SOURCES SOUGHT: ERDC Fellowship Program Administration and Research Support

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

ERDC Fellowship Program Administration and Research Support

Notice Type: Sources Sought / Market Research
Notice ID: PANERD-26-P-0000-027000
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: 541715 – R&D in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
Product Service Code (PSC): R425 – Support–Professional: Engineering/Technical
Size Standard: 1,000 Employees

1. Purpose

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), is conducting market research to identify capable small businesses and other-than-small businesses that can establish and administer an ERDC Fellowship Program.

This notice is issued solely for planning and market-research purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, request for quotation, commitment by the Government, or promise to issue a solicitation or make an award. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs associated with preparing or submitting a response.

Responses will help the Government assess the availability, capability, capacity, and socioeconomic status of potential sources and inform acquisition planning, including any small-business strategy. The Government has not made a determination regarding set-aside status, acquisition approach, contract type, evaluation criteria, or award decision.

2. Requirement Overview

ERDC seeks a contractor capable of serving as an integrator between scientifically accredited universities and ERDC laboratories to establish and administer a fellowship program. The program is intended to enable scientists, engineers, and postsecondary students to perform independent research that addresses ERDC-defined problems and supports science and technology objectives with potential civil and military applications. 

The anticipated requirement is for a single-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which ERDC laboratories would issue and fund individual task orders for laboratory-specific research efforts. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) identifies the following ERDC laboratories as anticipated users: Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Environmental Laboratory (EL), Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL), Geotechnical Structures Laboratory (GSL), and Information Technology Laboratory (ITL). 

The current PWS contemplates a five-year ordering period consisting of one 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. 

3. Scope of Needed Capabilities

The Government seeks information from firms capable of providing end-to-end fellowship program administration, including the ability to:

a.  Recruit, screen, and manage Fellows in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and related disciplines;

b.  Administer fellowship appointments and support research opportunities aligned with ERDC task-order requirements;

c.  Pay Fellows and manage administrative logistics, performance, records, and program operations;

d.  Support fellowship opportunities across the following categories:

• Postdoctoral Fellows;
• Senior Fellows;
• Journeyman Fellows;
• Short-Term Fellows; and
• Summer Student Experience participants.

The PWS describes fellow categories and eligibility requirements that span postdoctoral researchers, established investigators, degree holders, postsecondary students, faculty, and summer research participants. 

e.  Support research opportunities in the following technical focus areas:

• Water Resources and Environmental Security;
• Dynamic and Extreme Mechanics of Structures and Geomaterials;
• Cold Engineering and Science;
• Integrative Geospatial Analytics and Decision Science;
• Resilient Infrastructure and Installations; and
• Digital Engineering and Prototyping. 

f.  Manage task-order-specific travel requirements;

g.  Support onsite collaboration at Government facilities when required, including compliance with applicable facility safety, environmental, security, and operational requirements;

h.  Support background-check, access, and training requirements as applicable to individual task orders;

i.  Manage intellectual-property-related administrative requirements, including execution and administration of applicable fellow intellectual-property agreements; and

j.  Provide program-management support, including kickoff meetings, monthly progress meetings, periodic progress reporting, and quality-management processes.

The Government may provide office space, communications connectivity, and information technology equipment when required and available. Task-order requirements will identify specific Government-furnished property, locations, access requirements, deliverables, and travel needs. 

4. Performance Considerations

Respondents should address their ability to support a performance-based requirement in which contractor performance may be assessed on quality, timeliness of deliverables, customer satisfaction, and timeliness and accuracy of invoices and reports. The PWS anticipates contractor quality-management processes and Government surveillance of performance outcomes. 

The anticipated requirement may include, as applicable to task-order performance:

• Virtual and onsite collaboration;
• Government-facility access requirements;
• Antiterrorism, operational security, information-assurance, and related training requirements;
• Suitability or background-screening requirements for Fellows;
• No anticipated access to or exchange of Controlled Unclassified Information under the current PWS; and
• Quarterly progress reports and task-order-specific deliverables. 

5. Requested Capability Statement

Interested firms should submit a concise capability statement of no more than [5] pages, excluding cover page and attachments. Marketing materials alone are not sufficient.

Responses should include:

a.  Company Information

1.  Legal business name;

2.  Unique Entity Identifier;

3.  Physical address;

4.  Primary point of contact, including name, title, telephone number, and email address;

5.  Business size under the NAICS code identified in this notice;

6.  Socioeconomic status, if applicable, including:

• Small Business;
• Small Disadvantaged Business;
• 8(a) Business Development Program participant;
• HUBZone Small Business;
• Woman-Owned Small Business;
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business; and/or
• Veteran-Owned Small Business;

7.  Identification of any existing Government contract vehicles that may be relevant to this requirement.

b.  Relevant Experience

Provide up to three examples of comparable work performed within the past five years. For each example, include:

1.  Customer name and organization;

2.  Contract or agreement number, if releasable;

3.  Period of performance;

4.  Total value;

5.  Description of work performed;

6.  Number and types of participants managed;

7.  Relevant technical disciplines or research areas supported;

8.  Experience coordinating with universities, laboratories, research institutions, or Government organizations;

9.  Experience with Fellow, intern, student, scholar, research-associate, or similar appointment programs; and

10.  Customer point of contact, if available and authorized for release.

c. Technical and Management Capability

Describe the firm’s capability to:

1.  Recruit and maintain access to a diverse, qualified pipeline of candidates;

2.  Validate education, credentials, and eligibility requirements;

3.  Manage Fellow onboarding, payments, performance, records, and offboarding;

4.  Manage concurrent task orders with different laboratory requirements, funding sources, schedules, and technical focus areas;

5.  Support onsite and remote performance;

6.  Manage travel at the task-order level;

7.  Support intellectual-property agreement administration and associated recordkeeping;

8.  Implement quality-control procedures and measure performance outcomes;

9.  Meet reporting requirements and provide accurate, timely invoices; and

10.  Manage applicable personnel-screening, facility-access, and training requirements.

d. Capacity and Business Approach

Provide the following:

1.  Estimated annual capacity for active Fellows by category;

2.  Ability to support the anticipated distribution of effort, which the PWS currently estimates as predominantly postdoctoral fellows, followed by senior fellows, journeyman fellows, short-term fellows, and summer student participants; 

3.  Proposed approach to scaling program support across multiple ERDC laboratories;

4.  Proposed approach to subcontracting, teaming, or university partnerships, if applicable;

5.  Identification of any material risks, constraints, or dependencies the Government should consider; and

6.  Recommended NAICS code(s), PSC(s), contract type(s), and acquisition approaches that best align with the requirement.

e.  Small-Business Input

Small-business respondents are specifically requested to address:

1.  Whether the firm can independently perform the full scope;

2.  If not, which portions the firm can perform as a prime contractor or subcontractor;

3.  Whether teaming arrangements would enable performance of the full scope;

4.  Any barriers that could affect small-business prime-contract performance; and

5.  Recommended acquisition strategies that would maximize meaningful small-business participation while meeting the Government’s requirements.

6. Response Instructions

Reponses shall be emailed to the points of contact identified in this notice. The title of the email shall include the notice ID:  PANERD-26-P-0000-027000

Title each file as: Sources Sought Response – ERDC Fellowship Program – [Company Name]. Use a volume number if you send more than one file.

Responses shall be submitted in searchable PDF format. Do not include proprietary information unless necessary. Clearly mark proprietary information and limit it to the minimum necessary for the Government’s market-research review.

The Government may contact respondents for clarification or to schedule a follow-on exchange. A response to this notice is not required for participation in any future solicitation.

Advance notice of proposal submission requirements in response to any future solicitation

In accordance with DFARS 205.102-70 and the procedures at PGI 205.102-70, the Department of War uses the Solicitation Module within the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) as the secure and auditable mechanism for issuing unclassified solicitations and receiving proposals or quotations. Effective 1 October 2026, contracting officers generally must use the PIEE Solicitation Module for publishing unclassified solicitations and receiving offers and quotations, unless an authorized exception applies. Accordingly, if a subsequent solicitation is issued for this requirement, offerors will be required to submit proposals through the PIEE Solicitation Module and must be registered in PIEE with an authorized user assigned the Proposal Manager role. PIEE registration and assignment of the Proposal Manager role are not required to respond to this Sources Sought notice. This notice is issued solely for market-research purposes, and responses must be submitted in accordance with the instructions contained in this notice.