RFI - DEA Disaster Readiness Course ESF-13.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) #D-25-OD-0026

Acquisition Sensitive-For OFFICIAL USE ONLY

DEA Emergency Preparedness & Crisis Response Unit (ODEP):

Disaster Readiness Course (ESF-13)

Estimate period of performance: Base and 4-12 months option periods.

Estimated value/annual: $300K

Capability Ability Assessment – History: DEA's Disaster Readiness Course (DRC) is a requirement for a training facility and ability to conduct four days of training and sustainment for DEA personnel assigned to Emergency Support Function 13 (ESF-13) roles. The ESF-13 DRC is designed to provide safety and survival training and critical skills to prepare Special Agents to deploy to natural and man-made disasters. The DRC has been in place for 6 years and has trained over 350 personnel. DRC prepares students with the capability to respond when called on by DOJ/FEMA ESF-13 activations.

This RFI is not a Request for Quote (RFQ). This request is for market research purposes only is issued on June 18, 2025, via SAM.gov. Prospective offerors are encouraged to respond accordingly.

Interested Vendors should submit a brief Capability Statement, not to exceed 3 pages. The Capability Statement should be clearly stated and demonstrate the vendor’s ability to provide all requirements as described in the attachment (1.1).

Attachment 1.1 – DEA SOW

Special Requirements:

In addition, the Vendor should clearly demonstrate in its Capability Statement:

(1) Has the requisite space and open property available for vehicle training, land navigation, river crossing, IED response, and other specified training.

(2) Has conducted courses of a similar nature, with combined indoor and outdoor classes and mixed internal and external instructors.

(3) Has properly trained and experienced instructors, in various courses such as off-road drivers training, land navigation, and chainsaw awareness courses.

(4) Has the proper facilities to accommodate 30+ individuals for hygiene purposes.

(5) Has the ability to host two classes per year but is not obligated to hold any (subject to funding availability).

Note: Responses should be sent on or before the due date and time specified in the RFI instructions via SAM.gov.

Attachment 1.1 Drug Enforcement Administration Emergency Preparedness & Crisis Response Unit (ODEP):

Disaster Readiness Course (ESF-13)

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

3.1 BACKGROUND

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of Domestic Operations (OD), Emergency Preparedness Section (ODE), has a requirement for a training facility to conduct four days of training for DEA personnel who are likely to be deployed under the Department of Justice’s (DOJs) Emergency Support Function #13 (ESF #13). The ESF #13 Disaster Readiness Course (DRC) is designed to provide training and critical skills to prepare Special Agents for deployment to natural and man-made disasters in furtherance of response and recovery efforts. The DRC will prepare Special Agents with knowledge and training that will enable them to safely and effectively execute force-protection duties and other skills needed to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours. The DRC will consist of 30 students divided into two training groups; Group “A” and Group “B” will each consist of 15 students. DEA instructors will be the primary instructors but will be augmented by contract instructors as noted in Section 3.3.

3.2 SCOPE:

The contractor shall provide a training facility within 150 miles of the DEA Training Academy, Quantico, VA. The training facility must have an unimproved roads course for off-road driving familiarization, a Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) for HLZ training, a rural environment for survival skills training (i.e. shelter, water, fire, etc.), a rural setting for camp layout training, access to hundreds of acres for land navigation training and exercises, a venue equipped with a live-fire shoot-house for tactical “refresh” training, a facility for tactical training with non-lethal training ammunition (i.e. simunition), access to a river for flood and river crossing training, fallen and/or dead-standing trees for chainsaw and debris removal training, a designated and safe area for training on explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicles with windows that can be forcibly breached for training purposes, a multi-structure training area for practical exercises, a structure capable of being flooded with non-toxic smoke, a structure or area capable of simulating a collapsed or damaged building with obstructions consistent with rubble caused from natural or man-made disasters, a classroom that can accommodate 30 students, and two classrooms that can each accommodate 15 students. The government will develop all scenarios and work directly with the contractor to ensure any role players understand their responsibilities. There will be no night-drive portion for the training.

3.3 TASK/WORK REQUIREMENTS:

Day One

GROUPS A and B – Shelter Set-up

The contractor shall provide space suitable for all participants to erect personal tents for the establishment of two basecamps (Group A and B). Space must be suitable and capable of supporting:

Shelter building (manufactured tents, improvised shelters, large “field tents”)

Open fires (i.e. fire-pit, cooking fire, or signal fire)

Access to natural water sources (for demonstration of field water acquisition and purification techniques)

Provide drinking and cooking water (either existing potable source or bottled water)

Immediate access to latrine services (either fixed permanent facilities, or temporary “port-a-potty” options)

GROUPS A and B – Fireside Chat (informal discussion following dinner)

Communications o Satellite (SAT) Phones o Mobile Satellite (MSAT) Phones o Smartphone Applications o Text vs. Cellular Calls During Disasters

Day Two

GROUP A – Off-Road Drivers Training

The contractor shall provide a classroom facility for 15 to 30 students and shall provide applicable course reference material and educational printouts in reference to the training.

The contractor shall provide seven (7) driving instructors to provide driving instructions to 15 students, one Group at a time.

The contractor shall provide safety helmets for 15 students.

The contractor shall provide an unimproved roads course for off-road driving familiarization.

The contractor shall provide a training regimen consisting of the following:

Unimproved Surface Driving Skills:

Use of recovery gear

Surface transition

Arrival/departure angles

Brake/throttle modulation

Weight distribution and transfer in challenging terrain

Recover a stuck/disabled vehicle with another vehicle

The contractor shall provide Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for all driving instruction.

GROUP B – Chainsaw Awareness and Training

The contractor shall provide access to and designate fallen and/or dead-standing trees for utilization in Chainsaw Awareness training. Trees must meet the following criteria:

Within a half mile walk of designated basecamp

Minimum six trees for demonstration and processing at basecamp

Minimum of 12 inches in diameter

Means of powered mechanical transportation for semi-processed trees (e.g. pickup truck, electric utility cart, storage van, etc.)

Permission to burn, or otherwise process felled trees for training, cooking, or warming purposes at base camp

Areas to process wood with axes, small hand tools, knives, etc.

The contractor shall provide five (5) chain-saw instructors to provide instruction to 15 students, one Group at a time.

The contractor shall provide five (5) chainsaws and five (5) sets of chainsaw safety equipment (i.e. face-shield, chaps, ear-protection, gloves, etc.) for 15 students to use on a rotating basis. The contractor shall also provide additional hearing protection for students awaiting their turn to use the chainsaw.

GROUP B – Medical and Land Navigation Training

The contractor shall provide a classroom facility for 15 students.

The contractor shall provide a training area suitable for a small land navigation course to be established. The land navigation course will be developed by DEA instructors and will consist of a 100-meter pace count, and three navigation points approximately 300 meters apart.

GROUP B – IED Exercise

The contractor shall provide up to 60 feet of Detonation Cord and one (1) vehicle equipped with a “kill switch.”

The contractor must be capable of providing Blank Firing Adaptor (BFA) weapons (i.e. BFA Glock 19 Pistols with 100 total rounds of blank ammunition, BFA AR-15 rifles with 100 total rounds of blank ammunition, BFA AK-47 rifles with 400 total rounds of blank ammunition) if needed. Both the government students and the contractor will be firing the BFA weapons, as students and role players will utilize the BFA weapons during scenario-based training.

Day Three

GROUP B – Off-Road Drivers Training

The contractor shall provide the same requirements as specified in points 3.3.2 and fulfill all driving requirements listed by the conclusion of the training days.

GROUP A – Chainsaw Awareness and Training

The contractor shall provide the same requirements as specified in points 3.3.2 and fulfill all chainsaw awareness training listed by the conclusion of the training days.

GROUP A – Medical and Land Navigation Training

The contractor shall provide the same requirements as specified in points 3.3.2 and fulfill all medical and land navigation training list by the conclusion of the training days.

GROUP A – IED Exercise

The contractor shall provide the same requirements as specified in points 3.3.2 and fulfill all IED exercise and training list by the conclusion of the training days.

Day Four

GROUP A and B – Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)

The contractor shall provide one demolition instructor to provide sixty to ninety minutes of classroom instruction on IEDs to include at a minimum:

Types of explosives

Explosive components and construction

Destructive effects

Safety measures to avoid or decrease injury

The contractor shall provide explosives, vehicles, and demolition range capable of allowing 30 students to observe the detonation of the following charges:

6oz unconfined Black Powder (BP)

6oz Confined BP

Electric Detonator confined in a 4” x 4” wood block

24’ 50gr/ft. Detonating Cord (1200 gr = .204 lb.)

6’ 50gr/ft. Detonating Cord (300 gr = .051 lb.)

Senatel Pulsar Emulsion 1.25” x 8” cartridge (6oz)

8oz Cast Booster (pentolite)

8oz Cast Booster (pentolite) will be detonated in a vehicle, with windows, for one demonstration, to show the students the true effect of explosives.

GROUP A and B – Tactical Training (Shoot House)

The contractor shall provide a multi-level structure where all room clearing techniques, team movement, forced-entry methods, and overall tactical operations will be demonstrated, practiced, and critiqued by DEA instructors.

GROUP A and B – River Crossing

The contractor shall have access to a river or stream where a swift water rescue can be demonstrated and practiced.

The DEA, Local County Fire Department, or contractor instructors shall provide instruction and equipment for swift water rescue using a variety of rescue techniques.

GROUP A and B – Vehicle Window Forced Breach

The contractor shall provide several vehicles where the driver’s and passenger’s side windows can be shattered to demonstrate how to access the vehicle by gaining entry through a forcibly breached window.

GROUPS A and B – Field Training Exercise (FTX)

The contractor shall provide a classroom facility for 30 students. The contractor shall provide a multi-structure training area for scenario-based training that includes:

One structure capable of being flooded with non-toxic smoke where Special Agents will need to conduct a security sweep of the premises.

The contractor shall provide a smoke machine capable of flooding a structure with non-toxic smoke.

The contractor shall provide two SUV’s, one equipped with a kill switch, to be used during scenarios. One SUV shall be equipped with a pyrotechnic device to simulate the vehicle striking an IED. The pyrotechnic device will be used four times.

The contractor must be capable of providing up to eight role players if needed.

The contractor must be capable of providing Blank Firing Adaptor (BFA) weapons (i.e. BFA Glock 19 Pistols with 100 total rounds of blank ammunition, BFA AR-15 rifles with 100 total rounds of blank ammunition, BFA AK-47 rifles with 400 total rounds of blank ammunition) if needed. Both the government students and the contractor will be firing the BFA weapons, as students and role players will utilize the BFA weapons during scenario-based training.

GROUPS A and B – Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ)

DEA Airwing and DEA Instructors will provide aircraft and training expertise to students learning how to direct / vector a helicopter to a HLZ for supplies, medivac, etc.

GROUPS A and B – Fireside Chat o After Action Review o IEDs o Tactical Training o River Crossing o Window Breach o FTX/HLZ

3.4 INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATIONS:

The contractor's instructors shall possess prior training experience and have demonstrated the ability to provide the instruction required under Section 3.3 Task/Work Requirements of the Statement of Work.

Driving instructors shall have a minimum of two years instructional experience instructing technical driver training to both federal law enforcement or military special operations.

The contractor shall have an internal driving instructor certification and standard, which all instructors shall certify on a quarterly basis.

The contractor’s demolition instructor shall have a minimum of five years of military demolition/breaching experience and a minimum of 2 years of instructional experience instructing federal law enforcement and/or military special operations in demolition/breaching technics.

3.4.1 Personnel Security Provision:

The personnel security risk level is Non-Sensitive/Low Risk.

The Security Provision is: DEA-2852-204.94

All contractor personnel supporting this procurement are entrusted with a certain level of trust due to the nature of DEA’s mission. The Government expects the vendor will employ persons of integrity and trustworthiness. To ensure this, DEA reserves the right to conduct background screening or a full background investigation on all employees if a need arises. While all services provided on this contract will be performed outside of DEA, all contractors must be escorted if entering a DEA facility.

DEA reserves the right to modify the security requirements found in this contract at anytime.

3.5 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

This course shall include four (4) days of training. The period of performance shall be specified in any subsequent call order. There are typically two (2) scheduled courses per fiscal year.

3.6 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

All work performed under any subsequent call order shall be performed at the contractor's designated training facility. No DEA locations will be utilized during this requirement.

3.7 FOOD AND LODGING

Food will not be provided in the contractor’s proposal.

A camp site will be provided by the contractor. Clean potable water will be provided for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Approx. eight (8) 15-lb propane tanks will be provided.

3.8 HOURS OF TRAINING OPERATION

Day 1: Instructors arrive at 1100 and establish camp. Students arrive at noon and establish camp.

Day 2 – 4: Instruction will begin at 0800 and end at 1700. Day 4 departs at 1800.

3.9 INITIATION OF CALL ORDER AND CLASS START DATE

Upon award, the government will provide the contractor with a minimum of 30 days prior notice of any course date and/or changes.

3.10 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE

(a) Pursuant to FAR 1.602-2, the following individual has been designated as the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) under this contract:

Emergency Management Specialist Tony C. Yang

Emergency Preparedness Section Office of Domestic Operations

571-362-5807

(b) The COR has responsibility for performing contract administration, which includes, but is not limited to, the following duties: functioning as the technical liaison with the contractor; monitoring the contractor’s performance and progress of the work; receiving, inspecting and accepting all deliverables or services provided under the contract; and reviewing all invoices/vouchers submitted for payment.

(c) The COR does not have the authority to alter the contractor’s obligations under the contract, and/or modify any of the expressed terms, conditions, specifications, or cost of the agreement. If as a result of technical discussions it is desirable to alter/change contractual obligations or the Scope of Work, the Contracting Officer shall issue such changes.