RFP_1131PL-17-R-DS31081_Amendment_001.pdf

U . S . T R A D E A N D D E V E L O P M E N T A G E N C Y

SUBJECT: COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION: India Clean Energy and Smart

Grid Desk Study Series

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 1131PL-17-R-DS31081

ISSUANCE DATE: March 9, 2017

CLOSING DATE: March 30, 2017, 12:00 PM, local Arlington, VA Time

This request for commercial item prepared in accordance with the format in Federal

Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 and procedures in Subpart 13.1 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only

RFP; offers are being requested and written solicitation will not be issued.

This procurement is a 100 percent set-aside for Small Business under NAICS Code

541690. Award is limited to U.S. Firms or U.S. individuals. Contractor and U.S.

subcontractor employees used shall be either U.S. citizens on non-U.S. citizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States. Contractor use of subcontractors is limited to less than fifty percent of the proposed price.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS REPRESENT THE "PROPOSAL PACKAGE" THAT

SHOULD BE RETURNED IN RESPONSE TO THIS SOLICITATION (Addendum to FAR

52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items (APR 2014)).

1. Proposal Due Date and Submission:

Your proposal must be received via email at contractproposals@ustda.gov no later than

12:00 PM, local Arlington, VA time on Thursday, March 30, 2017. Late proposals will be processed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation guidance. Proposals submitted by facsimile or to alternate email addresses will NOT be accepted.

2. Questions Relating to This Solicitation:

All questions must be emailed to the POC listed in the solicitation at jphan@ustda.gov no later than 12:00 PM, local Arlington, VA time on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Please reference the Solicitation Number in the SUBJECT LINE of your email.

mailto:contractproposals@ustda.gov mailto:jphan@ustda.gov

3. Notice Regarding Suspension/Debarment/Ineligibility:

Any contract awarded to a contractor who, at the time of award was suspended, debarred, and ineligible for receipt of contract with Government Agencies or in receipt of a notice of proposed debarment from any Government Agency, is voidable at the option of the

Government.

4. System for Award Management (SAM) Database:

All Contractors must be registered in the SAM database via https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ in order to be eligible for contract award. Lack of registration in SAM will make an Offeror ineligible for award as described in FAR 52.204-7.

Do NOT delay submission of your offer pending receipt of a CAGE code.

5. Inspection and Acceptance:

All services are subject to the COR's and/or ACOR’s final approval. All work will be inspected and accepted at USTDA's Office, Arlington, VA.

6. Deliveries or Performance:

The performance of this contract shall start immediately after the effective date of award.

The Contractor shall submit all deliverables under this contract to the Contracting Officer's

Representative (COR) as stated in the Performance Work Statement.

The Period of Performance for this contract shall be six (6) monthstwo (2) years from the date of the Contracting Officer's signature on the contract. Performance of this contract shall be at USTDA's Office, Arlington, VA, at other locations in the U.S., and/or the designated host country.

7. Special Contract Requirements:

This solicitation includes the following additional contract requirements and terms and conditions:

CONTRACTOR FOLLOW-ON (INELIGIBILITY). The Contractor and its subcontractors shall be ineligible to compete for, as a prime or subcontractor or otherwise, USTDA funded activities that result from this contract. USTDA reserves the right to grant a waiver, based upon FAR 9.503, if preclusion of the contractor or its subcontractors from the follow-on activity would not be in the Government's interest. This restriction shall remain in effect for three years from the completion of this contract. The contractor agrees to include this provision in all subcontracts to this contract.

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

8. Contract Clauses:

The clauses at 52.214-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items and 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-

Commercial Items, apply to this acquisition.

9. Proposal Content:

SF 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items – Offeror shall complete/include: CAGE CODE and DUNS Numbers (block 17A) and complete blocks 24, 30A, 30B, and 30C. Finally, the offeror shall sign and date in blue or black ink while ensuring that any and all changes made are initialed.

Price Proposal Breakout – Offeror shall complete and submit the attached Excel spreadsheet, “Price Proposal Breakout” in its original format (Excel) and with all formulas intact.

Technical Proposal – Technical proposal, not exceeding 10 pages, that documents the

Offeror’s Technical Expertise, Experience, and Approach (as outlined in the evaluation factors on the next page). The technical proposal shall not contain any price/cost information.

Past Performance Information – Please include reference information for at least one but not more than three clients for relevant work of similar size, scope, and complexity you have performed in the last three years. For this section, please include, at a minimum, the following information: name of client, contract number, contract value, contract period of performance, a description of the requirement, and contact information (name, title, email address, and phone number). The name and contact information of Offeror’s references will not count towards the page limit.

Past Performance Questionnaires – The Offeror shall provide information for a maximum of three (3) contracts and/or subcontracts held within the last three (3) years. Also, ensure the attached Past Performance Questionnaire is forwarded by the Offeror to the contract point of contact (POC) for which the past performance reference is being provided. The government will use information submitted by the Offeror’s past performance POC, such as other Federal

Government offices and commercial sources, to assess performance. The attached Past

Performance Questionnaire MUST be completed by the POC providing the reference. Upon completion, the past performance POC should forward the completed questionnaire to

USTDA via email to contractproposals@ustda.gov no later than the proposal deadline.

10. Evaluation Factors for Award: FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation, Commercial Items

(available at www.farsite.hill.af.mil under FAR), is being used. All non-price evaluation factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price (Evaluation

Factor 4).

Quotations will be evaluated strictly in accordance with its written content. Proposals that merely restate the requirement or state that the requirement will be met, without providing supporting rationale, are not sufficient. RFQ respondents who fail to meet the minimum mailto:contractproposals@ustda.gov http://www.farsite.hill.af.mil/ technical requirements of the solicitation will be rated as Unacceptable and will be ineligible for award.

A. Evaluation Factor 1: Experience and Expertise

The sub-factors are equal in importance.

Sub-Factor 1: Relevant Technical and Training Experience and Expertise

The RFQ respondent's relevant technical background and professional experience performing activities of similar scope and complexity as it relates to the Statement of

Work (SOW) such as experience with clean energy, renewable energy, power transmission, distribution, and smart grid project development; providing sector specific guidance; developing Terms of Reference and budgets for feasibility studies, technical assistance, and/or pilot projects; and/or conducting technical, economic, and financial evaluations for clean energy, renewable energy, power transmission, distribution, and smart grid projects shall be evaluated to determine the likelihood that the RFQ respondent can successfully perform the contract requirements and the degree of the risk of non-performance.

Sub-Factor 2: Prior Country or Regional Experience

The RFQ respondent's prior relevant clean energy, renewable energy, power transmission, distribution, and smart grid sector experience in India shall be evaluated to determine the likelihood that the RFQ respondent can successfully perform the contract requirements and the degree of the risk of non-performance.

B. Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance

C. Evaluation Factor 4: Price

The Government will evaluate price to determine the following--

Completeness: All information required by the solicitation has been submitted and is accurate.

Reasonableness: Price is fair and reasonable in accordance with FAR.

Technical factor and sub-factors shall be evaluated using the following adjectival ratings:

Table 1. Technical Ratings

Rating Description

Outstanding Proposal meets requirements and indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

Good Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Acceptable Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable Proposal does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Proposal is unawardable.

Past Performance factor shall be evaluated using the following adjectival ratings:

Table 2. Past Performance Confidence Assessments

Rating Description

Substantial Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Limited Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a low expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

No Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has no expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

Unknown Confidence

(Neutral)

No recent/relevant performance record is available or the offeror’s performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned.

BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD: The Government will use Trade-off Source Selection

Procedures to evaluate offers and determine the best value. The Government will award a contract resulting from this RFQ to the offeror who is deemed responsible in accordance with

Federal Acquisition Regulation, as supplemented, whose proposal conforms to the RFQ requirements (to include all stated terms, conditions, representations, certifications, and all other information required by this solicitation) and is determined, based on the evaluation factors to represent the best value to the Government. The Government seeks to award to the offeror who gives USTDA the greatest confidence that it will best meet or exceed the requirement affordably. This may result in an award to a higher rated, higher priced offeror, where the decision is consistent with the evaluation factors and the Contracting Officer reasonably determines that the technical approach of the higher priced offeror outweighs the cost difference.

The Government may award based on initial quotations received, without further discussions.

Accordingly, each Contractor should submit their quotation to the Government using the most favorable terms from a cost/price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to hold discussions if it is deemed necessary. In such instance, the Contracting Officer will establish a competitive range of the most highly rated proposals. If the number of most highly rated proposals exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting

Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range.

//Signed//

JULIE PHAN

Contracting Officer, Office of Acquisition Management