U.S. Office Of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street, NW., Room 1342, Washington, DC 20415

R -- RECRUITMENT OF HISPANIC STUDENTS DUE 110899 POC Ray Hesson, 202-606-1045 WEB: OPM Procurement Home Page, http://www.opm.gov/procure. E-MAIL: Contracting Officer's e-mail address, rdhesson@opm.gov. R -- The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intends to solicit the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) for the recruitment and screening of Hispanic Americans for referral to OPM for developmental assignments. This is in support of an on-going program that is part of the OPM Director's plans to implement the President's Executive Order to provide increased employment opportunities for Hispanic Americans in the Federal workplace. OPM intends to issue a five (5) year contract with a base year plus four (4) optional years. Assignments will be for fifteen (15) weeks in the spring and fall programs and ten (10) weeks for the summer program. The contractor will be responsible for the following services: 1. Recruitment -- The contractor will undertake a campaign of recruitment visits and informational mailings to attract a pool of qualified Hispanic-American student applicants. 2. Employment -- The contractor will receive and process applications. The contractor will match student applications with intern assignments defined by OPM, process payroll, coordinate periodic performance evaluations, and provide guidance and support for the interns over the course of the assignment. As contractor employees, students will be paid a stipend based on their academic level according to a predetermined rate. 3. Orientation -- The contractor will conduct orientation activities in Washington, D.C., the weekend before interns report to their assignments. The first day of work will be typically designated as a general introduction to OPM. 4. Developmental Activities -- The contractor will organize a series of meetings that will enhance the interns professional experience and provide them with additional networking opportunities. HACU will make arrangements for a minimum of five (5) brown bag lunches with senior executives per program period and tour of the White House, Pentagon, FBI, Capitol, Library of Congress, and Government Printing Office. 5. Academic Credit -- Students willhave the opportunity to receive academic credit while working in the program. Students must work to obtain approval from their academic advisor or dean. While this may not be possible in some cases, it is anticipated that the majority of the semester-long interns will receive credit for their internship experience. 6. Student and Supervisor Support Services -- The contractor will provide support services that include program handbooks, regular written updates, and information about career and educational opportunities. The contractor's staff will conduct site visits and maintain communication by phone, newsletters and fax. 7. Housing -The contractor will assist interns in arranging housing that is accessible to local transportation to OPM. 8. Travel -- The contractor will provide round-trip transportation to Washington, DC for all interns. 9. Evaluation -- The contractor will conduct a complete program evaluation at the midpoint and at the end of the program and submit a final report to OPM. The report will include feedback from interns as well as supervisors. OPM believes that only HACU can meet the goals of this procurement because it has an applicant pool that is 90% Hispanic. Their recruitment process is national in scope and does not discriminate against non-Hispanic applicants. Furthermore, the HACU national intern program is nationally recognized for the quality of it program and interns. Companies that believe that they could provide these services must submit a summary of their capabilities describing the size and ethnicity of the applicant pool from which they would draw, the process by which applicants are selected on a non-discriminatory basis, a description of previous experience recruiting Hispanic students nationally for their intern program, and a description of the intern program offered to students recruited. Companies must also submit information regarding the estimated cost per student for each term. This is not a solicitation. The Government will use responses to this synopsis to help determine if the solicitation of HACU on a noncompetitive basis is justified. See Note 22. Responses must be received no later than November 8, 1999. Submit replies to Ray Hesson, Room 1342, 1900 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20415-7710. Faxes may be sent to 202-606-1464. Posted 10/22/99 (W-SN394088). (0295)

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