SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- U~DEVELOP SCIENCE CURRICULUM FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
- Notice Date
- 2/13/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Administration, 6011 Executive Blvd, Rm 538, Rockville, MD, 20892-7663
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7663
- Solicitation Number
- 263-2006-P(BD)-0036
- Response Due
- 2/27/2006
- Archive Date
- 3/14/2006
- Description
- PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS SUBPART: SERVICES CLASSCQD: U?Education and Training Services?Potential Sources Sought OFFADD: National Institutes of Health, Office of Procurement Management, 6011 Executive Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20892-7260 SUBJECT: U~DEVELOP SCIENCE CURRICULUM FOR HIGH SCHOOLS SOL 263-2006-P(BD)-0036 DUE 021706 POC Marcia Goldman, Contract Specialist, 301-496-2302 DESC: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Education (OSE) is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and potential technical capability of small businesses and 8 (a) firms to develop a curriculum supplement on bioethics for high school general biology classes. The intended procurement will be classified under NAICS code 61170 with a size standard of $6.5 million The offeror will develop a curriculum supplement for high school general biology classes on the ethical issues surrounding selected biomedical practices, such as clinical research, genetic screening, and vaccinations. The supplement will be a teacher?s guide consisting of 1) detailed instructions on conducting five classroom lessons, 2) masters for copying student worksheets and other paper-based resources used during the lessons, 3) a teacher?s section on the scientific and ethical content, 4) a section detailing the pedagogical design of the lessons, 5) a section aligning the lessons to the National Science Education Standards (see www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses), 6) a section discussing how the lessons fit into common high school general biology curricula, and 7) a list of relevant references and resources. The offerer will be required to 1) use the National Science Education Standards in designing and developing the supplement; 2) interact with NIH staff frequently throughout the contract period; 3) field test the lessons in schools that represent the intellectual and diversity spectrum found in secondary schools across the nation (test sites must include, but shall not be limited to, a high school in the Washington DC metropolitan area); 4) develop a Web site to house PDF and HTML versions of the supplement including any multimedia components of the student lessons; and 5) provide a formatted copy of the final curriculum supplement in InDesign or Quark Express format including all linked images (as gray scale or cmyk, depending on how the image should print) ready for professional printing. NIH intends for the curriculum supplement to be freely reproduced for classroom use and to be freely distributed to educators across the nation. NIH does not intend for the materials to be used by any organization for sale or profit. This supplement will enrich existing curricular materials, assist high school biology teachers in attaining their educational goals, and engage students in developing critical and ethical thinking skills. Students will gain an understanding of specific biomedical practices by engaging in the lessons within the supplement. They will identify and study the ethical issues that arise as these practices are implemented in society. Students will then examine their own values and beliefs, come to a conclusion that fits within these values and beliefs, and articulate and justify their position on the ethical issues surrounding the biomedical practices. The core of the supplement will be five stand-alone lessons, each taking one or two 45-minute class periods to complete. These lessons should be designed so that they are easily integrated into the topics commonly studied in general biology classes in high schools nationwide. Laboratory and computer-based activities may be used when they will enhance the students? learning experience. However, all computer-based activities must have a paper-and-pencil alternative. The supplement?s design must be consistent with other NIH curriculum supplements (see science.education.nih.gov/supplements). All materials developed for the curriculum supplement must be in two formats: print and Web ready. All multimedia must be Web ready and operable using Apple?s Safari and Microsoft?s Internet Explorer Web browsers in Macintosh and Windows platforms. IBM Domino/Notes is OSE?s primary Web server and the application for internal collaborative tasks. All Web development work by the offeror must run under Domino/Notes 7.0 CF (or above). Any database constructed for a student lesson must be designed using Lotus Notes. All Web pages must be in accordance with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (1998). Each Web page of the final product must conform to the NIH Curriculum Supplement Series Web Style Guide (see science.education.nih.gov/supplements/styleguide). The offeror must be a nationally recognized curriculum development organization with experience in producing high-quality, field-tested life science curricula for grades 9 - 12 that are currently being used in schools nationwide. The offeror must present a team with the following expertise: 1) life science curriculum developers and educators who have been successful in teaching a diverse range of students; 2) technical writers who are knowledgeable about biomedical issues; 3) specialists in state-of-the-art educational technologies; 4) scientists with experience in biomedical practices, biotechnology and bioethics; and 5) Web developers/Multimedia specialists with proven experience working with IBM Domino/Notes and designing Section 508-compliant Web pages. The offerer will design the supplement using a research-based, student-centered approach to instruction. The educational design philosophy of the supplement should be consistent with the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (see www.project2061.org/publications/bsl). The Standards and Benchmarks apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science. The supplement should emphasize how basic and clinical research contributes to our knowledge of diseases and leads to advances in health care. It should also illustrate the multiplicity of approaches to solving problems on scientific and bioethical issues. The lessons should provide students with opportunities to understand basic, clinical, and bioethical research. They should be dynamic, engaging, and relevant to high school students. The offeror will indicate how the lessons will be tested and evaluated to assess their effectiveness in meeting the learning objectives. The offeror and OSE will meet frequently throughout the entire contract period to ensure that the supplement is scientifically accurate and that the lessons provide creative learning experiences applicable to all students nationwide. The offerer will present mechanisms for ensuring scientific accuracy using their own experts and include a plan for interacting with NIH scientists for content review. The offeror will also provide realistic time lines for development of the supplement and show thoughtful consideration for the needs of teachers with diverse student populations. NIH intends to negotiate a multi-year contract for a period of two years. Firms responding to this market survey should provide only focused and pertinent information. Any major proposed collaborations between the offerer and other entities must have been established prior to this survey and proven effective in producing high-quality science curricula that are currently being used in schools nationwide. If significant collaboration and subcontracting is anticipated to deliver technical capability, the offeror must show that they possess the administrative and management infrastructure to maintain full-time technical and managerial control of the project. Responding firms should provide two (2) copies of a capability statement to the address above within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date this notice appears. Each firm must provide samples of curricular products they designed and developed that are currently being used in the classroom. Firms should also include executive summaries of field tests or formal evaluations conducted for these materials. This market survey is being conducted through the Federal Business Opportunity Web site (see www.fedbizopps.gov) to reach the widest possible audience and to gather current market information.
- Place of Performance
- Address: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT, 6011 EXCUTIVE BOULEVARD, ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND,
- Zip Code: 20892-7260
- Country: USA
- Zip Code: 20892-7260
- Record
- SN00987076-W 20060215/060213211757 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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