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

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE, RESTRICED TO ONLY 8(a) SMALL BUSINESS ENTITIES. The Government is only seeking responses from certified 8(a) contractors. This Sources Sought Notice is a means of obta... THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE, RESTRICED TO ONLY 8(a) SMALL BUSINESS ENTITIES. The Government is only seeking responses from certified 8(a) contractors. This Sources Sought Notice is a means of obtaining feedback from contractors concerning the requirements stated below, under “Description of the Requirement”, which is part of the acquisition planning and market research phase for this procurement. The industry input received from this Sources Sought Notice will aid in determining available sources that can meet the Government’s below stated requirements and may be considered in the preparation of the official solicitation package. This Sources Sought Notice does not constitute a solicitation. Instead, it is an opportunity for the Department of Energy (DOE) to maximize participation in this potential forthcoming procurement by measuring the capacity and competency of businesses to perform in all areas of this potential acquisition. REQUIREMENTS TITLE: Customized Help and Expertise on Energy Resilience for States (CHEERS) INTRODUCTION: The mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is to provide electricity to everyone everywhere, by maintaining and investing in critical generation facilities to ensure resource adequacy and improving and expanding transmission and distribution systems. GDO’s Grid Modernization Division is responsible for developing activities that prevent outages and enhance the resilience of the electric grid while serving as the catalyst for the development of new and upgraded high-capacity electric transmission lines nationwide. The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program, authorized by Section 40101(d) of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), is designed to strengthen, and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis. The Formula Grant program is a non-competitive program that allocates funding to all states and the District of Columbia, as well as to U.S. territories and federally recognized Indian tribes. GDO provides multiple types of assistance to support successful implementation of the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program and other state efforts on grid resilience—including at the national and regional levels. Given the varying climate impact needs, market structures, and grid resilience goals across geographies, a state-specific approach to technical assistance may be the best approach for accelerating some state’s efforts. Accordingly, the CHEERS opportunity seeks firms with relevant expertise that can deliver custom assistance to states on grid resilience. The CHEERS program will strengthen state grid resilience decision-making by creating a community of practice around Grid Resilience Formula Grant program implementation and developing customized technical assistance workplans for participating states. GDO requires a contractor to provide technical assistance to implement the CHEERS program. The contractor shall establish a cohort of states focused on grid resilience, facilitate a network of peers that helps state’s efforts to implementing Grid Resilience Formula Grant programs under 40101(d), and develop customized assistance for participating states. If your firm is an 8(a) Small Business Entity that is interested in this requirement and is able to meet or exceed the requirements in the attached Draft Performance Work Statement, we request the information shown below. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this effort is 541690, Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. As permitted by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, this is market research being utilized for informational and planning purposes. Your responses will assist the Government in the development of its acquisition strategy for a possible solicitation, to be issued at a later date, and in determining whether there are 8(a) contractors capable of completing these requirements. This notice shall not be construed as a solicitation or as any commitment or obligation on the part of the Government to issue a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request, so quotes will not be considered. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis and/or any follow-up information requests. Response is strictly voluntary – it is not mandatory to submit a response to this notice to participate in any formal solicitation process that may take place in the future. However, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any solicitations posted as a result of this Sources Sought Notice. DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENT: The anticipated period of performance for this requirement is a 1-year base with two 1-year option periods. A time-and-materials type contract is anticipated. PROJECT REQUIRMENTS: See attachment entitled, “Draft Performance Work Statement – CHEERS,” for the full Project Requirements. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: All interested 8(a) Small Business entities who believe they can meet the requirements described in this Sources Sought Notice are invited to submit, in writing, information describing their ability to provide the required services under this effort. ONLY certified 8(a) SMALL BUSINESS ENTITIES SHOULD RESPOND. Qualified firms shall submit a statement of interest on company letterhead demonstrating the firm’s qualifications to perform the defined work. Responses must be complete and sufficiently detailed to address the specific information. The documentation shall address, at a minimum, the following: Company Profile, to include: Company name and address; What other procurement vehicle(s) (e.g., GSA MAS, SEWP, etc.) do you hold contracts under and what is the contract number(s)? Point of contact (name, title, phone number, and e-mail address); Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number; Whether company is registered in SAM. If not registered in SAM, identify plans for completing this registration; Business size (as it relates to the above stated NAICS and in accordance with the SBA size standards); Confirmation of SBA Certified 8(a) Program Participant as well as program entrance and exit date; Identify any additional small business socioeconomic types (i.e., HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, or Woman-Owned Small Business, etc.) Documentation of firm’s ability to meet or exceed the requirements as described in the draft Performance Work Statement via a capability statement. If providing a response as a teaming arrangement, and/or prime/subcontractor arrangement, describe each team members information separately so that a full picture can be determined on who has capabilities for which sections of the requirement. Additional comments and/or feedback. FORMAT OF RESPONSES: Please provide your company’s statement of interest that does not exceed four (4) pages in total (including company profile) in Microsoft Word format with a “.docx” or “.doc” extension or in Adobe format with a “.pdf” extension. To the extent possible, all responses should be unclassified and for general access by the Government. Any proprietary information submitted must be clearly and separately identified and marked and will be appropriately protected. The Government will NOT be responsible for any proprietary information not clearly marked. Any material provided may be used in development of future solicitations. All responses shall be submitted via e-mail on or before 12:00 PM Eastern Time (ET), Tuesday, February 20, 2024 , to the Contract Specialist, Sirron Scott (e-mail: Sirron.Scott@hq.doe.gov), and must include the information requested above. Late responses will not be accepted. This is strictly market research, and the Government will not entertain any questions. As part of this market research effort, and at the discretion of the Contracting Officer, respondents may be contacted to request additional information.Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to this Sources Sought Notice. Disclaimer: This request is for market research purposes only. Therefore, any questions submitted along with your response may or may not be answered by DOE. The draft requirements included in this request are subject to change and do not bind the Government. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.