Sources Sought_Crucial Learning FY26.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service

Indian Health Service

Rockville, MD 20857

Sources Sought Notice

Title: Crucial Learning Solutions

Agency: Indian Health Service

Issue Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Due Date: Friday, January 21, 2026 no later than 5:00pm EST

POCs: Responses must be submitted via email to Natasha.Bitsoi@ihs.gov. Include “SSN-Crucial

Learning Solutions – Your Company Name” in the Subject of the email.

This Sources Sought Notice (SSN) is for market research and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation or commitment to issue a solicitation by the Indian Health Service (IHS). This SSN is seeking information from the specific types of entities listed below to assess their capabilities in fulfilling the requirements set forth in this SSN. The information from this SSN will be used to determine the appropriate set-aside, if any, in accordance with the applicable regulations listed. The Government encourages the identified to respond to this Notice and will be assessed of their capabilities in the following priority:

1. Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE),

2. Indian Economic Enterprise’s (IEE) in accordance with HHSAR 326.603-1.

3. Small business concerns in accordance with FAR 19.502-2 (b)(1) & (2).

Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether any ISBEE/IEE or small business set-aside is possible based on the Contracting Officer’s reasonable expectation of obtaining offers from two or more relevant concerns that will be competitive in terms of market price, product quality, and delivery capability. An organization that is not considered an ISBEE/IEE firm or small business under the applicable NAICS code should NOT submit a response to this notice. The applicable primary NAICS code for this requirement is 611430, Professional and Management Development Training.

Generic capability statements are not sufficient and may not be considered when assessing entity capabilities.

Background

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people, and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level. IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) who belong to 573 federally recognized Tribes in 37 states. IHS has 12 Area Offices and 10 Accounting Offices across the United States.

These offices support the extensive health care delivery network and provide managerial, financial and administrative support to the hospitals, clinics and health centers.

IHS requires a standardized methodology to help employees understand their interpersonal style and motivations, learn practical skills for improving working relationships, and apply a common framework for interpreting and comparing assessment results within and across teams. IHS seeks an established vendor with validated, evidence-based tools and a proven capability to deliver training and ongoing support at scale, including for geographically distributed and remote employees.

Description of Supplies/Services

The Indian Health Service is conducting market research to identify qualified vendors capable of providing subscription and/or licensing solutions, along with associated support services, for Crucial Learning® training products and platforms.

Capability Statement/Submission Information

To assist the Government in an expeditious review of your capabilities, the capability statement should be organized as follows:

• Cover page

• Executive Summary

• Technical Areas in the order listed

Crucial Learning Solutions

• Past Performance

• Other Information, as applicable

The tailored capability statement should not exceed 10 pages excluding Past Performance information. Font must not be less than 10 point (for readability) and may be submitted in either in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) but must be a standard 8-1/2 by 11 inch in paper size. All proprietary information should be marked as such.

Cover Page

Please provide a cover page to include:

1. Company Name

2. Company Designation (ISBEE/IEE/SB)

3. Type of Business – as applicable (e.g. 8(a), Woman Owned Small Business, HUBZone, etc.)

4. UEI Number

5. Point of contact

6. Primary NAICS Code(s)

7. Existing federal contracting vehicle(s) numbers, as applicable (e.g. GSA MAS number, NITAAC/CIO SP3, etc.)

8. System for Award Management (SAM) registration status. Note, all respondents must be registered on the

SAM located at http://www.sam.gov/ prior to any potential award.

Executive Summary

Provide a high-level overview of your services and include how it will benefit the Indian Health Service.

Technical Areas

The anticipated requirement includes access to and support for Crucial Learning courses and tools, including but not limited to:

• Crucial Conversations® for Mastering Dialogue

• Crucial Conversations® for Accountability

• Crucial Teams Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI®) Platform

The solution shall support workforce and leadership development across IHS through a combination of online platforms, virtual instruction, and self-paced learning modalities.

Required Capabilities and Functional Scope

Vendors must demonstrate the ability to provide the following components as part of an integrated solution:

1. Online Relationship Awareness Assessments o Access to SDI® or equivalent Crucial Learning-authorized assessment instruments.

o Individual and group assessment administration capabilities.

2. Secure Assessment Platform o A secure, web-based platform to store, consolidate, manage, and report assessment results.

o Role-based access controls and data protection consistent with federal IT and privacy requirements.

3. Non-Assessment Tools and Job Aids o Digital learning resources, reference materials, and performance support tools aligned with Crucial

Learning curricula.

4. Facilitator Development (Train-the-Trainer) o Instructor certification or facilitator development programs enabling IHS personnel to deliver

Crucial Learning content internally.

o Virtual delivery options required.

5. Leadership Development Training o Training focused on Difficult Conversations and Promoting Accountability.

o Delivery via virtual instructor-led training (VILT) and/or online self-paced modules.

Delivery Requirements

• Training must be deliverable virtually, online, or through a blended approach.

http://www.sam.gov/

Crucial Learning Solutions

• Solutions must be scalable to support a geographically dispersed federal workforce.

• Vendor must be authorized by Crucial Learning to resell, license, and/or deliver the specified products and services.

Vendor Capability Response Checklist (for Sources Sought / RFI)

Vendors should be prepared to address:

• Authorization status with Crucial Learning

• Licensing/subscription models (enterprise, seat-based, or usage-based)

• Platform security posture and compliance (e.g., FedRAMP alignment, if applicable)

• Experience supporting federal or healthcare organizations

• Virtual training delivery capabilities and past performance

• Facilitator certification options and ongoing support

• Reporting and analytics functionality

• Customer support and technical assistance model

Past Performance

• Please provide any past performance information to support demonstration of your capabilities in the relevant technical areas and magnitude of work.

Other Information (Optional)

You may include any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

Generic capability statements are not sufficient and will not be considered compliant with the requirements of this notice.

Disclaimer and Important Notes

This notice does not obligate the Government to award contract. Any information provided by industry to the

Government as a result of this SSN is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned. No entitlements to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges to the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses, or the Government's use of such information or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capabilities to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published on a government GPE. However, responses to this Notice will not be considered adequate responses to any resultant solicitation.

Confidentiality. No classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The

Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Thank you for your interest in IHS programs.