Online Fellowship Application Systems

Background The Library serves as the research arm of Congress and is recognized as the national library of the United States. The mission of the Library of Congress is to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people. The Library of Congress currently employs over 3,000 staff members and occupies three buildings on Capitol Hill as well as several external sites throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area and overseas. The John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress (Kluge Center) is seeking to completely automate the receipt, data-capture and review process of its fellowship applications (http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/fellowships/ ). At the present time, the Kluge Center conducts up to nine fellowship competitions a year. The total number of applications received, for all nine fellowships combined, ranges annually from 200-300. This number is expected to increase. There are several levels of review for each competition, both by individuals and review panels. Currently, the Office of Scholarly Programs/Kluge Center (Kluge Center) processes the fellowship applications by hand. This is a staff-time consuming, inefficient process both in the entry of the applicant data into the Kluge database and in the handling of the applications. Also, needed statistics and reports for all nine competitions are generated by hand. In addition to constantly seeking new fellowship partnering opportunities, the Kluge Center is striving to broaden and intensify its international strategy to publicize the Center and its fellowship and scholarly research opportunities. The anticipated growth in the number of programs and applicants makes the current data-capture and application-handling process untenable. The Kluge Center is, therefore, seeking to completely automate the receipt, data-capture and review process for its applications. C.1.2 Definitions Terms used with a specific meaning in the requirements are defined as follows: - Module: Always intended to designate a logical grouping of functions (e.g., application functions, review panel functions, reports) but no assumptions are made or implied about system data structures or design. - Software as a Service (SaaS): Browser-based interface-LC data resides off-site, all users log into vendor's system - Software as a Product (SaaP): Off-the-shelf software to that will reside on Library servers - SelectCo: The SaaS/aaP selected to provide the Kluge Center's online fellowship application system - Applicant: An individual applying for a Kluge Center Fellowship or Chair C.2 Scope The purpose of this Solicitation is to acquire an online Service or Automation Software that meets the needs identified in this solicitation document. The system is intended to assist the Library of Congress in completely automating the receipt, data-capture, and review process for applications received with respect to the Kluge Centers nine fellowships. The John W. Kluge Center of the Office of Scholarly Programs requires a system that will provide an online/electronic capability to capture applicant data electronically and to manage the submission, processing and review of chair and fellowship applications. The intent of this solicitation is to make an award that provides for the implementation/installation of the service/software onsite and maintenance for one year afterward. The potential contract will also allow for up to four option periods for continued maintenance of the software that can be exercised unilaterally by the government. Additionally, the Library of Congress seeks for the system to manage review panels, accommodate multiple levels of review, automatically send reminders, and update notifications to reviewers, automatically notify the Kluge Center when a review has been completed. Finally, the system should provide standard statistical and status reports, which should be available by entire program, fellowship, and selected time periods such as fiscal or calendar year. All interested parties are to submit via email to contact@example.gov all questions by July 23, 2014 with the answer being posted on July 31, 2014. NO PHONE CALL. Response are due on August 8, 2014. See attached solicitation under LCLBN14Q0057