Instructions_to_Offerors_Evaluation_of_Offers.pdf

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS, EVALUATION OF OFFERS

SUBMISSION: The requirements are Volume I – Technical, Volume II – Past Performance, and Volume III – Price. Files shall not contain classified data. The intent of this standardized format is not to limit creativity. Creativity is permitted within the parameters below to allow the

Government a more fair and easy assessment of offers. Proposals should include one original hard copy, three copies, and one electronic version in the submission.

Questions regarding this Statement of Work (SOW) must be submitted (in writing only to)

Contract Specialist Brett Pickett via email at Pickett.Brett.W@dol.gov.

Questions must be submitted not later than Monday September 11, 2017 at 3:00pm EDT.

Responses to questions submitted will be responded via an email to everyone who received this

SOW.

a. Format. The submission shall be clearly indexed and logically assembled. Each volume shall be appropriately numbered and clearly identified with the submission date and solicitation number in the header and/or footer and shall begin at the top of each page. A Table of Contents should be created using the Table of Contents feature in MS Word. MS Word (.doc) files shall use the following page setup parameters.

Margins – Top, Bottom, Left, Right – 1”

Gutter – 0”

From Edge – Header, Footer – 0.5”

Page Size, Width – 8.5”

Page Size, Height – 11”

The following additional restrictions apply: Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Times New Roman fonts are required. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size not less than 8-point and may be landscape.

b. File Packaging. Quotes shall be submitted in three volumes, as outlined above.

Submission. Contractors shall clearly identify each volume by volume number and volume name, SOW title, and date of submission.

c. Page Count. The page count is as follows:

Quote Part Page Count

Volume I – Technical Narrative and Staffing Plan

Excluding covers, title pages, executive summaries, and table of contents, the text of the technical narrative and the staffing plan is Not

To Exceed (NTE) 15 pages. Included in this page limit are: the Technical Approach, and the description of the Quote team and their qualifications. Charts are not counted toward the 15 page limit.

Volume II – Past Performance Not to Exceed (NTE) 10 pages – Single-side print only.

Volume III – Price No Page Limitation

Those pages that exceed the page counts for each volume or attachment will not be evaluated. If there are more than forty-five (45) printed lines of text on any page, the sum of the additional lines will be removed from back to front of the particular volume or attachment and will not be evaluated.

d. Content Requirements. All information shall be confined to the appropriate volume. The applicant shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the Quote details, in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each Quote. Each volume of the Quote shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section and the Narrative discussion.

The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the volume. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. The following shall be included in the Narrative discussion:

VOLUME I: TECHNICAL

There are two subfactors within Volume I: Technical, technical approach and staffing plan.

Technical approach is significantly more important than staffing plan.

Subfactor I – TECHNICAL APPROACH

The proposed approach shall demonstrate the contractor’s ability to perform the work required at the highest level of quality and rigor, including relevant past experience.

The Quote should:

Provide a detailed description of how the technical requirements will be met for the Data

Elements required in Section D (Required Data Elements) and Section E (Additional

Data Elements) and the Tasks enumerated in Section D (Research Tasks);

Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the department’s technical needs;

Provide sound strategies to accomplish the goals of the Task Order;

1 Including what data elements will be included in the quarterly feed.

Include a discussion of the likely problems and identify possible solutions; and

Be written to demonstrate the contractor’s ability to present complex technical material in an accessible yet accurate manner.

In addition, the quote should provide information on the experience that it has had in the performance of work that is the same as or similar to that identified in Section D (Required Data

Elements), Section E (Additional Data Elements) and Section F (Tasks).

The Offeror shall provide this information in the form of synopses of the contracts that it (and its companies, if any), and its subcontractors (if any), have had during the past two years (preceding the date of this RFP) which the performance of such work is the same as or similar to. The projects may include contracts with Federal, State and local government, as well as with private industry.

Each synopsis shall include:

(i) Name and address of the client;

(ii) Description of the work performed;

(iii) Period during which the work was performed; and

(iv) Dollar value of the project.

Please Note: the applicant must address the following tasks in their technical approach submission:

Tasks

Task 1: Data Elements, Type of Access to Database (e.g. web-based), Training, Tech

Support and Updates

Task 2: Custom Analysis

Subfactor II – STAFFING PLAN

The Quote shall provide sufficient information to judge the quality, competence, and level of qualification of the staff proposed to carry out the tasks for DOL or who will create the data elements required for this project. Successful performance of the proposed work depends on the qualifications of the individuals proposed for this project.

The Quote shall provide a discussion of the qualifications of the individuals proposed for specific tasks. The discussion should identify the key personnel assigned to the project as described in

Section H – Staff and Support and at least one analyst that will be involved providing the specific custom analyses. The discussion should also include a description of the individual’s education, experience and other qualifications, as well as an explanation of how the individual’s education, experience and other qualifications relate to the tasks that he or she will be assigned.

The Quote shall indicate the current employment status of personnel proposed for work i.e., whether these personnel are currently employed by the contractor or are dependent upon planned recruitment or subcontracting. Where subcontractors or outside assistance are proposed, organizational control and specific responsibilities with respect to all tasks shall be clearly delineated so as to demonstrate and ensure responsiveness to the needs of the

Government. Additionally, the Quote shall include:

A resume for each individual proposed. Resumes are not included in the 15 page limit. At a minimum, the resume shall include:

o The individual’s current employment status and previous work experience – including position title, dates in positions, duties performed, and employing organization. Duties shall be clearly defined in terms of the role performed, e.g., management, team leader, lead investigator, chief analyst.

o A statement describing the relevant work that the individual has completed or is currently undertaking.

o The individual’s educational background.

VOLUME II: PAST PERFORMANCE

The purpose of the Past Performance is to provide a summary of recent and relevant efforts essentially comparable to this acquisition. The Government will use this information to perform a past performance evaluation. Current contracts or subcontracts performed, in whole or part, within the past three (3) years immediately preceding the issuance of this solicitation will be considered recent.

Provide a comprehensive list of up to five recent and relevant contracts to include the information listed below. If you believe a classified project is significant for this proposal, then simply state "Classified" where appropriate and provide points of contract.

1. Contract Number

2. Total dollar value (original and Final)

3. Contracting Agency

4. Title of Contract

5. (Government) program manager (name, address, phone number)

6. Description of program/project

7. Contracting Officer (name, address, and phone number)

8. Period of performance

9. Type of Contract (Firm Fixed Price, Fixed Price Incentive, Cost Plus Fixed Fee, Cost Plus

Award Fee, etc.)

The Government requests the offeror send out a Performance Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ)

(see Attachment A) for each contract listed above. Offerors shall request the customer to complete the questionnaire and return it to the Contracting Officer prior to the proposal closing date/time. Once the PEQs are completed by the POCs, the information contained therein shall be considered sensitive and shall not be released to you, the offeror.

The Past Performance Volume shall include a list of questionnaire recipients to include two current POCs and phone numbers for each contract reference provided. The offeror is solely responsible for the accuracy of the contact information provided.

The completed PEQs shall be emailed directly to Pickett.Brett.W@dol.gov. For all the information required above, the same information should be provided for any major subcontractor proposed. Any major subcontractors Performance Evaluation Questionnaire’ will be in addition to the 5 surveys provided for the prime offeror. A major subcontractor is defined as those performing more than ten percent (10%) of the effort, on a total cost basis. Note: Past performance regarding predecessor companies, or key personnel (i.e. Onsite Program Manager) who have relevant experience, that will perform major critical aspects of the requirements WILL

NOT be considered as highly as past performance information on the principle offeror.

Past performance information pertaining to a subcontractor cannot be disclosed to the prime offeror without the subcontractor’s consent.

VOLUME III: PRICE

The Quote shall provide

a) A total payment amount for the contact, and

b) Payment amounts for each of the deliverables listed in the table below.

The sum total of payment amounts for deliverables in the table (b) should equal the total payment amount for the contract (a).

Schedule of Deliverables for Base Year and Option Years

No. Title Due Date Price

-Access/subscription for 5 “super-users”

-Access/subscription for 35 standard users

-Email and telephone technical support

Beginning of

Period of

Performance

-Memorandum: Results of custom analyses

-Memorandum: Response to ad-hoc data requests

As needed

(TBD)

WEIGHTING OF EVALUATION FACTORS.

The Government will award the contract from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer confirming to the solicitation is most advantageous to the Government based on the best overall proposal that is determined to be the most beneficial to the Government, with appropriate consideration given to the three evaluation factors: Technical, Past Performance and Price.

Factor I, Technical, is significantly more important than Factor II, Past Performance. All sub-factors under Factor I are of equal importance.

The Contracting Officer shall also conduct a price analysis in accordance with the techniques in

FAR 15.404-1(b) (2). The non-Price factors combined are significantly more than Factor III, Price. However, price will become significantly more important as non-price factors approach equality. Offerors are cautioned that the award may not necessarily be made to the lowest price offered. The Government is more concerned with obtaining superior technical features than with making an award at the lowest overall price to the Government. However, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to the Government to achieve slightly superior technical features. To receive consideration for award, a rating of no less than

“Acceptable” must be achieved for Factor I, and each of its associated sub-factors.

The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting

Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. Clarifications may be requested as described in FAR 15.306(a).

Offerors may be asked to clarify certain aspects of their proposal (for example, the relevance of past performance information) or respond to adverse past performance information to which the offeror has not previously had an opportunity to respond.

ALL QUOTES SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO:

Contract Specialist Brett Pickett via email at Pickett.Brett.W@dol.gov not later than

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 3:00am EDT.

Any Quote received after the due date and time will not be evaluated and will therefore be ineligible for award.