SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Women's Veteran Employment Research
- Notice Date
- 7/24/2013
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, Office of Procurement Services, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, S-4307, Washington, District of Columbia, 20210-0001, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20210-0001
- Solicitation Number
- DOL131RQ21760
- Archive Date
- 8/23/2013
- Point of Contact
- Crystal N Zorich, Phone: 2026937167, Antoinette Ingram, Phone: 2026934582
- E-Mail Address
-
zorich.crystal.n@dol.gov, Ingram.Antoinette@dol.gov
(zorich.crystal.n@dol.gov, Ingram.Antoinette@dol.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- RFQ: DOL131RQ21760 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a commercial service prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 12.6 and (FAR) Part 13 as supplemented with additional information included with this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation that will be issued. Firm-fixed price offers are requested under this Request for Quote (RFQ). This document incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-67. This requirement is unrestricted in competition. The Classification Code is B - Specials Studies and analysis, not R&D, and the NAICS code is 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting). REQUIREMENT: The United States Department of Labor, Women's Bureau is seeking a contractor to provide Women Veteran Employment Research. 1.0 BACKGROUND The Department of Labor (DOL) Women's Bureau was created by law in 1920 to formulate standards and policies to promote the welfare of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment. Women in the workforce are vital to the nation's economic security. The Women's Bureau develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working women; to advocate for their equality and economic security for themselves and their families; and to promote quality work environments. The Women's Bureau aims to empower all working women to achieve economic security. The Women's Bureau conducts outreach to raise awareness among, and to identify and build potential collaborations with, individuals and organizations that can be helpful in the successful implementation of policies and practices that can positively impact working women. The Women's Bureau is made up of a national office and ten (10) regional offices across the country, which enable it to foster and maintain local and community partnerships, and conduct meaningful outreach and education initiatives. This Statement of Work details the requirement for the location at the Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20210-0001. Period of performance: Six (6) months from date of award 2.0 Objectives: Due to their increasing numbers in the U.S. military, women veterans are the fastest growing segment within the veteran population. In 2012 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that women veterans have an unemployment rate of 8.3% versus 6.9% for men veterans. Many public and private sector tools, services and programs for veterans are largely designed with a predominant "male point of view" and do not necessarily meet the distinct needs of women veterans. Literature on women veterans has been primarily concentrated in the medical and mental health fields. Only recently have scholars and researchers turned their attention to other areas of needs for women veterans in the labor force. DOL leads the government's effort on ensuring veterans find good jobs. Women veterans' ability to find employment is lagging in comparison to the male veterans. As DOL prepares for the 1.5 million transitioning service members over the next several years, it must prepare for the needs of that population. What works for the male veteran population may be slightly different than what works for women veterans. The Women's Bureau seeks to address the gaps in research and policy(ies) that might provide meaningful assistance to understanding the needs and issues of women veterans, as well as supporting employer effects in hiring and/or retaining women veterans. The Women's Bureau's efforts will inform the Federal governments ongoing work in supporting employment and training opportunities for women veterans who are transitioning into the workforce. 3.0 Scope: The contractor shall conduct research and support the Women's Bureau in the expansion of its content knowledge on the challenges facing women veterans in the labor force by providing necessary background information and resources, including but not limited to: the identification of relevant literature, research reviews and studies; the identification of published academics, experts and researchers in this area; the identification of key federal and public sector stakeholders that serve or impact women veterans (e.g. employers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities and community colleges, and workforce development professionals). 3.1 Using information from broad-based literature, research reviews and studies, the contractor shall (1) conduct a literature review to examine women veteran social and cultural areas of concentration emerging to include - the reintegration of women veterans into civilian culture, marriage and family concerns including childcare, post-military separation support, and career transition; 3.2 The contractor shall identify policy options that may improve hiring and retention for women veterans, as well as research and data gaps that could inform these policy options; 3.3 The contractor shall prepare a white paper that addresses the critical employment issues of women veterans; 3.4 The contractor shall prepare a report that summarizes the key issues and trends, proposed solution to identified challenges facing women veterans and their employers, ideas, and recommendations. 3.5 The contractor shall research and provide information on the following: 3.5.1 Overview of labor market characteristics of women veterans, including education levels, work experience, diversity and occupational distribution 3.5.2 The unique and different challenges that women veterans face as compared to male veterans and nonveteran women 3.5.3 The biggest challenges for employers/workplaces in hiring and retaining women veteran workers 3.5.4 The types of projects that could focus on providing training and employment services to specific segments of the women veteran population that face significant barriers to employment, such as women veterans with service-connect disabilities, 18-24 year olds, and single mothers. 3.5.5 Promising strategies, practices, or programs for helping women veterans to remain employed 3.5.6 Actions in the area of public policy, further research, and/or areas for enhanced technical assistance and training that would help improve employment opportunities for women veterans. 3.5.7 Education, training, and experience necessary to change the attitudes and working conditions that will better support women veteran workers All travel associated with the services shall be included in the final price. 4.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance shall be for six (6) - months from date of award. 5.0 QUALITY CONTROL The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective Quality Control Plan (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with this SOW. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor's QCP is the means to assure that the work complies with the requirements of the contract. The QCP is to be delivered with the contractor's proposal. 6.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE The government shall evaluate the contractor's performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s). The contracting officer representative (COR) will be responsible for technical administration of the contract and is to assure proper government surveillance of the contractor's performance. 7.0 RECOGNIZED HOLIDAYS The contractor is not required to perform services on the following holidays: New Year's Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday Columbus Day President's Day Veteran's Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day 8.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at either the contractor's place of business or at: U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC, 20210 9.0 HOURS OF OPERATION The contractor is responsible for conducting business, between the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST), Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar government directed facility closings. For other than firm fixed price contracts, the contractor will not be reimbursed when the government facility is closed for the above reasons. The contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this SOW when the government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential. 10.0 TYPE OF CONTRACT The government anticipates award of a firm-fixed price contract. 11.0 PRIVACY Portions of information disclosed during the performance of this task are protected by the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974; therefore, all personnel assigned to this Contract are required to take proper precautions to protect the information from disclosure. 12.0 OWNERSHIP All products and deliverables developed under this SOW are the joint property of the author, U.S. Government, and Department of Labor. 13.0 COMMITMENT TO PROTECT SENSITIVE INFORMATION The contractor shall not release, publish, or disclose sensitive information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with provisions of the following laws and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of sensitive information: 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records). 14.0 CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA AND INFORMATION (a) The contractor and any of its subcontractors in performance of this contract, may have need for access to and use of various types of data and information in the possession of the Government which the Government obtained under conditions which restrict the Government's right to use and disclose the data and information, or which may be of a nature that its dissemination or use other than in the performance of this contract, would be adverse to the interests of the Government or other parties. Therefore, the contractor and its subcontractors agree to abide by any restrictive use conditions on such data and not to: (1) knowingly disclose such data and information to others without written authorization from the Contacting Officer, unless the Government has made the data and information available to the public; and (2) use for any purpose other than the performance of this contract any data which bears a restrictive marking or legend. (b) In the event the work required to be performed under this contract requires access to proprietary data of other companies, the contractor must obtain agreement from such other companies for such use unless such data is provided or made available to the contractor by the Government. Two copies of such company-to-company agreements must be furnished promptly to the Contracting Officer for information only. These agreements must prescribe the scope of authorized use of disclosure, and other terms and conditions to be agreed upon between the parties thereto. It is agreed by the contractor that any such data, whether obtained by the contractor pursuant to the aforesaid agreement or from the Government, must be protected from unauthorized use or disclosure to any individual, corporation, or organization so long as it remains proprietary. (c) The contractor agrees to conduct formal training to make employees aware of the requirement to maintain confidentiality of data and information, as required above, to the end that they will be disciplined in the necessity to refrain from divulging either the proprietary data of other companies or data that is obtained from the Government to anyone except as authorized. The contractor must obtain from each employee, engaged in any effort connected with this contract, an agreement, in writing, which must in substance provide that such employee will not, during his/her employment by the contractor, or thereafter, disclose to others or use for his/her own benefit or the future benefit of any individual any trade secrets, confidential information, or proprietary/restricted data (to include Government "For Official Use Only") received in connection with the work under this contract. (d) The contractor agrees to hold the Government harmless and indemnify the Government as to any cost/loss resulting from the unauthorized use or disclosure of third party data or software by the contractor, its employees, subcontractors, or agents. (e) The contractor agrees to include the substance of this provision in all subcontracts awarded under this contract. The Contracting Officer will consider case-by-case exceptions from this requirement for individual subcontracts in the event that: (1) the contractor considers the application of the prohibition of this provisions to be inappropriate and unnecessary in the case of a particular subcontract; (2) the subcontractor provides a written statement affirming absolute unwillingness to perform absent some relief from the substance of this prohibition; (3) use of an alternate subcontract source would unreasonably detract from the quality of effort; and (4) the contractor provides the Contracting Officer timely written advance notice of these and any other extenuating circumstances. (f) Except as the Contracting Officer specifically authorizes in writing, upon completion of all work under the contract, the contractor must return all such data and information obtained from the Government, including all copies, modifications, adaptations, or combinations thereof, to the Contracting Officer. Data obtained from another company must be disposed of in accordance with the contractor's agreement with that company. If such data or information cannot reasonably be returned to the Contracting Officer (or to a company), the contractor must certify in writing to the Contracting Officer that all copies, modifications, adaptations, or combinations of the data or information have been deleted from the contractor's (and any subcontractor's) records and destroyed. (g) The restrictions stated herein do not limit the contractor's (or subcontractor's) right to use and disclose any data and information obtained from another source without restriction.   15.0 RELEASE OF INFORMATION Work performed under this contract may involve access to information, including specifications, price estimates and other sensitive data. Consequently, the contractor (including individual employees thereof) must not release or communicate, except as required by law or regulations, such information, including any news release, public announcement, or advertising material concerned with this contract, unless authorized by the Contracting Officer. 16.0 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) The COR will be identified by separate letter. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract; perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance; maintain written and oral communications with the contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract; issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications; monitor contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of government furnished property, and provide site entry of contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. PART 2 DELIVERABLES 17.0 The contractor will deliver the following deliverables at the time specified to the COR designated in the contract. All draft documents will be delivered to the COR by e-mail in Microsoft Word format. For draft documents, hard copies must be delivered to the COR upon request. Final versions of all products must be delivered to the COR electronically via e-mail in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats and 20 CD's or DVD's by the date specified. Please note that all written deliverables other than the monthly progress reports submitted to the Department must carry the following disclaimer: ( would check on format details so that it can be easily converted to website, ie for videos mp3 files????) This deliverable was prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Women's Bureau. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to DOL, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 18.0 PRODUCTS, TASKS, SERVICES AND STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS Products (deliverables) Description Standards for Success 1.Written progress reports Must include: • Summary of work completed each month • Summary of work planned for next month • Listing of problems encountered • Proposed solutions for problems encountered • Listing of outstanding items needed from Women's Bureau • Extent to which the project is on schedule • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission by the last day of the month. 2. Work plan and schedule Must include: • Timeline linking tasks and deliverables to specific dates • Strategies for accomplishing goals • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission within 10 days after contract award. 3. Literature Review • Must include a comprehensive literature review to include research studies, white papers, policy briefs, congressional testimony, etc. • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission within 60 days after contract award. 4. Policy Options • Must include policy options that may improve working conditions and opportunities for women veterans as well as research and data gaps that could inform these policy options. • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission within 60 days after contract award. 5a. Draft White Paper 5b. Final White Paper • Must include a draft white paper that addresses the critical employment issues of women veterans. • Must prepare a final white paper, after Draft White Paper. Final White Paper draft language is approved by the Women's Bureau staff, which addresses the critical employment issues of women veterans. • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission within 90 days after contract award. • Submission within 120 days after contract award. 6a. Draft Report 6b. Final Report • Must include key issues and trends, proposed solution to identified challenges facing women veterans and their employers, ideas, and recommendations. • Must prepare a Final Report, after Draft Final Report. Final Report draft language is approved by the Women's Bureau staff that addresses the critical employment issues of women veterans. • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Submission within 150 days after contract award. • Submission within 180 days after contract award. Services Standards for Success 1. Kick-Off Meeting Must include: • clear, comprehensive agenda • feasible plan of action with decision points • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Completion within 10 days after contract award. 2. Final Briefing Must include: • clear, concise presentation • Inclusion of all description items and other necessary material. • Completion within 180 days after contract award. 3. Ad-Hoc Briefings Must include: • availability of key staff with minimal notice • staff is fully engaged and knowledgeable about the status of the project and direct about any potential obstacles, risks, or issues associated with the study PART 3 APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS 19.0 CONFIDENTIALITY The Contractor cannot make use of any information obtained through this agreement for any activity outside the scope of this project. All records developed during the course of this agreement shall be protected from examination by unauthorized agencies or persons. Such records include all forms, computer files, program listings, manuals, documentation, correspondence files, contract records, and reports. The Contractor shall retain all copies in a secure manner with release to the Department of Labor. No materials or any summary of these materials shall be released to any individual or organization without prior written permission from the COR. No work involving information furnished under this agreement will be subcontracted without the specific approval of the COR. In performance of the terms of this agreement, the Contractor agrees to comply with and assumes responsibility for compliance by employees with the following requirements: 1. All work will be performed under the supervision of the Contractor or the Contractor's responsible employees. 2. Any information provided to the Contractor, in any format, will be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract. This information will be treated as confidential and will not be made known in any manner to any person except as may be necessary in the performance of the Agreement. 3. All information provided to the Contractor will be accounted for upon receipt and properly stored before, during, and after processing. In addition, all related output shall be given the same level of protection as required for the source material. 4. All persons employed under this agreement and any Contractor managers and supervisors with access to the records and data obtained and used under this agreement shall sign the attached confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement (Attachment A). The original signed confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement shall be given to the COR prior to the beginning of work on the contract. (See Attachment A for Contractor Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure Agreement). 5. The Contractor shall certify in writing that the data processed during the performance of this agreement will be completely purged from all data storage components of the computer facility in accordance with instructions from the COR. Until purging of all data storage components, the Contractor shall certify that any data remaining in any storage component will be safeguarded to prevent unauthorized disclosure. All records developed during the course of this agreement - forms, computer files, program listings, manuals, documentation, correspondence files, contract records, and reports - and all records and data provided to the Contractor by agencies for use under this agreement remain the property of these agencies and will be handed over to these agencies at the conclusion of the work under this agreement. 20.0 RIGHTS IN DATA AND COPYRIGHT Throughout the period of this Agreement, the Government maintains sole rights to the results and findings produced by this project. The Contractor will not place any unauthorized restrictive or limiting markings or labels on any of the deliverables. 21.0 508 COMPLIANCE In order to meet section 508 accessibility requirements, the Contractor must meet the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Public Affairs Web Information and Communication Technology Section 508 & Accessibility Policy & Standards.   Section 508 Deliverable Requirements Technical standards from 36 CFR part 1194 Subpart B have been determined to apply to this acquisition. Solicitation respondents must describe how their proposed Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) deliverables meet at least those technical provisions identified as applicable in the attached Government Product/Service Accessibility Template (GPAT). Functional performance criteria from 36 CFR part 1194 Subpart C have been determined to apply to this acquisition. Solicitation respondents must describe how their proposed Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) deliverables meet at least those functional performance criteria identified as applicable in the attached Government Product/Service Accessibility Template (GPAT). Information, documentation, and support requirements from 36 CFR part 1194 Subpart D have been determined to apply to this acquisition. Solicitation respondents must describe how the information, documentation, and support proposed for Web Application deliverables meet at least those information, documentation, and support requirements identified as applicable in the attached Government Product/Service Accessibility Template (GPAT). Section 508 Evaluation Factors Responses to this solicitation will only be considered for award after it has been determined that the proposal adequately addresses the requirements for Section 508. Only proposals which contain adequate information to document their responsiveness to the Section 508 requirements (e.g. a completed GPAT, VPAT or equivalent and supporting documentation) will be eligible for any additional merit consideration. Section 508 Acceptance Criteria Web Applications delivered as a result of this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of identified Section 508 requirements for accessibility. Web applications delivered must include a completed GPAT, a sample of which is included as a part of this solicitation. Web Application outputs/deliverables should meet applicable accessibility requirements and should not adversely affect accessibility features of existing EIT technologies. The following provisions and clauses apply to this procurement: FAR 52.204-7 - CCR, FAR 52.204-09 - Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel, FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions to Offerors, 52.212-2 - Evaluation of Commercial Items, 52.212-3 - Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-4 - Terms and Condition - Commercial, FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Order - Commercial Items, FAR 52.219-1 (Alt I) - Convict Labor, FAR 52.222-19 - Child Labor, FAR 52.222-21 - Prohibit Segregated Facilities, FAR 52.222-22 - Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports, FAR 52.222-25 - Affirmative Action, FAR 52.222-26 - Equal Opportunity, 52.222-37 - Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, FAR 52.225-13 - Restrictions on Foreign Purchase, FAR 52.232-1 - Payments, 52.232-33 - Payment by EFT - CCR, FAR 52.233-1 - Disputes, FAR 52.233-3 - Protest after Award, FAR 52.233-4 - Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim,, FAR 52.243-1 - Changes - Fixed Price, FAR 52.247-34 - FOB Destination, FAR 52.249-1 - Termination for Convenience (Fixed Price), FAR 52.252-1 - Provisions Incorporated by Reference, FAR 52.252-2 - Clauses Incorporated by Reference, FAR 52.252-5 - Authorized Deviations in Provisions, FAR 52.252-6 - Authorized Deviations in Clauses FAR 52.212-01 - Instructions to Offerors Quotes shall be submitted in writing on company letterhead and must include the RFQ number (DOL131RQ21760), the company name, point of contact, address, phone number, fax number, DUNS number, any prompt payment discount terms, and all information required under the evaluation criteria. Any questions regarding the RFQ must be submitted no later than 12:00 pm EST on Wednesday July 31, 2013 to ZORICH.CRYSTAL.N@DOL.GOV, please do not call for information. Responses to the questions will be posted as an attachment to the solicitation on www.fbo.gov with no information as to the origin of the question. All quotes shall be received no later than Thursday August 8, 2013 by 3:00PM EST by e-mail to the attention of Ms. Cyrstal Zorich, ZORICH.CRYSTAL.N@DOL.GOV. All responsible vendors may submit a quote that, if timely received shall be considered for award. Quotes shall not exceed 5 MB in size. PROPOSALS WILL BE EVALUATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.106-2 Selection of a vendor for contract award will be based on an evaluation of proposals against the following factors: TECHNICAL EVALUATION: The contractor shall demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirement. PRICE: Please provide LUMP SUM or one TOTAL PRICE as part of the quote for all work being accomplished. Offerors shall not submit itemized pricing as part of their bid. The full text of these provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at http://www.acquisition.gov/far or upon request to the Contracting Officer. Offerors must be registered, and must maintain an active registration in the Central Contractor Registration database found at http://www.ccr.gov and Online Representations and Certifications (ORCA) must be completed at http://orca.bpn.gov or a completed copy of the FAR 52.212-03 clause must be submitted with the proposal. PAST PERFORMANCE: Government databases to include FAPIIS, PIPPRS, and CPARS will be searched. RELATIVE IMPORTANCE: Technical is more important than price. BASIS FOR AWARD: Contract award will be made to the responsive vendor whose quote represents the BEST VALUE to the Government. This is an "all or none" requirement and will be awarded on one contract. Multiple contracts will not be issued. Vendors who do not quote the entire package requested will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated. IAW FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Reps and Certs - An Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at http://orca.bpn.gov. If an Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at the ORCA website, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (m) of this provision and must submit these paragraphs with their proposal. All quotes shall be received no later than Thursday August 8, 2013 by 3:00PM EST by E-mail to the attention of Ms. Crystal Zorich, ZORICH.CRYSTAL.N@DOL.GOV. Quotes shall not exceed 5MB is size.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOL/OASAM/WashingtonDC/DOL131RQ21760/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20219, United States
- Zip Code: 20219
- Zip Code: 20219
- Record
- SN03126266-W 20130726/130724235819-3558ffc53e3c9dca1fd08b74160a0596 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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