Contracting of certification services for 17 Polygraph Examiners and the Establishment and Accreditation of a Vetting Training Center under American Polygraph Association (APA) Standards

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Request for Quotations (RFQ) seeks proposals for contracting certification services for seventeen (17) polygraph examiners. The scope includes establishing and accrediting a Vetting Training Center in accordance with American Polygraph Association (APA) standards, under the Police Integrity 360° Project.

• Polygraph Examiner Certification: Deliver a complete certification program for 17 officers, including 400 in-person academic hours over 10 weeks, minimum 80 hours supervised practical application, and evaluations, all meeting APA standards.

• Primary Instructor Development: Develop and deliver a training program for up to 10 designated National Police officers to become Primary Polygraph Instructors, including curriculum development, lesson planning, and supervised teaching practicum.

• Vetting Training Center Accreditation: Provide technical support for the establishment and accreditation of the Vetting Training Center under APA standards, including gap analysis, self-study, dossier preparation, and support during the APA inspection process.

• Documentation: Deliver all required institutional manuals and documentation in Spanish and editable digital format.

• Contract Type: Firm-fixed-price purchase order.

• Period of Performance: Includes an Administrative Phase (up to 2 months), Training Phase (10 weeks), Accreditation Phase (approx. 9 months), and Final Report (due within 10 days of activity completion).

• Questions Due: May 22, 2026, 16:00 Quito local time.

• Quotations Due: June 2, 2026, 5:00 PM Quito local time.

• Submission Method: Electronically to QuitoContracts@state.gov in MS-Word, MS-Excel, or PDF format. File size must not exceed 30MB (use separate emails if necessary).

• Evaluation Criteria: Award will be made to the lowest-priced offeror whose proposal is technically acceptable and who is determined to be responsible (Lowest Price Technically Acceptable - LPTA).

• Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).

• Offerors must demonstrate compliance with APA standards for training programs and instructors.

• Offerors must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience delivering APA professional polygraph training programs.

• Offerors must demonstrate prior experience in developing, designing, or restructuring at least one polygraph training school for a national law enforcement agency, military institution, or recognized government security institution.

• Value Added Tax (VAT) is not included in CLIN rates and will be reimbursed by the U.S. Government under specific conditions.

• Offerors must submit SF-1449, Section I (Pricing), Section 5 (Representations and Certifications), and additional information as required.

• Offerors must submit a completed IRS Form W-14 if applicable.

• Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance premium costs must be included.

Statement of Work (SOW)

To contract a qualified vendor to implement a polygraph capacity-building program for the Ecuadorian National Police, strengthening their institutional vetting capability under American Polygraph Association (APA) standards.

• Certification of 17 Polygraph Examiners:

  • Deliver a minimum of 400 in-person academic hours over 10 consecutive weeks.
  • Curriculum must comply with APA standards, covering topics such as APA Ethics, Psychology, Physiology, Instrumentation, Testing Techniques, Question Construction, Data Analysis, and practical application.
  • Provide qualified instructors, instructional materials in Spanish, and APA-compliant instrumentation systems.
  • Conduct written and practical evaluations and issue formal certification.

• Establishment and Accreditation of a Vetting Training Center:

  • Develop and support the accreditation of a permanent Vetting Training Center.
  • Primary Instructor Development: Train up to 10 National Police officers in pedagogy, lesson planning, curriculum delivery, and supervised instruction to serve as Primary Polygraph Instructors.
  • APA Accreditation Support: Develop the institutional and academic framework for APA accreditation, including administrative manuals, academic policies, instructor manuals, and quality assurance frameworks. Conduct gap analysis, self-study, and support the formal accreditation and inspection processes.

• Training and certification activities will be conducted in Quito, Ecuador, at facilities provided by the National Police.

• Administrative phase: up to 2 months post-award.

• Training phase: 10 consecutive weeks.

• Accreditation phase: may extend up to 9 months from contract award.

• Examiner Certification Documentation for 17 officers.

• Vetting Training Center Primary Instructor Designation Documentation (up to 10 officers).

• Final Implementation and Accreditation Report.

• Must demonstrate that its polygraph training program is delivered exclusively through APA-accredited schools and qualified instructors.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience delivering APA professional polygraph training programs.

• Prior development, design, or restructuring of at least one polygraph training school within a national law enforcement, military, or recognized government security institution.

• Vendor is responsible for all travel costs.