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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) / Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is seeking information from Industry regarding EMI’s Classroom of the Futu... The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) / Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is seeking information from Industry regarding EMI’s Classroom of the Future – Virtual Delivery Solution. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY. THIS DOES NOT COMMIT A CONTRACT FOR ANY SUPPLY OR SERVICE WHATSOEVER. NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. OVERVIEW/PURPOSE/DESCRIPTION OF PROCUREMENT: The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The EMI provides national leadership in developing and delivering training to ensure that individuals and groups having key emergency management responsibilities, including FEMA employees, possess the requisite skills to effectively perform their jobs. EMI also enjoys close relations with several nationally recognized professional emergency management and related organizations and has interfaced with them through training, symposiums, and exercises. Some of these significant organizations include the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), American Public Works Association (APWA), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM). EMI is fully accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and the American Council on Education (ACE). EMI delivers more than 1,500 resident course offerings, training more than 30,000 individual participants annually. The EMI Independent Study (IS) Program, a web-based distance learning program open to the public, delivers extensive online training of more than 200 courses and trains close to 1.9 million individuals annually. EMI has provided technical support to dozens of other Federal government agencies and state offices on advanced distance learning technology development and application. The IS Program also hosts training for related Federal agencies. EMI is seeking information from industry to assist with innovative solutions, acquisition, integration, testing, and demonstration of a proof-of-concept for EMI’s Classroom of the Future Virtual Delivery Solution. The Virtual Delivery Solution addresses three capability areas associated with virtual learning platforms: audio-visual equipment, web conferencing, and learning management. The Virtual Delivery Solution capability is envisioned as a synchronous learning environment with collaboration and interaction between instructors, in-person, and virtual students and provides feedback to instructors to ensure student engagement. Industry information will help determine potential EMI solutions and potential procurement approaches. Through responses provided to this RFI, the Government intends to obtain the following information: Industry’s capability to meet the acquisition and technical characteristics of the requirements in Section 3. Industry’s input and suggestions that would help refine and improve the Government’s technical, acquisition, and management approaches. Insight into leveraging existing industry capabilities that meet aspects of the Virtual Delivery Solution requirements and insight into integrating such capabilities into a Virtual Delivery Solution. Insight into the design of a Virtual Delivery Solution that allows collaborative and interactive participation among instructors and in-person and virtual students. Industry’s interest in an Industry Day where the Government explains their requirements. SCOPE OF EFFORT The scope of the Virtual Delivery Solution acquisition is to demonstrate a viable and effective initial proof-of-concept capability and demonstration within three months of contract award. This initial operational capability may be followed by incremental capability releases at several locations across Fiscal Years 2025 to 2029 until all Virtual Delivery Solution operational requirements are fulfilled. The Virtual Delivery Solution is vital to EMI in accomplishing its mission of improving the competencies of the emergency managers (including U.S. officials at all levels of government and community members across the country) to prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of disasters and emergencies. EMI promotes integrated emergency management principles and practices through application of the National Response Framework (NRF), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and an all-hazards approach. EMI is the lead national emergency management training, exercising, and education institution. EMI offers a full-spectrum emergency management curriculum with more than 700 active courses available to the integrated emergency management community, which includes: FEMA staff and disaster employees; Federal partners; state, local, and tribal emergency managers; volunteer organizations; and first responders from across the nation. EMI supports international emergency management with more than 50 countries participating in EMI’s training and educational activities through the years, both in residence and through internationally deployed training teams. TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS EMI needs to modernize the Institute’s operations to better develop and support emergency managers anywhere they are, anytime in their careers. This initiative, referred to as “EMI Anywhere,” requires robust tailored training and instruction for the emergency management community within federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Key Objectives. The Virtual Delivery Solution acquisition seeks to expand virtual delivery by modernizing e-campus technologies and processes for in-person and online learning that will improve the accessibility, capability, and quality of the virtual learning experience. The Virtual Delivery Solution must: Leverage leading-edge technologies and integrate with existing technology and infrastructure at EMI, located at the National Training and Education Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland Deploy and demonstrate virtual delivery capabilities in building K, classroom 302 (K302) within the Government facility. Accommodate a hybrid learning environment that includes virtual students and in-person students and instructors. Scale to other FEMA locations. Constraints and limitations for Proof-of-Concept Demonstration: The solution shall integrate the Government-provided audio/video equipment in room K302. Government furnished equipment (GFE) consists of 3 ceiling-mounted ultra-high definition (UHD) projectors with HDMI ports, speakers, and microphones. Less than 800 pounds can be added to the ceiling of K302, and minimal (net-zero) weight can be added on the floor of K302. The solution’s power requirements shall be equivalent or less than the power requirements of adding four desktop systems to the existing hardware. The solution’s bandwidth requirements shall fall within 500 Mbps shared open network. Functional Requirements. The Virtual Delivery Solution will likely include the following functional requirements: Access – User roles such as Instructor, Student, and Admin/Technical Support, each having specific configurable read/write access to the resources. Support – Technical support for virtual students. Video – Provide flexibility in how the virtual students are arranged on screen. For example, an instructor can create a configurable seating chart so that virtual students are in the same position on the screen for each class. Learning environment – Supports a synchronous immersive hybrid learning environment with interaction with all students (virtual and in-person). In other words, an interactive environment is provided between instructors, in-person and virtual students. Breakout Groups – Support breakout groups that accommodate both in-person and virtual students. Virtual breakout capabilities should support physical breakout spaces that have their own displays, cameras, and microphones with isolation. Integration Be capable of integrating with industry-leading hardware (e.g., 4K projectors, projection screens, microphones, speakers, cameras, etc.) regardless of brand or manufacturer. For the operational system, the solution must integrate with a learning management system (LMS)/learning content management system (LCMS). Virtual delivery technologies should provide built-in integration with LMS platforms using the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification that provides features such as allowing students to join virtual classes directly from the LMS interface. Content – Present and share content from other sources (MS Office, Google Workspace, etc.). Support sharing content such as pictures, videos, and documents. Collaboration – Allow virtual students, in-person students, and instructors to collaborate and annotate on shared content or a virtual whiteboard. Solution saves the annotations made during a session. Real-Time Feedback – Support instructor pulse checks with students to collect feedback and ensure student engagement. This can include polls and quizzes that are initiated by the instructor to get feedback or increase engagement with students. Messaging – Allow instructors, in-person students, and virtual students to chat. Camera – Support multiple camera angles such as a bird’s eye camera to capture the entire classroom, an instructor camera, and a perspective camera that offers a view from the position of the virtual student. Student Attention – Provide notification or information on student attention during class (i.e., a notification to the instructor to identify if someone is not paying attention). Non-functional Requirements. The Virtual Delivery Solution will likely include the following non-functional requirements: In-person class size – Supports 30 students in person. Instructor – Supports 2 instructors at the same time. Virtual student participants – Supports and displays 98 virtual students at the same time. Security – Limits who can share and annotate content, provides data protection capabilities to protect data at-rest and in-transit, and supports identity and access management capabilities. Future Flexibility – Is flexible to support future technology, integration, and implementations, and has long term viability. Federal Requirements – Meets requirements for Section 508 (as applicable) and is capable of being FedRAMP authorized. Repeatability – Has the ability to scale at each FEMA Region. Application Experience – The solution has been adopted and is being used at other organizations. Scalability – Can scale to a larger class size, which refers to scaling in-person students while virtual student scalability is limited to the maximum virtual participants of the virtual delivery platform. Technical support: Live technical support is available during class via a customer-provided or industry technical support operator(s). REQUESTED INFORMATION: All requested information is intended to facilitate the Government’s market research efforts and inform the Government’s acquisition approach. Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI that answers the questions identified in Appendix 1. RESPONSE GUIDELINES: Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper in accordance with the White Paper Format provided in Appendix 1. Submissions cannot not exceed eleven (11) pages: a one (1) page table with the requested vendor demographic information, two (2) pages for the response to Acquisition Strategy, five (5) pages for the response to Spectrum Capability questions, two (2) pages for the response to Software Development questions and one (1-2) page for additional recommendations. Submissions should be single spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins using 8 1/2” X 11” page size. Cover pages are not included in the page limit. If respondent is unable to address all information requested by the Government in section 3 within the prescribed page limitation, the respondent shall submit a request, in writing, to the Contracting Officer advising of such and recommending the specific number of additional pages that are required to provide a complete response. The response should not exceed a 5 MB e-mail limit for all items associated with the RFI response. Responses must specifically describe the contractor’s ability to meet and address the requested information in Section 3. Oral communications are not permissible. Beta.sam.gov will be the sole repository for all information related to this RFI. Companies who wish to respond to this RFI should send responses via email no later than AUGUST 29, 2024 at 04:00 PM ET, to James Suerdieck, Contracting Officer, at james.suerdieck@fema.dhs.gov and Don Hoover, Contracts Specialist, at donald.hoover@fema.dhs.gov. INDUSTRY Discussions: EMI representatives may choose to conduct an Industry Day, or other virtual engagement with vendors to explain their requirements. Additionally, each invited company may be able to participate in a collaborative question and answer (Q&A) session with the Government. If the Government goes forward with conducting this (or a similar) event, further details will be distributed after all RFI responses are received and reviewed. Vendors who opt-in to this engagement within their RFI responses will be contacted upon completion of RFI evaluation to coordinate these engagements, if applicable. Additionally, EMI representatives may choose to meet with potential offerors and hold one-on-one discussions. Such discussions would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and certification risks. DISCLAIMER: This RFI is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this synopsis. All information contained in the RFI is preliminary, as well as subject to modification, and is in no way binding on the Government. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This RFI will be the basis for collecting information on capabilities available. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Appendix 1: RFI Response Format 1.0 Vendor Information (1 Page Limit) Provide the following Company information in the same format as the table below. Company Name Company Address Point of Contact (Primary) Phone Number E-mail Address Cage Code DUNS Suggested NAICS Company Web Page Other Classifications (e.g. large business, small business, SDB, HUBZone, 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) Interest in this Acquisition as a Prime, Subcontractor, Teaming Arrangement, etc. 2.0 Acquisition Strategy (2 Page Limit) 2.1 Procurement Recommendations – Given the Virtual Delivery Solution requirements, please provide feedback on the acquisition approaches (contract vehicle, contract type, etc.) that would most effectively and efficiently meet the Government’s requirements for acquiring the solution. 2.2 Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), GSA Schedules, and agency-wide contracts as Procurement Vehicles – Please provide feedback on existing GWACs, GSA Schedules, and other agency wide vehicles that would be appropriate for meeting aspects of the Virtually Delivery Solution requirements, either in part or in whole. 2.3 GWACs or GSA Schedules Prequalified Vendor – Are any of your services and products available on a GWAC or GSA Schedule? If so, please provide the GWAC vehicle and/or Schedule number. 3.0 Virtual Delivery Solution Capabilities (5 Page Limit) 3.1 Audio-Visual – Describe your ability to support 98 virtual students simultaneously and allow flexibility in how virtual students are arranged on screen; multiple camera angles such as bird’s eye camera to capture the entire classroom, an instructor camera, and a perspective camera that offers a view from the position of the virtual student; and virtual breakout capabilities that support physical breakout spaces with their own displays, cameras, and microphones with isolation. 3.2 Conferencing Capability – Describe your ability to provide a synchronous learning environment that supports the ability to interact; collaborate and annotate on shared content or a virtual whiteboard and save content; chat capability among virtual students, on-site students, and instructors; and break out in groups that support 30 in-person and 98 virtual students. 3.3 Integration– Describe how the Virtual Delivery Solution will integrate with: LMS/LCMS (e.g., Virtual delivery technologies can provide built-in integration with LMS platforms using the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification that provides features such as allowing students to join virtual classes directly from the LMS interface.) Existing Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) (e.g., projectors, projection screens, speakers, and microphones) and be hardware agnostic (displays, mics, speakers). 4.0 Additional Recommendations (1 Page Limit) Provide any other recommended acquisition or technical approaches that the Government should consider for this effort. ======================================== All responses to the RFI shall be submitted by email to Donald Hoover, Contract Specialist, DHS/FEMA, Emmitsburg, MD. E-mail address: donald.hoover@fema.dhs.gov no later than August 29, 2024, 4:00 PM Eastern Time. No phone calls accepted.