AN EVALUATION OF BETTER PRICING UNDER COMPETITIVE CONTRACTING PROCEDURES FOR NAVWAR AND NIWC PACIFIC ADVISORY AND ASSISTANCE SERVICES

A goal of the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command and the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific is to acquire advisory and assistance services (A&AS) on time and at fair and reasonable prices. Although these organizations employ a range of competitive and non-competitive contracting procedures, the efficacy is unclear toward this end. This research project uses quantitative data analysis of FY20 and FY21 Federal Procurement Data System outputs totaling $3.4B, emphasizing Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Multiple Award Contracts (IDIQ/MACs). The results indicate that both organizations achieve better pricing under competitive procedures instead of an exception to fair opportunity or when the organizations do not have a reasonable expectation of receiving multiple offers. Recommendations include maximizing competition under MACs, provided multiple offers can be expected and exceptions to fair opportunity are not applicable. In these situations, the government may want to consider single award IDIQ contract vehicles to satisfy procurement requirements. These vehicles may result in better pricing compared to using an exception to fair opportunity under a MAC.CivilianCivilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

A Discourse Analysis of Negotiation of Meaning in an ESL Classroom

1 online resource (PDF, 49 pages). Submitted as a Plan B paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree in English as a Second Language from the University of Minnesota

Developing an iOS App for Educational Budgeting

Our team spent ten weeks developing an iPhone app, called Bilancio, that helps teach and practice budgeting skills for the Ready for Life program, which prepares students with cognitive, social or learning disabilities for a life of independence. Focusing on usability, we strove to make a simple, intuitive app, tailored to the needs of teachers and students at Ready for Life. The development process included learning Apple\u27s programming language, Swift, and using industry standard version control, communication and project management tools. By the end of the summer, we had created a unique product that would benefit the lives of its users

Detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in U.S. blood donors

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) which utilizes a solid phase coated with a recombinant antigen (c100-3) derived from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome was evaluated for efficacy in the detection of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV). The sensitivity of the antibody test was demonstrated by the detection of anti-HCV in a well-characterized panel of human specimens known to contain the infectious agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis. The specificity of the anti-HCV test was evaluated by testing 6,118 serum specimens from volunteer blood donors considered to be at low risk for exposure to HCV. The specificity of the anti-HCV EIA was demonstrated to be 99.56%, since 6,069 of 6,096 specimens from this low-risk group were nonreactive. A total of 49 (0.80%) of the 6,118 specimens were repeatedly reactive in the test, and 22 (46.81%) of the 47 specimens available for additional testing were confirmed as positive for antibodies to HCV c100-3. Among commercial plasma donors, 390 (10.49%) of 3,718 specimens were repeatedly reactive in the EIA. A total of 375 (97.40%) of the 385 specimens available for further testing were confirmed as positive. These limited data indicate that the prevalence of antibodies to HCV is 0.36% (22 confirmed positives among 6,118 specimens) among volunteer blood donors and 10.08% (375 confirmed positives among 3,718 specimens) among commercial plasma donors. The importance of confirmatory testing is discussed.</jats:p