SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- Educational Support Services for the Army Continuing Education System (ACES)
- Notice Date
- 6/19/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Contracting Center of Excellence, Army Contracting Agency (ACA), ATTN: Policy and Compliance, 5200 Army Pentagon, Room 1D245, Washington, DC 20310-5200
- ZIP Code
- 20310-5200
- Solicitation Number
- W74V8H06R0044
- Response Due
- 6/22/2006
- Archive Date
- 8/21/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is an AMENDED Sources Sought Announcement to # W74V8H-05-R-0047, orginally posted on February 15, 2066. THIS IS NOT A SYNOPSIS FOR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. It is a market research tool being used to determine potential sources prior to the issu ance of a Request for Proposal for suppliers of adult education programs and services. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this Sources Sought. The Contracting Center of E xcellence (CCE) is soliciting information from potential sources and seeking qualified small business sources on behalf of the Army Human Resources Command, Education Division to provide educational support services in the most effective and economical man ner possible. CCE is looking for small businesses to provide adult educational support services worldwide. The Contractor shall provide all tasks specified below: (Note: All references to AEC in this section refer site specific education centers) RECEPTION/ADMINISTRATION SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 115,613). Contractor shall be knowledgeable and proficient in the use of computer programs including but limited to Education Center Management System (EDMIS) and the most recent software avail able listed in Technical Exhibit 2. Examples of tasks to be performed include but are not limited to the following: 1) Greet customers; 2) Determine the reason for the customer's visit.; 3) Refer the customer to appropriate personnel as prescribed by sit e SOP, directives and procedures; 4) Ensure customers information is up-to-date and available to support the customers visit; 5) Ensure education publications, forms, schedules and display materials are current; 6) Display education materials as required ; 7) Receive, prepare, sort, and send correspondence through the U.S Postal System, Military Postal System or other commercial carriers; 8) Conduct administrative in-processing and out-processing of Soldiers in accordance with (IAW) current site SOP direct ives and procedures; 9) Answer telephone in a professional manner and direct calls to appropriate personnel if necessary; 10) File as required; 11) Ensure all information, reports, forms, and certificates are accurate and included in the Soldiers record; 12) Prepare reports IAW site SOP. COUNSELING SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 112,000 ). Contractor shall be knowledgeable in all ACES programs and services and be able to relay information to customers. Duties include but are not limited to: 1) Issuing Army Tuition Assistance (TA) to Soldiers with an approved degree plan; 2) Enrolling Soldiers in other ACES programs as directed by site SOP; 3) In-processing and out-processing all Soldiers from the AEC; 4) Providing Government or contractor prepared routine and special education brie fings as directed by the Education Services Officer (ESO); 5) Assisting customers in obtaining all pertinent documentation needed to support advancement toward their educational goal; 6) Maintaining documentation supporting education programs and services delivered by the AEC; 7) Providing statistics and reports as required by the ESO; and 8) Assisting customers applying for financial aid for their education. COUNSELING SUPPORT SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 199,303) . The Contractor shall assist customers in establishing educational goals and plans to achieve those goals, and monitor progress toward goals. The Contractor shall provide individual or gr oup educational counseling/briefings to authorized customers. Counseling services shall be IAW Army policy/program guidance, local SOPs, and other pertinent policy. The Contractor shall ensure that all counseling sessions, participation, progress, and TA use and recruitement are accurately documented in each Soldiers education record (DA Form 669). Other duties include but are not limited to providing veteran's education benefits counseling to all Soldiers separat ing from active duty, assisting soldiers interested in continuing their education after leaving active duty with school selection, application, and financial aid information, assisting Soldiers in completing requirements for admission to a military school or program, and conducting briefings as directed by the ESO. Briefings may be conducted in the Counseling Centers, Education Center and at other sites on or off post. FACILITIES ADMINISTRATION SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 44,091). The Contractor shall provide as a minimum, but not limited to, the following services: 1) Schedule classrooms (the Government will approve scheduling priorities), resolve scheduling conflicts, publish schedules, and provide classroom utilization reports; 2) Provide administrative assistance for key inventory/maintenance; 3) Enforce local policy related to classroom and building sanitation, cleanliness and repairs; 4) Develop and main tain a process to track both hand receipt and sub-hand receipt property inventories; 5) Ensure building security; 6) Provide required reports; and, 7) Be responsible for providing access to facilities during scheduled hours of operation. Discrepancies wil l be reported to the Government on a daily basis. The site ITR will further refine and augment the duties IAW the local SOP. AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 55,999) . The Contractor shall provide automation and technology support to the site. The Contractor shall provide the following, but is not limited to: 1) Install/maintain automati on and technology equipment and keep in operational order and accomplish reporting requirements (Automation equipment is listed in Technical Exhibit 3). 2) Install and maintain automation software to include problem solving. 3) The Contractor shall maint ain equipment/software SOPs and provide training to ensure operating procedures for all equipment and software programs are understood by all users. 4) Perform system maintenance for site local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs) that serve the ACES education programs. 5) Design and maintain site specific web pages as required (ITR will inform the Contractor if this is a site requirement). The Contractor shall utilize assistance to resolve problems IAW site specific SOP. Automation Plan. The Contractor shall draft an Automation Plan for each site. The Automation Plan shall include specific details describing how the automation and technology support services will be accomplished. These details should include, but are not limited to, issues such as a work order process for solving software and hardware problems. This plan shall be submitted to the site specific ITR for approval within 30 days after commencing work under this contract. The ITR will either return for rev ision or approve the plan within five working days. Once the ITR has approved the plan, the Contractor shall implement procedures in the Automation Plan. TEST EXAMINER SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 135,758) . The Contractor shall order, receive, inventory, control, administer, score, and provide test results to appropriate agency/institutions. The Contractor shall ship a wide variety of education and military tests as directed by the Test Control Officer (TCO) IAW applicable regulations, policies and other guidance such as the Army Personnel Testing (APT) TCO Handbook, July 2004, AR 611-5, AR 611-6, AR 601-210, AR 601-222, USMEPCOM 611-1, USMEPCOM 601-4, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Examination Program Handbook, Volumes I and II, and local SOP. Security of the tests is the Contractor's highest priority. The Contractor shall bear the cost of test replacement i f the Contractor is found to be negligent in test loss or compromise. The Contractor shall meet all suspenses IAW current testing policy. The suspenses include but are not limited to reports, submission of inventories, returning tests to vendor and providing test results to appropriate agency/institution. (NOTE: The Government TCO/Alternate Test Control Officer (ATCO) is responsible for the overall testing program and shall not relinquish TCO/ATCO responsibility to test examiner s.) TEST PROCTOR SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 12,435) . The Contractor shall provide test proctor services as required by the DANTES Program Handbook, the APT TCO Handbook, and local SOP. When the number of tests being given exceed a prescribed lev el, the test proctor shall assist test examiners in test administration by observing examinees as they test to ensure there are no instances of suspected cheating behavior. Test proctors are not authorized to verify eligibility for testing or handle exams . The Contractor shall bear the cost of test replacement if the Government finds the Contractor negligent in test loss or compromise. (NOTE: The Government TCO/ATCO is responsible for the overall testing program and shall not relinquish TCO/ATCO responsi bility to test proctors.) TEST CONTROL OFFICER (TCO) FOR ARMY PERSONNEL TESTING (APT) SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 2,080 ). (Note: At this time, Installation Management Agency (IMA), Korea (KORO), has the only requirement for this CLIN). The Contractor shall perform IAW Army Personnel Test (APT) Program, Army Regulations, the APT Handbook, and IMA KORO policy/SOP in selecting, appointing, and relieving APT TCO at Army sites. The Contractor shall ensure the proper documentation for appointing a TCO is provided to the IMA KORO Education Advisor. The Contractor shall provide initial and refresher training for APT Test Examiners and Test Proctors IAW requirements and schedules provided by the ITR. The Contractor shall ensure training materials and testing SOPs are current, and updates provided to test examiners IAW ITR requirements. The Contractor shall ensure inventories of APT accounts are conducted. The Contractor shall conduct an annual inspection of each APT site IAW and in coordination with the ITR and IMA KORO Educa tion Advisor. The Government will authorize and fund this travel. The Contractor shall ensure that the administration of the American Language Course Placement Test (ALCPT) for Korean National (KN) civilian employees to include Korean Service Corps (KSC) members are accomplished IAW local SOPs. The Contractor shall ensure enough APT test proctors are available to accomplish all APT testing without disruption. Security of the tests is the Contractor's highest priority. The Contractor shall bear the cost of test replacement if the Government finds the Contractor negligent in test loss or compromise. MULTI-USE LEARNING FACILITY (MLF) INSTRUCTION SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 65,642) . Instruction may include, but is not limited to Functional Academic Skills Training (FAST), test preparation, or prerequisite study for service schools, college c lasses, and military training. The FAST program focuses on reading, English grammar, and mathematics, needed for both military career and civilian academic success. Instruction could be one-on-one instruction or a class of up to 20 students. However, cl ass size average is about 12 students. Class length varies, but class time averages about 60 hours of instruction. The hours for this requirement are estimated to account for less than 4 percent of the total contract hours of service. The Contractor sha ll provide an automated Program of Instruction as required by the ESO IAW the programs syllabus, using the facilities and equipment of the MLF, according to Army policy/program guidance and the local SOP. When Government-prescribed Commercial-Off-The-She lf software is provided, the Contractor shall use that software for instruction. The Contractor shall maintain all student records and course documentation IAW the local SOP. Information will be provided to the ESO as required. MLF SUPPORT SERVICES (Estimated annual ho urs - 156,169). The support services provided in the MLF will be IAW the local SOP and Army policy/program guidance. The Contractor shall provide customer support services to all authorized customers enrolling in programs or courses and instructors. The customer may need assistance in using training aides or facilities, doing research, requesting information, and/or requesting published military materials or forms. The Contractor shall schedule and monitor all MLF facilities and equipment to ensure secu rity and proper use by customers. The Contractor shall perform all duties related to a military library, to include customer service requirements. The Contractor shall provide reports to the ESO in the proper format and by suspense date IAW the local SOP . EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING SERVICES (Estimated annual hours - 19,014) . The Contractor shall assist the ESO in administering ACES programs IAW Army policy/program guidance and local SOP. Duties include but not are limited to: 1) Assisting the ESO with e ducation program management; 2) Developing a needs assessment survey and surveying customers to determine needed installation-level educational programs and services; 3) Coordinating with educational institutions to establish and operate educational progra ms IAW established AEC/Institution Memorandums of Understanding; 4) Preparing and submitting required reports to the ESO; 5) Developing implementation instructions and SOPs for education programs; 6) Estimating resource requirements for all Education Cente r programs and services; and, 7) providing evaluations of AEC programs and services to the ESO. Projected Site Locations for the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) Contract are hereby provided: NORTHEAST REGION: Aberdeen PG, MD; Carlisle Barracks, PA; Ft. Belvoir, VA; Ft. Detrick, MD; Ft. Dix, NJ; Ft. Drum, NY; Ft. Eustis, VA; Ft. Hamilton, NY; Ft. Lee, VA; Ft. Meade, MD; Ft. Monmouth, NJ; Ft. Monroe, VA; Ft. Myer, VA; Walter Reed, DC; West Point, NY. NORTHWEST REGION: Dugway Proving Grd, UT; Ft. Carson, CO; Ft. Leavenworth, KS; Ft. Leonard Wood, MO; Ft. Lewis, WA; Ft. Riley, KS; Ft. Snelling, MN; Rock Island, IL; Selfridge (ANG), MI. SOUTHEAST REGION: Ft. Benning, VA; Ft. Bragg, GA; Ft. Campbell, KY; Ft. Gordon, GA; Ft. Jackson, SC; Ft. Knox, KY; Ft. McPherson, GA; Ft. Rucker, AL; Ft. Stewart, GA; Miami/MacDill, FL; Redstone Arsenal, AL. SOUTHWEST REGION: Ft. Bliss, TX; Ft. Hood, TX; Ft. Huachuca, AZ; Ft. Irwin, CA; Ft. Polk, LA; Ft. Sam Houston, TX; Ft. Sill, OK; White Sands, NM; Yuma Proving Grd, AZ; Presidio of Monterey, CA. MEDCOM: HRC Saint Louis, MO, USARC, Ft McPherson, GA; Ft McCoy, WI; Ft Bragg, NC; 9th TSC, Ft Belvoir; 63rd RSC, Los Alimitos, CA; 65th RSC, Ft Buchanon, PR; 70th RRC, Seattle WA; 81st RSC, Birmingham, AL; 88th RSC, Ft Snelling, MN; 89th RSC, Wichita, KS; 90th RSC, Little Rock, AR; 94th RSC, Ft Devens, MA; 96th RSC Salt Lake City, UT; 99th RSC, Oak Dale PA. PACIFIC REGION: (OCONUS SITES) HAWAII - Schofield Bks & Tripler AMC; AL ASKA - Ft. Richardson & Ft. Wainwright; JAPAN - Camp Zama, Japan & Torii Station, Okinawa. KOREA REGION: (OCONUS SITES) Korea HQ, Seoul; Camp Carroll; Camp Henry; Camp Hialeah; Camp Hovey; Camp Howze; Camp Humphreys; Camp Long; Kwanju Air Base; Camp Red Cloud; Camp Stanley; Camp Casey. SOUTH COM REGION: PUERTO RICO - Fort Buchanan; HONDURAS - Soto Cano/Joint Task Force Bravo; Contingency Operations Areas - To be Determined. United States Army Reserve: HQ USAR-St. Louis; USARC Fort McPherson, GA; Fort Mc Coy, WI; Ft Bragg, NC; 9th TSC, Fort Belvoir; 63rd RSC, Los Alimitos, CA; 65 RSC, Fort Buchanan, PR; 70th RRC, Seattle, WA; 81st RSC, Birmingham, AL; 88th RSC, Fort Snelling, MN; 89th RSC, Wichita, KS; 90th RSC, Little Rock, AR; 94th RSC, Fort Devens, MA; 96th RSC, Salt Lake City, UT; 99th RSC, Oak Dale, PA. Respondents having the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirements are invited to provide information to contribute to this market survey/sources sought including, commercial market information and company information via e-mail, substantive current and/or recent past performance references that identify the contract number, customer, contract value, type of contract, p eriod of performance, prime or subcontract, brief description of services, Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) name, COR email and telephone number. Request corporate information, specify the company name and address, corporate contact points, CAGE code and attach a copy of your current CCR data. Response should include the following company information: company name, address, point of contact, phone number and email address. Respondents must respond to all of the following: Address how you will provide the requirement of world-wide support. Address how you recruit and maintain the types of personnel required by the Performance Work Statement, to include supervisory, administr ative, instructional, or other direct and indirect labor categories. Provide the types of labor categories you would use. Recommend levels of experience for each labor category. Describe your experience in providing the same/similar Services to include size and scope. Financial information to support start up costs and fiscal reserves. Address any partnering and mentor relationships you will use. Discuss how you propose to accomplish the ACES requirement. Respondents must show convincing financial evidence that they possess the financial capability to manage a large contract valued at $80 $100 million USD; provide proof of their ability to conduct global support services for the ACES Project; and provide evidence of their ability to sustain contract personnel with a global support project that has a high probability to manage a contract with a sporadic monthly negative cash flow of $3 $4 million USD. Respondents are requested to submit a Capability Statement that clearly addresses your corporate capabilities to meet the information above. The capability statement is not to exceed 20 pages must provide a summary of relevant experience and knowledge that addressees the entire scope of this requirement. The statement must include substantive current and/or recent past performance references that identify the contract number, customer, contract value, type of contract, period of performance, prime or subco ntract, brief description of services, Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) name, COR email, and COR telephone. Request corporate information, specify the company name and address, corporate contact points, CAGE code and attach a copy of your curren t CCR data. Also, advise the Government of pending changes in small business status. The capability statements will be evaluated to determine if at least two (2) small businesses are capable of performing the SOW; however, respondents will not be notifie d of the results. The anticipated period of performance for this requirement is one year base with four one year options. All data received in response to this Sources Sought solicitation that is marked, as corporate proprietary will be fully protected f rom release outside the Government. Please do not submit classified material. Again, this synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. No contract will be awarded as a result of thi s Sources Sought solicitation. No reimbursement will be made for any cost associated with providing information in response to this solicitation. All responses must be submitted by email to the point of contact identified below; no other method of transm ittal will be accepted. Large files should be submitted as .pdf or password protected zip files. Capability statements must be received by this office no later than 4:30 pm EST on June 22, 2006. Please note that submission of capability statement does n ot constitute further consideration. Point of Conta ct: Mr. Bruce R. Bethers, Email: Bruce.Bethers@hqda.army.mil
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contracting Center of Excellence, Army Contracting Agency (ACA) ATTN: Policy and Compliance, 5200 Army Pentagon, Room 1D245 Washington DC
- Zip Code: 20310-5200
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 20310-5200
- Record
- SN01073135-W 20060621/060619222253 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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