Personal Protective Skills (PPS) Training

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP), NOR IS IT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ). Offers or proposals will not be accepted. Additionally, this notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract and, it does not obligate the Government to pay for any information, bid and/or proposal preparation costs. This RFI shall not be construed as a formal solicitation or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Any information provided to the Government is strictly voluntary and at no cost to the Government. Any formal solicitation will be announced separately. The Air Force is only interested at this point in identifying interested and capable contractors for this service. PURPOSE OF NOTICE: The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency (AFICA) 765th Specialized Contracting Flight (SCONF) supporting Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command (HQ AFSOC) at Hurlburt Field, Florida anticipates releasing a Total Small Business Set-Aside Request for Proposal (RFP) under Solicitation Number FA0021-14- R-0008, with a draft RFP release anticipated Mid March 2014. The title for this solicitation is Personal Protective Skills (PPS) Training. This requirement provides PPS training and Sexual Assault (SA) Awareness and Prevention education and training support to HQ AFSOC directorates and other Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) units. SCOPE: HQ AFSOC is seeking information concerning the availability of capable contractors to provide contract support for Personal Protective Skills (PPS) training services in CONUS and OCONUS locations. PPS training will be outlined in a section of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and primarily consists of direct contact combatives/self-defense techniques using the crawl-walk-run approach. The contractor will provide training and testing for all participating personnel up to basic and instructor proficiency levels. The contractor will also provide a Sexual Assault Awareness seminar. For purposes of this sources sought, sexual assault is defined as, "Intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent." (Department of Defense Directive 6495.01, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program, Jan 2012). The seminars will be given as part of normally scheduled training. Lecture content shall be coordinated with the Authorized Government Representatives prior to scheduling and performance of the lecture. All HQ AFSOC directorates and AFSOC units i.e.,1st Special Operations Wing (Hurlburt Field), 24th Special Operations Wing (Hurlburt Field), Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center (Hurlburt Field), 27th Special Operations Wing (Cannon AFB), 352 Special Operations Group, (Royal Air Field Mildenhall, England) and 353 Special Operations Group (Kadena Air Base, Okinawa), and other AFSOC supported SOF entities/locations are considered primary using activities for this contract effort. Contractor must be able to employ personnel that can obtain a passport for OCONUS. GENERAL CONTRACT WORK: The Contract Performance Work Statement (PWS) will define requirements and locations where training will be needed. PPS training and the Sexual Assault Awareness seminar will occur on a military installation. The nature of the work to be performed for any AFSOC location and will be specifically identified. This requirement mandates that the contractor maintain personnel with the expertise to instruct and train all students throughout the life of the contract. The nature of this work will at times demand that the contractor be capable of quick response to tight deadlines. The contractor may be required to perform unscheduled training on short notice. The contractor shall perform scheduled training each week, five days per week with the exception of federal holidays or down-day/no-training days. Down-day/no-training days will be identified to the contractor as soon as practicable prior to the scheduled training. Class hours will be tailored depending on class/unit requirements. The contractor will provide 40 hours of training per student for PPS basic level proficiency. The contractor will provide an additional 20 hours of training per student designated to become qualified to the PPS instructor level proficiency. The contractor will provide a Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Seminar. The contractor shall train an estimated 2500 personnel per year to a PPS basic level of proficiency and an estimated 160 personnel to the instructor level of proficiency. The government will identify the individuals by name who will receive the instructor level training. The contractor shall provide 8 hours of refresher training for personnel in the option years as required. Additionally, the contractor shall provide Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Seminar to an estimated 10,000 personnel. Class sizes for the basic and instructor level of PPS training may include up to 30 students per instructor per session. Some students may require additional training to ensure proficiency and certification. Class size for the Sexual Assault Awareness seminar may include up to 200 personnel per session. SERVICES SHALL INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: Assist in ensuring USAF SOF personnel are properly organized, trained, and equipped; Conduct analysis, research, training development, instruction, and management support to ensure that the AFSOC personnel are prepared to conduct and support operations in hostile environments, and survive. Due to the dynamic and unpredictable nature of military operations and sexual assault, training shall incorporate realistic physical and psychological aspects. The contractor shall develop a curriculum and a training timeline describing their training plan. The required training goal is for each student to achieve proficiency in the following techniques; lethal counters to grabs, chokes, and headlocks or grappling; counters to punches and kicks at intermediate range; counters to ground fighting attacks; unarmed counters to edged or handheld weapon attacks; knife fighting to include knife grips, stance, and strategies; neutralization of unarmed or armed personnel; non-lethal counter to grabs, chokes, and headlock or grappling to neutralize enemy on the ground; non-lethal counter to punches and kicks at intermediate range. The goal of these skills and techniques are multifold: disengage, disarm, disable and/or neutralize the enemy, depending on the level of violence. All techniques in the system shall be performed using task, condition, and standard format, which offer other participants the opportunity to monitor training, and gain proficiency and standardization. All techniques in the training shall utilize preparatory commands and commands of execution to ensure safe, controlled training while utilizing close order drill methodology. The training must allow for daily full speed, full contact inoculation to interpersonal violence without special training areas or special training aids. All techniques in the training shall be based on principles that remain constant regardless of scenario, equipment, and/or opponent. The training shall be designed to be executed without the use of any special training equipment or training areas. The techniques trained can be tested for standardized proficiency. Personnel shall be tested on all aspects of direct contact combatives/self-defense instruction to include program development, skill attainment, and maintenance. Ability of designated personnel, upon completion of instructor training, to teach all aspects of the basic system to squadron size units or smaller without the aid of training aids or special training areas. Instructor-level students will also be instructed on fitness training, injuries, proper military instruction of physical skills, and psychological aspects of killing. EXAMPLES OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: The contractor instructors shall posses 12 years experience providing instruction in traditional martial arts with a current ranking of two(2) fourth degree Black Belt in a discipline. The contractor instructors shall have at least eight (8) years of Special Operations Forces and/or Law Enforcement combatives instructional experience and ten (10) years of experience teaching sexual assault awareness education and sexual assault prevention/self-defense skills. Additionally, the contractor instructor must have experience teaching 30 or more students in a session. The contractor instructor must have good communication skills able to both clearly distinguish and instruct the differences between the specific martial arts disciplines and combatives training techniques being taught. CONTRACTOR INSTALLATION ACCESS REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall obtain base identification and vehicle passes, if required, for all contractor personnel who make frequent visits to or perform work on the Air Force installation(s) cited in the contract. Contractor personnel are required to wear or prominently display installation identification badges or contractor-furnished contractor identification badges while visiting or performing work on the installation. The Contractor shall be required to complete the following forms (to be provided at the pre-performance conference) in order for employees to gain access to the installation: Contractor Employee Listing; Hurlburt Field Contractor Access Badge Affidavit (CAB); Department of Homeland Security Form I-9 (DHS I-9). GENERAL INFORMATION: Information contained in this synopsis is subject to change. It is the responsibility of the prospective offeror to check this site regularly for any changes. This acquisition is set-aside for small business under NAICS 611620 utilizing Standard Size Code of $7M. Note - at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the small business concern (FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting). The Government anticipates issuing one (1) Contract on a firm-fixed price basis with cost-reimbursable line items for travel. This basic contract ordering period shall not exceed a total of 5-years from contract award date; Base contract with four (4) option years. Future information on this acquisition (draft Performance Work Statement (PWS), solicitation, questionnaires, etc.) will be posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov) Contracting method will be in accordance with FAR Part 13. The Government reserves the right to award without discussions. This is not an RFP and is not to be construed as any commitment by the Government. This notice is not an offer by the Government to enter into a contract. The Government will not pay for any information prepared or provided by interested parties. Interested Small Business concerns must identify to the contracting officer their interest and capability to satisfy the Government's requirement within 15 days of this notice. An electronic response is the preferred method. Capability information are requested from all interested parties and are encouraged to e-mail the Contracting Specialist, Major Martin A. Muniz at martin.muniz@hurlburt.af.mill with the completed Market Research Questionnaire. Responses shall be provided no later than 28 February 2014. The Government is under no obligation to consider information received after the due date as part of the formal market research for this acquisition.