EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP) AND WORK-LIFE PROGRAM FOR USACE

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 Employee Assistance Program & Work-life Services.  This requirement is for a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Work-Life Program for its global workforce of approximately 24,000 employees located throughout the Continental United States (CONUS) and Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS). The objective is to procure services that provide confidential, short-term counseling, consultation, and coaching to address personal and/or work-related issues. The program shall also provide robust Work-Life services, training, and critical incident response.

The anticipated contract will be a single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. The corresponding NAICS code is 624190 “Other Individual and Family 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 minimum personnel required (key professionals and their qualifications).

(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. Contract Structure (PWS § 1.8): The Government is contemplating a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract. Given the variable nature of Critical Incident Response (CIR) and the "per issue" counseling model, is an FFP approach feasible? Please recommend an alternative contract structure that would provide the best value to the Government and explain your rationale.
2. Travel Budget (PWS § 1.9.8.5.2): The draft PWS contemplates a Not-to-Exceed (NTE) travel budget of $10,000 for the entire five-year ordering period. Is this amount sufficient to cover the required nationwide travel for orientations, health fairs, and CIR events? If not, please provide a recommended methodology for estimating and pricing travel.
3. Counseling "Per Issue" (PWS § 5.1): The PWS defines counseling as "up to six (6) sessions of short-term counseling per issue." The Government requests industry feedback on how the term "issue" should be defined to ensure clarity and prevent ambiguity. Please provide a recommended definition or approach.
4. Counselor Accessibility (PWS § 5.2.1): The PWS requires counselors to be located within "10 miles for urban areas, 25 miles for suburban areas and 40 miles for rural areas." Can your firm meet this requirement across all 50 states and USACE's remote locations? Please comment on the feasibility and cost drivers of this requirement and recommend any alternative access standards (e.g., leveraging telehealth/virtual counseling).
5. International Support (PWS § 5.2.2): The PWS requires a worldwide network of counselors. Please describe your capability and methodology for providing compliant EAP services to employees in OCONUS locations (e.g., Germany, Japan, Korea).
6. Data Rights (PWS § 1.9.8.5.4): The Government intends to incorporate a data rights clause. What data, reports, or other intellectual property generated under this contract would you consider to be proprietary contractor data versus government-purpose rights data?
7. Services to Non-Federal Personnel (PWS § 5.4 & § 6.2): The PWS includes providing emergency services to on-site contractors. Please comment on any potential liability, insurance, or implementation challenges associated with providing EAP services to non-federal personnel.
8. Key Personnel Qualifications (PWS § 1.9.8.3): The PWS requires Staff Counselors to possess a minimum of five years of post-graduate, direct EAP counseling experience. Please comment on the availability of personnel meeting this qualification on a national scale and any potential impact on recruitment and cost.
9. General Feasibility: Please identify any other requirements in the draft PWS that you consider to be ambiguous, overly restrictive, or cost-prohibitive. Provide specific PWS sections and your rationale for each.
10. Pricing Model: Please describe your company's standard approach to pricing EAP services for a large, dispersed population. Is a Per-Employee-Per-Month (PEPM) model common for a requirement of this scope? How are high-cost, variable services like CIR typically priced within such a model?

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, 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.