REQUEST FOR QUOTE # RFQ-W-13-0002 ANNOUNCEMENT FOR STUDENT SERVICES CONTRACTS U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Exposure Research Laboratory SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION This solicitation is being issued pursuant to the personal services contracting authority granted by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriation Resolution for 2003 (P.L. 108-7). A firm-fixed-price purchase order will be issued to the successful student or recent graduate selected for the position. The base period of performance for this purchase order is for a period of twelve months. This solicitation includes the following four attachments: ATTACHMENT 1 - Statement of Work (SOW) and Associated Attachments ATTACHMENT 2 - Evaluation Factors ATTACHMENT 3 - Student Proposal Form ATTACHMENT 4- Applicable Clauses ? Additional Terms and Conditions of the Order In an effort to clarify the terms student and recent graduate, the definitions of each are provided below. A student is an individual, at least 18 years of age, who is enrolled, in good standing, in a degree program (actively seeking a degree) at a recognized educational institution. A student is not required to carry a full course load, as long as the individual is a bona fide student, not merely someone who signed up for a class in order to work under these contract arrangements. A recent graduate is an individual, at least 18 years of age, who has graduated with a degree from a college or university within the last two years. The Government will make contract award based on evaluation factors other than price which will consider the following in order of importance: total months of relevant employment/volunteer service; total years of study (includes undergraduate and graduate) in a biology, molecular biology subject; total course hours in biology laboratory training; and cumulative graduate grade point average. Please see these evaluation factors outlined in the Evaluation Factors (Attachment 2). Submissions in response to this solicitation must be submitted on or before 4:30 p.m. EST, Monday, January 14, 2013 via e-mail to Contracting Officer Claudia Armstrong at
[email protected] and Contract Specialist Dionne Wright at
[email protected]. All email submissions must have ?RFQ-W-13-0002? in the subject line. Late submissions will not be considered eligible for award and incomplete submission may not be considered at the Contracting Officer?s discretion. No telephone inquiries will be accepted in response to this solicitation. Prior to applying for this position, applicants are encouraged to visit the following web page to access information related to this announcement: http://www.epa.gov/oam/srpod/. Please follow the link located under the ?Announcements? header, entitled ?RFQ-W-13-0002?Student Services Contract? and review all of the attached documents. You are encouraged to visit this webpage periodically to check the status of this announcement and to see whether or not any amendments (changes to the requirement of the posted position) have been issued. Foreign national students are required to fulfill all of the requirements outlined in the eligibility section of this announcement. SPECIAL NOTE: Upon receipt of the contract award, the student contractor must go immediately to link http://cdx.epa.gov and register with the Central Data Exchange (CDX) and complete the iBoard application. The student contractor must enter the COR as the point on their iBoard application. The student contractor should notify the COR when they have completed their iBoard application. The student must complete iBoard before beginning work. The contract may be terminated if the background check reveals a risk to the interest of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and national security. In addition, the individual(s) selected will be required to register with System for Award Management (SAM) and Dun & Bradstreet to obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS number) or DUNS +4 number. To obtain a DUNS number, students or recent graduate contractors can call Dun & Bradstreet 1-866-705-5711 or contact D&B at http://www.dnb.com. To register with SAM, contractors can call 1866-606-8220. There is no charge to register for DUNS or SAM. In addition, students or recent graduates who have been selected for this position will be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Special Terms before work can begin and are subject to these terms as outlined in Attachment 4 of this solicitation. Application Package Checklist for Applicants Submissions in response to this announcement MUST include the following: Resume or Statement of Qualification (not to exceed 2 pages) Completed Student Proposal Form (refer to Attachment 3) Copy of college/university transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable, if it is apparent from the transcript copy that is a copy of an official document and that the school is identified) Two letters of Recommendations (not to exceed 2 pages per letter ) Hourly Rate Certification (refer to Attachment 3) Failure to submit the required documents may be determined nonresponsive and eliminated from consideration. SECTION II: ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Required Level of Education Three or more years of college leading to a B.S. or equivalent degree in molecular biology, biology, or a related field. Anticipated Start Date: January 2013 Rate of Pay: $18.86 Total Hours Per Week: 40 hours per week Response Date: January 14th, 2012 4:30 pm EST The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is to protect human health and the environment. This mission is accomplished by conducting leading-edge research and fostering the sound use of science and technology. Note: Students or recent graduates, who are EPA ORD employees, or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee, are not eligible to participate. 1. Project Description The Biohazard Assessment Research Branch (BARB) of the Microbiological and Chemical Exposure Assessment Research Division (MCEARD), National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), Office of Research and Development (ORD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking a student to provide services under a contractual agreement to assist detection and quantification of viruses and coliphage from water samples. This study is a collaboration with the EPA?s National Risk Management Research Lab to evaluate the effectiveness of ultraviolet disinfection on viruses and bacteria. Specifically, both bench scale and full scale experiments will be conducted with many different wavelengths of ultraviolet light to determine if it inactivates adenovirus, coliphage and bacterial species that have shown a higher resistance to ultraviolet disinfection. The eligible student contractors must be a student or recent graduate. The student will work within a multi-disciplinary research team and will provide technical and general laboratory support for this research project. Duties will include but not limited to, nucleic acid extractions, cell culture, and RT-qPCR and qPCR. Other duties may also include maintaining research supplies and materials, routine maintenance of laboratory equipment, solution and media preparation, and other duties necessary to carry out the studies. The student will perform duties, as requested, according to specifications and instructions provided by the mentor. The student will also maintain careful and accurate records in designated laboratory notebooks. These notebooks and all other data produced under this order will be the property of the Environmental Protection Agency. 2. Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience/Education The eligible student contractor must be a student or recent graduate (within the past 2 years.) The student or recent graduate must be in good academic standing (with a minimum 3.0 GPA.) The applicant must be a recent graduate of a degree program related to molecular biology, biology or must be currently enrolled in a bachelor?s degree program at an accredited college/university and have completed at least 3 years of course work leading to a B.S. in molecular biology, biology, or a related field. An applicant may have earned a degree in a program unrelated to molecular biology, biology, however in order to be considered for award, the applicant must meet the above criteria. The preferred student contractor will have had training and/or experience in molecular biology, aseptic techniques, and other general laboratory techniques and safety practices. 3. Estimated Number of Work Hours This initial contract will be for 12 month. It is anticipated that the student will work between 20-40 hours per week. This contract will not exceed 1,590 hours for the period. 4. Approximate Start and End Dates This contract is to begin on or about January 2013. The contract duration will be for 12 consecutive months. 5. Evaluation Factors to be Used to Evaluate Resumes The Government will make the contract award based on the following items listed in order of importance; total months of relevant employment/volunteer service; total years of study (includes undergraduate and graduate) in a biology, molecular biology subject; total course hours in biology laboratory training; and cumulative grade point average. 6. Hourly Rates Applicable The hourly rate for this position is $18.86, which is commensurate with the minimum required level of education and experience. Student contractors will be paid the basic hourly rate only for the number of hours worked and do not receive overtime premium. Student contractors do not accrue leave or holiday benefits and are not paid for any non-work days, regardless of the reason. Federal, State, Local, and Social Security taxes will not be withheld; student contractors are responsible for reporting income to authorities and paying all taxes. Student contractors are responsible for all costs of transportation to and from the principal duty station location. EPA does not provide housing, meals or other living expenses while working at the principal duty station. 7. Principal Duty Location The duty location is in the BARB, MS 589, 26 W. MLK Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45268. Work will be primarily performed in a laboratory. 8. Resume and Other Application Requirements Interested students and recent graduates shall provide a one or two page resume or statement of qualifications, including a copy of the transcripts and documentary evidence from USCIS, if applicable. In addition to the resume and transcripts, individuals applying to this announcement must complete Attachment 3 of this solicitation, entitled ?Student Proposal Form? and submit as a part of their application package. Students must also submit a statement certifying the student accepts hourly rate of is acceptable for the duration of their employment. A student or recent graduate is strongly encouraged to submit three letters of recommendation however only two are required. These letters may be from an academic advisor, major professor, or other professional associate familiar with the applicant?s skills and performance. Foreign National students must submit the required documents outlined in the eligibility section of this announcement. 9. Deadline and Address for Submission of Resume and Application Materials The deadline for submission is 4:30p.m.EST, January 14, 2012. 10. Number of Awards Projected This is only for a single student position. Only one position will be awarded. 11. Eligibility Eligible student contractors must be a student or recent graduate (within the past 2 years.) The student or recent graduate must be in good academic standing (with a minimum 3.0 GPA.) The applicant must be a recent graduate of another degree program related to molecular biology, biology or must be currently enrolled in a bachelor?s degree program at an accredited college/university and have completed at least 2 years of course work leading to a B.S. in molecular biology, biology or a related field. An applicant may have earned a degree in a program unrelated to molecular biology, biology, however in order to be considered for award, the applicant must meet the above criteria. Non-U.S. citizens may be eligible to participate, depending on their immigration status and the applicable regulations of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service (BIS), formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service. All non-US citizens must submit, as part of their proposal package, evidence of their immigration status that allows them to work in the United States. Students should possess a current U.S. Visa and be able to obtain U.S. work authorization in a timely manner if offered a contract. Students without a U.S. Visa are not eligible. Academic degrees fulfilled outside of the United States must be judged to be equivalent to that achieved in accredited U.S. education programs in order to be acceptable for this contract. More information about the evaluation of foreign education can be found at the U.S. Department of Education's web site at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. If applicable, applicants shall submit all necessary documents to a recognized private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, usually named a credential evaluation service. To be suitable, the foreign credential evaluation must include and describe (i) type of education received by the applicant (i.e., conventional, by mail, or online), (ii) degree of education relative to the U.S. education system, and testify that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials, (iii) the content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained, (iv) the ranking of the awarding foreign schools? credit and authenticity in its own country's education system, (v) what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, (vi) the qualifications of the evaluator, and (vii) any indications as to other concerns such as falsification. Foreign credential evaluations that do not include all the above information or indicate there is not enough information on which to make a sound evaluation will not be accepted. 12. Required Background Investigation and Suitability Determination: Student contractors awarded a contract must undergo a background investigation, a check of FBI fingerprint files, and a suitability determination by the Environmental Protection Agency. Using the HPSD-12 "Contract People Template" found at http://epa.gov/oam, student contractor will electronically submit information to the Contracting Officer's Representative immediately upon contract award. In addition, the student contractor must review and complete the requirements outlined in Attachment 1 to Work Statement before beginning work on-site at the EPA. The student may begin work once the background investigation has commenced. If a background check reveals information to indicate the student contractor represents a risk to the interests of EPA and the national security, the contract may be terminated.