N0001426R0001

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0001) to solicitation N0001426R0001, originally issued on April 13, 2026, makes the following changes:

• Questions and Answers: Attaches responses to contractor questions and answers to Section J.

• Technical Volume Revision: Revises Section J, Attachment 2 (TO PWS) to specify the Program Manager labor category as Key Personnel and remove references to DON HBCU/MI for the first Task Order.

• Estimating Assumptions Update: Revises Section L, Estimating Assumptions, to include the number of outreach events.

• New Deviations Added: Incorporates the following deviations:

  • 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Deviation 2026-00038) - Feb 2026
  • 52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors (Deviation 2026-00038) - Apr 2026
  • 52.243-1 Changes-Fixed-Price (Deviation 2026-00038) - Feb 2026
  • 52.243-1 Changes-Fixed-Price (Deviation 2026-00038) (Alternate III) - Feb 2026

• Section J (Attachments): Added RFP Attachment 10 (KTR QA) and RFP Attachment 2 (First TO PWS FINAL). Deleted RFP Attachment 2 (First TO PWS FINAL).

• Section I (Contract Clauses): Added FAR Clauses 52.219-9, 52.222-90, and 52.243-1 (including Alternate III).

• Section L (Instructions, Conditions, & Notices to Offerors or Quoters): Modified to include the above changes and updated estimating assumptions.

• Offerors must acknowledge all amendments in their proposals. Failure to do so may result in rejection.

• Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted no later than April 24, 2026.

• The anticipated award date for the IDIQ remains on or around September 7, 2026.

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0001) updates the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the ONR Internships, Outreach, and Website Support requirement. The specific changes are detailed within the revised PWS document itself, which is attached.

• Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Bidders should review the updated PWS to understand any changes to the scope of work, deliverables, performance standards, or special requirements. Ensure proposals are compliant with the revised PWS. No changes to submission deadlines or evaluation factors are indicated in this amendment notice.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains questions submitted by potential bidders and the Government's consolidated responses, clarifying various aspects of the solicitation.

• Set-Aside: The opportunity is a competitive 8(a) set-aside, despite some fields in other systems indicating otherwise.
• Key Personnel: Only the Program Manager (PM) is designated as Key Personnel. The PWS has been revised to reflect this.
• Proposal Page Limit: Resumes, contingent hire statements, and the 5-page staffing plan count towards the 50-page limit for the Technical Volume, unless marked with an asterisk.
• Site Requirement: There is no on-site personnel requirement; work can be performed remotely.
• Website Development: Bidders are expected to propose a new website and system, rather than just maintaining existing ones.
• CMMC Level: CMMC Level 2 is required, and compliance is needed at proposal submission.
• Joint Venture Proposals: Joint Ventures must submit proposals under their own PIEE account and SAM.gov registration (UEI and CAGE code), not the managing partner's.
• Pricing: Labor rates proposed for the first Task Order (TO) in Attachment 8 will be used for the entire 60-month period of performance for the IDIQ. Separate breakouts for travel/ODCs are not needed. The $450,000 annual ODC NTE includes G&A but excludes profit/fee.
• Transition: There is no formal transition period; award is expected around September 7, 2026, with immediate operational readiness required.
• Past Performance: The $5M past performance requirement applies to the proposed team structure and total contract value.

These clarifications provide essential details for proposal preparation, particularly regarding set-asides, key personnel, page limits, submission requirements for Joint Ventures, pricing structures, and security compliance. Bidders should ensure their proposals address these points accurately.

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 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.

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.