Sources Sought Synopsis_FORSCOM - LANGUAGE AND CULTURE SERVICES - 20241017.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY and a request for Industry comment for informational and planning purposes and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Mission and Installation Contacting Command, Fort Liberty (MICC- FL). This Sources Sought is intended strictly for market research and the purpose of this Sources Sought & Request for Industry Comment to determine the interest and capability of potentially qualified small business firms, relative to the North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) listed below:

• 611630 “Language Schools” with small business size standard of $20.5 million.

Responses to this Sources Sought are not Offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. A formal Solicitation does not exist at this time.

The Mission and Installation Contracting Command – Fort Liberty (MICC – FL) has a requirement for the United States Forces Command (FORSCOM) language and culture program (hereafter “program”) which supports creativity and flexibility to meet the unique instruction needs of commanders requiring language and/or culture related capabilities for their personnel.

The program’s courses/training events do not have rigid Programs of Instruction (POIs) but rather use the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) proficiency level descriptions, as well as current theories and teaching methodologies in the fields of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Adult & Continuing Education, as a framework for the development of POIs, lesson plans, activities, etc. These skill descriptor definitions can be found at http://www.govtilr.org, and it is the responsibility of the contractor to familiarize all contract service providers with each of the skill level descriptors found on the ILR website, as well as with current theories and teaching approaches and methodologies in the fields of SLA and Adult & Continuing Education. The program’s teaching methodology is eclectic in nature but broadly falls under the umbrella of Communicative Language Teaching, given its primary focus on language and culture within the context of communication and its secondary focus on the structure(s) that inform that communication. At each ILR proficiency level, very specific behaviors are exhibited and expected. Contract service providers will assesses the ILR level of each student in the skills to be taught and then develop and/or present appropriate lessons, materials and activities to generate as much uninhibited, spontaneous, and culturally appropriate manipulation of the target language, culture knowledge, and cross-cultural competence amongst the students as possible, in order to prepare the students for duty related work/engagements and/or the Defense Language Proficiency Test System (DLPTS) or other formal and/or informal proficiency measures, as required by the Government. The contractor shall support the program in its efforts to bridge the gap between global language and technical/mission language by integrating training and education for Government- defined, operationally relevant elements into lesson plans and POIs.

These may include culture-specific information related to a particular target area, culture-general concepts, cross-cultural competence, rapport building, map reading, briefing skills, weather reports, scenarios related to specific engagements/contingencies, military terminology, and similar topic areas. Contract service providers are expected to help create a learning atmosphere that incorporates culturally and militarily operationally relevant realia and other authentic materials into the learning environment. Contract service providers are also expected to integrate the use of WebTools and current and emerging technologies (such as online learning management systems, basic audio/visual equipment, interactive whiteboards and touch-screens, satellite news broadcasts, interactive computer programs, social media and data sharing applications, digital audio/video media, etc.) into the learning environment to augment instruction and mirror the learning environment to the anticipated engagement environment to the greatest extent practicable. Please see the DRAFT PWS attached to this notice for a complete description of this requirement.

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to seek Capability Statements from interested small businesses capable of performing services in order to assist with the initial market research.

Responses to this Sources Sought from Large Businesses are not required at this time.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR TECHNICAL OR COST/PRICE PROPOSALS. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Invitation for Bid (IFB)/Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFQ, IFB or RFP in the future. This notice does not commit the government to a contract for any supply or service. Further, the government is not seeking quotes, bids or proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this sources sought notice. The government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice. Submittals will not be returned to the responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future RFQ or IFB or RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Government-wide Point of Entry. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the Government-wide Point of Entry for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

Submission shall be limited to no more than five (5) pages and sent electronically to Contract Specialists, Ms. Andrena Zamor, andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil and Contracting Officer, Mr.

John Machine at john.j.machine.civ@army.mil. Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this Sources Sought request. Information provided will not be used as a part of any subsequent Solicitation requirement. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary by nature. All contracting topic questions are listed below and shall be answered in the Capability Statements. There is a 2-page limitation:

1) Provide your company’s name; Point of Contact information (address, telephone, facsimile, email); DUNS number; CAGE code; and

2) Provide your firm’s Socioeconomic Classification (Small Business status (i.e., Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone, Small Disadvantaged Veteran Owned Business, Woman- Owned, Woman-Owned Economically Disadvantaged, 8(a) [entrance / exit date], etc.).

3) If this acquisition is set-aside for small business, FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on mailto:andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil mailto:john.j.machine.civ@army.mil

Subcontracting, will be applied at the contract level. Accordingly, identify what percentage of work your business intends on performing as the prime contractor.

4) Address your firm’s experience, within the past three (3) years, what the likelihood of your firm being able to perform is, include any possible challenges you would be faced with, and how you plan to overcome those challenges.

5) Address whether you intend to support this requirement from a single office or if you have multiple office locations that can be used to support this requirement.

6) Address whether you maintain your own staff of qualified labor and identify the size of your permanent staff.

7) Capabilities/Qualifications: A short written response providing clear and unambiguous statement providing your company's capacity to fulfill this requirement as briefly described herein.

The Government does not anticipate providing individual responses to contractor inquiries;

however, the Government will review and consider all comments for possible use in the development of any upcoming Solicitation for the subject services requirement. Any questions regarding this Sources Sought shall be in writing and sent electronically to Contract Specialists, Ms. Adrena Zamor, andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil and Contracting Officer, Mr. John Machine at john.j.machine.civ@army.mil.

Capability statements are due no later than 18 November 2024. An electronic copy should be emailed directly to Contract Specialist, Ms. Adrena Zamor, andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil and Contracting Officer, Mr. John Machine at john.j.machine.civ@army.mil.

Identify any condition or action that may be having the effect of unnecessarily restricting competition with respect to this acquisition and identify alternatives or solution solutions. Also contact the MICC Advocate for Competition, Scott D. Kukes, at scott.d.kukes.civ@mail.mil or 210-466-2419, if you believe that this action is unreasonably restricting competition. Include the subject of the acquisition, this announcement, and the MICC POC information from the Sources Sought Synopsis. Provide the specific aspects that unreasonably restrict competition and the rationale for such conclusion.

mailto:andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil mailto:john.j.machine.civ@army.mil mailto:andrena.s.zamor.civ@army.mil mailto:john.j.machine.civ@army.mil mailto:scott.d.kukes.civ@mail.mil