SECTION L-001 1-17-24.pdf

SECTION L – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND

NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS

The Contracting Officer is the only person who is authorized to conduct clarifications, communications, or discussions with the offerors from release of this RFP through contract award. Any such discussions shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations stipulated in FAR part 12 and 15. Any questions or comments concerning this RFP, in particular or in general, shall be addressed only to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is Christopher L. Toso and can be reached at TosoCL@state.gov.

L.2 PROPOSAL AND REQUIREMENTS QUESTIONS

All proposal questions shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer via email at TosoCL@state.gov by 9 January 2024, by 0900 ET. All questions must be submitted using Appendix A – Question and Answer (Q&A) Template. Appendix A contains further instructions under the spreadsheet tab “Instructions.” All Offerors shall separate technical and price questions and clearly identify each question with a reference to the solicitation. If submitting questions, offerors must include the solicitation number in the subject line of the email.

L.3 PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND SUBMISSION

a) All written proposals shall be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer (CO) in the format and instructions outlined in this section.

Offerors shall be responsible for ensuring the electronic submission is successful and received by the CO via email by the proposal due date and time. When submitting written proposals to the CO, the offeror shall request read receipts to ensure the CO receives the offeror’s proposal. Send offers with sufficient time for processing by servers, considering the size of the message. Do not exceed 40MB per email. If an offeror submits multiple emails to complete a proposal submission, the offeror must clearly identify the set in the subject (i.e. message 1 of 3). No other methods of submission will be accepted.

b) Submission instructions for Phase II proposals will be provided after the Government completes its evaluation of Phase I proposals.

c) Proposals shall be valid for no less than 120 calendar days from the proposal due date.

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

L.4 PHASED PROCUREMENT

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal submission and phased evaluation. A notional schedule is provided:

– Phase I proposals due – 17 January 2024, by 0900 ET

– Advisory Down-Select (ADS) notifications issued approximately one week after Phase I proposals are due

– Phase II proposals due, this date will be provided with ADS notification (approximately 10 to 15 day suspense)

– Selection and award (approximately within 30 days)

L.5 PROPOSAL FORMAT

a) All files, except for the pricing tabs, shall be in MS Word or PDF. Printing should be single spaced. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Arial, Calibri, or New Times Roman fonts are required. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no less than 8-point.

b) Microsoft Word and PDF files shall use the following standard format:

Margins – Top, Bottom, Left, Right – 1” Gutter – 0” From Edge – Header, Footer 0.5” Page Size, Width – 8.5” Page Size, Height – 11”

c) All price breakdown information to aide in the price evaluation shall be submitted in Microsoft Office Excel Read/Write format and viewable in Microsoft Excel. All calculations and formulas shall be unprotected and accessible in electronic submission documents.

L.6 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

a) The Offeror’s complete proposal shall consist of the following four (4) volume submissions, which will be provided in two (2) phases, as outlined. Each electronic file shall be clearly labeled with its title and volume number.

Phase I: Volume I: Non-Cost Factor 1 – Experience

Phase II:

Volume II: Non-Cost Factor 2 – Seed and Sample Delivery Order(s), including Business.

Volume III: Non-Cost Factor 3 – Past Performance Volume IV: Factor 4 – Price Proposal

b) Volume I is limited to 25 pages. Volume II does not have a page limitation in total; however, the Delivery Order Request for Proposals may provide page limitations for certain volumes or tabs. The remaining volumes do not have page limitations. Where included, the cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, glossary of abbreviations & acronyms, resumes, and commitment letters are not included in the page limitation. All pages must be numbered. Pages that exceed the required page limitations will be removed and not be read or evaluated by the Government.

c) Each volume shall be file named with only the following information: Company name, Solicitation Number, and Volume Number.

L.7 PROPOSAL CONTENT REQUIREMENTS (PHASE I AND II)

a) All information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The Offeror shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal.

b) Assumptions: The Government does not encourage offerors to make assumptions or take exceptions from the requirements of the solicitation. Rather, offerors are encouraged to submit questions using the required process outlined in this section. However, if necessary, the offeror’s Volume submission must clearly and unambiguously identify all such assumptions, exceptions, or dependencies on which the offer is based. Each assumption, exception or dependency shall be specifically related to a paragraph and/or specific section of the solicitation. The offeror shall provide rationale in support of any noted assumption, exception, or dependency, explaining its effect in comparison to the solicitation in detail. Assumptions, exceptions, or dependencies do not make a proposal automatically unacceptable. However, many assumptions, exceptions or dependencies, or a significant assumption, exception, or dependency, which provide(s) little or no benefit to the Government or which do(es) not support the Government’s requirement as documented in the solicitation may receive unfavorable evaluation.

c) Cost or price information related to this proposal is prohibited in Volumes I-III.

d) Offerors are responsible for including sufficient details to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Offerors are cautioned against “parroting” of the technical requirements. “Parroting” is defined as imitating the words of the technical requirements without articulating a clear understanding of the requirements or capability to perform.

e) Files shall not contain classified data/information. Proprietary information shall be marked or noted clearly. The use of hyperlinks in proposals is prohibited and the linked or embedded information will not be evaluated.

f) Proposals not received in accordance with these instructions may be rejected.

Failure to furnish current and complete information may cause a proposal to be rejected.

g) The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in 18 USC 1001.

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS – PHASE I

Volume I, Non-Cost Factor 1 – Experience. Using Appendix B, Offeror Experience Project Data Sheet, provide up to ten (10) project experiences that demonstrate capabilities similar in scope and magnitude to the FA6 activities found in this solicitation’s Scope of IDIQ Contract in Section 6. Project experiences submitted for the Offeror shall include substantial performance occurring within the past five (5) years of the date of issuance of this solicitation. Experiences not occurring as described are considered not recent and not relevant and should not be submitted. All submitted projects must have been performed outside of the United States or any of its territories. For each project experience submitted, the offeror shall provide a description of the project and explain the relevancy to this scope’s requirements in sufficient detail. Experience should demonstrate the offeror’s ability to source a wide variety of vehicle classifications from a wide variety of manufacturers to many locations around the world, with associated in country service such as vehicle registration, maintenance, and warranty.

Experience operating in a wide geographic area of located outside of the United States and its territories is desirable, with an emphasis on operations in Colombia, Haiti, and Ukraine. As a reminder, this factor has a 25-page limit and only the first ten (10) project experiences will be evaluated.

Offeror’s are encouraged to include relevant experiences that were self-performed as the prime contractor. If the Offeror is a Joint Venture (JV), relevant project experience should be submitted for projects completed by the Joint Venture entity or the Joint Venture partners.

If submitting project experiences from intended subcontractors, the prime offeror shall include a Letter of Meaningful Involvement signed by both parties, outlining the committed activities for each party for this effort. To expand, if an Offeror is utilizing experience information of affiliates/subsidiaries/parent/LLC/LTD member companies (name is not exactly as stated on the offer), the proposal shall clearly demonstrate that the affiliate/subsidiary/parent firm will have meaningful involvement in the performance of the contract in order for the past performance information of the affiliate/subsidiary/parent/LLC/LTD member companies to be considered. The proposal shall state specific commitments of technical resources (e.g. personnel, equipment) that the affiliate/subsidiary/parent/LLC/LTD member companies commit to the performance of this contract. In particular, the proposal shall clearly state the specific commitments of resources of the affiliate/subsidiary/parent/LLC/LTD member that said member will be accountable for on this project. The proposal shall also describe specific roles of the affiliate/subsidiary/ parent/LLC/LTD member companies in terms of the work it will either self-perform or manage on behalf of the Offeror in performance of the contract.

Offerors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the solicitation’s requirements based on an assessment of relevant experience from the offeror.

L.9 ADVISORY DOWN-SELECT NOTIFICATION

After the Government completes technical consensus of Phase I - Experience, Offerors will receive an advisory notification via e-mail from the Contracting Officer. This notification will advise the Offerors of the Government’s advisory recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with Phase II submission. Offerors who are rated most highly for Phase I will be advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process. Offerors who were not among the most highly rated will be advised that they are unlikely to be viable competitors, along with the general basis for the Government’s advisory recommendation. The intent of this advice is to minimize proposal development costs for those Offerors with little to no chance of receiving an award. Note that the Phase I evaluation factor is more important than Phase II evaluation factors.

The Government intends to provide no more than seven (7) Offerors with an advisory notification to proceed. The government may advise more or less to proceed, depending on the quality of offers. However, the Government’s advice contained in the notification is a recommendation only, and those Offerors who are advised not to proceed may elect to continue their participation in the source selection process.

Phase II submissions will not be considered from Offerors who have not submitted Phase I proposals by the due date and time stated in this solicitation.

For those Offerors that are rated most highly and advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process, the Contracting Officer will include the Phase II submission instructions on the advisory notification, including the due date for the Phase II submission. The Government recommends Offerors to begin preparation of Phase II proposals only after receipt of the Phase I advisory down-select notice. Regarding Q&A, questions related to Phase I will be prioritized, and questions related to Phase II will be addressed timely for its phase.

The down-select notifications will include further information. The Government intends to allow offerors at least one (1) business day to decide whether it wishes to proceed with a Phase II submission. The exact required response timeframe will be provided in the notice.

Offeror’s that received advisory notification not to proceed to Phase II, but choose to proceed to Phase II, shall send an email to the Contracting Officer not later than 24 hours after receipt of the advisory recommendation not to proceed, indicating its intent to participate in Phase II. After the Contracting Officer receives notice from the offeror stating its intent to participate in Phase II despite the Government’s advisory notification not to proceed, the Contracting Officer will send a separate e-mail with Phase II submission instructions within two (2) business days.

L.10 INSTRUCTIONS – PHASE II

The Government’s notification to offerors after evaluation of Phase I submissions will include the due date for Phase II written submissions.

Volume II, Non-Cost Factor 2 – Seed and Sample Delivery Order Proposals. It is the intent of the Government to issue one or more Delivery Order Request for Proposal (DORP) orders at the time of award of this multiple award IDIQ. Your delivery order proposals should contain your best terms. Alternate proposals will not be accepted.

• Tab A: Vehicle Specifications o Provide complete technical specifications for proposed vehicles and accessories. Include the manufacturer name, model number, trim, model year, and pictures.

o Utilize the compliance matrix provided with each DORP to demonstrate compliance with requirements. The use of terms such as “meets” or “compliant” in the technical comparison matrix will render a delivery order proposal ineligible for award. The matrix must be completed with actual specifications of the proposed vehicles. As an example:

Item Required

Specification Proposed (Incorrect)

Proposed (Correct)

Displacement At least 2300 cc Compliant 2400 cc

Payload At least 1,000 kg Meets 1,100 kg

▪ Attachment must be submitted in Word format.

▪ Responses that do not meet requested specifications must be included in red font and underlined.

▪ Responses that exceed requested specifications must be included in blue font and underlined.

• Tab B: Armoring Experience and Certifications (only applies to DORP No.

PR11587625)

o Demonstrate the offeror’s experience with armoring vehicles.

o Describe the armoring process between the contractor, the manufacturer, and the armorer.

o Provide all applicable armoring certifications, such as glass and steel certifications demonstrating compliance with minimum armoring specifications.

• Tab C: Delivery and Logistics Plan (Tab B for DORP No. PR12162571) o Provide delivery terms and state the delivery date. The delivery date stated in the DORP, or sooner, is highly preferred by the Government. If the proposed delivery date is provided as a delivery window, the government will consider the latest date in the range as the proposed delivery date in our evaluation.

o Include confirmation of availability via submission of a signed letter from dealer and/or OEM. The Government will most highly consider those offers showing firm stock availability.

o Provide proof that the entity your firm proposes to source the vehicles from is an authorized distributor.

o Identify any tasks that must be completed by the USG or GOU, along with the due date for said tasks, to prevent delivery delays. For example: US Embassy Kyiv must provide tax exemption letter no later than XX days after receipt of order.

o Describe the steps required to import (if needed) required vehicles to

Ukraine and deliver to destination, including the name and relevant experience of the logistics provider(s) you plan to utilize.

o Describe your overall approach to logistics. Identify major risks and proposed mitigation strategies.

• Tab D: Warranty Terms and Service Locations (Tab C for DORP No.

PR12162571)

o Describe the proposed warranty duration, response times, and any exclusions.

o Provide name, address, and POC information of locations that will provide warranty repairs and service that are local to the delivery location.

o Explain how your company will retain overall responsibility for warranty repairs and how work between your company and selected suppliers will be coordinated.

o Describe, for each proposed vehicle, the availability of spare parts in the local area.

• Business Tab: Reference each DORP (Volume III – Business) for instructions to the offeror for this tab. Provide a separate submittal for each DORP (Seed and Sample).

As a reminder, this Volume has a page limit as described in each DORP. Pricing for DORP proposals shall be submitted separately, in Volume IV under Factor 4 – Price Proposal.

Offerors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the solicitation’s delivery order requirements based on an assessment of the offeror’s response to Tabs A-D.

Volume III, Non-Cost Factor 3 – Past Performance. The offeror shall provide recent and relevant past performance information. If available, a completed Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) evaluation shall be submitted for each project provided in Non-Cost Factor 1 - Experience. If there is not a completed CPARS evaluation, then offerors shall submit Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) using Appendix C for each project included in NCF 1. The Offeror should provide completed PPQs in their proposal volume. Offerors shall not incorporate by reference into their proposal PPQs previously submitted for other solicitations. However, this does not preclude the Government from utilizing previously submitted PPQ information in the past performance evaluation. If the Offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client for a project(s) before proposal closing date, the Offeror shall complete and submit with the proposal the first page of the PPQ, which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s). The Government may make reasonable attempts to contact the client noted for that project(s) to obtain the PPQ information. However, Offerors should follow-up with clients/references to help ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. If the client requests, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Government’s point of contact, Christopher L.

Toso, Contracting Officer, TosoCL@state.gov.

Offerors may provide any information on problems encountered and the corrective actions taken on projects submitted under NCF 1 – Experience.

Offerors may also address any adverse past performance issues. Explanations shall not exceed two (2) double-sided pages (or four (4) single-sided pages) in total.

The Government reserves the right to contact references for verification or additional information. The Government’s inability to contact any of the Offeror’s references or the references unwillingness to provide the information requested may affect the Government’s evaluation of this factor.

Performance award or additional information submitted will not be considered.

Offerors with no past performance or relevant experience shall type “NO PAST PEFORMANCE OR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE” in Bold Letters in Volume III, Past Performance on a blank page in this volume.

Volume IV, Factor 4 – Price Proposal. The offeror shall provide a comprehensive price proposal for all seed DORPs, see Attachments 1 and 2. This volume shall consist of all information required to support a price analysis. There are no page limitations to this volume. Technical responses shall be separate from pricing information provided.

The offeror may submit a price narrative supporting each price proposed. If necessary, the price proposal narrative must provide a thorough explanation and rationale for all proposed prices.

The order type associated with seed orders is Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP).

Offerors shall submit their price proposal using Appendix D – Pricing. Both DOPRs will be included in one price submittal. Offeror’s are required to submit a price for both DORPs and for all items. Offeror’s are discouraged from changing the pricing tab structure and format.

Pricing Information and Instructions for Appendix D – Pricing:

1) Offerors shall propose all prices in United States currency.

2) Offerors shall not hide or lock any rows, columns, or cells that contain proposed data.

3) Any formula issues identified in Appendix D should be brought to the Contracting Officer’s attention as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) days prior to the due date of the Price Proposal.

The Offeror shall complete blocks 12 through 18, as appropriate, of the SF 33. The Offeror shall acknowledge all amendments by signing and returning each SF30 (cover page only).

Offerors shall submit all information required under Section K of this solicitation, to include their active registration from System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

(End of Section L-001)