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: Labor Category Specifications and Public Recruitment - Determination: DENIED Concern: Inability to post open public requisitions or conduct pre-award recruiting without disclosing CUI-marked labor specifications. 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. Administrative Deliverable Structures vs. Populated Reports - Determination: DENIED 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). 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. Cybersecurity Overhaul, Subcontractor Flowdown, and Derivative Documents - Determination: DENIED 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. 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 The solicitation closing date is reaffirmed as 16 October 2026 at 10:00 am ET. 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. 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: Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) A valid Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) under NAICS 611699 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