DOS - SPAS SME Course Instructors

The United States Department of State's National Foreign Affairs Training Center, through its School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS), has issued a Request for Information seeking contractor services to provide subject matter expert course instructors for foreign affairs professional training. The contractor will be responsible for three primary service areas: course delivery through qualified instructors, honorarium payment support for guest speakers, and design and development of new course content. Instructors must possess advanced degrees (master's required, PhD preferred), minimum five years of expertise in their respective fields, and demonstrated adult education experience to deliver training covering strategic, national security, regional, political, economic, and cultural knowledge. The training supports approximately 140-150 five-day course sessions annually across multiple geographic regions including Africa, East Asia, Europe, Near East, South and Central Asia, and Western Hemisphere. Responses to this RFI are due by July 1, 2025, with GSA Schedule holders submitting through GSA eBuy and other offerors responding via email to specified contract personnel. The government will evaluate technical capabilities, market interest, and competition adequacy based on completed technical questionnaires, capability statements, and up to three relevant project examples.

This opportunity does not include any set-aside designations, though the government actively encourages participation from diverse small businesses including small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) small businesses, woman-owned small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses. No incumbent contractors or specific award values are mentioned in the pre-solicitation materials. The anticipated contract structure will be a Blanket Purchase Agreement with one base year and four one-year option periods, providing services for a potential total of five years. Course delivery will occur both in-person and virtually across various Department of State facilities and potentially international locations. The scope encompasses training support across multiple specialized divisions within SPAS, requiring contractors to maintain flexibility in personnel deployment and subject matter expertise across diverse geographic and functional areas. This RFI serves solely for information and planning purposes, with no guarantee of future solicitation beyond this market research phase.