HSIC_PWS_Draft.docx

HSIC DRAFT PWS

Homeland Security and Innovation Center (HSIC) | Executive Education Seminar Services

1.0 GENERAL

1.1 Scope

The prospective contractor would provide the personnel, academic faculty, subject-matter experts, instructional content, case-study development, facilities, materials, program administration, quality control, and logistical coordination necessary to deliver customized, resident executive education seminars for HSIC, except for support specifically identified as Government-furnished at the task-order level.

1.2 Background and mission

HSIC, located at Joint Force Headquarters–Massachusetts, supports the National Guard by connecting senior-leader education with the evolving challenges of homeland security, emergency management, crisis leadership, and innovation. Its education mission includes General and Flag Officer Seminar (GFOS) and Leadership in Homeland Security (LHS) audiences. The seminars emphasize rigorous academic study, case-based analysis, facilitated discussion, critical thinking, and peer networking in a university setting.

The curriculum should address National Guard roles in complex domestic response and intergovernmental coordination and, as appropriate to each seminar, emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence, cyber threats, small unmanned aircraft systems/counter-sUAS, and innovation. Inclusion and emphasis of these topics remain subject to HSIC/GOMO mission validation. The broader HSIC innovation/incubation mission does not automatically expand the scope of this seminar-services requirement.

1.3 Period of performance and ordering

The planning baseline is a three-year ordering period with individual GFOS and LHS events ordered through task orders. Annual quantities, minimum guarantees, lead times, and the allocation of fixed versus variable costs are unresolved. Institutions should describe the minimum planning horizon and volume assumptions needed to offer viable pricing, without interpreting this draft as a guarantee of orders.

1.4 General requirements

1.4.1 Location and resident delivery

Instruction is anticipated to be delivered in person at suitable academic facilities, with classrooms configured for executive-level dialogue, breakout discussions, and networking. Geographic proximity to HSIC is under review; universities should describe available locations and any travel or logistical considerations. Any geographic limitation in a final requirement will require a documented operational basis.

1.4.2 Academic institution and credentials

The Government seeks an academically credible institution with demonstrated executive education capability in areas relevant to homeland security, strategic leadership, emergency management, and innovation. The existing PWS specifies an accredited degree-granting institution with bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programs. For market research, institutions should explain how their accreditation, research infrastructure, senior-executive programs, and comparable academic capabilities meet the Government’s quality objectives; the Government has not decided to remove the baseline credentials.

1.4.3 Faculty qualifications

The Government requires rigorous instruction by academically distinguished faculty with relevant scholarship, professional knowledge, and demonstrated success educating General/Flag Officers or comparable senior executives. The existing baseline specifies tenured Ph.D.-level faculty with relevant publications and at least ten years of senior-executive instruction. Institutions should identify any barrier created by individual criteria and describe verifiable equivalent qualifications. Any change requires Government approval following market research.

1.4.4 Guest instructors and subject-matter experts

The contractor should be able to recruit and integrate senior military, Government, emergency management, and other qualified practitioners whose experience enriches academic discussion. The original PWS anticipates a target of five guest-instructor blocks, with a minimum of three, per seminar. Universities should explain their speaker networks, speaker-selection process, availability constraints, and assumptions regarding travel, honoraria, and Government assistance. Final minimums and responsibilities will be validated.

1.4.5 Facilities and accessibility

Facilities should accommodate up to 65 seminar participants and up to five HSIC support personnel, with appropriate seating, audiovisual capability, connectivity, power access, accessible circulation, and separate spaces for small-group discussion. Institutions should describe functionally equivalent arrangements and their ability to support senior-leader security, privacy, and emergency response planning. Specific physical security measures are under review; this draft does not prescribe gated campuses.

1.4.6 Privacy, quality, and compliance

The contractor would safeguard participant personally identifiable information, maintain an effective quality-control process, and support Government performance surveillance. Required federal contract clauses, holiday provisions, service-contract reporting, and other compliance language will be validated and incorporated by Contracting in the formal solicitation; this discussion draft does not modify mandatory clauses.

1.4.7 Intellectual property and data rights — under review

The existing PWS contains broad Government-ownership and unlimited-rights language covering materials produced under the contract. For market research, HSIC seeks to distinguish (a) pre-existing institutional curriculum, research, teaching materials, and licensed third-party content from (b) original case studies or other deliverables newly developed with Government funding. Universities should identify licensing and reuse restrictions and workable rights arrangements. The final rights allocation will be determined by Contracting and legal counsel; no particular rights arrangement is promised in this draft.

2.0 DEFINITIONS

GFOS: General and Flag Officer Seminar, intended for strategic-level senior leaders. LHS: Leadership in Homeland Security Seminar, intended for field-grade and other operational/executive leaders. KO: Contracting Officer, the only official authorized to bind the Government. COR: Contracting Officer’s Representative, who monitors performance within delegated authority. TO: Task Order. Case study: researched teaching material designed to support facilitated executive-level analysis.

3.0 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED SUPPORT

The original PWS lists no Government-furnished property, equipment, utilities, or services; case-study material may be supplied at the TO level. HSIC anticipates coordinating participant nominations and providing relevant Government points of contact as appropriate. The extent of access to National Guard subject-matter experts, interviewees, operational records, and guest speakers is not guaranteed and will be clarified before solicitation. Universities should identify support assumptions essential to performance.

4.0 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

The contractor would designate a program point of contact, coordinate dates and facilities with the COR, administer enrollment, maintain instructor and speaker schedules, provide participant communications, and promptly elevate risks affecting seminar delivery. The COR may provide technical coordination but may not change contract scope, price, or schedule without appropriate KO action. The final PWS will define task-order milestones and any Government approvals.

5.0 SEMINAR REQUIREMENTS

5.1 General and Flag Officer Seminar (GFOS)

GFOS is a strategic-level, resident executive education program for National Guard General and Flag Officers and comparable senior leaders. It examines strategic decision-making, civil-military coordination, intergovernmental response, crisis leadership, and complex or emerging threats. The current PWS describes a four-to-five-day program; duration is a market-research baseline pending confirmation.

The course should integrate rigorous academic case studies, facilitated dialogue, and perspectives from experienced senior leaders. Case studies may include historical disasters, complex multijurisdictional operations, cyber incidents, technological disruption, or other events with a clear National Guard strategic leadership application. The original baseline anticipates approximately ten case studies, with a minimum of eight, and a target of five guest-instructor blocks, with a minimum of three. These are proposed planning thresholds subject to mission validation and market feedback, not a request to abandon case-based education.

5.2 Leadership in Homeland Security Seminar (LHS)

LHS is an executive-level resident program for National Guard field-grade and other operational leaders, emphasizing translation of strategy into coordinated planning and execution. The curriculum should address operational decision-making, interagency collaboration, resource integration, and relevant emerging threats including AI, cyber, and sUAS/cUAS. Learning objectives should be distinguishable from GFOS while retaining rigorous case-based discussion and practical relevance.

For market research, institutions should describe feasible four-, five-, and six-day approaches and associated educational or logistical tradeoffs. The original case-study and guest-instructor planning thresholds should be treated as discussion baselines pending confirmation.

5.3 Curriculum and instructional approach

The contractor shall deliver challenging, participant-centered executive education that demonstrably advances Government-approved GFOS and LHS learning objectives. Instruction should rely substantially on credible case studies, structured dialogue, and application to National Guard leadership decisions. Universities may describe equivalent evidence-based instructional methods, proposed case-study sequencing, and measures of learning effectiveness for market research consideration; HSIC will determine final minimum requirements. Established materials may be adapted where appropriate, but customization and any required original case-study development remain distinct deliverables.

5.4 Enrollment and participant mix

The baseline model anticipates up to 65 students: approximately 40 Government-funded National Guard participants and up to 25 additional direct-pay participants. Universities should explain whether they can administer separate payer groups, how tuition and refunds would be handled, and what minimum cohort size is financially feasible.

5.5 Seminar logistics and meals

Universities should describe their normal residential executive education package, including tuition, instructional materials, meals, facilities, and any optional services. The Government prefers separate tuition and meal pricing where available; if the institution customarily charges a flat all-inclusive fee and does not offer tuition-only pricing, it may describe that standard package approach.

5.6 Original case-study research and development

Universities should distinguish recurring seminar delivery costs from one-time case-study research or curriculum development costs. They should describe potential cost drivers such as original interviews, guest instructors, travel, access to Government subject-matter experts, Government review cycles, and licensing. The Government will determine the final research scope and rights after market research.

5.7 Reports and deliverables

The following retains the original categories but flags conflicting deadlines rather than choosing unsupported new dates. Final dates will be established in the solicitation and task orders.

HSIC • MARKET RESEARCH DRAFT • NOT A SOLICITATION