History of Biology and the NSF Circa 1975 to 2004

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for a competitive requirement under the Small Business Administration?s (a) Small Business Program (FAR 19.5) for commercial services. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.



Request for Proposal #: DACS08P2137



This solicitation document, and incorporated provisions and clauses, are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-21.



This is a total small business set-aside under NAICS Code 71150 ? size standard $6.5 Million.



All interested Contractors shall provide a proposal for the following:



?History of Biology and the NSF Circa 1975 to 2004?



The Offeror shall provide non-personal services for the preparation of a scholarly monograph on the History of Biology and the NSF circa 1975 to 2004. The monograph must be completed in manuscript form, accepted by the NSF Historian and the Assistant Director for Biology, and ready for negotiation with a publisher within 36 months after date of award. This is a successor volume to The National Science Foundation and American Biological Research, 1945-1975 by Toby A. Appel, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press.



Period of Performance



The period of performance will be from date of award through twelve (12) months with two (2), twelve (12) month option periods.



Proposals are limited to 20 pages, not including the Table of Contents, resumes, and price volume.



All proposals must be received no later than 2:00 PM on Monday, May 5, 2008. All quotes shall be sent electronically to the attn: Lyn Orrell at lorrell@nsf.gov. Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation must be received in writing via email to Lyn Orrell at lorrell@nsf.gov by 11:00 AM DST on Friday, April 11, 2008. The subject line should reference DACS08Q2137.



TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:



Technical Volume I:



1. Understanding of the SOW/Technical Approach



In order for the NSF to fully understand your capabilities, the offeror shall provide a narrative response that addresses their technical ability to meet the Government?s requirements in the Statement of Work, personnel, and past performance.



The offeror shall provide the following in the technical volume:

1. Evidence in the proposal that address the historical, intellectual, and technical issues outlined in the Statement of Work, to include an understanding of intellectual and technical issues faced by NSF in developing the program, a sense of historical importance, and a role of NSF in broad context of history of biology.

2. Evidence of the contractor?s ability in the specialized fields required, i.e., subject matter knowledge to include written material, published and unpublished, courses taught, and graduate courses taken.

3. Evidence of experience in research and writing for publication.

4. Evidence of timely completion of manuscripts.

5. Evidence of successful negotiation with publishers of historical manuscripts.



2. Personnel



Provide a resume for all individuals you designate as key in your proposal, identify no more than two (2) positions/individuals. Resumes should address education, employment history, expertise in subject matter, and written material, published and unpublished.



3. Past Performance



Furnish the following information for three (3) relevant and recent contracts awarded to the offeror:



* Title of project

* Concise summary (approximately 100 words) indicating the work performed by the proposed expert

* Government agency/organization that awarded the contract

* Current point of contact (name, telephone number and email) of the responsible contracting officer and technical contact who can provide reference information on each procurement

* Contract award number

* Period of performance and total award amount

* Brief description of contract work and comparability to the proposed effort. It is not sufficient to state that it is comparable in magnitude and scope. Rationale must be provided to demonstrate that it is comparable. Demonstrate experience in historical research and publication.



Price Volume II:



Please provide a breakdown that identifies the labor categories, the corresponding rates and the total number of hours for each labor category used to determine price.



The Price Volume should reflect a firm fixed price for the CLINs 0001 through 0004 which constitute the base year, CLINs 0005 through 0008 which constitute option year One (1), and CLINs 0009 through 0012 which constitute option year two (2). This shall also include the composition of the pricing (labor rates, categories, etc.). Please include a payment schedule commensurate with each deliverable as noted in the Statement of Work.



Travel will be required under this contract. The contractor will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. Please provide a detailed cost plan to include breakdowns for travel (showing how many trips likely would be made to which specific locations and the associated costs), or other relevant categories.



Award will be made to the lowest priced offeror who is technically acceptable and who has an acceptable past performance evaluation.



Selection Criteria



The Government will award an order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the solicitation and offers the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. Technical evaluation factors are significantly more important than price. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: 1) Understanding of the SOW / Technical Approach; 2) Personnel and; 3) Past Performance.



The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).



Technical Factors



Proposals will be evaluated to determine their relative merits in accordance with the following technical evaluation factors established by the Government prior to receipt of proposals, which are listed in order of descending importance:



1. Understanding of the SOW / Technical Approach

NSF will evaluate the offeror?s demonstrated understanding of NSF?s needs and requirements as described in the Statement of Work. The offeror?s technical approach includes methodology, work plan, and expertise to accomplish the requirements reflected in the Statement of Work. The offeror?s approach to providing evidence of subject matter knowledge, research and writing skills, preparation of historical manuscripts will be evaluated.



2. Personnel



The NSF will evaluate the technical capability, qualifications and experience of the proposed key personnel against the position for which they are proposed and consider what makes the individual ?the right person for the job.?



3. Past Performance



Past Performance will be evaluated for relevance to this requirement.



Price Factor



The proposed price will be evaluated to assess the reasonableness and realism of the proposed costs. The proposed price may be used as an aid in evaluating the offeror?s understanding of the work requirement.



A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offerors specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.



Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca/bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications ? Commercial Items. If paragraph ?J? of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required/



The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.hemtl.



The following clauses apply to this acquisition:



52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Nov 2007)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions ? Commercial Items (Feb 2007)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders ? Commercial Items (Nov 2007)

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999)

52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000)

52.232-32 Performance-Based Payments (Jan 2008)

52.227-14?? Rights in Data?General (Dec 2007)

52.219-1??Small Business Program Representations.

As prescribed in 19.308(a)(1), insert the following provision:

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REPRESENTATIONS (MAY?2004)

(a)(1) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is ________________ 711510.

(2) The small business size standard is _$6.5 Million.

(3) The small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, other than on a construction or service contract, but which proposes to furnish a product which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.

(b) Representations.

(1) The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o? is, o? is not a small business concern.

(2) [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph?(b)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents, for general statistical purposes, that it o? is, o? is not, a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13?CFR?124.1002.

(3) [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph?(b)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o? is, o? is not a women-owned small business concern.

(4) [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph?(b)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o? is, o? is not a veteran-owned small business concern.

(5) [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph?(b)(4) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o? is, o?is not a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern.

(6) [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph?(b)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents, as part of its offer, that?

(i) It o? is, o? is not a HUBZone small business concern listed, on the date of this representation, on the List of Qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by the Small Business Administration, and no material change in ownership and control, principal office, or HUBZone employee percentage has occurred since it was certified by the Small Business Administration in accordance with 13?CFR Part?126; and

(ii) It o? is, o? is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13?CFR Part?126, and the representation in paragraph?(b)(6)(i) of this provision is accurate for the HUBZone small business concern or concerns that are participating in the joint venture. [The offeror shall enter the name or names of the HUBZone small business concern or concerns that are participating in the joint venture: __________.] Each HUBZone small business concern participating in the joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy of the HUBZone representation.

(c) Definitions. As used in this provision?

?Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern??

(1) Means a small business concern?

(i) Not less than 51?percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51?percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans; and

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran.

(2) ?Service-disabled veteran? means a veteran, as defined in 38?U.S.C.?101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38?U.S.C.?101(16).

?Small business concern? means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria in 13?CFR Part?121 and the size standard in paragraph?(a) of this provision.

?Veteran-owned small business concern? means a small business concern?

(1) Not less than 51?percent of which is owned by one or more veterans (as defined at 38?U.S.C.?101(2)) or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51?percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more veterans; and

(2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more veterans.

?Women-owned small business concern? means a small business concern?

(1) That is at least 51?percent owned by one or more women; or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51?percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more women; and

(2) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women.

(d) Notice.

(1) If this solicitation is for supplies and has been set aside, in whole or in part, for small business concerns, then the clause in this solicitation providing notice of the set-aside contains restrictions on the source of the end items to be furnished.

(2) Under 15?U.S.C.?645(d), any person who misrepresents a firm?s status as a small, HUBZone small, small disadvantaged, or women-owned small business concern in order to obtain a contract to be awarded under the preference programs established pursuant to section?8(a), 8(d), 9, or 15 of the Small Business Act or any other provision of Federal law that specifically references section?8(d) for a definition of program eligibility, shall?

(i) Be punished by imposition of fine, imprisonment, or both;

(ii) Be subject to administrative remedies, including suspension and debarment; and

(iii) Be ineligible for participation in programs conducted under the authority of the Act.

(End of provision)





STATEMENT OF WORK



History of Biology and the NSF Circa 1975 to 2004



1. BACKGROUND



The National Science Foundation is among the leading scientific organizations in the post-World War II United States, and the history of the NSF and the histories of specific science and engineering disciplines in this country are intertwined. In 2000, The Johns Hopkins University Press published Toby A. Appel?s Shaping Biology: The National Science Foundation and American Biological Research, 1945-1975. The NSF is seeking a successor volume.



2. SCOPE



The contractor shall provide non-personal services for the preparation of a scholarly monograph on the History of Biology and the NSF 1975 to 2004. The monograph must be completed in manuscript form, accepted by the NSF Historian and the Assistant Director for Biology (AD/BIO), and ready for negotiation with a publisher within 36 months after date of award.



The monograph shall provide an accurate, complete, interpretive, and readable history, which shall be accessible to non-specialist readers. It should communicate the contributions of the NSF to American and world science, illuminate the process by which those contributions came to be, and provide a contextual account of past policy successes and failures.



The final version of the manuscript must be publishable. This means that the quality shall be good enough to pass a rigorous historical and technical peer review process.



The contractor shall carry out the work under the direction of the NSF Historian who is responsible for the overall history of the agency.



3. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECT MATTER



This project is an intellectual and institutional history, documenting and evaluating the impact of NSF funding on the development of the biological sciences since 1975. The time period for the study is from the end point of Toby A. Appel?s Shaping Biology: The National Science Foundation and American Biological Research, 1945-1975, to February 2004.



The study should focus on at least three major issues:



(1) In 1975, the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences was disbanded, and a new Directorate of Biological, Behavioral, and Social Sciences was established. The claim made by the NSF administration was that bringing together these diverse fields under one umbrella would lead to the interaction, branching, and convergence of disciplines to produce new, hybrid disciplines. Did this actually occur? What was the impact on biology of the later removal of the social and behavioral sciences from the directorate?

(2) In the 1975 reorganization, biomedical research was removed from the NSF. How did this action impact the support of biological research at the NSF and the growth of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health?

(3) How did the NSF respond to, assist and promote the changing nature of biology during these years? When the NSF chose to intervene in the field, how successful was it?



In analyzing these issues, as well as other issues the contractor deems important for gaining an understanding of the history of biology and the NSF, the contractor should consider the larger contexts of biological research being supported and conducted under auspices other than the NSF, federal support for science more generally, and the administrative history of the NSF.



4. PROCEDURES FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH



The contractor shall be familiar with the general history of science and use this background knowledge to construct and present an innovative, intellectually challenging argument that is accessible to scholars, policymakers, and the general public.



The contractor shall perform primary archival research, read appropriate published reports, and interview key participants. The contractor shall be responsible for identifying appropriate illustrations and photographs for this book and obtaining permission. Illustrations and photographs shall be used only as appropriate to explain issues raised in the written work.



Primary documentation for this study is located at the NSF in Arlington, Virginia, National Archives II in College Park, Maryland, and the Washington National Records Center in Suitland, Maryland. Other documentation may exist in the papers of former NSF staff members and NSF grant recipients.



NSF will make available to the contractor for use in the project all agency records relevant to the work.



Appropriate professional oral history interviews with current and former NSF staff members, as well as recipients of NSF grants, should be conducted and the results incorporated into the monograph.



6. REQUIREMENTS



The contractor shall provide a manuscript narrative of approximately 500 double-space pages. The manuscript shall conform to the Chicago Manual of Style on matters of format, style, and grammar. The manuscript shall include a table of contents, endnotes, bibliography, and graphics, illustrations, and photographs. After page proofs have been received from a publisher, the contractor shall correct page proofs and prepare an index.



Reports of research progress, drafts, and all other material shall be delivered in accordance with the milestone schedule listed below. The NSF Historian and the AD/BIO will review the drafts and final manuscript for factual accuracy and interpretations of evidence. Outside peer review will be solicited in cases of disagreements between the NSF and the contractor, with the editing of any substantive matter in the manuscript to be negotiated between the contractor and the NSF Historian. The NSF Historian and the AD/BIO, however, shall have the right of final approval. After the manuscript has been completed by the contractor and approved by the NSF Historian and AD/BIO, the contractor shall provide advice to the NSF Historian on negotiating a contract with an academic or scholarly press for the publication of the manuscript.



All photocopied documents, interview transcriptions, photographs selected for inclusion, and rights to publication of the study become the property of NSF at the end of the project.



Deliverables

The contractor shall submit written progress reports of 2-3 pages to the NSF Historian in accordance with delivery schedule shown below.



The contractor shall carry out the project using contractor office space, equipment, and supplies. NSF will provide the contractor work space to conduct research in the files of the agency. The contractor shall make arrangements for space at other document repositories where appropriate records need to be researched.



The contractor must secure the prior approval of the NSF for: (1) any changes in the scope of the work, including the time frame for completion of each project milestone and the standards for publication for the monograph; (2) selection of any research assistants used by the contactor; (3) any negotiations with a university press for publication of the monograph.



7. WORD PROCESSING AND ELECTRONIC IMAGE CRITERIA



All drafts and the final manuscript shall be submitted as email attachments or on flash drives processed with a version of Microsoft Word. Font for the processed manuscript shall be 12-pitch Times New Roman or an equivalent approved before work commences.



Three paper copies on standard 8 ? by 11 inch paper must accompany the electronic submission. The electronic submission and the paper copies must be identical.



Images for the manuscript shall be delivered in full-size glossy prints or in high-resolution (300 dpi) graphic files in jpeg or similar format.



8. MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES





CLIN 0001 - Progress Report - Draft outline of chapters, interviewees and preliminary bibliography - Due 3 months after award



CLIN 0002 - Progress Report - Final outline of chapters, revised list of interviewees, and preliminary bibliography - 6 months after award



CLIN 0003 - Progress Report - Draft chapters of first third of manuscript - 9 months after award



CLIN 0004 - Progress Report - Revised chapters of first third of manuscript - 12 months after award



CLIN 0005 (OPTION YEAR 1) - Progress Report - Draft chapters of middle third of manuscript - 15 months after award



CLIN 0006 (OPTION YEAR 1) - Progress Report - Revised chapters of middle third of manuscript - 18 months after award



CLIN 0007 (OPTION YEAR 1) - Progress Report - Plan for all photographs and illustrations - 21 months after award



CLIN 0008 (OPTION YEAR 1) - Progress Report - Draft of remaining manuscript - 24 months after award



CLIN 0009 (OPTION YEAR 2) - Progress Report - Draft complete Manuscript including all front matter and photographs and illustrations - 27 months after award



CLIN 0010 (OPTION YEAR 2) - Progress Report - Complete revised manuscript, including all front matter and photographs and illustrations - 30 months after award



CLIN 0011 (OPTION YEAR 2) - Progress Report - Recommendations for publisher - 33 months after award



CLIN 0012 (OPTION YEAR 2) - Final Report - Completed manuscript acceptable for publication, all oral history transcription and documents used in preparation of work - 36 months after award



Thank you for your interest and participation in this NSF requirement.