The Purpose of this Amendment is to add a Secondary Point of Contact (POC). All respondents to this notice are to submit responses to the primary POC and the Secondary POC. The Secondary POC being added is Ms. Lauren Roller who may be contacted at the email address, lauren.roller@nist.gov, as indicated in the Contact Information section below. -END-
INTRODUCTION
This Notice is for planning purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal, Request for Quotation, or an obligation on the part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for conducting a follow-on acquisition. NIST does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice or otherwise pay for the information requested. No entitlement or payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by NIST will arise as a result of submission of responses to this Notice and NIST use of such information.
NIST is seeking to identify business concern sources capable of providing services for the Federal Earthquake Risk Reduction Coordination Workshop for an anticipated firm-fixed price type purchase order as described further in this notice.
The small business size standard associated with the NAICS code for this effort, 541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services, is $19.0 Million. Interested parties shall include their business size classification and socio-economic status in response to this notice.
Background:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the lead agency for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP or Program). NEHRP is an interagency partnership providing the leadership and technical resources needed to reduce human, economic, and societal losses caused by earthquakes in the U.S. and its territories. The four NEHRP agencies are:
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• National Science Foundation
• U.S. Geological Survey.
NEHRP is a coordinating program for earthquake monitoring, research, implementation, education, and outreach activities developed and conducted by the NEHRP agencies. The agencies collectively meet this challenge by:
• Supporting the research and operations needed to study the science of earthquakes and their consequences
• Developing and promoting the use of scientifically-supported engineering and construction codes, standards, and guidelines to reduce earthquake damage to the built environment and disruption to a community
• Sponsoring activities that advocate earthquake risk reduction awareness and practices nationwide
Reducing the seismic risks posed to the nation by earthquakes is a government-wide effort, of which NEHRP is one component. The success of the entire federal effort requires integrated and collaborative roles among the NEHRP agencies, their partners, and inter-programmatic coordination with other relevant federal programs and agencies, rooted in a common vision and shared mission.
NEHRP is mandated by legislation (Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-124), as amended through the NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-307)—42 U.S.C. Chapter 86) to develop interagency memorandums of understanding with any relevant federal agency on data sharing and resource commitment in the event of an earthquake disaster. Coordination with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and the Federal Communications Commission are explicitly identified in the legislation. In addition to planning and coordinating the Program, one of the responsibilities of the lead agency is to request the assistance of federal agencies other than the Program agencies, as necessary to assist in carrying out the Act.
In addition, Executive Order 13717 (United States, Executive Office of the President [Barack Obama]. Executive Order 13717: Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard. 2 Feb. 2016. Federal Register, Vol. 81, No. 24, 5 Feb. 2016) requires NIST, as the NEHRP lead agency, to lead the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction (ICSSC) and lead the development and maintenance of ICSSC guidelines to assist the federal agencies with implementing earthquake risk reduction measures in their construction programs. Further, Plan to Coordinate Post-Earthquake Investigations Supported by NEHRP, USGS Circular 1542, recommends NEHRP to coordinate with other federal entities to maximize collaborations and efficiencies in conducting post-earthquake reconnaissance and investigations.
It is important for NEHRP to develop a broadened understanding and map of the entire federal effort that supports earthquake risk reduction to support the legislation, executive directives, and best practice recommendations. This information will facilitate the development of a NEHRP Coordination Plan that aligns with the NEHRP Management Plan by the NEHRP Office within the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at NIST. This plan will identify these other agencies and earthquake-related programs and address what coordination efforts, practices, and policies currently exist and where new activities may be explored.
This acquisition is to obtain contractor services to support the development and hosting of a theme-focused workshop composed of all relevant federal agencies, programs, and available resources supporting earthquake risk reduction from mitigation to response and recovery. The workshop participants will be selected based on an investigation into the roles and programs of applicable agencies. A findings report will be developed that maps these federal efforts, providing the foundation for the NEHRP Coordination Plan. Enhancing practice capabilities and efficiencies provided by NEHRP in supporting its mission are contingent upon this service.
Results of this project may be included in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of NEHRP in 2027.
Scope of Requirement:
The purpose of this potential requirement is to obtain Contractor support services for developing and hosting a workshop composed of representatives from federal agencies who have a position in earthquake risk reduction measures. The workshop participants will be selected based on an investigation into the roles and programs of applicable agencies. The information gathered at the workshop will be used to develop a Findings Report that maps the roles of all relevant agencies, programs, and available resources to outline a systematic process toward the federal effort of earthquake risk reduction. In developing the workshop content, special attention shall be given to address topical areas targeting impactful coordination with NEHRP.
The Contractor shall convene a group of subject matter experts that are experienced in earthquake-related sciences. This group shall be charged with evaluating what programs and agencies have a role in earthquake risk reduction and their principal representatives. The Contractor shall host a workshop with all identified representatives in the Washington, D.C. area. The workshop shall be structured by the Contractor to facilitate the development of the findings report.
In this evaluation, the contractor shall review several publications for:
• Developing a snapshot of what federal earthquake programs currently exist, whether by legislation or agency mission within moderate to high seismicity regions.
• Identifying what synergies may be explored to support inter-programmatic coordination with NEHRP.
• Identifying what other agencies should be included as secondary coordinating agencies with NEHRP.
• Identifying what aspirational coordination concepts may exist to strengthen NEHRP.
Publications for which the contractor may review include the following:
• Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-124, 42 U.S.C. 7701 et. seq.), as amended by the most recent NEHRP Reauthorization Act;
• FEMA 383: Expanding and Using Knowledge to Reduce Earthquake Losses: Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, 2001-2005 (2003), reference b.
• Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, FY2009-2013 (2008), reference c.
• Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, FY2022-2029 (2023), reference d.
• National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, Five Year Plan for 1989-1993;
• Strategy for National Earthquake Loss Reduction (April 1996);
• Earthquake Engineering Research Institute titled Securing Society Against
• Earthquake Losses—A Research and Outreach Plan in Earthquake Engineering (2003);
• The Plan to Coordinate NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations, USGS Circular 1542 (2024);
• National Research Council (NRC) 2011 National Earthquake Resilience: Research, Implementation, and Outreach;
• Earthquakes: Additional Actions Needed to Identify and Mitigate Risks to Federal Buildings and Implement an Early Warning System, GAO-16-680 (2016);
• Earthquakes: Progress Made to Implement Early Warning System, but Actions Needed to Improve Program Management, GAO-21-129 (2021); and
• Earthquakes: Opportunities Exist to Further Assess Risk, Build Resilience, and Communicate Research, GAO-22-105016 (2022).
Key Requirement Tasks:
The required work includes the following key task areas. The Contractor shall provide the expertise and resources as appropriate to satisfy the requirements of this acquisition as identified below. The Contractor shall provide all support for project oversight, administration, and technical execution of this task order. The Contractor is responsible for maintaining accurate records of project activities.
Task 1. Kickoff Meeting with NIST
The Contractor shall host a kickoff meeting with the NIST Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR),to discuss all aspects and understandings of the salient requirements of this Statement of Work (SOW). The kickoff meeting shall be held virtually at a time mutually agreed upon between the Contractor and the NIST COR. The kickoff meeting shall not exceed a total combined length of four (4) hours. For this project, the Contractor is permitted to host a website or cloud site for maintaining all project-related data. The Kickoff Meeting will assist the Contractor with acquiring necessary information regarding project requirements and to clarify any ambiguities in this SOW.
Task 2. Assemble Project Technical Committee (PTC)
The Contractor shall recommend and, with NIST COR approval, appoint a Project Technical Committee (PTC) consisting of seven (7) individuals. The appointed PTC members, including one assigned as the Project Technical Director (PTD), shall include eminently qualified subject matter experts with significant and demonstrable experience in their field of expertise. At a minimum the following fields shall be represented: structural and geotechnical earthquake engineering, earthquake-related social science, earthquake-related emergency management, seismology, earthquake-related response and recovery, and earthquake insurance. Any PTC member that is a current member of the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction (ACEHR) shall solely represent themselves.
The individual recommended for the PTD shall be reviewed and approved by the NIST COR. Qualifications for the individual recommended for the PTD position in addition to those in general for the PTC shall include previous experience organizing workshops and chairing a theme-focused group. Though not a requirement, experience working with federal agencies is encouraged. Selection of the remaining PTC members shall also be made with recommendation to and approval of the NIST COR. Recommendation of any number of PTC members (‘nomination package’) can be made at any time to the NIST COR. Total NIST review and approval time for each nomination package shall be no more than 5 business days from date of submission.
The PTD shall serve as the project lead and have overall responsibility for the technical development, quality, and direction of the project. All project deliverables shall be reviewed by the PTD prior to submission to the NIST COR for review and approval. The PTC shall be responsible for developing all logistics pertaining to the workshop, selecting the workshop participants, developing the content and facilitating the workshop, and developing a “findings” report using the information gathered from the performance of Task 4 and the workshop, in accordance with the requirements detailed in the specific task deliverables above.
After approval of the full PTC, the Contractor shall host a virtual meeting, not to exceed three (3) hours, with the PTC and NIST COR to discuss project scope and timeline.
Task 3 – Develop Project Work Plan
The Contractor shall develop a Project Work Plan (PWP) that fully meets the essential elements described in each task and addresses the following:
• Outlines the overall project scope and performance strategy
• Provides details of all milestones required for project completion
• Ensures the PWP is fully compliant and consistent with contract needs
• Provides the names of all members of the PTC identified in Task 2
• Identifies a timeline for deliverables and anticipated virtual meetings, and
• Draft logistics of the workshop, which will be continually updated through Task 6
The Contractor shall submit a draft PWP to the NIST COR for approval. Total NIST review and approval time shall be no more than 15 business days from date of submission. The Contractor shall revise the PWP based on COR feedback as required.
Task 4: Conduct Review of Earthquake-related Federal Programs and Agencies
The Contractor, through the PTC, shall perform an extensive review to identify any federal program and agency (source) that has a role in earthquake risk reduction. Each source shall be binned within categories that capture all needed efforts (e.g., mitigation, response and recovery, etc.). For each source identified, the PTC shall write a bulleted summary, not to exceed one page in length, of the key components of the source and its role. All summaries shall be produced in a common format and shall be compiled in a form that is suitable for inclusion into the findings report, if deemed needed by the NIST COR. This review shall serve as the basis for developing and identifying participants to attend the workshop.
The Contractor shall submit the review summary to the NIST COR for approval. Submittal shall be in Microsoft Word format. Total NIST review and approval time shall be no more than 15 business days from date of submission. The Contractor shall submit a final summary within 15 business days of receiving the NIST COR review comments.
Task 5. Identify Workshop Participants
The Contractor through the PTC shall identify any key federal program or agency representatives that are recommended for attending the Workshop and who also may be a point-of-contact for that source.
The Contractor shall only provide travel support to the PTC and workshop logistics staff. The latter shall not to exceed four people.
The Contractor shall submit the list of participants to the NIST COR for approval. Submittal shall be in Microsoft Word format. Total NIST review and approval time shall be no more than 10 business days from date of submission.
The NIST COR reserves the right to identify additional participants to attend the Workshop.
Task 6. Develop Workshop Format and Sessions and Outline for Findings Report
The Contractor, through the PTC, shall develop the workshop format, presentation format, and what information from the presentations is needed to inform the findings report. This information shall be used to generate a draft outline of the findings report.
In totality, the number of hours for the workshop shall not exceed a cumulative length of 16 hours inclusive of all sessions for all categories identified in Taks 4. For example, the workshop shall not exceed 8 hours for mitigation and 8 hours for post-earthquake response and recovery, or any combination of sessions and time defined by this task thereof. The Workshop shall be scheduled within normal business hours in the location time zone. The workshop shall include online video conferencing and presentation capabilities for at least fifty (50) virtual participants. The Contractor shall market the workshop to the participants identified in Task 6, enlist their attendance, and provide scope and requirements for their presentation.
The Contractor shall submit the draft format of the workshop for review and approval by NIST COR. The COR will review and respond to the contractor with any comments, questions or requests for additional information within 5 business days. The contractor shall have 2 days to respond to the COR with the draft format of the workshop.
The Contractor shall, for approval by NIST COR, update and resubmit the PWP from Task 3 to include identified workshop participants in Task 5 and any information regarding the workshop itself in this task. The COR will review and respond to the contractor with any comments, questions, or requests for additional information within 5 business days. The Contractor shall submit a final PWP within 15 business days of receiving the NIST COR’s review comments.
Task 7. Conduct Workshop
The Contractor, through the PTC, shall organize, facilitate, and manage the workshop to discuss the topics identified in Task 6 with key participants and workshop attendees identified in Task 5. This task includes providing all logistical support and documenting the discussions at the workshop relative to the draft outline for the findings report.
The workshop shall be in-person and located in the Washington D.C. area to maximize federal participant involvement. The Contractor shall be responsible for securing a venue and all on-site logistics. The Contractor shall be responsible for managing all travel arrangements for the logistics of employees and/or subcontractors that the PTC identified in Task 5. All travel support and Other Direct Costs requests must be approved in advance by the NIST COR.
Task 8. Develop 50% Draft Findings Report
The Contractor through the PTC (and any facilitator(s)) shall synthesize all session discussions identified in Task 6 and develop summaries identifying important conclusions from the workshop sessions conducted in Task 7. The Contractor through the PTC shall use the information gathered from the workshop and all previous tasks to produce a 50% draft of the findings report.
The Contractor shall submit the 50% draft in MS Word to the NIST COR for approval. Review submittal shall be in Microsoft Word format. Total NIST review and approval time shall be no more than 30 days from date of submission.
Task 9. Finalize Findings Report
The Contractor shall use review comments received in Task 8 to produce a “final findings” report.
The Contractor shall submit the 100% draft to the NIST COR for approval. Review submittal shall be in Microsoft Word format. Total NIST review and approval time shall be no more than 30 days from date of submission.
After receipt of NIST COR review comments, the Contractor shall prepare the final version of the findings report and submit to the NIST COR in Microsoft Word format within 15 days.
Task A1 - Quarterly Reporting Requirements
The Contractor shall provide written progress reports on a quarterly basis (first quarter starts October 1), in addition to the Deliverables identified in this SOW. The Contractor shall submit the progress report within 15 business days after the quarter ends. The progress report shall cover all contract-related activity, including, but not limited to, accomplishments, problems encountered, problem resolution, and any unresolved problems during the reporting period. Progress reports shall be submitted electronically via Email to the NIST COR and NIST Contracting Officer (CO) who both will be identified at the time of contract award.
Required Expertise:
The tasks associated with this potential procurement require demonstrated experience working with federal agencies, including those in the NEHRP Program (i.e., Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey) for work on similar requirements. Further, the specific key personnel shall have relevant expertise due to the nature of the effort and its impact. The contractor shall be able to provide a Key Personnel for a Project Manager overseeing all requirement efforts. The key personnel shall meet the minimum requirements identified below. For the purposes of this sources sought notice, respondents are NOT required to identify proposed individuals or to provide resumes. However, the contractor shall provide information about its ability to make appropriate personnel available.
One (1) Project Manager (PM) is required as key personnel for the Contractor. The key personnel must meet the following minimum qualifications:
• 10 years of project management experience
Additionally, NIST prefers the key personnel to have experience hosting and facilitating workshops. However, this is not a requirement.
Place of Performance:
The Place of Performance shall be at the Contractor’s work site/place of business. All work supporting this task order requirement, except the in-person workshop, shall be performed virtually and use online video conferencing tools as required, such as Zoom or MS Teams. The workshop shall be held in the Washington, D.C. area at a venue approved by the NIST COR.
Period of Performance:
The Period of Performance shall be effective for 24 months from 10/01/2025 through 09/30/2027.
HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE
In responding to this notice, please DO NOT PROVIDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. Please include only the following information, readable in either Microsoft Word 365, Microsoft Excel 365, or .pdf format, in the response: Submit the response by email to the Primary Point of Contact and, if specified, to the Secondary Point of Contact listed in this notice as soon as possible, and preferably before the closing date and time of this notice. Please note that to be considered for award under any official solicitation, the entity must be registered and “active” in SAM at the time of solicitation response.
• Provide the complete name of your company, address, name of contact for follow-up questions, their email, their phone number and, if your company has an active registration in https://sam.gov, your company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI).
• Describe performance capabilities of your company to meet each of the Government’s requirements. If your company cannot meet all of the Government’s requirement, please identify the requirements/sections your company is able to meet. Additionally, if there are other capabilities that you believe would assist NIST in meeting its objectives described above, please discuss in your response.
• Identify any aspects of the NIST market research notice, including instructions, and minimum specifications within the SOW that you cannot meet and state why. Please offer suggestions for how the market research notice and draft minimum specifications could be made more competitive.
• For the NAICS code listed in this notice:
o Indicate whether your company is (a) a small business or (b) other than small business. See the Table of Small Business Size Standards and the associated .pdf download file for small business size standards and additional information.
o If you believe the NAICS code listed in this notice is not the best NAICS code for the type of product addressed in this notice, identify an alternative NAICS code that you believe would be more appropriate for the planned procurement.
• If the recommended equipment and/or related services are available for purchase on any existing Federal Supply Schedule contract(s) or other contracts against which NIST may be able to place orders, identify the contract number(s) and other relevant information.
• Provide any other information that you believe would be valuable for NIST to know as part of its market research for this requirement.
• State if you require NIST to provide additional information to improve your understanding of the government’s requirement and/or would like to meet with NIST representatives to discuss the requirement and the capabilities of the identified equipment.
Submission Instructions
All information considered pertinent to the covered requirement must be sent electronically to Hunter Tjugum at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Information submitted must be specific and address the aforementioned requirement.
Submissions must be received not later than 3:00 pm Eastern Time (ET), August 11, 2025. Only e-mail submissions are acceptable.
The response shall not exceed 15 pages including all attachments, charts, etc.
IMPORTANT NOTES
This notice is for market research purposes and should not be construed as a commitment by NIST to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. There is no solicitation available at this time.
This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.
NIST reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.
Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capability.
Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.
After a review of the responses received, a synopsis and solicitation may be published on GSA’s eBuy or SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to any such solicitation(s).
After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract. If at least two acceptable small businesses are identified during this market research, then the resulting competitive procurement may be conducted as a small business set-aside.
