Notice of Intent-Sole Source Award to Arbinger Institute, LLC

The Department of the Navy Naval Sea Systems Command, specifically Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, Virginia, intends to award a sole-source Firm Fixed-Price contract for Outward Mindset training services under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisitions procedures. The procurement seeks professional and management development training utilizing the Arbinger Institute's proprietary Outward Mindset curriculum and associated trademarked training materials, workbooks, and digital content. The sole-source justification is based on the Arbinger Institute's exclusive intellectual property ownership of the curriculum, which cannot be replicated or delivered by competing vendors, as confirmed through market research conducted via a Request for Information released on October 16, 2025. All solicitation documents and amendments will be available exclusively in electronic form on www.sam.gov, with prospective contractors required to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to award and throughout contract performance. Interested parties must submit questions and responses by the January 29, 2026 deadline, and all vendors must self-certify their eligibility and non-debarred status upon submission of an offer.

This procurement carries no small business set-aside designation and is sole-sourced to the incumbent contractor, Arbinger Institute, LLC, under GSA Schedule Contract #47QREB19D0011. The total estimated acquisition value is $5,746,395.78, consisting of a base year period from March 2, 2026 through March 1, 2027 valued at $872,803.26, four one-year option periods at $1,083,020.56 each, and a partial-year extension through September 1, 2031 for $541,510.28. Funding will be provided through Operations and Maintenance, Navy (O&M, N) appropriations with $872,803.26 reserved for Fiscal Year 2026 and planned annual funding of $1,083,020.56 for Fiscal Years 2027 through 2030. The Services Requirements Review Board approved this justification on November 12, 2025, and the requirement reflects a corporate initiative requiring uniform Outward Mindset training delivery across multiple shipyard commands to maintain enterprise-wide alignment. Additional market research indicated that two other naval shipyard commands, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, have similarly determined that Arbinger Institute was the sole capable source for this specialized training.