MFLC V Draft RFI-MAD Notice_4.27.26.pdf

Template Version 11/26/2025 Page 1

Request for Information (RFI) -

Market Assessment Discussion (MAD)

Notice

47QFCA26K0021

Military and Family Life

Counseling Services (MFLC) V in support of:

Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of

War for Military Community and Family Policy

(MC&FP), Office of Military Community

Support Programs (MCSP)

Issued to:

All interested Industry Partners

(Open Market & Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Schedule Item Number (SIN) 624SS)

Issued by:

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) Defense

Responses due no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on May 8, 2026

Template Version 11/26/2025

I. INTRODUCTION

General Services Administration (GSA), Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) is releasing a combined Request for Information (RFI) and Market Assessment Discussion (MAD) Notice on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Military Community and

Family Policy (MC&FP), Office of Military Community Support Programs (MCSP). The purpose of this RFI-MAD Notice is to assist the Government in conducting market research to identify capable, interested Industry Partners and to inform industry of the Government’s intent to conduct one-on-one conversations between the AAS Contracting Officer (CO) and interested

Industry Partners as part of market research for the subject requirements.

As provided by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 10.001 (GSA Class Deviation

Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO)-2025-10) and FAR 15.101 (GSA Class Deviation RFO-

2025-15) MAD Sessions serve as a market research tool used by AAS to gauge industry interest, assess potential commercial/industry approaches, identify factors that could shape the acquisition strategy, inform future acquisition planning, promote competition, and improve the quality of proposals. The Government will request only the minimum information necessary, and all responses will be used solely for market research purposes. Any response to this RFI-MAD

Notice or information submitted by an interested Industry Partner to the Government will not be shared with any other Industry Partner. Participation in the RFI-MAD process is strictly voluntary.

This RFI-MAD Notice does NOT constitute a Request for Proposal and is not to be construed as a commitment, implied or otherwise, by the Government that a procurement action will be issued. A response to this RFI-MAD Notice is not a request to be added to a bidders list or to receive a copy of a solicitation. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the submission of the requested information. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this RFI-MAD Notice and any follow-up information requests. The Government may not respond to any specific questions or comments in response to this RFI-MAD Notice or information provided as a result of this request. This information will be used for market research only.

The Government is particularly interested in determining the information, documents, or similar data that industry would need to facilitate a bid/no bid decision and in the availability and applicability of commercial products and services to meet the requirements of the Military and

Family Life Counseling (MFLC) Program.

Further details regarding the MFLC contract requirements are delineated in the attached draft of Section C.

II. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

The MFLC program was created in 2004 by the Office of Military Community and Family

Policy (MC&FP) to facilitate private and confidential non-medical counseling services. The program began with 24 Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) supporting an Army unit in Europe. In 2007, DoW established the Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) MFLC Program to provide non-medical counseling to military service members’ dependents within installation and public schools, child and youth development centers, and child-oriented programs they attend (e.g., summer camps). The MFLC Program currently deploys more than 2,500 licensed counselors to military installations throughout the

United States (U.S.) and in more than 25 foreign countries, providing confidential counseling, outreach, and educational resources that foster wellness and resilience within the military community.

III. GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this requirement are to sustain and enhance the MFLC Program’s ability to deliver confidential counseling, consultation, and outreach services that strengthen military readiness, resilience, and family stability. The contractor must support the following mission outcomes:

a. Ensuring consistent availability of qualified MFLC personnel and services through effective workforce management, flexible staffing strategies, and timely fulfillment of the required MFLC assignments, while maintaining an operational bench of licensed, cleared, and credentialed counselors and support personnel to enable rapid response to emergent requirements, reduce service gaps, and sustain continuity of service care across all assignment types.

b. Providing high-quality, prevention-focused counseling, consultation, and outreach services that address the unique stressors of military life across diverse populations and environments and enhance participants’ ability to cope with the many challenges associated with the complex dynamics unique to the military service environment. Services shall remain adaptable to assignment type, geographic location, and evolving participant needs while maintaining the

MFLC Program’s core principles of confidentiality and accessibility.

c. Ensuring military dependents (children and youth) increase their ability to develop strong relationships, solve problems, and adequately express and manage their emotions to increase school readiness and lifelong success. Military families cope with deployments, relocation, and the other demands of military life. These demands are especially difficult for children who may have to attend new schools, with little to no control over where they go.

d. Increasing the visibility, awareness, and use of the MFLC Program for eligible participants through performance of the contract tasks.

e. Ensuring seamless lines of communication and coordination across the entire footprint (prime contractor and subcontractor staff (if applicable) to ensure a unified program execution. This includes real-time information sharing, coordinated resource management, standardized reporting procedures, and integrated service delivery approaches across the entire contractor team regardless of organizational relationships.

f. Providing comprehensive support for pilot program initiatives and studies. The contractor shall provide flexible support for current and future pilot programs, studies, and congressional mandates related to MFLC services. This includes supporting innovative service delivery models, data collection for program effectiveness studies, and deployment of resources to non-traditional settings.

g. Providing innovative real-time data capture and reporting through an evolving, automated IT system.

IV. SCOPE SUMMARY

The contractor shall provide confidential counseling, consultation, walk-around support, and outreach services to all eligible participants of the MFLC Program. Walk-around support is defined as the MFLC being present and interacting with participants in their environment, ensuring high visibility and easy accessibility. Examples of these locations include unit headquarters, schools, camps, or Child Development Centers (CDCs). The contractor shall provide services through in-person, face-to-face delivery methods, with virtual counseling capabilities when required by the Government. The MFLC Program place of performance covers more than 300 military installations in most of the 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.), U.S. territories and commonwealths, and over 25 foreign countries, including areas considered hazardous duty/danger zones.

The contractor shall provide all services under the scope of this contract within its awarded footprint area of responsibility, which will be the Eastern Geographic footprint, the Western

Geographic footprint, or both. The Eastern Geographic Footprint consists of Continental United

States (CONUS) locations east of the Mississippi River and Outside the Continental United

States (OCONUS) locations in the Africa Command (AFRICOM), European Command

(EUCOM), and Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). CONUS is defined as the lower 48 continental states and OCONUS is defined as all locations outside the lower 48 continental states and includes Alaska and Hawaii. The Western Geographic Footprint consists of CONUS locations west of the Mississippi River and the OCONUS Indo-Pacific Command

(INDOPACOM) and Central Command (CENTCOM). If the contractor is awarded only the

Eastern Geographic Footprint or the Western Geographic Footprint, it shall also provide services for the opposite footprint under Task 4 or Task 5, if the optional task is exercised.

MFLCs are required to address the counseling needs of eligible participants based on the specific emergent needs of each DoW service branch at CONUS and OCONUS worksites. All MFLCs shall be credentialed or licensed to provide MFLC services. Additionally, the contractor shall ensure that CYB MFLCs supporting environments with children of all ages have the appropriate consultation skills to provide support to staff and parents.

The primary place of performance will be applicable locations with the respective geographic areas of responsibility which include: military bases and installations (CONUS and OCONUS), military and family support centers, child development centers, school and youth camps, embedded in military units, pediatric clinics, targeted short-term locations, and on-demand events.

The Government is seeking information in the following task areas and support services:

Task 1 – Provide Program Management Support

Task 2 – Provide Primary MFLC Services

Task 3 – Provide Temporary MFLC Services

Task 4 – Western Geographic Optional Footprint (Optional Task)

Task 5 – Eastern Geographic Optional Footprint (Optional Task)

Task 1 – Provide Program Management Support: The contractor shall provide program management support under this contract to support its awarded footprint (either the Eastern, Western, or both geographic footprints). This includes the management and oversight of all activities performed by contractor personnel, including subcontractors, to satisfy the requirements identified in the draft PWS.

Task 2 – Provide Primary MFLC Services: Primary MFLC services encompass providing

MFLC support to eligible Adult and CYB participants on an ongoing basis at a designated location. The MFLCs and Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) MFLCs provide confidential face-to-face, counseling, consultation, and outreach services both on and off military installations. On a case-by-case basis, the contractor may need to provide services through virtual methodologies in response to unknown and unplanned events which may limit or prohibit in person face-to-face interaction. The virtual support may be world-wide, country, or location specific (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic) and may impact military facilities, schools, camps, or other places of performance.

Task 3 – Provide Temporary MFLC Services: The contractor shall provide temporary MFLC services. Temporary MFLC Services encompass a full range of support, including counseling, consultation, outreach, and other services as required, for both Adult and Child/Youth populations, provided for a limited time period rather than as part of ongoing primary assignments. Services include support to individual and family events, during weekdays, weekends, and on drill weekends. The contractor may need to deploy counselors to support these events, depending on the event location, as locations may differ from their assigned duty location. The contractor shall ensure Adult and CYB MFLCs under Task 3 are credentialed and licensed for their roles as under Task 2.

Task 4 – Western Geographical Footprint (Optional Task): The contractor shall provide all management, counseling, consultation, and outreach services within the scope of the contract at

Western Geographic Footprint locations both CONUS and OCONUS. This option may be exercised at any point in the contract period of performance with advance notification and will be in addition to the services being performed in its awarded geographic footprint as described in

Section C.2. The contractor shall provide, at the Government’s request, MFLC support at additional Western Geographic Footprint locations (may include state, region, or entire footprint) in response to the evolving needs of DoW’s mission or to support locations (states/regions) that are not able to be supported/maintained by the Western Geographic Footprint contractor.

Task 5 – Eastern Geographical Footprint (Optional Task): The contractor shall provide counseling, consultation, and outreach (primary, temporary) services within the scope of the contract at Eastern Geographic Footprint locations both CONUS and OCONUS. These services may include support to a single state, a region, or the entire optional footprint contained at locations that are part of the Eastern Geographic Footprint. These services may require simultaneous capabilities support spanning across multiple additional locations outside the contractor’s awarded footprint, as described in Section C.2. These additional service assignment locations will be required on an as-needed basis, and will be identified through contract modification if the optional Task is exercised, followed by SADL assignment IAW Section H of the contract.

V. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS & COUNSELOR CERTIFICATION

The Government anticipates that contractor personnel may require a security clearance at the

Secret and Top Secret clearance levels. Currently, counselors assigned to worksites within DoW installations supporting US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) regions and other similar secure locations shall possess, at minimum, Secret clearances for access to the applicable worksite by the affiliated Government assignment initiating the non- medical counselor professional service support requests. The contractor shall work with the installation POC to complete a Secret clearance (or higher) for counselors determined by the Government to need such a clearance. The prime contractor is required to possess a Top Secret Facility Clearance

Level (FCL).

All MFLCs shall be counselors credentialed and licensed to practice independently

(Master’s/Doctorate level) in any state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory or possession of the United States without regard to where the professional or recipient of such services is located or delivery of such services is provided (including face-to-face and telehealth), if the provision of such services is within the scope of the authorized Federal duties of the professional in accordance with this contract and shall hold a license that is recognized by the Secretary of

War as an appropriate license for the provision of non-medical counseling services.

All CYB MFLCs shall undergo a background/suitability check in accordance with the latest version of DoDI 1402.05, Background Checks on Individuals in DoW Child Care Services

Programs. Background Check Investigations will be submitted and processed according to current regulations.

VI. ANTICIPATED CONTRACT DETAILS

The Government currently estimates the total amount of this requirement, inclusive of both the

Eastern Geographic Footprint and Western Geographic Footprint, to be in excess of

$4,475,177,624. The Eastern Geographic Footprint will have one 6-month base period, four 1-year option periods, and two 1-year award term incentive periods for a total period of performance of 6 years and 6 months. The Western Geographic Footprint will have one 12-month base period, four 1-year option periods, and two 1-year award term incentive periods for a total period of performance of 7 years. These periods cover labor, travel, tools, and Other Direct

Costs (ODCs). This information is provided solely for the purposes of the RFI-MAD.

VII. INSTRUCTIONS TO INTERESTED INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Please complete Attachment 1, Attachment 2, and Attachment 3 as outlined below:

1. Responses shall be submitted electronically by email only to Andrew Hotaling at andrew.hotaling@gsa.gov, Kristen Jaremback at kristen.jaremback@gsa.gov, Dennis Chae at dennis.chae@gsa.gov, and Mark Meade at mark.meade@gsa.gov.

2. The email subject line must read: “[Industry Partner’s Name] MFLC V RFI-MAD

Response.”

3. Use the attached forms to provide the requested information (i.e., no substitutions, additions, or deletions).

4. All responses shall maintain one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and are single spaced.

5. Attachment 1: Corporate Overview shall be no longer than two total pages in length.

6. Attachment 2: Corporate Experience shall be no longer than three total pages in length.

7. Attachment 3: Market Assessment Discussion (MAD) Questions: responses shall be no longer than three pages.

8. All information submitted shall be UNCLASSIFIED.

9. Responses shall be submitted no later than 11 a.m. Eastern Time on May 8, 2026.

The Government is seeking respondents who can demonstrate their ability to meet the scope and anticipated functional areas of the MFLC V effort described within this RFI-MAD Notice.

Respondents that wish to schedule a RFI-MAD meeting with the Government are asked to respond to this notice as follows:

RFI-MAD Meeting Request and Scheduling

1. Point of Contact (POC) Information: In the body of the email response, provide a Point of

Contact (POC) with the accompanying job title, company name and department, email address, and telephone number. The Government will coordinate a virtual meeting with this POC at a later date.

2. Schedule a RFI-MAD calendar appointment electronically via Google Calendar using the following link: RFI-MAD Meeting Calendar Appointment

(https://calendar.app.google/7zKVowgBtroD5Jrp6 ).

3. RFI-MAD meeting calendar appointments must be scheduled by May 8, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET;

calendar appointment requests received after that time may be considered at the Government’s discretion.

4. If the POC cannot schedule a session or has technical difficulties with the calendar link, please contact the AAS POCs listed above for assistance.

The Government anticipates coordinating meetings with interested Industry Partner POCs within five business days of this posting. A calendar invite will be sent to interested Industry POCs who follow the scheduling process above and the call will take place during regular business hours.

The Government anticipates conducting these calls between May 13-14, 2026; the call is expected to last no more than 45 minutes. If the POC does not respond to the Government’s attempt to re-schedule a RFI-MAD meeting, or if the respondent is unable to accommodate the

RFI-MAD meeting time(s) offered by the Government, the Government reserves the right to not hold a RFI-MAD meeting with the requesting vendor.

https://calendar.app.google/7zKVowgBtroD5Jrp6

Attachment 1

Corporate Overview

Question Answer

Name of Company

Name of Business Unit Responding to the RFI (if applicable)

DUNS Number

Commercial and Government Entity

(CAGE) Code

Corporate Address

Total Number of Full Time

Employees

Website URL

Small Business under North

American Industry Classification

System (NAICS) Code 624190

□ YES

□ NO

Type of Small Business, if applicable

(e.g., Woman-Owned, Service

Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), HUBZone)

Do you have a cost accounting system deemed adequate by a cognizant audit agency? (e.g., Defense Contract Audit Agency

(DCAA))

□ YES

□ NO

Do you have an approved Purchasing

System?

□ YES

□ NO

Do you have a Top Secret Facility

Clearance Level (FCL)?

□ YES

□ NO

One Point of Contact (POC) (Enter name, phone number, and email address)

Name:

Phone #:

Email:

Question Answer

Please identify which, if any, of the formal accreditations or certifications listed below are held by your firm

(do not include any self-certifications):

International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) 9001 Quality

Management System (QMS)

a. YES

b. NO

ISO 20000-1 Information technology

Service Management System

(ITSMS)

a. YES

b. NO

ISO/International Electrotechnical

Commission (IEC) 27001

Information Security Management

Systems (ISMS)

h. YES

i. NO

Other, please specify

j. YES

k. NO

Attachment 2

Prior and Current Corporate Experience

Please respond to the following inquiries (Note: If your company is divided into separate business units, responses shall be based upon the Corporate Experience of the business unit responding to the RFI):

Please complete the following table for prior Corporate Experiences performed in the last five years in which the contractor (serving as prime contractor) provided or currently provides services similar in size, complexity, and scope to the stated requirements and technical environment as listed in Sections II - VI. Use individual task order values for the table below, not the overall Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) or Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) ceiling value the task order may have been awarded from.

Question Answer

Contract Vehicle/Contract Number

Contract/Project Name

Value at Award

Funded Value at Completion/Current

Value

Contract Type: check the type that represents the largest ($) for this contract

Time-and-Materials (T&M)/Labor-Hour (LH)

Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)

Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee (CPIF)

Cost-Plus-Award-Fee (CPAF)

Client Department or Agency

Project Description - Similarities in

Scope and Complexity

Client POC, Name, E-mail, Phone

Percentage of Services Sub-contracted

Number of participants served per year

Number of fully Licensed counselors

Amount of Tools/Other Direct Costs

(ODCs) Procured for Life of

Contract/Task Order

Attachment 3

Market Assessment Discussion Questions

1. What operational and technical details would be most beneficial for the Government to provide in a future electronic Reading Room (eRR) and solicitation to enable your company to submit a comprehensive proposal? Please include any additional recommendations you may have for improving the Government's acquisition strategy for this requirement.

2. Describe your company’s experience providing the same or similar services as described in

Section C in military environments including: CONUS/OCONUS deployment of licensed counselors, integration with Government behavioral health/medical/chaplain services, austere/international locations, background check requirements, and military-specific recruitment/training. What challenges or limitations impact cost and contract considerations?

3. Has your company provided similar counseling services as described in draft Section C

(including non-traditional walk-around/preventative outreach) to non-governmental entities in substantial quantities? Please describe: customer types, delivery models (embedded, virtual, etc.), geographic deployment, number of counselors, staffing stability approaches, compensation structures, and whether services are offered as integrated solutions or individual labor categories.

4. What portions of this requirement does your company consider commercial (per the definition at

FAR 2.101 (GSA Class Deviation RFO-2025-12))? If offering a modified commercial solution, what Government requirements drive the modification and are these customarily requested in the commercial marketplace in substantial quantities to non-governmental entities? Do you consider these minor or major modifications?

5. Can the Government buy these services under a published catalog price/price list, or would this requirement necessitate a special Government quote? If applicable, what is driving the different pricing the Government is receiving versus what is customary to the commercial marketplace?

6. Based on the draft Section C requirements, what contract type, or combination/hybrid of contract types does your company recommend? Please also provide an explanation of why you chose this contract type. The Government is interested in motivating excellent contractor performance for this requirement.

7. Describe your approach to cybersecurity best practices for virtual MFLC services and ability to meet CMMC Level 2 (Self) assessment requirements. Will your company be able to meet this requirement? (Reference DFARS 252.204-7025 and 32 CFR part 170)

8. Please describe your experience with establishing effective and efficient policies, procedures, and/or systems for near real-time accountability of counselors worldwide (e.g., online portals, mobile applications, etc.).

9. What contract requirements, incentives, or flexibilities would help to maintain staffing and continuity of service in hard-to-fill locations?