Responses to Questions.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 15 KB Posted
- Attached to
- MARITIME COURSES OF INSTRUCTION Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- H9224026QE008
- Issued by
- United States Special Operations Command
About this file
The file is a Responses to Questions spreadsheet for Solicitation H9224026QE008, a maritime training contract issued by the United States Special Operations Command. The solicitation seeks a contractor to provide various maritime courses of instruction, including USCG-approved training such as 100T Masters, Radar Observer Unlimited, STCW Basic Safety, and Celestial Navigation. Key requirements include conducting courses at training facilities within 50-mile radii of San Diego, CA, Virginia Beach, VA, and Stennis Space Center, MS, with course capacities ranging from 2-24 students per session.
The solicitation is set aside for small businesses, with restrictions on subcontracting to large businesses. Contractors must provide commercially available course seats with specific learning objectives aligned with USCG standards. The government will issue task orders on a firm-fixed-price basis, and performance will be evaluated through CPARS at the contract level. Notable clarifications from the Q&A include confirmation that only in-person classroom training is acceptable, course completion certificates are required, the government will handle credentialing, and the specific course requirements remain unchanged despite vendor questions about course duration, location, and delivery methods.
View the file
Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Addenda 01 - Perf. Work Statement R01.12.2026.pdf | ||
| Solicitation - H9224026QE008.pdf | ||
| Addenda 01 - Performance Work Statement.pdf | ||
| Att 01 - Question Submission Sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Addenda 02 - Basic Contract Pricing Sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Text version
Sheet1
SOLICITATION QUESTIONS - MARITIME COURSE OF INSTRUCTION
| Document Name | Document Reference (Pargarph/Page Location) | Question | Response |
| PWS | 4.2.3. (p. 2 of 7) | "Celestial as Backup to Loss of GPS". Issue: The original PWS from July 2025 called for Celestial Navigation (Operational Level). This is the USCG approved 10 day course (one that our team already teaches). |
The revised PWS is now asking for a 5 day “Celestial Navigation as a backup to loss of GPS” course. That is not a USCG approved course and it also appears to be a niche course offered by the incumbent. https://maritimeinstitute.com/course/boater-103-celestial-as-a-backup-to-gps/
| Discussion: Our team can support in either case. We have the USCG approved course, and we also have an instructor who can teach a 5 day backup-to-GPS course that we build from our celestial material, but that 5 day version would not carry USCG approval the way the other COIs do. Question: Can the Government confirm if it wants a 5 Day CelNav "backup" course and no longer wants the USCG approved Celestial Navigation (Operational Level) course? | Corrected 4.2.3, removed USCG approved. | |||
| PWS | 4.2 (p. 2 of 7) | Question: Can the government clarify if there is a requirment to provide a certificate of completion for the USCG approved courses? | Yes, required course completion certificate. See Para 4.3.2 | |
| PWS | 4.2 (p. 2 of 7) | Question: For each of the USCG approved courses, will the government be responsible for credentialling the operator once they have a course completion certificate? | Contractor will not be responsible for credentialing | |
| PWS & Basic Contract Pricing Sheet | 11. Place of Performance (PWS) (5 of 7) | Issue: Our current internal research shows that no single company has the necessary facilities to conduct STCW training within a 50-mile radius of all three of the required locations in the PWS (San Diego CA, Virginia Beach, VA & Stennis Space Center, MS), which makes technical acceptability all but impossible as the requirements are currently written. Question: would the govenrment consider allowing for the STCW training at any one of the three preferred locations, or would the government consider structuring this contract as a Multiple Award IDIQ so that it can conduct all of the COIs at the goverment's preferred locations? | The Governments' requirements remain unchanged as represented by the current solicitation. | |
| PWS | §11.1 – Place of Performance | PWS §11.1 requires performance to occur at contractor training locations within a 50-mile radius of Virginia Beach, VA; San Diego, CA; and Stennis Space Center, MS. Will the Government consider training facilities located slightly beyond this radius (e.g., 55–60 miles) to be technically acceptable if they are USCG-approved, meet all course requirements in §4.2, and minimize student travel during the training day? | The Governments' requirements remain unchanged as represented by the current solicitation. | |
| PWS | §§4.2.2, 3.2.1 – Radar Observer Unlimited; Online Courses | PWS §4.2.2 specifies a 5-day classroom USCG Radar Observer Unlimited course, while §3.2.1 contemplates the potential incorporation of online courses via bilateral modification. Will the Government accept only fully in-person, classroom-based Radar Observer (Unlimited) instruction for this requirement, or are USCG-approved hybrid courses (online theory modules combined with in-person simulator/practical assessments) also technically acceptable? | At this time only in person classroom training is acceptable. | |
| PWS | §§2.1, 3.1, 3.1.2, 4.1.1 – Objectives; Scope; General Requirements | PWS §§2.1, 3.1, and 4.1.1 require the contractor to provide seats in USCG-approved schools offering comprehensive courses of instruction for the four courses listed in §4.2, and §3.1.2 states the intent is for Government personnel to join prior established commercial courses. Is it acceptable for the contractor to utilize more than one USCG-approved training provider within a single geographic region (e.g., one school for 100T Masters/Radar Observer and a separate nearby school for STCW Basic Safety) so long as all facilities are within the required 50-mile radius and all course requirements in §4.2 are fully satisfied? | Use of subcontractors under this contrat is not prohibited. However, soliciation is set-aside for small businesses under the applicable NAICS code. Contractors are limited in the degree of subcontracted tasking in accordance with applicable small business regulations; specifically subcontracting to large businesses. (SEE FAR SubPart 19 and DFARS SubPart 219). The Government will not permit individual COIs to be split by location. For example, if supporting a COI for 6 students, 3 students travel to location A and 3 to location B for the same COI. However, use of multiple locations is not prohibitied. For example, a COI for six students is held at location A, the next CO a monthg later is held at location B. | |
| PWS | Section 3.1 – Training Attendance Requirements | |||
| Section 3.1.2 – Course Delivery Model | Can the Government confirm whether contractor-provided courses must be conducted strictly on pre-existing commercial course schedules, or whether contractors may propose additional commercially available course dates (not dedicated or exclusive) to meet task order timelines, provided pricing remains consistent with Section 3.1.1? | The Government is solely requesting the commerical courses described under Addenda 01 - Performance Work Statement | ||
| PWS | Section 4.1.1 – USCG-Approved Schools | For purposes of compliance, will the Government accept USCG-approved courses delivered by third-party partner schools under a prime contractor’s management and quality control system, provided all required certifications, approvals, and documentation are maintained and submitted with deliverables? | Use of subcontractors under this contrat is not prohibited. However, soliciation is set-aside for small businesses under the applicable NAICS code. Contractors are limited in the degree of subcontracted tasking in accordance with applicable small business regulations; specificially subcontracting to large businesses. (SEE FAR SubPart 19 and DFARS SubPart 219). | |
| PWS | Section 4.2.6 – Attendance Limits | When task order requirements specify student attendance outside the stated minimum or maximum limits (2–24 students), should contractors coordinate adjustments through bilateral modification prior to execution, or will task orders be issued that already reflect approved attendance deviations? | See Addenda 01 - Performance Work Statement, paragraph 4.2.6. Task orders shall be issued on a firm-fixed price basis and number of students shall be indentified on the task order or within an associated task order addenda. | |
| PWS | Section 4.3.3 – After-Action Reports (Monthly) | Can the Government clarify whether After-Action Reports are required only for months in which training is conducted under an active task order, or whether reports are required monthly throughout the ordering period regardless of training activity? | After action reports shall be triggered solely be existence of a task order. | |
| PWS | Section 4.5 – Task Order Issuance | |||
| Section 4.5.2 – Scheduling and Notice Requirements | Is there a minimum advance notice period anticipated for task order issuance prior to the required course start date, and if so, will this minimum be standardized across task orders or evaluated on a case-by-case basis? | See Addenda 01 - Performance Work Statement, paragraph 4.5 | ||
| PWS | Section 6 – Contractor Manpower Reporting | For courses delivered entirely by subcontracted USCG-approved instructors, should subcontractor labor hours be reported under the prime contractor’s SAM.gov manpower submission, or should subcontractors submit independent reports linked to the prime contract number? | Hours shall be reported via SAM.GOV in accordance with the input instructions required by SAM.GOV for the applicable reporting system. Please review SAM.GOV for applicable instructions. | |
| PWS | Section 11 – Place of Performance | For contractor facilities located slightly beyond the 50-mile radius of the identified locations, may contractors request approval on a task-order basis if the facility provides equivalent USCG-approved training, availability, and pricing advantages to the Government? | The Governments' requirements remain unchanged as represented by the current solicitation | |
| PWS | Section 14 – Performance Requirement Summary (PRS) | Can the Government confirm whether CPARS evaluations will be conducted at the IDIQ contract level annually, at the task order level, or both, and whether performance incentives apply to individual task orders or overall contract performance? | If a contract is awarded, CPARS shall be at the basic contract level. | |
| PWS | Section 4.1.1 – USCG-Approved Schools | Does the requirement for a USCG-approved school require that the approval be held by the prime contractor, or may the approval be held by a subcontractor or teaming partner that provides the course seats under the prime contractor’s responsibility? | The Government IS NOT REQUIRING use of a USCG approved school. The objective of the soliciation is to secure training that statisfies the learning objectives for various COIs described under Addenda 01 - Performance Work Statement as governed by referenced regulations and Objective : Contracted tuition/attendance in professional maritime training courses will provide compliant USCG Standards of Training. | |
| PWS | Page 2, Para 4.2.3 | There is no classroom based USCG certified Celestial Navigation course that is only 40 hours (5 days) in duration. It does not exist as an approved course. Can a non-USCG approved course meet the PWS requirement as long as it complies with the work statement in 4.2.3? Or will a 10 Day USCG certified course be acceptable? | Corrected PWS. Removed USCG approved. | |
| PWS | Page 2, Para 4.2.4 | Please confirm that the requirement listed in 4.2.4 is for the STCW Basic Training course, that consists of Basic Fire Fighting, Personal Survival, Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities, and First Aid/CPR | Confrimed |
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