Active

Contract Opportunity

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (DOC/NOAA/NESDIS), intends to award a Purchase Order pursuant to Simplified Acquisition Procedures under the authority of FAR Part 13.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). Submit written quotes on RFQ Number 1333MD24Q0004.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-03 (Feb 2024).

This solicitation is being issued as UNRESTRICTED and open to all sources. The associated NAICS code is 541720. The small business size standard is $28.M.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) mission is to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities. Through its 13 bureaus, the Department works to drive U.S. economic competitiveness, strengthen domestic industry, and spur the growth of quality jobs in all communities across the country. The Department serves as the voice of business in the Federal Government, and at the same time, the Department touches and serves every American every day.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a bureau that enriches life through science. NOAA’s reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as NOAA works to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them. NOAA provides environmental intelligence for the nation. From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration, and maintaining marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and more than one- third of America’s gross domestic product. The people of NOAA use research and tools to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers, and other decision makers with reliable and timely environmental intelligence.

National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Services (NESDIS) is a line office which provides timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation’s economy, security, environment, and quality of life. Along with launching and operating NOAA’s satellites, NESDIS manages the product development and distribution of vast amounts of environmental data.

The Total Worker Health (TWH) program is within the NESDIS’ Office of the Assistant Administrator (AA). The TWH program mission is to protect and promote the physical and mental health of the workforce and advance their well-being by transforming enterprise approaches to daily work to create sustained measurable workforce health outcomes. The goal is to train NESDIS’ 150+ supervisors on an annual basis and assess the health outcomes of staff to see if their mental health has improved. The training must be validated by published peer-reviewed research journals and include proof-of-concept studies for their asynchronous supervisor training that validates the improved supervisor's ability to address employee mental health workplace issues. The training must also show improvement in the mental health of the employees they supervise when the supervisor takes the training.

Scope:

The objective is to acquire NESDIS Workplace Mental Health Training Support for Leaders. The product is a one-hour training for senior executives, supervisors, and team leads (collectively referred to as "supervisors") to create an environment that promotes mental wellness and resilience among employees. The training material will emphasize the distinct responsibilities and influence of leaders in fostering a mentally healthy work environment. The content will be founded on peer-reviewed research, supported by multiple studies validating the efficacy of the training program. Furthermore, the source files must be compatible with deployment within the Commerce Learning Center (CLC), utilizing Cornerstone technology as its foundation.

Technical Specifications:

Training Content:

The deliverable is a (1) one-hour training program source files aimed to equip leaders, including managers and supervisors, with essential mental health support skills. Through dynamic exercises and actionable lessons, participants will develop leadership behaviors geared towards enhancing their ability to recognize and address employees' mental health needs. This initiative seeks to significantly contribute to improved workforce retention and overall well-being within the organization. It is essential that the offeror demonstrates the product's grounding in rigorous peer-reviewed research, ensuring that the training content remains accurate and relevant by aligning with established scientific knowledge and industry best practices.

The training content shall cover the following topics:

1. Leaders' Understanding: Assessing leaders' grasp of mental health concepts and their proficiency in implementing supportive leadership behaviors.


2. Program Perception: Gauging leaders' views on the program's effectiveness and favorability in addressing mental health challenges in the workplace.


3. Employee Support: Measuring employees' perceptions of emotional and instrumental support within the workplace environment.


4. Team Belongingness: Evaluating employees' overall sense of belonging within their respective teams, crucial for fostering a supportive and inclusive work culture.

Integration with Commerce Learning Center (CLC):

The Commerce Learning Center (CLC) is the Department of Commerce’s Enterprise Learning Management System, a web-based application to centrally administer all training functions across the Department. The CLC can be accessed from any internet accessible device. It is the enterprise-wide solution through which Commerce employees can enroll in training and development opportunities.

Source Files shall ensure seamless integration with CLC, the training materials shall be provided in a Supplier Quality Requirements Manual (SCORM) files format. This format guarantees compatibility with the learning management systems utilized within NESDIS and DOC/NOAA. Additionally, the procurement mandates that the training be available for a one-time non-volume based purchase. Furthermore, the selected training vendor must provide support during the initial implementation phase to ensure smooth setup within the learning management systems. This collaborative effort will facilitate efficient deployment and maximize the training's impact on mental health support within the organization.

Quote Preparation Costs:

The Government shall not be responsible or liable for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of any technical and/or price volumes in response to this Request for Quotation (RFQ).

Award Without Discussions:

The Government intends to evaluate quotes and make an award without discussions. Quotes should contain the vendor's best terms within the proposed technical specifications. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions and request revisions to quote if it is determined to be in the government’s best interest to do so.

Period of Performance (PoP): 05/06/2024 - 05/13/2024 (5 Days)

Security Requirements

1. Products and services for exchange, refurbishing, or recycling of hardware must comply with NOAA IT Security Manual (ITSM) media sanitization requirements (MP-6) and NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1.


2. Pre-configured hardware must comply with FAR 39.101(c) regulations for adherence to the NIST SP 800-70 Rev. 3 common security configuration checklist program (https://nvd.nist.gov/ncp/repository).


3. New hardware must comply with FAR 4.1302 and be capable of being configured to utilize approved, per FAR 4.1302(b) PIV-compliant (https://www.idmanagement.gov/approved-products-list/) smart card authentication components.


4. In addition, new hardware shall be capable of implementing Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) requirements as required by FAR part 11.002(g). Specifically, unless the agency Chief Information Officer waives the requirement for technology using Internet Protocol, the product must comply with applicable technical capabilities defined in the USGv6 Profile (NIST Special Publication (SP) 500-267) and the corresponding declarations of conformance defined in the USGv6 Test Program. To meet this requirement, vendors and suppliers of IP protocol technology must document their product’s support of the requested capabilities through the USGv6 test program (https://www-x.antd.nist.gov/usgv6/) using the USGv6 Suppliers Declaration of Conformity.


5. The contractor shall comply with the IT Security requirements of the Department of Commerce as outlined in Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR) 1352.239-72, Security Requirements for Information Technology Resources (April 2010), except that development of a Security Authorization Package in accordance with CAR 1352.239-72, section (i) is not required. Contractor personnel will not be provided access to NOAA IT Systems. The procurement package, IT Checklist defines further requirements.

1. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

CAR 1352.213-70, Evaluation utilizing simplified acquisition procedures:

Evaluation Utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures

The Government will issue a purchase order resulting from this request for quotation to the responsible offeror whose quotation results in the best value to the Government, considering both price and non-price factors. “Best value” means the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the Government's estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement. The evaluation criteria below will be used to evaluate the Contractor’s quotation is significantly more important than price. As the technical quotations become closer in quality, price increases in relative importance. The following factors will be used to evaluate quotations:

Factor 1: Technical Acceptability

The purpose of the technical factor is to assess whether the vendor’s quoted item meets all of the provided salient characteristics for the required item.

1. The offeror must demonstrate the training was peer reviewed by experts in the field of Psychology or Occupational Medicine and provide the published journal reference(s) within the proposal.


2. The offeror must deliver a 1 hour training program source files in the Supplier Quality Requirements Manual (SCORM) file format to comply with the Commerce Learning Center (CLC) training system delivered within 5 calendar days of award.


3. The offeror’s End User License Agreement (EULA) must comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or be brought into compliance prior to award.

Factor 2: Price. The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quotation conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government reserves the right to award other than the low quote for a higher quality item.

Each vendor’s quote will be evaluated against technical requirements and will be assigned a rating of “acceptable” or “unacceptable.”

Rating Description:

“Acceptable” - Quote clearly meets the items specifications of the solicitation.

“Unacceptable” - Quote does not clearly meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Additional information is contained within the attachment.

1352.215-72 Inquiries (Apr 2010)

OFFERORS MUST SUBMIT ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS SOLICITATION IN WRITING VIA EMAIL TO (CO/CS email). QUESTIONS SHOULD BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN Friday, April 26, 2024. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

Send inquaries to Darrin.Pape@noaa.gov and beverly.appell@noaa.gov.

Attachments/Links