Inactive

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Department of State (DOS) Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE) Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) FY25 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Department of State (DOS) Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE) Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) FY25 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI supports the Department of State (the Department), Office of the Procurement Executive’s (OPE) efforts to conduct market research in support of the Department’s need to establish a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.017 (see Attachment 1_Scope of Services for RFI). This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI. The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information. Government technical experts drawn from staff within the Department of State may review responses. The Government may use selected support Contractor personnel to assist in the review of the RFI responses. These support Contractors will be bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary information. I. Introduction and Background The purpose of this RFI is to identify- a. qualified and interested sources in accordance with FAR 35.017 (University, Consortium of Universities, Other not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, or Industrial firm (as an autonomous organization or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent organization)) with the capability to provide the services identified in the draft Scope of Services included in the RFI attachment. Responses to this RFI will be used to assist the Government in completing a comprehensive market research review; b. opportunities in which the FFRDC can continue to evolve, proliferate, and demonstrate solutions to address increasingly complex needs of the Department; and c. emerging and potential capabilities that can be deployed in support of the FFRDC in the future. The Department requires long-term partnerships with organizations that can bring research, development, innovation, and support needed to guide the leadership and employees through this transformative period in our history. This will allow the Department to focus on the mission at hand, while adopting and integrating changes necessary to make consistent progress on these goals and surge,when needed, to address urgent issues that require data, partnerships, technology and insights applied in near-term operational situations. To meet this need, the Department seeks to establish and sponsor an FFRDC under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation 35.017. The required Federal Register notices announcing the Department’s intent were published under Docket No.: DOS-2024-0021. The Department has received industry comments and is seeking additional input on the attached draft Scope of Services document. All comments received in response to the Federal Register notices will be addressed by a supplemental fourth Federal Register notice in the near future. II. Scope The FFRDC shall provide specialized independent and objective technical and systems engineering expertise to the Department in addressing global diplomatic issues through focus areas and core competencies including, but not limited to, the following: 1. Diplomatic and Modernization (DIM) - The purpose of DIM is to strengthen global engagement and humanitarian outcomes by pioneering research and development initiatives that address emerging threats and foster international cooperation. a. Emerging Threats, Concept Exploration, Experimentation, and Evaluation. b. International Policy Analysis and Multilateral Diplomacy. c. Science and Technology Horizon Scanning. 2. Global CyberTech Solutions (GCS) - The purpose of GCS is to enhance global stability through cutting edge research and development in IT, cyber defense, systems engineering, and data analytics. a. Information and Technology and Communications. b. Cyber Operations, Assessment, and Solutions. c. Systems Engineering, Systems Architecture and Integration. 3. Global Operation and Acquisitions (GOA) - The purpose of the GOA is to advance diplomatic effectiveness through collaborative and cutting-edge acquisition methodologies and tools, and data assessments of broad scale Departments needs, international cooperation, and innovative operational practices. a. Acquisition Planning and Development. b. Operational Analysis and Organizational Innovation. See the Attachment 1_Scope of Services for RFI document for further details. III. Questions for Industry Responses to this RFI should address the following questions: 1. What is your organization’s experience in pioneering research and development initiatives that address emerging threats, concept exploration, and evaluation; international policy analysis; and science and technology horizon scanning? 2. What is your organization’s experience in enhancing global security through cutting edge research and development in information technology and communications; cyber operations, assessments, and solutions; and systems engineering, architecture and integration? 3.What is your organization’s experience in identifying and monitoring emerging threats including the use of advanced technologies and new applications of existing technologies in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNe) programs of concern. 4. What is your organization’s experience in acquisition planning and development and operational analysis and organization innovation? 5. Explain your organization’s experience and current efforts with leading edge technologies that would be benefit and support of the FFRDC scope areas. 6. What experience does your organization have in acquisition planning, market research, and strategy development assistance using innovative technologies and methodologies, including drafting formal acquisition documentation, in support of an Acquisition Decision Event (ADE)/ Key Decision Point (KDP) or other milestone determination (i.e., Acquisition Program Baseline (APB), Integrated Program Schedule (IPS), Integrated Logistics Support Plan (ILSP), Concept of Operations (CONOPS), Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP), etc.) to support an agency’s most critical and complex programs? 7. What is your organization’s experience developing functional analysis models, component tradeoff simulations? What tools and metrics are used to assess system tradeoffs and integration strategies? 8. Describe your organization’s experience with developing unique test beds, critical lab experiments, and assessment techniques to support the evolution of system concepts? 9. What is your organization’s experience with ensuring interoperability with software development models, standards, and data fusion methodologies? 10. Explain your organization’s experience with identifying critical capability gaps particularly in areas where technology may be expected to contribute substantially to solutions? 11. Explain your organization’s experience providing support and services for an urgent requirement to address a natural disaster, cyberattack, a foreign and/or domestic act of terrorism, or supply chain resiliency issue? 12. Explain your organization’s experience and current efforts with leading edge technologies and solutions that would be of benefit to and in support of the focus areas, they are encouraged to provide those technologies recommendations in the response. 13. Describe your organization’s experience identifying and implementing technical standards, prototypes, systems engineering, and system/sub-system technical data packages which address the need for solutions to new and evolving systems requirements? 14. Most support staff positions require security clearances; these may rise to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalize Information (TS/SCI) level. Address if your staff already have these clearances, and if not, explain your organization’s capacity to ensure that staff can get these clearances? 15. Does your organization have a facility clearance at the Top Secret level? 16. What is your organization’s capacity to conduct work in overseas locations? 17. Explain your organization’s internal controls to avoid conflicts of interest in conducting operational testing of any articles in which they were directly or indirectly involved in providing development, or advisement in development, of the article under test. IV. Submission Requirements Responses from all interested sources with previous experience operating as a FFRDC are encouraged to respond. Responses shall be a maximum of fifteen (15) pages and include the following information: 1. Company Legal Business name and Physical address 2. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and applicable Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE) Code 3. Validation of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541720 - Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities and Product Service Code (PSC) AM12 International Affairs R&D Services; International Affairs; Applied Research. 4. FFRDC Organization Type under FAR 35.017(a)(3): a. University b. Consortium of Universities, c. Other not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, d. Industrial firm (as an autonomous organization or as an identifiable separate operating unit of a parent organization). 5. Company points of contact including phone numbers and email addresses. 6. A comprehensive response that addresses the questions delineated above. 7. Capability statement that addresses the services identified in the draft Scope of Services. Submissions shall be made using Microsoft Office applications. Font shall not be smaller than 12-point Calibri. Please provide your response to this RFI no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 2, 2024. RFI Submissions will be accepted as email attachments only. All responses must be sent to FFRDC@state.gov, with “FFRDC RFI DOS-2024-0021” in the subject line. Any questions and inquiries must be submitted to the email address above. V. Industry Day The Government may hold an Industry Day for this requirement. Details regarding an Industry Day will be provided at a later time. Note: The Government reserves the right to hold one-on-one meetings as a result of responses received from this RFI as part of its market research.