FLARNG Employment Support Program (FLESP)

This contract requirement, titled the FLARNG Employment Support Program (FLESP), seeks qualified 8(a) small business contractors to provide non-personal services through Employment Coaches across the state of Florida to support the Florida National Guard J9’s mission of enhancing employment opportunities and career pathways for National Guard members, reservists, and their families. The period of performance spans five years, beginning September 29, 2026, with a base year and four one-year option periods extending through September 28, 2031. The contract is structured as a Firm-Fixed Price, Commercial type under a Competitive 8(a) Set-Aside, with NAICS code 541612, and will be awarded using a Best Value Trade-Off evaluation method that places significant emphasis on the firm commitment of proposed key personnel, whose failure to demonstrate a binding commitment may result in automatic rejection of the offer. The contractor is solely responsible for the recruitment, training, management, and accountability of all Employment Coaches who will operate throughout six key regions of Florida—Jacksonville, the Panhandle, Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami—with additional services rendered at federal installations and offsite locations as required. Contractors must comply with strict operational and administrative protocols including adherence to Department of Defense privacy and operations security standards, such as AR 530-1 requiring Level I OPSEC training for all new employees within 30 days of reporting and annually thereafter, and DFARS 224.103 mandating that the contractor bear full responsibility for notification, call-center support, and credit monitoring costs in the event of a personally identifiable information (PII) breach. Performance is governed by a detailed Performance Work Statement requiring the development and maintenance of a Quality Control Plan submitted within 15 days of contract award, subject to ongoing Quality Assurance Surveillance defined by a Government QASP that ties performance to measurable Acceptable Quality Levels. Deliverables include monthly progress reports, daily updated client and employer databases, quarterly metrics reports, marketing and social media plans, and annual roll-up summaries, all delivered according to strict timelines. The contractor must also ensure all staff maintain professional conduct and business casual attire, secure written approval for all government-directed travel through the Contracting Officer’s Representative, submit travel expenses via WAWF, and obtain official authorization to use the program’s branding on materials like business cards, apparel, and nametags—with funding for these items included in the contract. Organizational conflicts of interest