DLPT QC Validation_Sources Sought.docx

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH

Defense Language Proficiency Test QC and Validations Contract Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC)

PANMCC-25-P-0000 015677

INTRODUCTION:

The Mission and Installation Contracting Command Fort Leavenworth, KS is issuing this Sources Sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Quality Control and Validations for Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT). The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) is developing listening and reading proficiency tests to assess the foreign language proficiency of military and government personnel.

The intention is to procure these services on a competitive basis.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and a single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract award will be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

Location

DISCLAIMER:

“THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A “REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)” TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY

OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT.”

PROGRAM BACKGROUND:

DLIFLC is developing listening and reading proficiency tests -- DLPT to assess the foreign language proficiency of military and Government personnel. In order to certify the validity of these tests, DLIFLC is contracting with independent reviewers to ensure that these tests meet Government standards. DLPT tests must adhere to standards established by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR). ILR reviews are required for the validation and certification of Government DLPT tests. All target-language test materials as well as their renderings in English and target language transcriptions of audio materials are additionally required to be certified as correct and complete by target-language experts before they are published.

SCOPE:

The contractor will provide foreign language service in the review process for:

a) ILR Review: ILR reviews will be guided by the ILR skill level descriptors and/or other US Government test development guidelines. These services shall ensure the integrity of the target language in both written and spoken forms as ILR level appropriate examples of natural language used for communicative purposes. For the purpose of supporting reviews and quality control, occasionally Target Language Experts (TLEs) will provide target language expertise in the review of listening and reading items/passages at the directorate level. These services will also ensure the accuracy and completeness of English renderings and target language transcriptions, and test item set adherence to the ILR proficiency guidance. To accomplish the foreign language services above, the Contractor shall provide language experts to assist with reviews of DLPT test items. These services will consist of reviewing the reading and listening texts for authenticity, naturalness, correctness of target language or dialect. These services will also ensure the accuracy and completeness of English renderings, the accuracy and completeness of target language transcriptions of audio materials and ensure that there is one correct answer and finally providing an ILR level for each item. The Contractor shall also provide foreign language service for ILR review up to 10,000 items annually, in the possible languages listed below.

b) QC and Corrections review: QC and Corrections reviews will identify and correct any deficiencies found in the written and spoken target language test passages including the English renderings and target language transcripts. For the purpose of supporting reviews and QC, occasionally TLEs will provide target language expertise in the review of listening and reading items/passages at the directorate level. For the QC and Corrections Review, reviewers may be required to make corrections to the passages including re-recordings, re-typing, English renderings and target language transcriptions if errors are detected. For this type of review, they will not be required to assign ILR levels. The Contractor shall also provide foreign language service for QC and Corrections for up to 5,000 reading and listening comprehension passages annually, in the possible languages listed below.

Below is a list of possible languages involved in the ILR review, and QC and corrections reviews. The languages listed are subject to change because of geo-political shifts, the Government may add or subtract some languages: Albanian, Algerian, Amharic, Armenian, Azeri, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Baluchi, Burmese, Cantonese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Greek, Haitian-Creole, Igbo, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kazakh, Khmer, Korean, Kurmanji, Levantine, Malay, Mandarin- Chinese, MSA, Norwegian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese (European and Brazilian), Punjabi, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, Telugu, Somali, Sorani, Swahili, Spanish, Sudanese, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Tausug, Thai, Turkish, Turkmen, Uighur, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Yemeni, Yoruba..

A DRAFT Performance Statement of Work (PWS) is attached for review.

The estimated period of performance consists of a 12-month base year plus four option years with performance commencing in March 2026.

The contract type will be a Firm Fixed Price Single Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (SAIDIQ) contract.

The proposed contract is anticipated to include tasking that could be accomplished by labor categories that are subject to the Service Contract Act.

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR RESPONSE:

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information:

1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and

2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

ELIGIBILITY:

The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 611710, Educational Support Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $16.5M. The Product Service Code (PSC) is U002.

Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT)

This documentation must address at a minimum the following items:

1) What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement?

2) Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details.

3) Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details.

4) What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?

5) Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, DUNs number, etc.

6) Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern.

GOVERNMENT EVALUATION:

The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to:

1) Provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated;

2) Secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements;

3) Implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and

4) Provide services under a performance-based service acquisition contract.

Upon evaluation of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the Small- Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal.

Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement no more than ten (10) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 font in either MS Word and/or Adobe Acrobat PDF formats only. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 2 PM, CT, 20 October 2025 shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Jesse Bahr to jesse.c.bahr.civ@army.mil and the Contracting Officer, Lucinda Archer, lucinda.s.archer.civ@army.mil.

All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.

No phone calls will be accepted.

All questions must be submitted to the above email addresses.