Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program, specifically for Request for Proposal (RFP) 74330226R0039.

• Case Identification: The contractor is responsible for researching and identifying potential cases of misidentified Jewish servicemembers buried under Latin Crosses. ABMC will not provide an initial dataset or candidate list.
• Scope of Cemeteries: The effort covers all 26 Overseas American Military Cemeteries administered by the ABMC.
• Case Volume: While there is no specified estimated range for annual case identification, historical data suggests Jewish servicemembers represented about 4% of burials. The expectation for this contract is closer to 5,000 cases.
• Deliverables: The initial delivery is 3-5 case files by Day 90. Beyond that, there is no specific target throughput, but contractors should batch submissions to avoid overwhelming ABMC.
• Pricing: The contract is Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP). Pricing will be evaluated based on the FFP and supporting narrative. Assumptions regarding case volume and yield rates should be clearly stated, with acknowledgement that actual conditions may vary.
• Set-Aside: ABMC will not consider a WOSB set-aside at this time.
• Purpose: The goal is to research and identify Jewish servicemembers buried under Latin Crosses to substantiate changing headstones to a Star of David.
• Existing Lists: There is no existing list of servicemen in question; the vendor will conduct the research.
• Timeframe: The effort covers all burials from WW1 and WW2.
• Location: All covered cemeteries are overseas, not within the USA.

This Q&A document clarifies key aspects of the solicitation, including the scope of work, contractor responsibilities for research and identification, expected case volume, and pricing evaluation criteria. Bidders should incorporate this information into their proposals.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to questions submitted by potential bidders regarding the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program Request for Proposal (RFP) 74330226R0039.

• Case Identification: The contractor is responsible for identifying potential candidate cases across ABMC cemeteries; ABMC does not provide an initial dataset or candidate list.

• Scope: The effort is limited to the 26 Overseas military cemeteries administered by the ABMC.

• Estimated Cases: ABMC does not have a specified estimated range for annual identification of cases. However, for pricing, it's noted that Jewish servicemembers represented about 4% of the total buried in ABMC sites (approximately 5,600), with an expectation closer to 5,000 for this contract, considering some cases are already corrected.

• Deliverables: The core deliverable includes case identification and screening efforts. Beyond an initial delivery of 3-5 case files by Day 90, there is no specific target throughput, but the contractor is expected to batch cases for submission.

• Pricing: Pricing will be evaluated on a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) basis, considering the FFP structure and supporting narrative. Bidders are encouraged to clearly state assumptions regarding case volume and identification yield rates, acknowledging that actual conditions may vary.

• The document clarifies the scope of work, the contractor's responsibility for data identification, and provides guidance on pricing assumptions. It also states that a WOSB set-aside is not being considered at this time.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is seeking proposals for commercial research services to identify American Jewish servicemembers buried under grave markers that incorrectly represent religion or heritage, and to identify surviving next of kin (NOK). This is described in the attached Statement of Work (Attachment 1).

• Research methodology and source verification

• Case file development with citations and confidence assessment

• Approach to identifying and documenting NOK

• Deliverables and schedule

• Quality control procedures

• Data protection and privacy safeguards

• Staffing and key personnel

• Demonstrated capability and expertise (experience and past performance in similar research, evidence-based documentation, and NOK identification)

• Technical approach (soundness and feasibility of proposed methodology)

• Management, schedule, and deliverables capability

• Quality control and data protection procedures

• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price (FFP)

• Period of Performance: Anticipated 12 months, beginning upon contract award.

• Travel expenses, if required, should be proposed as a separate CLIN.

• Proposals are due by 5PM (Eastern Time) on April 28, 2026.

• Proposals must be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer and Contracting Specialist.

• Evaluation Criteria (in order of importance, with non-price factors combined being more important than price):

  1. Demonstrated Capability and Expertise
  2. Technical Approach
  3. Management, Schedule, and Deliverables
  4. Quality Control and Data Protection
  5. Price (evaluated for reasonableness and consistency)

• Proposals will be evaluated on a best-value approach.

Not specified in this document.

• Questions are due by April 14, 2026, 5PM (Eastern Time).
• Responses to questions will be issued by written amendment or posting.
• Proposals must be submitted in three volumes: Technical Approach, Experience, and Price.
• Failure to comply with material requirements, including the restriction on unauthorized NOK contact, may render a proposal unacceptable.
• Attachments include: Statement of Work (dated April 3, 2026) and Questions and Answers Template.

Statement of Work (SOW)

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) seeks contractor support for the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program. The goal is to research and identify American-Jewish servicemembers interred in American military cemeteries whose headstones or grave markers incorrectly represent their religion and heritage. The contractor will also identify and locate surviving next of kin to support potential corrective actions and outreach.

• Conduct historical, genealogical, and documentary research.

• Identify American-Jewish servicemembers with incorrectly represented religious heritage on grave markers.

• Identify and locate surviving next of kin.

• Develop evidence-based case files for each recommended correction.

• Ensure sensitive handling of personal data and respectful treatment of the deceased and their families.

• Anticipated Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract.

• One (1) base year with four (4) option years.

• Task 1: Submit a research plan within 30 days of award.

• Task 2: Collect and analyze source materials.

• Task 3: Identify candidate cases and develop evidence packages (Case Files).

• Task 4: Perform genealogical research to identify surviving next of kin.

• Task 5: Participate in status meetings and coordinate with ABMC.

• Deliverables: Research Plan, Monthly Status Reports, Draft Case Files, NOK Research Packages, Final Report and Dataset.

• Contractor shall not contact next of kin unless explicitly authorized by the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).

• Contractor's role is limited to research, documentation, and reporting; ABMC makes decisions on marker corrections.

• Contractor shall not issue public statements or represent ABMC without prior authorization.

• Protect personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive research data.

• Staff must have experience in historical research, genealogical research, and familiarity with Jewish genealogy and relevant records.

• Implement a documented Quality Control (QC) process.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides a template for submitting questions and answers related to Request for Proposal (RFP) 74330226R0039 for the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program. It also includes references to other RFI (Request for Information) attachments.

• The document is a template and does not contain specific questions or answers at this time.
• It lists "Question ID," "RFP Reference Document," "Page," and "Question" as fields for submitting inquiries.
• Sheet 2 references several RFI attachments, including "RFI Attachment 1 - RFI Questions," "RFI Attachment 2 - Draft SOO," "RFI Attachment 3 - Draft Evaluation Process," and "RFI Attachment 4 - Draft SBPCD."

This document serves as a structured method for bidders to ask clarifying questions about the RFP. The referenced RFI attachments provide context for potential questions regarding the Statement of Objectives (SOO), evaluation process, and other related documents.