SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- JPSM Educational Services in Survey Methodology
- Notice Date
- 6/22/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, U. S. Census Bureau, Suitland, Acquisition Division Room 3J438, Washington, DC, 20233, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- UMD-JPSM-07-YM062207
- Response Due
- 7/9/2007
- Archive Date
- 7/24/2007
- Description
- THIS IS INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO FAR 6.302-1. THIS CONSTITUTES THE ONLY WRITTEN NOTICE, NO OTHER NOTICE OR SOLICITATION SHALL BE ISSUED AS A RESULT OF THIS NOTICE. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 611710 Educational Support Services, with a Size Standard of $6.5M. The University of Maryland (UMD) has been providing the Bureau of the Census (BOC) with a curriculum of courses specialized in the field of survey research and methodology since 1992. The BOC has an ongoing need to attract and recruit top students in the field of survey research and methodology, as well as provide this field of study for selected, existing employees. These services continue to be required to meet the BOC?s need for training professionals in the emerging interdisciplinary field of survey research and methodology. The curriculum of courses offered is known as the Educational Services in Survey Methodology (ESSM). ESSM meets the BOC need for training professionals in this field. The ESSM program also meets the specific educational needs of the BOC, as the BOC annually supports well-qualified employees in the master?s and doctoral degree programs, in citation and certificate programs, and in various, professional short courses. These programs and courses are designed so that participating individuals gain the maximum benefit from the combination of work experience at the Census Bureau and academic training. Each of these programs has a different target audience. The University of Maryland has the ESSM program as a part of its academic curriculum. The BOC intends to enter into a contract with the University of Maryland for educational services to include: 1) the enhancement of the ESSM curriculum through course development, 2) a compressed video teaching system (to include all materials) and 3) maintenance of the curriculum of UMD courses specialized in the field of survey methodology. In addition, these educational services will serve the needs of BOC in survey research and methodology through graduate degree programs, certificate and citation programs, individual credit-bearing courses, and noncredit professional short courses. These educational services shall be tailored to BOC specific requirements. In addition, the UMD shall develop the academic field of survey methodology to enhance integrated theories and invent techniques to improve the quality of census and survey-based information. Annually, the UMD shall reserve contractually stated quotas for matriculation by current BOC employees. The Contractor shall meet the requirements by performing the following: ? Provide a director and faculty resources to provide classroom instruction for courses. The director shall make day-to-day decisions regarding activities and services under this contract. The director shall be responsible for the overall directions of the work under this contract. ? Provide administrative and computing staff as necessary to meet the requirements of this contract. The UMD shall process student administrative materials, prepare classroom materials, support the technical computing needs of the students, support the technical needs of the UMD compressed video teaching facility. ? Provide consortium UMD management of the various university and corporate entities that provide faculty resources for this contract. This involves active recruitment of other university campuses, and to the maximum UMD extent possible Minority Serving Institutions, in order to enrich the faculty resources for teaching graduate courses and professional short courses, allocation of staff to various courses, and management of the financial support for those activities. ? Provide office and classroom space that consists of faculty, staff, and research assistant offices, a computer laboratory, seminar and work group meeting rooms, and requisite storage space. ? Provide a compressed video classroom at the UMD containing the following or its equivalent: ? ITU H.320 compliant video system using Tandberg brand codec capable of sending and receiving ?duo video? (two live video sources simultaneously via ISDN or Ethernet (Internet Protocol [IP]) ? A classroom with sufficient space for 30 students. ? Develop, enhance and maintain graduate course offerings. The UMD shall annually offer at least 25 semester-length graduate courses in survey methodology each year, including a survey practicum UMD on a topic proposed by the BOC, BEA, Bureau of Justice, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, EIA, NASS, NCES, NCHS, National Science Foundation, SSA, SO/IRS. These courses will be sufficient to fulfill the requirements for citation programs in survey statistics and in survey design, and for M.S. and Ph.D. programs in survey methodology. Under the ESSM, the UMD shall construct new or modified graduate courses and proposed by the BOC. Of the 25 courses offered each year, a minimum UMD of 10 shall contain the results of this collaborative effort (i.e., shall contain Census specific elements). The UMD shall develop, enhance, and maintain a minimum of UMD 10 professional short courses. UMD shall organize an annual program of professional short courses on elementary, intermediate, and advanced topics in survey methodology. The UMD shall recruit instructors for such non-credit courses, prepare teaching materials, administer registrations, and evaluate the performance of instructors and students. UMD shall continue with the citation programs based on an assembly of such courses. ? Expand the national consortium of UMD graduate programs in survey methodology to include additional universities. Through such collaboration the UMD shall enrich faculty strengths and course offerings by forming these ties with other universities. ? Improve the relevancy of the academic UMD curriculum. The content will vary over time. There are two reasons for change over time. The first concerns the rapidly changing scientific literature that offers teaching material for the classes. The second concerns assessing the needs of the BOC students who are participants in the classes. ? Provide on-site courses via compressed video transmission for Census staff. The UMD shall work with the BOC to facilitate this training, coordinate relevant components with other courses and, when judged mutually advantageous, assist BOC experts in teaching selected components of this training. This collaboration will further the application of theoretical results in survey methodology to BOC survey operations. ? Continue to conduct a national competition for junior fellows that selects at least 30 students per year. The UMD shall advertise the program on campuses throughout the US, maintain a web page of information on the program, administer a web-based application process, and organize a national faculty selection board. work performed and deliverables will be performed by the COTR. The place of performance shall be at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, and the Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The period of performance shall be one year from date of award plus 4 option years. The government anticipates awarding a Fixed Price Contract using Part 15 Negotiated Competitive Procurement procedures. THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS OF ONLY ONE SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, THE JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGY, 1218 LEFRAK HALL, COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742. Interested parties may submit responses that demonstrate its ability to provide services in accordance with this announcement, which will be considered within 15 days of the posting of this notice. As a result of analyzing responses to this synopsis of intent to sole source, the Contracting Officer may determine that the action may be competed. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. For questions concerning this procurement, please contact Yolanda J. Mitchell, Contract Specialist, at 301-763-0360.
- Place of Performance
- Address: University of Maryland, The Joint Program in survey Methodology, 1218 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD
- Zip Code: 20742
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20742
- Record
- SN01325651-W 20070624/070622220435 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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