Posting a contract job for Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
STATEMENT OF WORK
Program and Activity Developer
1. Project Summary
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) seeks a contractor to assist in the development and facilitation of the Community Leadership and Engagement component of its Youth Engagement through Science (YES+) summer and fall internship program for high school students. Work will begin June 10, 2013 and end no later than December 15, 2013. The contractor shall work under the direction of the Manager of Youth and School Programs.
2. Context: Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, located at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C., is the most-visited natural history museum in the world. Opened in 1910, the green-domed museum on the National Mall is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and cultural artifacts. It fosters significant scientific research and educational programs and exhibitions that present the work of its scientists to the public.
The museum is regarded as a global leader in natural history collections, collections-based research, scientific discovery, and natural history exhibition. The current and ongoing restructuring of the Office of Education & Outreach is part of an institution-wide effort to promote the education and outreach activities of the museum to the rigor and renown of its science activities. A related intent is to advance the impact that the museum has on its visitors and on the field of museum education, particularly the integration of research and practice in an institutional setting.
3. Context: Youth Engagement through Science (YES+)
Youth Engagement through Science (YES+) connects Washington, DC, area youth with Smithsonian collections, experts, and training to inspire them to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. This internship experience provides youth from communities traditionally underrepresented in science careers with the resources needed to help them to achieve their ultimate goal of attending college. During six weeks in the summer, students who participate in YES+ work side-by-side with Smithsonian researchers and educators behind the scenes and away from the public areas of the museum. Interns are given the unique opportunity to work in the Museum's vast research collections - seeing rare objects and specimens including meteorites, mummies and mammoth skulls.
In early fall, interns rejoin us to take part in a ten-week college preparatory program and a Community Leadership and Engagement project that rounds out the third component of our program. Students will be guided through the college application and orientation process in sessions covering an array of topics. Interns also benefit from tours of local colleges to help them prepare for their pursuit of higher learning. Through their Community Leadership and Engagement projects, students communicate to their peers about their research project, the museum and the part they played in Smithsonian science
YES+ aims to form a bridge between the Smithsonian Institution and students interested in STEM careers by providing new avenues for them to understand and participate in scientific pursuits at the next level.
The Community Leadership and Engagement component of Youth Engagement through Science provides YES+ interns with the opportunity to practice their communication skills, share their enthusiasm for science and natural history, and engage their peers in experiences with and dialogue about scientific research. Student-developed experiences should leverage the 6,000 object physical collection in the Q?RIUS Education Center (see below) and/or its digital tools, including the collections browser, Fieldbook, and online activities. The goal is for YES+ interns to work with NMNH to develop learning experiences onsite and online that are designed by teens for teens, around research that the YES+ students become familiar with through their scientific internships and mentor relationships.
4. Context: Q?RIUS Education Center
The Q?RIUS Education Center is an innovative, 10,000 square foot interactive programming space. In the Q?RIUS Education Center, visitors will have access to a 6,000 object collection representing the museum's research departments and a broad slate of interactive, participatory, and engaging programs ranging from self-guided activities to talking with Smithsonian scientists about their research. The Center will integrate a range of learning experiences for visitors diverse in expertise, time available, interest, and learning preferences. Experiences will include:
* Object-based discovery activities intended to teach a specific skill or pique interest in a specific area of science or research
* Inquiry-focused, object-and-data-based simulations of NMNH field research or collections work, usually focused on using evidence to solve a mystery, draw a conclusion, or recommend a decision
* Immersive, collections-based experiences using a 6,000 object collection of specimens and objects - including digital records and associated video and web assets - to answer museum-posed or their own questions
* Discussion of science in the news and relevant national and international scientific topics with scientists and other enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff and visitors
* Recording progress, questions, and notes in a digital field book, available at the museum or online
Experiences available onsite will also be modified and adapted for online delivery, including videos, digital collections, and instructions for conducting basic, introductory research using museum collections.
5. Deliverables
The Museum is seeking a contractor to develop the Community Leadership and Engagement component of YES+ in full. The desired outcome is a sequence of 1-3 hour workshops for YES+ students to develop onsite and online experiences for teens using the tools available to the NMNH Education & Outreach team for experience development. We anticipate a total of 15-24 hours of instruction and experience for the teens in developing interactive digital experiences for their peers. The end result of the workshops will be experiences developed by the teens that can be delivered in the Q?RIUS Education Center and/or online. Final products can include, for example, an online activity using the collections browser, an onsite investigation of collections, an art-science workshop using collections objects, or a board game focused on NMNH science. In most cases, there are templates or examples available for Q?RIUS programs and experiences, but teens will not be limited to using what has already been identified.
The vendor will deliver:
* A plan, including instructional materials, needed resources, "lesson plans," and background material for 15-24 hours of instruction and activity for YES! program participants to develop onsite and/or online learning activities that leverage Q?RIUS objects and digital resources. The plan will include:
o Written educational goals and outcomes.
o Schedule and detailed plans for workshops
o Schedule and plan for the YES+ interns to implement their programs and projects with teen audiences.
* 10 teen-developed programs, experiences, and/or activities, to be implemented by their peers and/or their communities (1 project for every 3 students working together)
* Instruction of all workshops
* An implementation plan for delivering the instruction/workshops as a series of weekend or after school events for non-YES+ students
6. Qualifications
Offerors are expected to have, at minimum, the following skills and/or experience:
* Writing and editing instructional text and activities for hands-on, interactive, participatory, and/or immersive informal learning experiences, especially for audiences ages 10 - 18
* Developing online and/or digital learning experiences
* Ability to learn a proprietary system of digital templates for activities and instruct teens on how to use them
* Facility with databases and content management systems
* Experience working with and motivating teens ages 14 -19 with diverse personalities
Additional relevant skills and/or experience include:
* Writing or development of programming for collections-based natural history science
* Writing and editing multimedia for digital output
* Editing photographs and graphics
* Creating graphics
* Fluency with natural history science content
7. Additional Requirements
Contractor must be available to work onsite at the National Museum of Natural History on specific days, including:
* Introduction and brainstorming session with students during two weeks in July, between July 15 and July 26.
* Organization and facilitation of student work days on 7 Saturdays between September 14, 2013 and November 16, 2013.
8. Scope and Timeframe
The contractor will report directly to the Manager of School and Youth Programs, Office of Education and Outreach, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, who will act as the delegate and representative of the Chief of Learning Experiences and Evaluation. The contractor will work in a team environment with other Youth Programs staff, volunteers and interns.
Because of the team environment of the work, it is anticipated that the vendor will need to be available to work at the museum beyond the minimum requirements above.
All project activities and deliverables will begin no later than June 10, 2013 and be completed no later than December 15, 2013.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
General. On or before 5:00 PM in the vendor's time zone on May 20, 2013, Offerors will be expected to provide a proposal via email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
At the minimum, offerors need to demonstrate that they meet the acceptability standards for non-cost factors, including that they have the ability to perform the requirements in a timely manner.
Technical Proposal (Maximum 5 pages, not including resume)
The Technical Proposal shall address the Statement of Work and Deliverables sections outlined above; and shall contain sufficient quantitative and qualitative details to allow a complete and accurate evaluation from a strictly technical viewpoint. When preparing their technical proposals, Offerors should consider the evaluation criteria set forth below, against which the proposals will be evaluated
a) Plan of Accomplishment
The offeror shall provide a thorough narrative explanation of the method and/or approach to the content and deliverables, and how they will proceed with the project to ensure it is completed on time. The offeror shall describe their plan for completing all work requested, being mindful to address every aspect of the work described above.
A schedule of deadlines for deliverables should be included in the proposal, including those identified above in the Deliverables section and any additional key deadlines proposed by the offeror, including those for NMNH staff. Final schedule will be negotiated based on coordination between the proposal and the Museum's strategic timelines. All activities, must be completed by December 15, 2013.
b) Capability to Perform
The offeror shall specifically address capability and capacity to perform the work required for this project, considering its size, scope and schedule. The offeror shall specifically address current capability, capacity and ability to complete this project considering the schedule.
c) Staffing
The offeror shall provide resumes of key personnel or resume of individual offeror if an individual proposal. Resumes should state experience as it relates to this project.
d) Experience
The offeror shall provide examples of specialized experience and demonstrated technical competence in performing similar work as requested herein, preferably completed within the last five years.
Cost Proposal
Cost Proposals shall address pricing of the work as requested herein. The price proposals shall be all-inclusive. Cost proposals should include costs broken down and justified according to specific categories of deliverables, as indicated in section 4, "Deliverables," above.
The price to the Smithsonian Institution for this purchase order shall not exceed $45,000. This price includes all costs.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria being applied to the information requested above:
"Plan of Accomplishment" and "Capability to Perform" shall be granted equal weight and shall together be granted more weight than "Staffing," and "Experience." "Staffing" and "Experience of the Firm" shall be granted equal weight. All evaluation factors other than cost, when combined, are granted more weight than cost.
Award of a contract shall be made to the responsive, responsible offeror, whose combined cost and technical proposal is, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer, determined to be the most advantageous and in the best interest of the Smithsonian Institution.
Inquiries
Inquiries regarding this Request for Proposal should be directed via email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
Interviews
It is the intention of the Smithsonian to interview a select group of responsive offerors; however, it is possible that interviews may not occur. Consequently, it is important that all responses to this request be complete and include all necessary information.
Submission of Proposals
The Smithsonian reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received in response to this request, and to negotiate separately with any offeror when such action shall be considered by the Contracting Officer to be in the best interest of the Smithsonian. After limited negotiations or based solely on initial offers received, notice will be provided indicating that an award may be made. It is therefore emphasized that all proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the offeror can submit. Written proposals must be received 5:00 PM in the offeror's time zone, on May 20, 2013.
Disposition of Proposals
All information submitted in response to this Request for Proposal shall become the property of the Smithsonian and shall not be returned.
End.
Elio Cruz
Youth Programs Coordinator
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Office of Education and Outreach
Washington DC
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