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

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Strategic Communications and Policy Division Professional Training and Development SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This is a Sources Sought Notice Only. This is NOT a solicitation for p... U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Strategic Communications and Policy Division Professional Training and Development SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This is a Sources Sought Notice Only. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This Sources Sought Notice is issued for information and planning purposes only as part of U.S. Department of State (DOS) market research and does not constitute a solicitation. This requirement is covered under NAICS code: 61143 - Professional and Management Development Training. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified 8(a) Small Business to provide Continuous Learning and Development as outlined in Statement of Work (SOW) below. Background The Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE) is charged with promoting the development of the professional acquisition workforce at the US Department of State (DOS). Part of this mission is to deliver innovative, and results-oriented training programs, designed to help civilian acquisition personnel effectively accomplish their assigned job duties and critical missions. As such, A/OPE requires an experienced Contractor to deliver Just-In-Time (JIT) training to the DOS acquisition workforce. This requirement includes the instruction, personnel, supervision, support service, technology, supplies, and other non- personal services necessary to perform all services in accordance with the requirements outlined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). General Scope This requirement is for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) virtual instructor-led training for the DOS’ acquisition workforce to enhance their knowledge and skills, improve competency, gain continuous learning requirements, as well as stay current with policy and regulatory changes related to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the Department of State Acquisition Regulations (DOSAR), and the Department of State Acquisition Manual (DOSAM). The contractor shall provide all training materials, instructors, technology, and any other personnel necessary to deliver the required training. The contractor shall provide all technology necessary to deliver virtual instructor-led training (vILT). At a minimum, the technology shall allow for: Screen sharing Multiple breakout rooms with instructor monitoring (moving in and out) Audio and video conferencing Polling/Surveying Instant messaging between students and instructors Attendance Tracking Other features that encourage student interaction and engagement are encouraged. The Contractor shall use innovative methods to keep students engaged and shall monitor student engagement and participation closely. Producer: A producer is required for online class management and troubleshooting of minor student issues, monitoring chat and student engagement to ensure a student question or need is not missed by the instructor. Technical Helpdesk: A technical help desk run by the successful contractor is required for students who may have more complex technical issues so that the producer is not pulled away from the class for a long period of time, which could negatively impact students. The contractor’s technical helpdesk should be accessible via chat, email, and phone to offer students maximum flexibility and convenience. Objectives The objective is to enhance and promote the professional development of the DOS acquisition workforce that interface with the acquisition process and provide a structured process framework for improving acquisition management beginning with the identification of a business need and support the entire acquisition lifecycle. Further, an objective is to improve the competence of the DOS acquisition workforce by providing specialized training on business processes, policy and regulatory changes and offering user support and training resources to bridge the gap between policy and execution focused on the end-to-end acquisition lifecycle. In addition, an objective is to provide hosting capabilities as requested, required, and mutually agreed upon for learning and virtual events using the A/OPE’s Zoom for Government, Webex, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, and Microsoft Streams web conferencing platforms. This can include instructor/presenter coaching as needed to help ensure successful events. Description of Work The contractor shall provide all training materials, instructors, technology, and any other personnel necessary to deliver vILT courses to the acquisition community on a variety of topics. See the attached document, OPE Learning and Workforce Development Training Catalog, for the current summary of topics. This course list is not all-inclusive as additional topics and training requirements are added on an as needed basis. The contractor shall create and/or maintain and update all training material to ensure they are in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the Department of State Acquisition Regulations (DOSAR), and the Department of State Acquisition Manual (DOSAM) as well as any associated policy and regulatory changes. Trainings are routinely 1 to 2 hours in length and are conducted on a rotating basis with all courses being offered approximately two (2) times per calendar year. Other features that encourage student interaction and engagement are desired. The Contractor shall use innovative methods to keep students engaged and shall monitor student engagement and participation closely. Services for JIT Training require the contractor to provide the necessary skills and resources required to plan, organize, direct, document, and control the technical efforts to complete all trainings. In addition, the contractor shall assess, design, deliver, implement, and evaluate the need for new and existing courses. Lastly, the contractor shall support the discovery, analysis, evaluation, recommendation, and implementation related to JIT Training. Virtual Workshops: The contractor shall provide administrative support and/or hosting support for workshops and townhall events via online platforms, as approved by the COR, for local A/OPE personnel or a specific office, Post, or global region. Virtual workshops may include, but are not limited to the following events: Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Workshops Program Manager (P/PM) Workshops General Services Officer (GSO) Overseas Workshops Locally Employed Staff (LES) Workshops Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) Conferences The contractor shall provide technology and any other personnel necessary to deliver vILT workshops to the acquisition community for the above-mentioned events. Workshops typically are one (1) to three (3) days in length and are conducted on a rotating basis with all workshops being offered approximately four (4) times per calendar year and/or on a quarterly basis. Services for workshops require the contractor to provide the necessary skills and resources required to plan, organize, direct, document, and control the technical efforts to complete all workshops. When required, the contractor shall provide instructors to conduct and/or facilitate workshops in person. As such contract personnel shall have the ability to travel globally. All travel shall be in full accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. vILT Technical Support: The Contractor must offer and assist students with technical issues with accessing and offered training up to one half hour before or during vILT sessions. The Contractor must assist students within 10 minutes of each request. Also, the Contractor must have a mechanism in place for ensuring all questions are answered by the instructor and ensuring the instructor is aware of all engagement of students during the course. Course Instructor: A course instructor shall oversee and teach each course. The instructor must be highly knowledgeable about a Contracting Officer’s (CO) roles and responsibilities in the acquisition process and be able to present the slides for the course, give DOS-specific examples, engage with the students, and encourage course participation. The course instructor must also be capable of addressing common technological issues and managing the distribution and collection of course materials, tests, rosters, and surveys, unless these duties are designated to another Contractor employee accompanying the course instructor. Program Management: The contractor shall provide appropriate program management to ensure all tasks performed under this PWS meet the performance requirements and address performance issues timely. One individual shall be identified to the Government to lead this task. Period of Performance The period of performance shall be for a base period, with four option periods: Period of Performance Base Period: March 2024 – March 2025 Option Period One: March 2025 – March 2026 Option Period Two: March 2026 – March 2027 Place of Performance Place of performance is virtual, and instructors shall be located within the CONUS but must be able to teach a vILT course. Key Personnel Key personnel serving as a Course Instructors/Subject Matter Experts shall meet the following: Bachelor’s degree and at least ten years’ experience in federal government acquisitions, including at least five years of experience as a CO with an unlimited warrant. A minimum of two years professional instructor experience delivering acquisition- related subject training to the federal workforce. Possess good interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust certification. Possess experience with the practical application, implementation, and utilization of Federal government or private industry policies, procedures, standards, and practices in relation to the PWS requirements provided herein. Multicultural experience highly desirable. The Contractor agrees that personnel may not be removed from the contract work or replaced without compliance with paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section. If one or more of the key personnel, for whatever reason, becomes, or is expected to become, unavailable for work under this contract for a continuous period exceeding 30 work days, or is expected to devote substantially less effort to the work than indicated in the proposal or initially anticipated, the Contractor shall immediately notify the COR and shall be subject to the concurrence of the COR to promptly replace the personnel with at least substantially equal ability and qualifications. Each request for substitution approval must be in writing and include an explanation of the circumstances leading to the proposed substitutions. The request must also include a complete resume for the substitute and other information requested by the COR to evaluate the proposed substitution. The COR shall determine the Contractor's request and the COR shall promptly notify the Contractor of their decision in writing. If the COR determines that suitable and timely replacement of key personnel who have been reassigned, terminated, or have otherwise become unavailable for the contract work is not reasonably forthcoming or that the resultant reduction of productive effort would be so substantial as to impair the successful completion of the contract or the service order, the agreement may be terminated by the CO for default or the convenience of the Government, as appropriate. If the CO finds the Contractor at fault for the condition, the contract price or fixed fee may be equitably adjusted downward to compensate the Government for any resultant delay, loss, or damage. Contractor Description of Services Training The Contractor is required to provide synchronous, virtual instructor-led training (vILT) via an accessible but secure platform (e.g., Adobe Connect), Desktop Video Conferencing (DVC). The Contractor shall provide at minimum one (1) Course Instructor for the purpose of conducting the training. In addition, a minimum of two (2) Course Instructors are required to be familiar with materials in order to serve as a backup Course Instructor to the scheduled Course Instructor. The Contractor is responsible for providing all curriculum materials, content, and instructions for vILT courses. Course materials shall include, but not be limited to, all instructional material, handouts, and questions/answers. The emphasis of the instruction shall reinforce the Federal Acquisition Regulation’s (FAR) concept of the acquisition team as described in FAR Part 1 and the roles and responsibilities of the Contracting Officer, as well as DOS acquisition regulations, policies, and procedures (e.g., Department of State Acquisition Regulation (DOSAR), Department of State Acquisition Manual (DOSAM), Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH), and DOS Acquisition Alerts). Strong proactive communication skills and techniques shall be emphasized in addition to law and regulation. The Contractor will be notified of any postponements or cancellations as soon as possible. The Contractor will not be reimbursed for prepared session documents for any rescheduled or cancelled classes. Using the instructional design principals, strategies, and effective techniques for adult learners accepted in the Contractor proposal (or otherwise approved by the COR), the Contractor shall update and refresh course materials prior to every course iteration and must include any new policies, procedures, and regulations that are released. Instructional design must incorporate Government feedback into approved course materials, including curricula, handouts, etc. OPE will provide the Contractor with updated policies and procedures as they are implemented for incorporation into the course materials. This task will require using a variety of instructional design principles, strategies, and techniques for adult learners. All materials developed and/or updated under this contract becomes the property of the U.S. Government. All materials developed and/or used by the Contractor remains the property of the Department of State and may not be published, shared, and or used in any way outside of the authorized Department of State training contexts. The Contractor shall provide class feedback forms and/or electronic surveys. The Contractor shall publish notice of upcoming trainings thirty (30) days prior to any course iteration to allow for student registration. The Contractor shall capture the student attendance roster, to include name, email, and length of attendance during each course iteration. Attendance information shall be sent to the COR within five (5) days of course completion. Course Development The Contractor shall maintain and expand upon the DOS-provided courses and will be subject to DOS oversight requirements. The Contractor shall: Ensure the curriculum introduces and defines the unique characteristics of DOS oversight requirements. Identify the terminal learning objectives to align with the course’s objectives. Develop instruments to evaluate the courses. Coordinate with the COR upon final acceptance of the curriculum for all courses in order to provide course content, subject matter expertise, and develop deployment ready eLearning modules. Deliverables All deliverables and documentation shall be submitted in electronic format, unless otherwise instructed by the designated COR. Student class materials shall be provided electronically to each student for vILT courses. The submitted electronic formats must be compatible with approved Government computer software (such as .pdf, doc, .xlsx, .pptx, docx, and other approved file types) and must meet Section 508 compliance standards which includes presented content and additional references for comprehensive learning. All course curriculum and materials must be up to date and reflect current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guidance, to include Circulars, OMB policies and other executive orders, DOSAR, and DOSAM. The contractor shall have a robust quality assurance and contractor program to ensure that students are provided with the most current and effective training materials. For each course delivered, the Contractor shall furnish a monthly report, which shall include a description of all work activities of the prior month and a copy of all surveys for courses conducted in the past month. The monthly program support reports shall cover staffing and program management support matters as well as any difficulties encountered and action taken during the reporting period, and anticipated activity during the subsequent reporting period in each report. Contractor shall provide qualified instructors for course delivery. Contractor shall have an instructor certification process with established procedures for certifying their instructors, continual evaluation of instructor performance, instructor performance review program (evaluations of their training delivery) and maintaining instructor certification. Contractors shall also have a detailed training plan evidencing how instructors are kept up to date and conversant with federal acquisition regulations on a continuous basis. The contractor shall develop and submit to the CO and COR an Instructor Management Plan (IMP), to include the items listed below. The contractor shall manage their instructor cadre in accordance with the approved IMP. Hiring Process and Requirements Certification, Training Plan and Continual Evaluation Retention, Remediation, and Termination Contingency Operations The contractor shall notify the COR in advance of proposed instructors per course (typically with the task order quote). Instructors must meet experience requirements outlined below and in the approved IMP. For replacements, the contractor shall submit a résumé of qualifications for instructors to the COR at least two weeks prior to a course, unless previously approved for that course within the last year. Contractors shall have established procedures for rapid instructor replacement for instances when required. Deliverables: Draft Student Materials including handouts, multimedia, and presentations Within 45 calendar days prior to the start of each vILT course occurrence Final Student Attendance Roster: Within 5 calendar days after the course end date for each vILT course COR Kick-off Meeting: Within 14 calendar days after award. Invoice: Monthly Quality Assurance Plan: Within 14 calendar days after award Instructor Management PlanWithin 14 calendar days after award Inspection and Acceptance The COR for this award is a government official who has been delegated specific technical, functional and oversight responsibilities for this award. Deliverables and Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) and acceptance of all work performed, reports, and other deliverables will be performed by the COR. All final course materials become government property. Deliverables Acceptance Criteria General quality measures, as set forth below, shall be applied to each work product received from the Contractor under this PWS: Accuracy ? Work products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of style Clarity ? Work products shall be clear and concise. Any/All diagrams shall be easy to understand, relevant to the supporting narrative, and 508 compliant Consistency to Requirements – All work products must satisfy the requirements of this PWS and resultant contract File Editing ? All text shall be editable by the Government Timelines ? Work Products shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in this PWS or submitted in accordance with a later scheduled date determined by the Government Deliverables Quality Assurance The COR will review, for completeness, preliminary or draft documentation that the Contractor submits, and may return it to the Contractor for correction. Absence of any comments by the COR will not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility for complying with the requirements of this PWS. Deliverables prepared by the Contractor during the course of this contract are the property of the Government. Deliverables Review The Government will have a maximum of ten (10) working days from the day the draft deliverable is received to review the document, provide comments back to the Contractor, approve or disapprove the deliverable(s). The Contractor shall also have a maximum of five (5) working days from the day comments are received to incorporate all changes and submit the final deliverable to the Government. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI) Upon award of the contract, the government shall provide an electronic copy of all current materials. Roles and Responsibilities Listed in the chart below are roles and responsibilities for the personnel who will be supporting contractual requirements, both from the government and the Contractor’s perspective. Contracting Officer (CO): A Contracting Officer is an individual who has the authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related acquisition determinations and findings. As a warranted government professional, the CO is the only person who can make awards and changes/modifications to the contract, and legally bind the government. Contracting Officer Representative (COR): This individual is assigned as the liaison to the CO for the contract. The COR performs day-to-day management of the program, ensuring that performance is done in conformance with the schedule and quality requirements within the scope of the contract. The COR’s responsibility is limited to technical direction, acceptance of deliverables, surveillance, monitoring, and recommending proposed changes in scope or provisions to the contract to the CO. Contractor Project Manager (CPM): This individual interfaces with the government COR. The CPM’s primary job is to ensure that Contractor personnel provide quality and timely performance within the scope of the contract. The CPM will have responsibility for : that all Contractor personnel issues are addressed in a timely fashion to ensure minimal operational disruptions to the contract. Standards of Conduct The Contractor shall ensure that personnel assigned to this contract observe the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, and that employees traveling to locations outside the United States observe the requirements of the local law and applicable U.S. mission regulations. SOURCES SOUGHT INSTRUCTIONS: All 8(a) Certified Small Business Firms with the capability to provide the services outlined in the SOW of the recommended product description/specifications with the DOS requirements. The qualified schedule holders shall present other applicable information that will benefit the acquisition (Ex. Capability Statements) Cost or price information is not solicited and will not be reviewed. All interested Certified 8(a) Small Business Firms shall provide their current NAICS code, and Socio-Economic Business Size (small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled veteran owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran owned small businesses; woman owned small businesses; and small disadvantaged businesses). Interested firms shall submit an electronic copy of their submission via email to Crystal Brooks at brooksCC@state.gov The due date and time for submission of responses is 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) [February 20, 2024]. No phone calls related to this Sources Sought will be accepted. All correspondence shall be via email. Firms responding to this Sources Sought shall be registered in the System for Award Management under NAICS Code 61143 - Professional and Management Development Training. All responses must include the following information: 1. Company name. 2. Company address. 3. Company business size (Respond: “Small” or “Other Than Small”). 4. Unique Entity Identifier. 5. Point-of-contact name, telephone number, and email address.