Description
DESC: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Education (OSE) is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and potential technical capability of small businesses and 8 (a) firms to develop a curriculum supplement on evolution for high school (grades 9 -12) general biology classes and a curriculum supplement on rare diseases for science classes in grades 5 to 7. The intended procurement will be classified under SIC NAICS 611430 with a size standard of $6.5 million. The offeror will develop two curriculum supplements – these are teacher’s guides to a week’s worth of lessons on the following science topics. One curriculum supplement will be for high school general biology classes on the basic concepts of evolution, and its prominence in life sciences research, and medicine. The lessons within the supplement will allow students to hone their critical thinking, communications and team work skills. The lessons will also highlight careers in the health and medical sciences. The other curriculum supplement will be for science classes in grades 5-7 and focus on basic science concepts related to rare diseases in our society. Students will experience the process of scientific inquiry and develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and methods of science as related to rare diseases. Studying rare anomalies of living organisms provides a window into their normal functions. The lessons will also develop students’ critical-thinking skills, and highlight the role of science and medicine in society and the relationship between basic science and personal and public health. Each curriculum supplement will be a teacher's guide consisting of 1) detailed instructions on conducting five classroom lessons, 2) masters for copying student worksheets and other paper-based resources used during the lessons, 3) a teacher's section on the scientific and critical thinking content, 4) a section detailing the pedagogical design of the lessons, 5) a section aligning the lessons to the National Science Education Standards (see www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses), 6) a section discussing how the lessons fit into common high school general biology curricula and science curricula at grades 5-7, and 7) a list of relevant references and resources. The offerer will be required to 1) use the National Science Education Standards in designing and developing the supplement; 2) interact with NIH staff frequently throughout the contract period; 3) field test the lessons in schools that represent the intellectual and diversity spectrum found in secondary and elementary schools across the nation (test sites must include, but shall not be limited to, a high school and elementary school/middle school in the Washington DC metropolitan area); 4) develop a Web site to house PDF and HTML versions of the supplements including any multimedia components of the student lessons; and 5) provide a formatted copy of the final curriculum supplements in InDesign or Quark Express format including all linked images (as gray scale or cmyk, depending on how the image should print) ready for professional printing. NIH intends for the curriculum supplements to be freely reproduced for classroom use and to be freely distributed to educators across the nation. NIH does not intend for the materials to be used by any organization for sale or profit. The core of the supplements will be a series of lessons that collectively fit into five 45-minute class periods. Laboratory and computer-based activities may be used when they will enhance the students' learning experience. However, all computer-based activities must have a paper-and-pencil alternative. The supplement's design must be consistent with other NIH curriculum supplements (see science.education.nih.gov/supplements). All materials developed for the curriculum supplements must be in two formats: print and Web ready. All multimedia must be Web ready and operable using Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browsers in Macintosh and Windows platforms. IBM Domino/Notes is OSE's primary Web server and the application for internal collaborative tasks. All Web development work by the offeror must run under Domino/Notes 7.0 CF (or above). Any database constructed for a student lesson must be designed using Lotus Notes. Each Web page of the final product must conform to the NIH Curriculum Supplement Series Web Style Guide (see science.education.nih.gov/supplements/styleguide). It is critically important that all Web pages be in accordance with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (1998). Prospective offerors must demonstrate extensive experience in designing 508-compliant Web pages and provide links to Web sites as proof of this expertise. The offeror must be a nationally recognized curriculum development organization with experience in producing high-quality, field-tested life science curricula for grades 9 - 12 and 5-7 that are currently being used in schools nationwide. The offeror must present a team with the following expertise: 1) life science curriculum developers and educators who have been successful in teaching a diverse range of students; 2) technical writers who are knowledgeable about biomedical issues; 3) specialists in state-of-the-art educational technologies; 4) scientists with experience in biomedical practices, biology and evolution and rare diseases; 5) Web developers/Multimedia specialists with proven experience working with IBM Domino/Notes and designing Section 508-compliant Web pages. The offerer will design the supplements using a research-based, student-centered approach to instruction. The educational design philosophy of the supplement should be consistent with the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (see www.project2061.org/publications/bsl). The Standards and Benchmarks apply to all students, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science. The supplements should emphasize how basic and clinical research contributes to our knowledge of diseases and leads to advances in healthcare. It should also illustrate the multiplicity of approaches to solving problems on scientific issues. The lessons should provide students with opportunities to understand basic and clinical research. They should be dynamic, engaging, and relevant to high school and elementary/middle school students. The offeror will indicate how the lessons will be tested and evaluated to assess their effectiveness in meeting the learning objectives. The offeror and OSE will meet frequently throughout the entire contract period to ensure that the supplement is scientifically accurate and that the lessons provide creative learning experiences applicable to all students nationwide. The offerer will present mechanisms for ensuring scientific accuracy using their own experts and include a plan for interacting with NIH scientists for content review. The offeror will also provide realistic timelines for development of the supplements and show thoughtful consideration for the needs of teachers with diverse student populations. NIH intends to negotiate a multi-year contract for a period of two years, rather than a one-year contract with an additional one-year option. Firms responding to this market survey should provide only focused and pertinent information. Any major proposed collaborations between the offerer and other entities must have been established prior to this survey and proven effective in producing high-quality science curricula that are currently being used in schools nationwide. If significant collaboration and subcontracting is anticipated to deliver technical capability, the offeror must show that they possess the administrative and management infrastructure to maintain full-time technical and managerial control of the project. Responding firms should provide two (2) copies of a capability statement to the address above within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date this notice appears. Each firm must provide samples of curricular products they designed and developed that are currently being used in the classroom. Firms should also include executive summaries of field tests or formal evaluations conducted for these materials. This market survey is being conducted through the Federal Business Opportunity Web site (see www.fedbizopps.gov) to reach the widest possible audience and to gather current market information.