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quotes (RFQ), nor is an RFQ available. Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice must adhere to the following: (a) Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed 10 pages. (b) The capability statement must identify the responder's: small business type and size; DUNS number; NAICS code; and technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. (c) All capability statements must be submitted electronically no later than 3:00pm eastern standard time on Monday, August 20, 2012 to Raymond Hawkins, hawkinsra@mail.nih.gov. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in 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 a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). Any organization interested in responding to this sources sought notice must provide a statement of capabilities by e-mail and include your organizations business size by 3pm EST on Monday, August 20, 2012. Information may be requested from Raymond Hawkins at hawkinsra@mail.nih.gov. NO TELEPHONE REQUEST WILL BE ACCEPTED.