19GE5025R0016..pdf

US Consulate General Frankfurt Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) Giessener Strasse 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Ph: (++49) 69 7535-3313 E-Mail: JacobsenW@state.gov

December 23, 2024

To: Potential Offerors

Subject: Solicitation No. 19GE5025R0016 Landline Telecommunication Services for BEC & BDSC, US Embassy Baghdad, Iraq

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) Frankfurt would like to invite your company to submit a proposal Landline Telecommunication Services for US Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, as per attached solicitation documents.

The complete proposal shall be submitted by e-mail with the subject line "Proposal 19GE5025R0016” on or before 1500hrs Central European Time (CEST) on January 31, 2025, to JacobsenW@state.gov.

No proposals will be accepted after the time indicated above.

Please note:

a. All communication and the award documents shall be in English.

b. Please do NOT contact the US Embassy Baghdad directly regarding this project.

c. Attachment 1 of the solicitation contains the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for pricing you need to complete / submit. You may choose the currency of your offer, but we would like to point out that your chosen currency cannot be changed at any later date.

d. Please submit your proposal in accordance with the instructions set forth in Section 3 - Instructions to offerors (page 55) of the solicitation.

e. An active SAM registration is a condition of award (See Section 2, FAR clause 52.212-4 (t)).

f. Section 5 of the solicitation contains the representations and certifications you need to complete / submit.

mailto:JacobsenW@state.gov

Any questions regarding the subject solicitation may be directed to Ms. Wencke Jacobsen via e-mail JacobsenW@state.gov no later than 1500hrs Central European Time (CEST) on January 7, 2024. Questions will be collected, and in the interest of fair contracting, the replies will be provided anonymously in form of a solicitation amendment.

Sincerely, Nicolas A. Wilhelm Contracting Officer

//s//

19GE5025R0016

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24 & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

19GE5025R0016

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE 4. ORDER NUMBER 6. SOLICITATION ISSUE

DATE

12/23/2024

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

a. NAME

Wencke Jacobsen

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (No collect calls)

c. EMAIL jacobsenw@state.gov

8. OFFER DUE DATE / LOCAL

TIME

01/31/2025 10:00

CODE FRANK

AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL FRANKFURT

GIESSENER STRASSE 30

ATTN: RPSO

60435, FRANKFURT, GERMANY

9. ISSUED BY X UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE: % FOR

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (WOSB)

ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

10. THE ACQUISITION IS

SEE

SCHEDULE

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINATION

UNLESS BLOCK IS MARKED

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS

RATED ORDER UNDER DPAS

(15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

RFQ IFB X RFP

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

BAGHDCODE15. DELIVER TO

AMERICAN EMBASSY BAGHDAD

AL KINDHI ST., INTERNATIONAL ZONE

ATTN: IMO/IPO

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

CODE OPEAQM16. ADMINISTERED BY

RPSO Frankfurt OPE/AQM/IP/RPSO Frankfurt Office of Acquisition (AQM) Frankfurt

FACILITY

CODE

CODE

Contact UEI:

Telephone No.

17a. CONTRACTOR/

OFFEROR

OPEAQMCODE18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

AMERICAN EMBASSY BAGHDAD

AL KINDI STREET, INTERNATIONAL ZONE

ATTN: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OFFICER

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN

OFFER SEE ADDENDUM

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS

CHECKED

19. ITEM NO. 20. SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

21. QUANTITY 22. UNIT 23. UNIT PRICE 24. AMOUNT

See Line Items Section

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

X 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA X ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN ____ COPIES TO

ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH

OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE

TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. _____________________________ OFFER

DATED _________________ . YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5)

INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH HEREIN,

IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) Nicolas Wilhelm

31c. DATE SIGNED 12/27/2024

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 02/2012)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

CGFS // CGFS

Line Item Summary

Solicitation Number:

19GE5025R0016

Contract Number: Title: BAGHDAD - LANDLINE

TELECOMMUNICATION

Date of Solicitation:

12/23/2024

Line Item No.

Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Cost

001 BASE YEAR SERVICES

Inclusive of Sub CLINs 001 - 104, as per Attachment 1 - Pricing Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:

0.00 EA $0.00 $0.00

002 OPTION YEAR ONE SERVICES

Inclusive of Sub CLINs 1001 - 1104, as per Attachment 1

- Pricing

Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:

0.00 EA $0.00 $0.00

003 OPTION YEAR TWO SERVICES

Inclusive of Sub CLINs 2001 - 2104, as per Attachment 1

- Pricing

Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:

0.00 EA $0.00 $0.00

004 OPTION YEAR THREE SERVICES

Inclusive of Sub CLINs 3001 - 3104, as per Attachment 1

- Pricing

Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:

0.00 EA $0.00 $0.00

005 OPTION YEAR FOUR SERVICES

Inclusive of Sub CLINs 4001 - 4104, as per Attachment 1

- Pricing

Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:

0.00 EA $0.00 $0.00

Contents

SECTION 1 – THE SCHEDULE

I BACKGROUND / SCOPE OF SERVICES

II ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

III PRICES

IV SPECIFICATIONS / STATEMENT OF WORK

1. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

2. CONNECTIVITY

3. LICENSES AND CARRIER ARRANGEMENTS

4. VOICE SERVICES BASIC SERVICE CAPABILITIES

5. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

8. CONFORMITY TO STANDARDS

9. BILLING FOR SERVICES

10. TECHNCIAL SUPPORT

11. KEY PERSONNEL

12. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

13. TECHNOLOGICAL REFRESHMENT

14. SURVIVABILITY AND RECOVERY

V CONTRACT ADMINISTATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES

SECTION 2 – CONTRACT CLAUSES

FAR 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT

2018)

52.212-5 – CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT

STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS (NOV 2024)

52.252-2 – CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

52.204-25 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING FOR CERTAIN

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR

EQUIPMENT (NOV 2021)

52.216-18 – ORDERING (AUG 2020)

52.216-19 – ORDER LIMITATIONS (OCT 1995)

52.216-22 – INDEFINITE QUANTITY (OCT 1995)

52.217-8 – OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

52.217-9 – OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000)

52.225-19 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL IN A DESIGNATED OPERATIONAL AREA

OR SUPPORTING A DIPLOMATIC OR CONSULAR MISSION OUTSIDE THE

UNITED STATES (MAY 2020)

52.229-12 TAX ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PROCUREMENTS (FEB 2021)

52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year

652.204-70 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD POLICY

AND PROCEDURES (FEB 2015)

652.229-70 Excise Tax Exemption Statement for Contractors Within the United States (JUL

1988) 652.232-70 Payment Schedule and Invoice Submission (Fixed-Price) (AUG 1999)

652.242-70 – CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) AUG 1999)

652.242-73 – AUTHORIZATION AND PERFORMANCE (AUG 1999)

652.243-70 – NOTICES (AUG 1999)

Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Requirements (FEB 2023)

SECTION 3 - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

Instructions to Offerors (Proposal Submission):

Submission of questions Proposal Due Date

52.252-1 – SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB

1998)

52.216-1 – TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

52.233-2 - SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEPT 2006)

652.206-70 – ADVOCATE FOR COMPETITION / OMBUDSMAN (FEB 2015)

SECTION 4 – EVALUATION FACTORS

52.217- 5 – EVALUATION OF OPTIONS (JUL 1990)

52.225-17 – EVALUATION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY OFFERS (FEB 2000)

SECTION 5 – REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

52.204-19- INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIONS AND

CERTIFICATIONS (DEC 2014)

52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (NOV 2021)

52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Products and

Commercial Services (FEB 2024)

52.222-56 CERTIFICATION REGARDING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS COMPLIANCE

PLAN (OCT 2020)

52.229-11 TAX ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PROCUREMENTS—NOTICE AND

REPRESENTATION (JUN 2020)

652.225-70 – ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL (AUG 1999)

DEFENSE BASE ACT - COVERED CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES UNDER THE

DEFENSE BASE ACT

SECTION 1 – THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449

RFP 19GE5025R0016

PRICES, BLOCK 23

I BACKGROUND / SCOPE OF SERVICES

A. The Contractor shall provide Internet services and local and long-distance telephone services to the US Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq.

The Contractor shall complete all work, including furnishing all labor, material, equipment, and services, unless otherwise specified herein, required under this contract for stated services within the time specified herein. The price listed below shall include all labor, materials, overhead, and profit. In consideration of satisfactory performance of all scheduled services required under this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a firm fixed-price for all services.

The Contractor shall also provide local and long-distance telephone services in addition to the scheduled services specified in this contract. These services shall be provided on an as needed basis and shall be billed based on actual usage

The Contractor shall provide the services, as described in Section 1, Sub Section IV

Specifications / Statement of Work.

B. The contract resulting from this solicitation shall be a Firm Fixed-Price contract under which annual firm-fixed price task orders will be issued. The contract shall remain unfunded. The fixed prices are listed with Attachment 1 – Pricing.

C. MINIMUM (Reference Section I, Clause 52.216-22(b))

During the term of this contract, the Government shall order, as a minimum, services in an amount of at least $5,000.00 or equivalent in local currency.

The Government makes no guarantee as to the number of orders or actual amount of services that will be requested above the guaranteed minimum of $5,000.00 or equivalent in local currency.

The maximum dollar value during the entire life of this contract is $2,500,000.00.

II ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Acronym Definition

CLIN Contract Line Item Number

CO Contracting Officer

COR Contracting Officer´s Representative

FMO Financial Management Office

QA Quality Assurance

SOW Statement of Work

USG United States Government

III PRICES

A. The contractor shall complete all work, including installation and integration services, furnishing all labor, material, equipment and services, unless otherwise specified herein, required under this contract for the firm fixed unit prices indicated below and within the time specified herein. These individual prices shall include all labor, materials, profit, and, if applicable, value-added tax (VAT).

Any costs not separately priced will be considered to be included in the individual prices as overhead or other indirect cost. No additional sums will be payable on account of any escalation in the cost of materials, equipment or labor, or because of the contractor's failure to properly estimate or accurately predict the cost or difficulty of achieving the results required by this contract. Nor will the contract price be adjusted on account of fluctuations in the currency exchange rates.

The currency shall be fixed and cannot be changed by modification to the contract.

B. VAT - Value Added Tax (VAT) is not applicable to this contract and shall not be included in the CLIN rates or Invoices because the U.S. Embassy has a tax exemption certificate from the host government.

C. Offeror shall insert the currency the prices are offered in:

Local Iraqi vendors shall quote in Iraqi Dinar and non-local vendors shall quote in

US Dollars.

D. Pricing Schedule

The fixed prices for the services as specified in Section IV are set forth in Attachment 1

– Pricing Schedule (to be submitted by Offeror as part of proposal and made part of the contract with award).

E. Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance

DBA insurance is required for all United States citizens or residents and individuals hired in the United States, regardless of citizenship for any construction and services for U. S.

overseas contracts over US$3,500.00. Only the countries listed currently on the

Department of Labor’s (DOL) Active DBA Waivers are not required to have DBA insurance for Host Country Nationals (HCNs) and Third Country Nationals (TCNs) working overseas. See website for country waivers:

https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/dbawaivers/dbawaivers.htm

Iraq is currently not on the DBA waiver list.

DBA insurance is required for United States citizens or residents and individuals hired in the United States, Host Country Nationals (HCNs) and Third Country Nationals (TCNs).

The DBA insurance may be obtained from any authorized DBA insurance broker, see

FAR 52.228-3 WORKER’S COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASE ACT)

(APR 1984). New DBA insurances policies can be purchased directly from any DOL

(Department of Labor) approved insurance carrier. A list of DOL approved carriers may be found at: http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lscarrier.htm.

The Contractor will be reimbursed for DBA only to the extent the contractor provides documentary proof that DBA has been paid and only to the extent quoted in Attachment

1 – Pricing.

F. JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 VICTIMS HEALTH AND COMPENSATION ACT OF

2010 NOTICE:

UNLESS A WAIVER OR EXCEPTION APPLIES, PAYMENTS SUBSEQUENT TO

THIS PROCUREMENT ARE SUBJECT TO AN EXCISE TAX OF 2% PERSUANT

TO 26 U.S.C. 5000C.

https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/dbawaivers/dbawaivers.htm http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lscarrier.htm

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449,

RFP NUMBER 19GE5025R0016

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, BLOCK 20

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

IV SPECIFICATIONS / STATEMENT OF WORK

1. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Background Information:

Embassy Baghdad requires continued landline telephone services to support our telephone infrastructure. For this contract, two different configurations are explored. The first setup is to continue support for the current configuration at the Baghdad Embassy Compound (BEC). The second configuration supports a more robust setup where one E1 circuit is installed in the BEC and the second E1 installed at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center (BDSC) located approximately 25 kilometers from the BEC. Both locations will also require separate banks of

DID numbers. At a minimum, Embassy Baghdad will need landline telephone services to support the current configuration. However, within the period of performance of the contract, Embassy Baghdad will consider the BEC and BDSC configuration setup depending on final pricing, timing, and convenience.

To Support the Current Configuration Setup

The Contractor shall provide local and international telephone services with Direct-Inward-

Dialing (DID) calling capabilities. The proposal will include pricing of telephone services to include local long distance and international calling rates. The proposal will include an Embassy main local telephone number with two (2) each E1 EURO ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) circuits at the BEC. Each E1 will have a line rate of 2.048Mb/s, which shall be used to provide channelized E1 service of 30 separate DS0 channels of 64 kb/s each and one 64/kb channel for signaling configured as a Euro ISDN E1 PRI providing 30 simultaneous calls. DID’s are calls presented to the Embassy PBX, the dialed destination number is transmitted, usually partially

(e.g., last four digits), so that the PBX can route the call directly to the desired Embassy extension number without the need for an operator or attendant assistance. The American

Embassy will require a block of three thousand (3000) sequential Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers ranging from 2000 - 4999. Additionally, a block of two hundred (200) DID’s ranging from 7200 – 7299 and 7400 – 7499.

To Support the BEC and BDSC Configuration Setup

The Contractor shall provide local and international telephone services with Direct-Inward-

Dialing (DID) calling capabilities at the BEC and BDSC. The proposal will include pricing of telephone services to include local long distance and international calling rates. The proposal will include at the BEC one main local telephone number with one (1) E1 EURO ISDN Primary

Rate Interface (PRI) circuits. The E1 will have a line rate of 2.048Mb/s, which shall be used to provide channelized E1 service of 30 separate DS0 channels of 64 kb/s each and one 64/kb channel for signaling configured as a Euro ISDN E1 PRI providing 30 simultaneous calls. DID’s are calls presented to the BEC PBX, the dialed destination number is transmitted, usually partially (e.g., last four digits), so that the PBX can route the call directly to the desired BEC extension number without the need for an operator or attendant assistance. The American

Embassy will require a block of three thousand (3000) sequential Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers ranging from 2000 - 4999. Additionally, a block of two hundred (200) DID’s ranging from 7200 – 7299 and 7400 – 7499.

At BDSC, one (1) E1 Euro ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) circuit will be installed in a similar manner as the paragraph above. The proposal will include at BDSC one main local telephone number. BDSC will require a block of one thousand (1000) sequential Direct Inward

Dialing numbers ranging from 1000 to 1999.

In this setup, the contractor shall provide a failover solution in case of congestion or outages at either the BEC or BDSC. The contractor will route BEC or BDSC traffic accordingly during outages to maintain resilience of the landline telephone services.

2. CONNECTIVITY

The proposed E1 Telephone service shall be provided by fixed (fiber) or Fixed Wireless service but shall be interconnected with Iraq’s landline network, main GSM operators Zain, Asia Cell and Korek, as well as other regional Wireless operators.

3. LICENSES AND CARRIER ARRANGEMENTS.

The contractor shall be properly licensed to provide the service with the Ministry of

Communications and have all national and local licenses, permits and access arrangements to provide uninterrupted 24 hours/7 days a week (24/7) telephone service. All software licenses with leased equipment will be valid and up to date.

4. VOICE SERVICES BASIC SERVICE CAPABILITIES

The contractor shall provide a technical approach to deliver the basic voice services to the

Embassy. Contractors are also encouraged to propose capabilities and features in addition to those contained in this RFP.

5. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide the following as a minimum:

• Uninterrupted 24/7 dial-in/out capabilities to/from local Iraqi mobile and fixed telephones.

• Two (2) standard 30 channels E-1 interfaces and PRI EURO ISDN protocol. Provide pricing on monthly and recurring costs for the two E1 circuits. Provide in a table format the standard free telephone features included.

• Provide a local primary telephone number for the BEC. Preference to maintain current

964-0760-030-3000 telephone number.

• Provide a local primary telephone number for BDSC (If BEC and BDSC configuration).

Preference to start 964-0760-030-1000 telephone number (if available).

• Provide a range of sequential Direct Inward Dial numbers as stated above in section 1.

• Provide a plan for any customer premise equipment to be installed by the provider at the

Baghdad Embassy Compound and/or BDSC to deliver these services. Provider will maintain all leased equipment and replace equipment when appropriate.

8. CONFORMITY TO STANDARDS

The contractor shall follow industry standards to include ANSI, Electronic Industries Association

[EIA], Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Insulated Cable Engineers

Association (ICEA), National Electric Code (NEC), Telecommunications Industry Association

[TIA] Telecommunications Industry Forum (TCIF), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards, Telcordia, International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunications Service

Sector (ITU-TSS).

9. BILLING FOR SERVICES

The contractor shall provide direct billing and shall bill in arrears on a monthly basis. The contractor shall ensure that each invoice contains all pricing components in sufficient detail to reconcile charges with completed orders or actual usage. The contractor shall ensure that all charges, credits, and debits are shown on the invoice and that no additional data are required by the American Embassy to verify the price of a call or feature and to verify the amount of discounts, credits or debits. If the Government requests optional CLIN104, the contractor shall make available the usage details, within seven (7) calendar days following the period being billed provided in an Excel spreadsheet format.

10. TECHNCIAL SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide technical support to settle problems, which may arise during the performance of this contract.

11. KEY PERSONNEL

A. The Project Manager shall be proactive, qualified, and able to converse in English and

Arabic. The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key person:

POSITION/FUNCTION NAME

Project Manager: ________________________________

B. During the first 90 days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is required due to illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required below to the Contracting Officer at least 15 days before making any permanent substitutions.

C. After the first 90 days of performance, the Contractor may substitute a key person if the contractor determines that it is necessary. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting

Officer of the proposed action immediately. Prior to making the substitution, the

Contractor will provide the information required below to the Contracting Officer.

D. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances requiring the proposed substitution, a complete resume for the proposed substitute. The proposed substitute shall possess qualifications comparable to the original key person. The

Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor of its approval or disapproval of the substitution within 15 calendar days after receiving the required information. The

Government will modify the contract to reflect any changes in key personnel.

12. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

Any information made available to the Contractor by the Government shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and shall not be divulged or made known in any manner to any person except as may be necessary in the performance of the contract.

13. TECHNOLOGICAL REFRESHMENT

After contract award, the Government may be pursuant to FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions –Commercial Items, paragraph (c), Changes, request changes within the scope of the contract. These changes may be required to improve performance or react to changes in technology.

The contractor may propose for the Government’s technological refreshment substitution or addition for any provided product(s) or services that may become available as a result of technological improvements. The Government may, at any time during the term of this contract or any extensions thereof, modify the contract to acquire products which are similar to those under the contract and that the Contractor has or has not formally announced for marketing purposes. This action is considered to be within the scope of the contract. At the option of the

Government, a demonstration of the substitute product may be required. The Government is under no obligation to modify the contract in response to the proposed additions or substitution.

Such substitution or additions may include any part of, or all of, a given product(s) provided that the following conditions are met and substantiated by documentation in the technological refreshment proposal:

(a) The proposed product(s)/service(s) shall meet all the technical specifications of this document and conform to the terms and conditions cited in the contract.

(b) The proposed product(s) /service(s) shall have capacity, performance, or functional characteristics equal or greater than the current product(s)/service(s).

(c) The proposal shall discuss the impact on hardware, services, and delivery schedules. The cost of changes not specifically addressed in the proposal shall be borne entirely by the contractor.

(d) Contractor has the right to withdraw, in whole or in part, any technological refreshment proposal prior to acceptance by the Government. Contractor will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that prices for substitutions or additions are comparable to replaced or discontinued products. If a technological refreshment proposal is accepted and made a part of this contract, an equitable adjustment increasing or decreasing the contract price may be required and any other affected provisions of this contract shall be made in accordance with this clause, the Changes clause, and other applicable clauses of the contract.

14. SURVIVABILITY AND RECOVERY

The contractor shall have a working system of survivability of the network in case of emergency and serious disaster when all networks may be jammed or when parts of the network are destroyed.

The contractor shall have a recovery plan in place that shall deal with such occurrences.

V CONTRACT ADMINISTATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES

A. Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan (QASP)

This plan is designed to provide an effective surveillance method to promote effective contractor performance. The QASP provides a method for the Contracting Officer's

Representative (COR) to monitor contractor performance, advise the contractor of unsatisfactory performance, and notify the Contracting Officer of continued unsatisfactory performance. The contractor, not the USG, is responsible for management and quality control to meet the terms of the contract. The role of the USG is to conduct quality assurance to ensure that contract standards are achieved.

Performance Objective Performance Work

Statement Para

Performance Threshold

Services

Performs all services set forth in the scope of work.

1 through 14

All required services are performed and no more than two (2) customer complaint is received per month.

Maintain a 99.5% uptime for the two E1 circuits respectively

1 Contractor track unscheduled downtime on a monthly basis

• Surveillance – The COR will receive and document all complaints from USG personnel regarding the services provided. If found valid, the COR will send the complaints to the contractor for corrective action.

• Standard – The performance standard is that the USG receives no more than one (1) customer complaint per month. The COR shall notify the Contracting Officer of the complaints so that the Contracting Officer may take appropriate action to enforce the inspection clause (FAR 52.246-4, Inspection of Services – Fixed Price (AUG 1996) or the appropriate Inspection of Services clause), if any of the services exceed the standard.

• Complaint Procedures

(a) If any Government personnel observe unacceptable services, either incomplete work or required services not being performed they should immediately contact the COR.

(b) The COR will complete appropriate documentation to record the complaint.

(c) If the COR determines the complaint is invalid, the COR will advise the complainant.

The COR will retain the annotated copy of the written complaint for his/her files.

(d) If the COR determines the complaint is valid, the COR will inform the Contractor and give the Contractor additional time to correct the defect, if additional time is available.

The COR shall determine how much time is reasonable.

(e) The COR shall, as a minimum, orally notify the Contractor of any valid complaints.

(f) If the Contractor disagrees with the complaint after investigation of the site and challenges the validity of the complaint, the Contractor will notify the COR. The COR will review the matter to determine the validity of the complaint.

(g) The COR will consider complaints as resolved unless notified otherwise by the complainant.

(h) Repeat customer complaints are not permitted for any services. If a repeat customer complaint is received for the same deficiency during the service period, the COR will contact the Contracting Officer for appropriate action under the Inspection clause.

In situations where uptime is not met, the contractor shall deduct the total downtime beyond the allowable monthly .005% from the monthly invoice for the affected CLINs below:

CLINs BEC Status Quo 1, 2, 3

BEC and BDSC 20, 21, 22, 25, Optional 104

1) Total downtime minus allowable downtime = time used to calculate deduction time

2) Add CLINS affected monthly total cost from the table above and divide by monthly minutes total = monthly minute charge

3) Deduction time multiplied by monthly minute charge equal monthly deduction off the fixed price CLIN charges for not maintaining the 99.5% uptime agreement.

B. REPORTS AND OTHER DELIVERABLES

All reports and other deliverables required under this contract shall be delivered by email to the COR and mailed to the following address:

TBA

Description QTY Delivery Date Deliver to

Invoice

1 To be submitted monthly

Designated

Billing

Office

C. RECRUITMENT OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS

a) For contracts exceeding $250,000 which require the recruitment of Third Country

Nationals (TCNs), the Contractor shall submit and adhere to a Recruitment Plan. Contractors providing employer furnished housing shall submit and adhere to a Housing Plan.

b) Recruitment Plan

1. State the anticipated number of workers to be recruited, the skills they are expected to have, and the country or countries from which the Contractor intends to recruit them.

2. Explain how the Contractor intends to attract candidates and the recruitment strategy including the recruiter.

3. State in the plan that the recruited employee will not be charged recruitment or any similar fees, as defined in FAR 22.1702 and FAR 52.222-50. The Contractor or employer pays the recruitment fees for the worker, if recruited by the Contractor or subcontractor, to work specifically on Department of State contracts.

4. Recruitment fees included by the prime contractor in the contract price must be allowable by country law, allocable to the contract based on benefit to the program, and reasonable based on what a prudent businessperson would pay for similar expenses and charges. The reasonableness of recruitment fees should be assessed based on the reasonableness of the individual components.

5. State in the plan that the Contractor’s recruitment practices comply with recruiting nation and host country labor laws.

6. State in the plan that the Contractor has read and understands the requirements of

FAR 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons.

7. Contractor will advise the Contracting Officer of any changes to the Recruitment Plan during performance and provide updates for approval.

Recruitment fees means fees of any type, including charges, costs, assessments, or other financial obligations, that are associated with the recruiting process, regardless of the time, manner, or location of imposition or collection of the fee.

(1) Recruitment fees include, but are not limited to, the following fees (when they are associated with the recruiting process) for-

(i) Soliciting, identifying, considering, interviewing, referring, retaining, transferring, selecting, training, providing orientation to, Skills testing, recommending, or placing employees or potential employees; (ii) Advertising: (iii) Obtaining permanent or temporary labor certification, including any associated fees; (iv) Processing applications and petitions; (v) Acquiring visas, including any associated fees; (vi) Acquiring photographs and identity or immigration documents, such as passports, including any associated fees; (vii) Accessing the job opportunity, including required medical examinations and immunizations; background, reference, and security clearance checks and examinations; and additional certifications; (viii) An employer's recruiters, agents or attorneys, or other notary or legal fees; (ix) Language interpretation or translation, arranging for or accompanying on travel, or providing other advice to employees or potential employees; (x) Government-mandated fees, such as border crossing fees, levies, or worker welfare funds; (xi) Transportation and subsistence costs- (A) While in transit, including, but not limited to, airfare or costs of other modes of transportation, terminal fees, and travel taxes associated with travel from the country of origin to the country of performance and the return journey upon the end of employment; and (B) From the airport or disembarkation point to the worksite; (xii) Security deposits, bonds, and insurance; and (xiii) Equipment charges.

(2) A recruitment fee, as described in the introductory text of this definition, is a recruitment fee, regardless of whether the payment is (i) Paid in property or money; (ii) Deducted from wages;

(iii) Paid back in wage or benefit concessions; (iv) Paid back as a kickback, bribe, in-kind payment, free labor, tip, or tribute; or (v) Collected by an employer or a third party, whether licensed or unlicensed, including, but not limited to- (A) Agents; (B) Labor brokers; (C)

Recruiters; (D) Staffing firms (including private employment and placement firms); (E)

Subsidiaries/affiliates of the employer; (F) Any agent or employee of such entities; and (G)

Subcontractors at all tiers.

c) Housing Plan

The Contractor will submit a Housing Plan if the Contractor intends to provide employer furnished housing for TCNs. The Housing Plan must describe the location and description of the proposed housing. Contractors must state in their plan that housing meets host country housing and safety standards and local codes. Contractor shall comply with any Temporary Labor Camp standards contained in this contract. In contracts without a Temporary Labor Camp standard, fifty square feet is the minimum amount of space per person without a Contracting Officer waiver. Contractor shall submit proposed changes to their Housing Plan to the Contracting

Officer for approval.

d) Preventing Trafficking in Persons

The Department of State Contractor and Subcontractors shall prevent human trafficking and treat employees with respect and dignity by taking the following actions:

• Contractor may not destroy, conceal, confiscate, or otherwise deny access to an employee’s identity documents or passports.

Contractors are reminded of the prohibition contained in Title 18, United States Code, Section

1592, against knowingly destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any actual or purported passport or other immigration document to prevent or restrict the person’s liberty to move or travel in order to maintain the services of that person. Contractor must be familiar with any local labor law restrictions on withholding employee identification documentation.

• Contractor shall provide employees with signed copies of their employment contracts, in English and in the employee’s native language, that define the terms of employment, compensation including salary, overtime rates, allowances, salary increases, job description, description of any employer provided housing, benefits including leave accrual, and information on whether hazardous working conditions are anticipated. These contracts must be provided prior to employee departure from their countries of origin. Contractors shall provide workers with written information on relevant host country labor laws. Fraudulent recruiting practices, including deliberately misleading information, shall be considered a material breach of this contract.

• Contractor shall provide all employees with a “Know Your Rights” brochure and document that employees have been briefed on the contents of the brochure. The English language version is available at https://www.responsiblesourcingtool.org and from the

Contracting Officer.

• The Contractor shall brief employees on the requirements of the FAR 52.222-50

Combating Trafficking in Persons, including the requirements against commercial sex, even in countries where it is legal, and shall provide a copy of the briefing to the Contracting Officer

Representative (COR).

• Contractor shall display posters in worker housing advising employees, in English and the dominant language of the Third Country Nationals being housed, of the requirement to report violations of Trafficking in Persons to the company and the company’s obligation to report to the Contracting Officer. The poster shall also indicate that reports can also be submitted to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Hotline at 202-647-3320 or 1-800-409-9926, via the web https://www.stateoig.gov/ hotline, or via email at WPEAombuds@STATEOIG.GOV.

• Contractor and subcontractors shall comply with sending and receiving nation laws regarding transit, entry, exit, visas, and work permits. Contractors are responsible for repatriation of workers who have traveled from other countries for contract performance, except for an employee legally permitted to remain in the country of work and who chooses to do so; including an employee who is a victim of trafficking seeking victim services or legal redress in the country of employment or a witness in a trafficking-related enforcement action.

• Contractor shall monitor subcontractor compliance at all tiers. This includes verification that subcontractors are aware of, and understand, the requirements of FAR 52.222-

50 Combating Trafficking in Persons and this clause. Contractors specifically agree to allow U.S.

Government personnel access to Contractor and subcontractor personnel, records, and housing for audit of compliance with the requirements of this clause.

• The Contractor agrees to include this clause in all subcontracts over $250,000 involving recruitment of third country nationals for subcontractor performance.

D. Erroneous Payment

If the USG becomes eligible for a refund of payment because of erroneous overpayment or other cause, the contractor shall refund the amounts or use them to offset future payments owed by the

USG, whichever the USG prefers. The contractor shall refund any refunds not complete or discovered after the completion date of this contract.

E. Physical and Information Security Requirements

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government information provided for contractor use. All material / documentation produced for the USG will be the sole property of the USG. The contractor shall not release any documents to anyone unless authorized by the

USG. The following considerations shall be followed by the contractor and/or shall be incorporated into the design documents / shop drawings.

All documents received or generated under the contract are the property of the USG.

All documents shall be controlled and disseminated on a need-to-know basis. Reproduction and distribution are prohibited without express approval of the USG. All design documents generated shall be annotated as follows:

All documents shall be marked and handled in strict accordance with all applicable requirements and regulations. Proposed and actual contract documents shall only be disseminated on a strict need-to-know basis and shall not be further disseminated without prior authorization from the

USG.

Those receiving any type of proposed and / or actual contract documents shall be responsible for these materials while in their possession, or that of any of their subcontractors. They shall return all documents, including all copies, promptly upon demand by the USG.

F. Laws And Regulations

• Compliance Required

If the contractor has or will establish a local office, he shall, without additional expense to the

USG, be responsible for complying with all laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations applicable to the performance of the work, including those of the host country, and with the lawful orders of any governmental authority having jurisdiction.

• Labor, Health and Safety Laws and Customs

If the contractor has or will establish a local office, he shall comply with all local labor laws, regulations, customs and practices pertaining to labor, safety, and similar matters, to the extent that such compliance is not inconsistent with the requirements of this contract.

A contract with the USG conveys no special privileges or immunities to the contractor. The contractor is an independent commercial concern and not a part of the U.S.

mission. The contractor's employees are not USG employees. Registration of this contract with the host country government, if required by law, will be the sole responsibility of the contractor, and any fees, taxes, or other duties shall be payable by the contractor without recourse to the

USG of the amounts thereof.

The only items that the USG will consider for price adjustments are those that are mandated e.g., changes in the VAT rate (if applicable) or minimum hourly wage rate.

G. Contract Administration Data

a) Authority of the Contracting Officer – All work shall be performed under the general direction of the Contracting Officer, who alone shall have the power to bind the

Government and to exercise the rights, responsibilities, authorities and functions vested by the contract, except that the Contracting Officer and the Procurement Executive shall have the right to designate authorized representatives to act for the Contracting

Officer, as specifically provided in the designation of that individual, such as the COR.

b) Government Personnel

Contracting Officer: Nicolas A. Wilhelm

Contract Administrator: Wencke Jacobsen

E-mail address: Jacobsenw@state.gov

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR): TBA

H. Invoices, Review and Payment

Invoices shall be issued monthly and submitted to the invoicing address shown on the task order. Value Added Tax (VAT), if applicable, shall be a separate line item on each invoice.

Each invoice shall include the items listed in Section 2, FAR 52.212-4 g.1.

Payment shall be made in the currency the contractor specified in Section1.III.C Prices.

Advance Payment shall not be authorized under this contract.

I. Changes In Ownership

The contractor shall furnish the COR advance notification (90 calendar days prior to the effective date) of any disposition or the change in ownership or terms of lease of any facilities utilized by him for performance of any service under this contract.

J. Choice of Law

This contract shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the substantive laws of the

United States of America. By the execution of this contract, the contractor expressly agrees to waive any rights to invoke the jurisdiction of local national courts where this contract is performed and agrees to accept the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States Civilian Board of

Contract Appeals and the United States Court of Federal Claims for hearing and determination of any and all disputes that may arise under the Disputes clause of this contract.

mailto:Jacobsenw@state.gov

K. Start / Period of Performance

Contract performance is estimated to start in the third quarter of calendar year 2025.

The period of performance is for one year, with four possible annual option years. Option years, if exercised, shall be for twelve (12) months each, commencing at the expiration of the previous period of performance.

The Government may extend this contract in accordance with the option clause in Section 2, FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract - Deviation, which also specifies the total duration of this contract.

The Government may exercise the option set forth at Section 2, "FAR 52.217-8, Option to

Extend Services", within the currently ongoing period of performance.

Notwithstanding the expressed contract expiration date, this contract shall remain in full force and effect until the last items or services ordered hereunder have been delivered and accepted by the Government.

L. RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MITIGATION PLAN

Iraq is listed on the Department of State’s Designated Critical Environments List.

The Government will have to perform a comprehensive risk assessment and develop a risk mitigation plan for contractor personnel who are non-local resident American Citizens or Third

Country Nationals in country for more than 45 cumulative days in a calendar year.

When requested the contractor shall provide the required information to the Government within

7 calendar days.

M. CONTRACTOR VETTING AS A CONDITION OF AWARD

Offerors are advised that successful passing of vetting to evaluate the risk that funds may benefit terrorists or individuals/ entities deemed to be a risk to national security or their supporters is a condition of award.

Offerors may be asked to submit information required by DS Form 4184, Risk Analysis

Information (Attachment 6) about their company and its principal personnel.

Vetting information is also required for all subcontract performance on contracts identified by the Department as presenting a risk of terrorist financing.

When requested the contractor shall provide the required information to the Government within

7 calendar days.

Failure to submit information when requested, or failure to pass vetting, is grounds for rejecting a proposal.

N. List Of Attachments

Attachment 1 Pricing

Attachment 2 International Long-Distance calls

Attachment 3 Past Performance and Experience

Attachment 4 IRS Form W-14

Attachment 5 C-SCRM-Questionnaire

Attachment 6 DS-4184

END OF SECTION 1

SECTION 2 – CONTRACT CLAUSES

FAR 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(OCT 2018) is incorporated by reference. (see SF-1449, Block 27A)

52.212-5 – CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT

STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS (NOV 2024)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or

Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(1) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or

Statements (Jan 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(2) 52.204-23, Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or

Provided by Kaspersky Lab Covered Entities (Dec 2023) (Section 1634 of Pub. L. 115-91).

(3) 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video

Surveillance Services or Equipment. (Nov 2021) (Section 889(a)(1)(A) of Pub. L. 115-232).

(4) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov 2015).

(5) 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Mar

2023) ( 31 U.S.C. 3903 and 10 U.S.C. 3801).

(6) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (Aug 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(7) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (Oct 2004) (Public Laws 108-77 and 108-78 ( 19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting

Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

_X_ (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Jun

2020), with Alternate I (Nov 2021) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 4655).

__ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Nov

2021) (41 U.S.C. 3509)).

__ (3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act of 2009 (Jun 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub. L. 111-5). (Applies to contracts funded by the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.)

__ (4) 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights (Nov 2023) ( 41 U.S.C. 4712);

this clause does not apply to contracts of DoD, NASA, the Coast Guard, or applicable elements of the intelligence community—see FAR 3.900(a).

_X_ (5) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun

2020) (Pub. L. 109-282) ( 31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

__ (6) [Reserved].

__ (7) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

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