FY27_UPDATED_DRAFT_Solicitation_Purchase Agents for Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (AFCOOL)

Air Force Education and Training Command issued an updated draft special notice on August 3, 2026 for Purchase Agents supporting the Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (AFCOOL) program, with no proposal submission permitted at this time and a pre-solicitation notice to follow. This is a total small business set-aside (NAICS 611710, $24 million size standard).

The contractor will purchase approved civilian and industry credentialing exams, course materials, exam preparation materials, and boot camps through external vendors on behalf of the AFCOOL Credentialing Program Office for approved enlisted personnel on active duty with the Regular Air Force, United States Space Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. Work is performed on-site at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, with an anticipated start date of January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2031 (base year plus four one-year options).

The estimated annual workload is 5,373 approved goals, 9,330 enrollments, and $8.7 million in credentialing costs across approximately 197 certifications from 483 vendors. The contractor must maintain purchase card spending accounts of at least $500,000 per month for the Purchasing Manager and $300,000 per month for individual agents, process payments within 3 duty days of CPO approval, and achieve 100% accuracy in Air Force Automated Education Management System (AFAEMS) transaction recording with a maximum 1% payment error rate.

Key staffing requirements include a Purchasing Manager with minimum 5 years of task leadership experience and Purchasing Agents with minimum 3 years of automated education management systems experience. All personnel require Common Access Cards, REAL ID-compliant credentials, and mandatory security training including Cyber Awareness, Force Protection, and Controlled Unclassified Information training. Travel may be required for up to four trips annually not exceeding seven business days each.

Evaluation will use a Performance Price Tradeoff best value approach with technical acceptability (pass/fail), past performance confidence, and price as factors. Technical acceptability requires demonstrated access to $1,500,000 from a reputable financial institution and a management plan showing qualified personnel and no labor category gaps exceeding 10 working days. Past performance will assess relevant contracts within the past five years. The official solicitation deadline is October 8, 2026 at 12:00 PM CST; questions must be received by 3:00 PM CST on September 18, 2026.