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Risk Assessment Training Program


Maryland, United States
Government : Federal
RFP
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THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) is issuing this Sources Sought Synopsis as a means of conducting market research or as a market survey to determine the availability of potential qualified vendors with the technical capability to provide all management, supervision, administration, and labor for the "Risk Assessment Training Program.”  Specific services are discussed in detail below and are to be provided at the NRC’s Professional Development Center in Rockville, MD, the NRC’s Technical Training Center in Chattanooga, TN and the NRC’s Regional Offices in King of Prussia, PA, Atlanta, GA, Lisle, IL, or Arlington, TX.  The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 611430.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME.  This request for sources and vendor information does not constitute a request for proposal; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. 

 

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES (if applicable):  Requirements for Risk Assessment Training:  As part of its effort to train NRC personnel in risk assessment techniques, the NRC provides a curriculum of 17 courses covering a wide range of risk assessment topics.  This is an established curriculum with course presentation materials available in Microsoft PowerPoint format.  The NRC's Office of Chief Human Capital Officer, Human Resources Training and Development is seeking sources capable of developing new risk assessment training courses as well as converting existing instructor-led courses to online/hybrid formats while maintaining, updating and conducting the curriculum of courses described below:

• P-102, Bayesian Inference in Risk Assessment - (5 days).  This course covers basic applications of Bayesian statistical inference in risk assessment.  Through lectures, workshop problems, and case studies participants are presented with mathematical techniques from probability and Bayesian inference that are currently being applied in risk assessments.  The topics covered include a review of probability, selected probability models important to risk assessment, elementary Bayesian parameter estimation, introduction to Bayesian model validation, and uncertainty propagation through risk assessment models.  The course is computer-based and utilizes Excel, Reliability and Availability Data System (RADS), Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluation (SAPHIRE), with an introduction to Windows Bayesian Inference using Gibbs Sampling (WinBUGS), which is useful for more advanced problems.  Prior to attending P-102, students should be familiar with the basic operations of Excel, but do not need to be familiar with RADS, SAPHIRE or WinBUGS.

• P-105, PRA Basics for Regulatory Applications - (3 days).  This course addresses the special needs of the nuclear regulator who requires knowledge of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) issues and insights to better evaluate the effects of design, testing, maintenance, and operating strategies on nuclear system reliability.  The full range of PRA topics is presented in abbreviated form with the goal of introducing the regulatory staffs to the basic concepts and terminology of PRA as applied to the nuclear inspection process.  The course uses actual commercial nuclear plant PRAs and IPEs and stresses the uses and applications of these publications in planning audits and inspections and evaluating plant safety issues.

• P-108, Fire Protection SDP Training - (3 days).  This course introduces the methodology described in Appendix F to the NRC Manual Chapter 0609, Fire Protection Significance Determination Process (SDP).  Students will be introduced to the underlying theory of this SDP.

• P-109, Assessing the Adequacy of Models for Risk-Informed Decisions - (1 day).  This course is aimed at improving awareness of the factors that contribute to uncertainty in predictive models (both probabilistic and deterministic), and the need to identify, characterize and communicate the uncertainties to risk-informed decision makers.  This course discusses the fact that all models are just estimates of reality and subject to many implicit assumptions and biases. It is the responsibility of the model user to explicitly understand and communicate those assumptions, the limits of model applicability, and the uncertainty on the output.  Much time is spent in the class on developing an appreciation for the value of a questioning attitude toward model use and reliance.

• P-111, PRA Technology and Regulatory Perspectives - (9 days).  This course addresses the special needs of NRC Regional Inspectors, Resident Inspectors, and other technical personnel who require knowledge of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) issues and insights to better evaluate the effects of design, testing, maintenance, and operating strategies on nuclear system reliability.  The course will concentrate on the use of PRA results in inspection planning, monitoring NRC licensee performance, and reviewing NRC licensee risk-informed submittals.

• P-200, System Modeling Techniques for PRA - (4 days).  This course will help develop advanced user level skills in performing event tree and fault tree analysis, with numerous practice workshops related to nuclear plant systems.  The course covers the calculation of initiating event frequencies, component failure rate, and the use of "super components" to create fault trees.  A second focus of the course is dependent failure analysis, including multiple Greek letter, binomial failure rate, basic parameter methods, and alpha factor methods for estimating common cause/common mode failure probabilities.

• P-201, SAPHIRE Basics - (4 days).  This course provides hands-on training in the use of Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluation (SAPHIRE) for Windows to perform PRA of nuclear plant systems on a PC.  When the course is completed, the participants will be able to:  build fault tree models on the PC, assign reliability data, analyze the fault trees and develop minimal cut sets, calculate various importance measures, perform uncertainty analysis, analyze accident sequences, create and quantify accident sequences, and generate reports.

• P-202, Advanced SAPHIRE - (4 days).  This course provides hands-on training in the advanced features of Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluation (SAPHIRE) for Windows to perform PRA on a PC.  SAPHIRE allows the user to build and evaluate the models used in PRA.  Participants will learn advanced features such as Flag Sets, advanced basic events (i.e., template, compound, common-cause, and human error events), and various rule editors (i.e., event tree linking, recovery, and partition rules).

• P-203, Human Reliability Assessment - (4 days).  This course serves as an introduction to Human Reliability Assessment (HRA) including the methods used in modeling of human errors and various methods of estimating their probabilities.  This course is designed to teach introductory level skills in HRA and includes a broad introduction to HRA and its applications to nuclear plant systems.  A discussion of HRA strengths, limitations, and results is also included.

• P-204, External Events - (4 days).  This course deals with the analysis of external events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, high winds, and transportation accidents related to commercial nuclear sites and nuclear fuel.  The course has been developed to provide the student with information that can be used in the review of Individual Plant Examination for External Events (IPEEE) results.

• P-300, Accident Progression Analysis - (3 days).  This course deals with the portion of probabilistic risk assessment typically referred to as Level 2 analysis.  The course will address accident phenomenology under post-core damage conditions at commercial nuclear reactors and will discuss development of PRA models for this severe accident regime.  The emphasis of the course is on the important modeling issues and how they are dealt with, rather than how to use specific modeling software.

• P-301, Accident Consequence Analysis - (5 days).  This course deals with the portion of PRA typically referred to as Level 3 analysis.  The course addresses environmental transport of radionuclides and the estimation of offsite consequences from core damage accidents.  The major emphasis of the course is on important modeling issues and how they are dealt with, with a secondary emphasis on how to use specific modeling software.  Hands-on modeling examples using the Methods for Estimation of Leakages and Consequences of Releases Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS2) software code are covered in the course.

• P-302, Risk Assessment in Event Evaluation - (4 days).  This course covers the use of PRA techniques to assess the risk significance of initiating events and condition assessments that occur at operating reactors.  The course addresses the use of simplified PRA models to estimate conditional damage probability using the Graphical Evaluation Module (GEM) of the SAPHIRE suite of programs. In addition, common cause and non-recovery probabilities will be addressed.  The course includes conventional workshops and GEM program workshops.

• P-400, Introduction to Risk Assessment for Materials Safety and Waste Management (3 days).  This course introduces risk assessment concepts for nuclear materials and radioactive waste applications.  The NRC’s policy on the use of risk information as well as the framework for employing risk-informed regulation for nuclear materials and radioactive waste applications is presented. Various risk assessment concepts and methodologies are introduced and discussed.  Examples of the risk assessment methodologies are presented, and some of the strengths and weaknesses associated with the various methodologies are addressed.  Several case studies are presented to demonstrate the risk assessment methodology used for the respective study and the risk insights gained are discussed.  This course also addresses the perception, communication, and management of risk based on the results obtained from the risk assessment.

• P-406, Human Reliability Analysis for Materials Safety and Waste Management (4 days).  This course serves as an introduction to Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) for nuclear materials and radioactive waste applications.  This course provides an overview of HRA, introduces the concepts and methods useful in examining human error, sensitizes staff to recognize the need and importance of HRA in their daily work, and reviews the contribution of human error to selected events for nuclear materials and radioactive waste applications.  As part of this overview, students are introduced to key components of HRA - error taxonomies, performance shaping factors and context, error identification, error modeling and error quantification.  This course also introduces various methods for estimating human error probabilities.  A discussion of HRA strengths, limitations, and results is also included.

• P-501, Advanced Risk Assessment Topics (4 days).  The primary objective of this course is to provide a hands-on approach to the investigation and application of a variety of advanced risk assessment methods, tools, and techniques.  This objective will be accomplished by discussing select topics followed by hands-on application for example exercises.  Because of these hands-on exercises, the student will become more proficient with Bayesian methods and the use of tools such as SAPHIRE, Excel, and WinBUGS for numerical analysis.

• P-502, Bayesian Inference in Risk Assessment - Advanced Topics - (4 days).  This course explores advanced applications of Bayesian statistical inference in risk assessment through lectures and hands-on case studies using WinBUGS and SAPHIRE. 

 

Please complete the Market Research Questions (set forth below).

Please limit you answers for questions 1 through 12 to no more than three pages.

1.     How long has your business been in operation?

2.     What type of business is your company (i.e. 8(a), large, etc.)?

3.     Describe the types of work and technical disciplines your company offers.

4.     Describe any work that your company has performed for the NRC in the past five year (2015 – 2019).

5.     Describe any work that your company has performed for any NRC licensees or any licensee support organizations such as EPRI, NEI, INPO, etc. in the past five years. 

6.     Has your company previously faced organizational conflict of interest issues with NRC (i.e., performing work for an NRC licensee, or a licensee support organization like EPRI, NEI, INPO, etc.)?  If so, how were they resolved?

7.     List any companies or government agencies your company plans to perform work for related to risk assessment and integrated decision making in the next five years and discuss the type of work to be performed?

8.     Describe the specific experience your company has in providing training services, including your company’s ability to develop new risk assessment training related to commercial and research/test reactors as well as the nuclear fuel cycle. 

9.     Describe your company’s ability to generate written examinations to evaluate knowledge transfer and ensure successful completion of the courses described above.

10.  Describe your company’s ability to and experience with converting existing instructor-led courses hybrid and/or online formats.

11.  Describe your ability to offer any of the courses listed above at any given time throughout the year with only 30 days of notice.

12.  Describe your company’s ability to present the aforementioned courses at the NRC’s Professional Development Center in Rockville, MD, the NRC’s Technical Training Center in Chattanooga, TN and the NRC’s Regional Offices in King of Prussia, PA, Atlanta, GA, Lisle, IL, or Arlington, TX.

13.  Describe your company’s employee’s ability to comply with the following requirements:  a) all contract employees must be US Citizens capable of handling sensitive, unclassified documents (hardcopy and electronic) in accordance with all NRC requirements; b) all contract employees must be able to obtain a security clearance with the NRC; c) all contract employees must speak English fluently. 

14.  Describe your company’s ability to store and handle sensitive documents – hardcopy and electronic in accordance with NRC requirements.

15.  Describe any other relevant information which would support your company’s ability to provide the risk assessment training curriculum described above.

The purpose of this announcement is to provide potential sources the opportunity to submit information regarding their capabilities to perform work for the NRC free of conflict of interest (COI).  For information on NRC COI regulations, visit NRC Acquisition Regulation Subpart 2009.5 (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/contracting/48cfr-ch20.html). 


All interested parties, including all categories of small businesses (small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses) are invited to submit a response.  The capabilities package submitted by a vendor should demonstrate the firm's ability, capability, and responsibility to perform the principal components of work listed below.  The package should also include past performance/experience regarding projects of similar scope listing the project title, general description, the dollar value of the contract, and name of the company, agency, or government entity for which the work was performed. 

Organizations responding to this market survey should keep in mind that only focused and pertinent information is requested.  If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.  Submission of additional materials such as glossy brochures or videos is discouraged.

 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE 

If your organization has the capability and capacity to perform, as a prime contractor, one or more of the services described in this notice, then please respond to this notice and provide written responses to the following information.  Please do not include any proprietary or otherwise sensitive information in the response, and do not submit a proposal.  Proposals submitted in response to this notice will not be considered.

 

1.     Organization name, address, emails address, Web site address and telephone number.

 

2.     What size is your organization with respect to NAICS code identified in this notice (i.e., "small" or "other than small")? If your organization is a small business under the aforementioned NAICS code, what type of small business (i.e., small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business, economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, 8(a), or HUBZone small business)? Specify all that apply.

 

3.     Although no geographic restriction is anticipated, if responding organizations are located outside the Washington Metropolitan area (Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia), indicate how the organization would coordinate with the NRC program office located in Rockville, Maryland to provide the support services.

 

4.     Separately and distinctly describe which of the required capabilities listed above that your organization possesses and indicate your organization's role (prime contractor, first tier subcontractor, and/or supplier) in related contracts.  Please also provide the contract number, contract type, customer name, address and point of contact phone number and email address, contract value, thorough description of supplies and services included in the scope of that contract, indication of how they differ from the required capabilities described in this notice, period of performance (for services) or delivery date (for products), and any other relevant information.

 

5.     For Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) product offerings relevant to this requirement provide completed Voluntary Product Accessibility templates or other documentation that addresses compliance with the applicable standards (add website link) for those products.  For any federal customers that your agency has provided information technology services within the required capabilities areas, indicate how your company complies with applicable Section 508 standards (see buyaccesible.gov).

 

6.     For any federal customers that your agency has for the required capabilities, indicate how your company complies with applicable environmental laws and Federal regulations (See NRC’s Green Purchasing Plan at:  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1219/ML12191A130.pdf).

 

7.     Indicate whether your organization offers any of the required capabilities described in this notice on one or more of your company's own Federal Government contracts (i.e., GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract or Government wide Acquisition Contracts) that the NRC could order from and, if so, which services are offered.  Also, provide the contract number(s) and indicate what is currently available for ordering from each of those contract(s).

 

8.     Provide a standard, non-proprietary commercial price list or similar standard non-proprietary commercial pricing information for how your company sells, as a prime contractor, required capabilities described in this notice that your organization has experience providing.  Also, indicate what is included in that pricing.

 

9.     Is your organization currently performing or have in the past performed same or similar services as those listed above for any of the licensees regulated by the NRC? If so, which licensees? See http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/licensing.html for more information on NRC licensing. 

 

 10.  Has your organization previously faced organizational conflict of interest issues with NRC? If so, what were they and how were they mitigated or resolved?

 

Interested organizations responding to this Sources Sought Synopsis are encouraged to structure capability statements in the order of the area of consideration noted above.  All capability statements sent in response to this notice must be submitted electronically, via e-mail, to Emarsha Whitt, at emarsha.whitt@nrc.gov,  either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), within 15 days from the date of publication of this notice.

 

DISCLAIMER AND NOTES:  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 potential capability and capacity to perform the subject work.  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 pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities.  However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.





Emarsha Whitt, Acquisition Business Specialist, Phone 3014158128, Email Emarsha.Whitt@nrc.gov

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