Role Player Support

This purpose of this notice is to inform potential Offerors of the formal Contracting Officer determination regarding a formal Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) challenge submitted against the solicitation for H9224026QE075 under notice ID H9224026QE.

The challenge was submitted pursuant to:

• Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information
• 32 CFR Part 2002, specifically 32 CFR § 2002.50 (Challenges to designation of information as CUI)
• Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5200.48, Controlled Unclassified Information, Section 4.3 (CUI Challenges)
• Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 4.19 and FAR Clause 52.204-21
• Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Subpart 204.73, DFARS 252.204-7012, DFARS 252.204-7019, and DFARS 252.204-7020
• Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity

Following review of this challenge, the Government has formally denied the challenge in full.

No alterations, de-controls, or revisions will be made to the solicitation documents, Performance Work Statement (PWS), or associated attachments. The solicitation remains active and will close on schedule on 16 October 2026, under all terms and conditions, current security classifications, safeguarding controls, and distribution constraints.

SUMMARY OF DETERMINATION & RATIONALE

The challenge requested partial de-control of CUI designations across administrative deliverable frameworks, labor category qualification criteria, and pre-award recruiting parameters. The Government’s formal determination is summarized as follows:

1. Labor Category Specifications and Public Recruitment - Determination: DENIED
   1. Concern: Inability to post open public requisitions or conduct pre-award recruiting without disclosing CUI-marked labor specifications.
   2. Rationale: The labor specifications and qualification matrices reflect tactical execution profiles, scenario design methodologies, and capabilities essential to mission-critical operations. Publicly de-controlling these specifications presents operational vulnerabilities. Pursuant to DoDI 5200.48, Section 4.2 and 32 CFR § 2002.16, potential Offerors may source candidates by issuing high-level commercial labor descriptions or by executing pre-award non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with vetted candidates before disclosing controlled position criteria.
2. Administrative Deliverable Structures vs. Populated Reports - Determination: DENIED
   1. Concern: Request to de-control unpopulated administrative reporting frameworks, milestone schedules, and report templates (e.g., Monthly Status Reports, Quality Control Plans, and After Action Report structures).
   2. Rationale: Under DoDI 5200.48 and DoD Directive 5205.02E (Operations Security Program), deliverable schedules, reporting triggers, and exercise milestones contain actionable indicators regarding maritime exercise rhythms, unit readiness cycles, and training cadences. Releasing unpopulated frameworks creates data-aggregation risks; therefore, reporting templates and structural schedules remain protected under CUI Basic / Defense / OPSEC safeguarding requirements.
3. Cybersecurity Overhaul, Subcontractor Flowdown, and Derivative Documents - Determination: DENIED
   1. Concern: Compliance burdens associated with mandatory NIST SP 800-171 and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) flowdown to low-level vendors, along with a request to distribute contractor-generated derivative summaries.
   2. Rationale: Mandated cybersecurity standards under Executive Order 14028, DFARS 252.204-7012, and the DoD CMMC program (32 CFR Part 170 / 48 CFR Chapter 2) apply across all defense supply chain tiers handling Covered Defense Information (CDI) and CUI. Contracting Officers cannot waive statutory safeguarding standards or authorize contractors to unilaterally de-control or distribute derivative operational descriptions.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL NOTIFICATION

Pursuant to 32 CFR § 2002.50(c) and DoDI 5200.48, Section 4.3(b), an authorized holder who disagrees with this challenge determination has the right to file an administrative appeal with the Cognizant CUI Senior Agency Official (SAO) within fifteen (15) calendar days of determination issuance. Pending any administrative appeal, all existing CUI designations and safeguarding rules remain fully active and legally binding.

REMINDER TO POTENITAL OFFERORS

1. The solicitation closing date is reaffirmed as 16 October 2026 at 10:00 am ET.
2. All potential Offerors are strongly encouraged and advised to read and review all solicitation documents, Performance Work Statements, attachments, contract clauses, amendments, and public postings in full.
3. Potential Offerors seeking access to the controlled solicitation package shall submit a formal request via the designated Government Point of Entry (GPE). Requests hall verify:
   1. Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov)
   2. A valid Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code
   3. Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) under NAICS 611699
   4. Representation of compliant information systems adhering to DFARS 252.204-7012 / NIST SP 800-171

All sharing of solicitation materials with prospective teammates and subcontractors shall strictly utilize encrypted DoD-approved transmission methods in compliance with established dissemination controls.

Amendment 1:

The purpose of this notice is to issue Amendment 0001 to Request for Quotation (RFQ) / Solicitation H9224026QE075 for Role Player Support Services.

This procurement is conducted as a 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 611699 (All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction).

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to:

1 Extend Proposal Submission Date: Extend proposal submission date to 16 Oct 2026, 10:00 AM ET.

2. Revise Solicitation Sections: Revise Section L (FAR 52.212-1 Addendum) and Section M (FAR 52.212-2 Addendum) to incorporate changes resulting from Q&A as well as make administrative corrections.

3. Notice that FAR 52.228-5 (Insurance - Work on a Government Installation) will be incorporated upon contract award.

4. Post Government Responses to Vendor Questions (Q&A): Publish the compiled Question and Answer (Q&A) document. (Note: Access must be requested via SAM.gov in the same manner as the CUI PWS).

5. Incorporate Revised Attachment 1: Incorporate revised Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement (PWS) - Role Player Support Service. (Controlled Unclassified Information - CUI)

6. Incorporate Revised Attachment 2: Incorporate revised Attachment 2 – Pricing and ELIN Sheet.

7. Incorporate Wage Determinations: Incorporate Attachments 5 through 8 (Wage Determinations for Niland, San Clemente, Ft. Hunter, and Seal Beach, respectively).

8. Incorporate Revised Attachment S.2: Incorporate revised Attachment S.2 – Initial Task Order Request Niland (formerly titled "Sample TOR").

9. Incorporate Attachment S.3: Incorporate Attachment S.3 – Initial Task Order Request SCI (San Clemente Island).

2. CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI) & CONTROLLED DOCUMENT ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS

CRITICAL NOTICE TO OFFERORS: Certain solicitation documents including the Q&A document, the revised Attachment 1 (Performance Work Statement - PWS), and associated task order technical exhibits contain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or controlled procurement details. Offerors shall request access to the Q&A document, revised CUI Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement (PWS) - Role Player Support Service, and applicable controlled attachments directly through SAM.gov under this solicitation listing.

Explicit Request Required: Offerors will not be able to download the Q&A document or the revised CUI Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement (PWS) - Role Player Support Service directly without requesting and receiving approved access through SAM.gov.

Eligibility Requirements: Access will only be granted to interested vendors with an active SAM.gov registration, verified CAGE Code, documented authorization/need-to-know, and verified eligibility under the SDVOSB set-aside under NAICS 611699.

Processing Time: Offerors are strongly advised to submit access requests through SAM.gov immediately. Please allow sufficient time for the Contracting Activity to verify credentials and process authorizations. Delays in requesting access do not constitute grounds for an extension of the proposal submission deadline.

Handling & Safeguarding: All CUI and controlled materials provided must be stored, handled, transmitted, and destroyed in strict compliance with DoD CUI policy and applicable federal guidelines.

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS & ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENT

Revised Submission Deadline: All proposals/quotes must be received no later than 16 Oct 2026 at 10:00 AM ET.

Submission Method: Proposals shall be delivered in accordance with the updated instructions in Section L (FAR 52.212-1 Addendum). Late submissions will be handled in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(f). If an Offeror’s proposal is marked as or contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), the proposal shall not be transmitted via standard unencrypted email. Instead, the Offeror must contact the Contracting Officer (KO) by email no later than [e.g., 48 hours] prior to the proposal submission deadline to formally request a secure upload link via the DoD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange) service. The Government will provide a one-time link to the Offeror for the secure transmission of its CUI-marked proposal. It is the Offeror's responsibility to request this link in a timely manner to ensure its proposal is submitted by the required deadline. Any proposal containing CUI that is transmitted through unsecure means may be rejected and may not be considered for evaluation.

Acknowledgment of Amendments: In accordance with solicitation terms and FAR provisions, Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of Amendment 0001 by signing and returning a complete Standard Form 30 (SF-30) with proposal submission.

ORIGINAL:

This solicitation is set aside exclusively for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB). The objective of this requirement is to provide realistic role player support services in support of the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) enterprise. These critical role player services include routine unit-level training exercises as well as periodic, short-notice advanced training exercises, both designed to replicate the complex tactical environments and scenarios encountered by Special Operations Forces (SOF). Role player requirements span eight distinct categories, including specialized linguists, tactical opposing forces (OPFOR), amputee role players, and pyrotechnic/weapons subject matter experts. Offerors are strictly required to read all solicitation documents in full to ensure complete proposal submission compliance.

Attachment 1 - Performance Work Statement (PWS) contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Due to strict security and dissemination controls, the PWS is password-protected. Prospective offerors shall email the Contracting Point of Contact, Emily Lonigro, at Emily.Lonigro@socom.mil to obtain the access password. All email requests shall explicitly reference solicitation number H9224026QE075 and shall include the requesting firm's Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code as well as their SAM Unique Entity ID (UEI).

Offerors shall submit written questions during the quote and proposal preparation period utilizing Attachment S-1 - Q&A. All questions shall be received no later than 10:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) on 24 September 2026, as only written questions will receive a formal response. To ensure a timely and precise response from the government, each submitted question shall include the document name, document date, specific page, paragraph, clause, or other definitive citation requiring clarification.

Final quotes shall be submitted no later than 10:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) on 14 October 2026. Quotes shall remain valid for no less than 180 days from the date of the RFQ closing.