ONR Internships, Outreach, and Website Support contract

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the instructions for submitting proposals for a solicitation reserved for 8(a) competition. The government expects adequate competition and will not evaluate offers from non-8(a) sources. Proposals must be detailed and compliant to be considered for award.

• Proposals must be submitted electronically via the PIEE Solicitation Module. Emailed or hard copy proposals are not accepted.

• Subcontractor/consultant submissions should be included in the prime submission, or submitted separately to the PCO and CS via email by the SF33 deadline.

• Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist by a specified deadline.

• Offerors are responsible for checking the PIEE Solicitation module for amendments and Q&A postings.

• Proposals must be submitted in four volumes: Business/Administrative, Technical, Past Performance, and Price.

• Specific formatting requirements include page margins, font type and size, and file formats (Microsoft Word 2010 or Adobe Acrobat for text, Microsoft Excel 2010 for spreadsheets).

• Pricing information must only be included in the Price Proposal (Volume IV).

• Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) disclosures and mitigation plans are required if applicable.

• Anticipated award date for the IDIQ is on or around January 12, 2027.

• Proposals must be received by the date and time specified in Block 9 of the Standard Form 33.

• Proposals will be evaluated in a phased approach: Phase I (Technical), Phase II (Past Performance), and Phase III (Price).

• Evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance: Technical Proposal (Factor 1), Past Performance (Factor 2), and Price (Factor 3).

• Factor 1 has two sub-factors: Program Approach (1.1) and Staffing Plan (1.2), with 1.1 being more important.

• The government intends to award based on initial submissions without discussions, but may conduct interchanges if necessary.

• This solicitation is reserved for 8(a) competition. Offers from other sources will not be evaluated.

• Bid and proposal costs are not reimbursable.

• Late proposals will not be considered.

• Offerors must acknowledge all amendments via signature.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To provide comprehensive technical, programmatic, and administrative support services for the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institution (HBCU/MI) Program, and to support ONR's internship, outreach, and website initiatives.

• Program & Financial Management: Full lifecycle management, including budgets, grant tracking, financial reporting, and contract awards for the HBCU/MI Program.

• Internship Programs: Support for Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) for high school students, Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) for college students, Naval Horizons (NH) Program for college and high school students, and Short-Term Internship Programs for college students. This includes stipend distribution and coordination.

• HBCU/MI Program Support: Comprehensive technical, programmatic, and administrative services to ensure the program's success in fostering a diverse STEM pipeline.

• Naval STEM Website: Central consolidation of all Navy and Marine Corps STEM opportunities and information, serving as a clearinghouse for internships, fellowships, scholarships, and events.

• Naval STEM Outreach: Participation in STEM conferences, career fairs, and events; communication of DON STEM opportunities; and coordination of outreach materials.

• Maintaining historical participation numbers for internship programs to measure impact.

• Decentralized Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

• First Task Order for ONR Internships, website, and outreach.

• Navy labs will issue stipend Task Orders as needed.

• Contractor responsible for distributing stipends to interns.

• Support for virtual and onsite research and mentoring.

• Coordination with various DON and DoD STEM programs and stakeholder organizations.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To provide comprehensive technical, programmatic, and administrative support services for the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institution (HBCU/MI) Program, and to support ONR's STEM outreach, internship, and website initiatives.

• Program and Financial Management: Full lifecycle management, including budgets, grant tracking, financial reporting, and contract initiation for the HBCU/MI Program.
• Internship Programs Support: Coordination and support for student internships, faculty fellowships, and the Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP).
• STEM Outreach and Awareness: Support for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) communication, coordination, and outreach across the DoN, DoD, and public communities.
• Specific Internship Programs:
  • Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP): Support for high school students participating in 8-week summer research internships (virtual or onsite) with DON laboratories. Includes stipend distribution.
  • Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP): Support for college students participating in 10-week summer research internships (virtual or onsite) with DON laboratories. Includes stipend distribution.
  • Naval Horizons (NH) Program: Support for college and high school students surveying Naval S&T topics and writing reports. Includes stipend distribution for the first 5,000 participants.
  • Short-Term Internship Programs: Support for college students engaging in 40+ hours of virtual/onsite research and mentorship with Naval STEM professionals. Includes stipend distribution.
• HBCU/MI Program Support: Comprehensive technical, programmatic, and administrative support to strengthen the pipeline of scientists and engineers.
• Naval STEM Website Management: Central consolidation of Navy and Marine Corps STEM opportunities and information, serving as a clearinghouse for internships, fellowships, scholarships, and events.
• Naval STEM Outreach Activities: Participation in STEM conferences, career fairs, student competitions, and family events. Includes communication of DON STEM opportunities and provision of outreach materials.

Not specified in this document.

• Contractor responsible for distributing stipends to interns.
• Focus on strengthening national security by encouraging STEM careers and participation in DON relevant S&T research.
• Maintaining baseline numbers for historical internship participation is instrumental for measuring program impact.