Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 28, 2006 FBO #1705
SOURCES SOUGHT

R -- CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE REGULATION WRITING SERVICES

Notice Date

7/26/2006
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Procurement Management Division, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Mail Stop 0741, Washington, DC, 20250
 

ZIP Code

20250
 

Solicitation Number

Reference-Number-AG-31ME-RFI-06-1050
 

Response Due

8/1/2006
 

Archive Date

8/16/2006
 

Description

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (USDA RD) anticipates awarding a fixed price service contract for advisory and assistance services in the completion of a draft agency regulation, RD Instruction 1940-D, Civil Rights Compliance Requirements, assistance in preparing the instruction for publication in the Federal Register, and assistance in developing a training package based on the updated provisions of the regulation. THIS NOTICE IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The purpose of this notice is to determine the interest of small businesses in meeting the requirements and entering into a contract. Contractors having the capability of meeting the requirements are invited to submit, in writing, sufficient information no more than ten (10) pages in length, which demonstrates its ability to meet the requirements, set forth below. Full and complete responses are necessary to demonstrate to the Agency the Contractor?s capabilities in all aspects of the SOW. Therefore, standard company brochures or standard capability statements are not desired. Responses should be submitted as provided at the end of this document. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: REGULATION WRITING SERVICES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRAM COMPLIANCE. The United States of America Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Civil Rights Staff Program Compliance Branch (hereby referred to as the Agency) provides support and services that improve the quality of life in rural communities. The Agency works with very low, low and moderate income individuals, State, local and recognized Indian Tribal governments, as well as private and nonprofit and faith based organizations, user-owned cooperatives and special interest groups. The Agency?s role is to increase economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for rural residents. The Agency forges partnerships with rural communities, funding housing projects, community facilities, utilities, and other services. The Agency also provides technical assistance and financial backing for rural businesses and cooperatives to create quality jobs in rural areas. The Agency promotes the President?s national Energy Policy and ultimately the nation?s energy security by engaging the entrepreneurial spirit of rural America in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements on an equal opportunity basis. The Agency has developed a new civil rights regulation, which will replace an existing regulation and which addresses civil rights compliance for its loan and grant programs. The development of a current and updated civil rights regulation will bring the Agency?s civil rights enforcement policies in line with current civil rights laws, Executive Orders, and regulations. The Contractor shall: (1) update the 15 chapters of the draft regulation in accordance with current civil rights laws and prepare it for interim/final publication in the Federal Register; (2) meet with officials of the Agency?s different mission areas, enforcement agencies and public commentators to understand and incorporate changes, concerns, and/or comments affecting the final version of the regulation; and (3) based on the final version of the updated regulation, create a training program/package that includes manuals, reference materials, case studies, and power point presentations. The Contractor may also be required to conduct training. The anticipated period of performance is only six months from date of award, excluding the provision of training, which shall be required only as an option. Therefore, it is imperative that the Contractor have a thorough working knowledge of the following civil rights laws and Executive Orders: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA); The Fair Housing Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; (Federally conducted and federally assisted programs and activities) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972; (Non-discrimination on the basis of sex) The Age Discrimination Act of 1975; The Executive Order 11246 (non-discrimination in employment by Federally-assisted construction contracts) The Executive Orders 11063, 11250, 12892 and 12898. General knowledge of and experience with employment-based discrimination laws only does not qualify a Contractor to perform this contract and such knowledge and experience will not be used as a basis to determine that a small business is qualified to perform this contract. The Contractor must also have experience in regulation writing. DEADLINE AND CONTACT INFORMATION: All responses are due to Demetria Carter by August 1, 2006 no later than 9:00 AM EST. Qualification statements and comments may be submitted by facsimile to Demetria Carter at (202) 692-0235 or (202) 692-0117, or may be submitted electronically to demetria.carter@wdc.usda.gov. AT THIS TIME, TELEPHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
 

Place of Performance

Address: Contractor's Place of Business and/or Washington, DC

Zip Code: 20250

Country: UNITED STATES
 

Record

SN01098115-W 20060728/060726220349 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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