The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022 provided the Department of Commerce (DOC) with $50 billion for programs to support semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing while also investing in American workers.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), CHIPS Program Office (CPO), is investing $39 billion of this funding to restore U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing by providing incentives and encouraging investment to expand the domestic manufacturing capacity necessary to increase production of semiconductors, improving national and economic security.
To support implementation of these investments, CPO has developed the CHIPS Regional Strategy for working with key regions across the United States to provide the support needed for expanding and emerging regional semiconductor industry clusters to succeed. This work seeks to foster the accelerated development of industry clusters seeded by CPO investments that will support good jobs, renewed infrastructure, vibrant innovation pipelines, and broadly shared economic growth in communities.
NIST is contemplating a contract to understand the effects of place-based industrial development across the United States in a wide variety of states and communities; Show how regions are reacting to this substantial private sector investment and identifying, growing, and developing resources to support it; and Document early successes across the United States in response to industry needs.
The anticipated project is meant to not just help the Department of Commerce understand the effects of CHIPS projects on regions, but also to share lessons for economic development practitioners in communities around the country, providing best practices to local, regional, and state practitioners, as well as enhance understanding of the intersection between industrial policy and economic development in the United States.
DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of this sources sought notice, the following definitions shall apply:
Economic Development: Creates the conditions for economic growth and improved quality of life by expanding the capacity of individuals, firms, and communities to maximize the use of their talents and skills to support innovation, lower transaction costs, and responsibly produce and trade valuable goods and services.
Regional Clusters: Geographic concentrations of firms, workers and industries that do business with each other and have common needs for talent, technology, and infrastructure. Regional clusters are essentially networks of similar, synergistic, or complementary entities that are engaged in or with a particular industry sector; have active channels for business transactions and communication; share specialized infrastructure, labor markets, and services; and leverage the region’s unique competitive strengths to stimulate innovation and create jobs. Regional clusters may cross municipal, county, and other jurisdictional boundaries.
Place-based Industrial Development: A strategy where government policies are specifically targeted towards stimulating economic growth in particular geographic regions by leveraging local strengths and industries to foster economic development through targeted investments in infrastructure, workforce training, and business incentives, aiming to reduce regional economic inequality and promote job creation within those specific locations.
Place-based Initiatives: Efforts to improve the quality of life and opportunities for people who live in particular regions, neighborhoods, or communities.
Applied Research Project: A research study designed to address a specific, real-world problem or issue by applying existing knowledge to find practical solutions, aiming to directly improve practices, products, or services in a particular context, unlike basic research which focuses on expanding general theoretical knowledge; it often involves collecting data through methods like surveys, interviews, or experiments to generate actionable insights and recommendations.
Practitioner Focused Research: Research based on real-life experiences or observations—are primarily written by a professional in a given field to support colleagues in a variety of ways including advising, establishing best practices, and noting trends.
POTENTIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements are provided to describe the Government's minimum needs. As the acquisition planning process proceeds, requirements may be modified.
- Analyze leading-edge regions where CHIPS is investing/has invested, including a summary of CHIPS awards and their proposed outcomes, and providing an overview of the socioeconomic conditions of the regions in which these facilities will operate.
- Case studies of the seven leading-edge regions that can detail their progress on industry cluster development in communities, including a focus on inclusive growth and widespread economic opportunity and impact.
- Document how regions and municipalities are catalyzing leading-edge investments to support CHIPS project implementation with place-based investments and unique economic policies and practices that could be a model across other CHIPS regions as well as for implementing place-based industrial policy.
INFORMATION FOR SUBMISSION
NIST is seeking responses from responsible sources. Responses are being sought from all business sizes.
After the results of this market research are obtained and analyzed, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract.
The NAICS code for this effort is 541690, Scientific & Technical Consulting Services. The small business size standard is $19.0M. If a small business set-aside results, a Limitation on Subcontracting clause will be applicable to the anticipated procurement action. Businesses meeting the classification of the set-aside cannot pay more than 50% of the amount paid to it, by the Government, to firms that are not similarly situated.
Responses to this sources sought shall not exceed 15 pages in length and must demonstrate the respondent's capabilities related to the potential government requirements; responses must provide detail beyond a standard capability statement.
The following information must be provided in response to this sources sought notice:
- Name of company(ies), their addresses, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) for the company's active System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website registration, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address) that provide the services for which specifications are provided.
Interested parties that do not have an active SAM.gov registration are strongly encouraged to immediately begin the registration process. This process can take several weeks to complete. Parties responding to Government solicitations must have an active registration at SAM.Gov in order for the proposal to be considered for award.
2. Subject matter expertise in the various aspects of a regional ecosystem including, at a minimum,
(a) Economic development, workforce development, and planning;
(b) Advanced knowledge of economic development, including knowledge of and/or direct involvement in similar applied research projects during the last three years (e.g. study of place-based initiatives under the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and/or CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.”)
(c) Functional expertise with applied research projects and facilitation of projects related to conducting practitioner-focused research on economic development, actionable recommendations, and toolkits; and
(d) Experience coordinating with Federal project managers and collaborating with various partners (i.e. government agencies, private sector interests, education providers, non-profits, community and labor groups, workforce boards, utilities); and in domestic policy and research communities, as evidenced by citations, press coverage, or public-speaking engagements.
3. A brief description of applied research projects and relevant publications on economic development completed by the Contractor.
4. Potential labor categories, that may be used to accomplish the work. If the Contractor has performed similar work, please provide price information for the work performed. All price information will be utilized for budgeting purposes All price information will be held by NIST as confidential.
5. Any other relevant information which the Government should consider in its market research.
The above information and any other information considered pertinent to this notice must be submitted to Carol Wood, Contracting Officer, not later than December 31, 2024, at 3:30 PM Eastern Time. Email submission is required.
