[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33921-33923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15265]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 171003965-7965-01]


Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program; Knowledge 
Sharing Strategies.

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program 
includes a network of centers located in all 50 States and Puerto Rico, 
and is a source of trusted advice about new technologies, production 
techniques and business management practices. In order for the MEP 
System to grow, improve and have a greater impact on the growth and 
competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers in the global marketplace, the 
MEP System needs to transform to an organizationally and operationally 
integrated MEP National Network. This transformation will require a 
learning and knowledge sharing infrastructure, which NIST MEP envisions 
will be stood up as ``The MEP Network Learning and Knowledge Sharing 
System'' (MEP NLKSS). NIST is requesting information from interested 
vendors and others on possible designs and implementation of networked 
learning and knowledge sharing. The responses will inform NIST's 
planning of the MEP NLKSS, including assisting NIST MEP with the 
development of the final Statement of Work for a performance-based 
contract.

DATES: NIST will accept responses to this request for information until 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 17, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Responses will be accepted by email only. Responses must be 
sent to [email protected] with the subject line ``MEP Network Learning 
and Knowledge Sharing System RFI Response.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Simpson, 100 Bureau Drive, 
Mail Stop 4800, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800, 301-975-5020, 
[email protected]; or Mary Ann Pacelli, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 4800, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4800, 301-975-5020, [email protected]. Please 
direct media inquiries to NIST's Office of Public Affairs at 301-975-
NIST (6478).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST will consider the information obtained 
in response to this request for information in the development of a 
Scope of Work for a competitively awarded contract to develop and/or 
implement any or all parts of the MEP NLKSS.

Background--The MEP System

    The MEP System consists of NIST MEP and its MEP Centers located in 
all 50 States and Puerto Rico. For almost 30 years the MEP Centers have 
served as trusted advisors focused largely on the continuous 
improvement of U.S. manufacturers for the purpose of achieving improved 
productivity. MEP Centers are a diverse system of state, university-
based, and other non-profit organizations, comprising more than 1,300 
technical experts offering products, technical expertise and services 
that address the critical needs of their local manufacturers. MEP 
Centers are funded through cooperative agreements issued by NIST.

[[Page 33922]]

    Each MEP Center works directly with manufacturers in their area to 
provide expertise and services tailored to their most critical needs, 
ranging from process improvement and workforce development to business 
practices and technology transfer. Additionally, MEP Centers connect 
manufacturers with government and trade associations, universities and 
research laboratories, and a host of other public and private resources 
to help manufacturers realize individual business goals.
    Through the efforts of its existing MEP Centers to provide services 
to small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers, the MEP System addresses 
many of the needs of small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers. 
However, to continue to effectively enhance the productivity and 
technological performance of U.S. manufacturing, and assist 
manufacturers with competing in the global economy, MEP Centers require 
access to expertise specific to a given technology, supply chain and/or 
sector which any one specific MEP Center may not possess.
    Since its creation in 1988, the MEP System has become a source of 
trusted advice about new technologies, production techniques, and 
business management practices for a significant number of firms (about 
8,000 to 10,000 per year). The MEP System engages another 20,000 to 
22,000 firms each year in training and outreach events. However, NIST 
recognizes that past events do not predict the future, and the MEP 
program must continue to add new capabilities to all its MEP Centers to 
improve its support of small and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers in the 
United States.
    While successful in serving U.S. manufacturers locally, there is 
much more work to be done to support U.S. manufacturing supply chains. 
In general, the MEP System can do a better job in leveraging its 
diverse capabilities and regional and national strengths to reach more 
companies. NIST recognizes a need to provide more services to more 
manufacturers. The MEP Program understands the need to assist more 
manufacturers to establish a resilient, dependable, productive, and 
highly-trained supplier base to meet national manufacturing needs to 
support a wide array of U.S. industrial sectors, for example, the 
defense, transportation, and physical infrastructure sectors.

Transformation to a National Network

    To address the challenges facing the MEP Program and its customers, 
the system needs to transform from its current state to one organized 
and operated as an integrated MEP National Network. The integrated MEP 
National Network is envisioned as an organization of MEP Centers which 
collectively act on a regional and national basis to provide solutions 
to the current and future needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers 
across the United States.
    The transformation of the MEP System to an integrated MEP National 
Network will require a learning and knowledge sharing infrastructure to 
assist MEP Centers with obtaining access to integrated solutions for 
serving U.S. manufacturers. NIST MEP envisions the learning and 
knowledge sharing infrastructure will be stood up as ``The MEP Network 
Learning and Knowledge Sharing System'' (MEP NLKSS). The MEP NLKSS is 
expected to include both the human and digital networks necessary to 
support access to and the sharing of expertise, best practices, 
community resources, and training and professional development within 
the integrated MEP National Network, thus allowing the MEP Centers to 
access and impart relevant technical and strategic knowledge to small 
and medium-sized manufacturers locally, regionally, and nationally.
    The integrated MEP National Network is being built on the MEP 
Centers' ability to serve as trusted advisors for their clients. By 
strengthening the MEP footprint with the connected MEP NLKSS, both 
manufacturers and MEP Centers can benefit. For example, manufacturers 
can take advantage of expertise, delivery credibility, and services 
that are not offered by their local MEP Center or that need to be 
delivered across regions. More specifically, using the NKLSS, 
manufacturers will be able to benefit from the following:
     Access to resources and capabilities from the MEP National 
Network to address their unique, complex, critical business and 
technology challenges quickly, even if their local MEP Center does not 
possess such solutions;
     In those situations where a manufacturer has multiple 
locations in multiple states the MEP National Network, and the NKLSS 
will allow the creation and sharing of new processes, technologies, and 
capabilities for all locations, consistently and seamlessly from 
multiple MEP Centers.
    Similarly, through the NLKSS, MEP Centers will be able to share 
resources and expertise, communicate frequently and widely on market 
and manufacturing trends, and assist each other across the U.S. 
Moreover, MEP Centers will be able to take advantage of the broad base 
of expertise the integrated MEP National Network will offer and can 
bring the right resources to bear regardless of their location. More 
specifically, the NLKSS will provide MEP Centers opportunities to:
     Serve more manufacturers;
     Partner with other MEP Centers to provide services 
locally, regionally, or nationally;
     Deliver services that have been developed at other MEP 
Centers;
     Increase capacity and capabilities for project activities 
with existing and new manufacturers;
     Assist manufacturers to bring new products to market 
quickly and effectively;
     Share timely intelligence about manufacturing trends as a 
repeatable process;
     Train MEP Center personnel on new services, approaches, 
and tools used at other MEP Centers;
     Share and deploy the unique strengths inherent to the 
three types of MEP Center host organizations: states, universities, and 
non-profit organizations.

No Confidential Proprietary, Business or Personally Identifiable 
Information

    No confidential proprietary information, business identifiable 
information, or personally identifiable information should be included 
in the written responses to this request for information. Reponses 
received by the deadline may be made publicly available without change 
at: www.nist.gov/mep.

Request for Information

    Considering the description of the MEP NLKSS above, NIST MEP is 
seeking input and information regarding how other organizations and 
vendors have modeled and addressed organization learning and knowledge 
sharing, especially in a manufacturing services environment. The 
responses are intended to inform NIST's planning of the MEP NLKSS, 
including assisting NIST MEP with the development of the final 
Statement of Work for a performance-based contract. Through this 
notice, NIST requests information from interested vendors and others on 
possible designs and implementation of networked learning and knowledge 
sharing, particularly with respect to the following issues:
    (1) Key problems and issues NIST MEP and the network will face 
related to knowledge management in the near-term (1 to 2 years), mid-
term (3 to 5 years) and/or long-term (more than 5 years);
    (2) Solutions (technical and non-technical) available to address 
the problems/issues identified in question 1

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in the near-term (1 to 2 years), mid-term (3 to 5 years) and/or long-
term (more than 5 years). More specifically,
    a. Specific solutions available to address the needs of working 
groups/communities of practice;
    b. Specific solutions available to address the more immediate needs 
of individual practitioners and management;
    c. How information is best disseminated to the leadership and staff 
of organizations within a network, and whether this would be applicable 
for the integrated MEP National Network;
    (3) Cultural and technical barriers that need to be addressed by 
any system(s) of knowledge management;
    (4) Complementary services, including information services, that 
are and/or will be needed by NIST MEP and the MEP Centers to take full 
advantage of any knowledge management system and culture;
    (5) Any other critical issues that NIST MEP should consider in its 
strategic planning for investments in this area that are not covered by 
the first four issues. Further information on the MEP program is 
available at: https://www.nist.gov/mep.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 278k.

Kevin A. Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2018-15265 Filed 7-17-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P