REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Org Development.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

SERVICES

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)

Acquisition Plan Number: 264 March 4, 2024

Facilitated by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Contracts and Acquisitions Management Office

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR A QUOTE

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Contents

Introduction and Background

Submission Instructions

Contact Information

Request for Capability Statements

Format and Instructions for Capability Statements

Vendor Questions

Attachments

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Introduction and Background

This Request for Information (RFI) is for market research and planning purposes only and shall not be considered to be an obligation by the Government to acquire any products or services. This requirement is new, but continues the type of services contracted for in the past. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information, for planning purposes, regarding:

1. the availability and capability of qualified 8(a) small business sources to perform the work described below; and

2. the size classification of the available and capable sources relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition.

Pursuant to 48 C.F.R. Part 10, the Government is conducting market research to:

Determine what sources exist that are capable of satisfying the Government’s requirements listed below;

Determine the capabilities of potential contractors;

Determine the size and status of potential sources; and Determine the level of competition.

The Department anticipates issuing this requirement as a direct 8(a) sole source award using the following proposed Proposed North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code. The Department is contemplating awarding this as a hybrid firm fixed price and time and materials award and intends to issue a solicitation to one 8(a) small business in April/May of 2024, with an anticipated award date of May/June of 2024.

Proposed North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code

541611—Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

Proposed Product and Service Code (PSC) R499--Support- Professional: Other

Agency: US Department of Education Requiring Office: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Estimated Period of Performance: Base year plus up to 4 option years Location: Washington, DC Notice Type: Request for Information Estimated Contract Type: Time and Materials with Fixed Priced for Training and Executive Coaching Estimated Number of FTEs Required: It is anticipated that the size of this contract will vary from year to year based on need and funding availability, but the overall number of labor hours is unlikely to exceed 4,000 hours in a given year and may be less.

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is issuing this Request for Information to identify small business contractors that are:

Page | 4 in the 8(a) Business Development Program for small disadvantaged businesses, which assists firms that are at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals;

qualified as an 8(a) under relevant NAICS codes;

staffed with individuals who have expertise and experience performing the type of work described in this document; and available to perform organizational development, executive coaching, facilitation, and professional learning work on an ad hoc, project-by-project basis, possibly with little lead time.

An organization that is not in the 8(a) Business Development Program for small disadvantaged businesses under relevant NAICS codes should not submit a response to this notice.

As permitted by FAR Part 10, this is a market research tool being utilized for informational and planning purposes. The Government may engage Vendors that respond to this notice by seeking further information about capabilities or even make an 8(a) direct award.

PLEASE NOTE: This notice shall not be construed as a RFP/RFQ or as a commitment or obligation on the part of the Government to issue a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request, so proposals will not be considered.

All documents and attachments in this RFI are draft versions. The content of each document may change substantially between the release of this RFI and release of the final solicitation. The final solicitation will be governed by the terms, conditions, instructions, and criteria in that document.

Vendors should not rely on the contents of this request if selected to prepare final proposal. To the extent that information provided in this document is inconsistent with or contradicts information contained in the final solicitation, the final solicitation controls. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow-up information requests.

Quote Affordability: The Department seeks quotes with a total evaluated price of less than $400k.

Offerors should not interpret this figure as a ceiling (or as a floor) on quotes; rather, this information is provided as a courtesy to prospective offerors. The Department may select a quote for award with a price below, at, or exceeding this figure if it finds that quote provides the best value and funds are available.

Submission Instructions

Detailed information for the required submission is provided below. Offerors should submit, via email, the following documents to Patrick.George@ed.gov with a cc to Matthew.Lucas@ed.gov no later than April 15, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Responses will not be accepted after the due date.

1. One PDF document that contains your Capability Statement (Maximum of 5 pages not including cover page and table of contents).

mailto:Patrick.George@ed.gov mailto:Matthew.Lucas@ed.gov

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2. One PDF document that contains your response to vendor questions if you choose to respond (Maximum of 5 pages).

3. One WORD document that contains any comments, track change revisions, or edits to the draft PWS if you choose to provide feedback on the PWS. If vendors have additional questions regarding the PWS, please feel free to include this information in a separate heading in your WORD document that contains these questions in addition to any narrative information.

Offerors should submit all three documents in one email. Please note that the Department imposes a 15MB file size limitation. This limitation accounts for potential file size increases associated with Microsoft Cloud services and may be different from earlier Department file size restrictions.

Participation in this vendor outreach effort is entirely voluntary. However, a response to this Request for Information is required to be considered for any 8(a) sole source Request for Proposals (RFP) that the Department may issue as a result of this market research.

Since this is not a formal soliticitation, respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation, and capability statements will not be returned.

We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to this Request for Information.

Contact Information

Please note that only the individuals listed below are authorized points of contact for this competition.

No members of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) will respond to inquiries even if the individual is responsible for technical direction under an existing OESE contract.

The following members comprise the acquisition team for this procurement:

PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT

Patrick George Patrick.George@ed.gov

(202) 453-6399 Contract Specialist responsible for all operational aspects of the procurement.

SECONDARY POINT OF CONTACT

Matthew Lucas Matthew.Lucas@ed.gov

(202) 987-0839 Contracting Officer responsible for all operational/supervisory aspects of the procurement.

Source Selection Authority

Dissemination of Procurement Information Vendors are strongly encouraged to communicate via email. As previously stated, only one 8(a) vendor will be selected to receive the solicitation for the Organizational Development and Professional Learning Services requirement.

mailto:Patrick.George@ed.gov mailto:Matthew.Lucas@ed.gov

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Request for Capability Statements

This Request for Information consists of a request for Capabilities Statements from interested parties.

Offerors are expected to demonstrate their ability to provide the services described in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The Department requests capability statements in order to evaluate what, if any, set aside determinations are appropriate for this procurement. The Department will not review generic capability statements because generic capability statements are not sufficient to help us assess your ability to execute this contract. Rather, we will only review capability statements that conform to the specifications provided below.

Format and Instructions for Capability Statements

Capability statements are limited to 5, single-spaced pages using 12-point font (excluding tables) and standard margins (not including the cover page and table of contents), and must be submitted in PDF format. The Department will not consider material in excess of 5 pages. Please address each item in the order provided below.

1. Company Profile: (Items to include)

Company name, address, and website Primary point of contact (name, title, phone number, and email address) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov/ Relevant North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes, as a validated via http://www.sam.gov/, your company’s size designation within each code, and the NAICS code you believe is applicable to this PWS.

[NOTE: Additional information on NAICS codes can be found at www.sba.gov. Potential government contractors must be registered on SAM.gov.]

Current GSA Schedules your company holds that are relevant to this RFI All applicable classifications for your organization, such as:

― Small business ― Woman-owned small business ― 8(a) business ― Small disadvantaged business ― HUBZone small business

― SDVOSB

― Non-profit

Affiliate information (e.g., parent company, , Small Business Administration (SBA) mentors, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners)

Other relevant ordering vehicles in which your company participates, if any Year the firm was established Number of employees http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sba.gov/

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Number of employees, if any, who work in the DC metropolitan area (do not include subcontractors)

Expiration date of your SBA 8(A) contract Today’s date

2. Experience

Your capability statement must provide information that demonstrates your company’s experience performing the tasks listed in the PWS.

In particular, identify similar projects that your company worked on in the last 3 years. Only include projects where staff employed by your company performed 51% or more of the work. Please use the table headings provided below.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Client

Point of Contact

Time Period of Project

Key Contract/Subcontract Staff Who Worked on the Project1

Describe the Project & the Specific Work Your Company

Performed

(Name of Organization, City, State)

(Client Name, Title, Phone

#, Email)

(Month/Year Project Started &

Month/Year Ended)

(Name Each Key Staff Member, Describe His/Her Job Role, Identify

Him/Her as an Employee or Subcontractor)

Vendor Questions

1 FAR 19.809-2(a) (Limitations on subcontracting and nonmanufacturer rule) says that…”To be awarded a contract or order under the 8(a) program, the 8(a) participant is required to perform—(1) For services (except construction), at least 50 percent of the cost incurred for personnel with its own employees”.

Since at least 50% of the work has to be performed by the prime contractor (versus subcontractors), the government has an interest in ensuring that contract staff are capable of performing at least 50% of the required organizational development, executive coaching, facilitation, and training work. Anyone who receives a 1099 is considered to be a subcontractor.

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(1) STAFFING: If this contract was awarded to your company, identify the staff who would provide (1) organizational development (OD) services, (2) facilitation of executive coaching groups, (3) facilitation, and (4) professional learning (we recognize that this will vary by instructional topic).

Identify whether each staff member is an employee or a sub-contractor Briefly describe the individual’s areas of expertise Identify relevant projects that each individual has worked on within the past 5 years (if not listed in the project chart) or courses taught For staff proposed for the OD work, executive coaching, and facilitation, provide each individual’s loaded labor rates

PROPOSED STAFF

Proposed

Staff Member Area(s) of Expertise

Relevant Projects/ Courses Taught

Loaded Labor Rate

(indicate if employee or subcontractor)

(within the past 5 years if not listed previously)

(if proposed to work with OD, facilitation of executive coaching groups, or general facilitation)

(2) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: Does your organization provide “off the shelf” training? If so:

o Identify the courses that your organization has taught within the last 12 months.

o Using the table format provided below, identify the fixed price cost for an “off the shelf” training for up to 30 participants. Differentiate prices based on:

Complexity of Topic:

― Common topic—Defined as a frequently taught general skills topics that are readily available in the professional learning community. Topics might include teambuilding, communication skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, problem solving, conflict management, diversity and inclusion, facilitation skills, or leading from where you sit.

― Complex or specialized topic—Defined as a topic that may be taught frequently but that is more technical or specialized and therefore requires an instructor with additional certifications or deep technical knowledge. Topics might include project management, logic models, or project evaluation.

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Course Location:

― Onsite or Hybrid Delivery—This is a classroom based, instructor led learning experience that is provided at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters building at 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202 or a similar location in the Washington DC metropolitan area. It may also be broadcast to remote locations through a video teleconferencing (VTC) or similar set-up. For onsite delivery, the contractor must provide physical copies of course materials.

― Remote Delivery—This is an instructor led learning experience on Microsoft Teams or a comparable government platform. For remote delivery, course materials can be made available electronically.

Course length:

― Cost for a 1 hour training ― Cost for a ½ day training (typically 3 hours) ― Cost for a full day training (typically 6 hours)

Cost escalation:

― Proposed increase in the training price each year.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

COMMON TOPIC COMPLEX/SPECIALIZED TOPIC

Course Length 1 Hour ½ Day (typically 3 hours)

Full Day (typically 6 hours) 1 Hour ½ Day

(typically 3 hours) Full Day

(typically 6 hours)

BASE YEAR

Onsite or Hybrid Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

Remote Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 1

Onsite or Hybrid Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

Remote Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 2

Onsite or Hybrid Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

Remote Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 3

Onsite or Hybrid Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

Remote Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 4

Onsite or Hybrid Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

Remote Delivery $ $ $ $ $ $

(3) EXECUTIVE COACHING: Does your organization have the ability to facilitate one hour executive coaching groups for managers and supervisors? If so, complete the following tables.

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RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Proposed Coach Credentials Clients (last 5 years)

Type of Coaching Engagements

(Name of Coach, Identify Him/Her as an Employee or Subcontractor)

(Education, Certifications)

(Contact Name, Title, Organization, Phone #, Email)

(Does both Individual and Group coaching?)

1.

2.

EXECUTIVE COACHING

NUMBER & TYPE OF SESSIONS

1 Group Session 1 Hour Long

7 Group Sessions 1 Hour Long Each

1 Individual Session 1 Hour Long

BASE YEAR

Onsite Executive Coach $ $ $ Remote Executive Coach $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 1

Onsite Executive Coach $ $ $ Remote Executive Coach $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 2

Onsite Executive Coach $ $ $ Remote Executive Coach $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 3

Onsite Executive Coach $ $ $ Remote Executive Coach $ $ $

OPTION YEAR 4

Onsite Executive Coach $ $ $ Remote Executive Coach $ $ $

(4) OTHER INFORMATION:

What additional information (if any) should the Department provide in order to enable you to better understand the requirements of this contract?

Attachments

Draft Performance Work Statement for Organizational Development and Professional Learning

Services

DISCLAIMER:

PARTICIPATION IN THE MARKET RESEARCH IS ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY. This is not an invitation for bid, request for proposal, or other solicitation. The sole purpose of this Notice is to obtain capabilities for procurement planning purposes. This Notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the

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Government to award a contract nor does the Government intend to directly pay for any information or responses submitted as the result of this Notice. However, a response to this Request for Information is required to be considered for any 8(a) sole source RFP that the Department may issue as a result of this market research.