Request for Information (RFI): Classroom and Editorial Support Services

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), on behalf of the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), has developed this Request for Information (RFI) to solicit market research information from industry to assist the Government with analysis of a Government requirement and provide commercial insight on performance-based solutions, best practices, possible contractual arrangements, and potential issues. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. It is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation, or an indication the EMI will contract for the items contained in the RFI. This RFI is part of a Government market research effort to determine the scope of industry capabilities and interest and will be treated as information only. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and the Government will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. If a Solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website http://www.fbo.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that Solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI does not restrict the Government's acquisition approach on a future Solicitation. The Government's requirement is to obtain a non-personal services contract for on-site classroom and editorial support at EMI, Emmitsburg, MD. The contractor shall be required to provide administrative support services for EMI and other programs; for the preparation of training materials for all types of course delivery, logistical support for training delivery, word processing, editorial, and conference/meeting support, classroom technical support and Higher Education Program support. Support is also required for printing, maintaining, and disseminating information. A draft statement of objectives (SOO) is attached to this announcement. It is anticipated that any resultant contract(s) that might result from this survey would have a period of performance from 01 October 2011 through 30 September 2012 and will have four option years. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 561110; and the small business size standard is $7.0M. The Government desires that respondents offer their experience and recommendations on the following questions and issues related to the EMI requirements. We recommend that you first review the draft Statement of Objectives (SOO) so that you may have a better insight on the questions below. (1) Are the Statement of Objectives clear, concise, and/or sufficient enough to develop and submit a Performance Work Statement (PWS) in response to a request for proposal (RFP)? (2) The Government anticipates this procurement shall be a competitive 8(a) set-aside. What is the business size standard of your company (small business, SDB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), Large, etc)? If 8(a) eligible, please provide current status regarding your scheduled graduation date from the 8(a) program under this NAICS code. (3) Is 30 days a sufficient amount of time for a contractor to prepare a proposal given the scenario of a full trade-off best value source selection requiring a technical and price proposal and past performance references? If 30 days is not sufficient, please provide a reasonable timeframe to prepare a proposal. (4) Respondents to this RFI should describe their interest and ability to perform the requirements summarized within this notice by submitting a capability statement. (5) Discuss any concerns, comments or recommendations you may have with the attached draft SOO. Responses should contain Company Name, Address, Point of Contact, Phone Number, Fax Number, CAGE Code, Size of Business pursuant to NAICS code 561110 (size standard $7M) and GSA contract number (if applicable). Please submit all responses through e-mail to the point of contact identified in this notice. Responses should be formatted as an email response or as an attachment in MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf). Attachments should be limited to a maximum of five (5) pages. Proprietary/Competition Sensitive information (appropriately marked) will be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent practical, however it is preferred that respondents do not provide proprietary or otherwise restricted responses. Responses should be submitted to both POCs listed below no later than 3:00 PM EST, March 31, 2011. No faxes, courier delivered, or telephone inquiries/submissions will be accepted. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. PROPOSALS AND/OR QUOTES SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.