NCRTM 2.0 RFI

This is a sources sought notice only. The U.S. Department of Education is issuing this notice in an effort to conduct market research on vendors that can provide the service required, as well as to receive feedback, on the attached draft Performance Work Statement. Respondents shall provide the following vendor profile information: 1. Company name; 2. Company address; 3. Company website URL; 4. Company point of contact (name, telephone number, fax number and email address); 5. Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, etc.); and 6. A brief summary of the organization's specific experience providing application management and processing support services to various government and non-governmental programs. 7. Please also address the following questions (limited to no more than five (5), single spaced, response submission): - Are there any upcoming technology that may possibly replace Webinars in the near or not too distant future? How could the Government leverage these upcoming capabilities, should it choose to do so, and how is it applicable to the requirement identified in this RFI? will it be a seamless transition? - The Government intends to award this requirement on a Firm Fixed price basis. Please identify problems your company has encountered for same/similar type requirements, and the solution implemented, as it is unlikely that the Government will deviate from awarding Firm Fixed price contracts, to ensure the requirement was still completed on time and on budget, with minimal modifications to the the contract? The information provided in response to this RFI may be used by the Department in developing an acquisition strategy and the related performance work statement, statement of objectives, or performance specifications. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. Industry feedback is vitally important and the Government will be receptive to any and all ideas received from industry. The responses to this notice will help to determine marketplace capabilities and help shape the Department's future strategy for procurement of a solution to meet its requirements. Respondents may be contacted for additional information. A letter stating your interest or requesting a copy of the solicitation is NOT sufficient to determine contractor capability. Vendors are invited to include general marketing material for their solution, as necessary. Vendors are invited to include links to videos, screenshots, or demo instances of their solution, as necessary. The Department may, at its option, request demonstrations from specific vendors to provide further information or clarification. The request for a demonstration does not indicate any preference for a particular solution. Demonstrations will focus on key requirements, overlooked requirements, and alternatives to extraneous requirements. Key requirements include configuring application forms, configuring reviews, and scoring applications. Information regarding any future solicitation will not be discussed. Information submitted in response to this notice will be used for planning purposes only. This notice shall not be construed as a request for proposal. This notice does not obligate the Government to solicit or award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government in its ultimate acquisition approach, nor obligate the Government to pay for any proposal preparation costs. No entitlement to payment for direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will accrue as a result of a submission or of a response or use of such information. Please note that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. The Department does not intend to post Questions and Answers as an amendment to this notice. Instead, the Department intends to take those questions as items that will be utilized to strengthen the Department's RFP/Solicitation documents. NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME and no date has been established for the solicitation issuance. Interested parties are requested to respond to this notice with the information specified in the following sections no later than August 12, 2015, 08:00 AM EST. Responses shall be less than 15 single-spaced pages, not including general marketing material, and submitted via e-mail only to the assigned Contract Specialist, Suzanne Casey, at suzanne.casey@ed.gov, with a courtesy copy to Ryan Battad at ryan.battad@ed.gov.