Inactive 8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8)

INTRODUCTION The Mission Installation Contracting Command, Fort Gordon Office and 271 Heritage Park Lane, Room 136, Fort Gordon, GA is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting mar... INTRODUCTION The Mission Installation Contracting Command, Fort Gordon Office and 271 Heritage Park Lane, Room 136, Fort Gordon, GA is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for TCM Cyber Training Support. The intention is to procure these services through an 8(a) vendor. The draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) presents and describes the major tasks and activities required to execute the contract. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR 8(a) vendors. Only 8(a) vendors will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. DISCLAIMER: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)" TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT. PROGRAM BACKGROUND Capability Manager Cyber (CM Cyber) is AFC’s centralized capability development integrator for Cyberspace Operations. CM Cyber is the user advocate for doctrine, organizational, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P) solutions that enable DCO, OCO, Cyber SU and PCTE capabilities to operational and institutional forces, ensuring mission success across the force in support of unified land operations. CM Cyber executes its mission by coordinating DOTMLPF-P developments to ensure capabilities remain integrated and support operational requirements, including capabilities and advancements in facing near-peer competitors in Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). CM Cyber is responsible for assisting in the implementation of the Army’s Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) doctrine with special emphasis on Cyberspace Operations capability development and is AFC’s principle source of expertise to ensure Army commanders have full access to, and are supported by, full spectrum cyberspace capabilities REQUIRED CAPABILITIES This is a non-personal services contract to provide defensive cyberspace operations (DCO), offensive cyberspace operations (OCO), cyberspace situational understanding (Cyber SU), and persistent cyber training environment (PCTE) capability development and technical support to the Army Futures Command (AFC) Capability Development Integration Directorate (CDID) Capability Manager Cyber (CM Cyber). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government. The draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) presents and describes the major tasks and activities required to execute the contract effort attached to this announcement. If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: The contractor employees performing on this contract must be a U.S. citizen. At work performance start date, contractor employees to include subcontractors, performing on this contract shall have a TOP SECRET security clearance and shall maintain the required security clearance throughout the life of the contract. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: • Personnel and Facility Security Clearances. The contractor is responsible for acquiring the required Top Secret/SCI security clearance based on a current SSBI or current SSBI-Periodic Reinvestigation (PPR) and shall maintain the required security clearance throughout the life of the contract. The Contractor is responsible for acquiring the clearances. The Contractor shall ensure that all assigned personnel understand applicable security policies and directives found in DOD 5220.22-M, National Industry Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM); AR 380-5, Information Security Program; and all other applicable policies and regulations. • Include a statement similar to: “A DD Form 254 Contract Security Classification Specification shall apply to this requirement and the prime contractor shall have or demonstrate ability to obtain a Top/ SCI Secret Clearance. ELIGIBILITY The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services with a Small Business Size Standard 16.5 million. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT) Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than ten (10) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 8:00 am, EST, 13 February 2020. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to Martina Bond martina.c.bond.civ@mail.mil. This documentation must address at a minimum the following items: 1.) What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement? 2.) Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details. 3.) Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details. 4.) What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks? 5.) Please note that under an 8 (a) Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14 Deviation 2019-O0003 services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count toward the 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. 6.) Provide a statement including current small business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, DUNs number, etc. 7.) Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as an 8(a) Small Business Concern. 8.) Include in your response your ability to meet the requirements in the Facility and Safeguarding requirements. The estimated period of performance consists of a base year for this solicitation. The contract type is anticipated to be a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract. The proposed contract is anticipated to include tasking that would be accomplished by labor categories that are subject to the Service Contract Act or a collective bargaining agreement. Upon evaluation of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the 8(a) Small Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal. Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Martina Bond in either Microsoft or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email Martina.c.bond.civ@mail.mil. Please include 0011450025 TCM Cyber in the subject header. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be submitted to the Contract Specialist identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.