MSD IDIQ DRAFT RFP_11 OCT 2024_CLEAN.pdf

Request for Proposal 1

Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite 3

Quantity Contract 4 for 5

Modern Software for Defense (MSD) 6

RFP#: W9128Z-25-R-XXXX 10

Date: 11 November 2024 12

Army Contracting Command- Aberdeen Proving Ground 17 DC3oE Advisory Group 18

6472 Integrity Court, Building 4401 19 Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005 20

SECTION B: SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COST 39

SCHEDULE

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QTY UNIT UNIT

PRICE

AMOUNT

Base Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Cost Plus Fixed Fee- Completion type orders.

Ordering Period: [date to be entered at award] through [date to be entered at award].

LOT

0.00

0002 Base Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Labor Hour (LH) type orders.

0003 Base Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Time and Materials (T&M) type orders.

0004 Base Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Firm- Fixed Price type orders.

Base Period: Travel.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section 1.6.11. The contractor shall travel in accordance with PWS Section 1.6.11. All travel shall be in accordance with FAR subpart 31.205-46. Reimbursement shall not exceed the maximum per diem rates set forth in the Federal Travel

Regulation, Joint Travel Regulation, or Standardized Regulations unless a special or unusual situation applies. Travel up to $25,000.00 requires Contracting Officer Representative approval. Travel that exceeds $25,000.00 requires Ordering Contracting Officer approval. No Fee or Profit shall be applied to travel.

This is a Cost Reimbursable (No-Fee) CLIN.

Base Period: ODCs.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section 1.6.12. All ODCS under this CLIN require COR pre-approval.

This is a Cost Reimbursable (No-Fee) CLIN.

0007 Base Period: Expedited Delivery/Enhanced

Performance.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section X.x.x. This FFP CLIN is associated with individual Procurement Increment (PI) and is payable to the contractor after the completion of a PI. The contractor shall meet or exceed the “Very Good” performance standard(s) for all performance metrics selected for the associated PI. The Government reserves the right to unilaterally cancel the FFP CLIN and de-obligate all funding under this CLIN, if the contractor does not meet all performance metrics. The Contractor shall not be entitled to payment if the metrics do not meet the minimum threshold of “Very Good”.

Cancellation of this CLIN will not negatively impact the contractor’s CPARs rating.

This is a Firm Fixed Price CLIN.

Option Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Cost Plus Fixed Fee- Completion type orders

0009 Option Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Labor Hour (LH) type orders.

0009 Option Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Time and Materials (T&M) type orders.

0010 Option Period: Software Enablement Efforts.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement contained in Section C.

This Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) is for Firm- Fixed Price type orders.

Option Period: Travel. The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section 1.6.11.

The contractor shall travel in accordance with PWS Section 1.6.11. All travel shall be in accordance with FAR subpart 31.205-46.

Reimbursement shall not exceed the maximum per diem rates set forth in the Federal Travel

Regulation, Joint Travel Regulation, or Standardized Regulations unless a special or unusual situation applies. Travel up to $25,000.00 requires Contracting Officer Representative approval. Travel that exceeds $25,000.00 requires Ordering Contracting Officer approval. No Fee or Profit shall be applied to travel.

This is a Cost Reimbursable (No-Fee) CLIN.

Option Period: ODCs. The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section 1.6.12. All ODCS under this CLIN require COR pre-approval.

This is a Cost Reimbursable (No-Fee) CLIN.

0013 Option Period: Expedited Delivery/Enhanced

Performance.

The contractor shall perform in accordance with the Performance Work Statement in Section C, Section X.x.x. This FFP CLIN is associated with individual Program Increment (PI) and is payable to the contractor after the completion of a PI. The contractor shall meet or exceed the “Very Good” performance standard(s) for all performance metrics selected for the associated PI. The Government reserves the right to unilaterally cancel the FFP CLIN and de-obligate all funding under this CLIN, if the contractor does not meet all performance metrics. The Contractor shall not be entitled to payment if the metrics do not meet the minimum threshold of “Very Good”.

Cancellation of this CLIN will not negatively impact the contractor’s CPARs rating.

This is a Firm Fixed Price CLIN.

Contract Ceiling Value

This CLIN establishes the total IDIQ contract ceiling value. This CLIN is created for reporting purposes only. This CLIN is issued on a Not to Exceed (NTE) basis. All orders will be issued using the above IDIQ CLINs.

1 UNDEF

-INED TBD TBD

(End of Section B) 41

SECTION C: DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS 42

C.1 BACKGROUND 43

The MAIDIQ provides a comprehensive procurement vehicle that aligns to and supports 44 the three (3) DoD Modern Software strategy core goals and objectives: 45

Goal 1: Accelerate the DoD Enterprise Cloud Environment 46

Goal 2: Establish Department-wide Software Factory Ecosystem 47

Goal 3: Transform Processes to Enable Resilience and Speed 48 Additionally, the MSD MAIDIQ is designed to provide the U.S. Army with software 50 solutions that comply with the guidelines established in Army Directive (AD) 2024-02 for 51 Enabling Modern Software for Defense and Acquisition Practices. The directive 52 highlights the importance for software contracts and programs to use modern principles 53 including employing agile methods, software metrics, modernized testing, DevSecOps, 54 CI/CD, and future modern software practices as they develop. 55 The primary NAICS code for this requirement is 541512- Computer Systems Design 57 Services, however other applicable NAICS codes may be selected at the Order Level 58 for work within the scope of the PWS. See Section H.2 for more information. 59

C.2 SCOPE 60

The Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (MAIDIQ) for Modern 61 Software for Defense is in support of the DoD Software Modernization Strategy that is 62 designed to enable a path for technology and process transformation that will enable 63 the delivery of resilient software capability at the speed of relevance. This MAIDIQ is 64 designed to provide a vehicle to award Orders in a streamlined and efficient manner to 65 support ongoing software enablement efforts that incorporate but are not limited to the 66 following: 67

• Software delivery through modern infrastructure and platforms 68

• Software delivery through true process transformation and people development 69

• Rapidly and securely deliver resilient software capabilities 70

• Software modernization that considers security, stability, and quality at speed 71 that prioritize execution of stability, quality, and dependable cyber-survivability via 72 the adoption of Modern Software for Defense practices that effectively integrate 73 performance and security throughout the software development lifecycle. 74

• Cloud adoption to enable software modernization and proactively manage data 75

• Enhance modern software Enterprise capabilities 76

• Software Modernization Framework to procure software a multitude of ways such 77 as the following but not limited to, (1) adopt existing applications and platforms 78 available through DoD Component-sponsored capabilities; (2) buy software or 79 the components for developing software through traditional software licenses to 80 include those for low-code/no-code platforms; (3) cloud software-as-a-service 81 subscriptions; and/or (4) custom develop software. 82

• Continuously adopt new and latest technologies and approaches from the 83 emerging digital landscape to support mission requirements, enable 84 interoperability, and ensure security specific but not limited to DoD Enterprise 85 Cloud Environment, Design Patterns, DevSecOps / Tooling and/or Enterprise 86 Services. 87

• Support process transformation(s) that take consideration to business 88 operations, acquisition, cyber survivability, testing and workforce. 89

C.3 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT 90

The full description of requirements is found in the Performance Work Statement 91 (PWS), see Section J Attachment 0001. 92

(End of Section C) 93

SECTION D: PACKAGING AND MARKING 95

SECTION E: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 97

Supplies/services will be inspected/accepted at: 98

CLIN INSPECT AT INSPECT BY ACCEPT AT ACCEPT BY 99

0001 Destination Government Destination Government 100

0002 Destination Government Destination Government 101

0003 Destination Government Destination Government 102

0004 Destination Government Destination Government 103

0005 Destination Government Destination Government 104

0006 Destination Government Destination Government 105

0007 Destination Government Destination Government 106

0008 Destination Government Destination Government 107

0009 Destination Government Destination Government 108

0010 Destination Government Destination Government 109

0011 Destination Government Destination Government 110

0012 Destination Government Destination Government 111

0013 Destination Government Destination Government 112

9999 Destination Government Destination Government 113

SECTION F: DELIVERIES AND PERFORMANCE 115

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 116

The term of the MSD MAIDIQ is a five-year base ordering period and one (1) five-year 117 option ordering period, for a total ordering period of ten (10) years if all options are 118 exercised. There is no guarantee that the option will be exercised on any or all of the 119 awarded contracts. This is not a multi-year contract as defined in Federal Acquisition 120 Regulation (FAR) 17.103. 121

SECTION G: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 123

G.1 CONTRACTOR ADMINISTRATION REQUIREMENTS 125

The following sections describe the administration requirements for the base IDIQ 127 contract and orders. The Contractor Contracts Manager (CCM) shall be the primary 128 contractor point-of-contact for these requirements. 129 Failure to meet administration requirements may result in Off-Ramping (See Sections 131 H.14.). 132 G.1.1 Order-Level CPARS 134 The IDIQ PCO does not administer or evaluate Order performance. It is the sole 136 responsibility of the Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO) to evaluate each Order 137 exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) using the process and criteria in 138

CPARS. 139

G.1.2 Mergers, Acquisitions, Novations, and Change-Of-Name Agreements 141 If a Contractor merges, is acquired, or recognizes a successor in interest to 143 Government contracts when Contractor assets are transferred; or, recognizes a change 144 in a Contractor’s name; or, executes novation agreements and change-of-name 145 agreements by a Government Contracting Officer other than the IDIQ PCO, the 146 Contractor shall notify the IDIQ PCO and provide a copy of the novation or other any 147 other agreement that changes the status of the Contractor. 148

G.2. DEVIATION FROM COST PLUS FIXED FEE RATES 150

This clause will be incorporated in all Task Orders that include Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee and 151 Cost-Reimbursement CLINs. 152 Invoicing for rates that deviate from proposed rates: 154

1. Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System- CPARS 156

a. If in any performance period, the Contractor is projecting a cost overrun in 158 excess of 10% of the proposed estimated cost for that period, which is 159 determined to not be a result of Government direction and not attributable 160 to Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) changes, the projected cost 161 overrun may trigger a Show Cause or Termination for Default subject to 162 the Contracting Officers discretion. Note: Contractors proposing at current 163 FPRA rates and invoicing at current Provisional Billing rates will not trigger 164 a Show Cause or termination for Default. 165

b. If in performance of the contract, the Contractor incurs a cost overrun of 167 greater than 5% and less than 10% during that CPARS evaluation period, 168 which is determined not to be a result of Government direction the 169 Contractor shall receive a Marginal rating for that periods CPARS cost 170 element. 171

c. If in performance of the contract, the Contractor incurs a cost overrun 173 greater than 10% during that CPARS evaluation period, which is 174 determined not to be a result of Government direction the Contractor shall 175 receive an Unsatisfactory rating for that periods CPARS cost element. 176

d. In regards to cost overruns and estimated costs mentioned in paragraphs 178 a through c, the Government will be comparing actual cost of work 179 performed to estimated cost at the end of each contract period. 180 Contractors are cautioned that costs should be directly proportional to 181 hours expended, and if in excess, may be considered a cost overrun by 182 the Government. 183

2. The contractors proposed direct and indirect rates by both the Prime and 185

Subcontractor(s) will be compared and verified through the monthly reporting 186 required through the Monthly Performance and Cost Report. The Offeror and its 187 Subcontractor(s) shall provide a direct mapping of proposed direct labor 188 categories and actual charged direct rate monthly. Monthly average charged 189 direct labor rates shall be no more than 5% higher than proposed/negotiated 190 rates. 191

(End of Section G) 192

SECTION H: SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 194

H.1 NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) 196

NAICS Codes and small business size standards are periodically updated and revised 198 by SBA. If SBA revises NAICS Code(s) and small business size standard(s) that are 199 within the scope of the Modern Software for Defense IDIQ during the term of contract, 200 the IDIQ PCO and/or OCO may need to update the IDIQ and Order awards to reflect 201 the updated NAICS Code(s) and small business size standards(s). 202 The OCO has the responsibility to determine which predominant NAICS code applies to 204 a Order solicitation, whether or not the Order is unrestricted or set-aside, including the 205 type of socio-economic set-aside if applicable, and whether or not the solicitation is 206 sole-source or competitive. The OCO shall identify the NAICS Code Number, Title, and 207 Business Size Standard in the Order solicitation and report the NAICS Code in the 208 Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). 209 The predominant NAICS code for the IDIQ contract is 541512- Computer Systems 211 Design Services. Other NAICS codes may be used at the Order level to accurately 212 describe the performance under that specific Order. 213

H.2 PRODUCT SERVICE CODES (PSC) 215

The PSC represents what products, services, and/or research and development (R&D) 217 was purchased by the federal government for each Order award reported in the Federal 218 Procurement Data System (FPDS). 219 The scope of this IDIQ spans across many PSCs, however, the primary PSC selected 221 shall be based on the predominant service that is being purchased. The OCO will 222 identify the PSC in the Order solicitation and report the PSC in the Federal Procurement 223 Data System (FPDS). 224 H.3 LABOR CATEGORIES (LCAT or LCATs) 226

To enhance the consistency of labor and service cost/price offers and reporting, LCATs 227 and associated fully burdened rate ranges will be released with each Order request for 228 proposal when a Cost Reimbursement or T&M/LH effort is contemplated. As the 229 requirements for the MSD IDIQ are dynamic, the LCATs are expected to change over 230 time. See the ordering guide paragraph X.X for more information on how LCATs will be 231 managed for Order proposals. 232

H.4 CONTRACTOR KEY PERSONNEL 234

Each IDIQ Contract Holder shall identify personnel to serve in the following roles at that 236 IDIQ level. The Government will not separately pay for these positions. No costs for 237 Contractor Key Personnel shall be billed to the Modern Software for Defense Program 238 Office. Key personnel at the IDIQ Contract level will serve as the primary points of 239 communication throughout the ordering period. Contract Holders may fill key personnel 240 positions however they see appropriate provided that the individual(s) filling those 241 positions are empowered to speak on behalf of the company. The following positions 242 are identified as key personnel at the Base Contract level. 243

1. Contractor Contract Manager (CCM): Contractor Representative responsible for 245 negotiating contractual matters on behalf of the MSD Contract Holder. 246

2. Contractor MSD Director: Member of the MSD Board of Directors. Responsible 248 for carrying out the duties described at Clause H.7, MSD Board of Directors. 249 MSD IDIQ Contract Holders may assign a lead and alternate for the MSD 250 Director position. 251

The Contractor shall ensure that the IDIQ PCO has current point-of-contact information 253 for the Contractor Key Personnel positions. In the event of a change to Contractor Key 254 Personnel, the Contractor shall notify the IDIQ PCO and provide all Point of Contact 255 information for the new Key Personnel within five (5) calendar days of the change. 256 Failure of Contractor Key Personnel to effectively and efficiently perform their duties will 258 be construed as conduct detrimental to contract performance and may result in Off-259 Ramping (See Section H.14). 260

H.5 DATA/SOFTWARE RIGHTS ON ORDERS 262

Pursuant to the requirements set forth in DFARS 252.227-7017, Contractors are 264 required to specifically identify Data/Software Rights Assertions related to technical data 265 and software deliverables in every Order proposal. 266 Contractors are discouraged from proposing proprietary solutions in response to the 268 MSD MAIDIQ Order requirements that necessitate the Contractor’s proprietary process, 269 system, maintenance, and/or solution that would prevent competition at a future point or 270 require sustained and non-competitive support. 271 If a proprietary solution is proposed by a Contractor for a given Order requirement, the 273 Contractor shall mark their proposal accordingly and make it clear to the OCO all 274 limitations and costs associated with the solution. 275

H.6 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (OCI) 277

DECLARATION/MITIGATION PLAN 278

For all Orders, Offerors shall identify and address in response to Order RFPs and 279 during performance of orders all actual or potential OCI situations with itself, 280 subcontractors, partners, or any other Offeror, per FAR Subpart 9.5 and all actual or 281 apparent unfair competitive advantages stemming from its, or its subcontractor’s, hiring 282 or association with a former Government official per FAR Subpart 3.1. If there are no 283 known actual or potential OCIs and/or no known actual or apparent unfair competitive 284 advantages, Offerors shall include a statement affirming that there are no known actual 285 or potential OCIs or no known actual or apparent competitive advantages within its 286 Order RFP. If any actual or potential OCIs and/or actual or apparent unfair competitive 287 advantages are identified, then the Offeror shall submit a mitigation plan within the 288 Order RFP or to the OCO during Order performance. If the OCO determines that any 289 actual or potential OCIs and/or actual or apparent unfair competitive advantages cannot 290 be mitigated, then the Offeror shall not be eligible for award. If the offeror identified an 291 OCI during order performance and cannot be mitigated, the order award may be 292 terminated and awarded IAW below Section H.12.2. 293

H.7 MSD BOARD OF DIRECTORS 295

Each MSD MAIDIQ Contract Holder will identify one (1) employee of the Prime concern, 297 or in the case of a Joint Venture the lead concern, as its MSD Director (reference 298 Clause G.1.5). 299

1. The MSD Board of Directors will be chaired by the Government and meet on a 301 monthly basis to discuss cross cutting risks, issues and opportunities related to 302 Modern Software for Defense endeavors. 303

a. Example: Inflation has run so far as to create staffing difficulties for all MSD 305

Contract Holders. The Board of Directors would investigate whether this is an 306 industry-wide event and recommend any/all appropriate courses of actions to the 307 Government. 308

b. Example: Technology has expanded to a novel application not considered at the 310 time of award. This new technology requires skill sets beyond what are described 311 in the current MSD Labor Categories. The Board of Directors would investigate 312 whether this is an industry-wide event and recommend any/all appropriate 313 courses of actions to the Government. 314

c. Example: To discuss industry trends and reasonability of the CPFF and/or T&M 316 Labor Category Rate ranges applicable to new orders. 317

2. The Government intends to leverage the MSD Board of Directors for market 319 research activities and establish a cross-functional collaborative domain in support 320 of future orders. 321

H.8 MEETINGS 323

The Government may require Contractor attendance in meetings, including the 325 attendance of Contractor Key Personnel at various locations. 326 Meetings may be via webcasting, in-person at a government facility, a commercial 328 conference center, or a mutually agreed-upon Contractor facility on a rotational basis, 329 as determined by the Government. Follow-up meetings may be held periodically 330 throughout the duration of the MSD MAIDIQ contract to assess performance against the 331 goals, objectives and to reinforce partnering principles. 332 The Government may require up to four (4) Program Management Review (PMR) 334 meetings per year. PMRs are separate and distinct events from Board of Directors 335 meetings. MSD MAIDIQ Contract holders may utilize CCM and and/MSD Director 336 personnel to support PMRs. The goal of the PMR meetings is to provide a platform for 337 contractor holders, PEO|E, ACC-APG staff, ASA ALT Requirement owners, and other 338 agency representatives to communicate current issues, resolve potential problems, 339 discuss business and marketing opportunities, review future and ongoing Army and 340 Government-wide initiatives. Any Contractor costs associated to PMR Meetings shall be 341 at no direct cost to the Government. 342

H.9 ORDERING PROCEDURES 344

H.9.1 Order Awardable but Not Selected Pool 346 Orders will be awarded to the offeror whose proposal is determined to be the best value 348 to the Government. The next highest best value rated Offeror(s) may be found 349 Awardable but Not Selected for initial Order award. All proposals shall be valid for one 350

(1) year beyond the date of award. Should the Government decide to issue a 351 termination for default on any Order within one (1) year after award, the Government 352 OCO may then issue an Order award directly to the next highest rated Order proposal, 353 IAW FAR 49.402-6. Labor Rates for this award shall be adjusted to the current year 354 rates as proposed under the original order RFP. 355 H.9.2 Proposal Preparation Costs 357

All costs associated with the preparation, presentation, and discussion of the 359 Contractor’s proposal in response to an Order Request for Proposal (RFP) will be at the 360 Contractor’s sole and exclusive expense and each resulting Order award will be funded 361 by the ordering agency at the Order level. 362 H.9.3 Multiple Order Awards 364 The Government will identify the intention to award one (1) or multiple Orders within the 366 Order RFP. All Order awards that result from a single RFP do not need to be awarded 367 on the same day but will occur within the same 90-day period. Each Order RFP will 368 include a statement concerning the number of Orders the Government anticipates 369 awarding as a result of the Order RFP, as well as instructions for the length of proposal 370 validity. 371

EXAMPLE: The Government has a need for three (3) development teams to 374 support Project Sentinel (fictional). The Sentinel Program Management Office 375 has determined that each team will be sourced from a different MSD Contract 376 Holder. The Order RFP will result in three (3) individual order awards that provide 377 for one (1) development team each. 378

H.9.4 Order Incentive for New Technology or Small Business Subcontractor 379 Entrant 380 As technological advances over the term of this IDIQ Contract are inevitable, the 382 Government may include incentives during Order competitions for inclusion of new 383 Technological Advances and/or subcontracts to new entrants. 384 H.9.5 Labor Category Rate Range 386

Each Order RFP will include the current MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range 387 providing a floor and ceiling for each expected labor category. Offerors shall propose 388 labor category pricing IAW Section L, Factor 3. The Government anticipates the MSD 389 MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range to support a streamlined and expedited approach 390 to determining fair and reasonable cost/price under each Order RFP. Offerors may 391 propose rates outside of the MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range and will be 392 evaluated IAW the order RFP. 393

The MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range is subject to frequent and continuous 394 rightsizing based on variables such as, market research, scales of economy, on-395 ramping and off-ramping. 396

H.10 QUALIFIED SUBCONTRACTOR POOL (QSP) 398

The Government will establish a pool of qualified subcontractors at the commencement 400 of the first Order under the MSD MAIDIQ and additional subcontractors will be 401 continuously added throughout the ordering period as Orders are awarded. The QSP is 402 derived from subcontractors that propose and are evaluated under each Order 403 competition and are awarded an Order or awardable but not selected. 404 MSD MAIDIQ contract holders may team (subcontract) with vendors in this pool 406 throughout the ordering period. MSD MAIDIQ contract holders are encouraged to first 407 consider QSP concerns for subcontracting (teaming) arrangements prior to proposing 408 non-QSP concerns. Any MSD MAIDIQ contract holder may select to propose any 409 company from the QSP for any Order RFP. 410

H.11 ON-RAMPING 412

The total number of Contractors may fluctuate due to any number of reasons including 414 but not limited to, competition levels on orders, mergers & acquisition, new 415 technologies, new entrants on the market, and the Government's exercise of the off-416 ramp process. 417 The objective of an on-ramp is to maintain competitive sources for orders and/or to 419 obtain access to additional technologies and capabilities. The Contracting Officer may 420 conduct market research to assess additional technologies and capabilities available in 421 the open market to reasonably expand the scope to accommodate modern software 422 growth. The Contracting Officer may also assess contractor performance and the 423 amount of competition available. 424 H.14.1 Awardable but Not Selected Pool 426 The Government anticipates on-ramping new contractors during the MSD MAIDIQ 428 Ordering Period. The initial MDS IDIQ Contract holder awards will be made to the 429 highest technically rated Offerors IAW Section M.1. The next highest technically rated 430 Offerors will be found Awardable but Not Selected for Award. Any On-Ramp selections 431 during the first (1st) year from the date of contract award will exclusively come from the 432 Awardable but Not Selected for Award pool unless all Offerors assigned to that pool 433 have already been On-Ramped. All proposals shall be valid for five (5) years beyond 434 the date of award. If the next highest technically rated Offeror does not sign an on-ramp 435 contract, then the Government will then offer an on-ramp contract to the next highest 436 technically rated Offeror. 437 Should the Government need to solicit proposals for future On-Ramping decisions, the 439 Awardable but Not Selected for Award pool may be reestablished. 440 H.14.2 On-Ramp Solicitations 442 The Government may evaluate the benefit of conducting a new on-ramp to either the 444 MSD MAIDIQ or to reestablish the Awardable but Not Selected pool on an annual basis. 445

During an on-ramp, offerors who are not already a contract holder may be eligible to 447 become a base MAIDIQ contract holder. Current contract holders shall not submit a 448 proposal for a new contract during the on-ramp and shall continue with their existing 449 contract. 450 The Government may conduct an on-ramp under the MSD MAIDIQ in accordance with 452 the following: 453

1. Notice of an on-ramp solicitation and the on-ramp procedures will be 455 publicized on SAM.gov; 456

2. The solicitation may identify the anticipated number of new base 458 contract holder awards or selections to the Awardable but Not Selected 459 pool. The actual number of MSD MAIDIQ base contract holder awards 460 may depend on the number of quality proposals received; 461

3. The basis for award under the solicitation will be substantively the 463 same as the original solicitation, however, may differ in the format, 464 scope, and type of source selection factors utilized; 465

4. The terms and conditions of any contracts resulting from the 467 solicitation will be materially identical to the current version of the 468 existing contracts under the MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; 469

5. The ordering period of any new base contracts resulting from the 471 solicitation will be coterminous with the ordering period of the existing 472 contracts under the MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; 473

6. If awarded a base contract resulting from the solicitation, any new 475 contractor will be eligible to submit a proposal in response to an Order 476 with the same rights and obligations as any other contractor on the 477 MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; and 478

7. The award of any new contracts will not increase the existing overall 480 ceiling amount of the MSD MAIDIQ vehicle. 481

H.12 Off Ramping 483 The Government reserves the unilateral right to Off-Ramp non-performing or non-485 responsive Contractors. 486 The Government intends to maintain only the highest performing base Contract Holders 488 throughout the ordering period. During the ordering period, the Government will review 489 performance data on a yearly basis and/or quarterly basis, which is more appropriate. 490 Base Contract Holders identified and determined as underperforming or non-responsive 491 may be consider for Off-Ramping. Consideration for Off-Ramping does not necessarily 492 result in Off-Ramping. 493 Contract holders are expected to bid on 25% of the task orders of this contract. 495 Additionally, contract holders are expected to win 25% of the task orders they bid on. 496 Any contract holders that are one standard deviation below the expected win rate or two 497 standard deviations over the expected participation rate during the trailing twelve (12) 498 month period will be warned and placed on probation. After 180 days if a contract holder 499 has not improved the participation rate and the win rate to the defined threshold margin 500 may be subject to off ramping. This will be in effect after awarding the first twenty task 501 orders executed utilizing fair opportunity procedures. 502 The standard deviation is initially defined through Monte Carlo simulations for the first 504 24-months of this contract. After that period the acceptable standard deviation will be 505 assessed through actual contract performance data. Resulting data produced will 506 provide a minimum threshold participation rate of 17% and a minimal threshold win rate 507 of 17%. Numbers are based off anticipated number of award and will be adjusted to 508 accommodate the actual total number of awards. 509 Further, contract holders that fail to meet satisfactory metrics (reference ASA(ALT) 511 Metrics) on three (3) or more Orders during the first twelve (12) month ordering period 512 may be subject to off-ramping. 513 Contractors who are Off-Ramped shall be excluded from all future Order RFPs and 515 resulting awards after the effective date of Off-Ramp. Off-Ramped Contractors may 516 continue performance of any Order awarded prior to the Off-Ramp effective date with 517 OCO approval. OCOs may exercise remaining options on affected Orders provided all 518 of the conditions at FAR 17.207 and DFARS 217.207 are satisfied. 519 Contractors may be Off Ramped through permitting the Contractor’s Contract term to 521 expire instead of exercising Option 1, or through termination as defined in FAR Part 49. 522 H.13 Small Business Reserve 525 The Government anticipates a minimum reserve of 20% based on the total awarded 527 MSD MAIDIQ base contract awards to be set aside for Small Businesses. Should a 528 Small Business concern be off-ramped, the Government may reserve that slot for a 529 Small Business. The Government will endeavor to maintain the 20% small business 530 pool when On-Ramping. 531 H.14 Small Business Participation Commitment 533 All MSD Contract Holders shall maintain a Small Business Participation Commitment 535 Document (Attachment 0004) during the Ordering Period. The Small Business 536 Participation Commitment shall demonstrate how the Offeror will meet the objective for 537 the Government to use Small Business Concerns to the maximum extent practicable. 538 The Government will establish and maintain a Qualified Subcontractor Pool (Section 539

H.10) to ensure that MSD Contract Holders have immediate access to capable Small 540 Business concerns for the purposes of subcontracting(teaming). MSD Contract Holders 541 shall first consider QSP concerns for subcontracting(teaming) arrangements before 542 proposing non-QSP concerns. 543 The following clauses only apply at the order level when the requirement has been set-545 aside for Small Business: 546 52.219-3 - Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole Source Award (Nov 2011) 548 52.219-6 - Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) with Alternate I 549 52.219-13 - Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) 550 52.219-14 - Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) 551 52.219-27 - Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 552 2011) 553 52.219-29 - Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Economically 554 Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Dec 2015) 555 52.219-30 - Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Women-Owned Small 556 Business Concern Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program (Dec 557 2015) 558 Note that the Limitations on Subcontracting clause only applies at the Order level. Small 560 businesses may compete on unrestricted Orders without having to meet the 561 requirements of the Limitations on Subcontracting clause. 562 The MSD IDIQ contract vehicle does not have a specific reserve for 8(a) participants 564 nor any of the applicable clauses. Accordingly, there is no built-in mechanism to offer an 565 Order to SBA for inclusion in the 8(a) program. Therefore, it is not possible to set-aside 566 an award for 8(a) vendors nor is it possible to award sole source to an 8(a) vendor. 567 H.15 Expedited Delivery/Enhanced Performance CLIN 569

The Government may utilize a FFP Expedited Delivery and Enhanced Performance 571 CLIN on a Order to encourage delivery of modern software. The Government 572 anticipates including this CLIN in orders, when determined applicable and appropriate, 573 and in conjunction with a single PI or single software development CLIN. The total value 574 of the FFP CLIN is based upon a capped FFP amount. No more than one (1) FFP CLIN 575 will be issued per one (1) PI or one (1) single software development CLIN ordered. 576 This FFP CLIN is associated with individual PIs and software development and is 578 payable to the Contractor after the completion of the associated individual PI or 579 software development CLIN. The Contractor shall meet or exceed the “Very Good” 580 performance standard(s) for all performance metrics selected for the associated PI or 581 software development. The Government reserves the right to unilaterally cancel the 582 FFP CLIN and de-obligate all funding under this CLIN if the Contractor does not meet all 583 performance metrics. The Contractor shall not be entitled to payment if the quality level 584 of the selected metrics does not at least meet the minimum threshold of “Very Good”. 585 Cancellation of this CLIN will not negatively impact the Contractor’s CPARS rating. 586

Metrics may include, but not limited to the below sample performance metrics, which 588 shall be outlined in the Performance Requirement Summary of the Quality Assurance 589 Surveillance Plan (QASP) at the order level. 590

• Story Point Completion Rate (Predictability) 592

• Story Point Velocity 593

• Delivered Value (Business Value Delivered) 594

• Software Quality - Defect Density 595

• Cost Performance 596 The Government reserves the right to add or revise performance metrics throughout 598 contract performance under each order. 599 H.16 Award Term Incentives 602 The Government may utilize Award Term Incentives for use at the Order Level, which 604 allow for a process to reward contractors with an additional period(s) of performance. 605 The performance criteria will be established at the Order Level when utilized, and 606 subject to final decision of the Ordering Agency and OCO. 607 H.17 Other Direct Costs 610 The Government anticipates that other than labor costs will be necessary to complete 612 Orders anticipated to be awarded under the MSD MAIDIQ. For the purposes of MSD 613 Order RFPs, Other Direct Costs include cost elements such as travel, subcontract, 614 vendor, and similar items among others. The Government will provide licenses and 615 other data items, such as Government-furnished Property, whenever practicable. In the 616 instances in which the Government cannot provide licenses or similar as GFP, Order 617 Awardees may acquire licenses only to the extent necessary and invoice the associated 618 costs as ODCs. All ODCs cost elements shall be charged to the appropriate Cost-Only 619 ODCs line item in that Task Order. The Government will not pay for any profit or fee 620 associated with ODC elements but will pay any indirect charges applied by the Prime 621 Offeror/Awardee to those cost elements in the manner described in their accounting 622 practices. 623

SECTION J: LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 625

AWARD

Attachment 0001 Performance Work Statement

Attachment 0002 Labor Categories

SOLICITATION

Attachment 0003 MSD IDIQ Labor Hour Model (to be deleted at award)

Attachment 0004 Small Business Participation Commitment Document

Attachment 0005 Technical Corporate Experience Worksheet (to be deleted at award)

SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO 629

OFFERORS 630

L.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 632

If you choose to submit a proposal, it shall be submitted via email to the Government 634 Points of Contact (POC): 635 Procurement Contracting Officer, Kristin Height, kristin.m.height.civ@army.mil and 637 Contract Specialist, Robin Delossantos, robin.m.delossantos.civ@army.mil. 638 Phase 1 Proposal submission shall be no later than (NLT) 10:00 AM Eastern Time on 640 DATE TBD 2024. The size per email shall not exceed 24MB. If necessary, Offerors may 641 submit multiple emails. If a complete proposal is not submitted by this closing time, the 642 Offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award. It is the responsibility of the Offeror 643 to contact the Government POCs identified above to confirm their proposal has been 644 received. Confirmation of receipt does not equate to confirmation of contents of the 645 proposal. 646 All questions shall be submitted via email to the POCs identified above NLT 3:00 PM 648 Eastern Time on DATE TBD 2024. It is preferred that only one set of questions be 649 submitted by each Offeror instead of submitting multiple sets of questions. Questions 650 received after the date and time may not be answered prior to the closing date/time for 651 receipt of submission. If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions 652 contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall notify the 653 Government POCs identified above during the question period in writing with supporting 654 rationale; the notification shall also include the remedies the Offeror is asking the 655 Government to consider as related to the omission or error. 656 The Government intends to conduct a streamlined phased acquisition approach. 658 Proposal Volumes I, and II, are to be submitted by the above listed proposal submission 659 due date and time. Proposal Volumes III, IV, V, VI and VII are required to be submitted 660 by the offeror within the due dates specified in the Phase 2 and Phase 3 notification of 661 offeror invitation. 662 All inquiries shall be conducted in writing and directly to the Government POCs 664 identified above. Offerors shall not contact any Government personnel other than the 665 mailto:kristin.m.height.civ@army.mil mailto:Robin

Government POCs identified above concerning this competition. Contacting any 666 Government personnel other than the individual identified above may result in an 667 organizational conflict of interest (OCI) and may result in an Offeror being excluded from 668 competition and award. 669 Offerors shall NOT utilize OCONUS or foreign labor or reach back IAW the FAR 671 for any aspect, development or purpose of this RFP and resulting proposal 672 submission(s). 673 Offerors shall not submit any assumptions, terms, conditions, caveats, or exceptions 675 with their proposals. All concerns shall be addressed and resolved by submitting 676 questions by the date specified in paragraph 2 above. No assumptions, terms, 677 conditions, caveats or exceptions submitted with proposals in response to RFPs will be 678 accepted or incorporated into the resulting award. 679 Offerors may encrypt and/or password protect proprietary information as they see fit. 681 Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. However, if the Government is unable 682 to access the documents, the proposal will not be considered for award. All Security 683 permissions on the Excel spreadsheet (i.e. “.xlsx”) shall be set to allow the Government 684 to select, cut, paste, review, and print text and graphics without the need for a 685 password. Microsoft Office 2016 software or higher, and Adobe software if applicable, 686 shall be used to create the required files. 687 Each volume shall be properly identified, numbered, clearly indexed, and logically 689 assembled. Each volume shall also contain clearly identified sections and all pages 690 shall be numbered and identified by the complete company name, date, and solicitation 691 number in the header and/or footer. Information shall be confined to the appropriate 692 volume to facilitate independent evaluation. Each volume shall be presented on a stand-693 alone basis so that the Government can evaluate its contents without cross-referencing 694 to other volumes of the proposal. The Government may consider information it requires 695 for proposal evaluation that is not found in its designated volume as having been 696 omitted from the Offeror’s proposal. 697 Subcontractor cost proposals shall be submitted electronically directly to the above 699 Government POCs email prior to the proposal due date and time if the subcontractor 700 deems its proposal contains proprietary data. If the subcontractor does not deem that its 701 proposal contains proprietary information, then the subcontractor shall submit its cost 702 proposal to the prime contractor for inclusion in its proposal. The size per e-mail shall 703 not exceed 24MB, and its proposal shall include all necessary supporting documents 704 and narrative. 705 All proposals shall be valid for five (5) years beyond the date of award to ensure that 707 any Offeror(s) assigned to the Awardable but Not Selected for Award pool can be On-708 Ramped during the five (5) years after contract award without further proposal 709 evaluations. Proposals offering a shorter period of validity will not be considered for 710 award. All proposal submission files shall not contain classified data or information. 711

In order to reduce proposal size, proposals shall be limited to the number of pages as 713 outlined below for each volume. All proposal information shall be confined to the 714 appropriate file. The page limit (identified in the table below) is viewed as total pages 715 within a file, excluding a table of contents, cross reference matrixes, cover page, and 716 glossary page. The Government will not evaluate any pages that exceed the page 717 limitation(s) identified below. Unless noted otherwise in the Section below, pages 718 containing text shall be typewritten using the standard letter size (8.5 x 11) in Microsoft 719 Word. Text shall be a minimum of 12- point Times New Roman or Arial font and no 720 less than one-inch margins/borders. Any headers/footers, call out boxes, captions, table 721 or graphic shall use a minimum of 10-point Times New Roman or Arial font. Drawings or 722 other graphics shall be reduced only to the extent legibility is not lost. 723 Pages or minutes over the maximum limitation for any section of a volume will be 725 excluded from evaluation. Exceptions to the page limitations are cover pages, lists of 726 acronyms, lists of figures, and indices/tables of contents. There are no exceptions to the 727 time limitations. Website content that is hyperlinked within the proposal will not be 728 evaluated. 729 The proposal/technical solution shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail 731 for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal 732 should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but, rather, shall 733 provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these 734 requirements. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of 735 their facilities or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in 736 the Offeror's proposal. 737 All previous released Draft versions of the solicitation and question and answers relating 739 to those Draft versions are non-binding and do not apply to this final released 740 solicitation. 741

L.2 PHASED PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 742

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal 744 submission and phased evaluation with three (3) phases: 745

1. Phase One - This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume I- General, 746 and Volume II- Factor 1- Technical Corporate Experience. Details are in Section 747 L.3.2 below. 748

2. Phase Two- This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume III - Factor 749 2 - Technical Pivot Challenge. Details are in section L.3.3. below. 750

3. Phase Three- This phase will evaluate the submissions for Volume IV - Factor 3- 751 Small Business Participation, Volume V - Factor 4- Price, Volume VI - Factor 5 - 752 Ultimate Technical Challenge and Volume VII - Factor 6- Management Approach. 753

Details are in Sections L.3.4 below. 754

A notional schedule is provided below: 755

Event Date(s)

Phase One and Two Proposals Due- Volumes I II, III, and IV

TBD

Down Select Notification TBD + 30 Calendar Days

Phase Two Evaluation- XX Calendar days after Selection Notices Issued

Notification of Down Select XX Calendar Days after submission of Phase 2 Proposal

Volume Phase Three- Volumes V and VI Due

XX Calendar Days after Down Select Notices Issued.

Award* Q2 FY25

Participation in Phase One is required in order to be considered for Phase Two 757 and Phase Three. Failure to participate in Phase One will preclude 758 consideration of the Offeror’s proposal during Phase Two and/or Phase 759 Three. 760

L.3 PROPOSAL CONTENTS 761

L.3.1 Format 763 Offeror’s proposals shall consist of Volumes I through VI, as set forth in the below Table: 765

*Offerors shall replace “xxxx” with the Offeror’s name and the date of the proposal. For example: OfferorNamePRICE04082024.xlsx.

** Volume III is only applicable to Offerors who are invited to continue on to Phase 2.

***Volumes IV, V, VI, and VII are only applicable to Offerors who are invited to continue on to Phase 3.

Volume Document File Name(s) Notes Volume I: General Cover Letter;

Property Management Plan; OCI; Data Rights xxxxGENERALxxxx.

docx (or PDF) *

No Page Limit

Volume II: Factor 1 – Technical Corporate Experience

Corporate Experience Worksheet xxxxEXPxxxx.xlsx

See Volume II instructions for page limits.

Volume III: Factor 2 – Technical Pivot Challenge**

Video Recording Submission xxxxTPCxxxx. See Volume III instructions for recording limits.

Volume IV: Factor 3 – Small Business***

Small Business…