U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/OFA/AGFS/AMD -- OFA51, 1305 East West Highway -- Station 7604, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

R -- EVALUATION OF EXISTING SEMINAR PROGRAM SOL 40AAEX-8-09038 DUE 020298 POC Bert Szymanski, Contract Specialist, 301/713-0829 X 207 U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition Management Division, Contract Administration Branch, 1305 East West Highway, Station 7604, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281. The Department of Commerce/Bureau of Export Administration has a requirement to procure contractual services to evaluate an existing seminar program utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures. BACKGROUND: The Bureau of Export Administration's, Office of Exporter Services outreach program to the domestic and international business community ensures compliance with the Export Administration Regulations. Through these training sessions, we are able to educate and assist companies to be more globally competitive while at the same time heightening their awareness of the Administration's objectives and ensuring their compliance with the regulatory requirements. Our seminar program offers the exporting community a variety of training programs where companies are given ample opportunity toexpress their concerns and receive knowledgeable solutions to their exporting issues. The new exporter can attend a course which teaches them step-by-step procedures involved in licensing transactions; while experienced exporters can opt for advance courses or specialized training on specific topics, i.e., technical data, encryption, chemical weapons, export management systems, etc. In addition, the Office of Exporter Services develops brochures and other written guidance to help exporters comply with the Export Administration Regulations. Each year approximately 140 export control seminars, ranging from introductory courses to advanced sector-specific workshops, are conducted. We average 150 company representatives at these seminars. In addition, two Update conferences -- which are designed to provide exporters with the latest policy and regulatory information -- are held each year. The attendance at update conferences averages between 700-800 exporters. PURPOSE: The purpose for this Request for Proposals is to choose a compentent contractor to evaluate our existing seminar program; determine overall effectiveness; identify suggested improvements in all areas; and provide training programs for our seminar speakers. EVALUATION CRITERIA: In order for Proposals to be accepted and eligible for evaluation they must be prepared in accordance with, and comply with, the instructions given in this solicitation. Proposals meeting the requirements and complying with the provisions will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures described. Proposals will be evaluated on a "best value" basis giving due consideration to price, approach, and past performance. Approach and past performance are more important than price. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTOR -- Three (3) references verifying extensive experience in adult education, training design and development. -- Proven track record of dealing with government programs and training analysis. -- Contract should have a "Key Personnel Clause". -- Located in the Washington Metropolitan area. STATEMENT OF WORK Start Date: Week of February 23 PHASE 1 -- The Contractor shall perform a complete review and assessment of mission, goals, design, approach, and materials of the Office of Exporter Services' seminar program. This will be accomplished through: -- Series of meetings -- NTE 8 hours -- with relevant members of the Office of Exporter Services (OEXS) to discuss the goals and missions of the seminar program and the problems challenging these goals. -- Review of all seminar material (handouts, slides, etc.) for design, simplicity, and visual appeal. -- Conduct telephone interviews with members of the communities served by the seminars to determine reasons for attending, their intended application of what is learned, and their interests and preferences as trainees. Contractor will be provided with a list of up to ten attendees at previous seminars to interview. -- Review of current marketing strategies and identification of ways to increase the appeal of our programs and to create incentives for early registration. -- Audit the effectiveness of current presentations on the audience. This will involve: 1) travel to two (2 day) seminars on the East coast. Intended sites: Charlotte, NC, March 3-5; and Pittsburgh, PA in June 1998 (dates to be announced). The diversity of these programs will provide an opportunity for the contractor to review different formats, agendas, speakers. NOTE: circumstances beyond our control may result in changes to one or both of the planned reviews. If any site or date changes result in a conflict for the contractor, OEXS will be willing to negotiate an alternative schedule. 2) attendance at Update Washington at a local Washington hotel on July 9-11, 1998. All travel/lodging expenses for all three seminars will be booked and paid by OEXS in accordance with Departmental policy. During attendance at these seminars, contractor will: o Video tape each seminar. These tapes will be used by the contractor in assessing the entire seminar program and in identifying areas speakers need assistance. o Review speakers performances and successfulness of the content, delivery, and visual support. o Interview members of the audience to determine if we are meeting their objectives in attending seminar. Contractor is expected to interview at least five exporters per seminar. This will be accomplished through mingling with the audience during breaks and during the luncheon sessions. o Evaluate training methods: assess the mix of lectures, discussions, exercises, Q&A's, video, and other visuals. o Evaluate relationship of visual aids to printed material, the simplicity of visuals, the relationship of spoken words to visual support. o Assess the comfort and convenience of seminars -- room arrangements, schedules, and logistics. -- Revision of our current evaluation form to better assess the quality of the attendees' experience. Revised form will be tested at Update Washington in July. For printing purposes, final product would need to be completed by mid-June. Contractor shall provide a monthly report to the Director, Office of Exporter Services describing phases and deliverables completed during the month. By August 10. 1998, the contractor shall provide a final written report outlining suggested ways to improve the program's objectives, audience responsiveness and retention, organization, training methods, training materials, visual support, room arrangements, and participation. A follow-up meeting with relevant members of OEXS will be held on or about August 15, 1998 to discuss the report findings and to prepare for Phase 2. PHASE 2 -- Training the Seminar Speakers By September 1, 1998, the contractor shall develop and submit for approval the following training programs (Part 1 and Part 2) based on the evaluation of the seminar speakers and problem areas identified during Phase 1. In addition to instructing trainees in ways to improve their existing presentation skills, the contractor shall provide instruction on ways to develop and utilize effective training materials and agendas that hold the attention of the audience. The trainees will consist of a variety of speakers including political appointees, SES, upper level managers, technical and non-technical licensing specialists, lawyers, and enforcement agents. This will require the contractor to evaluate many levels of expertise as well as areas of speciality depending on the individual presenting the material. Part 1 -- Estimated Start Date October 1, 1998 The Contractor shall provide one two hour "basic" public speaking class for political, SES and upper level managers based upon their performance at Update Washington (Phase 1). Class size will be 12 or less. Following the group session, contractor shall schedule one-on-one meetings with each manager to provide private "fine tuning" sessions. Individual sessions shall be one hour in length. Part 2 -- Estimated Start Date January 12, 1999 The Contractor shallprovide two basic public speaking classes for other BXA seminar speakers. Contractor shall have had the opportunity to monitor some (but not all) of these individual's presentation skills in previous seminars. Class sizes will be 12 or less. Daily schedule should be at least 7 1/2 hours (includes six hours of class room work, one hour for lunch, and two 15 minute breaks). Participants will be tasked with giving presentations during class which will be video taped for one-on-one follow-up sessions with the contractor. Individual sessions shall be one half-hour in length. All proposals shall be submitted on 02 February 1998, 3:00 pm, EST, at: Department of Commerce/NOAA, Acquisition Management Division, Contract Administration Branch, 1305 East West Highway, Station 7604, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281, Solicitation 40AAEX-8-09038. Late proposals will not be considered for award. NOAA intends to make award within the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. (0016)

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