Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

The USDA Forest Service, Job Corps Centers issues this Request for Information for Student Outreach/Recruitment; Admissions; and Career Transition Services in support of numerous Job Corps Centers loc... The USDA Forest Service, Job Corps Centers issues this Request for Information for Student Outreach/Recruitment; Admissions; and Career Transition Services in support of numerous Job Corps Centers located throughout the United States. Specifics are offered as follows: 1. Purpose This publication is a Request for Information (RFI) from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) Job Corps National Office sought in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e). The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research for information and planning purposes only and does not require the issuance of a solicitation nor does it constrain the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) and requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. The Government will not reimburse any Respondent for any cost associated with preparing or submitting a response to this RFI. Further market research may be undertaken as circumstances and needs dictate. The Government will retain all submitted materials and will not return any materials to the Respondent. 2. Background Job Corps is a national training program that provides comprehensive academic, residential, and career technical training and services to approximately 40,000 disadvantaged, at-risk youth each year at Job Corps Centers nationwide. Job Corps Centers provide services which include residential living, academic education, recreation, vocational training, and general support to students while actively enrolled in the program. In addition to providing technical training, many of these enrollees develop skills and abilities that are used to quickly mobilize to address national emergencies including wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. The USDA FS manages 24 of approximately 121 Job Corps Centers under an inter-agency agreement with the Department of Labor (DOL). Some of the vocations the FS Job Corps Centers offer are hands-on training in over 30 vocational trades including cement masonry, welding, business technology, painting, carpentry, bricklaying, wildland firefighting, food service, culinary arts, and forestry. The FS has a requirement for a potential Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with multiple vendors to provide the following Job Corps Center support: Outreach and Admissions services; and Career Transition Services. The BPA would be a multi-year award structured by Job Corps regions with a phased-in approach for each of the five regions (San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia). 3. Requested Information The FS is seeking industry information on the availability of the desired capabilities. Interested companies are requested to submit the following information: Organization Name: ______________________________________ Contact Name: _______________________________ Title: ______________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________ Email: _____________________________________ URL: ______________________________________ Business classification and socio-economic status. Description of the organization’s business, including business size. Brief statement addressing work experience of a similar nature, scope, complexity, and difficulty to that which will be performed under the prospective contract. Feedback related to the acquisition strategy being considered. 4. Response Guidelines Companies who wish to respond to this RFI should submit responses electronically, no later than 3:00 PM EST on October 8, 2021, to the point of contact named below at the e-mail address provided: Name: Melissa Donato, Contract Specialist E-mail: melissa.donato@usda.gov Oral communications are not permissible. Any questions, comments, or concerns should be directed to the e-mail above. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, Market Research. It is for information, planning, and market research purposes only and shall not be construed as either a solicitation or obligation on the part of the USDA FS. Acknowledgment of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will Respondents be notified of the outcome of the review of the information received. However, USDA FS reserves the right to contact one or more the Respondents if additional information is required. This notice is not to be constructed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. The Government will not reimburse Respondents for any cost associated with submission of the information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred to interested parties for responses to this notification.