COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS OPENING (CSO)
HS0001-24-R-CP01
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
Security Education & Training Systems (SETS)
SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and Authority
The Security Education & Training Systems (SETS) Program Management Office (PMO) provides lifecycle program management services for all system capabilities required to enable DCSA's mission areas to provide education & training to government and industry workforces. The intent of the SETS program office is to provide DCSA with an operational data centric information technology solution that fully enables learners, educators and administrators where DCSA will host independently developed eLearning, instructor-led, and virtual instructor-led training.
The SETS PMO currently provides services to the following primary mission owners:
• Security Training (ST) - Delivers security education, training and certification to the DOD and industry with a special focus on developing Investigations Professionals (Internal to DOD) and Polygraph and Credibility.
• Human Capital Management Office (HCMO) - Provides annual and continuing development of all non-security related training and employee development.
• Office of the Program Executive Officer (PEO) - Provides system training for identified DCSA users, industry, and administrator communities.
• National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) - Provides system training for identified NBIS users and administrator communities.
1.2 CSO Procedure
This CSO is a competitive solicitation seeking proposals for innovative, commercial technologies that accelerate attainment of defense capabilities. This CSO will result in the award of commercially-available technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, as well as concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities that can incrementally improve commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, or concepts for defense application.
The CSO is soliciting Solution Briefs in response to Areas of Interest (AOIs). AOIs are focused topic(s) categories noted in a separate attachment to the SAM.gov posting. All Solution Briefs submitted in response to any AOI will be governed by this CSO unless otherwise noted in the AOI.
AOIs are written in a much broader manner than standard Government solicitations to maximize latitude in creativity when approaching a problem and to allow for maximum participation from commercial vendors who may not be familiar with submitting proposals to Government solicitations.
The Government may post AOIs at any time. Interested Companies are encouraged to frequently check SAM.gov for new AOI postings.
The CSO outlines the competitive procedures to submit a response to an AOI and consists of four-phases: Solicitation and Evaluation, Solution Brief and Demonstration, Refined Solution Brief and Demonstration, and Full Written Proposal:
Phase 1 Solicitation and Evaluation: The Government posts an AOI document to SAM.gov, and fields questions and responses to the posting. An initial evaluation and down selection is completed to refine the selection pool to applicants who have indicated capability.
Phase 2 Solution Brief and Demonstration: Solution Briefs submitted in response to an AOI shall be submitted as specified in Section 3 of this CSO. The Government will evaluate Solution Briefs against the criteria stated in this CSO. The Government will not pay Companies for the costs associated with Solution Brief submissions.
Phase 3 Refined Solution Brief and Demonstration: Companies whose Solution Briefs are evaluated to be of merit may be invited to provide a pitch following the instructions provided in Section 3.3 of this CSO. The government reserves the right to limit the number of Companies invited to pitch. As such, a company’s solution may be evaluated to be of merit, but not invited to pitch. In the event that the Government requires a demonstration, additional information will be provided in the specific AOI highlighting those procedures, otherwise Phase 3 will be comprised solely of the pitch. The Government will not pay Companies for costs associated with demonstrations or pitches, unless otherwise stipulated.
Phase 4 Full Written Proposal: Those Companies whose Solution Brief and Pitch are evaluated to be of merit and are selected for potential award may, if funding is available, be invited to submit a full written proposal following the instructions provided in Section 3.4 of this CSO. The Government will not pay Companies for costs associated with the proposal creation, unless otherwise stipulated.
SECTION 2 – DEFINITIONS
“Area of Interest” (AOI) means an announcement posted on SAM.gov which may result in the award of an award.
“Commercial Solutions Opening” (CSO) is DCSA’s competitive process to obtain solutions or new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technological advances under 10 U.S.C. §3458
“Nontraditional Defense Contractor” is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 2302(9) as an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the DoD for the procurement or transaction, any contract or subcontract for the DoD that is subject to full coverage under the cost accounting standards prescribed pursuant to 41 U.S.C. § 1502 and the regulations implementing such section. This includes all small business concerns under the criteria and size standards in 13 C.F.R. § 121).
“Nonprofit Institution” means a nonprofit institution, as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 3703 as an organization owned and operated exclusively for scientific or educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.
“Small Business” is defined under Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)
“Innovative” means any new technology, process, or business practice; or any new application of an existing technology, process, or business practice that contributes to enhancing military effectiveness and sustaining global peace and U.S. national security.
SECTION 3 - GUIDELINES FOR SOLUTION BRIEFS, DEMONSTRATIONS/ PITCHES, AND PROPOSALS
3.1 General Guidelines
1. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or proposals are not desired.
2. Use of a diagram(s) or figure(s) to depict the essence of the proposed solution is strongly encouraged.
3. Companies may submit multiple Solution Briefs in response to any single AOI if each submission represents a separate and distinct concept.
4. Technical data with military application may require appropriate approval, authorization, or license for lawful exportation.
5. All Solution Briefs, Pitches, and Proposals shall be unclassified. Solution Briefs, Pitches, and Proposals containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall include the following sentences on the cover page:
“This [select one: Solution Brief, Pitch, or Proposal] includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government, except to non-Government personnel for evaluation purposes, and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this submission. If, however, an agreement is awarded to this Company as a result of -- or in connection with – the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent agreed upon by both parties in the resulting agreement. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use the information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]”
Each restricted data sheet should be marked as follows:
“Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”
6. Submissions must be made electronically at dcsa.quantico.cpo.mbx.pmo-sets-cso@mail.mil or via DOD Safe link shared upon request.
7. Submissions sent through other channels or after the AOI period has ended will not be reviewed nor evaluated.
8. Solution Briefs that are chosen for the Phase 3 Refined Solution Brief and Demonstration will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.
3.2 Phase 1 Solicitation and Evaluation
Questions may be submitted to the DCSA mailbox (dcsa.quantico.cpo.mbx.pmo-sets-cso@mail.mil). A response will be provided as soon as practicable.
An addendum to this CSO may be posted within the AOI announcement on SAM.gov with updates to the posting and/ or responses to questions submitted that may be relevant to all potential offerors.
3.3 Phase 2 Solution Brief and Demonstration
PHASE 2 SOLUTION BRIEF CONTENT
Solution Briefs should not exceed five (5) written pages using 12-point font or, alternatively, Solution Briefs may take the form of briefing slides which should not exceed fifteen (15). These limits are not requirements but are strongly recommended.
Title Page (does not count against page limit)
Company Name, Title, Date, Point of Contact Name, E-Mail Address, Phone, and Address. Specifically identify the AOI for which the Solution Brief is submitted.
Executive Summary (one page)
Provide an executive summary of the technology.
Technology Concept
Describe the unique aspects of your technology and the proposed work as it relates to the AOI. Identify whether the effort includes the pilot or demonstration of existing commercial technology (identified as commercially ready and viable technology), or the development of technology for potential defense application. If development or adaptation is proposed, identify a suggested path to mature the technology. Identify aspects which may be considered proprietary.
Company Viability
Provide a brief overview of the company. Provide a summary of current fundraising to date or a summary of the top line (gross sales/revenues). Provide a summary of product commercialization and go-to-market strategy.
PHASE 2 SOLUTION BRIEF BASIS OF EVALUATION
All solution briefs correctly submitted in response to an AOI will be evaluated against the stated criteria below.
1) Relevance of the Solution Brief in addressing the AOI;
2) Company’s approach and/or underlying technology is unique, underutilized and/or innovative to Government application. In addition, the Government finds this approach and/or underlying technology to be a compelling solution to the AOI problem statement.
3) Technical Merit and feasibility of the solution to address Government AOI problem statement.
Additional technical evaluation criteria specific to a particular project may be used. In these instances, the additional criteria will be posted within the AOI announcement on SAM.gov.
Solution Briefs will be evaluated on the basis of the merit of the proposed concept in addressing the AOI, not against other Solution Briefs submitted in response to the same AOI. Additionally, while not overtly stated in AOIs, the Government’s evaluation will consider whether the proposal increases the likelihood of accomplishing the stated aspects of DCSA’s mission.
DCSA routinely receives more Solution Briefs than has the resources to award. All submissions will be fairly evaluated, however, only a select few will be invited to pitch. The government reserves the right to limit the number of Companies invited to pitch. As such, a company’s solution may be evaluated to be of merit, but not invited to pitch. Solution Briefs that are chosen for the Phase 3 Pitch will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.
3.4 Phase 3 Refined Solution Brief and Demonstration
PHASE 3 PITCH CONTENT
In Phase 3, companies shall provide an in-person or virtual Pitch to demonstrate and provide further details on their proposed concept/technology/solution and the technical and business viability of the proposed solution. The Government may elect to use external market research during the Pitch to evaluate a Company’s viability. In addition to the Pitch, the Government, at its discretion, may request for consideration an additional written submission to further supplement the information provided in the previous phases. During the Phase 3 Pitch, the Company must detail/address:
Estimated Price/Schedule: Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) price and notional schedule for how this concept may be executed within the DoD.
Data Rights Assertions: The Solution Brief will identify any IP involved in the effort and associated restrictions on the Government’s use of that IP.
In addition to these required areas, the Government may request the Company provide additional information/detail with respect to the Technology Concept information provided in the previous phases.
PHASE 3 BASIS OF EVALUATION
Individual pitches will be evaluated against the following factors:
1. The functional merit constrained by feasibility of the proposed solution; and
2. The alignment of the proposed solution with the provide technical requirements – to include Cyber Security constraints; and
3. The approach or technology is innovative (within CSO definition) when considered against current government applications; and
4. A cost comparison that balances identified functionality against fiscal constraints; and
5. The offeror’s ability to deliver the proposed solution, including the Offeror’s past performance and qualifications of any identified key personnel.
Individual pitches will be evaluated on the basis of the merit of the proposed concept in addressing the AOI and the factors above, not against any other Pitches held under the same AOI. Pitch submissions will be valid for 180 calendar days after the pitch date. Upon completion of evaluations, the Government will notify the Company that: (1) the proposed concept/technology/solution has been selected for possible award and the Company is invited to submit a full proposal; (2) the proposed concept/technology/solution is not of interest to the Government; or (3) the proposed concept/technology/solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to availability of Government resources.
If the proposed concept/technology/solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to availability of Government resources, the Company may be contacted with a request to respond to a proposal request within 180 calendar days from the pitch date. If after 180 calendar days from the pitch date (or earlier if notified by DCSA), Government resources are not identified to formally move into Phase 4, the Company will no longer be eligible for an award under that particular AOI.
3.5 Phase 4 Full Written Proposal
PHASE 4 PROPOSAL CONTENT
The final phase of the CSO process is the full written proposal. Based upon the evaluation detailed above, the Government may issue the Company a request for written proposal. The Company will be invited to develop and submit a full written proposal and negotiate appropriate terms and conditions governing the project. Companies may discuss ideas and details of the proposal during the proposal writing process with the Government. Each proposal submitted shall consist of two sections: Section 1 shall provide the technical proposal; Section 2 shall address the price/cost/schedule portions of the proposal. These proposals will be assessed by DCSA subject matter experts. Companies may propose their own internal terms and conditions (e.g., Service License Agreements (SLA) and/or User License Agreements (ULA)) to be considered during negotiations with the Government.
Companies should note that there are certain terms and conditions the Government is unable to accept. However, projects awarded through the CSO are flexible to adopt customary industry standards where it is otherwise legal and where it meets the Government’s needs.
3.5.1 Section 1 Technical Proposal
Title Page
Company Name, Title, Point of Contact Name, Date, E-Mail Address, Phone, and Address and any subcontractors or team members. Include an abstract which provides a concise description of the proposal.
Propose a Technical Approach
Describe the background and objectives of the proposed work, the approach, deliverables, and the resources needed to execute it. Include the nature and extent of the anticipated results.
Include ancillary and operational issues such as certifications, algorithms, and any engineering/software development methodologies to be used. This proposal must include a Statement of Work (SOW) identifying the work to be performed and the deliverables. Provide a detailed project schedule that outlines the various phases of work to be accomplished within the proposed period of performance. You may refer to the Solution Brief that prompted this proposal request, but do not duplicate it.
Government Support Required
Identify the type of support, if any, the Company requests of the Government in general such as facilities, equipment, data, and information or materials.
3.5.2 Section 2, Price Proposal
The Company shall propose a total price to complete the project and provide any other data or supporting information that is necessary for the determination of a fair and reasonable price. This can include, but is not limited to, commercial price catalog or other proprietary information to help the Government assess project cost.
Additionally, while not required to be specifically addressed in the proposal (with the exception of the 1/3 cost-share requirement, if applicable), the Government will review the proposal to determine if the following statutory requirements are met:
1. Quantity: quantity is limited to that needed to prove technical or manufacturing feasibility or evaluate military utility
2. Meets mission effectiveness standard: Is directly relevant to enhancing DoD mission effectiveness
3. Meets non-traditional participation/cost share requirement: Non-traditional defense contractor contributes to a significant extent or not; if not, 1/3 cost share implementation is addressed
4. Defense Utility: Solution is applicable to a DoD platform, system or component
SECTION 4 – AWARDS
4.1 General Guidelines
Upon favorable review and available funds, the Government may choose to make an award. Awards will be made using the contracting method most appropriate for the solution component in question while accounting for pricing and source availability. The Agreements Officer will negotiate directly with the Company on the terms and conditions of the award, including payments, and will execute the award on behalf of the Government. Only an Agreements Officer has the authority to enter into, or modify, a binding agreement on behalf of the Government.
Companies must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and must register in the System for Award Management (SAM) to receive an award. Companies are advised to commence SAM registration upon receipt of proposal request.
Companies must also register in the prescribed Government invoicing system (e.g. Wide Area Work Flow). DCSA will provide assistance to those Companies from whom a full proposal is requested.
The Company must be determined to be responsible by the Agreements Officer and must not be suspended or debarred from award by the Federal Government nor be prohibited by Presidential Executive Order and/or law from receiving award.
Receipt of a proposal request does not guarantee that a Company will receive an award. The Government reserves the right, at any point prior to award, to cancel the proposal request.
SECTION 5 – NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS
Non-Government advisors may be used in the evaluation of Solution Briefs, Pitches and during Proposal development and negotiations. Non-Government advisors will have signed
non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the Government. Companies may enter into specific NDAs directly with the Non-Government advisors or their corporate entities. Submission of an offer under this CSO will constitute a grant of authority by the submitting company to the Government to allow the use of non-Government advisors to participate in evaluations of all phases of the CSO process.
The Government understands that information provided in response to this CSO is presented in confidence and may contain trade secret or commercial or financial information, and it agrees to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure to the maximum extent permitted or required by Law, to include:
a. 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Trade Secrets Act);
b. 18 U.S.C. 1831 et seq. (Economic Espionage Act);
c. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) (Freedom of Information Act);
d. Executive Order 12600 (Pre-disclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential Commercial Information); and,
e. Any other statute, regulation, or requirement applicable to Government employees.
DCSA policy is to treat all submissions as confidential information, and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, during the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by support contractors for administrative purposes and/or to assist with technical evaluation. All DCSA and DoD support contractors performing this role are expressly prohibited from performing DCSA-sponsored technical research and are bound by appropriate NDAs.
Submissions will not be returned. The original copy of each submission received will be retained at DCSA and all other non-required copies destroyed. A certification of destruction may be requested, provided the formal request is received at this office within 5 calendar days after notification that a proposal was not selected.
Clarification 1: DCSA will be accepting briefs until the posted closing date, 31 Dec 2024. However, early submission is encouraged as briefs will be evaluated as they are submitted.
Clarification 2: While the posted closing date remains the same, DCSA will give priority evaluation for all follow-on phases to vendors who make their Phase 1 submission on or before 30 October 2024.
