SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Short-term (Intermitten) contractor/ Subject Matter Expert for the APSD Program
- Notice Date
- 3/20/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of Procurement, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 1310 NP, Washington, DC, 20229
- ZIP Code
- 20229
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-IC-APSD-2006
- Response Due
- 9/20/2006
- Archive Date
- 9/20/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Background: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operates numerous international programs in various countries throughout the world, which address the entire range of customs and border control operations. To effectively implement these programs, there is a need for the utilization of contractors on an intermittent (short-term) basis. Short-term or intermittent is defined as a single assignment for 180 days or less. Intermittent Contractors (ICs) will be required to perform various tasks such as those associated with training, utilizing specialized equipment, or to provide professional and technical assistance in specific topical areas. The following is a delineation of the types of general services that ICs are expected to provide under their contracts, as required. A more specific description of services or tasks shall be identified and provided to the ICs upon selection and award of a specific contract. TRAINING: The IC shall service as a subject matter expert and/or presenter. He/she may be required to present customs or border control training based on an existing CBP curriculum. Instruction may include, but not limited to, the areas of immigration law, visa security, boarding letters, document screening, port security, intellectual property rights, commercial import/export operations, customs valuation, and aviation and marine interdiction. In general, the topic and contents of the course will be established, in advance, with course material normally provided by CBP. The selected candidate(s) is expected to have appropriate experience and training to serve as an instructor in general and in specific areas of instruction. ASSESSMENTS: The IC may conduct on-site assessments of CBP operations located at U.S. embassies or consulates. Assessments may be general in scope or geared to specific areas, (e.g., areas of immigration law, visa security, boarding letters, document screening, port security, intellectual property rights, commercial import/export operations). Tasks could include interviewing DHS, State and other agencies as well as assessing line operations within the consulate offices. The selected candidate(s) is expected to have the necessary experience and skills to complete an authoritative and professional review of the specific agencies or programs, and to prepare trip reports, summaries, analyses and recommendations. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: The IC may provide technical assistance in highly specialized areas such as immigration law, visa security, legal reform, inspectional technology (high and low tech, port security or specialized field operations. For example, in the area of immigration law, tasks may include the review of consulate procedures that impact on CBP policies and procedures in processing non-immigrant visa waiver issues and/or assessing the need for a CBP presence in a specific location. The selected candidate(s) is expected to possess specialized knowledge, experience, and background related to specific areas of expertise. AGUMENTATION and REPLACEMENT: The IC may augment a technical team or temporarily replace a technical team member. As an additional team member, the IC will undertake general or specific tasks associated with various projects such as the development of an interagency taskforce or the review of policies. As a replacement or fill-in, the IC may replace and assume the tasks of a technical team member who may be away from post for an extended period of time. The selected candidate(s) is expected to possess the necessary knowledge, experience, and skills to serve as an additional team member, or replacement member. TERMS and CONDITIONS: Most IC assignments will be less than 30 days, with adequate advance notice given prior to assignment/ deployment. While some assignments may last up to 180 calendar days, it is not envisioned that an IC would be on duty more than 180 days in a calendar year. If an IC declines more than two assignments, he or she may be excluded from further consideration at the discretion of CBP. POSSIBLE DUTY LOCATIONS: ICs must be willing and able to work in any country in which CBP conducts operations. CBP training and assistance projects are currently ongoing in all regions of the world. COMPENSATION and OTHER REIMBURSEMENTS: 1) ICs will be compensated for their performance on a fixed-priced basis at the rate of $2,400.00 per week for all ICs or prorating thereof (i.e., $480.00/day, $60.00/hour), for the period of time estimated by CBP for completion of the assignment, excluding travel days. 2) All authorized contract work will be paid at the above weekly/daily/hourly rates. There are no provisions for any overtime or premium pay. 3) The IC contract will include reimbursement for the mandatory required medical evacuation coverage, not to exceed $500.00, and medical examination costs up to $500.00, if the assignment is over a consecutive 45 days. 4) All travel will be under U.S. Government travel orders (separate and apart from the contract) and in accordance with applicable U.S. Government travel regulations. NOTE: ICs will be reimbursed for all official travel upon completion of a travel voucher in accordance with an approved travel authorization. The IC will be responsible for purchasing airline or other common carrier tickets subsequent to approval of travel. ICs are NOT authorized to receive an advance for expenses for lodging, meals, and/or travel incidentals. OTHER REQUIREMENTS: 1) Prospective ICs may be required to undergo updated background investigations to obtain a SECRET security clearance from CBP. If for some reason a clearance cannot be granted, the prospective IC may be excluded from consideration from any assignments calling for such clearances. 2) For some specific assignments, foreign language ability may be a requirement for selection. 3) All materials provided to or developed by the IC under a contract are the property of CBP, may not be released to any other party without express permission from CBP, and are subject to return to CBP upon conclusion of the contract or otherwise upon receipt of a request from CBP. CONSIDERATION of APPLICANTS: Interested individuals are to submit their qualifications in resume format, to be accompanied by a completed CBP ? QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INTERMITTENT CONTACTOR which is available at FedBizOpps under the above Reference Number. In order to ensure that full consideration is given, applicants are encouraged to review the form OF-612, available at http://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/of612.pdf. A copy of the current version is available at the above website. Applicants are encouraged to review the information and topics covered on the OF-612 form and ensure that their resumes contain the same data elements that appear in that form. Applicants should NOT use the form OF-612 for the purpose of submitting an application. RESUME PACKAGES (i.e., resume & completed questionnaire) SHALL BE E-MAILED TO CBP.IC@dhs.gov ONLY. DO NOT SUBMIT TO THE CONTRACTING OFFICE STAFF. Resume packages sent to any other address will neither be forwarded nor considered. No acknowledgement will be made by CBP upon receipt of the resume package. Please, no phone calls. METHOD of SELECTION/OPERATION: The CBP Office of International Affairs will evaluate the resume and questionnaire packages received for technical ability. CBP may exclude any applicant from consideration if it is unable to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of his/her qualifications from the documents submitted. Qualified and otherwise acceptable candidates will then be added to a Qualified Bidders List from which ICs are selected and awarded a contract for one or more assignments in the future. Prospective ICs must be physically fit, able to perform the duties of an assignment and may be required to obtain a physical examination and certification that they are fit for travel anywhere in the world for assignments up to 180 calendar days. If selected for a contract award and CBP elects to require that the prospective IC obtain a physical, CBP will reimburse the IC for reasonable actual costs (not to exceed $500.00) by including this item on the contract, as described above. ICs may be required to obtain emergency evacuation insurance coverage. If so, the contract document will provide fro reimbursement of reasonable actual costs for this coverage (not to exceed $500.00). CONTRACT DOCUMENT: Once CBP has identified a requirement and selects a perspective IC, a CBP Contracting Officer will prepare a suitable contract document in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (i.e., FAR, viewable at http://www.acqnet.gov/far/). The Contract document will contain the detailed statement of work for the specific assignment, including services required, estimated time required, country/destination, travel dates, materials and topics to be addressed, and other applicable information. NOTE: Prospective ICs must be registered in the Government CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION (CCR) System at www.ccr.gov prior to issuance of a contract. CBP strongly recommends that applicants complete their registration as soon as possible after submitting an application. The process involves input of business information and registration with Dun and Bradstreet to obtain a D&B number. Applicants selected for an assignment shall not commence performance or initiate travel until a written and signed contract from the Contracting Officer is received. The duration of contract performance shown on the contract document and resulting dollar amount constitutes a ceiling, beyond which the IC performs at his/her own risk. If needs arise which call for the IC to provide services for an additional period of time, the Contracting Officer will issue a modification which provides authorization for continued performance within specified limits. CONTRACT INVOICING and PAYMENTS: Payments are processed by CBP in arrears, in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act as implemented by FAR clause 52,232-25. ICs are to submit an invoice for services rendered under the contract no more frequently that once per month (in arrears), unless otherwise specifically authorized in the contract document. If is suggested that ICs submit their monthly invoice during the first week of each calendar month for services performed during the previous calendar month. IC monthly invoices must comply with the requirements of FAR 32.905. Travel-related reimbursements are handled separately in accordance with applicable travel regulations as indicated in the text above. TAX CONSIDERATIONS: All taxes (federal, state and/or local) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) income reporting requirements are the responsibility of the IC as a 1099 type vendor. NOTE: This announcement is not an offer of employment. Interested applicants who have responded to similar or previous notices issued by CBP MUST reapply for consideration under this Notice. Requirements for the services described above occur on a sporadic basis and there is no assurance or guarantee that all applicants will receive a contract for the services described herein. DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN FEDBIZOPPS: One or more documents available at the FedBizOpps website may be in a compressed ZIP format. Applicants using MS WINDOWS XP should be able to unzip the files without difficulty. Applicants using previous or other operating systems may need to obtain suitable decompression/unzip software (i.e., WINZIP, PKZIP, etc.) to view the files. Suitable software can be obtained at a number of sites on the Internet including the following: http://www.winzip.com/downwz.htm http://www/pkware.com/home_and_small_office/downloads/
- Place of Performance
- Address: Various locations world-wide
- Record
- SN01009885-W 20060322/060320211750 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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