INTRODUCTION
The Mission & Installation Contracting Command - MICC Benning is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for procurement of retention and recruitment services for the 75th Ranger Regiment located at Fort Benning, GA. The intention is to procure these services on a competitive basis
BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. 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.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
Fort Benning, GA
DISCLAIMER
"THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)" 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 REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT."
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The 75th Ranger Regiment seek the highest level of talent at all ranks in a variety of job specialties. The recruiting environment, however, is competitive. Additionally, the Ranger Regiment suffers from lack of brand awareness compared to other special operations units and military branches. Finally, the unique opportunities, incentives, and career enhancing duties that exist for Rangers are not well-known outside the Regiment.
The Ranger brand competes for awareness in a confusing marketplace for uninformed potential recruits. The Ranger Regiment is often confused with Ranger School- a problem admittedly of the Army's own making. The Army brands its units with unique shoulder patches. The Ranger Regimental shoulder scroll is unique and distinctive for those who know what it means, but its similarity to the Ranger School shoulder tab continues to sow confusion.
Rangers compete for the same talent as Special Forces (Green Berets), Navy SEALs, and Marine Raiders. Those special operations units are commanded by two-star flag officers and supported by requisite staff. The 75th Ranger Regiment is commanded by a colonel, with a much smaller staff. USASOC owns a Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB), of which the Rangers are not a part. As such, all USASOC recruiting efforts are geared toward filling the ranks of Special Forces groups and Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations, and support units. The Ranger Regiment relies on a small Recruiting Detachment and Public Affairs office to spread the word, mainly at Army posts and on Army-internal media.
Culturally, Rangers consider themselves "quiet professionals." Details of most Ranger missions since 9/11 remain classified and retired Rangers take their non-disclosure agreements seriously. Rangers honored for valor usually let their actions speak for themselves. Ranger leaders and distinguished members of the Regiment eschew writing personal memoirs in favor of writing history books and articles extolling the virtues of the Ranger ethos and the team concept. This habit of humility, when paired with the Regiment's comparatively small recruiting arm, does not help in the competition for brand awareness in young recruits.
The Regiment, special operations forces, and the Army in general, are finding it hard to acquire and retain talent in a booming economy with low unemployment. Rangers classified as infantrymen end up working more specialized jobs (radio operator, vehicle driver, ammo specialist). Even with special pays (parachutist pay, demolitions pay, bigger retention bonuses), distinctive uniform accoutrement, yearly combat deployments in support of a special operations task force, and military-wide respect, the Regiment finds it hard to completely fill its ranks.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES
The Contractor shall provide personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities,
transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform retention and recruitment services in support of the areas specified in Program Background (above). Further detail is provided in the draft Statement of Work(SOW) attached to this announcement (Attachment 1).
If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information:
1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization.
2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, 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 includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation.
4) Provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Personnel and Facility Security Clearances
A DD Form 254 Contract Security Classification Specification shall apply to this requirement and the contractor personnel shall have a secret clearance at time of award and must maintain the level of security required for the duration of the contract.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541611 - Administrative Management Consulting Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $15.0 Million. The Product Service Code is R699 - Other Administrative Support 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 Statement of Work (SOW) is attached for review. (Attachment 1)
Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than ten (10) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 12:00 pm, EST , 19 April 2019. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to [email protected].
This documentation must address at a minimum the following items:
1.) What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement?
2.) Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details.
3.) Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details.
4.) What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?
5.) 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.
6.) Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, DUNs number, CAGE Code, and GSA schedule information (if applicable),etc.
7.) 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.
8.) Include in your response your ability to meet the requirements in the Facility and Safeguarding requirements.
The estimated period of performance consists of a base year with performance commencing in June 2019.
The contract type is anticipated to be a purchase order.
Upon evaluation 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.
Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Mr. Johnny T Lyons III in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email [email protected].
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 specialist 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.