MODIFICATION
R -- National Center of Workforce and Professional Development Initiatives
- Notice Date
- 5/25/2011
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland, 20857
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-ACF-OCC-SBSS-11-003
- Archive Date
- 6/24/2011
- Point of Contact
- Tanya Crawford, Phone: 301.443.0058
- E-Mail Address
-
tanya.crawford@psc.hhs.gov
(tanya.crawford@psc.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your response to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background: The Office of Child Care (OCC) falls within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The OCC supports low-income working families through child care financial assistance and promotes children's learning by improving the quality of early care and education and after-school programs. The OCC is responsible for administering the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) - a program that helps low-income families access child care for children while parents work or participate in education or training. A portion of CCDF also is used to improve the quality of child care. In FY 2010, the OCC awarded $5 billion in CCDF funds to States, Territories, and Indian Tribes through block grants. States and Territories invest $1 billion each year in quality improvements. OCC recognizes workforce and professional development initiatives are at the heart of quality improvement efforts and strongly support systemic quality approaches recognizing that every State and Territory is at a different state of the process. Accordingly, OCC has placed a strong focus on understanding how CCDF programs fund and implement quality improvement. The FY 2012-2013 CCDF Plans revamped the quality section to add questions focusing on professional development and workforce activities. For the first time, States and Territories will set goals to improve their health and safety systems and continuous quality improvement. In addition, OCC is pursuing multiple strategies to collect data on quality. States will report their quality activities and outputs (including key data on workforce activities) on a new Quality Performance Report, which is an annual appendix to the CCDF Plan. In addition, OCC will pursue revisions to the CCDF financial reporting form to better describe spending on quality activity. And, for the first time, OCC will ask for information about the quality of care that children are receiving as part of CCDF administrative data. OCC has established a Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) to support the work of States, Territories, and Tribes that administer the CCDF. In the years 2007-2011, CCTAN projects included: After-School Investments; the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning; Child Care Aware; Child Care and Early Education Research Connections; the Child Care Information System Technical Assistance Project; the Communications Management Center; Healthy Child Care America; the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center; the National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative; the Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center, and the Child Care Improper Payments Initiative. In FY 2011, OCC will reorganize its CCTAN to specialize its technical assistance (TA) in core areas, including the following new projects: the National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement; the National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives; the National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability; and the State Child Care Systems Specialist Network. This Sources Sought notice only addresses the requirements and minimum capabilities for the National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of the National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives is to help States and Territories create pathways to excellence for all child development professionals. All sectors of the early childhood education field require a well-qualified workforce to serve children birth through age twelve. The Center will support efforts to develop a single, integrated and comprehensive professional development system in States and Territories that addresses the continuum of workforce needs pre-service through master teacher. Major objectives and activities to be undertaken are: providing targeted TA to State and Territory grantees as they set goals for their workforce and professional development activities in their 2012-2013 CCDF plans, developing TA products to help State and Territories track progress and identify outcomes and milestones for OCC's new Quality Performance Report, tracking developments in the field in these areas and update state profiles on OCC benchmark; establishing a national consortium to assess and recognize early childhood education credentials; provide TA to support infant and toddler professional development networks with the States and Territories; and facilitate school-age and infant toddler communities of practice related to workforce and professional development issues. Project Requirements: • The Contractor's staff will have expert level knowledge of how CCDF program and policies are administered at the state level; and operational knowledge of and expertise in the broad areas covered by the Center, including the full range of issues and services and new directions within the child care field. • The Contractor will employ a project director with relevant experience in managing projects of this scope and complexity, preferably with CCDF issues and staff that have formal education experience in the administration of high quality early childhood development coordination and early childhood system reform. • The Contractor will share information and coordinate efforts, as appropriate to assist States and Territories as they build and strengthen quality improvement systems, with the National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement and the National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability. • The Contractor will have expert knowledge, expertise, and capability to support the maximum use of technology and distance learning for ongoing communication, knowledge gathering, knowledge sharing, including demonstrated experience in developing web ready material and populating websites. • The contractor will have expert knowledge, expertise, and capability to support the maximum use of technology and distance learning for ongoing communication, knowledge gathering, knowledge sharing, including demonstrated experience in developing web ready material and populating websites; • The Contractor will be able to manage the contract and operate the Center in-house, with a limited use of OCC approved consultants and/or subcontractors. Specifically, key personnel must be employees of the Contractor. Most key positions must be filled by full-time employees. Anticipated period of performance: The period of performance will include one 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. Other Important Considerations: The Contractor is expected to work closely with the OCC and ACF, provide ongoing support, and participate in CCTAN meetings and topical subcommittees, and other activities that involve OCC staff that take place regularly in Washington, DC. Capability Statement/Information Sought: Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement, which addresses the following: 1. Familiarity with and knowledge of the Office of Child Care (OCC), the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and related policies and legislation. 2. Demonstrated ability to provide a) professional staff with extensive child care experience (preferably CCDF); b) professional staff with knowledge and expertise related to quality improvement activities, including child care professional development systems and workforce initiatives; and c) the ability to direct and manage projects of this magnitude, including solid fiscal management. 3. Demonstrated familiarity with other related Federal programs and policies related to early childhood and school age care professional development and workforce. 4. Demonstrated experience in early childhood and school age system-building for professional development and workforce. 5. Demonstrated experience with conducting analysis and synthesis of information; promoting collaboration across programs, agencies or funding sources; developing written technical assistance materials; and providing and facilitating training, consultation and meetings. 6. Demonstrated experience with managing large and complex national technical assistance efforts involving multiple types of tasks simultaneously in several geographic locations, as well as experience specific to child care quality improvements. 7. Demonstrated experience and expertise in producing quality TA products in response to high priority activities and extremely short deadlines. Teaming Arrangements: Teaming arrangements are encouraged. Respondents' must include their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code. Include technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Submissions should be sent electronically to Tanya Crawford, Contract Specialist, at tanya.crawford@psc.hhs.gov. Responses must be double-spaced and single-sided on 8.5" x 11" plain white paper, with 1" margins on all side, using a standard font no smaller than 12 point. The response cannot exceed 20 pages and must be sequentially numbered, beginning on the first page after the table of contents. Cover letters and tables of contents do not count against the page limit. Responses are due June 9, 2011 by 2:00 pm. Responses will not be accepted after the due date. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/PSC/DAM/HHS-ACF-OCC-SBSS-11-003/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Parklawn Building Room 5-101, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland, 20857, United States
- Zip Code: 20857
- Zip Code: 20857
- Record
- SN02457274-W 20110527/110525235358-48b13a6fa88812e08a52310d31ee56c7 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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