SOURCES SOUGHT
C -- Scientific & Technical Services
- Notice Date
- 12/9/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, OJP/Acquisition Management Division, 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20531
- ZIP Code
- 20531
- Solicitation Number
- DJO-NIJ-16-F-0015
- Archive Date
- 1/1/2016
- Point of Contact
- Taye M. Tebo, Phone: 2025148633, Joy Garrett-Bey, Phone: 202-532-0120
- E-Mail Address
-
Taye.Tebo@usdoj.gov, Joy.Garrett-Bey@usdoj.gov
(Taye.Tebo@usdoj.gov, Joy.Garrett-Bey@usdoj.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Office of Justice Programs (OJP) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Scientific, Engineering, and Technical Assistance (SETA) This Sources Sought Notice is being released pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 10 Market Research. The information collected through this process is determined to be market research as described by FAR 2.101 and in accordance with FAR 10.002. This is NOT a Request for Quotes (RFQ), and nothing shall be construed herein or through the Sources Sought process to commit or obligate the Government to further action. In addition, vendors responding to this notice shall bear all risks and expenses of any resources used to provide the requested information. The submission of capability information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary. The Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify qualified and responsible small business vendors (e.g., 8(a); Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business; Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Business; Small Disadvantaged Business; Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business)having an interest in and possess the resources to provide support for the National Institute of Justice and assist in the execution of its extramural and intramural research, evaluation, research and development, forensic, demonstration and international programs. Further the Contractor will assist NIJ in managing logistics and program support for all phases of NIJ programs and initiatives. The scope of NIJ's activity includes strategic planning activities and other program development initiatives. The Government intends to issue a Time & Materials contract for these services. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to these proposed services is 541330. Background The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has a requirement for professional Scientific, Engineering, and Technical Assistance (SETA) support services to assist in its mission to enhance the U.S. criminal justice systems and strengthen investigative and forensic science practice by developing knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels. The skills requirements in the Statement of Work (SOW) demonstrate the depth and breadth of disciplines required for the SETA support services contract. The specialized experience called for in the position descriptions span the entire investigative and forensic science portfolio, including but not limited to: Chemistry; Biochemistry; Polymer Chemistry; Drug Chemistry; Electrochemistry; Materials Science; Physics; Applied Physics; Optics; Chemical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Systems Engineering; Biology; Genetics; Population Genetics; Microbiology; Biochemical Engineering; Environmental Biology; Molecular Biology; Systems Biology; Plant Biology; Anatomy; Anthropology; Toxicology; Medical Science; State & Local Government Technology Policy; Technical Risk Assessment; Technology Performance and Reliability; Product Testing and Evaluation; Product Development; Database Development; and Software Engineering. Scope The scope of this SOW relates primarily to scientific and technical support services. NIJ funds the development of, and provides deployment assistance for, investigative and forensic science technologies. The contractor must have significant experience providing professional scientific, engineering and technical support services to Federal agencies or other entities. While previous experience does not have to be directly related to forensic science, the scientific areas should be translatable to the areas that will be supported by this SOW, which are primarily in the following program areas: OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIVE AND FORENSIC SCIENCES The mission of the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences (OIFS) is to improve the quality and practice of forensic science through innovative solutions that support research and development, testing and evaluation, technology, information exchange and the development of training resources for the criminal justice community. The OIFS' efforts to accomplish this mission are aligned with the Department's mission, OJP's policies, the NIJ's strategic planning, and Congressional appropriations. The OIFS Director reports to the NIJ Director through the Principal Deputy Director. The OIFS Director oversees seven major programmatic portfolios: Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes Program Office; Graduate Research Fellowship Program Office; DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program Office; Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Program Office; Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence to Exonerate the Innocent Program Office; Missing Persons Program Office; and Cold Cases Program Office. These programs will change as new programs are added and current programs are ended. The OIFS Director is also supported by federal staff that provides expert technical and program management advice and a quality review of each program's planning and performance. The OIFS Director will also integrate and coordinate activities amongst the programs, the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, the National Commission on Forensic Science, Organization of Scientific Area Committees and other DOJ offices and Federal agencies. Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes Program The goals of the Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes Program Office are to expand the information that can be extracted from traditional types of forensic evidence, and quantify its evidentiary value; to develop reliable and widely applicable tools and technologies that allow faster, cheaper and/or less labor-intensive identification, collection, preservation and analysis of forensic evidence; and to strengthen the scientific basis of the forensic science disciplines. The program will achieve these goals by investing in research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) and analysis efforts that will increase knowledge and produce fieldable technologies. Breakthroughs in these areas will create new technologies for use in forensic science laboratories and increase knowledge to support the underlying scientific basis of fielded technologies. The program's technology portfolio focuses on multiple areas that include but are not limited to: Forensic Biology (e.g., DNA analysis, RNA analysis, protein analysis, etc.); Forensic Chemistry (drug chemistry, elemental analysis of trace evidence, chemical analysis of evidence resulting from fires/explosives, etc.); Forensic Anthropology (mass disaster victim identification, medicolegal death investigation, identification of missing persons, etc.); Forensic Pathology (toxicological analysis, medicolegal death investigation, etc.); Imaging and Microscopy (analysis and comparison of impression and pattern evidence, microscopic morphological examination of trace evidence, etc.); Spectroscopy/Spectrometry (crime scene investigation, trace materials and chemical analysis, etc.); Forensic Science Laboratory Methods (instrumental analyses, assay development, etc.); and Forensic Science Data Analysis (development of software, statistical methods, databases, etc.) Graduate Research Fellowships Program The goal of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program Office is to increase the pool of researchers who are involved in providing STEM-based solutions to problems that affect criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. Through the GRF-STEM program, NIJ supports STEM graduate education by investing in academic institutions that support outstanding and promising doctoral students. The program will achieve this goal by competitively awarding fellowship grants to graduate students who are enrolled full-time in doctoral degree programs in STEM disciplines at eligible academic institutions; and have proposed dissertation research topics that are relevant to providing solutions to problems that directly affect public safety, crime, and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program The goals of the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program Office are to assist eligible States and units of local government to process, record, screen, and analyze forensic DNA and/or DNA database samples, and to increase the capacity of public forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis. The program will achieve these goals by providing financial assistance in the form of grants and cooperative agreements to States and units of local government with existing accredited crime laboratories that conduct forensic DNA and/or DNA database sample analysis with the ability to upload data to the National DNA Index System (NDIS). Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program The goals of the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Office are to (1) carry out all or a substantial part of a program intended to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiner services in the State, including those services provided by laboratories operated by the State and those operated by units of local government within the State; (2) eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence, including, among other things, a backlog with respect to firearms examination, latent prints, toxicology, controlled substances, forensic pathology, questioned documents, and trace evidence; and (3) train, assist, and employ forensic laboratory personnel as needed to eliminate such a backlog. The program will achieve these goals by providing both formula and competitive grant awards to States to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and/or units of local government. Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence to Exonerate the Innocent Program The goal of the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence to Exonerate the Innocent Program Office is to assist States and units of local government with post-conviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses where actual innocence might be demonstrated. The program will achieve these goals by competitively awarding grants to States, units of local government, and public institutions of higher education to assist in defraying the costs associated with post-conviction case review, evidence location, and DNA testing in violent felony cases where the results of such testing might show actual innocence. Missing Persons Program The goals of the Missing Persons Program are to facilitate the association of unidentified human remains with known reference samples. The program will achieve these goals in two ways: (1) through the Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing Program which provides financial assistance to States, units of local government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and certain qualified individuals to perform DNA analysis on unidentified human remains and family reference samples to support the efforts of States and units of local government to identify missing persons, and (2) by supporting the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) Program which is a national centralized repository and resource center for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. NamUs is a free online system that can be searched by medical examiners, coroners, law enforcement officials and the general public from all over the country. Cold Cases Program The goal of the Cold Cases Program is to utilize advances in DNA technology to facilitate the successful resolution of cold cases. The program will achieve these goals by providing assistance to States and units of local government to identify, review, and investigate Uniform Crime Report Part 1 Violent Crime "cold cases" that have the potential to be solved through DNA analysis, and to locate and analyze biological evidence associated with these cases. Throughout the life of this contract, the contractor shall provide scientific, engineering, and technical support services to NIJ, including, but not limited to, the following areas: 1.1 Strategic Planning for Technology Programs/Activities, including but not limited to the following tasks: o Analyze mission, agency goals and objectives, requirements analysis, organizational performance assessment, special studies and analysis o Provide expert technical analysis of the state of the art in different scientific fields and technology areas o Provide expert technical analysis of technology development cycles and trends o Prepare research studies and reports on different scientific fields, technology areas, and advanced forensic science technologies o Review and analyze academic and technical literature on different scientific fields, technology areas, and advanced forensic science technologies o Identify and communicate with academic and other experts on different scientific fields, technology areas, and advanced forensic science technologies o Organize technical meetings, conferences, and panel discussions on different scientific fields, technology areas, and advanced forensic science technologies o Develop strategic and technical plans for new technology development programs 1.2 Application Evaluation and Selection Support Services, including but not limited to the following tasks: o Provide competent subject matter expertise that supports the evaluation and selection process for Capacity Enhancement and other Technical Assistance (TA) awards. 1.3 Project Management Support Services, including but not limited to the following tasks: o Review and analyze technical data and information produced by RDT&E or TA projects funded by NIJ o Query complex databases, organize and compile large amounts of data into a meaningful document, search for specific information within the databases, and provide recommendations based on findings o Communicate and interact with recipients, subrecipients, and contractors regarding their technical progress and other project-related issues 1.4 Expert/Professional Advisory and Assistance Services o Provide expert professional advice to NIJ programs. o Provide the expertise required to support scientific and technical analysis, engineering consulting, as well as desk audit and onsite or remote technical project review. o Provide expertise to be an effective interface between the NIJ programs supported and the respective community at large. o Ability to identify and translate user/practitioner requirements into specific research and development objectives, illustrate the benefits of applying technology to forensic science laboratory systems, and identify the commercial utility of new products and technology developments. o Provide a keen understanding and strong working relationship with the NIJ program being supported, government agents, performing contractors, and technical community. o Provide expert analysis to a wide range of applied science and technology areas and integrated criminal justice systems in current and future related NIJ program areas. 1.5 Develop Strategic and Technical Plans and Technical Analyses and Assessments for NIJ programs o Assisting in the analysis of investigative and forensic science technologies and research ideas for the formulation of new program areas. o Engage in discussion of technical gaps and solutions to challenges. o Provide expert assessment or propose ideas to identify and translate user/practitioner requirements. o Responsible for assisting the Federal staff with technical oversight, monitoring, and progress assessment of ongoing projects. o Use Excel spreadsheets to document and graph performance measurement data arising out of or relating to RDT&E or TA projects funded by NIJ. Data types will vary by program. Perform analysis of data to evaluate the impact/effectiveness of program(s). Respondents to this RFI shall provide the following information a) Vendor background summary including, contractor name, address, DUNS, point of contact information, email, phone, website address, small business designation, and any GSA schedule number. b) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. c) Past Performance- Provide a list of previous contracts where financial and grant processes support services were provided. Provide customer/Government Agency contact information where these services were provided including: contact name and organization, telephone number, and email address. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to provide services consistent in scope described in this notice and otherwise anticipated. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Submission Instructions: Interested disadvantage and small business vendors who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by Thursday, December 17th, 2015 at 1:00 PM. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Taye.Tebo@usdoj.gov with a courtesy copy to joy.garrett-bey@usdoj.gov.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOJ/LEAA5/LEAA5/DJO-NIJ-16-F-0015/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20531, United States
- Zip Code: 20531
- Zip Code: 20531
- Record
- SN03965716-W 20151211/151209235029-38cb99c4345310fba0a1f9973b7abd54 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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