RFI SPAS SME Course Instructors SAM.gov Posting 6-25-25.pdf

Request for Information (RFI) The United States Department of State (DOS)

National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC) The School of Professional Area Studies (SPAS)

Subject Matter Expert (SME) Course Instructors

1. PURPOSE:

The United States Department of State (DOS), National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC), issues this Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of the School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation.

Responses to this RFI will assist the DOS in determining the potential level of interest, competition adequacy, and technical capabilities of commercial industry, to include qualified large and small businesses, including small business set-asides, small disadvantaged businesses (SDB), 8(a) small businesses, woman-owned small businesses (WOSB), veteran owned small businesses (VOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and Historically Under-utilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small businesses, to provide the required products and services. The Government does not guarantee any action beyond this

RFI.

Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

All information received in response to this RFI marked PROPRIETARY will be handled accordingly.

Responses to the RFI will not be returned. The responding party shall be responsible for any costs associated with preparing the response. A decision not to submit a response will not preclude any party from participating in any future solicitation. The Government will not provide feedback or evaluations to Offerors regarding their submissions in response to this notice.

**This notification serves to inform interested parties that an RFI pertaining to this requirement has been published on the GSA eBuy platform. Offerors holding a GSA Schedule contract(s), under Categories: 611430TD and 611430, are encouraged to submit their response through GSA eBuy following the instructions provided via Request ID: RFI # RFQ174566.

All other Offerors are directed to submit their responses following the instructions provided herein via this posting on SAM.gov.

Only one response per Offeror is permitted (either via GSA eBuy or SAM.gov).**

2. BACKGROUND:

The United States Department of State’s (DOS) National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC) is the U.S. government’s premier foreign affairs training provider, dedicated to providing career-long learning opportunities required to empower foreign affairs professionals in DOS and across the U.S. government as they advance U.S. foreign policy to serve the American people. NFATC’s mission is to develop the foreign affairs professionals our nation requires to fulfill our leadership role in world affairs and to advance and defend U.S. interests.

The School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS) is a community of foreign affairs professionals serving foreign affairs professionals, empowering, and training colleagues throughout their careers to advance U.S.

interests and tackle the evolving challenges of 21st-century diplomacy by providing superior job-specific orientation, tradecraft, and area studies training.

SPAS is seeking the services of an experienced contracting company who will provide professional, qualified personnel that possess the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to perform the required services outlined in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS), to include, but not limited to, the following services:

• Course Delivery (Course Instructors)

• Honorarium Payment Support

• Design and Develop New Course Content

This training prepares U.S. foreign affairs professionals with the critical strategic, national security, regional, political, economic, commercial, energy, technology, health, sociocultural, and tradecraft knowledge needed to promote and advance U.S. interests worldwide.

Please see Attachment 1 - Draft PWS for further details.

3. RFI RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS:

Interested Offerors who consider themselves qualified to perform the services listed in the draft PWS are invited to submit an electronic response to this RFI as follows:

• Offerors holding a GSA Schedule contract(s), under Categories: 611430TD and 611430, are encouraged to submit their response through GSA eBuy following the instructions provided via Request ID: RFI # RFQ174566.

• All other Offerors are directed to submit their responses following the instructions provided herein via this posting on SAM.gov, as follows:

Responses should conform to the format below and provide the following information:

Section 1- Please provide a response to each question by completing Column C on Tabs 1-2 of Attachment 2- RFI Technical Questions Workbook (excel document): Tab 1- Standard RFI Questions and Tab 2 – Technical Questions.

Section 2 – Capability Website. Please provide a URL to a capability website for your company.

Section 3 - Capability Statement. The purpose of this section is to provide information that will assist the Department of State to decide how to contract for the required services. Your response should include the following:

a. Service Description: Please provide a description of the service you intend to provide to meet the requirements stated in this RFI, to include up to 3 relevant projects and provide the following information for each:

1. Customer Name

2. Customer/Client POC Email

3. Total Contract Value

4. Period of Performance

5. Brief Description of Services Provided

6. Indicate if there is a CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) Available

4. RFI SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Interested Offerors who consider themselves qualified to perform the services listed in the draft PWS are invited to submit an electronic response as follows:

• Offerors holding a GSA Schedule contract(s), under Categories: 611430TD and 611430, are encouraged to submit their response through GSA eBuy following the instructions provided via Request ID: RFI # RFQ174566, by July 1, 2025.

• All other Offerors are directed to submit their response via email by July 1, 2025, 5:00pm EST to:

Alyse Girard (Contracting Officer) at GirardAN@state.gov and Althea Paul (Contract Specialist) at PaulAA@state.gov. Please reference DOS - SPAS SME Course Instructors in the Subject Line.

**Only one response per Offeror is permitted (either via GSA eBuy or SAM.gov).**

Attachments:

Attachment 1 - Draft PWS Attachment 2 – RFI Technical Questions Workbook mailto:GirardAN@state.gov mailto:PaulAA@state.gov