19GE5027Q0007_Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS & SOLICITATION

Internet Service Provider for the International Trade Administration

U.S. Mission China

SOLICITATION NO. 19GE5027Q0007

Issued by:

Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) Giessener Strasse 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main Germany

The Regional Procurement Support Office Frankfurt, Germany hereby provides the following Combined Synopsis and Solicitation for VPN, Internet Services, and Circuitry for the International Trade Administration (ITA) and its five China locations, the U.S. Embassy Beijing, the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, the Shanghai Center, the U.S. Consulate Shenyang, and the U.S. Consulate Wuhan (as further described in Attachment A - Performance work statement and clauses.

The Government intends to award an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with firm fixed unit prices.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

I. GENERAL

Solicitation number 19GE5027Q0007 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ), for VPN, Internet Services, and Circuitry for the ITA locations in the People's Republic of China.

This acquisition is not set-aside for small business concerns. 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

A list of line item numbers and items, quantities, and units of measure can be found in " Attachment B - Pricing ". The prices listed shall include all labor, materials, insurance, overhead, and profit. 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 http://www.acquisition.gov/ of achieving the results required by this contract. The Government will not pay for any hidden or undisclosed costs. The Government will pay the Contractor on a monthly basis for Standard Services that have been satisfactorily performed.

Value Added Tax (VAT) is not included in the CLIN rates. Instead, it will be priced as a separate Line Item in the contract and on Invoices. Local law dictates the portion of the contract price that is subject to VAT; this percentage is multiplied only against that portion. It is reflected for each performance period.

III. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS

See Attachment A - Performance work statement and clauses for the full description of the Government’s requirements. This attachment outlines the Performance Work Statement (PWS), the applicable clauses, performance obligations, and conditions that will govern the resulting contract. 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: one year base period (set to start on February 10, 2027) with four (4) one-year options to renew.

Place of Performance: U.S. Embassy Beijing, U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, the Shanghai Center, the U.S. Consulate Shenyang, and the U.S. Consulate Wuhan.

V. SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

The following provisions are incorporated by reference:

FAR 52.203-11 Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions (Sep 2024)

FAR 52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation (Jan 2017)

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (DEVIATION Jan 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) (DEVIATION Jan 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 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. SOLICITATION CLAUSES

Applicable clauses to this RFQ and the resulting contract are listed in Attachment A

- Performance work statement and clauses.

VII. QUOTATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instruction to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (Deviation Jan 2026)

Pursuant to FAR 12.205(a)(1), the provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors

- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (DEVIATION Jan 2026) is augmented as follows:

The period for acceptance of quotes of 60 calendar days as specified in FAR clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) (DEVIATION Jan 2026) is hereby extended to 90 calendar days.

Offerors shall prepare and submit their quote in two (2) volumes as set forth below:

• Volume I - Price Quotation: One (1) Electronic version sent via email

• Volume II - Technical Quotation: One (1) Electronic version sent via email

The information shall be in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word, MS Excel or Adobe PDF as applicable.

Volume I – Price Quotation

The Price Quotation shall contain the following:

1. The name, address, telephone number of the Offeror and the Offeror’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The Offeror is required to have a registered Unique Entity Identifier, in accordance with FAR 52.204-7.

2. Attachment B - Pricing – filled in;

3. Attachment C - Representations and certifications - filled in;

4. SAM Registration confirmation - The Offeror is required to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database, in accordance with FAR 52.204-7, and for the status of the registration to be “Active”. Purpose of Registration must be “All Awards”. This mandatory minimum requirement applies to Joint Venture Agreement entities. If the offeror is not registered in

SAM, it may do so through the SAM website at:

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/;

5. Attachment D - 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 D - C-SCRM Questionnaire) with its quotation. In lieu of a completed C-SCRM Questionnaire, the vendor may submit a third party authorizing official conducted assessment, such as ISO 27001, ISO 9000, System and Organizational Controls (SOC) II, or FedRAMP authorization.

6. Attachment E - IRS Form W-14 (if applicable, in accordance with 52.229- 12). 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 E - 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 F - Instructions to Complete IRS Form W-14.

7. 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 Performance Work Statement. No pricing information shall appear in this volume.

The Technical Quotation shall contain the following:

1. Organizational Capability https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

• The Offeror shall provide its legal business name, address, business type, and a brief description of its ISP operations;

• The Offeror shall provide evidence that it operates an established business with a permanent address and telephone listing. If the offeror does not have authorization to do business in the People's Republic of China, demonstrate how the offeror will obtain such authorization prior to the performance start date. The offeror shall demonstrate how it shall fully comply with DOSAR clause 652.242-73 Authorization and Performance (Aug 1999);

• The Offeror shall provide proof of insurance covering work to be performed under the contract in accordance with the People's Republic of China Laws and Regulations;

• The Offeror shall provide a notarized copy of the most current license/certificate/accreditation, which demonstrates that the offeror is licensed/certified/accredited or otherwise authorized by the Government of the People’s Republic of China or its agent (e.g., commission, board) to provide internet services to foreign diplomatic missions within the host country.

• The Offeror shall demonstrate capacity to obtain approval from the People's Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide services to the U.S. Embassy Beijing, the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, the Shanghai Center, the U.S. Consulate Shenyang and the U.S. Consulate Wuhan.

2. Technical Approach

• The Offeror shall provide a description of its proposed approach to meeting the technical requirements of the PWS;

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

PWS;

• The Government considers the offeror’s Project Manager to be key personnel under any contract resulting from this solicitation. The offeror shall provide a detailed resume and the experience of this individual;

• The Offeror shall provide a list of subcontractors (if applicable).

3. 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.

Notes regarding Joint Venture Agreements:

Joint Venture Offerors shall furnish with their proposal a notarized legal document that establishes the Joint Venture. The Joint Venture Agreement shall take effect upon the submission of the proposal and remain irrevocable until one (1) year after the work has been finally inspected and accepted by the Government. The Joint Venture Agreement shall include, at a minimum, the following:

• Name of firms that form the Joint Venture and the name of the Joint Venture

• Name and title of the corporate officials signing on behalf of each party

• Solicitation number

• Description of the responsibilities in terms of work category for each partner (for example Firm A performing Final of C-2-d) that sufficiently demonstrates how the joint venture meets the work requirements of this solicitation

• The statement “The composition and structure of the Joint Venture will remain unchanged from award to one (1) year after the work has been finally inspected and accepted by the Government.”

Date of issuance of the agreement and signature of the corporate officials on behalf of each party. Signatures may be notarized or digitally executed using authentication and/or signature certificates from a PIV or CAC obtained from a credentialed organization.

Joint Venture Registration and Identification: The joint venture, as the offeror, shall be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of proposal submission and shall maintain that registration in accordance with 52.204-7 and 52.204-13.

Authorization to Perform: The joint venture shall comply with [DOSAR 652.242- 73, Authorization and Performance] and shall submit evidence that the joint venture and each participant are authorized and licensed to do business in the country of performance.

Certification: By submitting its proposal, the joint venture and each participant certify that the information submitted under this provision is accurate, current, and complete. Any material misrepresentation may be the basis for rejection of the proposal, referral for consideration of suspension or debarment, or prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.

Government Review of Joint Venture: The Government reserves the right to review the joint venture agreement and all related instruments to determine their legal sufficiency and compliance with applicable law, and to request clarification or additional documentation.

VIII. EVALUATION

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

(a) Evaluation factors. The Government will award a firm-fixed priced IDIQ type contract resulting from this solicitation, using a comparative evaluation approach, 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 in the comparative evaluation:

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 contract 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) (DEVIATION Jan 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 (Phase 1).

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 prescreening of all quotations under Phase 1:

Compliance Review and will identify those quotations which are compliant with the solicitation requirements. Only these quotations will proceed to the Phase 2 Technical 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 C – Representations & Certifications;

3. Proof of active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM)

4. Submission of a completed Attachment D - Cyber Supply Chain Risk

Management (C-SCRM) Questionnaire. The Government will evaluate the questionnaire on a Go/No-Go basis. The Government will evaluate if the submitted C-SCRM Questionnaire meets the definition for the “Go” or “No- Go” ratings for this factor. The “Go” and “No-Go” ratings and their definitions are as follows:

RATING RATING DEFINITION

GO

The proposal meets the criteria in the following paragraph:

The C-SCRM Questionnaire contains both of the following: (1) C- SCRM Questionnaire instructions are completed; and (2) contains Yes answers for all questions in Sections 2 and 3 of the questionnaire; or the vendor has submitted a third party authorizing official conducted assessment such as ISO 27001, ISO 9000, SOC II, or FedRAMP authorization.

NO-GO

The proposal does not meet one (1) or more of the criteria in the following paragraph:

The C-SCRM Questionnaire contains both of the following: (1) C- SCRM Questionnaire instructions are completed; and (2) contains Yes answers for all questions in Sections 2 and 3 of the questionnaire; or the vendor has submitted a third party authorizing official conducted assessment such as ISO 27001, ISO 9000, SOC II, or FedRAMP authorization.

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.

A. 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.

The Offeror’s technical capability will be evaluated based on its submitted Organizational Capability and Technical Approach.

B. 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.

When evaluating each factor, the government will consider clarity, degree of compliance with the solicitation, and the likelihood that the proposed approach will result in successful performance of the contract. The Government will determine whether the contractor demonstrates a thorough understanding of the scope and complexity of the work.

Price evaluation

Price will be evaluated based on the total price submitted in accordance with the pricing structure established in this solicitation. The Government will evaluate proposed prices to determine whether they are fair and reasonable, through comparison among competitive proposals received, comparison to historical pricing, comparison to market research, or 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 contract 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. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will provide unsuccessful offerors with a brief explanation of the basis for the award decision.

IX. DUE DATES AND POINT OF CONTACT

The complete quote shall be submitted via email to the following email addresses:

• baltaa@state.gov

• machendd@state.gov

The email shall be marked “Quotation 19GE5027Q0007” and must arrive on or before December 23, 2026, 15:00 hrs. CET.

All offers must be sent by email. Delivery via a cloud file storage service (eg.

Google Drive, etc.) is not allowed. The file size limit for individual emails is 50 Mb.

In the event that the offer is sent in multiple emails, the email shall be labeled accordingly (eg. file 1 of 2).

Submission of Questions: Interested parties may submit any questions concerning the solicitation as soon as possible but not later than November 30, 2026, 15:00 hrs. CET via email to Andra Balta at baltaa@state.gov and David Machen at machendd@state.gov. The email subject line must read “Questions 19GE5027Q0007”. Late questions may not be considered.

Point of Contact:

Andra Balta Contract Specialist U.S. Department of State Bureau of Global Acquisitions Regional Procurement Support Office Frankfurt, Germany Email: BaltaA@state.gov

Applicable Laws and Regulations

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

mailto:baltaa@state.gov mailto:BaltaA@state.gov

Attachments:

1. Attachment A - Performance work statement and clauses

2. Attachment B - Pricing

3. Attachment C - Representations and certifications

4. Attachment D - C-SCRM Questionnaire

5. Attachment E - IRS Form W-14

6. Attachment F - Instructions to Complete IRS Form W-14

END OF COMBINED SYNOPSIS AND SOLICITATION