SmartTalent Recruitment Module for NIST MEP

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is a national network of 59 affiliated manufacturing extension centers and field offices located throughout all fifty states and Puerto Rico. Created in 1988, the MEP network provides services to small and medium sized manufacturers to increase their global competitiveness. MEP Centers are funded by a combination of Federal, State, local and private resources, and work directly with manufacturing firms in their State or sub-State region. Centers provide expertise, services and assistance directed toward improving top-line growth, supply chain positioning, technology development and deployment, process improvements, workforce development, and the application and implementation of information technology in client companies. MEP products and services are delivered to small and medium-sized manufacturers by a professional staff of approximately 1,500 MEP Center practitioners who are employed by the independent MEP centers at nearly 400 locations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Their goal is to help their customers improve by delivering hands-on technical and business assistance. For the purpose of this solicitation, a small and medium sized manufacturing business is defined as having 250 or less employees. Included in MEP's next generation strategies are continuous improvement, supplier scouting, sustainability, technology acceleration and workforce development. Each of these has a consistent set of current or planned product and service offerings across the system of 59 centers with the exception of workforce development. NIST MEP is building a strategic talent management tool targeted for small and medium sized manufacturers as this size of manufacturer typically does not have a human resource department or related infrastructure to support a strategic approach to talent. MEP's approach to developing a strategic management tool for small and medium sized manufacturers is to use a life cycle of talent within a firm. This life cycle includes planning and strategic alignment, recruitment, development and management, and retention and succession planning. MEP has titled this manufacturing talent system SMARTalent (strategic management, acquisition, and retention of talent). The Contractor shall design, develop, test, deploy and provide documentation, training, and technical assistance for the recruitment module of the SMartTalent tool. The NAICS code for this requirement is 541511 with a small business size standard of $25.0 million. Contracting by Negotiation shall be utilized under the authority of FAR Part 15. This requirement is 100% set-aside for small business. A firm fixed price contract is anticipated. The competitive Request for Proposal (RFP), amendments, and all questions and answers related to this procurement shall be made available via the Internet at HTTP://WWW.FEDBIZOPPS.GOV under RFP number SB1341-11-RP-0057. Potential offerors shall be responsible for obtaining this solicitation and related Amendments, if any, from www.fbo.gov after the solicitation has been posted. It is, and will continue to be, the responsibility of each potential Offeror to monitor www.fbo.gov for any amendments or other information related to the solicitation. The Government will not maintain a mailing list. Any communications regarding this acquisition must be made in writing and forwarded via email to contact@example.gov, and shall identify the solicitation number, company name, company address, as well as point of contact email address and phone number. Offerors shall be actively registered in the Central Contractor Registration website at www.ccr.gov, in order to be eligible to receive a contract under this acquisition. NIST anticipates posting the solicitation approximately 15 days after the date of publication of this notice.