Professional and Development Training

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation to negotiate a Firm Fixed-Price type contract to provide training for FDA Clinical and Epidemiological reviewers as well as FDA Statisticians for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation Research (CDER), to be held in Silver Spring, MD. Solicitation 09-223-SOL-00120 is in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6-Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items. This is a solicitation for Professional Development training. This announcement incorporates FAR provisions and clauses in effect through FAR FAC 2005-30. NAICS Code 611430 and the small business size standard is $7.0 million. This solicitation is a total set-aside for small business. The Period of Performance for this requirement is: July 14, 2009 - October 14, 2009. STATEMENT OF WORK: This statement of work (SOW) is for facilitation and completion of work products resulting in 16 days of training to be administered on July 14, 21, 28, 29, 30, August 18,19, September 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 24, and October 13, 14, 2009. The workshops will last 8 hours a day and occur during normal business hours (8 am-5pm). The instructor should have established experience in teaching and researching material in Effective Briefing and Presentation Skills, Negotiation, Interviewing Skills, Interpersonal and Team Communication, Emotional Intelligence: Civility, Conflict Resolution, Creative Thinking & Problem Solving, Active Listening & Memory Development, Leadership, Supervisory Skills, Time, Task and Meeting Management, Study Skills, Professional Presence, Speech Improvement for Non-native Speakers, Basic and Managerial Customer Service Skills. Experience presenting to FDA is also a plus. The Contractor shall coordinate with the Government Technical Representative (GTR) to make logistical arrangements for the event, to include but not limited to, the securing of a venue for this event, coordination of audio-visual equipment for the event, update the Participant and Instructor Manuals, develop a handout package for each workshop, and prepare evaluation forms and advertising materials. The design of the materials shall share a commonality of approach and design. Training #1 - Oral Presentation: The instructor will teach an interactive two day workshop with a systematic approach to planning and delivering effective, focused presentations to small or large groups within FDA. This will cover techniques for establishing clear objectives, remaining on target, responding directly to challenging questions. Additionally, the instructor will touch on the importance of both non-verbal and verbal communicators, professional presence and the use of audio-visual support. Each participant will give short presentations and receive coaching/feedback from the instructor and participants. Presentations will be recorded for individual review. Meeting Schedule: August 18-19, 2009 (8-5 pm) Training #2 - American English for non-Native Speakers: The instructor will teach students to practice articulation and pronunciation of American English in order to improve overall connected speech, particularly when presenting to professional groups. The instructor will teach the use of grammar to create meaningful sentences. Help students become better listeners by learning the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), apply the use of the IPA to assist in pronunciation skills in learning and producing words, discuss the meanings of daily idiomatic expressions that may confuse non native English speakers. Practice with instructor and coaches to achieve improved production. This class is for individuals who were born in other countries and for whom American English is a second or third language. Meeting Schedule: July 14, 21, 28 (8-5 pm) September 10, 17, 24) (8-5pm) Training #3- Speaking Skill Voice and Pronunciation: The instructor will teach students who have spoken American English since birth or most of their lives and wish to improve their overall speech pattern. It targets individual speech pattern awareness and will impart a working knowledge of the ways in which verbal presentation affects human communication, professional image, and general workplace effectiveness. The participants will receive practical exercises and strategies to assist them in improving clarity of pronunciation, identification of standard and non-standard sound and word production and proper usage, establishing their optimum pitch, improve their vocal (voice) power: loudness, rate and variety. Meeting Schedule: July 29-30, 2009 (8-5pm) September 8-9, 2009 (8-5pm) Training #4 - Positive Assertive Training & Constructive Conflict Management The instructor will teach an interactive workshop designed to help participants develop the ability to establish firm personal and professional boundaries. They will learn that healthy attention to one's own wants and needs does not conflict with the principles and respect of others. It will examine the assertive level of each attendee and provide class feedback and usable scripts and practice for quickly focusing a clear message in order to gain attention and /or action from others without feeling guilty or selfish. It will help to establish an unshakeable positive self image, which will help to obtain professional credibility. The instructor will give the student the opportunity to explore the nature, variety, and predictable stages of conflict. The class will examine the attitudes and behaviors of the people involved. They will have the opportunity to practice some effective techniques in dealing with people who are under stress and behaving argumentatively, indecisively, impossibly, or explosively. Emphasis will be place on appropriate assertive communication skills and the power of personal control. Meeting Schedule: September 15-16, 2009 October 13-14, 2009 Award will be made to the offeror determined to be the Best Value to the Government in accordance with FAR 52.212-2 evaluation factors. Evaluation may be made with or without discussions with the offeror(s). Any offer that does not meet the RFP requirements shall be rejected. The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this RFP: FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(s): http://www.arnet.gov/far (FAR); FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2. EVALUATION COMMERCIAL ITEMS (factors of equal importance): FACTOR 1 - Past Performance: Contractor shall provide a list of three (3) sources/references for completed work in the last five (5) years which are similar in scope, magnitude, relevance and complexity to this requirement. Please provide a POC, telephone number, Contract Number, brief scope of work, total dollar value, and period of performance. The FDA may also contact other sources not listed. FACTOR 2- Price: Award will be made to the offeror who represents the best overall value to the Government. The past performance and price are of equal importance when awarding a contract resulting from this RFP. Vendor may complete and reference the following commercial clauses at the ORCA web site: https://orca.bpn.gov/: FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certification-Commercial Items. (Offerors must include a completed copy of the FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certification along with his/her proposal); FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes on Executive Orders Commercial Items and in accordance with FAR 12.603(c) (2)(xii) the following provisions under the clause apply (b)(15) thru (22), Service of Protest (Sep 2006). Proposals shall include all information required in FAR 52.212-1, Schedule of Prices Offered, and a completed copy of provision FAR 52-212-3. Interested sources shall submit all price, descriptive literature and technical proposals, to Michelle Street, (Contract Specialist), email: Michelle.Street@fda.hhs.gov, or alternate Gina Jackson (Contracting Officer), email: Gina.Jackson@fda.hhs.gov. Mail proposal to: Food and Drug Administration, ATTN: Michelle Street, 5630 Fishers Lane, FHA-500, Room 2129, Rockville, MD 20857. Please indicate the solicitation number on the outside of your package. Any incomplete responses or responses received after the closing will not be accepted. Faxed copies of proposal package will not be accepted. The coversheet to the proposal shall have the offeror's information. The price and technical proposal shall only have the solicitation number. The offeror's information SHALL NOT appear anywhere on or in the price or technical proposal. Closing date for receipt of proposals is July 7, 2009 at 2:00P.M. EST. Questions pertaining to the solicitation may be submitted via email. Please include the solicitation number on all correspondences. Phone calls will not be accepted. All questions must be in writing and must be received by June 28, 2009. A consolidated question and answer (Q&A) will be posted on website http://www.fbo.gov on or around July 1, 2009. In order to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, all contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a federal contract. For information regarding registration, contact the CCR website at www.ccr.gov. The FAR requires that prospective contractors complete electronic annual representations and certifications in conjunction with their required registration in the CCR database. These Annual Representations and Certifications are submitted via the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), a part of the Business Process Network (BPN). To register in ORCA, you need to have an active Central Contractor Registration (CCR) record, a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN and your CCR records, and know your DUNS number. Detailed information regarding ORCA and how to submit records is available on the ORCA website at http://orca.bpn.gov under Help and FAQs. Contracting Office Address: 5630 Fishers Lane, FHA-500, Room 2129 Rockville, MD 20857-0001 Place of Performance: FDA Headquarters 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993