Support Services for the National Marine Service's (NMFS) Resident Research Associateship Program

This Request for Information and Sources Sought is for Planning Purposes Only. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this sources sought notice or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. Your response to this Request for Information will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. This request is issued for the purpose of exchanging information to improve the understanding of industry capabilities, thereby allowing potential offerors to judge whether or how they can satisfy the Government's requirements, and enhance the Government's ability to obtain services, at reasonable cost and price, and increase efficiency in proposal preparation, proposal evaluation, negotiation, and contract award. The Eastern Region Acquisition Division (ERAD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Norfolk, VA, on behalf of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is conducting market research in an effort to identify all potential industry sources with the capabilities to provide scientific Research Associates and related management services to effectively administer the comprehensive program administrative effort described herein. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement 541690. This synopsis will be used solely for market research and does not constitute a solicitation. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION NOAA has many laboratories and centers throughout the United States that conduct scientific research in support of NOAA's mission to describe and predict changes in the earth's environment, weather and climate, and to conserve and manage wisely the nation's coastal and marine resources. The Resident Research Associateship Program has two (2) main objectives: 1) to provide postdoctoral or senior scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability opportunities for research on problems, largely of their own choice, that are compatible with the research interests of the sponsoring NOAA laboratories or NOAA center; and 2) contribute to the general research effort of the NOAA laboratory or NOAA center. The Research Associates program offers the very best scientists (recently completed Ph.D.s and experienced scientists) an opportunity to work in NOAA laboratories or NOAA centers in collaboration with NOAA scientists. Scientific research topics of importance to NOAA include, but are not limited to: meteorology, climate and air quality, earth sciences, hydrology, oceanography and limnology, space sciences, fisheries and marine mammals, toxicology, quantitative ecology, environmental modeling, molecular biology, and physiology and microbiology. The Contractor shall provide overall administration services as outlined in this document for the successful conduct of a post-doctoral and senior scientific Resident Research Associates Program for NOAA. Management of the recruitment and selection process and stipend and benefits distribution process that attracts research scientists of the highest caliber must be maintained. The Contractor shall: a) Develop, maintain and update a database of NOAA-submitted Research Opportunities and make these opportunities available to the research and academic communities at large. Research Opportunities must be searchable by potential applicants using criteria of agency, NOAA research adviser name or keywords at a minimum and annual call for updates to the Research Opportunities will be made to the NOAA Research Advisers; b) Recruit the brightest and most talented scientists (new Ph.D.s and senior scientists) to conduct research in NOAA science research laboratories; c) Provide free and open application information and all necessary application forms to the academic and research communities; d) Recruit renowned scientists in disciplines directly related to NOAA's research and convene panels of reviewers with expertise specific enough to evaluate the current applicants and research proposals; collate review panel results; e) Sponsor appropriate U.S. visas for and provide appropriate visa documents and guidance to foreign nationals accepted into the program; f) Provide full research award and detailed program information as well as all necessary forms to accepted associates; g) Pay stipends and advances for stipend and travel, reimburse travel expenses, and offer health insurance and relocation benefits to associates (domestic and foreign) and dependents; h) Provide travel services for relocation (domestic and foreign) of associates and return relocation for foreign nationals, their belongings and their dependents, and for associates' professional and programmatic travel; i) Document and provide monthly statements detailing costs to NOAA associated with stipend, benefits, travel and administrative expenses for individual associates at each NOAA laboratory or NOAA center; j) Coordinate program requirements closely with NOAA, for example, regarding research offers to associates, approval of expenditures by associates, and Contractor visits to NOAA laboratories and NOAA centers; k) In coordination with NOAA, annually conduct staff visits to NOAA laboratories and NOAA centers supporting a majority of the Research Associates (two trips at minimum); l) Maintain demographic data on all NOAA associates and provide summaries annually; m) Comply with all IRS income tax codes for national and foreign national associates; n) Promote the NOAA program broadly to attract the brightest applicants. This contract will be for services support for a NOAA-wide post-doctoral and senior scientific Resident Research Associates Program throughout laboratories of different scientific disciplines as outlined above. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS The interested Contractor response should include the following in their response: - Capability statement (core competencies and other relevant information); - Company size status (small business concern per 13 CFR, educational institution, federal, local or state entity, commercial entity, nonprofit organization, etc.); - Relevant past performance. Relevant past performance is performance under contracts or efforts (within recent years) that is of the same or similar scope, magnitude, and complexity to that which is described in this Request for Information. Include a list of current or previous contracts performed within the recent past that are of a similar nature to this request and include: contract number, name and address of the Government agency or commercial entity, description of work and services provided, point of contact with current phone number and e-mail address, date of contract award, period of performance, initial and current contract value, and the extent of subcontracting. Responses to this RFI are due no later than 12:00pm., August 8, 2014. Responses shall be sent via e-mail to Christie.McCloud@noaa.gov. The electronic copy of your response must be in ".pdf format" and readable by the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Questions pertaining to this notice may be emailed to the Contract Specialist, Christie.McCloud@noaa.gov or the Contracting Officer, Brendon.Johnson@noaa.gov.