Solicitation_Instructions.docx

PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS, SUBMISSION, AND EVALUATION

A. General Information

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is soliciting individuals with the right skill sets and interested in investing numerous hours a week to conduct EEO investigations and management initiated investigations into harassment allegations that are not part of a discrimination complaint, in accordance with EEOC regulations and USPS quality and timeliness standards. Selected individuals will be home-based independent contractors, located throughout the United States, who will enter into Ordering Agreements with the USPS to provide investigative services in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set forth in the agreement. An Ordering Agreement is not itself a contract. It is a written agreement negotiated between a purchasing organization and an awardee that contains Terms and Conditions applying to future contracts between the parties; individual Task Orders assigning the investigation of particular complaints of discrimination or harassment allegations that are not part of a discrimination complaint may be issued under the Ordering Agreement in a "fee for service" arrangement. Contracts will be formed when individual Task Orders are issued under the Ordering Agreement. There is no guarantee of work or the number of cases assigned for awardees selected to enter into Ordering Agreements under this solicitation. An Investigator is paid on a “per case” basis; on average $1,200 on successful completion of the case. The average amount of time spent completing an investigation varies, but most investigations are labor intensive. Investigator performance will be evaluated by the Contracting Officer’s Representative. Again, there is no guarantee that an awardee will be assigned any number of cases.

The USPS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and an Investigator may be required to make phone calls during all hours in order to contact the appropriate personnel on a case.

B. Proposal Preparation Instructions

These instructions establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and content of proposals. The Technical/Supplier Capability Proposal and Past Performance shall be limited to 3 pages total in 10 size fonts. Ensure each of the Evaluation Factors of Supplier Capability and Supplier Past Performance elements are addressed. Cover pages, tables of contents and resumes DO NOT count towards the page limitation. A page is defined as an 8 -1/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper with one inch margins on all four sides.

The Offeror shall number each page in order to eliminate any confusion. In the event of an ambiguity in the numbering of pages, the USPS will exercise its own discretion in the counting of pages. Pages in excess of the above limitation will not be evaluated.

Proposals must set forth full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation (including attachments). The making of any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements in the Offeror’s proposal is prohibited by federal law and may render the Offeror subject to criminal prosecution under section 1001, Title 18, United States Code.

The Proposal must be sufficiently detailed and complete to demonstrate an understanding of the ability to comply with the requirements of the Solicitation. Offerors must demonstrate capability of performing all tasks outlined in the Statement of Work. Return the completed Provision 4-3 Representations and Certifications of the Terms and Conditions with your proposal (pages 7-11).

C. Proposal Submission Instructions

Electronic submissions will be the only acceptable submission format for this requirement. One copy consists of a Technical/Supplier Capability Proposal and Past Performance. The electronic submission shall be in either PDF format or in a Microsoft application format (i.e., MSWord or Excel). The electronic submission shall not exceed a size limit of 10 megabytes (10MB). It is the responsibility of each offeror to confirm transmission and receipt of their Proposal. Offerors shall allow sufficient time for transmission through the USPS’s Information Technology (IT) firewall. Delays encountered due to the offeror’s IT system DO NOT constitute excusable delays. Proposals must be received by the Purchasing Specialist, no later than the exact time specified below, to be considered for award. E-mail messages should have Request for Proposal 2B-15-A-0002 in the subject line. Proposals shall be submitted no later than 6:00 AM MT on Monday, October 20, 2014.

All Proposals shall be submitted to:

X2ST00@usps.gov (X2SZEROZERO@usps.gov)

Late Proposals will not be accepted! Facsimile submissions are not authorized for this solicitation.

Payment of Proposal Costs

This Solicitation does not commit the USPS to pay for any costs incurred in the submission of the offer or in making necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof, nor to contract for services or supplies.

Questions or Clarifications

All questions or request for clarifications shall be submitted electronically to X2ST00@usps.gov no later than 5:00 P.M. MT on Tuesday, October 14, 2014. Questions received after this date and time will not be addressed. Questions and Answers will be provided to all potential offerors.

D. Evaluation of Offers

Please reference Provision 4-2: Evaluation, in the Terms & Conditions.

In evaluating offers, the USPS anticipates awarding an Ordering Agreement to the offeror whose Proposal is most advantageous to the USPS, that is, making award to the offeror whose overall integrated Proposal, including Technical/Supplier Capability Proposal and Past Performance information is in the best interest of the USPS. Awards will be made to offerors whose Proposals represent the best value and best fit to the USPS. Best value is defined as the outcome that provides the optimal combination of elements such as technical capability, supplier capability and quality relative to the USPS’s needs.

If you are selected to attend the Skills class you must familiarize yourself with the MD-110 (http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/directives/md110.cfm), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Rehabilitation Act and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Selected candidates will be mailed a CD that they are required to successfully complete prior to arrival of the class.

In order to select offerors who will provide best value to the USPS, an Evaluation Team will be established to evaluate proposals and determine which offerors will be selected to attend the Skills Class, which, upon successfully passing the class, will be issued Ordering Agreements.

E. Fee Schedule The USPS has established the fee schedule for the services required for Investigative services listed below:

Fee per Investigation: $1,200.00 Fee per Investigation with first amendment: $1,700.00 Fee per each amendment after first amendment: $200.00 Fee per consolidated investigative case: $2,200.00 Fee per supplemental investigation: $550.00 Fee per incentive for expedited investigation: $550.00

F. Evaluation Rating

An overall Evaluation rating using the adjectival rating criteria is described below:

Not Demonstrated at Minimal Level – This indicates that the qualifications presented by the offeror do not meet the demands of the service needed

Minimally Acceptable – This indicates that the offeror has adequately met the listed qualifications

Above Average – This indicates that the offeror’s stated qualifications are above average

Superior – This indicates that the offeror’s stated ability to meet the listed qualifications is superior

G. All Awards are Conditional on Successful Completion of EEO Investigator Skills class

A written notice will be provided to offerors who will be selected to attend a week long EEO Investigator Skills class held in Tampa, FL. All travel and miscellaneous costs to attend the training is at the applicants own expense and the USPS will not reimburse attendees for any travel expenses, even if an Ordering Agreement is not offered.

Successful completion of this course, including a daily quiz, a final written examination and receipt of a security clearance issued by the United States Postal Inspection Service, will qualify an offeror for the EEO Investigator contracting opportunity. It is customary to award an Ordering Agreement if the applicant successfully passes the EEO Investigator Skills class. Offeror must be present for all five (5) days of class, take daily quizzes and submit final written exam when due. Please note, the USPS cannot reimburse suppliers for any travel expenses associated with attending the EEO Investigator Skills class. If a offeror does not complete the class successfully, they become ineligible for performing EEO investigations under this agreement.

H. Supplier Disqualifying Factors

The following factors will disqualify offerors:

The USPS does not award an ordering agreement or contract to Suppliers who are listed as disbarred, suspended or ineligible on (1) the USPS list, maintained by the Vice President of Supply Management and (2) the GSA list, System for Award Management (SAM) available at http://www.sam.gov. Both lists can be viewed on the blue pages at http://blue.usps.gov/purchase/infrastructure/debar.htm.

The USPS does not award an Ordering Agreement or contract to current Federal or USPS employees.

The USPS does not award an ordering agreement or contract where doing so would create a perception of bias or appear to compromise confidentiality.

The USPS does not award an ordering agreement or contract to offerors who do not receive a Security Clearance.

I. Notification to Unsuccessful Offerors

The Unsuccessful Offeror Notification Letter will be transmitted electronically or by First Class Mail to offerors who are not selected.