SOW Questions_Answers.pdf

SOTC-4 Multi-Year Strategic Communications Course

SOW QUESTIONS

1. Is this request for the design and development (1) 16 hour (2 day) class.........where the same course is delivered 3 different times during the base year and twice during the optional years?

Yes, (1) 16 hour (2 day) class, occurring three times during the base year, twice during following option years.

2. Will the audience be (3) sets of 16 different people or will the same group of 16 people take (3) different 2 day courses that progress through the competency like an educational cohort?

During each seminar, the audience will be different sets of 16 Marine Officers who have not previously attended the course.

3. How many user accounts do we need for the online e-learning access 16 total licenses per year or 48 total licenses?

For the base year, this would require 48 total licenses, thereafter, 32 total licenses.

4. Has this contract been procured before? If so who was the incumbent?

This is a new requirement and there is not an incumbent.

5. What is the projected date of award?

Award is anticipated by 30 April 2020.

6. Will a virtual kick-off be allowed?

A virtual kickoff is not preferred due to the reduced amount of face-to-face time that Marine Officers will have, but it is not ruled out as a way to introduce and utilize technology.

7. The requirement mention (16) published text books on the value and techniques of concise communication that aligns closely with the course agenda. Is it correct to assume you are looking for the vendor to locate existing textbooks to assign and not to create a new one, correct?

That is correct, a published book that aligns with the subjects being taught is requested to be given to the students as supplemental material to further their education.

8. Is it correct to also assume that the guidebook and the notebook are customized for this course.

No. The guidebook/notebook allows the students to follow the material being presented which does not have to be specific to this exact course if the vendor is already producing a notebook for other courses.

9. The request mentions a library of short podcast episodes that highlight course content and other insights to sustain learning for individual consumption between and after courses. Are you looking for custom podcasts just of this experience, or do you want us to find existing ones to assign? (or a mixture of both?)

Podcasts will be of existing material that highlight course material. They are not necessarily custom for this course.

10. DIVISION BETWEEN VERBAL AND WRITTEN: Statement of Work 3.0 mentions both verbal and written communication. What percent of class is to be spent on which aspect? Approximately 90% verbal communication and 10% written.

11. DIGITAL MEDIA: Is the course meant to include consideration of and exercises with digital (and/or social) media too? The course can include consideration of digital/social media but not required. The course is not required for exercises with digital/social media.

12. TARGET AUDIENCE? Statement of Work 3.0 makes reference to “the person receiving the information,” and Statement of Work 3.1 mentions “key military and non-military audiences.” Can you be more specific about whom students are being trained to address? Students are trained to address senior US military officers/leaders, US government senior leaders (including interagency leaders without military background), Foreign government senior leaders

13. CLARIFICATION ON BREADTH OF TRAINING STYLES: Statement of Work 3.6 specifies that communication training style should be a mix “from the following skill areas: journalism, corporate communications, entrepreneurial marketing, and military communications.”

This is a wide range of frequently conflicting styles. What is the primary communication focus? Military, USG interagency, foreign military/partners? This request is the background of the instructors giving the instructions. All of these are preferred with priority being corporate communications and entrepreneurial marketing.

14. TOPICS TO INCLUDE: Statement of Work 8.0 enumerates a very precise description of course content which appears to be taken from a textbook. Is there a preferred textbook to which 8.0 refers? While the topics certainly cover a lot of ground, is it possible to suggest others? There is not a preferred textbook. It is possible to suggest others; this is favorably encouraged.

15. STUDENT BACKGROUND: Is the course calibrated at the undergraduate level? Should we assume students have had NO prior training? Success in communications courses is often determined by students’ prior grasp of English grammar, prior writing courses, and prior level of educational attainment. Were students required to pass a screening test to be eligible for the course? Will we need to conduct remedial writing work beforehand? All students already have an undergraduate degree and at least 6 months of additional communication training (both written and verbal). There will not be the need for remedial writing work beforehand.

16. CLARIFICATION REGARDING DURATION OF FOLLOW-ON E-LEARNING: Please clarify the number of online instruction hours and timeframe for student completion of e-learning modules. Paragraphs 1.1 and 3.1 indicate 8-10 hours of online instruction are required following the 16 hours of classroom instruction. However, paragraph 8.0 indicates students will need access to the e-learning platform for one year, while paragraph 3.9 requires a reporting system for “instructors to check individual participant progress and sustainment over a 6-month period for each and share with organization leadership.”

Over one year’s time after the course is complete, a student should have access to 8-10 hours worth of online instruction to help them further develop their communication skills.

17. Will the response date of April 23, 2020 be extended given the current state the Covid-

19 outbreak?

The offer due date will be extended to one week from the date that the answers to these questions are received.

18. Do you anticipate that the June 2020 training will commence as scheduled? Due to

COVID-19, anticipate the first course being conducted July 2020.

19. Is there an incumbent and can you reveal that?

20. In Para 2.2 the specific verbal applications for instruction are identified. What if any existing course or source material will the government provide to the contractor?

There are no pre-existing course materials provided by the government.

21. In Para 3.9 there is a requirement for instructors to monitor participant progress for 6-months. Will the reporting system be provided by the government or the contractor?

By the contractor.

22. In Para 3.8 there is a requirement for eLearning content. In addition to custom-developed eLearning content, can instructional material also be selected from third-party sources? Yes, some can but custom-developed eLearning is designed to build upon what was taught in the course.

23. Will/Can students be expected to provide personal laptops for the seminar? Students will not bring personal laptops as 90% of the instruction should be focused on verbal, vice written. The written portion expection does not need to include practical application or exercises of writing; the communication techniques taught for the verbal focus should be able to be applied to writing as well.

24. Will the Government be providing answers to questions prior to the April 16th cut-off date?

Yes. All questions received are consolidated in this document with answers. A final update will be sent out on 17 April 2020 with any last minute questions that were received.

25. Where were the locations of previous training? Is the requirement specifically for off-base locations or can on-base DoD facilities be used? On-base facilities can be used but off base are desired to the students break away from their day jobs for a two day period to focus on this communication course with less work distractions.

26. In regards to the e-learning portals, is the government looking for an offeror/vendor produced, customized, e-learning site or access to a commercially available e-learning site online platform? If so, can multiple platforms be used (depending on subject matter)? Ideally the vendor has customized, produced e-learning site but we will entertain commercially available e-learning platform.

27. For educational videos, is the government looking for offeror/vendor-produced, custom videos or commercially available educational videos that can be used as part of the course? Ideally the vendor has customized, produced educational videos that builds upon the instructions/instructors taught but we will entertain commercially available educational videos.

28. Requesting clarity on the terms ‘mind mapping’ verses ‘message mapping.’ Are the terms being used interchangeably? Is the government looking to produce mind mapping or message mapping? If mind mapping, can you please identify the source authors or speakers that reference the type of mind mapping the Government wants? We are looking for a framework of how to logically organize one’s thoughts before verbally communicating.

29. The RFP states a textbook is required for the proposed courses. Given the costs and length of academic and industry publications, would the Government consider a vendor-curated, copyright acquired anthology of articles and papers that tie directly into the learning objectives of proposed course acceptable? Yes, the textbook should help the student follow the instruction being presented so the student can tangible take something with them home at the end of the course.

30. Page 3 of the RPF states that there are four required volumes, but only lists three volumes: Qualifying Criteria, Technical and Past Performance. Should pricing be Volume 4?

Yes, pricing will be Volume IV.

31. Page 3 of the RFP, paragraph Volume II states that Technical Volume is limited to 10 pages, not including resumes. Subfactor a says that resumes do not count toward the 20-page limit. Please clarify the page limit of the Technical Volume.

Page limit is 10 pages. Resumes are limited to 3 pages and are not counted towards the 10 page limit of the appropriate volume.

32. The Government’s statement of work appears to use the terms “strategic communication” and “business communication” somewhat interchangeably. Is it correct to say that the primary focus of the coursework is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills for effective business writing, speaking, and presentation design and delivery, rather than researching, designing, and developing communication programs and associated messaging within an organization? If this is not correct, please clarify. You are correct; focus is provide participants with the knowledge and skills for effective business writing, speaking, and presentation design and delivery.

33. In paragraph 3.3 of the Statement of Work, the Government indicates it prefers coursework to be based in adult learning theory and practices and classroom work is to be predominantly skill-based practical exercises, collaborative team projects, and individual and group instructor interactions. If this is the case, will the Government stipulate that its online e-learning requirement will be a prerequisite for the on-site classroom program to allow the vendor to provide all knowledge-based assignments, readings, video lectures, and other materials necessary to prepare the participants for the in-class program? If the vendor needs to conduct the 8-10 hours e-learning prior to the on-site instruction, please indicate that.

34. Will the three seminars each feature different Marines (ie, delivering the same seminar three times), or will the three seminars be cumulative in nature?

This will be the same seminar delivered three times.

35. What level of Marine are the seminars aimed at? Will the participants be a mix of senior

NCOs, company officers, field officers, or some combination thereof? If you can provide the expected mix of ranks and roles this would help us design the optimal course approach.

Expect the Marines to be O-3/Captain.

36. Will the 8-10 hours of online instruction be “live” meaning do you expect the instructor and MARSOC members to attend online training in a scheduled live webinar(s)? Or does the government simply want 8-10 hours of online content that MARSOC members can view at any point in time? Simply want 8-10 hours of online content that MARSOC members can view at any point in time.

37. Are there any special requirements for the facility other than it being within 200 miles of

Stones Bay, NC? No; within 200 miles to allow for driving. The facility should be conducive for a learning environment.

38. Does the government require an address or name of location in quote or are details of the facility allowed to be delivered after award? Yes, address and name is required.

39. Do the podcasts have to be created and hosted by the instructor of the course?

No, the podcasts do not have to be created and hosted by the instructor of the course.

40. Are email and/or phone calls an acceptable way to communicate with attendees for the reporting system required in section 3.9 in the SOW? Yes this is acceptable.

41. Will the performance evaluation meetings be conducted in-person at a government facility or over phone or video conference? Does not have to be in-person. It can be over the phone/email or video conference.

42. How many hours of content that would constitute a “library of podcast episodes?” 8-10 hours.

43. Is there an incumbent for this work?

44. The scope of the course does not involve marketing, yet the personnel requirement states that an experienced marketing executive is desired. Would the government consider alternative backgrounds that demonstrate subject matter expertise to teach strategic communication? We will consider alternative backgrounds with marketing experience desired.

45. Would instructors with 15+ years experience teaching the specific communication skills in the SOW to corporate and military clients substitute for 15 years business/industry experience in marketing? We will consider this.

46. Would working with corporate/business clients in developing marketing materials be considered “business/industry experience in marketing?” Yes.

47. We typically use multiple instructors to deliver our trainings. Do all instructors need to have 15+ years experience or do we only need one instructor to meet that requirement?

The main/primary instructors needs to meet this requirement.

48. In 16.0 on the SOW this sentence appears to list a vendor. It says: “Acceptance of the contractor’s work under this order shall be at the sole discretion of the Performance Monitor appointed from the MRTC SOTC-4 who will evaluate The Brief Lab Period Of Instruction.” What does “The Brief Lab Period of Instruction” refer to?

This criteria should state: “MRTC SOTC-4 who will evaluate the Vendor’s Period Of Instruction.” The Brief Lab was a suggested vendor by the Requiring Activity and this was an oversight in there SOW submittal.

49. The RFP says that the award will go to the offer that is most advantageous to the government? How are each of the factors (past performance, technical capability, price) weighed to determine the most advantageous?

Price will establish the competitive range in which Technical Capability will have the highest weight followed by past performance/relevant contracts.

50. Is the government open to moving dates of the in-person training if DOD guidance on social distancing extends past June 2020? Yes, absolutely.

51. When submitting the price volume, do we need to include itemized breakdown of charges or is it sufficient to only include the total firm-fixed price for delivery of all items in the RFP?

Total pricing is all that is required. Should be a per course pricing multiplied by the number of courses required each year.

52. RFQ, pg. 3, Quote Format and Content - states “Electronic quotes shall contain separate files for each of the (4) volumes” while the remainder of the RFQ only references 3 volumes. Can the government please confirm the number of volumes requested?

Assuming the government is requesting 4 volumes, is volume 4 reserved for pricing information?

Yes, pricing will be Volume IV.

53. RFQ, pg. 4, Factor I Technical (Volume II) – states “The Offeror shall limit the Technical

Volume to 10 pages (individual resumes shall be limited to 3 pages, and resumes do not count towards page limit)” while Sub Factor 1: Personnel Qualifications states “resumes do not count towards 20 page limit.” Can the government please confirm the page limit for Factor I Technical (Volume II)?

Page limit is 10 pages. Resumes are limited to 3 pages and are not counted towards the 10 page limit of the appropriate volume.

54. SOW, pg. 2, 5.0 Performance Requirements – states “the third course for 2020 will be pre-coordinated at minimum 30 days prior to execution with instructors estimated between July-Oct 2020.” Can the government please confirm “instructors” is in reference to contractor instructors? Correct; the exact date will be coordinated with the contractor/contractor instructor (s) to arrange an appropriate course date.

55. SOW, pg. 4, 17.0 Period of Performance – indicates base year to begin 27 April 2020.

Given that proposals are not due until 23 April and the current uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, can the government please confirm the start date for the base year Period of Performance? First course will not begin until July 2020 due to COVID-19.

56. Can the government please confirm if this is a new requirement?

57. If this is an ongoing requirement, can the government please identify the incumbent?

58. Does the government have an existing e-learning platform or learning management system (LMS) or should the contractor provide a platform? Contractor provide a platform.

59. Does the e-learning need to be SCORM compliant? no

60. It is assumed that the in-class training required is one 16-hour course that will be repeated to new trainees according to the schedule listed in section 5.0. Please confirm.

Correct.

61. Are the 8 - 10 hours of online e-learning exercises mentioned in 3.1 intended to provide new content, or are they intended to be supplemental and mirror the 8 - 10 hours of online instruction described in 1.0 by testing that content? Intended to be supplemental and mirror.

62. How many individual videos are desired for the 8 - 10 hours of on-line instruction?

Videos are great but Podcasts are acceptable.

63. Is there a preference for these videos be to live-action, animation, or just enhanced recordings of the lectures? Just enhance the lectures.

64. In 3.3 there is mention of "A series of entertaining and educational videos...". Are these the 8 - 10 hours of online instruction mentioned in 1.0 or are these additional? If additional, how many and how long should these videos be? The “series of entertaining and education videos” are meant for the in-person instruction over the 16hours. The in person instruction is not meant to be all powerpoint or lecture but a mixture of entertaining and educational videos during the in-person instruction. There is no requirement for additional videos.

65. In 3.8 there is mention of a library of short podcast episodes. How many podcasts are to be produced? Do the podcasts have to be original content, or can they be pre-existing podcasts that are available on popular platforms such as YouTube that supplement the content to be taught? There can be pre-existing podcasts. Enough Podcasts for 8-10 hours worth.

66. In 3.9 there is a requirement for a reporting system. Is there an existing training reporting system in use that can be modified to support the new training materials, or do you require that the contractor create a tracking and reporting system? Contractor responsibility.

67. Section 5.0 states “MARSOC will coordinate with instructors 4 weeks in advance for the instructors to modify the course to focus-in on mission specific objectives”. Are these modifications anticipated to be completely new course material, or just enhancements to existing materials. If completely new materials, will new online e-learning exercises need to be created to support this new material? Not completely new course material;

just enhancements to the existing materials.

68. In 8.0 there are 10 topics mentioned. Is it desired that there will be videos and podcasts for each of these topics that will fill the 8 - 10 hours of online instruction outlined in 1.0?

There does not need to be videos/podcasts for each of the 10 topics.

69. Will the videos be live-streamed or made available for on demand viewing? On demand viewing.

70. Will the e-learning materials and podcasts be hosted at MARSOC facilities, or can these be hosted by the contractor? Hosted by the contractor.

71. What is the desired student to instructor ratio?16 to 1

72. Are there any updates to the period of performance for 2020 (SOW 1.0)?

PoP will commence upon contract award. A 30 day notification will be given prior to the start of the first course.

73. Is there an incumbent for this work under another contract?

74. Is there any current content (e.g. videos, mind maps, applications) in use at the Team Commanders Course that is anticipated for use in future courses and in alignment with this RFQ? Not at this time.

75. Is there a preferred textbook that has been utilized in the past for this course (SOW

3.5)? Not at this time.

76. Is there a preferred platform for e-learning (SOW 3.8)? podcasts.

77. Are there clearance requirements for the instructors (RFQ P. 4, Sub factor 2)?

There are no clearance requirements for instructors.

78. Are there clearance requirements for the facility (RFQ P. 4, Sub factor 2)?

Quote should include a vendor provided facility. There are no clearance requirements for this.

79. Are the occupation codes listed the only two that will be acceptable in conjunction with this work (RFQ, P. 15) Occupation codes listed are anticipated codes; however, the appropriate Wage Determination should be utilized by the prospective vendor. If alternate codes are utilized in your quote, please make a special note.