RFI - Attachment (Conferences).pdf

Version – July 2015

Request for Information – Headquarters, Department of the Army Conferences

INTRODUCTION

The Army Contracting Command- Aberdeen Proving Ground (6515 Integrity Court, APG, MD 21005 is issuing this Request for Information as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA). The intention is to procure these services on a competitive basis.

Based on the responses to this Request for Information and additional Market Research, this requirement may be set aside for Small Businesses (in full or in part) or procured through Full and Open Competition, or multiple awards may be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

See the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)

DISCLAIMER

This Request for Information is for Informational Purposes ONLY. This is not a Request for Proposal or RFP to be submitted. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government. Responses in any form are not offers and the Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this technical description is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned to the responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future Request for Quote, Invitation for Bid, or Request for Proposal, if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Government-wide Point of Entry (GPE). It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the GPE for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

This contract is intended to provide personnel service, logistical, and execution support to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army (OCSA) and G 3,5,7 for planning, coordinating, and conducting conferences. Conferences will occur within the continental United States primarily in the National Capitol Region. The number of conferences per year may vary and the Government anticipates a requirement for at least five.

conferences per year.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

The Contractor shall provide the qualified personnel and all resources necessary to plan, coordinate, and execute conferences for up to 300 attendees. The estimated period of performance consists of one base year plus 4 options, with performance commencing in August 2025 through August 2030. Specifics regarding the number of option periods will be provided in the solicitation.

Further detail is provided in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) attached to this announcement (Attachment 1).

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information:

1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and

2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 561920 -Convention and Tradeshow Organizers with a Small Business Size Standard of $20,000,000.00. The Product Service Code is R499 – Support-Professional-Other Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES

STATEMENT)

Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement as described below in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 2 pm, EST, 13 March 026. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to kelsey.l.thomas13.civ@army.mil.

This documentation must address at a minimum the following items:

Company Information:

1. Vendor’s business name, point of contact, address, and DUNS number.

2. Size and type of ownership (Small, Small Disadvantaged, 8(a), Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern) under

NAICS 561920.

3. A brief statement or explanation of the company's background, core competencies and technical expertise, experience, and other capabilities that demonstrate the company's ability to perform the required services identified in the PWS.

4. What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement?

5. Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details.

6. What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?

Acquisition Strategy Development:

7. Does your company believe a different NAICS or PSC code should be considered for this PWS? If so, please provide recommendations with supporting rationale.

8. What does your organization believe would be the optimal contract type for this requirement?

9. How could we best structure the contract to build flexibility in the number of participants at a conference or to add/remove additional conferences if needed?

How could we best structure the contract to add special services on an as-needed basis, such as AV support, conference binder preparation, virtual conference delivery, and conference microsite hosting?

10. How would you handle changes in attendance or the scheduling of a new conference or canceling a conference on short notice? What recommendations would you provide to ensure the most cost-effective approach to handling these adjustments?

11. Does this Performance Work Statement (PWS) provide sufficient information for mailto:kelsey.l.thomas13.civ@army.mil you to submit a proposal? If not, what additional information is required?

Are there any ambiguities that require clarification?

Are the standards of performance clear?

Are there additional standards that should be incorporated?

What would you add, remove, or change in the PWS to make it more flexible and efficient?

12. How long would it take your organization to support this work and to transition in?

13. How long would it take your organization to provide a proposal?

14. Are there any requirements in the PWS that have a disproportionate impact on the contract cost and would result in significant cost avoidance if removed?

The proposed contract is anticipated to include tasking that would be accomplished by labor categories that are subject to the Service Contract Act or a collective bargaining agreement.

Upon evaluation of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the Small-Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal.

Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Kelsey Thomas, in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email only at kelsey.l.thomas13.civ@army.mil

All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.

No phone calls will be accepted.

All questions must be submitted to the contract specialist identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.

mailto:kelsey.l.thomas13.civ@army.mil