Draft_L&M_for_FBO.docx

SECTION L — INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

The Government contemplates a single award of a hybrid contract with Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Labor Hour (LH), and Cost Reimbursable (CR) elements.

L.2 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

(a) Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and data acknowledgement of receipt from:

Hand-Carried/Express Mail

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):

L.4 DOSAR 652.206-70 COMPETITION ADVOCATE/OMBUDSMAN (AUG 1999)

(a) The Department of State's Competition Advocate is responsible for assisting industry in removing restrictive requirements from Department of State solicitations and removing barriers to full and open competition and use of commercial items. If such a solicitation is considered competitively restrictive or does not appear properly conducive to competition and commercial practices, potential Offerors are encouraged to first contact the contracting office of the respective solicitation. If concerns remain unresolved, contact the Department of State Competition Advocate on (703) 516-1680, by fax at (703) 875-6155, or write to: Department of State, Competition Advocate, Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE), Suite 603, SA-6, Washington, DC 20522-0602.

(b) The Department of State's Acquisition Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns from potential Offerors and contractors during the pre-award and post-award phases of this acquisition. The role of the ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the contracting officer, the Technical Evaluation Panel or Source Evaluation Board, or the selection official. The purpose of the ombudsman is to facilitate the communication of concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations of interested parties to the appropriate Government personnel, and work to resolve them. When requested and appropriate, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals, the source selection process, or the adjudication of formal contract disputes. Interested parties are invited to contact the contracting activity ombudsman, Mr. Vincent J. Sanchez at (703) 875-6748. For an American Embassy or overseas post, refer to the numbers below for the Department Acquisition Ombudsman. Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations which cannot be resolved at a contracting activity level may be referred to the Department of State Acquisition Ombudsman at (703) 516-1680, by fax at (703) 875-6155, or write to: Department of State, Acquisition Ombudsman, Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE), Suite 603, SA-6, Washington, DC 20522-1602.

L.5 MULTIPLE PROPOSALS/ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Offerors shall not submit, nor will the Government accept or evaluate, multiple proposals offering alternative solutions. Offerors shall not submit, nor will the Government accept or evaluate, multiple solutions within one proposal.

L.6 RESERVED

The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information required by Section L and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The Government will read and evaluate only the maximum number of pages allowed. Non-conformance with the specified organization, content, and page limitations may be cause for proposal rejection. All claimed technical, management, and schedule capabilities must be realistic and are subject to verification by the Government. The Government will not pay any Offeror for preparation of a proposal.

The proposal must be clear and concise. Use of general or vague statements such as “standard procedures will be used” or “good engineering practices” will not satisfy this requirement. Simply repeating or paraphrasing the RFP requirements without substantive, meaningful discussion will not be acceptable. Unnecessary elaboration or presentation beyond that which is sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal is not desired and may be construed as an indication of the Offeror’s lack of understanding of the requirements or cost consciousness. The proposal must include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. Each volume must be written to the greatest extent possible on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated with a minimum of cross-referencing to other volumes of the proposal. Elaborate artwork or visual or other presentation aids is neither necessary nor desired. The desire is for clear succinct pictorials, graphs, etc.

The proposal should demonstrate the Offeror’s clear understanding of the entire scope of work to be performed under this contract. All approaches (transition, risk management, quality control, etc.) presented in the proposal should comprise a logical breakdown that adequately reflects the effort involved with the task, function or service area. Site visits may be conducted to substantiate information set forth in the Offeror’s proposal with respect to representations made, whether such representations are of a technical or non-technical nature.

L.7.1.2 Organization of Volumes

The entire proposal shall consist of three (3) separate volumes, organized as follows:

· Volume I: Technical Proposal

· Part A: Management Capability and Approach

· Tab 1: Management Plan and Business Strategy

· Tab 2: Transition Approach

· Tab 3: Quality Control Plan

· Tab 4: Continuity of Operations Plan

· Tab 5: Employee Integrity Plan

· Part B: Service Delivery Capability and Approach

· Part C: Staffing and Key Personnel

· Part D: Past Performance

· Volume II: Oral Presentation

· Volume III: Cost/Price Proposal L.7.1.3 General Requirements and Page Limitations

Each volume shall include a signed and dated cover letter that includes the following: the RFP reference number; date the RFP was issued; the DOS issuing office, location, and contact person; the closing date and time of the RFP (for submission of proposals); and the name, address (street, city, state, zip) of the Offeror submitting the proposal. The same identifying data must be placed on the spine of each binder to facilitate rapid identification when placed in a vertical position on the shelf of a storage cabinet. Any such information provided in the cover letter will not be evaluated. Please note: The Department of State Seal is intended for use on official government documents only.

Each page within each volume and section shall be numbered using a consistent numbering scheme. This scheme shall also be used for all supporting documentation, such as charts, figures, diagrams, etc. that are included in each volume. Page numbering schemes that are difficult to track are not acceptable. The page limitations by volume are described below:

· Volume I – Technical Proposal

· There is a seventy-five (75) page double-sided limit[footnoteRef:2] imposed on Volume I. [2: Equivalent to one-hundred fifty (150) single sided pages]

· Volume II – Oral Presentations

· There is no page limit on Volume II.

· Volume III – Cost/Price Proposal

· There is no page limit on Volume III.

L.7.1.4 Exclusions from the Page Limitations

In Volume I, Technical Proposal, the cover letter, table of contents, dividers, tabs, and cover sheets shall be excluded from the page limitations. Other items excluded from the page limitations of each Part within Volume I are as follows:

· Volume I, Part C: Key Personnel and Staffing

· Resumes

· Employment Agreements

· Volume I, Part D: Past Performance and Experience

· Past Performance Surveys

As there is no page limit on the submission requirements for Volumes II and III, there are no exclusions from page limitations. However, the Offeror shall ensure that the cost/price proposal, including the cover letter, does not include any information that should be contained in Volumes I and II. Any technical information placed in Volume III will not be passed on to the Technical Evaluation Team and such technical information will not be evaluated at all. Additionally, any technical information contained in Volume II will only be evaluated within the context of the Oral Presentation itself and will not affect or influence the evaluation of any other technical evaluation factors.

L.7.1.5 General Format Requirements

The following general format requirements shall be met for Volume I, Technical Proposal:

a. Pages are to be standard 8 ½” by 11” size

b. 12-point size type shall be used. The font shall be Times New Roman with one exception – Arial may be used for tables, figures, and graphics. The font size for tables and figures, and any other type of inserts can be no smaller than 8 point; The font size for any graphics as it appears on the printed page can be no smaller than 8 point

c. Margins shall be one-inch at top/bottom and left/right of the page and pages may not be reduced form. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins and their font size can be no smaller than 10 point

d. Pages shall be printed double-sided

e. Foldouts are limited to 11” to 17” size paper and shall count as one (1) double-sided page towards the overall double-sided page limit.

Following is the specified format for Volume II, Oral Presentations:

a. Pages are to be standard 8 ½” by 11” size;

b. The printed pages shall be presented as PowerPoint slides (not slides with notes); they shall contain the identical information that is to be presented in the Oral Presentations;

c. Any inserts, drop down boxes, click on screen, etc. shall not change the standard page size in (a);

d. The font size for text can be no smaller than 18 point; the font size for any graphics can be no smaller than 8 point;

e. Margins shall be one-inch at top/bottom and left/right of the page and pages may not be reduced form. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins and their font size cannot be smaller than 10 point; and

f. Pages shall be printed double-sided.

The following general format requirements shall be met for Volume III, Cost/Price Proposal:

a. Pages are to be standard 8 ½” by 11” size

b. 12-point size type shall be used. The font shall be Times New Roman with one exception – Arial may be used for tables, figures, and graphics. The font size for tables and figures, and any other type of inserts can be no smaller than 8 point; The font size for any graphics as it appears on the printed page can be no smaller than 8 point

c. Margins shall be one-inch at top/bottom and left/right of the page and pages may not be reduced form. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins and their font size can be no smaller than 10 point.

d. Pages shall be printed double-sided

Caution: Pages submitted in excess of the page limits enumerated above will not be evaluated. Text and graphics with font size smaller than the minimum specified will not be evaluated. The page limitations apply to the initial offer, revisions and final proposal submission (if applicable).

Each volume shall contain the following additional items:

· A cover, which shall indicate the following:

· Title of the Acquisition

· Proposal Category (Technical or Cost/Price)

· Volume Number

· RFP Number

· Name and Address of the Offeror

· Original or Copy Number

· A table of contents that provides sufficient detail such that all the important elements are easily located. The use of tables and dividers is encouraged. No content within these pages will be considered for evaluation. Offerors shall ensure these document pages are used solely for organization of the proposals.

L.8 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Technical proposals are to be prepared in a format that will facilitate the evaluation of proposals to meet the objectives and activities in Section C of the RFP. Accordingly, it is required that proposals be structured in such a way as to address separately each of the factors for evaluation as outlined below.

Requirements specific to each volume and part are as follows:

L.8.1 VOLUME I, PART A – MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY AND APPROACH:

The Offeror shall submit a clear and complete description of its management capabilities and approach to undertake the entire scope of work described in Section C. The Offeror’s description shall reflect an in-depth understanding of the program’s objectives, operational environment, and constraints; shall describe the Offeror’s capabilities and approach to achieve program success; and shall provide an explanation of “how” its solution will ensure efficiency, effectiveness, security, and favorable customer service in providing all of the service delivery, service support, and management functions for the VSS program. At a minimum, the Offeror’s proposal shall include:

· The Offeror’s Management Plan and Business Strategy, which shall describe a comprehensive approach and methodology for the initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and transition/closure of all efforts performed across the four service areas of the VSS program. The plan shall include:

· A description of the Offeror’s proposed management framework, describing roles, responsibilities, VSS organizational structure, and primary lines of communication and accountability among corporate staff and VSS management and delivery staff.

· A description of the extent to which the Offeror’s corporate leadership will be involved in center operations, contract management, and performance management.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach to explain how they will effectively anticipate, plan for, manage, and respond to a) all categories of risk; b) planned and unplanned changes to service, quality, and performance expectations (e.g., resulting from a sudden influx of case work, changes to Visa policy, technology updates, etc.); and, c) significant fluctuations in demand for services, including and beyond typical seasonality, throughout the course of the contract.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for how they will maintain effective communications and change management encompassing all Government stakeholders, contract staff, activities, and VSS customers.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for identifying viable subcontractors and an explanation “why” and “how” the proposed subcontractor was selected for the program.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for vetting subcontractors and their employees for compliance with security standards.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for integrating subcontractors into their overall service model.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for ensuring proper oversight and management controls regarding subcontractor performance and accountability.

· A description of the Offeror’s approach for determining when to seek subcontractor support.

· The Offeror’s transition approach that explains how they will assume responsibility of all VSS functions from the incumbent vendor during the transition period. The description shall highlight specific plans, resources, and tools it will use to support the successful execution of the transition period such as transition schedules with key activities, milestones, and dependencies; anticipated risks and mitigation actions; how overall progress will be tracked and assessed; and how all staff will be in place and capable of performing assigned functions when the transition concludes. The description shall also highlight how the Offeror will plan for, address, and manage ongoing change (both planned and unplanned) throughout the transition.

· The Offeror’s Quality Control Plan, which shall describe approaches for monitoring and controlling all aspects of quality for all VSS capabilities and services, and how they will establish quality controls as an integral part of service management. The plan shall align with and satisfy the priorities outlined in the Government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The plan shall describe:

· How the Offeror will measure, track, evaluate, report on, and manage quality and performance using Government- and Offeror-defined acceptable and established quality levels and key performance indicators to deliver efficient and timely services and products under fixed price arrangements.

· How the Offeror’s approaches to VSS quality control will also support ongoing efforts to identify opportunities for process improvement and innovation.

· How the Offeror will monitor performance and maintain quality in all customer interactions.

· How the Offeror will conduct ongoing problem and issue resolution, and employ techniques for identifying and resolving systemic quality issues.

· How the Offeror will apply and integrate their approaches for the high volume and complexity of VSS operations.

· How the Offeror will develop and incorporate controls designed to mitigate and indicate potential areas of quality and performance risk.

· How the Offeror will conduct process evaluation and improvement activities that incorporate industry leading practices in quality control and process measurement.

· How the Offeror will develop, implement, monitor, and support communication efforts related to corrective action plans if and when used.

· How the Offeror will conduct quality control inspections and use inspection results.

· The Offeror’s Continuity of Operations Plan, which shall describe an approach to maintaining continuity of operations if significant problems or emergency circumstances arise, to fostering open lines of communication and elevating situations among Offeror and Government managers, and to ultimately resolving such situations and resuming normal operations. The plan shall outline:

· How the Offeror will prevent disruptions and delays in service, and mitigate risks associated with these disruptions in the occasion they do occur

· How the Offeror will maintain appropriate resources (i.e., IT, personnel, etc.) to enable rapid response and interoperability support in the event of surges in workload or degradation/disruption of service at either or both CSCs.

· How the Offeror’s approach would accommodate both short- and long-term circumstances.

· The Offeror’s Employee Integrity Plan, which shall describe their approaches for preventing, detecting, documenting and addressing all instances of contract employee fraud or malfeasance across all levels in the Offeror’s organization and across both CSCs.

L.8.2 VOLUME I, PART B: SERVICE DELIVERY CAPABILITY AND APPROACH

The Offeror shall provide a comprehensive and tailored technical approach that explains how they will satisfy the four service delivery objectives: national security services, customer services, logistics and administrative services, and management services. The Offeror shall describe the processes, tools and techniques they will apply to address the delivery objectives and any foreseen challenges in each service area to deliver all of the capabilities, services, and requirements under the contract. The Offeror shall describe their capacity to sustain operations and to integrate functions and personnel across services and sites. At a minimum, the proposal shall describe:

· How the Offeror will provide all of the VSS mission support capabilities as defined in each objective of the PWS.

· How the Offeror will account for the expected increase in digital processing and corresponding decrease in paper-based support services during the life of the contract.

· How the Offeror will align and integrate business, human capital, information technology, and enabling support operations to achieve VSS quality and performance objectives.

· How the Offeror will achieve business resilience and interoperability across both CSCs.

· How the Offeror will apply automated information systems, both to support internal operations and to enhance service delivery across all mission support capabilities.

· How the Offeror will anticipate and manage constant changes to service workload and demand in order to maintain process efficiency, staff utilization, and prevent backlogs and bottlenecks.

· How the Offeror will identify, manage, mitigate, and monitor service delivery risks, to include specific risks and risk classifications, mitigations, and monitoring strategies already identified.

L.8.3 VOLUME I, PART C: STAFFING AND KEY PERSONNEL

The Offeror shall describe their comprehensive approach to staffing, staff support and staff oversight covering both centers and all VSS services. At a minimum, the proposal shall describe:

· The Offeror’s Staffing Plan that explains how they will staff both centers, indicating the number, experience, and skills mix of all staff to enable successful delivery of the entire scope of work. The plan shall describe:

· A proposed staffing structure, indicating approximate number of personnel with any defined ratios of supervisors to staff, and explaining how the Offeror will align expected roles and labor categories with commensurate skills and job duties.

· How they will recruit, vet, hire, and retain qualified staff for both centers, handle personnel issues, assemble high quality staff to fill immediate requirements, and provide staff with all the necessary support and oversight.

· How they will establish total compensation and employee benefits across all staff.

· How they will interface with any subcontractor staffing activities to create a cohesive workforce that is capable of supporting various functions and staffing needs while adhering to quality control and performance oversight processes.

· How they will maintain productive labor relations, conduct negotiations, and interface with current and future unionized workforces operating under Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), to include responding to adverse events such as a strike or a situation in which union policies conflict with workload priorities.

· How they will maintain flexibility among staff to facilitate support across multiple functions and services in ongoing alignment with workload and demand changes.

· How they will maintain the capability to rapidly scale staffing up or down to satisfy evolving needs in competitive labor markets.

· Specific risks and risk classifications as they pertain to the staffing approach, as well as their associated mitigation and monitoring strategies.

· The Offeror’s Training Plan, which shall describe their approach to developing, administering, and managing a robust training program that encompasses introductory, remedial, and recurring learning efforts to maintain a well-prepared and fully-capable workforce covering both centers and all VSS functions. The Offeror shall also explain how they will incorporate existing Government certification programs (cited in the PWS) as well as accommodate new programs should they be developed.

· The Offeror’s resume profiles for all Government-designated key personnel (listed in Section C.5) as well as resume profiles for all Offeror-designated key personnel beyond those required by the Government. Each profile shall include name, education, certifications, current security clearance level, technical skills, relevant training received within the past two (2) years, current and relevant professional experience, and a description of the individual’s role(s) and responsibilities. If applicable, the Offeror shall also include employment agreements for key personnel whose resumes are presented and who are not currently employed by the Offeror or one of its subcontractors.

· Specific risks and risk classifications the Offeror has identified related to staffing and key personnel, as well as their associated mitigation and monitoring strategies.

If final proposal revisions are requested, the Offeror shall identify any changes to personnel for whom resumes were submitted.

L.8.4 VOLUME I, PART D: PAST PERFORMANCE

The Offeror shall provide descriptions of their experience in managing and delivering mission-oriented, performance-based contracts under fixed price and labor hour arrangements that demonstrate production- and services-based environments similar to that of VSS (i.e., high volume, high complexity, etc.). Past performance descriptions shall encompass:

· One or more examples that demonstrate their capacity to satisfy the full breadth of VSS performance and quality objectives across all products, services and CSCs.

· One or more examples that demonstrate how they have applied their management and technical capabilities and proposed approaches to overcome challenges associated with other programs similar to VSS.

· One or more examples that demonstrate productive business relationships and successful contract performance with proposed subcontractors on similar programs.

· One or more examples that demonstrate successfully executing a vendor transition for a large, complex service delivery operation from an incumbent provider.

· One or more examples that demonstrate meeting or exceeding defined quality, performance, and customer service standards on a comparable performance-based contract.

Offerors are responsible for providing detailed and accurate information for each contract and subcontract, and the Government will rely on the contact information provided by the Offeror to reach named references. The Government may also contact references other than those identified by the Offeror and will include in the evaluation all information available on the Offeror’s past performance and experience.

The Offeror shall only cite contract performance that has occurred within the last three (3) years. Any Offeror that is a newly formed entity without prior contracts (i.e., such as joint ventures) shall provide relevant past contracts and subcontracts (within the last three (3) years) of the individual parties.

Using the Past Performance Questionnaire and any accompanying narrative, Offerors shall provide detailed information on at least three (3) and no more than five (5) prime contracts or subcontracts with the federal, state or local governments, or private industry over the past three years. At least two (2) of the contracts must be for work performed by the Offeror; the others may be for work performed by team members. The Offeror shall use the Past Performance Questionnaire format below:

PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE

Company Name:

Program Manager Name:

Contract Number/Task Order Number:

Period of Performance:

Name of Contracting Activity or Commercial Customer:

Prime or Subcontractor?

Contract Location:

Actual Annual Contract Dollars (not Contract Ceiling Value):

Original Annual Contract Value:

Current Annual Contract Value:

Explanation of Variance if applicable:

Total Contract Dollar Value Expended to date:

Award Type (Competitive, Sole-Source, Performance Based):

Contract Type:

Did Contract Involve Transition in Operations from Incumbent?

Average Number of FTE Assigned:

Maximum Number of FTE Assigned:

REFERENCES

Provide the name, telephone number, and verified e-mail address of the following personnel:

Contracting Officer:

Administrative Contracting Officer, if different from above:

Contracting Officer Representative:

Government Technical Monitor:

Describe the work performed:

How is the contract work similar in size and complexity to the services required by this solicitation? If relevant, provide additional details:

Descriptions of Work Performed, including Scope and Complexity of the Effort:

Technical, Cost or Schedule Problems Encountered and Resolution:

Innovative Solution Applied, Cost-Savings Realized or Recognition Received:

Actual Results Achieved against Performance Standards and a summary of any incentives/disincentives assessed as a result:

L.8.5 VOLUME II – ORAL PRESENTATION:

The Offeror shall provide a comprehensive set of oral presentation material with their proposal submission. Please note the Government may make a competitive range determination prior to conducting oral presentations, which would result in only those Offerors determined to be in the competitive range participating in and being evaluated on oral presentations.

The Offeror shall respond to each of the scenarios described below. For each, the Offeror shall, at a minimum: demonstrate their technical knowledge of the topic; demonstrate how their management and technical approaches would enable and support their response; demonstrate how they will engage and inform all relevant stakeholders; and demonstrate their ability to architect concrete, end-to-end solutions that could be replicated and applied should comparable circumstances arise during contract performance.

L.8.5.1 Oral Presentation Topic #1 – Center-Specific Scenarios

Scenario I: NVC New guidance is published that substantially increases NVC’s role in pre-processing of affidavit of support documents and public charge considerations. NVC will now be tasked with creating an informational memo for post for each case that will inform the Consular Officer of key items for adjudicatory consideration. You are responsible for drafting a proposal for changing the current workflow at NVC and implementing the agreed upon expansion of the affidavit of support portfolio. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

· How would your organization perform requirements gathering following the Government’s statement of need?

· What resources would your organization leverage to ensure appropriate risk management and implementation?

Scenario II: KCC The KCC FPU will pilot new initiatives, some of which are quickly developed and approved as permanent. While such operations in pilot phase support only one or a few overseas posts, they typically expand to full global support after approval

KCC currently has a team which both targets and randomly selects petitions for End-Client verification (ECV). Due to the success of this program, a policy memorandum has instructed the Visa Office to increase their support of ECV by reviewing all (100%) of petitions received for end-clients and subsequently complete end-client verification. If the end-client denies knowledge of the petition, no longer requires the services of the beneficiary, or otherwise indicates the petition is no longer needed, your team must draft a routine domestic revocation request.

Current team size: 10 FTE Current volume of verifications performed: 50 verifications per day Current volume of domestic revocation requests drafted: 5 per day

The expected increase is five times current volumes and your current FPU staff production on all existing deliverables is stretched thin. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

· Taking into account the time required for new hires to receive clearances, what are your next steps and timeline for full adherence to the policy memorandum?

L.8.5.2 Oral Presentation Topic #2 – Program-wide Scenarios

CA/VO has announced that it aims to integrate some of the processing between the two Centers to achieve enhanced workload management and possible efficiency gains.

Scenario III: Surge Demands The current backlog of visa application supporting documentation has grown to nearly 100,000 documents which is bordering on non-compliance for timely review of submissions for immigrant visa case processing at NVC and non-immigrant visa case processing at KCC. The Government has directed your organization to reduce this backlog by 50% in the next two months. Concurrently, USCIS announces that it will send 50,000 approved petitions to NVC within the next 30 days, most of which will be eligible for further processing immediately. Your staff has the capacity to process 25,000 petitions monthly within the Data Entry and Verification service.

While there is not a backlog in Data Entry and Verification, the Document Review service has just begun the lengthy backlog reduction process, and the number of Telephone Inquiries was only recently reduced to manageable levels (your staff is tired and barely keeping up with the workload). Others at NVC have also grumbled about the workload. KCC has been meeting all of their AQLs.

At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

· How would your organization reallocate resources to respond to the Government’s mandate to reduce backlog by a significant volume within two months?

· How would your organization prepare for and manage the surge in incoming work from USCIS shortly after already shifting resources to support backlog reduction?

· How would your organization leverage capabilities and resources across both Centers in in order to meet the objectives of two significant, high volume tasks within a short timeframe?

· How would you manage workload and staffing to ensure optimal productivity and steady progress of both projects as the work moves throughout the organization? What strategies would you employ with regards to your current staff, particular with regard to controlling burnout and turnover?

Scenario IV: Staff Attrition Your organization is experiencing unusually high attrition rates in inquiry management services. After further analysis, you determine that a medical data firm has been poaching your employees, offering them higher pay and greater workplace flexibility. Your management at the center has expressed concerns with meeting inquiry management’s performance requirements with fewer staff.

At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

· How you would minimize the impact of a sudden loss of staffing resources, considering the sometimes lengthy clearance process involved in hiring new staff.

· Describe the recruitment and retention plan you would put in place to improve retention in a competitive labor market.

L.8.6 VOLUME III – BUSINESS AND COST PROPOSAL

The Offeror shall complete Section J, Attachment F – Pricing Tables by providing the unit price / ceiling amounts for all Core Fulfillment Services – FFP CLINs, for all contract periods; and LCATs, hours, rates, and extended prices for all Specialized Mission Fulfillment Services – LH CLINs, for all contract periods, except as otherwise noted. The Offeror shall also incorporate as-is all prescribed ceilings for ODC and Project Support Services CLINs (LH and FFP) specified in Section J, Attachment F. The Offeror shall also complete Section J, Attachment G – LCAT and Price List Template with all labor categories, Department of Labor occupation codes/titles, shifts, and fully burdened hourly rates by CSC location. All labor category and rate information quoted for Specialized Mission Fulfillment Services – LH CLINs must be included in the Offeror’s completed LCAT and Price List Template. The Offeror shall submit a detailed price breakdown (Basis of Estimate) for all CLINs and all contract periods. For all FFP CLINs, the Offeror shall also provide a cost build-up that identifies contributing cost elements such as: direct labor, labor overhead, indirect labor, other direct and indirect costs, G&A, and profit.

Optionally, the Offeror shall provide a unit price / ceiling for the Transition CLIN if they intend to make use of the CLIN during the base year; otherwise, the unit price / ceiling for this CLIN should be set to zero.

The Offeror shall include a Handling Rate to be applied to ODC’s, and a statement confirming that Travel Costs for this contract will not include a Handling Rate markup or profit.

The Offeror shall complete blocks 13 through 18 of the SF 33 as applicable. Erasures or other changes must be initialed by the individual signing the offer. If the SF 33 is signed by an agent of the Offeror, evidence shall be submitted with the SF 33 of his/her authority to enter into a contract for the Offeror. The Offeror shall complete and sign Section K, Representations and Certifications where applicable.

If the Offeror takes exception(s) to any part(s) of the specification, a description of the exception shall be included, along with a reference to the relevant pages and paragraphs of the Solicitation and Offeror’s proposal. Each description shall be prefaced by the word “EXCEPTION” and provide an explanation of the exception and its proposed alternative, with sufficient justification to permit evaluation. Such exceptions will not automatically cause a proposal to be deemed unacceptable. A large number of exceptions or one or more significant exceptions not providing any obvious benefit to the Government may result in rejection of such proposal as unacceptable.

The Offeror shall provide information to assist the Government in determining whether or not they have the necessary financial capacity, financial condition, working capital and other resources to perform the contract. Such information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Identify significant related parties/extent of parent control

0. Financial data for Parent company if it controls cash/credit

0. Corporate guarantee when Parent controls cash/credit

1. Three to Five (3-5) years of financial statements to include

1. Audited, Reviewed, Compiled or Certified Financial Statements

1. Balance sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement

1. Notes disclosures to financial statements; explain unusual items

1. Latest interim YTD financial statements for current period

1. Credit Line and Significant Loan Information- including current amount available, date when it becomes due

The Offeror shall list any U.S. Government contract(s) terminated (partial or complete) within the past 5 years and basis for termination (convenience, default or no cost settlement), and include the contracting number, name, address and telephone number of the terminating officer. The Offeror shall include the same information for de-scoping modifications of more than $1M.

The Offeror shall include their signed agreements with any subcontractors or service partners, if applicable.

L.9 AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSAL (05/95)

Changes to the proposal by the Offeror shall be shown on amended pages. Changes from the original page shall be indicated by a vertical line, adjacent to the change, on the outside margin of the page. The date of the amendment should be shown on the lower right corner of the page.

L.10 COMMUNICATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION (02/96)

Only the individual shown in Block 10 of the Standard Form 33, "Solicitation, Offer and Award," or the Contracting Officer, may be contacted regarding this solicitation. Communication concerning this solicitation with any other Government personnel, including contractor support personnel, is prohibited unless specifically authorized elsewhere herein. If such contact occurs, the Offeror making such contact may be excluded from award consideration.

L.11 FACILITY SECURITY CLEARANCE

The successful Offeror shall possess a TOP SECRET Facility Security Clearance (FCL) issued by the Defense Security Services (DSS) prior to contract award. The Offeror shall comply with the Section J, Attachment D: DD Form 254, Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification.

L.12 ACQUISITION MILESTONES

L.12.1 SITE VISITS

For an Offeror’s bid to be considered by the Government for evaluation and potential award, the Offeror must express their intent to bid, register to attend each of the site visits, and subsequently have at least one representative from each small business prime vendor participate in each site visit. Each small business prime vendor must complete all parts of the Intent to Bid and Site Visit Registration form and submit the completed form to Sara Krumm, the VO/DO Management Officer, via email at KrummSM@state.gov not later than 3pm EST, Thursday, November 1, 2018. Late registrations will not be honored or accommodated. Site visits will occur on November 8, 2018 at the National Visa Center and November 15, at the Kentucky Consular Center. Refer to the Site Visit Registration form for more information.

L.12.2 DUE DILIGENCE SESSIONS

The Government may hold optional due diligence sessions during the week of November 19, 2018. If the Government has received an Intent to Bid and Site Visit Registration Form and has record of participation at both site visits, the Contracting Officer will notify each site visit attendee no less than three (3) business days in advance of the scheduled date, time and location of a sixty (60) minute one-on-one meeting (due-diligence session).

The order in which Offerors will attend their due-diligence session will be determined by a random drawing. Once notified of the schedule due-diligence session date and time, Offerors shall conduct their due-diligence on the scheduled date and time. The Government will conduct due diligence sessions via conference call and will provide information for participants with notification of the session. Requests by Offerors to reschedule will not be entertained.

L.12.3 PUBLIC QUESTIONS

All public questions must be submitted in writing. DOS will accept questions by e-mail. Written questions relating to this RFP will be accepted through 11:00 A.M. (local Eastern time in effect when proposals are due) on XXXXX. Questions received after that date may not be answered prior to the date established for the receipt of proposals. Any communications in reference to this RFP shall cite the reference number and be directed to the following individual:

Name: Ms. Kathleen Mejia E-mail: MejiaKJ@state.gov

Questions submitted via voice mail or otherwise telephonically will not receive a response. The Government intends to post on FedBizOpps on or around XXXXXX the responses to all public questions received.

L.12.4 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

Offerors shall submit one (1) paper original, five (5) paper copies of Volumes I and II in their entirety; one (1) paper original and one (1) additional paper copy of Volume III in its entirety; and two (2) electronic copies of the entire proposal (Volume I thru III) to the address specified below. Each paper volume shall be submitted in a separate three ring binder. Electronic versions shall be submitted on compact disc (CD) and shall be prepared using Microsoft Office 2013 or a compatible format. Adobe PDF format is also acceptable. The Government will not reimburse the Offeror for any cost associated with proposal preparation for this solicitation.

For paper copies, the Offeror shall package and clearly label the outside of the package with (i) the Solicitation Number and (ii) the contents thereof (e.g., volume number, etc.). A cover letter containing any information the Offeror wishes to bring to the Government's attention may accompany the proposal.

For electronic copies, the Offerors shall include each volume as a separate file, with filenames denoting the volume number. Spreadsheets in Volume III, Cost/Price Proposal, shall be provided independently and in MS Excel format in addition to their inclusion in the primary file for Volume III.

The entire proposal (Volumes I thru III) shall be submitted to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Acquisition Management at the address shown below, no later than 11:00 A.M. (Eastern time in effect when proposals are due) on the following date: XXXXXX. All amendments issued under this RFP must also be signed and returned with the proposal.

The delivery address is:

Hand-Carried/Express Mail (Offeror shall pre-coordinate drop-off)

P.O. Box 9115, Rosslyn Station

Any proposals received after the specified due date and time are late and will not be considered. Additionally, any proposals received from Offerors who did not participate in both site visits will not be considered.

L.12.5 ORAL PRESENTATIONS

The Government will notify each Offeror no less than five (5) business days in advance of the scheduled date, time, and location of the oral presentation. The order in which Offerors will make their Oral Presentations will be determined after receipt of proposals by a random drawing by the contracting officer. Once notified of their scheduled presentation date and time, Offerors shall conduct their presentations on the scheduled date and time. Request by Offerors to reschedule will not be entertained. The late proposal rules will be applied to receipt of complete proposals, but will not be applied to the actual Oral Presentations, as the Government reserves the right to reschedule Oral Presentations at the sole discretion of the contracting officer.

The Oral Presentations will take place in one of the Department of State conference rooms in SA-17, or a conference room to be identified. The conference rooms consist primarily of a conference table encircled by chairs. Chairs are also available around the perimeter of the room. Outlets for laptops and other electronic devices are available. The Department of State will not provide any equipment. Therefore, the Offeror shall provide any equipment necessary for the presentation (e.g., laptop, projector, screen, etc.). Connection to the Department of State networks is not permitted. The Offeror may view the rooms in advance of their presentation by scheduling an appointment with the contracting officer. Such appointments must be scheduled no later than the day before an Offeror’s scheduled oral presentation and shall not interfere with a presentation in progress. The Offeror may not audio or video record its own presentation and shall not be reimbursed for any costs associated with the presentation.

Each Offeror shall bring no more than seven (7) representatives to the Oral Presentation, which shall include the Program Manager and an Operations Manager for each CSC. The Offeror’s Program Manager shall lead the presentation, however, the Offeror is strongly encouraged to have all team members participate in the presentation. No cost/price information (including subcontract dollars) shall be presented or discussed during the Oral Presentation. A list of the attendee names, position titles, and companies shall be provided to the contracting officer forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the Offeror’s scheduled Oral Presentation.

The total duration of the presentation will be no longer than two (2) hours fifteen (15) minutes. The Government will have five (5) minutes for introductions and reading of the Oral Presentation Ground Rules. The Offeror shall have one (1) hour fifteen (15) minutes to address the topics stated below. The presentation will be followed by a twenty (20) minute break for Government caucus, up to thirty (30) minutes for clarification, and five (5) minutes for audio taping verifications.

After completion of the Oral Presentation, the Government may request clarification of any of the points addressed which are unclear and may ask for elaboration by the Offeror on any point which was not adequately supported. Any such interchange between the Offeror and the Government will be for clarification only and will not constitute discussions.

The Offeror’s Oral Presentation may be videotaped or audio recorded by the Government to provide a recorded basis for evaluation of the presentation. If the Oral Presentation includes information that the parties intend to have included in the task order award, the information shall be put in writing. Incorporation by reference of oral statements is not permitted by the FAR.

The ground rules for the Oral Presentations are as follows:

a. The Offeror shall make its presentation in accordance with the instructions contained herein and any additional instructions that the Contracting Officer may provide at the time of scheduling;

b. Oral Presentations shall be scheduled solely at the contracting officer’s discretion. The contracting officer will instruct the Offeror when to start its presentation, keep time, and stop the presentation at the end of the allotted time for each part of the presentation, whether or not the Offeror is finished;

c. The information provided by the Offeror will be used for evaluation purposes in selecting the contractor to be awarded the contract;

d. The written documentation provided with the Offeror’s proposal for the Oral Presentation shall not be revised or supplemented for the Oral Presentation, unless requested by the Government;

e. Government representatives will include the Department’s Technical Evaluation Team and its advisors and the contract specialist;

f. Pre-recorded audio and/or videotaped presentations are not considered Oral Presentations and are not permitted;

g. The Offeror shall not ask the Government representatives questions during the Oral Presentation;

h. Oral statements made in…