This is a Sources Sought Synopsis. This announcement is issued for informational and planning purposes only. This synopsis is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Responses to the synopsis will not serve as proposals, bids, or offers, which could be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Department of State’s Office of Acquisition Management (A/LM/AQM) is conducting a market research to identify potentially qualified sources capable of providing the minimum requirements for full and open competition for the Department of State’s requirement for defensive driver training facility and services. An overview of the services include but not limited to instructors, classrooms, instructional materials, firing and explosive ranges, sufficient vehicles to conduct the training and storage/maintenance capability for 18 Government vehicles. The Department of State’s minimum requirements for defensive driver’s training and other services are described below. I. TRAINING SITE REQUIREMENTS - The training will be conducted at the contractor's site; a facility near the Washington, DC metropolitan area and convenient to overnight facilities to accommodate all students. The overnight facilities shall be within 30 miles of the training facility. The location of the contractor’s facility shall not exceed an 80 road mile radius from the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC. II. On-site fire suppression equipment suitable for suppressing a vehicle fire, and personnel trained in its operation; on-site emergency medical equipment and personnel trained in the treatment of injuries associated with vehicular, firearms and explosive accidents. (Maximum 2 minute response time to the incident site). III. DRIVING FACILITIES SPECIFICATIONS – An adequate training facility which allows true-to-life vehicle attack scenarios to be enacted. A safe (defined below) appropriately paved, two lane, asphalt or concrete, closed loop road course is required. The road course shall be a minimum of 1.25 miles in length. Site shall be secluded with measures taken to prevent casual observation of the training activities. To induce multiple vehicle handling situations the driving track must have the following: (a) Straight-aways, flat and, up and down hill (one shall be suitable in length for at least 90+ mph emergency speeds); (b) Uphill turn; (c) Downhill turn; (d) Constant radius turn; (e) Increasing and decreasing radius turns; (f) Flat turn; (g) Negative and positive camber turns; (h) S-turns; and (I) Two turns which can be continually covered with water when required. The shoulder(s) of the two-lane road course shall be of natural terrain, i.e., gravel, dirt or grass thereby allowing the student a sense of off the road surface and experience the loss of vehicle control due to differing conditions. It will also allow the student to employ proper off road recovery techniques to regain control and safely reenter the road. The driving facility shall have a safe skid pad capable of being completely flooded with water for instructing over and under steer skid control. The road course shall have natural foliage and/or natural terrain cover and concealment areas along straight-aways and turns to allow for realistic surprise, vehicle and on-foot attack and ambush scenarios. (Note: “Safe” is defined as free of hazards such as broken pavement, potholes, and road edge drop-offs of more than eight inches, trees, barriers, ditches, or any other dangerous obstructions too close to the road course.) IV. FIRING/EXPLOSIVE/DRIVE AND SHOOT RANGE FACILITIES - Frequently, two or three DSTC courses will be conducted concurrently. Therefore, simultaneous use of multiple ranges is required. For personnel safety, if the ranges are within close proximity (200 yd radius) of each other, no other contractor clients will use any of the vacant ranges without permission of the DS Range Master or his representative. All ranges shall comply with applicable Firearms/Explosives safety regulations. All ranges shall be constructed so that stray rounds/fragmentation cannot exit the range containment area. During explosive detonations all outdoor activities within a 300 yard radius of the explosives range shall cease until explosive activities are completed. All ranges shall be separate from one another and configured in such a manner that simultaneous courses of fire can be safely accommodated. The final decision regarding safety issues will be made by the DSTC Range master (Firearms/Explosive) or his designated representative. All ranges shall be fully functional and operable during all types of inclement weather (i.e., flooded or muddy ranges cannot be used). Unless firing lines are permanently covered, Contractor shall provide and set-up portable canopy covers to cover firing lines. The use of portable covers will be at the discretion of the DSTC Chief Firearms Instructor. V. FIRING/EXPLOSIVE RANGE FACILITIES SPECIFICATIONS - (A.) FIRING RANGE: (1) Minimum 50 yard range, 14 firing lines and 14 movable target stands. (2) Minimum 50 yard steel plate range, two firing lines (minimum of six steel reactive plates per firing line) and two stand alone steel reactive plate placed between the two firing lines. (3) Minimum 100 yard range, 14 firing lines and 14 movable target stands. (B.) DRIVE AND SHOOT RANGE - A minimum of 80 yards of straight driveable terrain to include vehicle turn-around areas at each end. Driveable terrain shall be flat and consist of road gravel or hard paved surface. A safe firing range, at least 40 yards wide and 15 yards deep, will be located at the midway point of the drive area and a minimum of six movable target stands with attached backers will be set up on the firing range. (Range width measurements are from side berm to side berm and depth measurement is from backstop to front edge of side berm.) (D.) EXPLOSIVES RANGE - A minimum of 75 yards from detonation point to observation building and, have the capability to detonate a maximum of one-half pound of various explosive material. One inoperable but undamaged vehicle shall be provided at the detonation point for explosive demonstration purposes. A 50 foot area around the detonation point shall be cleared of all foliage or other flammable material. Range area grass/weeds shall be mowed and area shall be cleared of hazardous/fragmentation material (E.) OBSERVATION BUILDING - Provide an observation building to allow for an unobstructed view for a minimum of 20 students. Front facing and roof shall be constructed so that blast fragments will not penetrate to the inside. Front viewing window(s) shall be constructed of blast fragmentation resistant material. (F.) STORAGE VAULT - Provide a storage vault for the storage of weapons/explosives. This vault shall meet the following requirements: (1) A vault or room within a larger vault to be partitioned off and locked with a DSTC padlock. Minimum size is 64 square feet (with a minimum of 8 linear feet uninterrupted by angles/corners and a minimum depth of 8 linear feet uninterrupted by corners/angles), with a minimum height of six feet. The vault or reserved area will be for the exclusive use of DSTC during actual training periods. (2) Vault shall be alarmed and monitored by a 24-hour police/responsible security agency with immediate alarm response capability. (G.) UTM/Simmunition Ballistic Rated Shoot Rooms - Facility shall be covered and protected from inclement weather conditions. It shall include a minimum of 10 rooms and 3 hallways in varying sizes, replicating a normal small residence/office. All rooms shall have electric lighting and operational doors that open in varying directions. VI. STORAGE AND MAINTENANCE OF GOVERNMENT PROVIDED VEHICLES. (A.) VEHICLE STORAGE BUILDING - Provide one storage building at the contractor’s facility for securely storing a maximum of 18 DS provided U.S. government training vehicles. (1) Sited at a location adjacent to, or convenient to the track and vehicle maintenance facility. (2) Constructed of wood, brick, concrete block, or metal; (3) Sufficient inside electric lighting. (B.) VEHICLE MAINTENANCE SPECIFICATIONS: (1) Perform all maintenance required to ensure that the DS training vehicles are in a safe operable condition. (2) No Later than 5 work days prior to beginning each course, all DS training vehicles used for the specific course shall be cleaned inside and out, fueled, and ready for training in a safe and operable condition. (3) Provide fuel for all DS training vehicles. (4) Wax each DS training vehicle every six months. (C.) Maintain individual files on each DS Training Vehicle and document all work completed and all invoiced costs. VII. CLASSROOMS - Provide clean, climate controlled classrooms, at each location, that will seat a minimum of 25 students. As a minimum, the classrooms will be equipped with the following operable devices: (a) One VCR (b) One monitor (c) One overhead projector (d) One projector capable of projecting computer generated presentations. (e) One projection screen (f) One blackboard or dry erasable marker board. Each classroom shall have fully operational modern restrooms immediately available. Restrooms shall be sanitary, cleaned daily and stocked with soap, paper towels and toilet paper. Each classroom shall have safe, potable water immediately available VIII. CONTRACTOR PROVIDED VEHICLES Provide vehicles to be used in the training exercises/scenarios, per course being offered: (A) Automatic transmission, four-door, sedans. Vehicles used shall be kept in operable condition during the training course or replacement vehicles shall be available (no more than five minutes of student down time shall be allowed due to inoperable vehicles). All training vehicles, except disposable ramming/PIT vehicles and HUMVs, shall have: Operable air conditioning system and fully operational front and rear window defogging systems. Simple 0n/0ff ABS switch, designed to preclude turning the ignition on and off to reset the ABS system. (B) Operable vehicles shall be provided to allow each student a maximum of two vehicle blockade ramming exercise. (C) Four-door, automatic transmission sedans for the DSTC instructed, two car, basic motorcade driving shall be provided. (D) Minimum of two four-door sedans to be used as limousines and two four-door sedans to be used as follow-cars in the motorcade attack scenarios. A vehicle disabling system shall be installed, by the contractor, in each limousine vehicle. This system must, when covertly activated by the VIP role player, simultaneously shut-off the engine and activate an electronically detonated smoke canister attached to the underside of the car. (E) Four-door, four wheel drive vehicles suitable for safe training in the Off-Road course is required. (The DSTC Driving Instructor will have final authority on safety issues.) Vehicles used shall be kept in operable condition during the training course or replacement vehicles shall be available (no more than five minutes of student down time shall be allowed due to inoperable vehicles). (F) Four wheel drive HUMVEE vehicles for selected driving exercises. (G) The contractor shall have, in reserve, vehicles to be used as replacements for vehicles which become inoperable during a training exercise. (No more than five minutes of student downtime shall be allowed due to inoperable vehicles). IX. DIRECTOR OF TRAINING: Experience in establishing and maintaining qualified staff. A minimum of five years of experience in managing multi-year Federal/State Government contracts; firearms training programs; and driver training programs. DRIVING INSTRUCTORS: A minimum of three years of experience in the field of defensive driving and anti-terrorist driving methods and techniques. Instructor(s) shall have current in-depth knowledge in the methods and operations of terrorist groups in conducting vehicular attacks including experience in the operation of protective security details. This is not a request for or an announcement of a solicitation. Your responses will be used solely for market research purposes of the Government. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. Interested sources are requested to send e-mail to the address below. Please provide responses by 12:00 noon on Monday, December 12, 2005 the following information: (1) The name and location of your company, contact information, and identify your company as a small business or large business. (2) Information that clearly indicates your capability to meet the above requirements. (3) The name and contact information for customers, current or previous, for which you have provided service similar to the Department of State's. (4) Interested parties are requested to submit responses electronically to Veronique Clark, Contract Specialist, e-mail address:
[email protected]. No other information regarding this requirement will be provided at this time. Your response is appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact Veronique Clark, Contract Specialist, Tel: 703-875-4263. All information received in response to this announcement marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected from release outside the Government. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. The Sources Sought announcement is requested for informational purposes only. NOTE: THE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR VERONIQUE CLARK IS INCORRECT IN THE POINT OF CONTACT SECTION. THE CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IS:
[email protected].