RFI Administrative Info and Questions.pdf

Defense Science Board Mul -Study Support Services

Introduc on:

The Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisi on Directorate (WHS/AD) is seeking informa on from poten al contractors who can provide the Defense Science Board (DSB), Mul -Study Support Services as defined in the dra Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The intent of this RFI to gauge industry interest, capabili es, and relevant experience to support the DSB, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD (R&E)).

The Government encourages responses from “all” interested, capable sources including small business concerns (8(a) Cer fied concerns, Historically Underu lized Business Zone (HUBZone) concerns, Service-

Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and

Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs)) are encouraged to respond to this no ce. Small businesses are defined based on the size standard associated with the NAICS code. For more informa on, visit: h ps://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards, and check your size using the SBA Size Standards Tool: h ps://www.sba.gov/size-standards/index.html.

The Contrac ng Officer will use the responses received from this no ce to determine the appropriate acquisi on strategy such as, if it is appropriate to either solicit as a small business set-aside or an unrestricted compe on through SAM.gov or an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quan ty (IDIQ) government wide contract vehicle.

The Contrac ng Officer must determine if there is a reasonable expecta on of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business concerns that are compe ve in terms of market prices, quality, and delivery in accordance with FAR 19.502-2(b) and FAR 19.203. If at least two (2) qualified small businesses are iden fied during this market research stage, any compe ve procurement that may result will be conducted as a small business set-aside. When responding please also include any capabili es that will be performed through teaming arrangements (i.e., subcontrac ng and/or joint ventures).

Background:

The DSB advises the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the USD(R&E), and the

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on scien fic, technical, manufacturing, and other ma ers of special interest to the Department of Defense (DOD). The Board consists of 40 members and another 40-60 task force members and consultants. The DSB conducts studies that focus on a study subject and provide independent advice and recommenda ons to USD(R&E) or other senior DOD sponsors.

The DSB is no onally expected to conduct mul ple focused studies per year which addresses topical areas and are executed on a specified meline (approximately 15 months). The DSB will typically conduct, annually, a total of seven (7) to ten (10) two-day mee ngs for each study. The purpose of these mee ngs is to gather informa on as a basis for the development of findings and recommenda ons and to help facilitate overall DSB ac vi es.

The objec ves of this acquisi on are the procurement of professional informa on technology (IT), analy cal, and administra ve support services to include the tasks of planning, prepara on, execu on, administra ve support, logis cs, documenta on, and conclusion for the various DSB studies, as well as IT support to the DSB.

These studies are usually classified. The contractor will support the planning and conduct of each mee ng, and coordinate at senior levels across the DoD enterprise and U.S. government. Many of these mee ngs will require access to a Contractor-provided Sensi ve Compartmented Informa on Facility

(SCIF) at the TS/SCI level.

Work will be primarily at Contractor facility(s) and onsite mee ngs at various Government loca ons in the Na onal Capital Region (NCR).

Procurement History for Similar Services: This requirement has previously been procured via contract HQ003417D0003 which was competed among contract holders on 24 July 2020. Science Applica ons Interna on Corpora on is the incumbent on this requirement under Task Order HQ0034-20-F-0572.

An cipated Contract Award Date: July 1, 2025

An cipated Contract Start Date: Targeted Period of Performance is July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030, which encompasses a twelve-month base period and four twelve-month op on periods.

Es mated Value: The acquisi on has an es mated dollar value range of $12 million to $18 million.

An cipated North American Industry Classifica on System (NAICS) code: The an cipated NAICS Code for this requirement is NAICS Code 541990: “All Other Professional, Scien fic, and Technical Services” with a size standard of $19.5M. However, if you believe a different NAICS code is more suitable, you may propose an alterna ve code and provide a clear ra onale to support your sugges on.

An cipated Product Service Code: R499, Support – Professional: Other

Administra ve Informa on:

1. Please provide your company information:

Business name:

Business Address:

Business Point of Contact (POC):

POC Telephone:

POC E-mail:

Business Website:

Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code (if any):

SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (if any)*:

Business size for NAICS**:

All socioeconomic categories as defined in FAR Part 19 (e.g., 8(a), SDB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.):

*To do business with the U.S. Government as a prime contractor the firm must be registered in

SAM.gov by the time of award of any resultant contract.

**Visit www.sba.gov to learn more about small business size standards and Federal Contracting programs.

RFI Ques ons:

1. What relevant experience and capabili es does your company possess that enables you to perform the majority of the required services in the dra PWS?

2. Describe your experience suppor ng federal advisory boards subject to the Federal Advisory

Commi ee Act (FACA).

3. Describe your experience developing reports, conduc ng research, and providing support for the development of materials regarding complex scien fic and technical subjects.

4. Describe your experience coordina ng ac ons within the ecosystem of the Pentagon, to include experience working with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Services, Combatant Commands, and na onal laboratories.

5. What differen ates your company's personnel, services, and facili es from others that may seek to provide FACA Board study support services?

6. What relevant capabili es do you have to provide graphics support for the prepara on of briefings, reports, and online communica ons for the Board as described in the dra PWS?

7. Do you have sufficient personnel with TS/SCI security clearances to perform the du es specified in the dra PWS?

8. Does your company have a TOP SECRET facility clearance, or will your firm have one by the an cipated contract award date stated in this no ce ?

If the firm does not hold the required facility clearance, indicate that no facility clearance is held.

Include a statement for how your firm will meet the clearance requirement within the meframes outlined in this no ce. WHS does not sponsor any clearances.

9. Do you have full control and access to a SCIF with the required capaci es as outlined in the dra

PWS?

a. Does the SCIF have Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communica on System (JWICS) network access at the loca on where you intend to provide support to DSB mee ngs?

b. What is the address of the SCIF you would use to support this dra PWS?

c. What is the distance of the SCIF that your firm would use to support this requirement to a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metro sta on, and what sta on?

d. If the SCIF is more than .5 miles from a WMATA Metro Sta on, how will your firm fulfill the requirement to ensure all par cipants are able to arrive mely to mee ngs, considering mobility restric ons, etc. Describe any alterna ve solu on your firm would use while s ll maintaining the lowest cost to the government (ex. Other transit; shu le service; rideshare; etc.)

10. What other mee ng spaces at the Secret or Unclassified level could be available to support the dra PWS, and at what loca on(s)? Would those facili es support MS-Teams or other virtual mee ng pla orms on NIPR or SIPR upon assump on of the work in the dra PWS?

11. Does the SCIF space that your firm would use to support this requirement have:

a. the ability to project classified informa on, and at what level; and,

b. secure video teleconferencing capability?

12. Describe your capabili es to develop and manage WordPress or other websites, including site management, content crea on, and troubleshoo ng.

13. Describe your experience mee ng Sec on 508 compliance for online websites and digitally prepared reports and products?

14. Indicate if your firm would submit a proposal if a Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued and whether the vendor desires to participate in this requirement as a prime contractor, teaming agreement, subcontractor, or joint venture.

15. Partner/Teaming/Subcontracting Information:

a. Identify any task areas your firm will collaborate with a subcontractor or team partner in the table provided below.

b. If you intend to subcontract, please include the estimated percentage for subcontracting opportunities for each task area and the business size of the subcontractor/teaming partner.

c. How will you ensure subcontractors have the requisite expertise and skills?

Task Number

Tasking categories Anticipated % of Subcontracting for this task

If known, potential subcontractor, teaming partner, joint venture arrangement, etc.

and business size.

Reason for using subcontractor;

teaming partner; JV.

16. Please highlight any information missing from the PWS that would provide a better understanding of the effort desired.

17. Please highlight any information that is unduly restrictive to small business as listed in the draft

PWS.

Response Guidelines:

Please respond to this RFI by February 28, 2025, at 10am EST to allow for mely evalua on and considera on of your company's capabili es.

Responses should be submi ed electronically to brandon.n.johnson24.civ@mail.mil and jimmie.j.toloumu.civ@mail.mil

Please limit your response to 5 pages and use the following format:

Text – Text shall be at least single-spaced, 12-point font size in Times New Roman, on 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper, with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Text and graphics por ons of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Microso (MS) Office 2010 or Adobe Acrobat version 10, text in graphics shall not be smaller than 10-point font size, and text in tables shall not be smaller than 11-point font size.

Data submi ed in spreadsheet format shall be readable by MS Excel 2010. Note: to adhere to page limita ons, imbedded hyperlinks will NOT be accessed for review and or evalua on.

Contact Informa on:

Point of Contact: Brandon Johnson

Email: brandon.n.johnson24.civ@mail.mil

Alternate Point of Contact: Jimmie Toloumu

Email: jimmie.j.toloumu.civ@mail.mil

Note:

This RFI is not a solicita on, and the WHS/AD is not obligated to award a contract as a result of this RFI.

The WHS/AD reserves the right to cancel or modify this RFI at any me.