MSD IDIQ DRAFT RFP_13 DECEMBER 2024.pdf

Request for Proposal 1

Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite 3

Quantity Contract 4 for 5

Modern Software Delivery (MSD) 6

RFP#: W9128Z-25-R-XXXX 10

Date: 13 December 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.

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 Time and Materials (T&M) type orders.

0011 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.

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.

MAX

QUANT

ITY

UNDEF

-INED

UNDEFIN

ED

$50,000,000 ,000.00

(End of Section B) 41

SECTION C: DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS 42

C.1 BACKGROUND 43

The MSD MAIDIQ is designed to provide the U.S. Army with the ability to rapidly design, 45 develop, test, deploy, and maintain mission critical applications and systems. It aligns 46 with Army Directive (AD) 2024-02 for Enabling Modern Software for Defense and 47 Acquisition Practices and DoD Modern Software Strategy Memorandum, 2 February 48 2022. The MSD MAIDIQ enables the Government to build functionality, implement, and 49 extend the capabilities of U.S. Army and to modernize the Army through rapid 50 development and delivery of software capability. This vehicle will have in place 51 mechanisms to sense, respond, and adjust deliveries to increase effectiveness and 52 efficiency throughout the software lifecycle. 53 The MSD MAIDIQ will follow the guiding principles below: 55 Driving Effectiveness Outcomes 57

• Ensure dynamic, agile alignment to Army mission through integrated government 58 technical leadership, utility of the right people and the right tools, and contractual 59 support flexibility. 60

• Feedback pathways for all stakeholders throughout the delivery lifecycle. 61

• Metrics-driven focus on value generation through outcomes. Effectiveness over 62 efficiency. 63

• Clear and transparent communication across mixed roles and delivery teams. 64

Driving Efficiency Outcomes 66

• Analysis and reduction of the complexity of and the time spent in all non-67 capability-developing activities. 68

• Prioritization of orders focused on agile, pivotal development while restricting 69 superfluous long-term planning and/or sustainment activities. 70

• Build trusted relationships utilizing the MSD Board to provide feedback and 71 employ efficiency improvements where and when needed. 72

The primary NAICS code for this requirement is 541512- Computer Systems Design 74 Services, however other applicable NAICS codes may be selected at the Order Level 75 for work within the scope of the PWS. See Section H.1 for more information. 76

C.2 SCOPE 77

This MAIDIQ is designed to provide a vehicle to award task orders in an efficient 78 manner to support software capability efforts that incorporate but are not limited to the 79 following: 80

• Software development, security, and operations (DevSecOps, DSO) 81

• Software delivery using modern architectures, infrastructure, and platforms 82

• Support digital transformations that apply modern technologies 83

C.3 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT 84

The full description of requirements is found in the Performance Work Statement 85 (PWS), see Section J Attachment 0001. 86

(End of Section C) 87

SECTION D: PACKAGING AND MARKING 89

SECTION E: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 91

Supplies/services will be inspected/accepted at: 92

CLIN INSPECT AT INSPECT BY ACCEPT AT ACCEPT BY 93

0001 Destination Government Destination Government 94

0002 Destination Government Destination Government 95

0003 Destination Government Destination Government 96

0004 Destination Government Destination Government 97

0005 Destination Government Destination Government 98

0006 Destination Government Destination Government 99

0007 Destination Government Destination Government 100

0008 Destination Government Destination Government 101

0009 Destination Government Destination Government 102

0010 Destination Government Destination Government 103

0011 Destination Government Destination Government 104

0012 Destination Government Destination Government 105

0013 Destination Government Destination Government 106

0014 Destination Government Destination Government 107

9999 Destination Government Destination Government 108

SECTION F: DELIVERIES AND PERFORMANCE 110

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 111

The term of the MSD MAIDIQ is a five-year base ordering period and one (1) five-year 112 option ordering period, for a total ordering period of ten (10) years if all options are 113 exercised. There is no guarantee that the option will be exercised on any or all of the 114 awarded contracts. This is not a multi-year contract as defined in Federal Acquisition 115 Regulation (FAR) 17.103. 116

SECTION G: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 118

G.1 CONTRACTOR ADMINISTRATION REQUIREMENTS 120

The following sections describe the administration requirements for the base IDIQ 122 contract and orders. The Contractor Contracts Manager (CCM) shall be the primary 123 contractor point-of-contact for these requirements. 124 Failure to meet administration requirements may result in Off-Ramping (See Sections 126 H.11.). 127 G.1.1 Order-Level CPARS 129 The IDIQ PCO does not administer or evaluate Order performance. It is the sole 131 responsibility of the Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO) to evaluate each Order 132 exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) using the process and criteria in 133

CPARS. 134

G.1.2 Mergers, Acquisitions, Novations, and Change-Of-Name Agreements 136 If a Contractor merges, is acquired, or recognizes a successor in interest to 138 Government contracts when Contractor assets are transferred; or, recognizes a change 139 in a Contractor’s name; or, executes novation agreements and change-of-name 140 agreements by a Government Contracting Officer other than the IDIQ PCO, the 141 Contractor shall notify the IDIQ PCO and provide a copy of the novation or other any 142 other agreement that changes the status of the Contractor. 143

G.2. DEVIATION FROM COST PLUS FIXED FEE RATES 145

This clause will be incorporated in all Task Orders that include Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee and 147 Cost-Reimbursement CLINs. 148 Invoicing for rates that deviate from proposed rates at the order level: 150

1. Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System- CPARS 152

a. If in any performance period, the Contractor is projecting a cost overrun in 154 excess of 10% of the proposed estimated cost for that period, which is 155 determined to not be a result of Government direction and not attributable 156 to Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) changes, the projected cost 157 overrun may trigger a Show Cause or Termination for Default subject to 158 the Contracting Officers discretion. Note: Contractors proposing at current 159 FPRA rates and invoicing at current Provisional Billing rates will not trigger 160 a Show Cause or termination for Default. 161

b. If in performance of the contract, the Contractor incurs a cost overrun of 163 greater than 5% and less than 10% during that CPARS evaluation period, 164 which is determined not to be a result of Government direction the 165 Contractor shall receive a Marginal rating for that periods CPARS cost 166 element. 167

c. If in performance of the contract, the Contractor incurs a cost overrun 169 greater than 10% during that CPARS evaluation period, which is 170 determined not to be a result of Government direction the Contractor shall 171 receive an Unsatisfactory rating for that periods CPARS cost element. 172

d. In regards to cost overruns and estimated costs mentioned in paragraphs 174 a through c, the Government will be comparing actual cost of work 175 performed to estimated cost at the end of each contract period. 176 Contractors are cautioned that costs should be directly proportional to 177 hours expended, and if in excess, may be considered a cost overrun by 178 the Government. 179

2. The contractors proposed direct and indirect rates by both the Prime and 181 Subcontractor(s) will be compared and verified through the monthly reporting 182 required through the Monthly Performance and Cost Report. The Offeror and its 183 Subcontractor(s) shall provide a direct mapping of proposed direct labor 184 categories and actual charged direct rate monthly. Note- Subcontractor rates are 185 required only when the contractual relationships with the Prime and 186 Subcontractor is Cost Reimbursement/CPFF. Monthly average charged direct 187 labor rates for the order shall be no more than 5% higher than 188 proposed/negotiated rates of the order. 189

3. The MSD IDIQ contract will adhere to FAR 52.216-7 Allowable Cost and 191 Payment to allow reimbursement of actual incurred costs considered allowable 192 under the FAR.” 193

(End of Section G) 194

SECTION H: SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 196

H.1 NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) 198

NAICS Codes and small business size standards are periodically updated and revised 200 by SBA. If SBA revises NAICS Code(s) and small business size standard(s) that are 201 within the scope of the Modern Software Delivery IDIQ during the term of contract, the 202 IDIQ PCO and/or OCO may need to update the IDIQ and Order awards to reflect the 203 updated NAICS Code(s) and small business size standards(s). 204 The OCO has the responsibility to determine which predominant NAICS code applies to 206 a Order solicitation, whether or not the Order is unrestricted or set-aside, including the 207 type of socio-economic set-aside if applicable, and whether or not the solicitation is 208 sole-source or competitive. The OCO shall identify the NAICS Code Number, Title, and 209 Business Size Standard in the Order solicitation and report the NAICS Code in the 210 Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). 211 The predominant NAICS code for the IDIQ contract is 541512- Computer Systems 213 Design Services. Other NAICS codes may be used at the Order level to accurately 214 describe the performance under that specific Order. 215

H.2 PRODUCT SERVICE CODES (PSC) 217

The PSC represents what products, services, and/or research and development (R&D) 219 was purchased by the federal government for each Order award reported in the Federal 220 Procurement Data System (FPDS). 221 The scope of this IDIQ spans across many PSCs, however, the primary PSC selected 223 shall be based on the predominant service that is being purchased. The OCO will 224 identify the PSC in the Order solicitation and report the PSC in the Federal Procurement 225 Data System (FPDS). 226 H.3 LABOR CATEGORIES (LCAT or LCATs) 228

To enhance the consistency of labor and service cost/price offers and reporting, LCATs 229 and associated fully burdened rate ranges will be released with each Order request for 230 proposal when a Cost Reimbursement or T&M/LH effort is contemplated. As the 231 requirements for the MSD IDIQ are dynamic, the LCATs are expected to change over 232 time. See the ordering guide paragraph X.X for more information on how LCATs will be 233 managed for Order proposals. Section H.3 does not apply to FFP Orders. 234

H.4 CONTRACTOR KEY PERSONNEL 236

Each IDIQ Contract Holder shall identify personnel to serve in the following roles at that 238 IDIQ level. The Government will not separately pay for these positions. No costs for 239 Contractor Key Personnel shall be billed to the Modern Software Delivery Program 240

Office. Key personnel at the IDIQ Contract level will serve as the primary points of 241 communication throughout the ordering period. Contract Holders may fill key personnel 242 positions however they see appropriate provided that the individual(s) filling those 243 positions are empowered to speak on behalf of the company. The following positions 244 are identified as key personnel at the Base Contract level. 245

1. Contractor Contract Manager (CCM): Contractor Representative responsible for 247 negotiating contractual matters on behalf of the MSD Contract Holder. 248

2. Contractor MSD Director: Member of the MSD Board of Directors. Responsible 250 for carrying out the duties described at Clause H.7, MSD Board of Directors. 251 MSD IDIQ Contract Holders may assign a lead and alternate for the MSD 252 Director position. 253

The Contractor shall ensure that the IDIQ PCO has current point-of-contact information 255 for the Contractor Key Personnel positions. In the event of a change to Contractor Key 256 Personnel, the Contractor shall notify the IDIQ PCO and provide all Point of Contact 257 information for the new Key Personnel within five (5) calendar days of the change. 258 Failure of Contractor Key Personnel to effectively and efficiently perform their duties will 260 be construed as conduct detrimental to contract performance and may result in Off-261 Ramping (See Section H.11). 262

H.5 DATA/SOFTWARE RIGHTS ON ORDERS 264

Pursuant to the requirements set forth in DFARS 252.227-7017, Contractors are 266 required to specifically identify Data/Software Rights Assertions related to technical data 267 and software deliverables in every Order proposal. 268 As indicated in DFARS 252.227-7017(e), an Offeror's failure to submit, complete, or 270 sign the aforementioned Data and Software Rights Assertions with its offer may render 271 the offer ineligible for award. In accordance with the content and formatting 272 requirements for Data and Software Rights Assertions (set forth in DFARS 252.227-273 7017), the Offeror's Data and Software Rights Assertions shall comply with the following 274 requirements: 275

1) The Offeror shall not assert license restrictions on items, component, or 277 processes themselves. The asserted license restrictions shall pertain to software 278 or technical data that relates to items, components, or processes. 279

2) The Offeror's Assertions shall not include technical data or software that will not 280 be furnished to the Government under this Contract. 281

3) The Offeror shall provide a concise (but specific) description of the technical data 283 and software deliverables that will be furnished to the Government with 284 restrictions, rather than generically asserting license restrictions in "technical 285 data" or "technology". 286

4) The Offeror is responsible for ensuring that Data and Software Rights Assertions 288 from its subcontractors comply with the aforementioned content and formatting 289 requirements (in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7017). 290

If in any instances where the Government will only be provided “Limited Rights”, 292 “Restricted Rights”, or other restrictions (such as restrictions in commercial software 293 license agreements) for a given Order requirement, the Contractor shall mark their 294 proposal accordingly and make it clear to the OCO all limitations and costs associated 295 with the solution. 296 To foster innovation and competition, contractors are encouraged to propose open 298 software architecture solutions for MSD MAIDIQ Orders whether the requirement is 299 commercial or non-commercial. Proprietary solutions that require exclusive processes, 300 systems, maintenance, or support may not align with the Army’s goals for future 301 adaptability, modularity and competitiveness. By proposing open architectures, 302 contractors will contribute to a more flexible, interoperable, and sustainable software 303 ecosystem that promotes competition. Proposing proprietary solutions under Order 304 RFPs may be considered an element of an Offeror's proposal that increases risk of 305 unsuccessful contract performance. 306

H.6 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (OCI) 308

DECLARATION/MITIGATION PLAN 309

For all Orders, Offerors shall identify and address in response to Order RFPs and 310 during performance of orders all actual or potential OCI situations with itself, 311 subcontractors, partners, or any other Offeror, per FAR Subpart 9.5 and all actual or 312 apparent unfair competitive advantages stemming from its, or its subcontractor’s, hiring 313 or association with a former Government official per FAR Subpart 3.1. If there are no 314 known actual or potential OCIs and/or no known actual or apparent unfair competitive 315 advantages, Offerors shall include a statement affirming that there are no known actual 316 or potential OCIs or no known actual or apparent competitive advantages within its 317 Order RFP. If any actual or potential OCIs and/or actual or apparent unfair competitive 318 advantages are identified, then the Offeror shall submit a mitigation plan within the 319 Order RFP or to the OCO during Order performance. If the OCO determines that any 320 actual or potential OCIs and/or actual or apparent unfair competitive advantages cannot 321 be mitigated, then the Offeror shall not be eligible for award. If the offeror identified an 322 OCI during order performance and cannot be mitigated, the order award may be 323 terminated and awarded IAW below Section H.9.1. 324

H.7 MSD BOARD OF DIRECTORS 326

Each MSD MAIDIQ Contract Holder will identify one (1) employee of the Prime concern, 328 or in the case of a Joint Venture the lead concern, as its MSD Director (reference H.4). 329

1. The MSD Board of Directors will be chaired by the Government and meet on a 331 quarterly basis to discuss IDIQ contract performance risks, issues and opportunities 332 related to Modern Software Delivery endeavors. 333

a. Example: Inflation has run so far as to create staffing difficulties for all MSD 335

Contract Holders. The Board of Directors would investigate whether this is an 336 industry-wide event and recommend any/all appropriate courses of actions to the 337 Government. 338

b. Example: Technology has expanded to a novel application not considered at the 340 time of award. This new technology requires skill sets beyond what are described 341 in the current MSD Labor Categories. The Board of Directors would investigate 342 whether this is an industry-wide event and recommend any/all appropriate 343 courses of actions to the Government. 344

c. Example: To discuss industry trends and reasonability of the CPFF and/or T&M 346 Labor Category Rate ranges applicable to new orders. 347

2. The Government intends to leverage the MSD Board of Directors for market 349 research activities and establish a cross-functional collaborative domain in support 350 of future orders. 351

H.8 MEETINGS 353

The Government may require Contractor attendance in meetings, including the 355 attendance of Contractor Key Personnel at various locations. 356 Meetings may be via webcasting, in-person at a government facility, a commercial 358 conference center, or a mutually agreed-upon Contractor facility on a rotational basis, 359 as determined by the Government. Follow-up meetings may be held periodically 360 throughout the duration of the MSD MAIDIQ contract to assess performance against the 361 goals, objectives and to reinforce partnering principles. 362 The Government may require up to four (4) Program Management Review (PMR) 364 meetings per year. PMRs are separate and distinct events from Board of Directors 365 meetings. MSD MAIDIQ Contract holders may utilize CCM and/orMSD Director 366 personnel to support PMRs. The goal of the PMR meetings is to provide a platform for 367 contractor holders, PEO E, ACC-APG staff, ASA ALT Requirement owners, and other 368 agency representatives to communicate current issues, resolve potential problems, 369 discuss business and marketing opportunities, review future and ongoing Army and 370

Government-wide initiatives. Any Contractor costs associated to PMR Meetings shall be 371 at no direct cost to the Government. 372

H.9 ORDERING PROCEDURES 374

H.9.1 Awardable but Not Selected Pool- Order Level 376 Orders will be awarded to the offeror whose proposal is determined to be the best value 378 to the Government. The next highest best value rated Offeror(s) may be found 379 Awardable but Not Selected for initial Order award. All proposals submitted in response 380 to a Fair Opportunity Order award shall be valid for one (1) year beyond the date of 381 award. Should the Government decide to issue a termination for default on any Order 382 within one (1) year after award, the Government OCO may then issue an Order award 383 directly to the next highest rated Order proposal, IAW FAR 49.402-6. Labor Rates for 384 this award shall be adjusted to the current year rates as proposed under the original 385 order RFP. 386 H.9.2 Proposal Preparation Costs 388 All costs associated with the preparation, presentation, and discussion of the 390 Contractor’s proposal in response to an Order Request for Proposal (RFP) will be at the 391 Contractor’s sole and exclusive expense and each resulting Order award will be funded 392 by the ordering agency at the Order level. 393 H.9.3 Multiple Order Awards 395 The Government may award multiple order awards in response to a requirement should 397 the circumstances dictate. The Government will identify the intention to award one (1) or 398 multiple Orders within the Order RFP. All Order awards that result from a single RFP do 399 not need to be awarded on the same day but will occur within the same 90-day period. 400 Each Order RFP will include a statement concerning the number of Orders the 401 Government anticipates awarding as a result of the Order RFP, as well as instructions 402 for the length of proposal validity. 403

EXAMPLE: The Government has a need for three (3) development teams to 405 support Project Sentinel (fictional). The Sentinel Program Management Office 406 has determined that each team will be sourced from a different MSD Contract 407 Holder. The Order RFP will result in three (3) individual order awards that provide 408 for one (1) development team each. 409

H.9.4 Order Incentive for New Technology or Small Business Subcontractor 410 Entrant 411 As technological advances over the term of this IDIQ Contract are inevitable, the 413 Government may include incentives during Order competitions for inclusion of new 414 Technological Advances and/or subcontracts to new entrants. 415

H.9.5 Labor Category Rate Range 417

For orders other than those awarded as FFP contract type, each Order RFP will include 418 the current MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range providing a floor and ceiling for 419 each expected labor category. Offerors may propose rates and labor categories outside 420 of the MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range and will be evaluated IAW the order 421

RFP. 422

The MSD MAIDIQ Labor Category Rate Range is subject to frequent and continuous 423 rightsizing based on variables such as, market research, scales of economy, on-424 ramping and off-ramping. 425

H.10 ON-RAMPING 427

The total number of Contractors may fluctuate due to any number of reasons including 429 but not limited to, competition levels on orders, mergers & acquisition, new 430 technologies, new entrants on the market, and the Government's exercise of the off-431 ramp process. 432 The objective of an on-ramp is to maintain competitive sources for orders and/or to 434 obtain access to additional technologies and capabilities. The Contracting Officer may 435 conduct market research to assess additional technologies and capabilities available in 436 the open market to reasonably expand the scope to accommodate modern software 437 growth. The Contracting Officer may also assess contractor performance and the 438 amount of competition available. 439 H.10.1 Awardable but Not Selected Pool- IDIQ Level 441 The Government anticipates on-ramping new contractors during the MSD MAIDIQ 443 Ordering Period. The initial MDS IDIQ Contract holder awards will be made to the 444 highest technically rated Offerors IAW Section M.1. The next highest technically rated 445 Offerors will be found Awardable but Not Selected for Award. Any On-Ramp selections 446 during the first (1st) year from the date of contract award will exclusively come from the 447 Awardable but Not Selected for Award pool unless all Offerors assigned to that pool 448 have already been On-Ramped. For consideration into the Awardable not Selected 449 Pool, all proposals shall be valid for five (5) years beyond the date of award. If the next 450 highest technically rated Offeror does not sign an on-ramp contract or if their proposal is 451 no longer valid, then the Government will then offer an on-ramp contract to the next 452 highest technically rated Offeror. 453 Should the Government need to solicit proposals for future On-Ramping decisions, the 455 Awardable but Not Selected for Award pool may be reestablished. 456 H.10.2 On-Ramp Solicitations 458

The Government may evaluate the benefit of conducting a new on-ramp to either the 460 MSD MAIDIQ or to reestablish the Awardable but Not Selected pool on an annual basis. 461 During an on-ramp, offerors who are not already a contract holder may be eligible to 463 become a base MAIDIQ contract holder. Current contract holders shall not submit a 464 proposal for a new contract during the on-ramp and shall continue with their existing 465 contract. 466 The Government may conduct an on-ramp under the MSD MAIDIQ in accordance with 468 the following: 469

1. Notice of an on-ramp solicitation and the on-ramp procedures will be publicized 471 on SAM.gov; 472

2. The solicitation may identify the anticipated number of new base contract 474 holder awards or selections to the Awardable but Not Selected pool. The 475 actual number of MSD MAIDIQ base contract holder awards may depend on 476 the number of quality proposals received; 477

3. The basis for award under the solicitation will be substantively the same as the 479 original solicitation, however, may differ in the format, scope, and type of 480 source selection factors utilized; 481

4. The terms and conditions of any contracts resulting from the solicitation will be 483 materially identical to the current version of the existing contracts under the 484 MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; 485

5. The ordering period of any new base contracts resulting from the solicitation will 487 be coterminous with the ordering period of the existing contracts under the 488 MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; 489

6. If awarded a base contract resulting from the solicitation, any new contractor 491 will be eligible to submit a proposal in response to an Order with the same 492 rights and obligations as any other contractor on the MSD MAIDIQ vehicle; and 493

7. The award of any new contracts will not increase the existing overall ceiling 495 amount of the MSD MAIDIQ vehicle. 496

H.11 Off Ramping 498 The Government reserves the unilateral right to Off-Ramp non-performing or non-500 responsive Contractors. 501 The Government intends to maintain only the highest performing base Contract Holders 503 throughout the ordering period. During the ordering period, the Government will review 504 performance data on a yearly basis and/or quarterly basis, which is more appropriate. 505

Base Contract Holders identified and determined as underperforming or non-responsive 506 may be consider for Off-Ramping. Consideration for Off-Ramping does not necessarily 507 result in Off-Ramping. 508 Contract holders are expected to bid on 25% of the orders of this contract for which they 510 are eligible (for example, orders set aside for SB concerns would not count for a large 511 business). Any contract holders that are two standard deviations over the expected 512 participation rate during a twelve (12) month period will be warned and placed on 513 probation. After 180 days if a contract holder has not improved the participation rate to 514 the defined threshold margin may be subject to off ramping. This will be in effect after 515 awarding the first twenty orders executed utilizing fair opportunity procedures. 516 The standard deviation is initially defined through Monte Carlo simulations for the first 517 24-months of this contract. After that period the acceptable standard deviation will be 518 assessed through actual contract performance data. Resulting data produced will 519 provide a minimum threshold participation rate of 17%.Numbers are based off 520 anticipated number of award and will be adjusted to accommodate the actual total 521 number of awards. 522 Further, contract holders may be subject to off-ramping if one of the below conditions is 524 met. 525

• Failure to meet satisfactory metrics (reference ASA(ALT) Metrics) on three (3) or 527 more Orders during the first twelve (12) month ordering period. 528

• Receiving a rating of “unacceptable” or “marginal” in response to 5 or more fair 530 opportunity orders. 531 Contractors who are Off-Ramped shall be excluded from all future Order RFPs and 533 resulting awards after the effective date of Off-Ramp. Off-Ramped Contractors may 534 continue performance of any Order awarded prior to the Off-Ramp effective date with 535 OCO approval. OCOs may exercise remaining options on affected Orders provided all 536 of the conditions at FAR 17.207 and DFARS 217.207 are satisfied. 537 Contractors may be Off Ramped through permitting the Contractor’s Contract term to 539 expire instead of exercising Option 1, or through termination as defined in FAR Part 49. 540 H.12 Small Business Reserve 542 The Government anticipates a reserve with a minimum guarantee of ten (10) small 544 business base awards or 20% based on the total awarded MSD MAIDIQ base contract 545 awards to be set aside for Small Businesses, whichever is greater. Should a Small 546 Business concern be off-ramped, the Government may reserve that slot for a Small 547 Business. The Government will endeavor to maintain a minimum of ten (10) small 548 business base contract holders (or 20% should this be greater) within the pool when 549 On-Ramping. 550

The intent is for orders valued at $10M or less per year to be set aside for small 552 businesses as informed by market research. 553 H.13 Small Business Participation Commitment 555 Small Business Participation will be addressed at the order level for MSD actions. 557 The following clauses only apply at the order level when the requirement has been set-559 aside for Small Business: 560 52.219-3 - Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole Source Award (Nov 2011) 562 52.219-6 - Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) with Alternate I 563 52.219-13 - Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) 564 52.219-14 - Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) 565 52.219-27 - Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 566 2011) 567 52.219-29 - Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Economically 568 Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Dec 2015) 569 52.219-30 - Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Women-Owned Small 570 Business Concern Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program (Dec 571 2015) 572 Note that the Limitations on Subcontracting clause only applies at the Order level. Small 574 businesses may compete on unrestricted Orders without having to meet the 575 requirements of the Limitations on Subcontracting clause. 576 The MSD IDIQ contract vehicle does not have a specific reserve for 8(a) participants 578 nor any of the applicable clauses. Accordingly, there is no built-in mechanism to offer an 579 Order to SBA for inclusion in the 8(a) program. Therefore, it is not possible to set-aside 580 an award for 8(a) vendors nor is it possible to award sole source to an 8(a) vendor. 581 H.14 Expedited Delivery/Enhanced Performance CLIN 583

The Government may utilize a FFP Expedited Delivery and Enhanced Performance 585 CLIN on an Order to encourage delivery of modern software. The Government 586 anticipates including this CLIN in orders, when determined applicable and appropriate, 587 and in conjunction with a single Planning Interval (PI) or single software development 588 CLIN. The total value of the FFP CLIN is based upon a capped FFP amount as detailed 589 in the order request for proposal. No more than one (1) FFP CLIN will be issued per one 590

(1) PI or one (1) single software development CLIN ordered. 591 This FFP CLIN is associated with individual PIs and software development and is 593 payable to the Contractor after the completion of the associated individual PI or 594 software development CLIN. The Contractor shall meet or exceed the “Very Good” 595 performance standard(s) for all performance metrics selected for the associated PI or 596 software development. The Government reserves the right to unilaterally cancel the 597 FFP CLIN and de-obligate all funding under this CLIN if the Contractor does not meet all 598 performance metrics. The Contractor shall not be entitled to payment if the quality level 599 of the selected metrics does not at least meet the minimum threshold of “Very Good”. 600 Cancellation of this CLIN will not negatively impact the Contractor’s CPARS rating. 601 Metrics may include, but not limited to the below sample performance metrics, which 603 shall be outlined in the Performance Requirement Summary of the Quality Assurance 604 Surveillance Plan (QASP) at the order level. 605

• Story Point Completion Rate (Predictability) 607

• Story Point Velocity 608

• Delivered Value (Business Value Delivered) 609

• Software Quality - Defect Density 610

• Cost Performance 611 The Government reserves the right to add or revise performance metrics throughout 613 contract performance under each order. 614 H.15 Award Term Incentives 616 The Government may utilize Award Term Incentives for use at the Order Level, which 618 allow for a process to reward contractors with an additional period(s) of performance. 619 The performance criteria will be established at the Order Level when utilized, and 620 subject to final decision of the Ordering Agency and OCO. 621 H.16 Other Direct Costs 623 The Government anticipates that other than labor costs will be necessary to complete 625 Orders anticipated to be awarded under the MSD MAIDIQ. For the purposes of MSD 626 Order RFPs, Other Direct Costs include cost elements such as travel, subcontract, 627 vendor, and similar items among others. The Government will provide licenses and 628 other data items, such as Government-furnished Property, whenever practicable. In the 629 instances in which the Government cannot provide licenses or similar as GFP, Order 630 Awardees may acquire licenses only to the extent necessary and invoice the associated 631 costs as ODCs. All ODCs cost elements shall be charged to the appropriate Cost-Only 632 ODCs line item in that Task Order. The Government will not pay for any profit or fee 633 associated with ODC elements but will pay any indirect charges applied by the Prime 634 Offeror/Awardee to those cost elements in the manner described in their accounting 635 practices. 636

SECTION J: LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 638

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 Technical Corporate Experience Worksheet (to be deleted at award)

SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO 642

OFFERORS 643

L.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 645

If you choose to submit a proposal, it shall be submitted via email to the Government 647 Points of Contact (POC): 648 Procurement Contracting Officer, Kristin Height, kristin.m.height.civ@army.mil and 650 Contract Specialist, Robin Delossantos, robin.m.delossantos.civ@army.mil. 651 Phase 1 Proposal submission shall be no later than (NLT) 10:00 AM Eastern Time on 653 DATE TBD 2025. The size per email shall not exceed 24MB. If necessary, Offerors may 654 submit multiple emails. If a complete proposal is not submitted by this closing time, the 655 Offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award. It is the responsibility of the Offeror 656 to contact the Government POCs identified above to confirm their proposal has been 657 received. Confirmation of receipt does not equate to confirmation of contents of the 658 proposal. 659 All questions shall be submitted via email to the POCs identified above NLT 3:00 PM 661 Eastern Time on DATE TBD 2025. It is preferred that only one set of questions be 662 submitted by each Offeror instead of submitting multiple sets of questions. Questions 663 received after the date and time may not be answered prior to the closing date/time for 664 receipt of submission. If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions 665 contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall notify the 666 Government POCs identified above during the question period in writing with supporting 667 rationale; the notification shall also include the remedies the Offeror is asking the 668 Government to consider as related to the omission or error. 669 The Government intends to conduct a streamlined phased acquisition approach. 671 Proposal Volumes I, and II, are to be submitted by the above listed proposal submission 672 due date and time. Proposal Volumes III, IV, V, and VI are required to be submitted by 673 the offeror within the due dates specified in the Phase 2 and Phase 3 notification of 674 offeror invitation. 675 All inquiries shall be conducted in writing and directly to the Government POCs 677 mailto:kristin.m.height.civ@army.mil mailto:Robin identified above. Offerors shall not contact any Government personnel other than the 678 Government POCs identified above concerning this competition. Contacting any 679 Government personnel other than the individual identified above may result in an 680 organizational conflict of interest (OCI) and may result in an Offeror being excluded from 681 competition and award. 682 Offerors shall NOT utilize OCONUS or foreign labor or reach back IAW the FAR 684 for any aspect, development or purpose of this RFP and resulting proposal 685 submission(s). 686 Offerors shall not submit any assumptions, terms, conditions, caveats, or exceptions 688 with their proposals. All concerns shall be addressed and resolved by submitting 689 questions by the date specified in paragraph 2 above. No assumptions, terms, 690 conditions, caveats or exceptions submitted with proposals in response to RFPs will be 691 accepted or incorporated into the resulting award. 692 Offerors may encrypt and/or password protect proprietary information as they see fit. 694 Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. However, if the Government is unable 695 to access the documents, the proposal will not be considered for award. All Security 696 permissions on the Excel spreadsheet (i.e. “.xlsx”) shall be set to allow the Government 697 to select, cut, paste, review, and print text and graphics without the need for a 698 password. Microsoft Office 2016 software or higher, and Adobe software if applicable, 699 shall be used to create the required files. 700 Each volume shall be properly identified, numbered, clearly indexed, and logically 702 assembled. Each volume shall also contain clearly identified sections and all pages 703 shall be numbered and identified by the complete company name, date, and solicitation 704 number in the header and/or footer. Information shall be confined to the appropriate 705 volume to facilitate independent evaluation. Each volume shall be presented on a stand-706 alone basis so that the Government can evaluate its contents without cross-referencing 707 to other volumes of the proposal. The Government may consider information it requires 708 for proposal evaluation that is not found in its designated volume as having been 709 omitted from the Offeror’s proposal. 710 Subcontractor cost proposals will not be evaluated. 712 All proposals shall be valid for a minimum of 180 days for award, and for consideration 714 into the Awardable but Not Selected Pool shall be valid for five (5) years beyond the 715 date of award to ensure that any Offeror(s) assigned to the Awardable but Not Selected 716 for Award pool can be On-Ramped during the five (5) years after contract award without 717 further proposal evaluations. Proposals offering a shorter period of validity less than 180 718 days will not be considered for award. All proposal submission files shall not contain 719 classified data or information. 720 In order to reduce proposal size, proposals shall be limited to the number of pages as 722 outlined below for each volume. All proposal information shall be confined to the 723 appropriate file. The page limit (identified in the table below) is viewed as total pages 724 within a file, excluding a table of contents, cross reference matrixes, cover page, and 725 glossary page. The Government will not evaluate any pages that exceed the page 726 limitation(s) identified below. Unless noted otherwise in the Section below, pages 727 containing text shall be typewritten using the standard letter size (8.5 x 11) in Microsoft 728 Word. Text shall be a minimum of 12- point Times New Roman or Arial font and no 729 less than one-inch margins/borders. Any headers/footers, call out boxes, captions, table 730 or graphic shall use a minimum of 10-point Times New Roman or Arial font. Drawings or 731 other graphics shall be reduced only to the extent legibility is not lost. 732 Pages or minutes over the maximum limitation for any section of a volume will be 734 excluded from evaluation. Exceptions to the page limitations are cover pages, lists of 735 acronyms, lists of figures, and indices/tables of contents. There are no exceptions to the 736 time limitations. Website content that is hyperlinked within the proposal will not be 737 evaluated. 738 The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective 740 evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal should not 741 simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but, rather, shall provide 742 convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. 743 Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities or 744 experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror's 745 proposal. 746 All previous released Draft versions of the solicitation and question and answers relating 748 to those Draft versions are non-binding and do not apply to this final released 749 solicitation. 750

L.2 PHASED PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 751

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal 753 submission and phased evaluation with three (3) phases: 754

1. Phase One - This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume I- General, 755 and Volume II- Factor 1- Technical Corporate Experience. Details are in Section 756 L.3.2 below. 757

2. Phase Two- This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume III - Factor 758 2 - Technical Pivot Challenge. Details are in section L.3.3. below. 759

3. Phase Three- This phase will evaluate the submissions for Volume IV - Factor 3- 760 Price, Volume V - Factor 4 - Ultimate Technical Challenge and Volume VI - 761 Factor 5- Management Approach. Details are in Sections L.3.4 below. 762

A notional schedule is provided below: 763

Event Date(s)

Phase One Proposals Due- Volumes I and II

TBD

Notification of Down Select TBD + 30 Calendar Days

Phase Two Proposals Due – (Challenge and Submission) Volume III

TBD

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

Volume Phase Three- Volumes IV, 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 765 and Phase Three. Failure to participate in Phase One will preclude 766 consideration of the Offeror’s proposal during Phase Two and/or Phase 767 Three. 768

L.3 PROPOSAL CONTENTS 769

L.3.1 Format 771 Offeror’s proposals shall consist of Volumes I through V, as set forth in the below Table: 773

*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, and VI 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 - Price***

Price Narrative…