Third Party Contractors for Overseas and Domestic Missions

***A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS NOT CONSIDERED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. No solicitation document is available, and telephone and email requests for a copy of the solicitation will not be honored. Any response to this notice must accompany details expressing clear and convincing evidence of prospective contractor’s experience, capability and capacity to perform this requirement. The information collected is for market research. This Request for Information serves as a market survey to query the capability of the competitive market. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. This request does not bind the U.S. Department of State to any agreement, written or implied.  Submission of any information to this market survey is purely voluntary.  DOS assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred by respondents.  No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in the response. ****

This market research will identify capable businesses that can provide third party contractors to work at Arlington VA with travel overseas and third-party contractors stationed overseas in Iraq. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code assigned to this procurement is 561611 Investigation Services. Interested firms must demonstrate in their qualifications statement that they are qualified to perform the work outlined below

The Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Domestic Directorate, Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Vetting Division (CCV) has a requirement for third-party contractors. CCV is responsible for the DS’s polygraph and biometrics programs and their use to positively identify and vet Locally Employed (LE) Staff and contractors at overseas missions.  This contract would support Embassy Baghdad and Consulate Erbil in Iraq along with having support staff at the CCV offices in Rosslyn, VA. Support staff in Rosslyn VA may need to travel overseas to other embassies and consultes as needed.

Responses must clearly demonstrate capabilities through examples of previous and/or current vetting contracts with linguist support or experience closely related thereto. Vendors must specifically address the allowing capabilities:

DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION REQUESTED: 

1. Name of company.
2. POC, Telephone Number, Fax Number, Address, and e-mail address;
3. Capabilities statement as defined below
4. Company’s business size (large or small business). DUNS, UEI and CAGE Code
5. Current GSA Federal Supply Chain contracts or GWACS if any that are applicable to NAICS code 561611
6. Socio-economic Classification -8(a) business development participants, veteran-­owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-­owned small businesses (SDVOSB), HUB Zone small business concerns, small, disadvantaged businesses, women­-owned small business concerns and economically disadvantaged women-­owned small business concerns
7. Facility Security Level Clearance
8. Responses shall be in PDF, be limited to 10 pages 8.5-inch X 11 inch, using at least a 12 point font with one inch margins and with the pages numbered.

CAPABILITIES;

1. Capabilities statement shall identify company history in brief, what type of federal contracts it currently holds or has held in the last three years under NAICS 561611, and any key indicators that make your company capable of successfully performing the work described below:

• Licenses to work in Iraq, specifically in Baghdad and Erbil regions
• Knowledge of local labor laws in Iraq
• Biometric Analysts from the junior to senior levels.
• Ability to provide linguist fluent in the written and spoken languages in work region including English, Arabic, Farsi and Kurdish.
• Ability to provide all types of insurance coverage in performance of services, such as automobile liability, comprehensive general liability, worker’s compensation, employer’s liability, DBA etc.
• Ability to maintain a vetting support and linguists with the ability to immediately backfill vacant positions due to resignations, rotations, and illnesses due to a variety of reasons.
• Managing smooth contract transition efforts in 90 days.
• Ability to safely keep and track Government-Furnished Property such as cellphones and laptops
• Ability to work in a fluid environment where govt needs change with little advance notice
• Ability to recruit, vet, train and clear personnel and ensure suitability requirements for a labor force that requires positions with varying clearance levels and specialized labor categories such as Vetting Technical Specialist, Identity Intelligence Analyst, Biometric Trainer, Database Manager, Linguists, Security Liaison/Cultural Advisor, Vetting Administrative Assistant, and Identity Vetting Specialist among others.
• Provide proven program and deputy program managers that possess strong skills in situational decision-making and work with all levels of personnel. Deputy Program Managers will be posted overseas in Iraq and Program Manager is State side.
• Organized billing and invoicing procedures for multiple task orders.

Information Submission Instructions: The subject of the email must be "RFI Response – Global Vetting and Linguists” must appear in the subject line. Responses are limited to ten (10) pages not including cover page and table of contents. All responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically to Ms. Shayani Mukherjee, Contracting Officer, Mukherjees1@state.gov by February 22, 2023 no later than 12:00 Eastern Coast Time.  Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged. No mail courier responses will be accepted.