Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with USSOCOM

Background & Overview: United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L) is conducting market research to understand the current market capabilities of entities that are performing, or are eligible to perform, as Partnership Intermediaries under the authority of 15 U.S.C. 3715. This Sources Sought posting is a Request for Information (RFI), and is for informational and planning purposes only. This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP), and a formal solicitation is not available. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, contract, or order. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Discussion: USSOCOM uses the PIA authority to increase the likelihood of success in the conduct of cooperative or joint activities with USSOCOM and small business firms, institutions of higher education, or educational institutions to stimulate and promote technology development, and to the outbound and inbound transfer of technology between SOF AT&L and academia, industry, and Federal laboratories. USSOCOM is interested in receiving information from all responsible sources who meet the definition of "partnership intermediary" as that term is defined in 15 U.S.C. 3715(c): ...an agency of a State or local government, or a nonprofit entity owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government, that assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with small business firms, institutions of higher education as defined in section 1141(a)?1 of title 20, or educational institutions within the meaning of section 2194 of title 10, that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a Federal laboratory, including State programs receiving funds under cooperative agreements entered into under section 5121(b) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988... Submission Request: Entities that may qualify as PIA partners can submit a White Paper (WP) to inform the USSOCOM requiring activity on the entities' capabilities. Requested information is detailed below: 1.0 Specify how your entity qualifies as a PIA Partner in accordance with the statute 15 U.S.C 3715(c). 1.1 Provide a brief description of each PIA your entity has had in the past 5 years. Include the following: -PIA identification number -Period of Performance -Government Partner -Location Where Primary Services Performed -Cumulative dollar value of each Agreement -Brief summary of types of services provided 2.0 Format: White Papers shall meet the following requirements: -Electronic format -Font: Times New Roman, 12 Point -Microsoft Office 2013 or compatible format and/or PDF format -Naming convention: Organization Name_WhitePaperTitle_MMDDYYYY with no more than 50 characters and no special characters -Page Limit: White Papers shall not exceed 3 pages. The cover page is not counted in this page limit. All pages other than the cover page shall be numbered. 3.0 White Paper Submission: Submissions are requested NLT the submission deadline to this announcement. Email your White Paper submissions to the following organizational e-mail address: SOF_AT&L_AA@socom.mil 4.0 Correspondence - General: All questions and correspondence shall be directed to the SOF AT&L Acquisition Agility organizational e-mail address: SOF_AT&L_AA@socom.mil 5.0 Disclaimers/Notifications: USSOCOM may request clarification of White Paper submissions when deemed necessary. Information Papers submitted for review purposes under this RFI will not be returned. **ITEM OF NOTE** Notification is hereby provided that Covered Government Support Contractors as defined in Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) 252.227-7013, 7014, 7015, and 7025, will act as advisors to the Government to review and provide support during market research analysis. When appropriate, Covered Government Support Contract advisors may also have access to White Papers and may be utilized to objectively analyze White Papers and provide comments and recommendations to the Government stakeholders. All Covered Government Support Contract advisors shall comply with procurement integrity laws. The Government shall take into consideration requirements for avoiding conflicts of interest and ensure advisors comply with safeguarding submission data. Submission of a White Paper constitutes approval to release the submitted information to Covered Government Support Contract advisors waives any requirement for separate non-disclosure agreements.