Inactive 8(a) Sole Source (FAR 19.8)

The Communication Electronic Command (CECOM) Command Group headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland (MD) is conducting market research to identify small business vendors interested and... The Communication Electronic Command (CECOM) Command Group headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland (MD) is conducting market research to identify small business vendors interested and capable of performing the tasks described in the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW) and Level Of Effort (LOE). It is requested that all interested parties review the attached draft SOW / LOE, and provide responses to this Request For Information (RFI)/Sources Sought (SS) announcement. CECOM requests that interested parties respond to the following discussion prompts: 1. Discuss how your company’s current capabilities are suited for performing this requirement. 2. Discuss the method your company will utilize to hire and retain qualified employees for performance of this requirement. What is the estimated time following contract award that the support team detailed in the LOE can start performing the requirement? 3. Discuss the management approach that will be utilized for overseeing and directing employees, and for interacting with the Government. Can your company’s provide 24/7 accessibility and support to cover unforeseen short-term needs for services? 4. Discuss your company’s past performance record, and how it is applicable to performance of this requirement 5. Provide identifying information for your company, to include {company name, CAGE code, address, applicable small business categories, & representative point of contact data}. Responses shall be limited to a maximum of 5 pages in length and submitted to the points of contact detailed below. Please note that the maximum file size for email submissions is 10MB. Submitted documents shall be in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or Adobe PDF format. Interested parties are cautioned that submissions shall not include macros or links which may result in automatic deletion of the file by the Government email firewall. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered an Invitation For Bid (IFB), Request For Proposal (RFP), or Request For Quotation (RFQ). There is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider. Information received in response to this RFI will be used by the Government for determining the acquisition plan for the CECOM Command Group Support requirement. Respondents will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that incurred by responding to this RFI. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Be advised that set-aside decisions may be made based on the information provided in response to this RFI. Therefore, this RFI is also issued to determine the availability of interested and capable small businesses in categories such as 8(a), Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Historically Under-utilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business, and others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Update: 03 June 2021~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following questions have been submitted by interested parties: 1) Is this a new requirement or contract renewal? If a re-compete, what is the current contract number and who is the incumbent? Answer: This sources sought notification is for a follow-on contract. The current contract number is W56JSR-18-C-0024, as awarded to PM Consulting Group LLC. 2) Will the Government be changing the solicitation number upon RFP release? Answer: The identification code ("W56JSR-21-R-CECOM_Command_Group") utilized for this sources sought posting does not conform to the format of a solicitation number. The format of a solicitation number would be 13 characters in length (i.e. "W56JSR-21-R-????). A solicitation number has not been reserved for this requirement at the current time. 3) Will the Government consider a set-aside for (8a, HUBZone, EDWOSB, etc. Answer: The sources sought notification has been updated to show that an 8(a) directed award is intended. 4) When does the Government plan to release the RFP? Answer: The estimated time of RFP release is early to mid July 2021 5) Will the Government be making the award for this requirement in FY21 Answer: Contract award for this requirement is intended for the 4th Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021