Sources Sought.pdf

NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought

CENTER OFFICE: Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)

REQUIREMENT: CENTCOM-AFRICOM Education Services

1. The Defense Human Resources Activity is issuing this Sources Sought Notice as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in, and the resources for, providing services in accordance with the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The Government is specifically performing Market Research to see if there are potential vendors who can provide accredited college instruction leading to award of undergraduate and graduate degrees and credentials/certificate programs and testing services at overseas installations. Education support services shall be performed on-site at military bases within the Central Command (CENTCOM), Africa Command (AFRICOM) regions. Education support services shall be performed on-site. The contractor providing degree and certificate programs shall be an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for instruction of face-to-face undergraduate and graduate courses.

NOTE: The contractor shall be required to provide on-site services at forward deployed military installations that may present a variety of hardships and operational challenges for their personnel. Specific health, security, background checks, and training requirements must be met before contractor personnel are authorized to deploy to military installations in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM AORs to perform education services.

This requirement is currently being performed by University of Maryland Global Campus

(UMGC) under contract H98210-21-D-0002 in CENTCOM.

2. This notice shall not be construed as a formal solicitation or an obligation on the part of the

Government to acquire any products or services. In addition, it does not guarantee that a subsequent solicitation will be issued. Submission of any information in response to this

Sources Sought notice is voluntary and will assist in selecting the appropriate solicitation type/method. Costs associated with any submission shall not be reimbursed by the

Government. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT SEEKING PROPOSALS AND WILL NOT

ACCEPT UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS.

3. The proposed NAICS for this effort is 611710, Educational Support Services (size standard

$24.0M). Comments on this NAICS and suggestions for alternative codes must include supporting rationale.

4. Interested parties must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). A business must be a current participant and certified by SBA if responding as an 8(a) firm and

HUBZONE small businesses must be certified by SBA by the time of proposal. A Service-

Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) must represent to the contracting officer that is it certified as such at the time of offer submission. Women-owned small business (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB) should indicate if their certification is a self-certification or if they are formally certified by SBA (or will be by time of any proposal).

5. Interested parties are requested to submit an unclassified capability statement, limited to 25 pages, that includes:

a) Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone numbers, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. Include Unique Entity Identifier from the System for Award

Management (UEI (SAM)), CAGE Code and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.).

b) Type of business, including small business socio-economic category if applicable (e.g.

Other than Small, 8(a) s, HUBZone, Non Profit)

c) Small businesses shall specify if any kind of teaming arrangement will be involved and

“other than small” businesses shall address subcontracting opportunities that exist.

d) If applicable, GSA contract number, schedule, Multiple Award IDIQ contract number

(e.g. OASIS, NITAAC).

e) Indicate if you are interested as a Prime contractor or subcontractor.

f) Describe any teaming or subcontracting that you may use to fulfill a requirement such as this.

g) Describe your organization's breadth of expertise/competency to respond to the draft

PWS. Critical functions to be provided include:

• Ability to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction delivery in support of degree programs to service members in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM areas of responsibility

• Ability to provide professors/instructors and logistics support in often stark conditions.

• Ability to provide educational support professionals and logistics support in often stark conditions.

• Ability to provide standardized testing services, including proctoring with administrative and logistics support in often stark conditions.

h) Industry feedback is requested on the PWS for this requirement. Please list any challenges or potential performance roadblocks related to fulfilling the PWS requirements and any suggestions for improving the PWS language. Additionally, the

Government seeks answers to the following questions concerning this requirement.

• What is your company’s capability to complete the PWS requirements? If unable to provide support for the entire requirement, indicate which sections of the PWS your company can successfully support. Additionally, indicate whether your company is interested in supporting this contract requirement at the prime or subcontractor level.

• If faced with another pandemic environment, please describe any new and innovative alternative education delivery methods offered by your organization that utilize advances in technology while maintaining the quality of instruction.

What delivery methods other than face-to-face and conventional online distance learning is your organization able to offer?

• What is your ability to recruit and mobilize qualified instructors and education services personnel to overseas locations some of which have dangerous operating environments?

• How would your organization overcome the challenges of operating on forward deployed military installations that may include austere housing, severe climatic conditions, potentially limited internet access, limited recreational opportunities, and possible restricted movement due to security/health protocols?

• What undergraduate and graduate degree programs can you offer to military service members deployed in forward operating locations in the middle east?

• Would your organization be able to provide required academic programs to include testing support at an on-base National Test Center, within the current

Government funded Tuition Assistance rate authorized by Department of Defense

($250 per semester hour)? Please note that test support, providing testing computers, equipment and staffing at on-base test centers is a condition of providing the undergraduate liberal arts degree programs and will include payment of a $45 test administration fee, per test, form the test vendors (The

College Board / Prometric).

i) Provide the following information on two (2) similar projects in an environment of similar scale completed within the last five (5) years for which the responder was a prime or Sub-Contractor.

• The name and value of each project;

• The name, address, telephone and email address for point of contact;

• A description of each project, including challenges and successes; and

• Your company's role and services provided for each project.

6. All interested and capable contractors are encouraged to respond. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the sources sought evaluation. The results of this sources sought notice will assist the Contracting Officer in determining whether an 8(a), Service-Disabled

Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Certified HUBZone Small Business, Woman-

Owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Small Business set-aside, or full and open competition is an acceptable strategy for this procurement. Responses to this synopsis may be used to aid in establishing realistic, achievable small business participation goals.

7. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Sources Sought; all costs associated with responding will be solely at the interested party’s expense. All information received in response to this submission that is clearly marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly.

Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made and submissions to this Sources

Sought will not be returned.

8. The information provided in this Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

9. The Government requests that all responses be returned by close of business on 22 April

2025. All responses shall be submitted electronically to the DHRA Acquisition Management

Directorate point of contacts listed in SAM and below.

Jada Weaver, Contract Specialist, jada.a.weaver.civ@mail.mil

Charles M. Carnley, Contracting Officer, Charles.m.carnley.civ@mail.mil

If you need assistance from the DHRA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), please reach out to dodhraosbp@mail.mil.

mailto:jada.a.weaver.civ@mail.mil mailto:Charles.m.carnley.civ@mail.mil