Academic Skills Testing (AST)

Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) Acquisition Management Directorate, intends to solicit for a single award contract for the Academic Skills Training (AST) requirement on behalf of the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). The anticipated period of performance for the contract includes a (twelve-month base period 30 May 2026 through 29 May 2027), and four, twelve-month option periods. If all options are exercised, the overall period of performance is 30 May 2026 through 29 March 2031.

The goal of this requirement is to ensure that Service members are prepared for transition to the civilian workforce following military Service. More specifically, the requirements shall (1) cultivate competitiveness and success for service members both internally with their professional growth and externally in transition, (2) enable Service member access to quality postsecondary educational opportunities, empower informed Service member decision-making, shape meaningful personal and professional pathways, and drive military student success in higher education.

Deliver a commercially available, computer adaptive, asynchronous web-based course that improves cognitive, metacognitive and non-cognitive academic skills from basic through pre­ college level learning for Service members. The required training shall be available as an online course and shall include a combination of diagnostics, which drive individualized learning paths for each student. The courseware shall include at a minimum:

a.           Formative, interim, and summative assessment of academic knowledge and skills.

b.           Interactive and immersive instructional modules tailored to address multiple learning styles arranged into customized learning pathways. Instruction shall include interactive elements requiring responses from the user.

c.           Varied instructional and delivery methods (i.e. self-directed asynchronous course, lesson content videos, etc.)

d.           Definitive milestones for measuring readiness in terms of ASVAB scores and introductory level college course placement.

e.           Course collaboration tools (i.e. message boards, etc.) that enable learner interaction with peers.

f.            Integrate open source and/or contractor developed videos to support instruction and remediation.

g.           Non-cognitive and meta-cognitive skills development, such as goal setting, time management skills, self-efficacy, growth mindset, etc., into separate instructional modules and/or incorporated into the cognitive skill lessons as applicable.

h.                          Progress-based or time-based motivational prompts within instructional modules. For example, reminding users of a goal they identified as important in motivating their use of the training.

i.                           At least 50% of the instructional examples will incorporate topics designed to be engaging and relevant to Service members. This material can include topics they may encounter in their daily lives, content related to common military occupations, or topics they may encounter in college preparatory academic coursework, such as sports and fitness, history and social sciences, or non- cognitive skills.

j.           Student dashboard to aid in navigating the tool, direct users to their customized learning pathways, and provide feedback of their progression through their pathway, skill improvement, and engagement. The dashboard should enable users to select whether they would like to use the help features. If a user responds 'no,' they would not receive the prompts for interaction described above.

k.           Pre-tests to identify academic skills needed and to inform the creation of customized learning pathways. Leaming modules within pathways shall address specific skills based on pre-test results and student-identified goals.

l.         A self-assessment of goals, meta-cognitive, and non-cognitive skills. Indicators of progress through recommended modules and indicators of progress within a module. Normalized pre and post-test scores should show a minimum improvement of 20% in scores.

m.           Access to a live course mentor/tutor (e.g., email academic support). The purpose of the mentor is to respond to student inquiries concerning course content.

n.           Administrator dashboard to enable education counselors or education program managers to see student progress and performance.

o.           Customer service support to resolve technical issues associated with the courseware.

p.           Updates course content and features regularly to ensure the course remains relevant and engaging.

q.            Upon successful completion of course, improve learner outcomes by ensuring a significant increase in Service members' math and English scores reflective on ASVAB/GT/TABE testing. The GT predictor can be used as a marker to measure these improvements.

This acquisition is being solicited as a full and open competition as a 100% Small Business set-aside utilizing FAR Parts 12 and 15. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this project is 611699 and PSC of U009 with a size standard of $16.5M.

The anticipated issuance date for this solicitation is projected mid to end of February 2026 with proposals anticipated to be due mid-March 2026.

Points of contact are Joel Auer, Contract Specialist, email: joel.d.auer.civ@mail.mil and Charles M. Carnley, Contracting Officer, email: charles.m.carnley.civ@mail.mil.