***Notice to potential vendors: The enclosed Sources Sought has been sent to GSA Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCaTS) vendors. Teaming or prime/subcontractor partnership arrangements between HCaTS contract holders and open market vendors is encouraged for this requirement.***
NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought
REQUIRING ACTIVITY: Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)
REQUIREMENT: CENTCOM-AFRICOM Education Services
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS (RFQ); IT IS STRICTLY A SOURCES SOUGHT TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL VENDORS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ACADEMIA, SMALL BUSINESSES, LARGE BUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS CAPABLE TO FULFILL THE ATTACHED REQUIREMENT.
1. The Defense Human Resources Activity is issuing this Sources Sought Notice as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in, and the resources for, providing services in accordance with the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).
The Government requires contractor services to provide a variety of education support services to forward deployed service members in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility (AOR). This notice shall not be construed as a formal solicitation or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. In addition, it does not guarantee that a subsequent solicitation will be issued. Submission of any information in response to this Sources Sought notice is voluntary and will assist in selecting the appropriate solicitation type/method. Costs associated with any submission shall not be reimbursed by the Government. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT SEEKING PROPOSALS AND WILL NOT ACCEPT UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS.
2. The proposed NAICS for this effort is 611710, Educational Support Services. Comments on this NAICS and suggestions for alternative codes must include supporting rationale.
3. The Government is specifically performing Market Research to see if there are potential vendors who can provide the following:
The contractor shall provide a variety of education support services such as academic counseling support, academic skills training, tutoring services, and testing support. Education support services shall be performed on-site at military installations located in the CENTCOM / AFRICOM AORs.
NOTE: The contractor shall be required to provide education support services on-site at forward deployed military installations that may present a variety of hardships and operational challenges for their personnel. Specific health, security, background checks, and training requirements must be met before contractor personnel are authorized to deploy to military installations in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM AORs to perform education services.
4. The services described above are currently provided under the following contract which expires July 31, 2021:
Contract Number Institution / Contractor Services
N00189-17-D-Z017 Central Texas College Vocational Technical Degree and Certificate Programs, Educational Support Services, Mobile Testing Services
SUBMISSION INFORMATION:
A. COVER SHEET - 1 page
1. Vendor name, address, website, Data Universal Numbering Systems (DUNS) Number, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code.
2. Point of contact to include e-mail address and telephone number.
3. Type of business, including socio-economic category (Large, Small, 8(a) Participant, Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone, Woman-Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, or Non Profit)
4. If applicable, GSA contract number, schedule.
B. CAPABILITIES STATEMENT & MARKET INFORMATION - no more than 10 pages
1. Please describe your organization's breadth of expertise/competency to respond to the draft PWS. Critical functions to be provided include:
• Ability to provide educational support professionals and logistics support in often-stark conditions.
• Ability to provide standardized testing services, including proctoring with administrative and logistics support in often-stark conditions.
2. Industry feedback is requested on the PWS for this requirement. Please list any challenges or potential performance roadblocks related to fulfilling the PWS requirements and any suggestions for improving the PWS language. Additionally, the Government seeks answers to the following questions concerning this requirement. Please consider providing responses:
a. What is your company’s capability to complete the PWS requirements? If unable to provide support for the entire requirement, indicate which sections of the PWS your company can successfully support. Additionally, indicate whether your company is interested in supporting this contract requirement at the prime or subcontractor level.
b. In light of the recent emphasis on limiting personal contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, please describe any new and innovative alternative education delivery methods offered by your organization that utilize advances in technology while maintaining the quality of instruction. What delivery methods other than face-to-face and conventional online distance learning is your organization able to offer?
c. What is your ability to recruit and mobilize qualified instructors and education services personnel to overseas locations some of which have difficult operating environments?
d. How would your organization overcome the challenges of operating on forward deployed military installations that may include austere housing, severe climatic conditions, potentially limited internet access, limited recreational opportunities, and possible restricted movement due to security/health protocols?
C. BACKGROUND/PAST EXPERIENCE:
Provide the following information on two (2) similar projects in an environment of similar scale completed within the last five (5) years for which the responder was a prime or Sub-Contractor.
1. The name and value of each project;
2. The name, address, telephone and email address for point of contact;
3. A description of each project, including challenges and successes; and
4. Your company's role and services provided for each project.
All interested and capable contractors are encouraged to respond. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the sources sought evaluation. The results of this sources sought notice will assist the Contracting Officer in determining whether an 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Certified HUBZone Small Business, Woman-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Small Business set-aside, or full and open competition is an acceptable strategy for this procurement. Responses to this synopsis may be used to aid in establishing realistic, achievable small business participation goals.
Interested contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to conduct business with the Government. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Sources Sought; all costs associated with responding will be solely at the interested party’s expense. All information received in response to this submission that is clearly marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made and submissions to this Sources Sought will not be returned.
The information provided in this Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.
RESPONSE DUE DATE:
The Government requests that all responses be returned by 12:00 PM ET on 09 July 2021. All responses shall be submitted electronically to the DHRA Contracting Office point of contacts:
Austin Francis, austin.w.francis.civ@mail.mil
Nathan Shumway, james.n.shumway.civ@mail.mil
Interested vendors may additionally contact the Small Business Point of Contact to discuss this requirement: Ms. Tammy Proffitt, Tammy.j.proffitt2.civ@mail.mil, phone number: 571-372-2591.
