Artificial Intelligence (AI) Training for Contracting Personnel

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Training for Contracting Personnel

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District is seeking sources capable of providing comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) training for its contracting and acquisition workforce. The training will be delivered virtually and is intended to establish a common baseline of advanced AI proficiency across the team.

This sources-sought announcement is a market research tool to identify businesses with the capability to accomplish the work described herein. This is not a solicitation. No proposals or quotes are requested at this time. Further information regarding this requirement will be available through SAM.gov upon release of any subsequent solicitation.

NAICS Code: 611430 – Professional and Management Development Training. The associated small business size standard is $15,000,000.

REQUIRED RESPONSE INFORMATION

All interested offerors are required to provide the following:

1. A list of current or past projects (within the last five years) demonstrating technical experience with work of a similar nature to that listed in the Summary Scope of Work. For each project submitted, provide a brief narrative statement of the work involved, your firm’s role, the number of participants trained, delivery method (virtual/in-person), the dollar value, and the completion date. Include any special qualifications, certifications, or relevant experience with federal acquisition/contracting training or AI applications in a government context.
2. A reference list for each of the projects submitted in item 1 above. Include the name, title, phone number, and email address for each reference.
3. A statement of your firm’s business size (Small Business, HUBZone Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Small Business, or Other-Than-Small Business) with regard to the NAICS code listed above.
4. A statement that your firm intends to submit an offer on the project when it is advertised.
5. Your firm’s CAGE Code and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).
6. Confirmation that your firm can comply with FAR 52.219-14 (Limitations on Subcontracting), if applicable, by performing at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel with its own employees or similarly situated entities.
7. Answers to the following capability questions:

1. Experience with Federal Acquisition/Contracting AI Training: Describe your firm’s experience developing and delivering AI-related training specifically tailored to federal acquisition, contracting, or procurement professionals (GS-1102 series or equivalent). Include examples of topics such as AI for market research, Performance Work Statement (PWS) development, prompt engineering for acquisition documents, AI agents for workflow automation, or compliance/governance of AI in acquisition.
2. Ability to Meet Required Learning Outcomes: The Government requires approximately 20 hours of interactive virtual instruction (structured as five roughly 4-hour modules or an equivalent modular structure) that produces the following learning outcomes for a contracting/acquisition workforce. Please describe how your firm’s existing or customizable curriculum maps to each outcome, or how you would structure training to achieve them:

1. Foundational AI and data literacy appropriate for federal employees, including responsible use, bias awareness, security considerations, and compliance frameworks.
2. Practical prompt-engineering skills that enable participants to generate high-quality, usable outputs for acquisition-related work products.
3. Application of AI tools and techniques specifically within the federal acquisition lifecycle (market research, requirements development, documentation, analysis, and related processes) while maintaining FAR and agency compliance.
4. Identification and practical use of AI agents or automation approaches to streamline routine contracting and acquisition workflows.
5. Advanced prompt-design and reasoning strategies that enable participants to evaluate AI-generated content for accuracy, sufficiency, and regulatory compliance in a contracting context.

1. Virtual Delivery & Interactivity: Describe your capabilities for delivering high-quality, interactive virtual instructor-led training (VILT) for groups of up to 30 participants. What platforms do you use? How do you ensure engagement, practical exercises, and hands-on application during virtual sessions?
2. Tailoring Capability: With adequate notice (ideally 4–6 weeks), can you tailor course exercises and examples to the USACE contracting environment (e.g., drafting/editing PWSs, market research reports, acquisition strategies, or notional purchasing data)? Describe your process for incorporating customer-provided or jointly developed relevant examples.
3. Instructor Qualifications: What are the typical qualifications and experience of instructors who would deliver AI training focused on federal acquisition? Do instructors have practical experience in contracting/acquisition, AI/ML applications in government, or both?
4. Certificates & CLPs: Do you issue completion certificates? Can training be structured to support Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) for the Defense Acquisition Workforce (approximately 20 CLPs total for a 20-hour curriculum)?
5. Pricing Structure: What pricing structures are most standard for group virtual training of this nature (e.g., firm-fixed-price per course/module for up to 30 participants, per-student pricing, or package pricing for a multi-module curriculum)? Provide rough order of magnitude (ROM) pricing if available for planning purposes.
6. Capacity & Schedule: Can your firm support delivery of approximately 20 hours of virtual instruction during the February–March 2027 timeframe (or similar Q2 FY27 window), with scheduling flexibility for the Government? What is your typical lead time for group enrollments and any minor course tailoring?
7. Session Recording for Internal Repository: Does your firm permit the Government to record the virtual training sessions for internal repository and reference purposes (e.g., for personnel who miss a session or for future onboarding)? If recording is permitted, what conditions or restrictions apply (platform limitations, instructor intellectual property, participant consent, time-limited access, etc.)? Please indicate whether allowing recording would impact price and, if so, the approximate magnitude of that impact.
8. Larger-Scale Sessions for Technical Customers / Requirements Writers: In addition to the core contracting-workforce curriculum (approximately 30 participants), the District is interested in market feedback on the feasibility of larger virtual sessions (potentially 100+ participants) aimed at technical customers, project managers, and requirements writers. These sessions would focus on responsible AI use in the development of requirements documents and technical evaluations. Real-world problem areas include: (1) technical customers using AI to draft scopes of work or specifications that inadvertently lock to a single manufacturer’s product because prompts fail to solicit competition-friendly language allowing multiple technically acceptable solutions; and (2) technical customers using AI for analysis of proposals/quotes but applying incomplete or biased prompts that result in incorrect rejection of otherwise acceptable offers or acceptance of offers that do not meet the stated requirements. Please address: (a) whether your firm currently offers, or could rapidly develop, content tailored to these use cases; (b) recommended format and length for such sessions; (c) pricing implications or structure for cohorts of 100+ versus the smaller group model; and (d) any best practices or cautionary notes for delivering effective large-scale virtual AI training to mixed technical audiences.
9. Additional Recommendations: Are there industry standards, commercial best practices, alternative course structures, or specific terms and conditions the Government should consider to attract highly qualified training providers and maximize training effectiveness for a federal contracting workforce?

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Submit responses to Brooke Moore, via email to [email protected].

Responses must be received no later than November 20, 2026 1000 (PST).

Please limit responses to no more than 12 pages (excluding cover page and any capability statements or course catalogs attached). Electronic submissions in PDF format are preferred.

Disclaimer: This notice is for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Quote or a commitment by the Government to award a contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing responses. Information provided regarding larger-scale sessions or recording rights is for planning purposes only and does not expand the current requirement drafted below.

SUMMARY OF SCOPE OF WORK

Artificial Intelligence Training for Contracting and Acquisition Personnel (Virtual Group Training)

1. GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this requirement is to obtain virtual instructor-led training services that deliver a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) curriculum to the Walla Walla District contracting workforce (approximately 30 personnel). The training will establish a standardized, advanced AI skill set enabling personnel to leverage AI tools consistently and effectively in federal acquisition processes. Total instructional time shall be approximately 20 hours.

2. REQUIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the training, participants shall be able to:

• Demonstrate foundational AI and data literacy appropriate for federal employees, including responsible use, bias awareness, security considerations, and compliance frameworks.
• Apply practical prompt-engineering techniques to generate high-quality, usable outputs for acquisition-related work products.
• Apply AI tools and techniques within the federal acquisition lifecycle (market research, requirements development, documentation, analysis, and related processes) while maintaining FAR and agency compliance.
• Identify and apply AI agents or automation approaches to streamline routine contracting and acquisition workflows.
• Employ advanced prompt-design and reasoning strategies to evaluate AI-generated content for accuracy, sufficiency, and regulatory compliance in a contracting context.

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES / PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

• Instructional Delivery: Provide approximately 20 hours of interactive virtual instructor-led training for a group of up to 30 participants. Instruction may be structured as five roughly 4-hour modules or an equivalent modular structure that achieves the learning outcomes above.
• Interactivity & Practical Application: Training shall include interactive exercises and practical application. With Government-provided input and adequate lead time (ideally 4–6 weeks), tailor selected exercises and examples to the USACE contracting environment (e.g., Performance Work Statements, market research, acquisition planning).
• Materials: Provide all necessary student materials, job aids, or reference resources electronically.
• Certificates: Issue individual certificates of completion. Training should support documentation of approximately 20 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) for the Defense Acquisition Workforce.
• Qualified Instructors: Instructors shall possess demonstrated expertise in AI applications and familiarity with federal acquisition processes or government professional development.
• Scheduling & Coordination: Coordinate session dates with the Government POC following award.

4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE / DELIVERY

Anticipated delivery window: February – March 2027 (Q2 FY27), subject to funding availability and final scheduling. All training shall be completed within the period of performance established in any resulting order.

5. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Virtual (instructor-led via Government-accessible platform such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Contractor-provided equivalent). No travel is required or authorized under this requirement.

Point of Contact for this Sources Sought: Brooke Moore, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Email: [email protected]