Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

On behalf of the Department of State/Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Office of Acquisition Management is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to identify small businesses capab... On behalf of the Department of State/Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Office of Acquisition Management is conducting market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 to identify small businesses capable of performing the requirements contained herein. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment on the part of the government to conduct a solicitation for the below-listed services in the future. Responders are advised that the government will not pay for information submitted in response to this Sources Sought, nor will it compensate responders for any costs incurred in the development/furnishing of a response. Please note that a decision not to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice will not preclude a vendor from participating in any future solicitation. BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF NEED The current international environment presents significant challenges for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy abroad. The U.S. Department of State’s (the Department) Bureau of Diplomatic Security (the Bureau or DS) is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for diplomacy and is the most widely represented U.S. law enforcement and security organization in the world. DS protects people, property, and information at more than 275 overseas posts, 206 domestic locations, across 118 programs, and various appropriations totaling over $5 billion. Every U.S. diplomatic mission operates under a security program designed and maintained by DS. Growing instability and terrorism in several regions combined with the need to counter strategic competitors who work to undermine U.S. interests require DS to evolve data collection that aligns with the Bureau’s information-led law enforcement initiative. Civil unrest and terrorism threats force our embassies to restrict and limit movement of personnel outside our diplomatic facilities due to safety concerns, which often hampers the Bureau’s ability to gather real-time information. In addition, intrastate civil unrest or violence typically consume and distract the Bureau’s primary host nation law enforcement entities. As technology evolves with crowd sourcing publicly available data with images, written context, and some analysis, the Bureau should explore this frontier and incorporate this capability into security decision-making on a global scale. Utilizing such technology could inform near real-time decision making as deteriorating conditions restrict our diplomatic personnel from traveling and assessing viable travel routes, rally points, border crossing check points, and key infrastructure such as airports or shipping terminals for military assisted departures or non-combatant evacuation operations. The Bureau would task an intermediary company with information requirements to gather publicly available information in respective countries to compile data and produce a finished product. This would remove inherent counterintelligence and safety concerns by traditionally tasking State Department employees in the midst of a crisis or civil unrest to gather data, and remove technical vulnerabilities to the Bureau and State Department by negating the need to establish and maintain a Bureau-owned system. The intermediary would be responsible for maintaining communications, incentives, and the relationship with the local populace. Respective companies should have proven capabilities to harness this crowd sourcing technology on a global scale while possessing the ability to provide a degree of analytical context to the Bureau in short time frames (48 – 72 hours). TASKS Task 1. Crowd Sourcing Capability Task 2. Ability to Collate Publicly Available Information Task 3. Technology Infrastructure to Communicate with Populace Task 4. Technology Infrastructure to Transfer Data to Repository Task 5. Analytical Capability Task 6. Workforce to Compile Data & Produce Finished Product Task 7. Respond to Tasking in Short Time Frames (48 – 72 hours) INSTRUCTIONS Interested parties should submit your response via email to CO Leslie Wilson: WilsonLN@state.gov and to CS Jasmine S. McDonald and Tanika L. Mitchell via Email: McDonaldJS2@state.gov and MitchellTL1@state.gov no later than close of business, December 8, 2023. Telephone inquiries are not permitted. Responses must be limited to 10 pages or less, utilizing Microsoft Word or a PDF document, in Times New Roman 12-point font. Address the requirements contained herein in enough detail for the Government to determine your capabilities as they relate to the requirement. Include your company Unique Entity ID, CAGE code (if applicable), company POC and socioeconomic status under NAICS codes. All interested companies must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) and not be on the Excluded Party List. Include in the response all Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts and General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedules to include contract numbers, periods of performance as well. Please indicate any related and significant subcontractor performance. A facility clearance of Top Secret will be required.