SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Headquarters, Training and Doctrine Command

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Mobile Advisory Team (ISRMAT) Support

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

The Mission Installation and Contracting Command (MICC) - Fort Eustis is conducting market research to identify parties that are interested in, and have the resources to provide, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to (ISAF) Special Operations Forces (SOF) in the form of mobile assistance teams that train Soldiers in theater in support of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). This is a requirement for trained and certified Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Mobile Assistance Team (ISRMAT) personnel to provide ISR advisory and assistance capacity to the Regional Commands (RC) and Train Advise and Assist Commands (TAAC), Combined Joint Special Operations Task force (CJSOTF) and International Security Assistance Force – Special Operations Force (ISAF-SOF), focused on improving staff communication and processes, refinement of planning and requirements, and increasing ISR effectiveness for boots on the ground. The intention of MICC - Fort Eustis is to procure these services on a competitive basis using a base plus three-year option contract.

PREVIOUS CONTRACT HISTORY

This is a recurring requirement that has historically been procured as a firm-fixed price contract soliciting proposals from HUBZone and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business companies. It was initially part of the TRADOC G-2 CORE recurring requirement but was separated in 2014 as its own requirement. The table below provides additional details:

Contract Number

Contractor Name & CAGE

Business Size

NAICS/Size Std.

Contract Type

 Contract Value

W911S0-18-C-0002

Bizzell, 6KHM0

SDVOSB

541990/$16.5M

FFP

 $  13,409,697.00

W911S0-15-C-0005

Barbaricum, 55EW9

HUBZONE

541990/$15M

FFP

 $    7,979,761.00

W911S0-14-C-0005

Obsidian Solutions Group, 66H12

HUBZONE

541990/$15M

FFP

 $    3,992,979.00

DISCLAIMER

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A “REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ)” TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE RFQ OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE), AS APPLICABLE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT, AS APPLICABLE.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Respondents must submit capability statements that clearly define the firm’s ability to perform the work stated in this sources sought notice in conjunction with the DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS).

This Sources Sought is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 10, Market Research. It is for information, planning and market research purposes only and shall not be construed as either a solicitation or obligation on the part of United States Government. The purpose of this announcement is to help the United States Government understand the industry best practices and technical solutions capable of providing the full range of requirements described in this announcement. The US Government will use this market research information to assess the market's capability to successfully meet the United States Government requirements.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The principal place of performance for support is Fort Eustis, Virginia; however, other locations, including OCONUS, will be required in order to provide flexibility for the emerging and unique mission. 

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The estimated period of performance consists of:

Phase-In:                     10 July 2022 to 09 September 2022

            Base:                            10 September 2022 to 09 July 2023

            Option 1:                     10 July 2023 to 09 July 2024

            Option 2:                     10 July 2024 to 09 July 2025

            Option 3:                     10 July 2026 to 09 July 2026 (includes phase out)

CONTRACT TYPE

The contract type anticipated is Firm Fixed Price.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to satisfy performance requirements as defined in the draft PWS (Attachment 1).

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information:

1)  Organization name, address, Web site address, point of contact email address  and telephone number, business size, DUNS number, CAGE code, socio-economic status, and type of organizational ownership; and

2)  Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort listed within this notice, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to:

1. Provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated;
2. Secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements;
3. Implement a successful project management plan that defines a management system to plan and control work efforts under this contract including hiring and retention of key personnel with the requisite experience and expertise; and
4. Provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract.

ELIGIBILITY

The anticipated NAICS code for this requirement is 541990, All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $16.5M. The anticipated Product Service Code is R499, Other Professional Services. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond, however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT)

A draft PWS is attached for review. (Attachment 1)

Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than 10 (ten) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch font. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 2 pm, EST, August 11, 2021. All responses under this request must be e-mailed to:

1. Christina M. Crawley, Contracting Officer at [email protected]; and
2. William S. Bryan, Contract Specialist at [email protected].

Please provide a Capabilities Statement, which must address at a minimum the following items:

1. Describe your ability to meet the requirements in the Draft PWS.
2. Describe the type of work your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirements? Specify whether support was provided as a prime contractor or a subcontractor.
3. If the intention is to compete as a Prime Contractor, describe and demonstrate your ability to successfully participate as a Prime Contractor on this requirement. Also, indicate the percentage of work you intend to perform with company resources, as well as the percentage of work you intend to subcontract, broken out by large and small business subcontractor categories.
4. If the intention is to compete as a small-business prime, please identify what percentage of work will be performed by the small business prime contractor and all similarly situated entity subcontractors (Note: In accordance with FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (DEVIATION 2020-O0008) “Similarly situated entity” means a first-tier subcontractor, including an independent contractor, that has the same small business program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for the award and that is considered small for the NAICS code the prime contractor assigned to the subcontract the subcontractor will perform. An example of a similarly situated entity is a first-tier subcontractor that is a HUBZone small business concern for a HUBZone set-aside).
5. Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business concern.
6. Please note that under a Small-Business Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, the small business prime must perform at least 50% of the work themselves in terms of the cost of performance. Provide an explanation of your company’s ability to perform at least 50% of the tasking described in this PWS for the base period as well as the option periods.
7. Can, or has your company managed a task of this nature?
8. Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details.
9. What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?
10. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.
11. Identify how the Army can best structure these contract requirements to facilitate competition by and among small business concerns.
12. Please offer recommendations to improve the approach/specifications/draft PWS to acquiring the identified services.
13. Identify any condition or action that may be having the effect of unnecessarily restricting competition with respect to this acquisition. Provide the specific aspects that unreasonably restrict competition and the rationale for such conclusion.
14. Does your company currently have an Iraq and Afghanistan Business license?
15. A DD Form 254 Contract Security Classification Specification applies to this requirement and the prime contractor shall have or demonstrate ability to obtain a Top Secret Facility Clearance. Does your firm currently hold a Top Secret Facility Clearance? If not, explain how you intend to obtain a Top Secret Facility Clearance.
16. Provide information to assess personnel capacity to support a procurement of this magnitude. Identify current number of employees and ability to quickly ramp up within a 60 day phase-in for performance. Also address meeting the requirement for personnel security clearances during this ramp up.

Upon assessment of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the Small-Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal.

All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.

No phone calls will be accepted.

All questions must be submitted to the contract individuals identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.