Polygraph Examiners Training
Sources Sought
for
Polygraph Examiners Training
THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION AND DOES NOT ASSUME THE GOVERNMENT WILL AWARD A CONTRACT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS NOTICE IS ONLY FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES.
This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice to determine the availability of potential small businesses. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relate to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Responses will NOT be accepted from any other source(s). Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.
The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) is (611430). The submission of this information is for planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to procure any items/services.
GENERAL:
This notice is a Request for Information (RFI) and is NOT a Request for Proposals (RFP), nor is this a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The purpose of this RFI is to identify potential sources that are interested in a capable of providing the services herein. Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the FedBizOpps site for additional information pertaining to this RFI. Please be advised that all submissions become U.S. Government property. Response to this RFI will not be returned. This RFI does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the submission of any information or in making necessary studied for the preparation thereof. This RFI does not commit the Government to procure or contract for said request of information. RFI does not commit the government to procure or contract for said services. The contracting officer is the only individual who can commit the government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with the proposed procurement. Proprietary/competition sensitive information will be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent practical, however, it is preferred that respondents do not provide proprietary or otherwise restricted responses. Each page considered by a submitting organization to contain proprietary information should be clearly marked. The requested information is for planning and market research purposes only and WILL NOT be publicly released.
RESPONSE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Responses must be submitted via email to Althea Robinson, (robinsonaf@state.gov). The deadline for the submission of responses to this RFI is by 2:00 pm EST, February 27, 2017. All questions concerning this RFI must be submitted by sending an email to Ms. Robinson no later than 2:00 pm EST Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Questions received after that date will not be answered, unless the Government determines the answer to the question imparts information material to Industry's ability to respond to this RFI. Government response to questions will be posted. All Government responses to questions will be made available on www.fedbizopps.gov. No phone calls will be accepted.
DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION REQUESTED
Responses to this RFI should include the organization's full name, headquarters locations, and location of an office in the Washington, DC area, if any. They should also include the name of a point-of-contact and his/her email and conventional mailing addresses. Firms are invited to indicate their interests and capabilities by providing the follows:
• Brief Capability Statement
• Other specific and pertinent information as it pertains to this service
• Description of capabilities and a general approach for meeting the requirements
• Federal Supply Schedule (FSS)/Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) (if any)
• Socioeconomic Classification chart is listed below, please identify which one contain to your company
HUBZone
SDV
WOSB
8(a)
Small Business
Please see below Draft " tatement of Work" (SOW) for Polygraph Examiners Training:
DRAFT SOW
Polygraph Examiners Training
1. Program Background
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) are responsible for the development, supervision, coordination, and implementation of international narcotics control and criminal justice activities for the U.S. Department of State. INL's Office of Africa and the Middle East (INL/AME) and the INL Section at Embassy Abuja (INL/Nigeria) provide policy guidance and develops, executes, and monitors programs to address the full range of criminal justice issues as they relate to rule of law and stabilization activities in Africa and the Middle East, including Nigeria.
With the inception of the new government administration in Nigeria and the administration's emphasis on corruption, it is imperative that every government agency develop a robust program to prevent corrupt activities by government employees within their ranks. This is especially true for the security agencies that hold the responsibility of protecting the public and ensuring compliance of legal statutes and regulations legislated to promote a well-functioning civil society. Systemic corruption within the security agencies violates the public's trust and erodes the fabric that maintains a just society. In order to prevent a breakdown in the public's belief in the government's ability to protect their civil liberties, each agency must regulate rules and guidelines against corruption. Unfortunately, years of unbridled and rampant corruption by Nigerian law enforcement officers has eroded the public's trust in the security forces.
In order to regain that trust, the agencies must develop specialized units of highly ethical officers responsible for investigating allegations of officer misconduct and an accompanying transparent system of discipline must be developed to hold officers accountable for their misdeeds. The security agencies must also have the ability to screen prospective personnel being selected for sensitive or specialized units or assignments to ensure that they are selecting candidates of the highest ethical standards to enlist into their ranks.
To accomplish this task, several Nigerian Law Enforcement agencies have either started or proposed the creation of a polygraph unit to employ modern investigative technology to ferret out allegations of corruption or to effectively screen certain prospective employees.
The training covered in this Statement of Work will increase the capability of the polygraph units to conduct high-quality examinations on a timely basis.
2. Scope of Work
INL seeks basic polygraph examiner training for 13-20 Nigerian law-enforcement officers, from a training institution accredited by the American Polygraph Association (APA). The Contractor shall provide training, certification, accreditation documentation, and all miscellaneous requirements necessary to complete a Basic Polygraph Examiners Course with the objective of fulfilling the requirements necessary to obtain certification from the American Polygraph Association (APA) as described in this Statement of Work (SOW).
3. Period of Performance
The vendor shall begin delivery of the first course within a period of no more than 90 calendar days from receipt of Purchase Order. Each training course shall last no less than twelve weeks (480 hours) and no more than 17 weeks (680 hours) and will consist of at least 480 instruction hours. A week of training is defined as at least four and no more than six days and each day will last no less than six hours and no more than nine hours excluding breaks and lunch. Purchase of any required equipment shall be subject to prior coordination and approval of U.S. Government INL Contracting Officer Representative (COR).
4. Place of Performance
Delivery shall take place at an American Polygraph Association (APA)-accredited polygraph school or training facility.
5. Training Requirements
The vendor shall provide APA-certified Basic Polygraph Examiners training consisting of no less than 480 hours and no more than 680 hours of comprehensive polygraph examination training for a minimum of 13, and maximum of 20, select Nigerian law enforcement officers. The vendor should state in their proposal how many students will be trained at a time (e.g. 5 students per training).
The student examiners shall receive extensive hands-on experience on computerized polygraph equipment that, at a minimum, consists of the following required disciplines (minimum accepted instruction hours), a protocol for monitoring trainee progress during the training, and a final examination:
Law and Human Rights (8 hours):
The student will learn laws applicable to polygraph.
Ethics, Standards of Practice and By-Laws (4 hours):
The student will learn the Code of Ethics, Standards of Practice and By-Laws and other ethical considerations for the practice of polygraph.
Introduction to the History and Evolution of Psychophysiological Detection of Deception
(8 hours):
The student will be able to identify those persons who made notable contributions to the early and contemporary history of lie detection, and demonstrate their knowledge of the evolution of polygraph instrumentation, polygraph techniques, and test data analysis; the development of professional associations; and alternate methods of detection of deception.
Scientific Testing (8 hours):
The student will demonstrate a conceptual knowledge of sensitivity, specificity, false positive errors, false negative errors and statistical significance in the application of the concepts to diagnostic and screening tests; the ability to review research articles and explain their methodological strengths and weaknesses.
Mechanics of Instrument Operation (16 hours):
The student will be able to perform a proper functionality check of the type of instrument he or she will be using. During their laboratory exercises the student must also demonstrate the proper component placement, including primary and alternate locations in addition to the positioning of the examinee; proper software operations for the instrument he or she will use; acceptable data collection practices, and the use of standardized annotation on polygraph examinations.
Polygraph Techniques (40 hours):
The student will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of at least one testing protocol shown to meet APA validation standards for each of the following applications: Evidentiary, investigative, and screening. Exposure to two or more validated protocols is recommended. Students will understand the essential components of these testing protocols, including the number of presentations, number of tests, and question sequence rules.
Pre-Test Interview (32 hours):
The student will be able to explain the rationale behind pretest procedures and
demonstrate the ability to conduct a free narrative, structured or semi-structured
interview.
Post-Test Interview (8 hours):
The student will be able to explain the rationale behind post-test procedures, identify
basic interview approaches and demonstrate the process of post-test interviews for the
various test outcomes.
Psychology (20 hours):
The student will be able to explain the basic elements of human psychology and their
applicability to the science of polygraph testing.
Physiology (20 hours):
The student will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous, peripheral nervous, integumentary and skeletal-muscular systems, as well as pharmacology, as they relate to the polygraph data.
Test Question Construction (32 hours):
During classroom and laboratory exercises the student will demonstrate, in writing, an effective working knowledge of polygraph test questions for validated polygraph techniques.
Test Data Analysis (40 hours):
The student will demonstrate a working knowledge of the physiological response patterns used in interpretation of polygraph data, in addition to an ability to identify data suitable and not suitable for analysis. Students will learn to analyze polygraph data using a validated scoring system, including the appropriate use of decision rules.
Countermeasures (8 hours):
The student will be able to describe common types of countermeasure attempts and atypical physiology.
Information and Results Reporting (2 hours):
The student will demonstrate an understanding of necessary information content and
presentation of test results.
Practical Application of Polygraph/Mock Examinations (80 hours):
The student will demonstrate basic proficiency in conducting examinations under field-like conditions. A minimum of three complete polygraph examinations, being monitored by a lab instructor or someone providing instructional assistance, will be conducted under field like conditions with a student-to-instructor ratio not to exceed three-to-one. No student will conduct an actual field polygraph examination until they have successfully graduated from the 400-hour education and training program.
Education and Training Program Elective Instruction (74 hours):
The student will be familiarized with other polygraph-related content or given additional instruction on topics listed earlier in these standards, at the discretion of the program.
A standardized written APA final examination or equivalent examination covering core learning objectives. The student will be required to achieve a minimum score of 75% on all written examinations in order to successfully complete the course.
Training Outcomes Summary
Delivery of a training course sufficient to deem law-enforcement officers from Nigeria fully competent as basic polygraph examiners, in accordance with APA training guidelines for training of basic polygraph examiners. This request seeks classroom training, practical exercises, and the use of practical/mock examinations under supervision of supervisory polygraph examiners.
That the trainees achieve full proficiency on the use of computerized polygraph equipment, and receive familiarization training on the use of conventional polygraph equipment.
That, upon conclusion of basic polygraph examination training and practical examination training, the trainees be tested to determine whether they are fully proficient as polygraph examiners.
That the trainees return to their parent agencies competent to administer pre-appointment examinations to employees entering specialized investigative units, to administer routine polygraph examinations to employees assigned to specialized units, and to administer polygraph examinations to employees suspected of official wrongdoing.
That the trainees return to their parent agencies qualified to use polygraph examinations as an investigative tool in criminal investigations.
6. Applicable Documents
The vendor will provide all written materials and reference materials required by the student to complete the course. Such documents must be approved by the COR prior to commencement of training.
• The vendor will provide a standardized written APA final examination or equivalent examination covering core learning objectives.
• The vendor will provide weekly written tests to students and students will be required to achieve a minimum score of 75% on all written examinations in order to successfully complete the course.
• Those students who successfully complete the course will receive an APA recognized certificate of successful completion. All instructions and instructional material shall be in English.
7. Other Provisions
The vendor will not be required to provide meals or lodging for the students; however, vendors that can provide and/or arrange accommodation and meals should state this in their proposal and state the cost for such arrangements.
Vendors must submit guidelines for how they will determine whether a trainee should be dismissed for poor performance.
8. Project Management
The vendor shall provide a complete training schedule and course dates for COR approval. Any changes to the schedule must be approved in advance with the COR.
The vendor shall notify the COR of any scholastic or disciplinary problems prior to any decision to dismiss or terminate the training of any student.
Reporting Requirements
During each of the training courses, the vendor shall maintain open, timely, and effective communications with the COR, INL Program Officer, and Embassy Abuja, resulting in a relationship that shall proactively address any potential issues.
Submit a weekly report no later than every Sunday while training is occurring. Each report shall be ~1 page in length and shall include:
o Data on number of all participants
o Block by block of instruction outline of course as planned and any deviations from planned course material
o Significant activities occurring during the week. This includes problem areas, observations, and comments
o Results of weekly written assignments for each student
Submit an action report after each training is completed. Report shall be 6 to 20 pages in length and will include:
o Names of students completing the course; Names of students not completing the course and a reason for each student's failure to complete the course (not meeting the 90% attendance rule, behavioral issues, etc.)
Record of each student's written assignments and exam scores
o Logistical or coordination problems/issues and suggested solutions to issues noted
o Legal or existing Nigerian law enforcement agency policy that conflicts with best practices
o Instructor's assessment of willingness, capability, and/or opposition to implement the material as presented
o Conflicts between instructional material (as presented) and existing policies/practices used by the organization/students
o Detailed information demonstrating the major impact of the program during the entire reporting period; such as success stories, digital photos, quotes, and facts from the conducted trainings
o Lessons learned
o Recommended follow-up activities for U.S. Embassy personnel to consider
o Other topics as required that affect program delivery
Conduct an out-brief with INL personnel to evaluate the action report after each training is completed:
o The pre-test (baseline) and final test to gauge participants understanding of material shall be presented to INL personnel
o A course critique that was distributed to all student participants at the completion of the training. This shall be a written anonymous evaluation of the course and course instructors
9. Staffing Requirements
The vendor shall be responsible for recruitment of qualified instructor candidates that meet or exceed the minimum qualifications set out below. The technical quote of the vendor shall include its recruitment and selection process for all staff under this RFI, as well as the number of trainers it deems necessary to implement the project. INL reserves the right to review recruitment materials and outreach efforts.
Instructor Requirements
The training team may be comprised of between two to three highly experienced polygraphers on site at all times. Instructors may rotate throughout the training. All instructors must possess the following qualifications:
1. Possess, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree issued by a college or university
accredited by a regional or national accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education or the Counsel for Higher Education Accreditation;
2. Possess five years of experience in applied polygraph field work;
Accreditation Standards 8
3. Have completed at least 200 field polygraph examinations using a validated
polygraph technique;
4. Complete at least 30 hours of continuing education every two years in coursework
related to the field of polygraphy. Instructors are responsible for maintaining
records to document that they have met the continuing education requirement.
The vendor shall submit for approval the trainers. The vendor shall be responsible for recruitment of qualified candidates that meet or exceed the minimum qualifications. In addition, if the vendor replaces any trainers of staff during any period of this contract, the vendor must recruit and submit to the COR for review, final approval, and country clearance as replacement candidates who meet all of the same qualifications as outlined in this SOW.
Althea F Robinson, Phone 7038756284, Email robinsonaf@state.gov - Althea F Robinson, Management Analyst, Phone 7038756284, Email robinsonaf@state.gov
