Business Development Academy Sources Sought Request for Information - Final.pdf

The U.S Small Business Administration

Sources Sought/Request for Information

SBA Business Development Academy

February 2023

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS TO REQUEST INFORMATION, FOR THE PURPOSE OF MARKET

RESEARCH ONLY, IS ISSUED BY THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA). THERE IS NO SOLICITATION BEING ISSUED AT THIS TIME. NO CONTRACT OR GRANT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (SS/RFI). NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR

ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

AND/OR ANY FOLLOW UP REQUESTS. Any communication from industry that requests additional information or a solicitation will be neither accepted nor acknowledged.

Statement of Need: To create and manage a training academy, known as the “Business Development Academy.” The Business Development Academy will provide small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) with support to create a concrete structural foundation and increase their business acumen to enable them to thrive competitively in the federal, state, or local contracting marketplace. This program will deliver a broad series of in-depth, active-learning educational courses through a cohort model and provide avenues for mentoring. The program will be evaluated through progress toward stated outcomes and program participants will be assessed on progress in meeting their business plan goals.

The Business Development Academy will be funded through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) 7j Management and Technical Assistance Program. Authorized by the Small Business Act, SBA’s 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Program, referred to as the 7(j) Program, provides high-quality assistance to SDBs to help them successfully compete for federal, state, and local contracting opportunities as a prime or subcontractor. The SBA provides this management and technical assistance through grants, contracts and cooperative agreements awarded to qualified service providers. Service providers may be individuals, for-profit concerns, or non-profit organizations. The service providers who have the experience and capability to provide business development assistance, in turn, provide management and technical assistance to eligible 7(j) businesses and individuals.

In order to be eligible for 7(j) services, a business entity or individual must be a participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program; a certified HUBZone small business; a certified Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business; a firm located in a high unemployment or low income area, as defined in the U.S. Census Bureau’s County and City Data Book and in the Poverty Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); or a firm owned by a low-income individual, as defined in under HHS Poverty Guidelines.

Part 1: Background

I. The SBA 8(a) Business Development Program office is issuing this Sources Sought/Request for Information (SS/RFI) as a means of conducting market research to identify capable parties having an interest in the need (as stated above), to notify the contracting and grant communities of the proposed project/need, identify potential offerors via capability statements, and request feedback on the proposed process.

II. The Business Development Academy will provide eligible SDBs with support to create a concrete structural foundation and increase their business acumen to enable them to thrive competitively in the federal, state, or local contracting marketplace. The Business Development Academy will begin with a one-year pilot for eligible SDBs. The pilot will afford SBA the opportunity to assess and evaluate the impact of the program and the needs of participants to inform the possibility of future nationwide rollout efforts.

III. This program will deliver a broad series of in-depth, active-learning educational courses through a cohort model and provide avenues for mentoring by established small businesses.

The program will be evaluated through progress toward stated outcomes and program participants will be assessed through progress toward participant goals.

IV. The provider shall supply all resources necessary to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in the work statement. The provider shall develop and deliver a curriculum of in-depth, active-learning educational courses for the Business Development Academy as well as assess the effectiveness of the program. The provider will identify and secure a Lead Instructor and subject matter expert presenters/mentors to train participants in web-based classrooms that allow for live interaction between the instructor and participants. The provider is responsible for creating and maintaining an online repository to house materials relevant to the courses and necessary for cohort interaction and progress. Additionally, the provider is responsible for communicating with Business Development Academy participants to facilitate cohort creation and course completion and for communicating with the program office regarding the status of each task, status of each deliverable, tasks that need program feedback and Contracting Officer Representative or Grants Officer Technical Representative signoff, to-date outputs, and progress toward outcomes. The SBA will own and can share all products developed as deliverables for the project.

V. Place of Performance: Majority of the work would be offsite, in other words at contractor’s facility, but there could be situations where some work may be at an SBA facility or SBA partners (Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC), etc.) location.

VI. Broadly, the tasks include:

a. Task 1 – Create and Develop Business Development Academy Training Curriculum

b. Task 2 – Identify and Secure Business Development Academy Lead Instructor

c. Task 3 – Identify and Secure Subject Matter Experts/Mentors for Training Courses

d. Task 4 – Create and Maintain a Business Development Academy Online Internal

Repository

e. Task 5 – Communication with Business Development Academy Participants

f. Task 6 – Develop Business Development Academy Training Assessment, Evaluation and

Monitoring Tools

g. Task 7 – Deliver Business Development Academy Training

h. Task 8 – Develop and Conduct Business Development Academy Outcome Monitoring

i. Task 9 – Communication with Program Office

Part 2: Feedback Request

Disclaimer: This information is for SBA internal planning purposes only. SBA will not distribute responses. Responses will not be used to evaluate firms.

In order to facilitate an expedited review process, SBA is requesting that respondents structure their responses to match the order and number sequence provided below. Responses in Microsoft Word are preferred. All responses will be kept confidential.

I. Provider Information Company Name Company Address Company Email Address Company Website Address Company Telephone Number Point of Contact Name and Title Point of Contact Email Address Point of Contact Telephone Number Satellite/Branch Office Locations

II. Business Socioeconomic Information

Business Size (Small or Large) SBA Certifications

Please answer the following questions:

III. Capability/Experience:

a. Briefly describe your organization’s capability to develop and deliver in-depth, active-learning educational courses, through a cohort model, with avenues for mentoring by established small businesses.

b. Describe innovative approaches you have used to deliver active-learning courses.

Provide past performance where you have delivered similar programs. Include detailed outcomes you measured and the results of those outcomes.

c. Of the tasks described in Part V above, which would you label as your strengths?

d. Do you currently deliver, or are you aware of an academy or program such as the one described in this requirement? Please provide details of this academy or program.

e. What is your experience with supporting federal government contracts and/or contractors? Do you have experience working with Business Opportunity Specialists in an SBA District Office?

f. Have you ever partnered with any SBA partners (SBDC, PTAC, etc.)? If so, what is your experience with networking with these organizations? If not, how would you plan to network with these organizations?

g. Would a firm that is qualified to perform the curriculum development portion of the project also be qualified to perform the IT portion of the project?

h. Does your firm have an existing Multiple Award Schedule/Federal Supply Schedule contract or a Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)?

i. What is the primary North American Industry Classification Size (NAICS) that you would be quoting with if a solicitation were to be issued?

j. How much experience does your firm have with grants?

k. Is this requirement better suited for a contract governed by the Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR), or grant governed by 2 CFR section 200?

IV. Approach:

a. Describe your general approach to deliver the Business Development Academy in reference to the tasks described above in Part V. Note: The expectation is for general information based on your experience and ideas, acknowledging that you would provide a refined description for a formal solicitation.

b. Are there any tasks that are missing to effectively outline an effective program?

c. What is the ideal length (in weeks or months) for businesses to deliver the tasks? How many of the tasks could reasonably be achieved in a one-year period?

d. What are metrics would you use to determinate success?

e. Would you need to develop a repository or is there a commercial offering that would fit this requirement? Please explain your answer.

f. Which portions of this requirement would you perform inhouse, versus tasks you subcontract out?

g. Provide your recommended contracting approach (e.g. modular, singular).

h. Is this project best suited as a contract or as a grant?

V. Pricing:

a. For each task described in Part V above, please provide a non-binding price estimate or estimate range.

b. Given the scope of the tasks outlined for the development and implementation of the Business Development Academy, what is a reasonable cost for the entire project/need?

c. Based on your experience, what are industry best practices for pricing and delivery (e.g. labor categories, hours, design, development and delivery of course, or a combination thereof)?

VI. Partnering:

a. Would your company/firm have interest in financially supporting this effort?

b. Are there other ways to fund this project that would be either cost-sharing or no cost to the government?

c. Are there any organizations (non-profit or for-profit) that SBA would be able to leverage to reduce cost or achieve a better outcome?

d. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

VII. Miscellaneous:

a. Are you aware of the current challenges new federal entrants face entering the federal marketplace? What do you believe is the disconnect between current federal training offerings and those needed by new entrants?

b. Could this project be written or described in a more effective or efficient manner relative to cost and outcomes? If so, please describe.