Intent to Sole Source - Disaster Recovery Simulation

Agency: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Location: Denver, CO 80225 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VIII intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirement, to iThrive Games Foundation for the development of an online, role-playing, Disaster Recovery Simulation. This project must be completed within one (1) year from date of award. The Government intends to negotiate a firm fixed price contract with an estimated award date of June 25, 2021. The iThrive Games Foundation is the sole proprietor of the iThrive Sim Authoring Platform, a content management system to create new scenarios and edit existing scenarios to fit the needs of each audience. This platform is unique in that it blends research-based learning modules (geared toward adolescent learners), interactive technology, logic models, and post-activity data on the decisions and knowledge points from participants. This system did not exist within the marketplace, until it was developed by iThrive in conjunction with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for use in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s The Situation Room Experience . The Recovery Simulation must provide users with the ability to make decisions based on specific disaster scenarios that will impact the user’s advancement and outcome of the simulation. The product must give the user the ability to interact face-to-face via real-time video, include chat functions, have the ability to track the users’ decisions as they progress through the simulation, and produce a post-simulation review detailing how the decisions impacted the user’s ability to recover. The product must incorporate equity principles, decision-tree/logic models, back-end learning data, and pedagogy for an adolescent audience. The simulation must be web based and accessible via computer or mobile wireless device/tablet. The vendor shall have demonstrated experience developing and producing content geared toward adolescents, an understanding of how to incorporate equity principles into curriculum/training design, and the ability to track desired learning targets throughout the simulation in order to show/demonstrate value of the simulation. The vendor shall have existing networks and distribution channels to include Partnerships with schools, government entities, museums, and libraries that have a pre-established network of customers that we will be leveraged to reduce rollout time and costs. iThrive Games Foundation has been determined to be the only source for this requirement, due their prior efforts with NARA and the creation of the existing proprietary Sim Authoring Platform. The development of a new and separate platform, that meets all the aforementioned Government requirements, would result in a significant increase in project cost and time delay for the Government. This proposed non-competitive action is based on the findings, that there are no other vendors or similar products that currently exist in the marketplace. The “simulation” products that do exist, currently use simulated scenarios as a compliment to traditional emergency management exercises as a situational awareness tool, or augmented reality as a training tool for industry-specific skills. This is a Notice of Intent to award on a sole source basis. This is NOT a request for proposals. No solicitation is available. However, any responsible source that claims they can fulfill the Government’s requirement may submit a capabilities statement, or supporting documentation, substantiating the claim via email to the Contracting Officer at [email protected] . Submission must be received no later than 5:00pm MST on June 11, 2021. Phone calls will not be accepted in response to this notice.