Federal Emergency Management Agcy, Acquisition Operations Division, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 350, Washington, DC 20472

U -- URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE FUNCTIONAL TRAINING SOL EMW-USR-001 DUE 121498 POC Mary Rouse, Contract Specialist, 202-646-3746/H.Robert Weiss, Contracting Officer, 202-646-3748 WEB: For more information, click on website -, http://www.fema.gov/ofm/bidinfo.htm. E-MAIL: Point of contact -, mary.rouse@fema.gov. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA -- "the Agency") is seeking qualified small businesses or 8(a) firms capable of delivering functional training for members of the National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System. The National US&R Response System is an integrated system of more than 5,000 federal, State, and local government responders that provides immediate lifesaving assistance at the request of State and local governments to locate, medically stabilize, and extricate victims of structural collapse. System components include twenty-seven, sixty-two member US&R Task Forces, Incident Support Teams, and technical specialists from federal, State, and local government organizations throughout the United States. Training for US&R Response System components is provided locally by their sponsoring organizations, as well as by FEMA, through periodic functional training course offerings. In order to support FEMA-sponsored functional training, the Agency intends to award a Task Order, Cost Reimbursable type contract for functional training delivery. The purpose of this announcement is to identify potential 8(a) or small business sources for delivery of functional training. The performance period for this requirement is anticipated to be 1 year, with four (4) option years. Functional training to be included in the scope of work for this contract consists of six (6) courses previously developed and delivered by a FEMA Contractor: 1) Canine Search Specialist, 2) Communications Specialist, 3) Logistics Specialist, 4) Medical Specialist, 5) Rescue Specialist, 6) Technical Search Specialist. Each of these courses is designed to provide skills needed by field responders during their response to structural collapse incidents. Course length ranges from 4-6 days, with most courses being 5-6 days in length. Most courses consist of 50 percent or less of classroom instruction. The majority of the course curriculum for each course is devoted to hands-on training in a fieldenvironment, including practical scenario-driven exercises lasting 4-8 hours. Courses such as the Rescue Specialist training course include hands-on evolutions involving the use of power, pneumatic, and hydraulic tools and related equipment for breaking, breaching, lifting, and shoring of heavy reinforced concrete. In addition to the six courses identified above, the contract will include the following three courses: 1) Emergency Support Function #9 Leader, 2) Incident Support Team, and 3) Task Force Leader. These courses are management-type courses of 5-6 days in length, consisting of classroom instruction and scenario-driven tabletop exercises. These courses are currently being developed and will be pilot-tested prior to delivery under the terms of the proposed contract. Most of the courses covered in this requirement are delivered for 50-60 students per session. Firms interested in supporting this activity must be capable of performing the following activities: arranging for and reimbursing the travel and per diem of students and instructors, including the ability to purchase airline tickets for participants; identifying and retaining qualified instructors for each course; identifying and obtaining training sites that adequately support course objectives (with the exception of the three management courses identified above, the Agency has no sites suitable for this training); procuring equipment, supplies and training props required to satisfy course objectives, including the lease of heavy equipment, as required; providing liability insurance coverage for students and instructors; and completing course curriculum updates prior to course delivery, including the ability, as required, to convert training courses to a train-the-trainer format. In responding to this announcement, interested 8(a) or small business firms are requested to submit a capabilities statement addressing their capabilities for, and citing their previous experience with, the activities or similar activities to the ones outlined above. Capabilities statements should identify previous experience the firm possesses in support of the Federal Government, as well as experience with practical training evolutions outside a conventional classroom environment. Capabilities statements exceeding 50 pages in length will be considered only up to the first 50 pages, including pictures. All interested firms shall submit their capabilities statement to Lois Cleveland, the Contract Specialist identified above, within 30 days of the date of publication of this notice. This notice does not obligate the government to issue requests for quotation/proposals or award contracts for the subject training services, nor shall the government be obligated to pay for any information developed and/or furnished by potential sources in response to this notice. Posted 11/06/98 (W-SN269275). (0310)

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