THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RFI IS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE OF POTENTIAL QUALIFIED SOURCES AND THEIR SIZE CLASSIFICATIONS (SMALL, SMALL DISADVANTAGED, WOMEN-OWNED, VETERAN-OWNED, SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED, HUBZONE OR LARGE BUSINESS) RELATIVE TO THE NAICS CODE. RESPONSES TO THIS RFI WILL BE USED BY JPL TO MAKE APPROPRIATE ACQUISITION DECISIONS. BACKGROUND The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), staffed with Caltech employees, and is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As a member of the NASA family JPL is recognized as the agency's only FFRDC. JPL is requesting interest from potential vendors to manage the JPL Student Internship Program. The JPL Education Office manages a wide range of intern programs, sponsored by NASA, JPL, and Caltech. These programs are geared toward interns interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Several of the intern programs are designed to target interns with interests in these fields who are in underrepresented or under-served populations. Interns accepted into all of the JPL Education Office programs, which are designed to benefit the intern, come to JPL to conduct educational research and are paired with and mentored by scientists and engineers. The main goal of these programs, depending on an intern's level in school, is to introduce them to, or further their pursuit of, careers in fields that involve science and engineering. There is a wide range of internship opportunities offered to undergraduates, graduates and post-doctoral students. Additionally, there are a limited number of internships for high school students who are 16 or older. Internship extensions are approved on a case-by-case basis by the Education Office. Full-time and part-time internships are available to U.S. citizens, Legal Permanent Residents, and to Foreign Nationals pre-approved by NASA. Housing and travel allowances are considered for non-local interns. JPL internships are distinguished from employment by their focus on mentor-directed, degree-related, educational research opportunities with the primary outcome of increasing the intern's exposure to STEM-related fields that could result in greater retention through graduation, advanced degrees, and into career employment. Interns will experience and participate in enrichment activities during their internship including tours of JPL research facilities, weekly engineering and science talks, several "how-to" presentations provided by the JPL Education Office, Human Resources, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and organized social events. Below are typical requirements of an educational research internship at JPL. • Intern must be able to commit to and complete a minimum of eight (8) or ten (10) weeks (depending on selected program requirements) • Intern experience must be strongly coupled with mentor interactions, meaningful, well-defined goals and objectives, be degree-relevant, and in alignment with intern goals • Experience should provide opportunities to increase skills and expand the intern's understanding of possible career choices at JPL and NASA in STEM fields • Intern is required to submit project plans, interim and final reports, and present their educational research findings to peers, mentors, and Education Office program representatives Below are typical outcomes of an educational research internship at JPL. • Increases intern's knowledge and research capabilities in field of choice which can increase retention rates through degree completion and into career employment • Increases competency and productivity of interns leading to increased professional self-efficacy and professional self-confidence STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES If your company is capable of being the prime contractor on this effort, JPL requests a response regarding your company's capabilities. REQUIREMENTS JPL requests that interested parties respond to the questions in Attachment 1 - Questionnaire to Solicitation No. FT-17-03. Please include (1) Company name; (2) NAICS Code(s); (3) Contact information, and (4) Business Size Classification. QUESTIONS TO SOLICITATION NO. FT-17-03 1. Does your company (or institution) have the interest and capability to provide an accounts payable function for student intern stipends in support of the JPL Education Office student internship programs? This includes advancing all interns' (including approximately 20 Foreign Nationals) their first stipend payment (covering the first four (4) weeks), and housing and travel allowances for non-local interns. According to historical data (which is not a predictor of future volume), an estimate of 350 students per year should be considered for this purpose. 2. Can you process both full-time and part-time (partial) stipend payments (i.e., less than 40 hours). 3. Can you process stipends for student interns attending college and under the age of 18? 4. Does your company (or institution) have the interest and capability to provide an accounts payable function in support of JPL Education Office high school students (estimated at 25)? 5. Are you able to process bi-weekly stipend checks or offer direct deposit to student interns? 6. If your payroll process is based on a W-2 requirement, are you able to complete all required paper work to onboard student interns within five (5) business days prior to the JPL start date? 7. If your payroll process is based on a 1099 requirement, are you able to complete all required paper work to onboard student interns within five (5) business days prior to the JPL start date? 8. If your payroll process is based on a W-2 requirement, and you are unable to complete all required paper work to onboard student interns within five (5) business days prior to the JPL start date, can you complete these actions within ten (10) business days prior to the JPL start date? 9. If your payroll process is based upon a 1099 requirement, and you are unable to complete all required paper work to onboard student interns within five (5) business days prior to the JPL start date, can you complete these actions within ten (10) business days prior to the JPL start date? 10. Are you able to handle unforeseen exceptions to the five (5) or ten (10) business day requirement? 11. If a student intern's original start date changes due to unforeseen circumstances, do you have the ability to adjust/modify paper work to accommodate changes within a 24-hour period? 12. Are you able to provide housing or access to other housing options to student interns? 13. In the case of an administrative error where a student is paid at an incorrect rate, do you have a mechanism to reconcile after the fact? 14. Will you require timecards? 15. Will you have a local administrative office within a 50-mile radius to JPL and a single Administrative Manager and alternate contact for this program? RESPONSE DUE All responses to the RFI are due no later than February 17, 2017 to JPL, Attention: Small Business Programs Office, M/S 201-205, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 or via E-Mail to:
[email protected] DISCLAIMER It is emphasized that the requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implies or otherwise, that JPL will solicit you for such procurement in the future. Neither JPL nor the Government will be responsible for any costs incurred by you in the furnishing this information. Prospective contractors are advised that any information provided shall be deemed to be