SOURCES SOUGHT
V -- Student Transportation
- Notice Date
- 8/28/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 561599
— All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Labor, Employment Training Administration, Office of Contracts Management, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, N-4649, Washington, District of Columbia, 20210, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20210
- Solicitation Number
- DOL121RI20558
- Point of Contact
- Crystal Brown, Phone: 202-693-3613, Marissa G. Dela Cerna, Phone: 202 693-3661
- E-Mail Address
-
brown.crystal@dol.gov, delacerna.marissa@dol.gov
(brown.crystal@dol.gov, delacerna.marissa@dol.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is conducting market research for an upcoming procurement requirement. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to provide DOL, Office of Job Corps (OJC) with products and services to deliver one prime contractor to be responsible for scheduling and ticketing authorized travel by Job Corps enrollees and students using the most direct, safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation methods and strategies. In response to the SOW, potential contractors shall provide a Performance Work Statement (PWS) that addresses the scope, objectives, and constraints mentioned below. A Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) shall also be included that explains what, when, and how the Government will measure, monitor and assess the PWS standards and goals. A key objective for the PWS and QASP should be ongoing identification and use of efficient and effective methods and strategies when arranging student travel. BACKGROUND: Job Corps is a national workforce education and training program with 124 Job Corps centers located throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. (See http://www.jobcorps.dol.gov for complete listing and locations of centers.) A number of centers are located in rural areas with limited modes of transportation available. The program enrolls more than 62,000 youth annually between the ages of 16-24. Enrollments occur throughout the year. While enrolled in the program students require travel for various reasons. These reasons are listed in the Job Corps Policy Requirements Handbook (PRH), Exhibit 6-3; see http://www.jobcorps.dol.gov. The approximate annual cost for student travel is $23 million for all modes of transportation. Each year the program has two peak travel periods, when students are on winter and summer breaks. During these periods over 40,000 students will require round-trip travel arrangements to be finalized prior to departure from their centers. Over 100,000 travel purchase transactions are made annually, with a near equal number of ticket purchases for air travel and bus travel, and a smaller number of purchases for rail and other modes. Current travel policy outlined in the Job Corps PRH requires centers to arrange travel for each of their students, much like what an individual would do when scheduling his/her own travel. Because of the wide variability methods used among the 124 operating Job Corps Centers to arrange for and ticket student travel, managing and controlling ticket and fee costs, taking advantage of travel discounts, and receiving consistent and clear travel documentation has been challenging. SCOPE OF SERVICES: The contractor shall provide and maintain a full range of travel services that will include, at a minimum, the following: •· Provide knowledgeable and qualified staff during regular business hours and on-call during non-business hours who can arrange travel for new enrollees and students from or to any location within the U.S. and its territories. •· Provide a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan that will complement the PWS and explain what, when, and how the contractor and Government will measure and evaluate performance. The Plan shall also explain the monetary and non-monetary incentives used to reward superior performance and disincentives to apply should work not meet contract performance standards and goals. •· Remain up-to-date and aware of travel discounts and/or concessions offered by transportation carriers. •· Provide monthly invoices that show individual travel costs, fees, taxes, etc. •· Provide management reports that show the status of the operation, such as credits pending, refunds received, and number of unused tickets, and provide online, real-time reconciliations to Government transportation credit accounts used for payments. •· Provide the ability to e-ticket ground transportation and allow boarding passes to be printed at students; locations on centers and conduct online check-in whenever possible. •· Provide the needed staff and resources to promptly arrange safe and expedient travel for students in cases of emergencies, to include situations where a center must be evacuated because of severe damage to the facilities caused by a weather disaster or in a worst case, the national shutdown of the program. PURCHASE VEHICLE; PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: It is expected that a multi-year, performance-based GSA Blanket Purchase Agreement/IDIQ will be awarded with annual reviews conducted as required by FAR Subpart 8.4. The place of performance will be the contractor's normal business location with deliverables, i.e., tickets to be provided as directed in the travel order. A pre-established, per-ticket fee would apply for the vast majority of charges invoiced to the Government by the contractor. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Contractors are encouraged to propose innovative and commercially accepted travel methods and strategies that will meet or exceed the following performance objectives: •· Arrange the most direct, safe, efficient, and economical mode of travel for new enrollees and students. •· Provide responsive and courteous customer service to new enrollees, students, centers, and administrators, and optimize we-based services and technologies that would assist Job Corps centers. •· Use effective and efficient ticket ordering methods, timelines and strategies that keep the number of unused tickets to a minimum, including offering integration with the Travel Management System developed and managed by the Job Corps Data Center (JCDC) to receive travel orders and communicate ticket information. •· Provide a QASP that continually promotes outcomes that meet or exceed all PWS standards and goals, and whenever possible, reduce travel costs. •· Promptly apply discounts and/or concessions offered by transportation carriers when arranging travel. •· Provide timely and accurate invoices, periodic management reports, and state-of-the-art technology services that reflect the status of the operation. •· Process travel orders, schedule changes, electronic ticketing and online baggage check-in whenever feasible, and distribute tickets and/or boarding passes in an efficient and prompt manner using the Internet. OPERATING CONSTRAINTS: As contractors develop and propose the most effective travel methods and strategies for Job Corps students, they shall consider the following: •· Comply with all Federal, state, and local regulations governing travel and standards and practices used by the travel industry. •· Comply with the requirements of the Job Corps PRH •· Be able to arrange the most direct, safe, efficient and economical mode of transportation from any location in the U.S. and its territories. •· Comply with all appropriate Federal Government and Job Corps system security requirements and information. •· Data and support systems will be subject to internal/external audits. Instructions and Response Guidelines Please list all federal agencies that are currently using services provided by your company. Responses to this (RFI) shall not exceed 15 pages, must be viewable with Microsoft Word 2003, and printable on "8.5 x 11" paper. Responses must use 12 point font, the margins of each page should be at least ½ inch, and each page should contain a page number. This (RFI) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government to issue a Request for Proposal or award a contract. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted, for the vendor-sponsored demonstration or the Government's use of such information. Sources responding to this Sources Sought should submit the minimum information necessary for the government to make a determination that the source is capable of satisfying the requirements. Acknowledgment of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will respondents be notified of the Government's evaluation of the information received. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Request For Information or the Government's use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Responses should be identified with DOL121R120558, and are due no later than 4:00 P.M. (EST) on September 8, 2012. All interested parties must submit their responses via email to brown.crystal@dol.gov. Questions regarding this RFI will NOT be entertained at this time. Telephone calls regarding this RFI will not be accepted. The government reserves the right to compete any acquisition resulting from this survey among small businesses or to make an award to an 8(a) firm, based on the responses received. This sources sought notice is for planning purposes only and does not commit the government to pay for the information requested, issue a solicitation, or award a contract. No solicitation document exists at this time.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOL/ETA/OJC/DOL121RI20558/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Office of Job Corps, Washington, District of Columbia, 20210, United States
- Zip Code: 20210
- Zip Code: 20210
- Record
- SN02859281-W 20120830/120829001342-5cb4717336d936c43cc7b86d5fe397fb (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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