Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought COMPONENT OFFICE: _______DANTES____________ REQUIREMENT: _____Online College Career Planning Tool_________________ 1. The Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) is issuing... NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought COMPONENT OFFICE: _______DANTES____________ REQUIREMENT: _____Online College Career Planning Tool_________________ 1. The Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) 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 deliver an enterprise wide solution for a personalized college and career planning counseling. 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 (size standard $15M). 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 the online resources to provide military members self-paced counseling assistance which will result in a career and education pathway customized for each individual user. This resource shall help military members plan for an appropriate career based on personal information by assessing interests, skills, and work values. The tool shall provide career options aligned to a user's self-assessment, an education pathway for specific career options, prepare users for a job search; and facilitate the job search process. The tool shall be based on sound career theory and up-to-date information and resources of state and national colleges, scholarship, labor, and occupational information integrated seamlessly to the respective databases. This college and career planning counseling program will assist Service members in identifying education and career pathways in preparation for their eventual transition to the civilian workforce. The tool shall be available online, 24/7, 365 days per year and shall be available for unrestricted usage for all active, reserve, and National Guard military members (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard). Service members who access the tool and establish an account during the subscription period shall have lifetime access to their portfolio, individual assessments and documents. 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: - Provide military specific functionality to include: 1) Online registration that captures branch of military installation location 2) separate military registration for military counselors and administrators 3) guidance for military personnel transitioning to the civilian workforce 4) occupational search capability by Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score 5) search capability for education and financial aid information for Service members and link to VA benefits 6) information on education benefits related to VA GI Bill of Rights 7) links to military transition centers, military specific job services sites, and military friendly employers 8) on-site training at military installations 9) user reporting by branch of military service. - ability to provide access to an existing, commercially available online college and career planning tool - provide access to service members for a lifetime to member's portfolio if they gain access - ability to gain access to information which identify careers and pathways in preparation for their eventual transition to civilian work. 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: Will service members have indefinite access to the profiles, resources, and documents created within your program? What access will counselors have at their respective bases to track the progress of their customer base? 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; 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 10:00 EM ET on 15 March 2021. All responses shall be submitted electronically to the DHRA Contracting Directorate (PK) point of contacts: James Shumway, Contract Specialist at James.N.Shumway.civ@mail.mil and Karen Cimorelli, Contracting Officer at Karen.S.Cimorelli.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.