Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch, MS2500, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817

D -- DEVELOP A DATA REPOSITORY OF LEARNING RESOURCES SOL 1435-01-99-RFP-31017 DUE 063099 POC Betty M. Estey, Contracting officer (703)787-1352 This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; offers are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The MMS (MMS), intends to competitively award a contract. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WILL BE ISSUED. Develop a system to present computer competency learning lessons using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product that can be adapted to the needs of the US government. The federal government, specifically the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of the Interior (DOI), Minerals Management Service (MMS), are partnering to develop a data repository of learning resources to match a set of developed computer competencies for PC users. These department teams are operating under the aegis of the CIO Council, Education and Training Committee. These resources will be used by employees to develop individual learning lessons. Employees need a mechanism to locate and develop a learning framework given a specific content. The federal government will use this product as a pilot for employees who work in the Washington, DC, area, the DOE's 10 regional offices, plus other small locations and federal offices to be determined. All employees are connected to an intranet and this product would reside within the intranet of the respective agencies and would be available to employees in any location. The product would also need to be accessible to all employees with disabilities. Overall framework for computer competency learning lessons is to be developed using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product which can be adapted to the needs of the government and fulfill such needs as: a method to link standards for competencies to specific learning lessons and requirements; a framework to set up the individualized lesson plans to "hold" the computer competency statements; a database with lesson plans which employees could use instead of creating new ones with sample lessons plans; the ability for employees to develop sample lessons to save for use by others; and the ability to edit these sample lesson plans. An administrative function would allow the DOE and other government customers to add, delete, or make other changes in the links of each of the computer competencies as resources are added or deleted in the future. Also included will be the population of the first seven "generic" competency statements and sub-statements, the data for which will be provided by the government; and the population of all the computer competencies based on COTS packages used for computer learning (Office 97 Suite and Outlook, for example) for the respective agencies, the data for which also will be provided by the government. A framework for the future population of the product (government employees), a mechanism for keeping all external sites current (web links), deleting some of the "canned" lesson plans if they become outdated, and a mechanism for employees to save their plans and to return to add/subtract from them at later dates is incorporated. In addition to the framework for the learning lessons, the contractor will identify existing resources within the government, in the public domain, in web locations, and other appropriate materials to be used to populate the learning lessons. Each of the computer competencies could have as learning lessons one or more of the following: hypothetical scenarios or case studies; links to external web sites; links to internal intranets or other resources; frequently asked questions (which can be updated); links that could include sound and video clips (recognizing that alternatives are required); and links to documents or other resources which would be a learning lesson. The learning lessons should include features which promote interactivity whenever possible. For the remaining unidentified competencies, which are general types of content needed, possible sources, brief description of development projects, and other ideas, the contractor and the government shall determine the next steps to complete the populating of the remaining learning lessons. The learning modules available on The Learning Network (TLN) or which are purchased during the first half of the project period and other DOE resources should be integrated with any computer competencies. The Learning Network team will be the subject matter experts and will supply the computer competency statements, information about ED resources including on-line learning materials, traditional training classes and references, and draft content material which could be incorporated in the "learning lessons." The DOI, MMS team will provide information about learning materials available for DOI employees. The computer-based learning content will be primarily reviewed by The Learning Network (TLN) team of the DOE, with assistance and review by the OCIO Education and Training Committee. The instructional framework must follow the development standard provided by The Learning Network Team and may include, but is not limited to, the following components: help and information screens; general description of reference and learning materials; site map; sample forms; checklists; decision guides; learning lessons which are captured as electronic documents and which are converted to Word 97 documents for printing and future reference; and documentation of completion of learning lesson (available for the individual only). The development standards will be provided to the vendor by the government at award. The product MUST be updateable for future additions, with complete documentation and a standard format that will provide for additional modules to be added annually and/or updated as regulations and requirements change. The DOE's accessibility standards must be met. The scope of this Statement of Need includes all of the DOE employees in headquarters and regional offices. Included inthe training population are employees with disabilities. All development must meet the Department's minimum accessibility standard and the Federal government's standards, whichever is more stringent. A text only version of accessible learning modules will also be developed for this project. The DOE's accessibility requirements can be found at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCIO/, click on Assistive Technology Program button. The DOE's Assistive Technology Team is a resource to test prototypes and to assist with the accessibility testing of the product. The project duration should be no more than six months. The computer-based learning lesson system must allow for an ability to update content on a regular basis and in within a timeframe that is acceptable to the government. Updates may be done by Department employees or designated contractors who work with the network. All materials will be owned by the Federal government and may be distributed to other federal agencies without restrictions. In fact, this project is intended to be a prototype for other competency development projects within the Federal government. The proposal shall include a timeline for the development of framework for the computer competency statements. The population of the learning lessons may be developed concurrently or sequentially depending on content relationships. It is important that a standard "look and feel" framework be established as a first step to serve as the standard presentation for all the learning modules. While the learners may be going to various sources, there should be a standard return to the learning lesson site. Pilot test should be conducted to evaluate for user experience and satisfaction after the learning modules are in place to determine if the desired benefits for employees have been achieved, including: easy access to the on-line system; current and complete information (update capability if required); checklists, materials, and other resources centralized to provide immediate availability; and sample forms for review, with examples, help text, and explanations. Corrections, changes, and modifications identified in the evaluation should be implemented in the final product, and some deliverables are required. Prototypes for approval for the each component (as an ongoing process prototypes -- or storyboards when applicable -- are to be submitted for approval before the computer components/programming are added). Incorporate changes in prototypes, components, and storyboards as identified for each step. At each step accessibility review will be required to make sure that the framework is accessible to employees with disabilities. For each competency, the population of the learning lessons must have an accessibility review to make sure that the lesson is accessible or that an alternative can be developed (usually text). BETA for the framework and a sample of the population early in the process to identify changes which need to be made. BETA test is to be done by Learning Network Team and/or employees designated by the Learning Network Team. BETA test may also be conducted by DOI and other government agencies. Pilot tested by a small group of representative federal government users for a minimum of 2 weeks to completion. Modifications required from pilot testing will be made. Implementation of learning modules will be made after modifications. Modifications that will be necessary during the implementation phase. Delivery of product plus any operating, update, and other documentation necessary for maintaining the product for content and on the DOE Intranet, the DOI Intranet, and instructions for any other government Department/agency which through the development of this process is selected to have the product installed. The Learning Lessons Framework will be acceptable if the desired benefits have been achieved. The framework should have easy access to the on-line system, current and complete information (update capability required), clear and easy to use navigation, appropriate content which meets the goals of the learning for the computer competencies, ability for non-linear-learners to access just what they need to know/review, feedback for users to provide constant reinforcement, bookmarks so user can enter and return to learning when convenient, works with current hardware/software delivery system of the government Departments/agencies involved with this project, examples (photos, text, etc.) reflect diversity in the workplace, minimum of on-screen text-diffuse "book on screen" prejudices; is not a page-turner, embedded exercises so user gains when tasked to apply what's learned, on-line glossary for immediate definition of unfamiliar terms/concepts, and follows all current standards of The Learning Network, and it should be engaging, and accessible for employees with disabilities. Contract period is 6-months from date of award for Phase 1. Each optional Phase will be for a six-month period. HOW TO RESPOND: In order to compete for this contract, interested parties must demonstrate that they are qualified to perform the work by providing BY 4:00 P.M. June 30, 1999, a Capabilities Statement detailing: (1) your key personnel (those who would have the primary responsibility for performing and/or managing the project) with their qualifications and specific experience; 2) your organization=s experience with this type of work and a description of your facilities; and (3) specific references (including project identifier/ contract number and description, period of performance, dollar amount, client name and current telephone number) for work of this nature that your personnel or organization is currently performing or has completed within the last two years. Offerors must be able to demonstrate an existing system accessible on the Internet and which can be shown to be capable of adaptation and modification to meet the requirements of the government. Also please include any negative references and your rebuttal explaining your side of the story. All references will be checked to validate the information provided. Offerors shall submit an original and five copies of Capabilities Statements to Ms. Betty Estey, Contracting Officer, MMS, Procurement Operations Branch, 381 Elden St., MS 2510, Herndon, VA 20170-4817. Your Capabilities Statement will be evaluated based on the skills abilities, education, professional credentials and experience of your proposed key personnel; experience and past performance of your organization, including number, size, location of projects, and complexity of similar projects completed by the proposed project team and your organization to determine your potential for success and contract award. The web site demonstration will be evaluated by determining if the product appears to be capable of modification to fit the requirement, by the "look and feel" which is a subjective but important factor, and the access speed and performance of the system on the Internet. Past performance includes adherence to schedules and budgets, effectiveness of cost control, the acceptability of previous products delivered, effectiveness of program management, and the offeror=s willingness to cooperate with the customer in both routine matters and when confronted by unexpected difficulties. Following review of all Capabilities Statements submitted, those offerors judged most qualified to successfully perform the effort will be provided additional written proposal instructions. You will be expected to provide an oral presentation of your technical proposal if judged to be technically qualified. The oral presentation will last one hour and must be given by a key person assigned to this project rather than corporate sales or executive staff who will not work on the project. The government will evaluate each oral presentation to determine the most effective firm, including schedule, coordination, options, technology, testing and methodology. There will be a question and answer session lasting one hour following the presentation. Oral Presentations will take place in Herndon, VA. Each offeror invited to provide an oral presentation must submit (1) a written oral presentation summary in bullet form; (2) a project plan; and (3) a business proposal citing the price to perform the work and option pricing. The evaluation criteria are equal in value and a best value analysis will determine which offeror will received the award. Price to perform the basic work will be evaluated along with other factors. Options will be evaluated. Additional written proposal instructions will be forwarded detailing the requirements for submission of the following documents prior to the oral presentations: (1) a written presentation summary; (2) a project management plan: and (3) a business proposal. The following provisions Federal Acquisition Regulations clauses are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (APR 1998), 52.212-2 Evaluation Commercial Items (OCT 1997), FAR 52-212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (MAY 99), 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (MAY 99), 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items (MAY 99), FAR 52-225-3, Buy American Act Supplies; and FAR 52.232-33 Mandatory Information for Electronic Funds Transfer Payments. In accordance with FAR 39.106 the software shall be certified to be year 2000 compliant. Offerors can retrieve these clauses on the INTERNET at www.gsa.gov/far or request a copy of the clauses by contacting Lane Donley on 703-787-1346 or by sending a FAX request to (703) 787-1387. While telephone questions are strongly discouraged, written, E-mail or faxed inquiries are encouraged. Please send questions to Betty.Estey@mms.gov and John.Curran@mms.gov. Please include the ARFP Number 1435-01-98-RP-31017 " as well as your full name, organization name, address, phone and fax numbers. It is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that the Capabilities Statements are received at or before the date/time set forth above. Small Disadvantaged Business Regulatory Change Notice: The Federal Acquisition Regulation authorizes the use of price and evaluation credits in industries where SDB prime contractors and subcontractors have been underutilized. We ask that you inform your SDB subcontractors that they should contact SBA's Office of Certification and Eligibility at 800-558-0884 to obtain an application, or to log on to SBA/s Website (www.sba.gov.sdb). If you are an SDB prime contractor who is not SBA-certified, we also ask that you apply for certification. Effective October 1, 1998, certified SDB prime contractors were eligible for a price credit when bidding on Federal prime contracts. Effective January 1, 1999, prime contractors who subcontract with SBA-certified or self-certified SDBs are eligible for evaluation credits. Please note that prime contractors may continue to rely on self-certification of their SDB subcontractors through June 30, 1999. For solicitations issued on or after July 1, 1999, prime contractors must use SDB-certified SDB subcontractors in order to be eligible for evaluation credits. Posted 06/10/99 (W-SN341579). (0161)

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