Notice of Intent: The United States Department of Energy, Advanced Research Projects Agency –Energy (ARPA-E), intends to award a sole source Purchase Order to Activate Global, Inc . The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302-1(a)(2) –Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This synopsis is being published for informational purposes only. ARPA-E requires an organization that specializes in the business and soft skills required for commercialization, which involves training and bridging the business skills gap for project participants. This will allow a more seamless or efficient route that can transform the technology deliverable from ARPA-E into a marketable business. A workshop held at Climate Week in New York City, specifically for ARPA-E funded projects in geologic hydrogen, mining, and iron refining/processing is designed to train ARPA-E project participants necessary and specific skills for these industries. Topics for training include value creation, technoeconomic analyses, value chain identification, developing and pitching an elevator pitch to industry partners and investor panels specific to these subject matters, all of which can be very useful for ARPA-E project participants to achieve future market success after the project’s period of performance. The applicable North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 611699 –All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction. Business size standard for NAICS 611699 is $16,500,000. The statutory authority for permitting other than full and open competition for this requirement is pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) and FAR Part 6 for the aforementioned requirement based on the application of FAR 6.302-1(a)(2), only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services. ARPA-E has a need for transforming funded deliverables into commercially viable technologies. In many cases, this has taken the form of project members (including but not limited to graduate students and post-doctoral scholars) forming small businesses and raising private capital. However, uneven and inadequate training is typically provided to these project members. A workshop held at Climate Week in New York City to learn, interact, and develop the ideas needed for business formation can more efficiently translate skills for project participants while also building new technological communities. Activate employs a Fellowship program to drive the translation of early-stage scientific research into commercial products and businesses. Activate was the world’s first entrepreneurial research fellowship, supporting the creation of nearly 200 small businesses. The services sought are aligned with the experience and programming that Activate offers to active fellows. Activate provides hands-on, on-site, tailored mentorship through Managing Directors of the communities who have all previously taken laboratory-scale technologies and created businesses from them. In-depth programming for fellows is specifically designed to upskill them into “deep-tech”-focused entrepreneurs who aim to provide technologies based on substantial scientific or engineering challenges. These challenges are often substantially distinct from other start-up company challenges due to the lengthy research and development processes and longer return periods for investment. ARPA-E seeks this programming and mentorship in the form of the two-day workshop. While there are other services or programs who also provide entrepreneurial training, Activate is the only fellowship with an extensive experience in “deep-tech” mentoring, specifically with a significant community of fellows and companies working in the ARPA-E participants’ fields. This event is specifically for projects involved in geologic hydrogen, mining, and iron refining/processing. Activate has deep knowledge of and relationships with individuals involved in earth-based resources, with fellows who have founded companies focused on geothermal, mining, and metal processing technologies. Activate is the only entrepreneurial training program which can provide on-site support for this event due to the proximity of the New York Community office, lowering the travel expenses. Activate has previously held networking events during New York Climate Week that is heavily attended by ARPA-E participants. Another critical unique aspect of Activate is the nonprofit status, which leads to the least likelihood of potential conflicts of interest with any portfolio companies. Other fellowship programs, services, or groups are part of for-profit organizations who offer entrepreneurial training but are supported through investment. Activate takes no equity stake in any participants in their Fellowships or similar programming. Activate still has partnerships with Cyclotron Road, a part of the DOE national lab system, making them advantageous in understanding specifically where ARPA-E project participants’ funding and research projects sit within the DOE’s funding across the research, development, demonstration, and deployment spectrum. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement in response to DOE’s intent to purchase on a sole source basis. Any capability statements shall be considered by the Government if received by 2:00 p.m. local (Washington D.C.) time, Thursday, October 1, 2024. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government to change the acquisition strategy for the proposed requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to award. You may contact SAM by telephone at 866-606-8220 or online at https://beta.sam.gov/. The anticipated award date for this acquisition is October 15, 2024. Any information, including capability statements, should be e-mailed to
[email protected], no later than by 2:00 p.m. local (Washington D.C.) time, Thursday, October 1, 2024. Only inquiries/information received by this date will be considered. Be advised that all correspondence sent via e-mail shall contain a subject line that reads "Entrepreneurial Workshop.”