Revised CSS 1333ND23QNB670215.doc

CLASSIFICATION CODE: B - Special Studies/Analysis, Not Research and Development TITLE: Support Services for Transformational Networking Technologies Project

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 1333ND23QNB670215

RESPONSE DATE: 04/21/2023

CONTACT POINTS: Robert Cowins, Contract Specialist, (301) 975-8335

Hing Pan Wong, Contracting Officer, (301) 975-6289

DESCRIPTION:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for the procurement of support services to be utilized by the Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) at NIST, Gaithersburg, MD campus.

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL

ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION

FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PART 13.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-02 dated 02/14/2023.

1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010)

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to robert.cowins@nist.gov. Questions should be received no later than three calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

(End of Provision)

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541519 – Other Computer Related Services with a small business size standard of $34 million in annual revenue.

This is acquisition being solicited as a 100% small business set-aside.

All offerors shall provide a quotation for the following line items:

CLIN 0001:

Description: The contractor shall provide a support service for NIST Transformational Networking Technologies Project in accordance with the incorporated Statement of Work.

QTY: 1

Unit of Issue: LO Period of Performance: 12 months from the date of award

STATEMENT OF WORK

TITLE: Support Services for Transformational Networking Technologies

I. BACKGROUND

The Transformational Networks and Services Group in the Communications Technology Laboratory, Smart Connected Systems Division, at the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) develops foundational network science, network measurement science, engineering, standards, and best practices to support smart industrial transformations critical to national priorities such as industrial automation, smart grids, and smart transportation. The Group’s research efforts include 5G/6G core networks, optical and quantum networking, cloud computing, information-centric networks, edge intelligence, indoor localization, smart grid communication networks, and teleoperation of automated vehicles.

II. OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this requirement is to obtain contractor services to develop a 5G/6G core network testbed, develop a web application to manage such network, evaluate its use for applications such as automated vehicles, and assess the potential benefits that Named Data Networking (NDN) can bring to 5G core networking and its use for automated vehicles (AV) use cases.

Specifically, the contractor shall develop a web application to manage a 5G core network, support reproducibility of network experiments, and assist in deployments for different industrial use cases. The Contractor shall develop and experiment with NDN forwarding in a 5G core network in support of autonomous vehicles with 5G network slicing. The Contractor shall also develop new capabilities for NIST's high performance NDN forwarder.

III. SCOPE OF WORK / GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the following technical requirements which involve support and documentation related to software applications and data networking applications. Deliverables which fall under Section 508 regulation shall be Section 508 compliant.

1. Develop a web application to manage a 5G core network platform running Open5GCore software. Extend the web application to provision Open5GCore software on Emulab. Promote reproducibility of 5G core network experiments by exporting/importing a configuration of the core network to/from an implementation- agnostic archive file.

2. Assist in connecting the 5G core network to physical gNB and UE equipment, and train others on how to use the web application to deploy Open5GCore on Emulab, and how to control Open5GCore software through the web application.

3. Develop an alternate 5G UPF function that supports Named Data Networking (NDN) packet forwarding, by extending our existing NDN-DPDK software. The developed NDN-UPF would enhance the feature set of a 5G/6G network, by adding in-network caching and content-based security to the core network.

4. Develop and test a solution that satisfies the communication needs of autonomous vehicles with 5G network slicing. Extend the web application to support network slicing and connect autonomous vehicle emulators to a 5G core network slice that supports low-latency communication. Explore the possibility of using NDN-based protocols for autonomous vehicles to take advantage of a high performance NDN- UPF.

5. Design and develop new capabilities for NIST’s high performance NDN software router (NDN-DPDK), including enhancements for data-intensive experiments, Quality of Service (QoS) features, multi-tier caching design with on-disk content- store, and NDN traffic trace generation.

6. Produce documentation on architectural designs and the technical details of different components addressed as part of the above five technical requirements. The documentation shall also address and justify the different design choices. This documentation shall serve as the final report for the requirement.

7. Provide Monthly Progress Reports: Monthly progress reports shall detail progress made during the prior month, progress expected for the next month, any significant problems, risks, or issues encountered, recommended actions to resolve identified problems, and any variances or expected variances from scheduled due dates. Monthly progress reports shall be due on the 10th of each month, beginning during the first full month of performance (if the performance period starts on a date other than the first of the month), covering all contract activity during the preceding month. Only 11 monthly progress reports are required. Requirement 6 above shall serve as the final report.

8. Weekly Status Updates The Contractor key personnel shall participate in weekly status meetings with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to discuss progress to date. These meetings shall take place via telephone or virtual video call and are expected to take no more than one hour.

IV. DELIVERABLES

Deliverables are subject to FAR Clause 52.227-17 – Rights in Data Special Works, to be incorporated into any task order contract resulting from this requirement.

months

NIST repositories

Standards for Acceptance of Deliverables:

The COR or TPOC will provide comments on each deliverable at weekly meetings as described in the performance requirement surveillance matrix in section XII below. The Contractor shall make any needed updates/enhancements and communicated the NIST COR or TPOC at subsequent weekly meetings. The COR or TPOC will provide written notification when a deliverable is acceptable.

V. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work shall be performed primarily at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland campus located at the following address:

NIST

100 Bureau Drive

Building 222, Room A228 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640

Work may also be performed offsite in order to continue work during times when NIST is closed or access is restricted, for example during a government shutdown or due to pandemic-related restrictions. Offsite work may also be permitted whenever the Government determines it is advantageous to the Government for progress or performance of the work. All offsite work or telework requests must be approved prior by the COR or TPOC.

I. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Period of Performance shall be effective for 12 months from date of award.

II. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

All property, data and information provided by the Government in the performance of this requirement remains the property of the Government and shall be surrendered to the government upon completion or termination of this requirement. Likewise, all deliverables generated under this requirement remain the property of the Government.

Upon award of this requirement, the Government will provide the Contractor with equipment needed in the performance of this requirement. Specifically, NIST will provide on-site office space, a workstation, PC, email and Internet access, telephone, routine office supplies, and access to all facilities needed for the project. The Contractor shall only access low risk general- purpose IT equipment and common network services available to NIST associates. Government- furnished equipment will be provided in an as-is working condition. The Government will not provide the contractor with internet or telephone resources off-site; any such resources required are the responsibility for the contractor.

III. CONTRACT TYPE

The contract type will be firm fixed price.

IV. RISK LEVELS

The work under this purchase order is designated as IT-Low Risk.

V. TRAVEL

No travel is required.

VI. SECURITY

1. NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access into buildings and must be presented to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

2. Regular Business Hours: Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Local Time.

3. Identification Badges: Contractor employees shall comply with NIST identification and access requirements. Each Contractor employee shall wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office.

4. Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver’s license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass shall be displayed on the vehicle in accordance with NIST Security Office instructions.

VII. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

TPOC shall monitor the Contractor productivity on a weekly basis.

experiments

TPOC shall review the progress of the application development effort and determine its acceptability.

TPOC shall review the use case deployments and determine acceptability.

TPOC shall review the developed

Review

Review

VIII. KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

One senior computer scientist is required as Key Personnel and must meet the following minimum qualifications:

The Contractor Key Personnel shall possess theoretical knowledge and practical experience in distributed systems, network measurements and management, online API integration, standard network protocols (e.g., IPv4 and IPv6), high performance networking, and basic security and cryptography concepts (e.g., digital signatures, digital certificates, authenticated symmetric encryption, key agreement schemes). The Contractor should also be familiar with emerging network technologies, in particular Named Data Networking (NDN) and 5G/6G core networking technology. The Contractor should be able to independently design and efficiently implement all aspects of networking protocols at the network or application layers. Knowledge of Go, C/C++, and JavaScript or a similar programming language is required for the implementation tasks, as well as experience with software version control systems (Git and GitHub/GitLab).

The Key Personnel shall have at least a PhD degree in a related field to the Statement of Work requirements and at least 5 years of demonstrated experience in each of the subject areas described above.

Provisions and Clauses:

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All FAR clauses may be viewed at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/.

FAR Provisions 52.204-7, System for Award Management 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting 52.204-17, Ownership or Control of Offeror (JUL 2016) 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations – Representation 52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran 52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items

52.204-20 Predecessor of Offeror

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision–

“Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code” means–

(1) An identifier assigned to entities located in the United States and its outlying areas by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Contractor and Government Entity (CAGE) Branch to identify a commercial or government entity, or

(2) An identifier assigned by a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or by NATO’s Support Agency (NSPA) to entities located outside the United States and its outlying areas that DLA Contractor and Government Entity (CAGE) Branch records and maintains in the CAGE master file. This type of code is known as an NCAGE code.

“Predecessor” means an entity that is replaced by a successor and includes any predecessors of the predecessor.

“Successor” means an entity that has replaced a predecessor by acquiring the assets and carrying out the affairs of the predecessor under a new name (often through acquisition or merger). The term “successor” does not include new offices/divisions of the same company or a company that only changes its name. The extent of the responsibility of the successor for the liabilities of the predecessor may vary, depending on State law and specific circumstances.

(b) The Offeror represents that it □ is or □ is not a successor to a predecessor that held a Federal contract or grant within the last three years.

(c) If the Offeror has indicated “is” in paragraph (b) of this provision, enter the following information for all predecessors that held a Federal contract or grant within the last three years (if more than one predecessor, list in reverse chronological order):

Predecessor CAGE code: ________ (or mark “Unknown”)

Predecessor legal name: _________________________ (Do not use a “doing business as” name)

(End of provision)

52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law.

(a) As required by sections 744 and 745 of Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), and similar provisions, if contained in subsequent appropriations acts, the Government will not enter into a contract with any corporation that—

(1) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

(2) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(b) The Offeror represents that—

(1) It is □ is not □ a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability; and

(2) It is □ is not □ a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

An award will be made to the offeror whose quotation offers the best value to the Government price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1) Technical Capability and 2) Price. Non-price factor shall be equally important to price.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer`s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference.

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): www.acquisition.gov/far/ Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR): www.acquisition.gov/car/ (End of provision) FAR Clauses

FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference.

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): www.acquisition.gov/far/

Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR): http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8b5f22b07c12a52e8b29841ad60f1fd9&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48chapter13.tpl

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance 52.204-19, Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications 52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

Covered foreign country means The People’s Republic of China.

Covered telecommunications equipment or services means–

(1) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(2) For the purpose of public safety, security of Government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(3) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment; or

(4) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.

Critical technology means–

(1) Defense articles or defense services included on the United States Munitions List set forth in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations under subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations;

(2) Items included on the Commerce Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations under subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, and controlled-

(i) Pursuant to multilateral regimes, including for reasons relating to national security, chemical and biological weapons proliferation, nuclear nonproliferation, or missile technology; or

(ii) For reasons relating to regional stability or surreptitious listening;

(3) Specially designed and prepared nuclear equipment, parts and components, materials, software, and technology covered by part 810 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to assistance to foreign atomic energy activities);

(4) Nuclear facilities, equipment, and material covered by part 110 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to export and import of nuclear equipment and material);

(5) Select agents and toxins covered by part 331 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, part 121 of title 9 of such Code, or part 73 of title 42 of such Code; or

(6) Emerging and foundational technologies controlled pursuant to section 1758 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4817).

Substantial or essential component means any component necessary for the proper function or performance of a piece of equipment, system, or service.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. The Contractor is prohibited from providing to the Government any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless an exception at paragraph (c) of this clause applies or the covered telecommunication equipment or services are covered by a waiver described in Federal Acquisition Regulation 4.2104.

(c) Exceptions. This clause does not prohibit contractors from providing—

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(d) Reporting requirement.

(1) In the event the Contractor identifies covered telecommunications equipment or services used as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, during contract performance, or the Contractor is notified of such by a subcontractor at any tier or by any other source, the Contractor shall report the information in paragraph (d)(2) of this clause to the Contracting Officer, unless elsewhere in this contract are established procedures for reporting the information; in the case of the Department of Defense, the Contractor shall report to the website at https://dibnet.dod.mil. For indefinite delivery contracts, the Contractor shall report to the Contracting Officer for the indefinite delivery contract and the Contracting Officer(s) for any affected order or, in the case of the Department of Defense, identify both the indefinite delivery contract and any affected orders in the report provided at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

(2) The Contractor shall report the following information pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this clause

(i) Within one business day from the date of such identification or notification: the contract number; the order number(s), if applicable; supplier name; supplier unique entity identifier (if known); supplier Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code (if known); brand; model number (original equipment manufacturer number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number); item description; and any readily available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended.

(ii) Within 10 business days of submitting the information in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this clause: any further available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended. In addition, the Contractor shall describe the efforts it undertook to prevent use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services, and any additional efforts that will be incorporated to prevent future use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services.

(e) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (e), in all subcontracts and other contractual instruments, including subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial items.

(End of clause)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items 52.227-17 Rights in Data-Special Works 52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations

52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items (JUL 2020)-- including subparagraphs:

52.203-6 - Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards

52.209-6 - Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside 52.219-28 - Post Award Small Business Program Representation

52.222-3 - Convict Labor

52.222-19 - Child Labor - Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies;

52.222-21 - Prohibition of Segregated Facilities

52-222-26 - Equal Opportunity

52.222-36 - Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities 52.222-50 - Combating Trafficking in Persons

52.223-18 - Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving

52.225-13 - Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases 52.232-33 - Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer- System for Award Management

(End of clause)

Commerce Acquisition Regulations (CAR) Provisions and Clauses:

CAR Provisions CAR 1352.233-70 Agency Protests

(a) An agency protest may be filed with either: (1) the contracting officer, or (2) at a level above the contracting officer, with the appropriate agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999)

(b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address:

NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

ATTN: HING PAN WONG, CONTRACTING OFFICER

100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(c) Agency protests filed with the agency Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address:

NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

ATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO)

100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(d) A complete copy of all agency protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.

(e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893, Herbert C. Hoover Building

14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

CAR 1352.233-71 GAO and Court of Federal Claims Protests

(a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.

(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims.

(c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce

Office of the General Counsel

Chief, Contract Law Division

Room 5893

Herbert C. Hoover Building

14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230.

FAX: (202) 482-5858

CAR Clauses 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer’s Authority 1352.201-72 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) 1352.209-73 Compliance with The Laws

1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest NIST Local Clauses NIST LOCAL-53 Contract Performance During Changes in NIST Operating Status

Unless otherwise stated in the contract terms and conditions, normal days of business operation are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. However, throughout the contract period of performance, there may be circumstances beyond the control of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that will impact normal days of business operation, such as inclement weather, power outages, etc. In circumstances such as these, the Contractor must call the appropriate NIST campus status line to verify the operating status:

Gaithersburg Campus Operating Status Line:

(301) 975-8000

(800) 437-4385 x8000 (toll free)

Boulder Campus Operating Status Line:

(303) 497-4000

During a lapse in appropriation, access to Government facilities and resources, including equipment and systems, will be limited to excepted personnel for both Federal employees and Contractor personnel. If performance of the contract is onsite and/or requires Government interaction, unless you have been, or are notified that you are to work under an excepted status, you will automatically enter a temporary work stoppage. The work stoppage shall remain in effect until the lapse is resolved and notification is provided via the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/ and/or the NIST operating status lines. Additionally, Contractors are encouraged to monitor public broadcasts or the Office of Personnel Management’s website at www.opm.gov for the Federal Government operating status.

NIST will provide notification to all contractors that are determined to have excepted status. All excepted contractors are required to continue performance and communicate with the appointed Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for further guidance, or NIST Contracting Officer if a COR is not appointed.

Contractors with supply or service contracts that are fully funded at the time of contract award and do not require access to Government facilities, resources, or active administration by Government personnel in a manner that would cause the government to incur additional obligations during the lapse in appropriation may continue performance.

(End of clause)

NIST LOCAL-54 Electronic Billing Instructions

NIST requires that Invoice/Voucher submissions are sent electronically via email to INVOICE@NIST.GOV.

Each Invoice or Voucher submitted shall include the following:

(1) Contract number;

(2) Contractor name and address;

(3) Unique entity identifier (see www.sam.gov for the designated entity for establishing unique entity identifiers);

(4) Date of invoice;

(5) Invoice number;

(6) Amount of invoice and cumulative amount invoiced to-date;

(7) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN);

(8) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of supplies/services delivered;

(9) Prompt payment discount terms, if offered; and

(10) Any other information or documentation required by the contract.

(End of clause)

INSTRUCTIONS:

System for Award Management (SAM)

In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, offerors are required to be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation. Offerors without active SAM registration will not be considered.

Required Information

The government will not consider any quotation without the information required by this solicitation.

Due Date for Quotations

Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 04/21/2023. FAX and hard-copy quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at robert.cowins@nist.gov. Offerors’ quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered the e-mail address inbox set forth above. Late quotes will not be accepted.

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions

1) Price Quotation: The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price for each CLIN. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. Price quotations shall include a proposed milestone payment schedule.

2) Technical Quotation: The technical quotation shall address the following:

Technical Capability: The technical quotation shall address the vendor’s detailed technical approach for satisfying the Statement of Work (SOW) requirements. The technical approach shall address how the vendor will (a) perform and manage individual tasks required by the SOW; and (b) ensure that Contractor services and deliverables comply with the requirements of the SOW.

Resumes for each person proposed as key personnel, to include name, education, experience, and country of citizenship are required. If a candidate is not a US citizen, then the proper documentation, as required by CAR clause 1352.237-73, must be provided with the Quotation. In addition, the quotation shall indicate the labor categories for each candidate proposed.

Past Performance: The offeror shall provide past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past three (3) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers. If the offeror intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm’s past performance information shall also be provided. If the offeror has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the offeror in its quotation. It is recommended that approximately 3-5 contracts be referenced.

The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one half page in length. For each contract/order, the offeror shall provide the following information:

1. Contract number;

2. Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value;

3. Period of Performance – indicate by month and year the state and completion (or “ongoing”) dates for the contract;

4. Reference Contact – If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract;

5. Contracting Office – If a Government contract (Federal or state), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses.

6. Problems Encountered – include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: This is an open-market solicitation for services as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this solicitation that will include the clauses set forth herein. The quotation should include one of the following statements:

“The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition.”

OR

“The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror’s FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

QUOTATION EVALUATION:

The Government reserves the right to make an award without discussions based solely upon initial quotations. Therefore, offerors should ensure that their initial quotation constitutes their best offer in terms of both price and the technical solution being proposed.

Basis of Award

Evaluation Factors

Award shall be made to the offeror whose quotation offers the best value to the Government price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria listed in descending order of importance: 1) Technical Capability 2) Technical Key Personnel, 3) Past Performance, and 4) Price. All non-price factors, individually and when combined, are more important than price.

Technical Capability: The government will evaluate the extent to which the offeror has demonstrated the technical capability to successfully perform these services, and demonstrated a feasible technical approach to successfully perform and manage the required tasks while ensuring that all deliverable schedule requirements are met.

Technical Key Personnel:

The Government will evaluate the key personnel proposed by the offeror for the extent to which they are qualified to efficiently and effectively address the requirements in the Statement of Work. The Government will consider the extent to which the proposed key personnel meets or exceeds the minimum qualifications identified in the Statement of Work, as well as the qualifications “preference” identified in the Statement of Work. Greater consideration will be given to key personnel that exceed the specific minimum qualification requirements and/or meet the key personnel preference identified in the Statement of Work.

Past Performance: The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance information and, if appropriate, its proposed subcontractors' past performance to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the extent to which it demonstrates that the offeror has successfully completed relevant contracts in the past three years. In assessing the offeror's past performance information, NIST will evaluate, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, cost management, communications between contracting parties, proactive management and customer satisfaction. Evaluation of this factor will be based on information contained in the technical portion of the quotation and information provided by references. The Government will evaluate past performance information by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. The Government may also consider other available information in evaluating the Offeror’s past performance. The Government will assign a neutral rating if the offeror has no relevant past performance information.

NOTE -- If an offeror does not have a history of relevant contract experience, or if past performance information is not available, the offeror will receive a neutral past performance rating; however, an offeror without a history of relevant experience may receive a lowered rating for the Technical Key Personnel Factor.

Price: The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness.

Past Performance, Technical Key Personnel, and Price shall not be evaluated on quotations that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Capability evaluation factor.