Work Opportunities

Castner Incorporated
Request for Proposal
Professional Development Coordinator/Director Independent Contractor Services

Castner Incorporated 
1879 Whitehaven Road, #150
Grand Island, NY 17072

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IMPORTANT DATES
RFP issued 5/12/2023; Questions by 5/31/2023; Proposals submitted by email by 6/12/2023 at 2359 (11:59 pm) Eastern Time; Earliest start date 7/1/2023.
Questions: Please forward questions about this RFP to the contact below by 5/31/2023. Questions and Answers will be collated and emailed to all interested parties. Please submit proposals by 6/12/2023. The earliest date of professional services provided will be July 1, 2023. 

 
INTRODUCTION
Castner incorporated is seeking proposals for professional services in course and workshop coordination and directing. Please submit a proposal by 6/12/2023 for consideration to the email address in the contact section below. Firms and individual independent contractors (DBA, LLC) are welcomed to submit a proposal. Minority and/or woman-owned business enterprises, or those with extensive experience working with minority and/or woman-owned businesses are especially encouraged to propose here. A description of Castner Incorporated and the project scope of work are included below. 
LOCATION
Remote work with additional 1-3 weeks per year travel to in-person workshop location. Contractor is expected to provide their own office space, information technology (IT) & IT support, software, and other work requirements consistent with an independent contract agreement. We anticipate 90% of work requested by Castner Incorporated can be conducted remotely, utilizing videoconferencing technology and web-based software. Castner Incorporated’s offices are located on Grand Island New York with a public mailing address that appears on the initial page of this RFP.
CONTACT
Email strongly preferred
Jessica Castner jcastner@castnerincorp.com 
716-417-7360 

OBJECTIVE
Obtain contracted workshop and course director/coordinating professional services to direct, update, and maintain the weekly virtual classroom content, coordinate and communicate with participants and faculty, and coordinate all details of in-person educational events.  Develop and implement all processes and procedures to maintain compliance with Federal and Non-Federal Agency Sponsor requirements, as established by currently written protocols and proposals.  
REQUESTED SERVICES
•	Working collaboratively with Dr. Castner and program faculty, assume the responsibility operationalize and update annual workshop program(s) from a pre-existing written proposal/plan and previously delivered courses/course evaluations
•	Organize, implement, and document evaluation of the program among annual cohorts of participants (currently in the second cohort)
•	Direct participant recruitment and enrollment efforts
•	Manage faculty and participant compliance with responsible conduct of research, unconscious bias training, and other pre-course entry requirements
•	Manage all faculty updates and refreshed content for the virtual Google classroom and YouTube channel, assuming responsibility for the participant-facing classroom components
•	Direct workshop alumni updates and communications
•	Coordinate faculty meetings and annual advisory committee meeting
•	Serve as the main point of contact and coordinator for faculty and participant activities in the asynchronous virtual classroom, annual in-person, real-time workshop (5 days), and related event planning, coordination and logistics 
•	Organize and implement the in-person workshop through coordination with the venue, communicating with participants, and supply inventory/ordering/shipments
We anticipate 5-20% FTE effort for these professional services, with 5% maintenance effort throughout the year and seasonal increase in effort during the real-time workshop (5 days, summer) and 3-month period immediately prior. We anticipate opportunities to expand this effort for additional, related workshops at contractor’s initiative/request. The duration of the work is annual, with anticipated renewals through 2026. 
QUALIFICATIONS
•	Experience in the professional development of nurses (formal or informal clinical precepting, clinical professional development, higher education) required
•	Master’s degree in related field (nursing, public health, education, basic science) required
•	Registered Professional Nurse (RN) strongly preferred
•	Experience with virtual/remote work required
•	Experience with virtual classroom management strongly preferred
•	Experience with event coordination/conference planning strongly preferred
ABOUT THE EHRI-NCS WORKSHOP
The goal of the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists™ (EHRI-NCS) is to enhance the discipline-wide capacity of nurse scientists and their interdisciplinary clinician scientist collaborators for advanced research methods in environmental health through a flipped classroom, train-the-trainer and mentorship program. Using a train-the-trainer approach, we welcome PhD, DNP, MD, PharmD, EdD, equivalent doctorate prepared and graduate student participants who are educating/will educate nurse scientists. Supported by NIH/NIEHS funding, we launched the program in 2022 and will engage the contractor in this program after the 2nd cohort has met for our real-time workshop. We anticipate enrolling 32 participants each year in this core program for 2024-2026. We are planning the launch of additional, related workshops and cohort events that may support additional contractor effort as desired/initiated by the contractor. As an example of scheduling, our 2023 workshop was planned as follows:
•	March 1, 2023 – Self-paced pre-recorded didactic material open in the virtual classroom (9, 60-90 minute sessions plus bonus in-depth optional material)
•	June 2023 Real-time Workshop (5 days, currently planned for June 12-14 at Emory University with additional 2 virtual days on Fridays, June 9 and 23)
•	June-November, 2023 Individualized Mentorship and Networking
•	2024 and beyond, workshop alumni engagement (virtual)

ABOUT CASTNER INCORPORATED
Castner Incorporated is a New York State Woman-Owned Small Business Enterprise founded in March of 2018 with a mission of “Creating healthy environments by generating new knowledge and data-driven approaches for where people live, work, play, and learn.” A forerunning research-intensive institution with a foundation in environmental health nursing science expertise, Castner Incorporated is uniquely poised to overcome the contemporary pervasive, and seemingly intractable, barriers to the advancement of women in science. Castner Incorporated utilizes a largely tele-commute, visiting laboratory, and sub-contracting business model that includes access to videoconferencing technology. Our visiting laboratory model and extensive collaborations are built on lean sigma six principles to optimize effort, laboratory space, and equipment. Our project-by-project collaborative agreements and support enable Castner Incorporated research to merge and affiliate with institutions with the top rankings for research metrics. Castner Incorporated belongs to the Cattaraugus County APEX Accelerator/Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) with extensive collaboration and support from the US Small Business Administration, Buffalo District Office. As an APEX/PTAC affiliate, Castner Incorporated also received free professional development access with expert help consulting support from Govology. 

Business Service Lines Figure 1 depicts Castner Incorporated’s 3 service lines within our research and development business model.

PROPOSAL SELECTION CRITERIA: Consideration will be given to cost and performance projections. Furthermore, the following criteria will be given considerable weight in the proposal selection process:
•	Bidder’s response to all requested elements of this RFP.
•	Bidder’s reported performance effectiveness of their proposal’s solution regarding the Project Objective of Castner Incorporated.
•	Bidder’s performance history and self-reported ability to timely deliver proposed services.
•	Bidder’s ability to provide and deliver qualified personnel having the knowledge and skills required to effectively and efficiently execute proposed services.
•	Overall cost effectiveness of the proposal.
•	Bidder’s experience, special service lines, or considerations in train-the-trainer models and professional development for registered nursing professionals. 
Castner Incorporated shall reserve the right to cancel, suspend, and/or discontinue any proposal at any time they deem necessary or fit without obligation or notice to the proposing bidder/contractor. Castner Incorporated reserves the right to not award a contract, award in part, in non-overlapping parts by line item to different bidders, or in full to a single bidder. 
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORMAT:
The following is a list of information that the bidder should include in their proposal submission, as an email attachment to jcastner@castnerincorp.com :
Summary of Bidder Background:
•	Bidder’s Name(s)
•	Bidder’s Address
•	Bidder’s contact information (and preferred method of contact)
•	Legal form of bidder (e.g sole proprietor, partnership, corporation)
•	Date bidder’s company formed (as applicable)
•	Description of bidder’s company in terms of size, range, and types of services offered and clientele
•	Bidder’s principal officers (e.g. President, Chairman, Vice President(s), Secretary, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Managers) and length of time each officer has performed in his/her field of expertise
•	Bidder’s Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN), as applicable
•	Evidence of established track record of providing services and/or deliverables that are subject to this proposal 
•	Resume/CV AND NIH formatted Biosketch for key personnel that would be anticipated to provide services to Castner Incorporated
•	Fee Schedule
•	Individual Contractor ERA Commons User Name and/or Status of registration in SAM (System Award Management). Organizational bidders must be registered in SAM. 
•	DUNS number as applicable
•	As applicable, Bidder’s plan to subcontract, recruit, train, and provide other staff to ensure integrity and timely completion of services
Financial and Government Contracting Information Disclosures:
•	State whether the Bidder or its parent company (if any) has ever filed for bankruptcy or any form of reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code.
•	State whether the Bidder or its parent company (if any) has ever received any sanctions or is currently under investigation by any regulatory government body
•	State whether the Bidder or its parent company (if any) are presently debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from participating in Federally funded grant projects. 
•	Certify the Bidder does not have institutional policies or practices that fail to address the harassment and discrimination of individuals on the basis of their age, race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, military status, or other protected status under the Human Rights Law. For Individual Contractors (LLC/DBA), certify completion/willingness to comply with Castner Incorporated policies, as needed. 
•	Provide statement of organization non-discrimination practices. For Individual Contractors (LLC/DBA), certify completion/willingness to comply with Castner Incorporated policies.
•	Attest performance of the services does not create a known conflict of interest, procedures if a conflict of interest is uncovered during the performance of the activities, and that the Bidder will not act in any manner that is detrimental to Castner Incorporated or any other organization for which they are rendering services.

Proposed Outcome:
•	Certify ability to perform work as described in the “Requested Services” section above.
Equipment or Service:
•	List any and all equipment or services required for this proposed project and the quantity of each
•	Detailed estimated cost for each piece of equipment or service
•	List any accommodations, services or space required from Castner Incorporated with a brief explanation, including dietary and travel
•	Detail approach to relevant Information Technology access and experience with performing services using Google Classroom, Google Enterprise, or other virtual platform. 
•	Describe how Bidder will ensure privacy, confidentiality, and cybersecurity in the access and handling of all Castner Incorporated business. Include notification procedures for breach or suspected breach. 
Cost Proposal Summary:
•	Detail fee schedule for professional services by hourly and/or % of FTE effort 
•	Summary and explanation of any other contributing expenses to the total cost
•	List invoicing frequency
Licensing and Bonding
•	Provide details of licenses and bonds (if any) for any proposed services that the bidder/contractor may plan on providing for this project
Insurance 
•	Details of insurance provided with regard to the staff or project.
References
•	Provide contact information for two references (submitting letters of reference with contact information acceptable as an alternative). This is not required for Independent Contractors who have previously completed work with Castner Incorporated. 
Bidder agrees that Castner Incorporated may contact all submitted references to obtain any and all information regarding Bidder’s performance.
As a courtesy, we would appreciate knowing your intent to respond to this request for proposal. We would also appreciate a response if you decline to submit a proposal. Questions regarding this RFP may be directed at any of the individual(s) listed in the contact information above.
RFP
Castner Incorporated reserves the right to: 
•	Withdraw the RFP at any time at its sole discretion
•	Purchase related pre-existing services, enter a contract, or make an award under the RFP in whole or in part
•	Seek clarifications and revisions of proposals
•	Change any of the scheduled dates
•	Eliminate any non-material specifications that cannot be complied with by all of the prospective bidders
•	Waive any requirements that are not material
•	Negotiate with the successful Bidder(s) within the scope of the RFP in the best interests of the organization
•	Utilize any and all ideas submitted in the proposals received
•	Modify the RFP by addendum

Castner Incorporated

Job Posting: Data Analytics Intern

The ideal candidate is seeking training, experience, and mentoring in scientific and clinical research, and plan to pursue a future degree in science, health, or a related field.

Required knowledge and skills

  • Data visualizations programming/coding using R or Python
  • Machine learning programming/coding using R or Python
  • Data management
  • Knowledge of and willingness to utilized educational software which may include Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Office, Google Apps for education, video editing software, video hosting platforms, and website software
  • Excellent and professional written and verbal communication skills
  • Experience with Google Classroom as a student, intern, or instructor preferred

Responsibilities

  • Generate publishing quality data visualizations from existing data using R software
  • Data entry
  • Dataset management
  • Develop and test initial programming code for basic machine learning applications using R software
  • Review and verify of data tables and figures for accuracy
  • Other duties as assigned
  • Opportunities may include contributing to advanced data analysis and writing scientific manuscripts for publication under supervision and guidance

Desirable qualifications

  • High school student or above
  • Demonstrated creativity, enthusiasm, and teamwork
  • Completed coursework or projects in computer programming, particularly using R or Python
  • Excellent grades and performance in math and science courses
  • Programming experience in developing and/or troubleshooting customer facing software applications
  • Experience programming in Django, Javascript, or equivalent
  • Experience with Cerner and/or Epic EMR sandbox with SMART on FHIR compatible demonstration code

Typical tasks and expectations

  • Seasonal, limited duration
  • Available at regularly scheduled intervals after school, on weekends, and during school breaks.

Compensation

  • This position will be supported with an hourly wage
  • As a seasonal, occasional, and part-time position, this position is not offered with benefits at this time.

Hours are expected on evenings, weekends, summer, and school vacation times to accommodate secondary education and/or higher education schedules.

Location: Virtual

Please send a 1) resume, 2) cover letter, 3) example of a completed project using R or Python programming language, and 4) contact information for 2-5 personal references to Rose Marie Castner at rmcastner@castnerincorp.com. Use “Data Analytics Intern” in the email subject line.

Note that resumes should be submitted in PDF form.

Non-discrimination: Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Castner Incorporated

1879 Whitehaven Road, #150

Grand Island, NY 17072

Home

IMPORTANT DATES

Open until filled

 ABOUT CASTNER INCORPORATED

Castner Incorporated is a New York State Woman-Owned Small Business Enterprise founded in March of 2018 with a mission of “Creating healthy environments by generating new knowledge and data-driven approaches for where people live, work, play, and learn.” We represent the 5th and 6th generation of a deeply-rooted family in Buffalo, New York, building on a legacy of successful and committed entrepreneurs, educators, and civil servants. A forerunning research-intensive institution with a foundation in environmental health nursing science expertise, Castner Incorporated is uniquely poised to overcome the contemporary pervasive, and seemingly intractable, barriers to the advancement of women in science. Castner Incorporated utilizes a largely tele-commute, visiting laboratory, and sub-contracting business model that includes access to videoconferencing technology. Our visiting laboratory model and extensive collaborations are built on lean sigma six principles to optimize effort, laboratory space, and equipment. Our project-by-project collaborative agreements and support enable Castner Incorporated research to merge and affiliate with institutions with the top rankings for research metrics. Castner Incorporated belongs to the Cattaraugus County Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) with extensive collaboration and support from the US Small Business Administration, Buffalo District Office. As a PTAC affiliate, Castner Incorporated also received free professional development access with expert help consulting support from Govology.