PRE SOLICITATION NOTICE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), EID Cincinnati, Ohio, has a requirement for Youth@Work Talking Safety Dissemination Project. The CDC intends to award a single Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order in accordance with FAR Part 13. The period of performance is 1 September 2011 through 31 August 2014. Background and Need Since 2000, NIOSH has been working on the development and dissemination of the Youth@ Work: Talking Safety curriculum. The curriculum has been customized for all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and the District of Columbia. The program has been scientifically evaluated and found to be valid and effective in imparting desired knowledge and skills to high school aged youth. A small cadre of teachers and other safety and health specialists has been trained in a few states to deliver a "train the trainer" version of the curriculum to schoolteachers so that they in turn will choose to present the materials to their students. Some teachers scattered throughout the United States are using the curriculum to provide their students with life skills related to working safely, however, no state has yet fully adopted or integrated the curriculum into their high school course of study. The original cadre of teacher-trainers was drawn heavily from high school Career and Technical Educators. NIOSH is now engaged in seeking to facilitate the integration of the Talking Safety curriculum into all high schools nationwide, and seeks this contract to permit exploration of ways to accomplish that goal. One integration project is underway in the state of Oregon. NIOSH seeks to fund another effort aimed at discovering additional effective processes that will lead to widespread utilization of the curriculum within high schools. This three-year NIOSH contract will support a new effort to further expand the outreach activities for the Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum. Lessons learned will be combined with those from the Oregon project to better inform nationwide marketing of the curriculum to schools. There are a number of states that have existing teams focusing on young worker occupational safety and health issues. The dollars available for this procurement are to enhance a team or organization's efforts to further integrate the Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum into high schools within the target area. The two most promising areas of study amenable to new curriculum related to safety and health within high schools include health classes or career exploration classes, however other integration opportunities within high schools are welcomed. The goal is that every high school student will have lessons in how to work safely and that they will understand their rights and responsibilities within workplaces before they graduate from high school. Project Objectives During the three schools years of 2011-2012 though 2013-2014, NIOSH will provide starter funding to further promote the dissemination and institutionalization of the Youth @ Work: Talking Safety curriculum throughout a state or portion of a state such as a large county or region within a state. Flexible approaches leading to use of the curriculum by schools and new partners in the educational system and educationally-based employment communities are desired. The goal is that all high school aged youth within the test state or portion of a state will learn basic life skills taught in the curriculum about workplace safety and health before entering the workforce. The successful bidder will work in collaboration with NIOSH to evaluate the dissemination and institutionalization of the curriculum by tracking 1) the number and types of schools and other educational institutions using the curriculum, 2) in what form they use the curriculum, and 3) the numbers and types of students and other teen workers exposed to the curriculum. In addition, the contractor may also begin exploring new means to pilot delivery of the curriculum such as through online mechanisms. Throughout the three years of the project, the successful bidder will identify and convene an expanded group of stakeholders that will focus on developing and promoting programs for the institutionalization of the curriculum within the schools of that state. They will also identify the most effective ways to have the program valued and adopted for use by educators and youth career counselors, so that at the end of the contract, the curriculum is recognized as an accepted life skill standard program for high school students in the area of workplace safety and health. Special consideration: A successful bidder must demonstrate a reasonable expectation of successful integration of the curriculum into high schools by showing they have access to an existing young workers state team or structure ready to deliver the curriculum and interface with school officials who have authority to integrate new curriculum. A successful bidder must also demonstrate the availability of staff with a minimum of 5 years experience in the area of workplace safety and health for youth and experience in teaching teens and teachers a curriculum that address this issue. The complete solicitation document, and reference material, if applicable, will be available for downloading at www.fedbizopps.gov on or about August 10, 2011 and quotes will be due on or about August 24, 2011. No verbal or written requests for copies will be accepted. It is the responsibility of perspective offerors to stay abreast of additional postings regarding this solicitation at the FedBizOpps internet site. No government-wide notes apply. All vendors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) prior to an award of a federal contract. The website is: www.ccr.gov All responsible responsive sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency.
