IT Support Phase I and II Submission Instruction.pdf

Solicitation Number: 12314425Q0007 IT Support Services APHIS

Phase I and II Submission Instruction and Evaluation Criteria

1. Evaluation Criteria and Submission Instructions

1.1 Phased Procurement and General Submission Instruction

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal submission and phased evaluation. The government intends to award a stand-alone contract.

Event Date

Phase I Proposals Due October 25, 2024

Notification of Advisory Dow Select October 31, 2024 Tentative

Phase II Proposals Due October 31, 2024 Tentative

Award November 15, 2024 Tentative

Note: For the purposes of this Request for Proposal (RFP) issuance, Phase I Proposals are due no later than 2:00pm ET on October 25, 2024. The remaining dates are tentative and subject to change.

Offerors shall submit their proposal volumes via email to Terry Tabron at terry.tabron@usda.gov and to sherida.hardy@usda.gov No other methods of submission will be accepted.

All responsible sources may submit proposals, which if timely received, will be considered. The proposal shall reference the solicitation number and description “12314425Q0007 IT Support Services APHIS”.

The Government is not liable for any expenses incurred by the Offerors in developing and submitting proposals for this solicitation.

The Government reserves the right to revise or amend the specifications or the RFP prior to the RFP closing time. Such revisions or amendments will be communicated by amendments to this RFP. If such amendments require material changes in quantities or prices, the RFP closing date may be postponed by enough days to enable offerors to revise their proposals. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to monitor the internet site for the release of an amendment to the combined synopsis/solicitation (if any).

mailto:terry.tabron@usda.gov mailto:sherida.hardy@usda.gov

1.2 Instructions for Phase I Proposal Preparation

The following instructions are for the preparation and submission of proposals. The purpose of this section is to establish requirements for the format and content of proposals so that proposals contain all essential information and can be evaluated equitably. Offerors are instructed to read the entire solicitation document, including all attachments, prior to submitting preparing your proposal. Omission of any information from the proposal submission requirements may result in rejection of the proposal.

(1) Offerors are expected to follow the detailed proposal preparation instructions fully and carefully. The Government will rely on the information provided by the Offerors to evaluate the proposals. It is therefore imperative that Offerors carefully follow the instructions set forth below and submit their proposals in the format and with the content specified below, providing all requested information.

(2) Proposals that fail to provide information in the format requested may be found unacceptable and may be rejected without further consideration if the Contracting Officer determines that a significant revision or addendum to the Offeror’s proposal would be required to permit further evaluation, and especially if the incompleteness of the proposal or errant formatting of the proposal appears to be due from a lack of diligence or competence of the Offeror.

(3) The instructions provided have been specifically tailored to the evaluation procedures to be applied for proposal evaluations. They are designed to ensure the submission of information essential to the understanding and comprehensive validation and evaluation of proposals. Clarity and completeness are of utmost importance to the proposal. The relevance and conciseness of the proposal is important. Offerors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its proposal. The proposal shall be valid for sixty (60) calendar days from the proposal due date.

1.3 Page Size and Font

Offerors are advised to follow page limits for the excess pages shall not be reviewed nor evaluated. The page count for the technical proposal is exclusive of the cover letter, cover page and table of contents.

Paper size shall be 8 1/2 by 11-inch white paper with printing on one (1) side only, using 12-point font.

No reduction is permitted except for organization charts or other graphic illustrations, or in headers/footers. In those instances where reduction is allowable, Offerors shall ensure that the print is easily readable; no less than 12-point font on graphs and 12-point font on tables. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one (1) inch) of the page. Header/footer information (which does not include any information to be evaluated) may be included in the 1" margin space. Pages that exceed the maximum page limitation of 15 pages will not be evaluated. For the electronic copy of the proposal, each file shall be submitted in an unlocked format readable by Microsoft Office 2013 and searchable PDF, except contractor pricing excel workbook.

1.4 Proposal Content (Phase I and Phase II)

Volume I: Prior Experience (Phase I)

Factor 1: The offeror shall provide up to three (3) examples within the last three (3) years and at least one (1) year in length (recently) of similar scope, size, and complexity (relevancy) to the requirements detailed in the SOW.

Volume II: Technical Understanding and Capabilities and Price (Phase II)

Factor 2: Demonstrate knowledge, understanding, capabilities, approach, for meeting the requirements as described in the SOW.

Factor 3: The offeror shall provide a Firm Fixed Pricing. Pricing spreadsheet will be provided. The contract will have one (1) base year and four (4) options year.