FBSS RFI Vendor Questions.docx

MARKET RESEARCH INQUIRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES

BACKGROUND:

Mission of the U.S. Department of State: The U.S. Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy and the Secretary of State is the President’s principal foreign policy advisor. The Department of State’s mission is to advance U.S. national security interests, fight terrorism, protect U.S. interests abroad, and implement foreign policy initiatives that build a freer, prosperous and secure world.

Mission of the Bureau of Medical Services (MED): To safeguard and promote the health and well-being of America’s diplomatic community. MED administers the Department of State’s (Department or DOS) health care program mandated by the Foreign Service Act of 1980, develops and implements medical policies for the Department, and advises the Secretary on global healthcare issues. MED supports the most globally distributed primary and occupational health care system for civilian employees and eligible dependents in the federal government. In over 220 locations around the world, MED supports a direct hire workforce of over 75,000 employees, and an embassy community with well over 150,000 persons. As medical science advances and blends with emerging technology, MED must keep pace to provide a world-class standard of medical care in a resource-constrained environment.

MED’s Directorate for Mental Health (MED/MH) provides specialized behavioral medicine support including assessment, diagnosis and treatment for various mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions. Within MH, the Forensic Behavioral Science Service (FBSS) is charged with providing forensic psychological assessment required to adjudicate security clearances, evaluate law enforcement officer fitness for duty, assess potential targeted violence and provide operational psychology consultation and training to enhance mission success. Additionally, board certified occupational medical doctors with specialized experience in the requirements of law enforcement officers provide physical/medical fitness examinations.

The purpose of this procurement is to assist FBSS with providing behavioral science consultations (forensic psychological or psychiatric) as well as the medical examination of law enforcement officers fitness for duty through formal evaluation as well as specialized consultation. Applicable NAICS codes include 561611: Investigation and Personal Background Check Services [primary], 621330 - Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) and 622111: General Medical & Surgical (except Pediatric) Hospitals.

The primary location of work is Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas but services may be conducted remotely and at Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Licensed certified social worker (LCSW) offices and at occupational health facilities.

Scope: The Bureau of Medical Services (MED)’s cornerstone work is “To safeguard…the diplomatic community” and “identify and maintain a workforce that can continue to serve successfully in the expeditionary diplomacy model.” The Forensic Behavioral Science Service (FBSS) is aligned with MED’s objective of safeguarding personnel and supports insuring a ready and resilient workforce. This is accomplished by serving as a force multiplier of the MED and broader DOS mission. The FBSS evaluates personnel organizational risk and increases safety and security through direct vetting of behavioral and psychological issues. MED/MH and FBSS strives to improve the security, safety, and response capabilities of the Department’s worldwide diplomatic platform through improved planning, risk management, and instilling a culture of preparedness that enables posts to responsively adapt services to a rapidly changing threat environment.

MARKET RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUESTIONS:

MED is seeking market research information to determine the feasibility and availability of vendors interested and capable of providing the Forensic Behavioral Science Services (FBSS) described in the attached Statement of Work (SOW). Historically, MED has acquired the services via a task order under a DOS IDIQ.

To assist us with our market research please address the following questions. Also, feel free to provide any additional information that may be helpful should we decide to pursue developing a contract solicitation for FBSS.

1. Vendor Business Information: Please provide the following information about your organization:

1. Company Name: What is the legal name of your organization?

2. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): What is your organization's UEI number as registered in SAM.gov?

3. Business Size: Is your organization classified as a small business or large business under the applicable NAICS code(s) for the services described in the SOW?

4. Socioeconomic Category: Does your organization hold any of the following small business designations?

5. GSA Schedule Holder: Does your organization hold a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract? If yes, please provide: GSA Contract Number, Applicable Special Item Number(s) (SINs), Contract expiration date

2. Capability to Provide Full Scope of Services: Can your organization provide the full range of services described in the Statement of Work (SOW), including psychological evaluations, mental health consultations, physical examinations, and subject matter expert consultations? Please confirm your capability to deliver each service.

3. Relevant Experience: Describe your organization's experience providing the services outlined in the SOW. Please include specific examples of prior contracts or engagements where you delivered comparable services.

4. Service Bundling Limitations: Are there any services listed in the SOW that you believe cannot be reasonably combined under a single task order award? If so, identify which services present bundling challenges and explain why.

5. Staffing and Sourcing Approach: Describe how your organization would source and staff the full range of services required under the SOW. Specifically, explain how you would recruit and retain psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and physicians to fulfill evaluation, consultation, and physical examination requirements.

6. Joint vs. Separate Competition: Do you recommend competing these services jointly or separately? For example, would you advise separating services by task order across one or more of CLINs 001–004? Please provide your rationale.

7. Recommended Contract Instrument Type: What contract instrument type do you recommend for acquiring the services under Sub-CLINs 001–005 (e.g., Firm Fixed Price, Labor Hour, or Time & Materials)? Please justify your recommendation for each Sub-CLIN, as appropriate.

8. Recommended Acquisition Vehicles: Which Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), Multi-Agency Contract (MAC), or Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicles do you recommend for acquiring these services? Please explain why each vehicle is appropriate.

9. Additional Procurement Recommendations Please share any additional recommendations that would assist MED in planning the procurement for Foreign-Based Support Services (FBSS) as described in the SOW.

MED would greatly appreciate any assistance that can be provided in helping us conduct market research for the provision of FBSS.

Please note that the Government is merely conducting market research and as such, there should be no implied commitment to award a contract or provide funding for any market reach information provided in response to this inquiry. If MED decides to solicit a contract for the provision of the services, we will do so on a competitive basis in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

If you have any questions regarding this inquiry, please contact Alicia Hofhine at HofhineAK@state.gov, or 771-204-8197.

Submissions to this RFI are due by Wednesday, July 1, 2026, no later than 5:00 PM ET electronically to the address below:

Alicia Hofhine at HofhineAK@state.gov

We look forward to your input.

Best Regards