ACADEMIC TRAINING INSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR USACE PRIME POWER SCHOOL

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS announcement; market survey for information only, to be used for preliminary planning purposes. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Mission Support Battalion (UMSB) has been tasked to solicit for and award a contract for Academic Training Instruction Services for 12P Prime Power Production Specialist Course, in support of the USACE Prime Power School. The Government is seeking to identify qualified sources capable of providing non-personal academic instruction services for Modules B through E of the 12P Prime Power Production Specialist Course. The Government is seeking to determine the availability and capability of businesses, with a particular interest in identifying small business capabilities.

The U.S. Army Prime Power School provides critical training to soldiers in the 12P military occupational specialty. A key component of this training is a rigorous academic foundation in mathematics and engineering sciences. The Government requires a contractor, specifically an accredited academic institution, to provide instruction and award college credits for the academic portion of the 12P course.

The anticipated contract will be a single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a five-year ordering period (one 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods). The selected contractor shall provide all personnel, supervision, and other items necessary to perform academic instruction and support services for the following four (4) course modules:

• Module B: Mathematics
• Module C: Applied Physical Concepts
• Module D: Mechanical System Engineering
• Module E: Electrical System Engineering.

Key tasks include:

• Providing qualified adjunct faculty instructors who possess, at a minimum, a Master’s Degree in an engineering science and have at least three years of teaching experience.
• Reviewing the Government’s Program of Instruction (POI) and awarding approximately 32 semester hours of academic credit from the contractor’s accredited institution.
• Providing up to 300 hours of reinforcement training (tutoring) per class.
• Providing up to 480 hours of POI maintenance and curriculum updates over the life of the contract.
• Managing fluctuating class sizes, with an optimum of 24 students and a maximum of 35.

The corresponding NAICS code is 611710, “Educational Support Services.” See attached the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for further details. 

The purpose of this DRAFT PWS is to gather industry comments, suggestions or questions before the release of the solicitation. This notice is for market research purposes only with the intent to identify vendors that are interested and capable of performing the requirements listed in the attached DRAFT PWS. This notice is open to all businesses; however, the Government is particularly interested in small business vendors technically capable of supporting this requirement.

It is asked that interested parties respond to this sources sought synopsis with the following information:

I. Name of the firm point of contact, phone number, email address, CAGE code, SAM UEI number, small business status and socio-economic status as listed in the System for Award Management and the corresponding NAICS code.

II. Company's technical capability to perform a contract of this scope and complexity to include, but not limited to:

(a). Comments on the attached DRAFT PWS, to include comments on technical approach and proof of institutional accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Briefly describe your approach to:

• Recruiting and retaining instructors who meet the PWS qualifications.
• Evaluating the Government's POI to award academic credit in a manner consistent with your institution's academic standards.
• Managing the significant potential variance in student class size.
• Instructing and motivating military service members in a rigorous academic setting. This response should demonstrate an understanding of military culture, the Army rank structure, and the unique challenges and opportunities associated with instructing a student body composed of disciplined, mission-focused personnel.

(b). Demonstrate your company has the resources, personnel, and equipment necessary to provide the requested services by providing 3 examples of comparable work performed within the past 3 years (with a brief description of the project, customer names, contact information and dollar value of the projects), describing your company’s experience with similar projects for federal agencies. Your response should include specific outcomes and benefits achieved for the customer.

III. A rough order of magnitude estimate for the entire action, an estimated timeline for implementation, and methods for reducing implementation timelines and costs.

IV. Identify challenges and risks associated with meeting the requirements listed in the draft PWS and how your organization would minimize those risks.

V. Other Considerations: If there is anything else your company believes the Government should consider prior to releasing a formal solicitation, including any alternatives or innovative approaches?

The Government requests responses to the following questions to help refine the acquisition strategy. Please provide specific feedback and rationale for each response.

1. Credit Award Process: Describe your institution's established process and timeline for evaluating an external Program of Instruction (POI), such as the Government's, to determine the award of academic credit. What potential challenges do you foresee in this process, and how would your institution mitigate them to ensure a successful outcome?
2. Instructor Qualifications and Staffing: Describe your recruitment and staffing strategy for sourcing and retaining instructors who possess a Master’s Degree in a relevant engineering or applied science with at least three years of teaching experience. How do you propose to ensure adequate subject matter expertise across all four distinct modules (Mathematics, Physics, Mechanical, and Electrical)?
3. Managing Class Size Variance: Describe your methodology for managing instructional delivery and maintaining educational quality with class sizes that can fluctuate from an optimum of 24 to a maximum of 35 students. Please address your approach to adjusting instructor workload and ensuring continued student support.
4. Equipment and Facilities: Please describe your experience and capability in delivering instruction where essential equipment is provided as Government-Furnished Property (GFP). Conversely, what is your capability to provide a turnkey instructional solution, including all necessary equipment and materials?
5. Instruction for Military Personnel: Describe your institution's experience and pedagogical approach to instructing and motivating non-traditional, adult learners, specifically U.S. military service members. How do your instructors adapt their teaching methods to align with military culture, discipline, and the mission-focused context of the student body?
6. Intellectual Property: Describe your institution's standard policies regarding Intellectual Property (IP) for curriculum developed under sponsored contracts. Please confirm your ability to comply with a requirement granting the Government unlimited rights to all materials newly developed and delivered under this specific contract.
7. Managing Service Hour Caps: The PWS specifies caps for reinforcement training (300 hours/class) and POI maintenance (480 hours/contract). Describe your process for tracking these hours and your proposed method for notifying the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) when approaching these limits.
8. Cybersecurity Posture: The PWS requires contractor personnel to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC), which necessitates a certain level of cybersecurity compliance. Please state your organization's current Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 level, if certified. If not, describe your current cybersecurity posture and your plan to achieve CMMC Level 2 assessment, should it be required for award.
9. Rapid Personnel Deployment: The contract requires Letters of Certification for instructors within three business days of a task order award. Describe your firm's process for identifying, vetting, and securing qualified personnel to meet this rapid turnaround time. What risks do you associate with this timeline, and how would your process mitigate them?
10. Pricing Structure Recommendation: Based on your experience, what contract pricing structure (e.g., Firm-Fixed-Price per student, tiered pricing based on class size, Firm-Fixed-Price per course iteration) would you recommend to provide the best value to the Government while managing the performance risks identified in the PWS, such as fluctuating class sizes and service hour caps?

This market survey is for informational and planning purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). It is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government. No award will be made as a result of this market survey. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any private sector input because of this market survey. The Government is not obligated to notify respondents of the results of this survey.

Please respond to this request no later than 1:00 PM ET on 23 January 2026 to Douglas Pohlman, Contracting Officer, at Douglas.E.Pohlman@usace.army.mil and Giorgiana Chen, Contracting Officer, at Giorgiana.Chen@usace.army.mil.

RFI questions are due by 1:00 P.M. ET on 15 January 2026.