MARINE CORPS FREEFALL MULTI-MISSION PARACHUTIST COURSE

1. GENERAL INFORMATION. This RFI initiates market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10.002(b)(2)(iii) for a Marine Corps Multi-Mission Parachutist Course (MMPC). The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or pay for the information requested except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in FAR Subsection 31.205-18, Bid and Proposal Costs. This RFI is solely for gathering information and is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or a Request for Proposal (RFP). No solicitation exists at this time. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or to issue a solicitation. The Government cannot accept responses to this notice offers. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government arises as a result of submitting responses to this RFI or the Government's use of submitted information. The Government will provide additional information and issue additional requests for information at its own discretion. 2. PURPOSE. Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Training and Education Command (TECOM) seeks information regarding industry's ability to train non-Military Free Fall (MFF) qualified Marines in MFF techniques using the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Multi-Mission Parachute System (MMPS). This training must adhere to the approved USMC Multi-Mission Parachutists Course (MMPC) Program of Instruction (POI). 3. REQUIREMENTS. 3.1 Conduct Free Fall Multi-Mission Parachutist training in accordance with the USMC MMPC POI (Sources Sought-Attachment 1) and United States of America Special Operations Command (USASOC) certified MMPC. The typical MMPC course duration is twenty training days. The projected number of students per year is 420. 3.2 All instructors must have a current United States Parachute Association (USPA) Advanced Freefall Instructor rating. Fifty percent of instructor staff must possess MFF experience (i.e., prior service in a United States (US) Armed Forces MFF billet). Military Free Fall Instructor (MFFI) certification is preferred. All freefall operations must be in accordance with USMC Military Freefall Parachuting Operations manual (TM 70244A-O1) and Marine Corps Order 3120.11. Emergency Medical Technicians must hold a current license in accordance with state and national standards. 3.3 Conduct a USMC MFF Jumpmaster (JM) Course in accordance with the USASOC Military Free-Fall Jumpmaster (MFFJM) POI (Sources Sought-Attachment 2). The USMC MFF course duration is eighteen training days. The projected number of students per year is 100. 3.4 Provide classroom and practical application instruction and evaluation in accordance with current MMPC and MFFJM POIs. Classroom facility should accommodate multi-media presentation and video debriefs. Practical application should consist of vertical wind tunnel training and airborne operations. Ramp style aircraft, must be AMC/A3B Paratroop Carrier and Federal Aviation Association Part 91 and Part 135 certified as well as DoDI 4500.3 compliant. 3.5 Provide full maintenance and para-loft facilities, including oxygen safe storage and oxygen filling rooms, climate controlled packing and training area, climate controlled parachute storage areas, climate controlled classroom and debriefing rooms, staging areas and drop zones. Drop zones should accommodate student landings and have minimal hazards surrounding the drop zone. Hazards include trees, power lines, water, roads, and housing areas. All areas must be large enough to accommodate instruction for all students. The contractor must render itself available for Naval Safety Center (NCS) inspection and annual certification. 3.6 Provide parachutist equipment for each student consisting of USMC-approved parachutist helmet, jumpsuit, goggles, USMC authorized altimeter, parachutist drop bag, rubber M-4 rifle, strobe lights, green and red chemical lights, and student radio with Global Positioning System (GPS). Support equipment should consist of an altimeter test chamber, an oxygen-recharging station with drive pump, facility equipment (anything required to maintain the facility and life support equipment), expendables (e.g., office supplies, cotton webbing, sand bags), vehicles, and medical equipment. Government furnished equipment will consist of MMPS with CYPRES Automated Activation Device (AAD) and Parachutists High Altitude Oxygen System (PHAOS) equipment. 4. SUBMISSION REQUEST. Responses should include company briefings, past experience with similar efforts, and an outline of how the response complies with the MMPC performance requirements in paragraph 3. Please include an "Assertion of Commerciality" (Sources Sought -Attachment 3) as part of the submission if applicable. Responses should also include an estimated price for the requested services and an itemized cost breakdown as appropriate. Please provide information sufficient to illustrate pricing, capabilities, ability to efficiently meet MMPC and MFFJM requirements, and any government furnished equipment required to conduct the training. Responses should identify whether the services are available through General Services Administration (GSA). Please include corporate business size and whether the company is 8(a) certified, disabled veteran-owned, veteran owned, woman owned, HUB Zone, Native American, or any other Small Business Administration approved designations. Please provide all submissions electronically. Respondents should upload and submit their RFI responses by 27 February 2015 to the Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) application (https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe). Proceed as a Guest user by clicking "I do not have a CAC or this machine is not configured to read my CAC and I would like to access SAFE as a Guest User." Fill in all required fields, upload your RFI response, grant access to files to the following: erik.halverson@usmc.mil, shannon.eby@usmc.mil and steven.b.pope@usmc.mil, then click the "Submit." Vendors may request an in-person presentation following a written submission. Please contact steve.b.pope@usmc.mil with a cc: to erik.halverson@usmc.mil any time AFTER 27 February 2015 to schedule a time for an in-person presentation. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION. MCSC will not return submitted information. Subsection 27 of the Office of Procurement Policy Act (Title 41 U.S.C. - 423), as implemented in the FAR protects proprietary information responsive to this RFI from unauthorized disclosure. Respondents shall mark proprietary information as appropriate.