SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- Educational services support for continuing leagl education accreditation
- Notice Date
- 1/12/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Dallas Administrative Center, 7701 N. Stemmons Freeway, 8th Floor, Dallas, Texas, 75247
- ZIP Code
- 75247
- Solicitation Number
- ICEOAQMDOPLA01120901
- Archive Date
- 2/10/2009
- Point of Contact
- Lawrence M. Ayers,, Phone: 214-905-5496
- E-Mail Address
-
lawrence.ayers@dhs.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Principle Legal Advisor (OPLA) has a requirment for services to support their continuing legal education accreditation program. At this time we are seeking potential sources that have the capabilities and experience to handle the requirment listed. All interested parties should provide their complete company contact information to include point of contact and any information on company capabilities and experience as it relates to this requirement by fax or e-mail by the closing date of this notice to Lawrence Ayers, Contracting Officer, FAX 214-905-5568 or e-mail; lawrence.ayers@dhs.gov. Background OPLA’s attorneys are required to remain licensed and in good standing in at least one jurisdiction. Over 40 jurisdictions require attorney to obtain training or continuing legal education (CLE’s) as part of licensure. Each state determines the requisite number of hours or CLE’s, if any, an attorney must acquire and determines how often an attorney must report satisfactory completion of the requisite number of hours continuing education. For example, some states require 12 hours of continuing education per year with a yearly reporting requirement. Deadline for reporting CLE’s varies from state-to-state. OPLA conducts extensive training throughout the year for its attorneys. OPLA seeks to receive CLE accreditation for its trainings or conferences where legal instruction sessions are conducted. Ideally, OPLA would like pre-approval or pre-accreditation for its courses, meaning that a given training would have already been awarded a definite number of CLE credits from each state bar association before the beginning of the training. In the alternative, post-course accreditation is sought. Services Sought OPLA seeks a vendor capable of working with OPLA points of contact, (POC’s), for its conferences/courses/trainings, (CCT’s), and obtaining CLE accreditation for its CCT’s. First, this includes providing to, and then obtaining from OPLA, the necessary forms, information, and materials for submission to the state bar associations. CCT’s specific information packets could include: 1.CCT Agenda. 2.Speaker biographies. 3.Representative course materials. 4.Specific materials relating to ethics/professional responsibility training. 5.Affidavit of Attendance (during training) 6.Daily sign in/out sheets. Second, the vendor assembles and submits the information packets to various state bar associations. In the event a state bar association charged a processing application or filing fee, it would be the responsibility of the vendor to calculate and pay this expense. These filing fees are costs to be borne by the vendor and should be considered in the cost of any bid for services. Third, the vendor provides OPLA’s POC’s with any needed state specific attendance sheets for the CCT’s before the training. If post-course accreditation is sought, these forms should be made available to the attendees from the vendor after approval from the state bar association. Finally, the vendor issues certificates of attendance and/or state specific forms that the attendees need to complete at the conclusion of the CCT’s. The vendor reports attendance to the states bars which require such action by the program provider. The vendor provides Certificates of Completion to each attendee after CLE approval is received from the state bar associations. This certificate may be provided via email. Generally, the vendor is expected to answer any follow up questions from the attendees and/or POC’s, and check on the status of CLE applications. At the discretion of the POC, the vendor will file an appeal of the CLE application with a state bar association. Example One: Pre-Approval Course Accreditation OPLA will sponsor the 2009 New Attorney Training in Dallas, Texas. The POC sends the appropriate information in advance to the vendor, including the student roster which lists the states in which we seek CLE credits. Prior to the training, the vendor completes the appropriate application forms, determines the number of credits to apply for, calculates the filing fees, and submits the final applications to each state bar association. Based on the information submitted, the state bar grants the application and the course is pre-approved. Approvals are sent to the vendor. During the training, the attendees sign in and out of each session (per day) and submit Affidavits of Attendance at the end of the training. Within three business days after the training ends, the POC sends the sign in sheets and Affidavits of Attendance to the vendor, who then electronically sends Certificates of Completion to each attendee. The vendor reports attendee names to the appropriate state bar associations and provides support with any questions that may arise. Finally, the vendor is responsible for tracking any states that denied the application and files a timely appeal at the discretion of the POC. Example Two: Post-Approval Course Accreditation OPLA will sponsor the 2009 Trial Advocacy Training Program in Baltimore, Maryland. Due to scheduling issues, the POC decides to apply for credit after the training has ended. During the training, the POC gathers the sign in sheets and Affidavits of Attendance. After the training, the POC sends this information, along with the agenda, speaker bios, course descriptions, etc., to the vendor. The vendor completes the appropriate application forms, determines the number of credits to apply for, calculates the filing fees, and submits the final applications to each state bar association. Based on the information submitted, the state bar grants the application and the course is approved. Approvals are sent to the vendor. The vendor reports attendee names to the appropriate state bar associations and provides support with any questions or appeals that may arise. Finally, the vendor is responsible for tracking any states that denied the application and files a timely appeal at the discretion of the POC. OPLA as an Approved Provider OPLA seeks to achieve, “Approved Provider” or “Approved Sponsor” or similar status with state bar associations. Requirements for such status vary from state-to-state. The vendor would be expected to obtain this status for OPLA as soon as possible from all states and territories which grant this status. If this process requires keeping and recording data on OPLA sponsored events and accreditation, the vendor would be expected to do so. At the earliest possible time for making the application, the vendor would be expected to apply for the status. All costs associated with seeking this status and any subsequent costs associated with obtaining CLE’s from states having granted OPLA this status would be borne by the vendor during the contract period. Example: Illinois “Accredited CLE Provider” The Illinois Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board may grant Accredited CLE Provider status to providers who establish: “it has presented, within the past two years, at least five separate courses or activities of CLE which meet the standards of the MCLE rules, and the Board’s Provider FAQ; or” “its CLE courses or activities have consistently met the MCLE Rules and the Board’s standards set in the Board’s Provider FAQ’s.” http://www.mcleboard.org/provider-options.htm
- Web Link
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Multiple locations, United States
- Record
- SN01731040-W 20090114/090112215756-ff53d13fef5abcf79456f17d01234870 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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