Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP)

AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (STFP) PURPOSE: The following Sources Sought Notice is to be used soley for market research purposes, to determine the market's capability and determine the acquisitions strategy. The Sources Sought is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB). The attached documents are draft documents and are subject to be changed. The contract type / contracting vechicle has not yet been determined. I. PURPOSE/BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This is a non-personal services acquisition to provide Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP) services to be overseen by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over any subcontract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Prime Contractor who, in turn, is responsible to the Government IAW the terms and conditions of the contract. The overall purpose of the STFP is to enlist highly qualified non-government Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers (S&Es) to enhance the scientific and technological (S&T) research capabilities and accomplishments of the DAF S&T organizations. These organizations include, but are not limited to, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the United States Air Force Academy (DAFA), the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the United States Space Force (USSF). To accomplish this purpose, two goals must be met. The first goal is to attract Ph.D.-level S&Es, hire them on limited-term appointments, and place these S&Es (referred to from this point forward as research associates) in DAF laboratories. Two categories of research associates are specifically sought. The first category (junior research associate) is for S&Es who received their Ph.D. five or fewer years prior to the time of their application to this program. The second category (senior research associate) is for S&Es who received their Ph.D. five or more years prior to their application and/or have gained national and/or international reputations for the quality and impact of their research. The second goal of the STFP is to ensure that the research conducted by these research associates is well connected to the existing research teams of the laboratories to which the research associates are assigned. In particular, each research associate must be connected with a qualified government S&E who serves as a research advisor and the technical lead for the research opportunity offered to the research associates. Objectives. The objectives of the STFP are provided below. a. Attraction of applicants: The intent of the STFP is to attract a broad and diverse spectrum of applicants with PhDs who are highly qualified to conduct research of relevance to the DAF laboratories where they are placed. An outreach plan is required to address diversity and inclusion of underrepresented communities, Tier 1-3 institutions, and professional societies and organizations. b. Evaluation of applicants: To ensure the stature of the program and the quality of the research associates selected to participate in this program, the contractor shall establish review panels consisting of a mixture of recognized experts in at least five scientific & engineering research disciplines. The panel shall be comprised of at least 85% fellows from a professional society and/or distinguished/recognized endowed chairs from academia, industry, and government. The review panels will evaluate applicant packages to identify those applicants that are qualified for the program in general and for the specific opportunity that he/she is applying for. Final selection of an applicant to become a research associate will be made by the Government based upon the review panel's recommendations. c. Evaluation of Government research advisors and proposed research topics: All DAF organizations seeking to place research associates at their location through STFP must provide the STFP contractor with names of Government research advisors and research topic area descriptions for which they are advisors. The STFP contractor shall have executed and managed review boards within the last five years (September 2017 - Present). The STFP contractor will recommend a set of criteria to the Government Program Manager (GPM) that the Government research advisors and the S&T areas must satisfy to be included in the program. Upon approval of these criteria, the STFP contractor will provide external review panels that consist of highly qualified experts to evaluate the qualifications, in accordance with the agreed-upon criteria, of the proposed Government research advisors and their research topics provided by the DAF organizations. Final selection of a proposed Government research advisor will be made by the government based upon the review panel's recommendations. d. Placement and management of research associates: The STFP contractor will continue to have a relationship with the applicants who are selected to become research associates by the government and place them at designated locations on the Government's behalf. The STFP contractor shall remain in charge of all research associates, accomplishing all the relevant activities that are necessary. II. CAPABILITY STATEMENT: Capability Statements in response to this notice must include: Briefly describe the capabilities of your company and the nature of the services you provide. Describe your company's experience on previous projects similar in complexity to this requirement. III. BUSINESS INFORMATION: Business Information in response to this notice must include the following: Company/Institute Name: Address: Point of Contact: CAGE Code: Phone Number: E-mail Address: Web Page URL: Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: Corporate Status Economic Development of Mission Based on the above NAICS Code, state whether your company is: Small Business (Yes / No) Woman Owned Small Business (Yes / No) Small Disadvantaged Business (Yes / No) 8(a) Certified (Yes / No) HUBZone Certified (Yes / No) Veteran Owned Small Business (Yes / No) Service Disabled Veteran Small Business (Yes / No) Is your company interested in possible subcontracting opportunities? (Yes/No) IIII. SAM REGISTRATION SAM Registration Required All applicants must: . Be registered in SAM.gov before submitting application; . Provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier as issued by SAM.gov as part of the registration process, and provide a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code as issued by the Defense Logistics Agency through the SAM.gov registration process; and . Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times any Federal award is active, or when any application is under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. V. Forward all Responses & Questions to: Primary Point of Contact : afosr.stfp.sourceselection@us.af.mil Subject line: "AFRL/AFOSR (STFP) MARKET RESEARCH & CAPABILITY STATEMENT. COMPANY/INSTITUTE NAME - Responses must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on?15 OCT 2022.? Responses shall not exceed 5 pages.