SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (SEDI)
- Notice Date
- 6/11/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Washington, District of Columbia, 20528, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20528
- Solicitation Number
- HSHQDC-08-00160-SourcesSought
- Response Due
- 6/25/2008
- Archive Date
- 12/31/2008
- Point of Contact
- Jamala A. Jones,
- E-Mail Address
-
jamala.jones@dhs.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking sources to manage and staff DHS’s proposed Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HS SEDI or SEDI) in accordance with requirements delineated below. MANDATE AND GOVERNANCE The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Section 305 of P.L. 107-296, as codified in 6 U.S.C. 185) (herein referred to as the “Act”), authorized the Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to establish one or more federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC) to provide independent analysis of homeland security issues, or to carry out other responsibilities under the Act. The HS SEDI is intended to provide high-level technical support to DHS that is normally not available within the Government for systems engineering / development and lifecycle management of major homeland security programs, and resource support analyses for DHS components. The HS SEDI shall consult widely with representatives from private industry, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit institutions and incorporate, to the extent practicable, information and perspectives derived from such consultations in carrying out its work. Please see Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.017, “Federally Funded Research and Development Centers”, for qualification and policy regulations, http://www.arnet.gov/far/. DHS SPONSORS’ CONCEPT OF THE HS SEDI DHS Components (hereinafter referred to as “the Sponsors”) conceive that the HS SEDI will operate as follows: * While DHS S&T is the primary sponsor of the HS SEDI, any DHS Component choosing to use the HS SEDI’s services should be viewed as the sponsor for its respective tasks. In general, DHS Components will provide specific technical direction and oversight while DHS S&T will provide general technical, business, financial, and contractual oversight. * The HS SEDI shall meet the special research and analysis needs of its DHS sponsors, whether short-term or long-term, that cannot be met as effectively by using existing in-house or normal contractor resources. The HS SEDI shall provide its DHS sponsors with a network of institutional and individual sources of expertise that could not be contained within a single organization. The HS SEDI shall inform its DHS sponsors and other government policymakers using objective, independent, and high-quality analysis and assembly of information rather than taking advocacy positions. * The HS SEDI shall conduct its business in a manner befitting its special long-term relationship with the Government (i.e., to operate with objectivity and be free from conflicts of interest, to fully disclose its affairs to its DHS sponsors, and to serve the unique needs of its DHS sponsors while holding their full confidence and trust). MANAGEMENT PLAN The Contractor shall provide the necessary space, equipment, and support and technical personnel to establish, set up, and manage the HS SEDI. Contractor management and at least 50% of the full time staff are to be located in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Other staff may be assigned to field offices, including contractor activities, to provide independent analysis in support of systems engineering and development efforts. As further described in Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) 3052.204-71, Contractor staff requiring recurring access to Government facilities or access to sensitive information or IT resources are required to have a favorably adjudicated background investigation prior to commencing work at the HS SEDI. The Contractor will also implement a broad-based consultative strategy to extend beyond its in-house staff and include perspectives from experts in industry, academia, and the non-profit sector. The Contractor shall be responsible for planning and executing such systems engineering and development program analysis as the DHS sponsors may specify. Such systems engineering and development tasks may include, quick-response, ad-hoc analysis and technical support, short-term studies (up to one month), and medium-term studies (1-12 months). However, most HS SEDI tasks are expected to be long-term studies (more than 1 year) that track with DHS sponsors’ major acquisition program lifecycles. The Contractor shall provide a wide range of high-level research, studies, analyses, analytic and computational models, simulations, and other technical and analytical support useful for the development of major homeland security programs. The work will be focused in the SEDI core competencies ─ systems engineering and development, lifecycle management, and resource support analyses ─ which draw heavily on the disciplines of engineering (all disciplines), IT/software engineering, test and evaluation, logistics and data configuration management, and systems engineering. Within and across these core areas, DHS sponsors’ specific needs are expected to evolve over time, and the HS SEDI’s capabilities and areas of concentration will evolve accordingly. Specific task orders will address major DHS program issues. A surcharge of up to 5% may be charged against task orders for DHS cross cutting research and development. The Contractor will be subject to independent audits by a Government accounting agency, the DHS Inspector General, and/or the Government Accountability Office. The Contractor shall be responsible for hiring a certified public accounting firm to conduct: (1) annual financial audits of the operations of the HS SEDI (and certify annual financial statements), and (2) all audits required by law or applicable regulation. TASKS FOR OTHER THAN THE DHS SPONSORS It is not the Government’s intent that an FFRDC use its privileged information or access to facilities to compete with the private sector. However, the HS SEDI may perform work for a non-sponsor provided such work is in compliance with FAR 35.017-3 and applicable DHS policies. This is allowable, provided: * The task is consistent with the purpose, mission, general scope of effort, or special competency of the HS SEDI. * The HS SEDI has received the prior written approval of DHS. * Funding for the projects has been transferred from the funding agency or agencies to DHS for disbursement under the HS SEDI contract. * The HS SEDI and the tasking agency or agencies agree to fully disclose all aspects of the work being performed, including draft documents, to DHS upon request. QUALIFIED OFFERORS RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS It is requested that qualified offerors interested in supporting the HS SEDI submit a statement of their capabilities to perform the work as described in this pre-solicitation notice and submit any suggestions with respect to the forthcoming request for proposal for the HS SEDI. This submission should not exceed 12 pages. Efforts should be made to keep responses as BRIEF as possible, concentrating on substantive information. The Government will not pay for the cost of response submission. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information. DHS will adhere to FAR policy on handling source selection information and proprietary information. DHS will not treat suggestions with respect to the forthcoming request for proposal for the HS SEDI as source selection information or proprietary information. ELIGIBILITY QUALIFIERS DHS intends to award a contract for the management and operation of the HS SEDI using full and open competition. The HS SEDI will be operated and managed by an organization as an autonomous entity or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent organization. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) rules, procedures and responsibilities as described in FAR Subpart 9.5 shall be applicable to any resultant contract and subcontracts. Qualified offerors submitting proposals to operate the HS SEDI must possess a broad interdisciplinary staff with backgrounds pertinent to the environment in which the HS SEDI is expected to operate. Additionally, such offerors must be able to work effectively and in a timely manner with Federal organizations, institutions, and personnel in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS In accordance with FAR 15.201 and 15.202, DHS will offer the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with qualified prospective offerors. The purpose of this exchange is to improve the understanding of the Government’s requirements and industry capabilities, while allowing potential offerors to judge whether or how they can meet the Government’s requirements. This sources sought notice, and prospective offerors’ responses hereto, does not preclude an offeror from submitting a proposal to DHS’s forthcoming solicitation nor does it guarantee contract award to a likely candidate. Responses must be sent electronically to sedi-ffrdc@hq.dhs.gov on June 25, 2008 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Scheduled one-on-one meetings with prospective offerors will be on or about July 9-11, 2008. Qualified respondents will be contacted by the Contracting Officer and or their designee. Facsimile responses are not authorized for this request. This is not a Request for Proposal; and no contract will be awarded as a result of this sources sought notice. It is anticipated that a request for proposal will be issued on or about end of July 2008, with a proposal due date on or about early September 2008.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=2c0a29b23efbe23ba09e3438f4c965a6&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 245 Murray Lane SW Bldg. 40, Washington, District of Columbia, 20525, United States
- Zip Code: 20525
- Zip Code: 20525
- Record
- SN01590981-W 20080613/080611221154-2c0a29b23efbe23ba09e3438f4c965a6 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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