Returning Alaskan Native & Native American Remains - Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC)

The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) is issuing this sources sought synopsis on behalf of the Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC) as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for the returning of Alaskan Native and Native American remains currently interred in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery (CBPC) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The intention is to procure these services on a competitive basis. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. DISCLAIMER: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT. BACKGROUND: Since 2016, the United States Army, Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC) has consulted and engaged with Alaskan Native and Native American families, tribes, and nations who have expressed interest in disinterring the remains of Alaskan Native and Native American children who are currently interred in the CBPC in Carlisle, PA. Between 2017 - 2022, the Army has hosted five disinterment events at CBPC in support of 35 approved disinterment requests. As part of OAC's mission, they will continue to support disinterment requests and require contractor support to facilitate the transport and reinterment of the decedent remains in private cemeteries chosen by the families. The objective of this requirement is to provide OAC with licensed funeral home professional services, transportation of remains via commercial carrier, and subsequent interment in Native Alaskan, Native American, or private cemeteries in accordance with all Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule, Federal regulations, and State regulations for Funeral Services Providers in support of annual CBPC disinterment events. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES: The Contractor shall provide licensed personnel, motor vehicles, and professional services for disinterment, interment, and transportation of human remains in support of the areas specified in Program Background (above). Further detail is provided in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) attached to this announcement (Attachment 1). If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. ELIGIBILITY: The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 812210 (Funeral Homes and Funeral Service) with a Small Business Size Standard of $11.0 million. The Product Service Code is G001 - SOCIAL - CARE OF REMAINS AND/OR FUNERAL. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT): Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than ten (10) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 2 pm, EST, 29 March 2023. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to Samantha Hannah at contact@example.gov. This documentation must address at a minimum the following items: What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement? Please provide up to 3 examples of similar work that your company has performed as prime or sub-contractor (to include the contract number(s) and aggregate dollar value). 2.) Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details. 3.) Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details. 4.) What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks? 5.) Please note that under a Small-Business Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, the small business prime must perform at least 50% of the work themselves in terms of the cost of performance. Provide an explanation of your company's ability to perform at least 50% of the tasking described in the PWS. 6.) Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, Unique Entity ID, etc. 7.) Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern. Additional Market Research Questions: Does your company have guidelines to follow for delivery of professional funeral decorum? Please give examples of standards you maintain - staff, vehicles, equipment, etc. How does your company plan for contingency actions in the event the primary plan for transportation of remains out of the local area is disrupted? How does your company keep customers updated on the transportation plan and location of remains in transport? Does your company have experience accessing and conducting work on military installations? Does your company make planning considerations for family members who wish to accompany remains during transportation to final interment locations? Does your company have experience requesting state disinterment/interment/transportation documentation? Does your company have a process/procedure for maintaining the chain of custody during the transfer of human remains? Please briefly describe. Please provide examples of the casket type(s) that you think best meets the requirements of the PWS. Is your company able to source caskets on an - as requested basis? A single-award, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ), firm fixed price (FFP) contract with a five (5) year ordering period is anticipated. Specifics regarding the period of performance will be provided in the solicitation. Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Samantha Hannah, in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email contact@example.gov. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be submitted to the contract specialist identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.