19GE5026Q0125_CombinedSynopsisSolicitation.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION 19GE5026Q0125

The U.S. Government seeks to establish a single firm-fixed-price Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for VPN, Internet Services, and dedicated circuitry at the U.S. Embassy Beijing.

Offerors must demonstrate the capability to provide all managerial, administrative, and technical personnel, equipment, materials, and supplies necessary to furnish one dedicated, full-period, full-duplex, clear-channel digital internet circuit and associated services as detailed in this solicitation and the attached Statement of Work (SOW).

Type of Contract:

The Government intends to establish a single‑award BPA for commercial services.

The BPA will have a total ordering period of 60 months, structured into five (5) individual ordering periods, during which BPA calls may be issued. Each BPA call will be issued on a firm-fixed-price (FFP) basis and will specify the scope of work, performance period, deliverables, service levels, and applicable pricing. Funding will be obligated only at the BPA call level when specific requirements arise and funds are available. The Government reserves the right to request price reductions or discounts at any time during the BPA term.

I. General This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with FAR part 12 and issued as Request for Quotation (RFQ). This announcement constitutes only the solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

This acquisition is not set-aside for small business concerns and is issued pursuant to the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO). The RFO applies to this acquisition

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO)

Giessener Strasse 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main

Germany unless otherwise determined by the Contracting Officer in writing. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 517111 - Wired Telecommunications Carriers and PSC is DG10 - IT AND

TELECOM - NETWORK AS A SERVICE.

II. Itemized Line Items See Attachment 2 - Pricing Schedule for complete list of line items.

III. Description of Requirements See Attachment 1 - Schedule and Clauses for the full description of the Government’s requirements. This attachment outlines the Statement of Work (SOW), the applicable clauses, performance obligations, and conditions that will govern the resulting BPA. Offerors are responsible for reviewing the requirements in their entirety and must demonstrate, within their offer, a clear and feasible approach to meeting all stated performance, delivery, and compliance obligations.

Failure to address any portion of the requirements may render the offer incomplete.

IV. Date and Place of Performance Period of Performance: BPA with 60-month term, structured as five (5) 12-month ordering periods within which BPA Calls may be placed.

Place of Performance: U.S. Embassy Beijing, China

V. Solicitation Provisions The following provisions are incorporated by reference:

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (RFO DEVIATION January 30, 2026) FAR 52.214-34 Submission of Offers in the English Language (Apr 1991) FAR 52.225-17 Evaluation of Foreign Currency Offers (Feb 2000) FAR 52.252-5 Authorized Deviations in Provisions (Nov 2020)

The following provisions are provided in full text:

FAR 52.233-2 Service of Protest (Sep 2006) (RFO DEVIATION January 30, 2026)

(a) Protests, (as defined in FAR 33.102), that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), must be served on the Contracting Officer identified in the solicitation by http://www.acquisition.gov/ obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from the Contracting Officer at the following physical address below:

U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) Giessener Str. 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

(b) The copy of any protest must be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

(End of provision)

DOSAR 652.206-70 Advocate for Competition/Ombudsman (Feb 2015)

(a) The Department of State's Advocate for Competition 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 first to contact the contracting officer for the solicitation. If concerns remain unresolved, contact:

(1) For solicitations issued by the Office of Global Acquisition (GA) or a Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO), the GA Advocate for Competition, at AQMCompetitionAdvocate@state.gov.

(2) For all others, the Department of State Advocate for Competition at cat@state.gov.

(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, Trena N. Mills, at (202) 704 2045.

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 20522-0602.

(End of provision)

VI. Quotation Submission Instructions Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instruction to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (RFO Deviation Date January 30, 2026)

Pursuant to FAR 12.205(a)(1), the provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Jan 2026) is augmented as follows:

• Period for Acceptance of Quotations: The period for acceptance of quotations, as stated in FAR 52.212-1 (Nov 2025) (RFO DEVIATION January 30, 2026), is extended from 60 calendar days to 90 calendar days.

• Preparation and Submission of Quotations: Each quotation shall consist of the following separate volumes:

VOLUME I – PRICE QUOTATION

Offerors shall submit a complete Price Quotation as Volume I. The Price Quotation shall be submitted as a separate volume from the Technical Quotation and shall not include any technical, management, or staffing information.

Failure to submit the required pricing or required certifications may result in the quotation being determined incomplete and ineligible for award.

Requirements:

1. Price Schedule Offerors shall submit a completed pricing breakdown using Attachment 2 - Price Schedule. All required pricing fields shall be completed. Quotations submitted without complete pricing may be rejected as incomplete.

The total price shall include all labor, equipment, materials, overhead, profit, and all other expenses necessary to deliver the required services. No additional sums will be payable on account of any escalations 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 agreement.

Nor will the price be adjusted on account of fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

2. Representations & Certifications Offerors shall complete all applicable representations and certifications contained in Attachment 3 - Representations & Certifications. Any missing or incomplete representations or certifications may render the quotation incomplete.

3. NCAGE Code or System for Award Management (SAM) Registration Offerors who are already registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) must include proof of active SAM registration with their quotation.

Offerors not currently registered in SAM must follow the instructions provided under provision FAR 52.204-90 Offeror Identification and must provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code.

4. Tax Documentation for Foreign Offerors (IRS Form W-14) Non-U.S. offerors that claim an exemption from, or a reduced rate of, U.S.

withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty shall submit a completed IRS Form W-14, Certificate of Foreign Contracting Party Receiving Federal Procurement Payments, provided as Attachment 4 - IRS Form W-14.

Pursuant to FAR 52.229-11, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements—Notice and Representation, the United States Government is required to collect tax-related information prior to contract award. Offerors shall ensure that IRS Form W-14 is accurate and complete prior to submission. Instructions for completing the form are provided in Attachment 5 - Instructions to Complete IRS Form W-14.

Failure to submit IRS Form W-14 when applicable will result in tax withholding at the full statutory rate.

5. Standard Form (SF) 30 (if applicable) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of all solicitation amendments by submitting a signed Standard Form (SF) 30 for each amendment requiring acknowledgment, if applicable.

VOLUME II – TECHNICAL QUOTATION

The Technical Quotation shall demonstrate the offeror’s capability to meet the requirements of the solicitation and the performance standards described in the SOW. No pricing information shall appear in this volume.

Requirements:

1. Organizational Capability

The Offeror shall provide its legal business name, address, business type, and a brief description of its ISP operations. The Offeror shall identify relevant experience providing dedicated Internet/circuit services to diplomatic missions, government entities, or comparable multi-site organizations, including a brief description of the services provided.

2. Technical Approach

• The Offeror shall provide a brief description of its proposed approach to meeting the requirements of the Statement of Work, including the provision of a 250 Mbps synchronous dedicated Internet circuit, /28 public IP address allocation, no Network Address Translation (NAT), no content filtering, Hong Kong international routing, redundant termination, 99.7% service availability, installation schedule, and outage notification/escalation procedures.

• The Offeror shall describe its approach to monitoring service performance and meeting the availability and service level requirements specified in the Statement of Work.

3. Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Questionnaire

The Offeror shall complete and submit the Government-provided Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Questionnaire (Attachment 6) with its quotation.

4. Past Performance The Offeror shall demonstrate successful performance of a minimum of three (3) comparable projects performed within the past five (5) years (dedicated internet/circuit services of similar scope, scale, and security sensitivity). For each reference, the Offeror shall provide:

• Project title and description of services performed

• Customer name and type (government, commercial, non-profit)

• Contract/project value (approximate)

• Period of performance

• Location

• Point of contact name, title, email, and phone number

• Relevance to this requirement (brief description)

If you are a newly formed entity or joint venture, you may provide past performance information for predecessor companies or joint venture partners.

Clearly identify the relationship.

Note: The Government may contact references not provided by the offeror and may use other sources of past performance information, including CPARS and other government databases.

Failure to furnish and deliver all requested information in accordance with these instructions or who reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation, may result in exclusion from further consideration pursuant to FAR 52.212-1(a). The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in 18 USC 1001.

Compliance Review Prior to the evaluation of Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price, the Government will conduct a compliance review of each quotation to determine whether it conforms to the material requirements of the solicitation. Quotations that fail to comply with the solicitation instructions or mandatory submission requirements, including required representations, certifications, acknowledgments, and completed forms (e.g., the Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Questionnaire and signed Standard Form (SF) 30(s), if applicable), may be determined ineligible for further evaluation and award.

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) (RFO DEVIATION January 30, 2026)

(a) Evaluation factors. The Government will award a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose quotation conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors will be used to evaluate quotations:

1. Technical Capability

2. Past Performance

3. Price

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate quotations for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.

The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. The evaluation of options does not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) Notice of award. A written notice of award or acceptance of a quotation furnished to the successful Offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the quotation, shall result in a binding BPA without further action by either party.

Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept a quotation (or part of a quotation), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of provision)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) (RFO DEVIATION January 30, 2026) To be eligible for evaluation, quotations shall be prepared in accordance with 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services with its addendum and shall meet all the requirements set forth in other sections of this solicitation.

BASIS FOR AWARD

The Government will conduct an initial compliance review of all quotations received to assess completeness and adherence to the terms of the solicitation.

Quotations that are incomplete or fail to comply with the requirements may be rejected in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(a)(4).

The Government intends to utilize streamlined evaluation techniques under FAR 12.201-1 Simplified Procedures for Commercial Services to promote efficiency.

The Government will conduct a pre-screening of all quotations under Phase 1:

Compliance Review and will identify those quotations that demonstrate initial indicators of best value and compliance with the solicitation requirements. Only these quotations will proceed to the comparative evaluation phase.

The source selection will be conducted using the comparative evaluation method, as authorized under FAR 12.203. Comparative evaluation entails a direct comparison of two or more quotations on an item-by-item basis to determine which offers the best value to the Government. Evaluation criteria will include technical capability, past performance, and price, as specified in this solicitation.

This is not a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection.

However, the Government may award to the lowest-priced quotation if it is determined to offer the best overall value based on the evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Process and Factors Phase 1: Compliance Review

1. Submission of a complete quotation that includes all required information identified in the solicitation, including technical capability, and pricing;

2. Completed Attachment 3 – Representations & Certifications;

3. Past performance information, including prior contracts of a similar nature or commercial equivalents.

4. Proof of active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), if applicable. Offerors already registered in SAM shall include proof of active registration with their quotation. Offerors not currently registered in SAM shall follow the instructions provided under FAR Provision 52.204- 90, Offeror Identification, contained in the Representations & Certifications, and shall provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code.

5. Submission of a completed Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C- SCRM) Questionnaire. The Government will evaluate the questionnaire on a Go/No-Go basis to determine whether the Offeror satisfies the Department of State's C-SCRM requirements for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) acquisitions.

After the compliance review, quotations that do not meet the solicitation's submission requirements, fail mandatory representations and certifications, or receive a No-Go determination under the C-SCRM assessment will be excluded from further consideration. Only compliant quotations will proceed to the Technical Evaluation and Price Evaluation.

Phase 2: Technical Evaluation The Government will conduct a comparative evaluation of quotations determined compliant under Phase 1: Compliance Review. The Technical Evaluation will assess each Offeror's ability to successfully perform the required services based on the evaluation factors identified below. Technical factors will be evaluated on a comparative basis to determine the relative merits of each quotation.

Factor 1: Technical Capability

• Technical capability will be evaluated to determine the extent to which the Offeror's proposed solution meets the requirements of the solicitation and demonstrates the capability to successfully perform the required services.

• Emphasis will be on the quality, feasibility, and strength of the proposed solution, and whether the quotation offers any comparative technical advantages over other offers.

• Evaluation will be comparative among all quotations that successfully complete Phase 1 and may support selection of a technically superior solution, even if priced higher.

Factor 2: Past Performance

• Past performance will be considered to assess the offeror’s demonstrated ability to successfully perform relevant commercial or government contracts.

• Evaluation will focus on quality of services performed, timeliness of performance, customer satisfaction, and record of compliance with contractual requirements.

• If past performance information is not available or limited, the offeror’s past performance will be rated as “Unknown.” A rating of “Unknown” will not automatically disqualify an offer but may be treated as neutral in comparative assessments.

• Comparative assessment may be used as a discriminator to support selection of a technically or commercially superior offer, where justified.

Factor 3: Price

• Price will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness in accordance with

FAR Part 12. Price reasonableness will be determined using competitive quotations, the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), market research, and other price analysis techniques, as appropriate.

Responsibility Determination:

The Government will determine contractor responsibility by analyzing whether the apparent successful offeror complies with the requirements of FAR 9.1, including:

a. adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain them;

b. ability to comply with the required performance period, taking into consideration all existing commercial and governmental business commitments;

c. satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics;

d. necessary organization, experience, and skills or the ability to obtain them;

e. necessary equipment and facilities or the ability to obtain them; and

f. otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.

Award Without Discussions Pursuant to FAR 52.212-1(d), the Government reserves the right to award a BPA without discussions based on initial offers. Upon completion of the Government’s initial evaluation of quotations, exchanges with offerors may occur, for the purpose of clarifications and communications in accordance with FAR Part 12. This is a commercial acquisition for which debriefing is not required, and none will be provided. Requests for information will be addressed in accordance with FAR 13.106-3(d).

(End of addendum)

VII. Contract Clauses See Attachment 1 – Schedule and Clauses for the clauses that apply to the acquisition.

VIII. Due Dates and Point of Contact Submission of Questions Any questions, comments, exceptions, or clarifications concerning any aspect of the solicitation shall be prepared in writing and submitted to Jenina Dosch at DoschJK@state.gov, and copy to FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov, no later than Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 11:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST).

The email subject line must read “Questions 19GE5026Q0125.” Late questions may not be considered.

Submission of Electronic Quotations Quotations shall be submitted as soon as possible but no later than Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 11:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST) to Jenina Dosch at DoschJK@state.gov, and copy to FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov. The email subject line must read “Quotation 19GE5026Q0125.”

mailto:DoschJK@state.gov mailto:FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov mailto:DoschJK@state.gov mailto:FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov

Offerors are advised to carefully review and follow all submission instructions to ensure consistency and compliance. Volume I and Volume II shall be submitted electronically as separate files, in formats compatible with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe PDF, as applicable. Each email submission must not exceed 45 MB in total size. Late submissions will not be considered. The Government will not be responsible for any failure to receive quotations due to excessive file size or incompatible file formats.

Offerors are encouraged to submit inquiries in writing via email. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be received no later than the date specified in the solicitation to ensure a timely response. All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency.

Failure to furnish and deliver all requested information in accordance with these instructions may result in exclusion from further consideration pursuant to FAR 52.212-1(a). The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in 18 USC 1001.

Point of Contact Jenina Dosch Procurement Agent U.S. Department of State Bureau of Global Acquisitions Regional Procurement Support Office Frankfurt, Germany Email: DoschJK@state.gov

IX. Additional information List of Attachments Attachment 1 - Schedule and Clauses Attachment 2 - Price Schedule Attachment 3 - Representations & Certifications Attachment 4 - IRS Form W-14 Attachment 5 - Instructions for IRS Form W-14 Attachment 6 - C-SCRM Questionnaire

Applicable Laws and Regulations This solicitation and the ensuing award are subject to laws and regulations of the United States of America.

mailto:DoschJK@state.gov

Award and Acceptance of Offer The written notice of award or acceptance of an offer mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding BPA without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer, whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

END OF COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION