Attachment 4 Synopsis Solicitation Instructions-Amendment 1.pdf

SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS

Defense Finance and Accounting Service Columbus, Ohio (DFAS-CO)

Request for Quote (RFQ) Ergonomic Consulting Services

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation is for the procurement of commercial Ergonomic Consulting Services for Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Columbus, Ohio.

This solicitation is prepared in accordance with the format in subpart 12.603, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

Quotation evaluation will be conducted in accordance with FAR Part 13 with the intention to award a purchase order to one vendor.

Quotations must be received by email to Terri Davis at terri.l.davis34.civ@mail.mil and Chris Rosen at christina.l.rosen.civ@mail.mil by 4:00 PM EST on February 21, 2025.

Questions regarding this solicitation are due to Terri Davis at terri.l.davis34.civ@mail.mil and Chris Rosen at christina.l.rosen.civ@mail.mil by 4:00 PM EST on February 14, 2024.

Questions will be answered at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

The solicitation number is HQ042325QE011 and is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-01.

This requirement is solicited as a total small business set-aside.

The associated NAICS is 541690 and the small business size standard is $19.0M.

The anticipated period of performance is one-year period and four additional one-year option periods.

1. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: Quotations shall include five attachments and shall be submitted in one email.

1.1. The first attachment represents the quoter’s response to Certifications, Factor 1. The second attachment represents the quoter’s response to Technical Approach, Factor 2(a).

The third attachment represents the quoter’s response to Technical Approach, Factor 2(b). The fourth attachment represents the quoter’s response to Past Performance, Factor

3. Lastly, the fifth attachment represents the vendor’s Price Quote, Factor 4.

1.2. The first page of each attachment shall include the RFQ number, date of submittal, the vendor’s name, address, CAGE code, POC name, phone, and email. Vendors may use the body of their email as a cover letter. Limit the cover letter to 600 words.

1.3. Text shall be single-spaced, on 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper, with minimum one-inch margins mailto:terri.l.davis34.civ@mail.mil mailto:christina.l.rosen.civ@mail.mil mailto:terri.l.davis34.civ@mail.mil mailto:christina.l.rosen.civ@mail.mil on all sides and minimum 12-point font. Text and graphics shall be in a format readable by Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel. Note: There is a 15MB limit for email submissions.

1.4. Page Limitations. Any pages more than the page limitations below will not be considered.

Attachments Page Limits Certifications– Factor 1 No Page Limit Technical Approach - Factor 2a 10 pages

Resume – Factor 2b No Page Limit

Past Performance – Factor 3 5 pages Price – Factor 4 No Page Limit

2. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Factor 1 – Certifications: The Offeror is required to provide a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) or registered Occupational Therapist (OTR) as set forth in section 6.0 of the PWS. Certifications is considered a pass/pass/failure. Quotes that fail to provide either CPE or OTR certifications; will not be evaluated and will not be considered for award

Factor 2 – Technical Approach: Describe your technical approach for meeting PWS requirements. The technical approach will consist of two parts:

a. Offeror shall successfully demonstrate understanding of and the ability to meet all requirements of the PWS including those set forth in sections 5.0 and 6.0. Quoters shall thoroughly address how their business will ensure all PWS requirements will be achieved.

b. Offeror shall provide a resume at the time of quote for the Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), or registered Occupational Therapist (OTR) as specified by the Offeror that meets the required experience and expertise in the field of Ergonomics and Employee Safety and Occupational Health identified in section 6.0 of the PWS. The Resume must provide the required skills needed to support the PWS, identify the extent of experience with the deliverables identified in the PWS, and include sufficient details and work history.

Factor 3 – Past Performance

(A) Provide a list of no more than three (3) of your most recent and relevant contracts. Only recent and relevant contracts will be evaluated. Recent means contracts performed or completed within three (3) years from the quotation due date. For contracts that are currently being performed, the vendor must have performed at least six months of service for the contract to be evaluated. Relevant means similar in scope and complexity to the solicited work. Furnish the following information for each contract referenced:

(1) Company/Division name

(2) Description of Service

(3) Contracting Agency/Customer

(4) Contract Number

(5) Contract Dollar Value

(6) Period of Performance

(7) Verified, up-to-date name, address, email and phone number of the contracting officer/POC

(8) Comments regarding compliance with contract terms and conditions

(9) Comments regarding any known performance deemed unacceptable to the customer, or not in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

(10) Explanation of why the contract is relevant to the solicited work.

(B) Questionnaires. Attached to the solicitation is a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ).

Vendors are required to send the Questionnaire to each contracting officer or point of contact (POC) with knowledge of the vendor’s performance for each contract referenced above (unless a past performance record is already available in CPARS for the reference contract).

The contracting officer or other POC should be instructed to send the Questionnaire directly to the person identified on the first page of the Instructions no later than the quotation due date specified. The vendor is solely responsible for ensuring that Questionnaires are received by the Government no later than the quotation due date.

Questionnaires received after the quotation due date may not be considered in the evaluation.

(C) Subcontractor Consent: Past performance information pertaining to a subcontractor cannot be disclosed to the prime contractor or Government without the subcontractor’s consent. Provide a letter, as an additional Attachment, from each subcontractor that will perform significant aspects of this requirement, consenting to the release of their past performance information to the prime contractor. Consent letters do not count toward page limitations.

Factor 4– Price

Offerors shall provide a fixed, fully burdened hourly rate for the labor category Ergonomics Consultant for the duration of the contract. Fully burdened hourly rates are defined as rates that include all costs associated with providing the services described in the PWS, including but not limited to wages, fringe, benefits, overhead, general and administrative expenses, profit, and any other applicable costs or fees. These rates shall remain constant and shall not be subject to adjustments based on changes in cost, market conditions or other factors.

The CLIN structure and pricing table has been included below to assist with submission of pricing for your convenience.

Base Year: Period of Performance 1 year from date of award

CLINS

Estimated

Labor Hours

U/I Labor Category Unit Price Total Evaluated Price

0001 624 HR Ergonomics Consultant $_________ $__________________

Option Year 1: Period of Performance 1 year after end of base period

Estimated

Labor Hours

U/I Labor Category Unit Price Total Evaluated Price

1001 624 HR Ergonomics

Option Year 2: Period of Performance 1 year after end of Option Year 1

Estimated

Labor Hours

U/I Labor Category Unit Price Total Evaluated Price

1002 624 HR Ergonomics

Option Year 3: Period of Performance 1 year after end of Option Year 2

Estimated

Labor Hours

U/I Labor Category Unit Price Total Evaluated Price

1003 624 HR Ergonomics

Option Year 4: Period of Performance 1 year after end of Option Year 3

Estimated

Labor Hours

U/I Labor Category Unit Price Total Evaluated Price

1004 624 HR Ergonomics

Total All Years $

It is important to note that the estimation of 624 hours is provided solely for planning and evaluation purposes. This estimation does not represent a commitment or guarantee by the Government. The Government reserves the right to modify the estimated hours as needed based on actual requirements during the contract’s performance period. Because this is a Labor Hour contract, the Contractor shall not treat these estimates as binding, nor will the Government be held liable for any costs, obligations, or expenses incurred by the Contractor based on the provided estimates.

By submitting a quote, the offeror certifies that the proposed fully burdened hourly rates are accurate, reasonable, and inclusive of all costs associated with the performance of work.

3. EVALUATION

The Government intends to evaluate quotes and issue a fully burdened fixed-price labor hour purchase order based upon the quoter’s proposed technical approach, past performance and price based on initial quotation. Therefore, the quoter’s initial quotation should contain the best terms from a pricing and technical standpoint.

The award shall be made to the responsible vendor whose quotation represents the best value to the Government. The Government may reject any or all quotations if such action is in the public interest; accept a quotation other than the lowest priced quotation; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in quotations received.

3.1. Order of Importance

Factor 1 – Certifications is considered a pass/pass/failure. Quoter is required to be a CPE or OTR as set forth in section 6.0 of the PWS. Those quotes that fail to provide certification will not be evaluated further and will not be considered for award.

Those quotes that provide certification will be evaluated with the following order of importance:

Factor 2 – Technical Approach is equal to Factor 3 – Past Performance. Combined, Factors 2 and 3 are significantly more important than Factor 4 – Price. However, the importance of price will increase if quotations are rated and considered essentially equal in terms of non-price factors.

3.2. Definitions

The following evaluation definitions are provided to assist the evaluator(s):

Deficiency: A material failure of a quotation to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in a quotation that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level.

Weakness: A flaw in the quotation that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

A significant weakness in the quotation is a flaw that appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

Strength: A proposed method or technique in the quotation that exceeds the solicitation requirements.

3.3. Ratings

Factor 2 – Technical Approach will be evaluated through an assessment of any strengths, weaknesses, and deficiencies, and will receive one rating described in the table below.

TECHNICAL RATINGS/RISK

Outstanding Quotation indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

Good Quotation indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Quotation contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Acceptable Quotation meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal Quotation has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The quotation has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is significant.

Unacceptable Quotation does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Factor 3 – Past Performance will be evaluated in the following manner:

The Government shall evaluate recent and relevant performance information on vendors based on the contracts provided by the vendor and Questionnaires received. The Government may seek, and consider in the evaluation, data independently obtained from other government and commercial sources, including databases such as CPARS. Recent means contracts performed or completed within three (3) years from the quotation due date. For contracts that are currently being performed, the contractor must have performed at least six months of service for the contract to be considered. Relevant means similar in scope and complexity to the solicited work.

Projects performed by subcontractors or joint venture partners may be considered relevant provided the information submitted by the contractor demonstrates that the subcontractor or joint venture partner played a major role and critical role in successfully performing the project.

Relevant projects performed by the contractor as a prime contractor will be weighed more heavily in the overall evaluation. Contracts performed for the Department of Defense, depending on relevancy, may be considered more significant in the evaluation.

The government reserves the right to give greater consideration to information on those contracts deemed most relevant to the effort described in this solicitation, see Table below:

Relevancy Table

Very Relevant Present/past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and complexities this solicitation requires.

Relevant Present/past performance effort involved much of the scope and complexities this solicitation requires.

Somewhat Relevant Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and complexities this solicitation requires.

Not Relevant Present/past performance effort did not involve any of the scope and complexities this solicitation requires.

The purpose of the past performance evaluation is to allow the government to assess the contractor’s ability to perform the effort described in the solicitation, based on recency, relevancy, and quality of performance on the quoter’s past performance efforts. The assessment process will result in an overall performance confidence rating in accordance with Table 2. For quotes with no recent past performance history or a past performance history that is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment can reasonably be assigned, their confidence assessment shall receive the rating of “Neutral Confidence.” A rating of “Neutral Confidence” may have less merit than a rating of high, substantial, or satisfactory confidence.

Table 2

High Confidence: Based on the contractor’s performance record, the government has high confidence the contractor will successfully perform the required effort.

Substantial Confidence: Based on the contractor’s performance record, the government has substantial confidence the contractor will successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence: Based on the contractor’s performance record, the government has confidence the contractor will successfully perform the required effort.

Neutral Confidence: Performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned.

Limited Confidence: Based on the contractor’s performance record, substantial doubt exists that the contractor will successfully perform the required effort.

No Confidence: Based on the contractor’s performance record, extreme doubt exists that the contractor will successfully perform the required effort.

3.4. Factor 4 – Price

Price reasonableness will be determined in accordance with FAR 12.209 and FAR 13.106-3.

The government will evaluate whether the proposed prices are reasonable. The price quote should clearly identify the unit price for ergonomist consultation services for the base period and four (4) one-year option periods. A pricing table has been included above to assist with submission of pricing for your convenience.

The government has included 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services. For evaluation purposes, the Government will consider the price for the six-month Option to Extend Services as equal to half the price of the last option period quoted. Evaluation of options will not obligate the government to exercise the options.