Updated FAR 52.2121-1 Instructions to Offerors.pdf

E.1 FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERICAL ITEMS

(A) Introduction

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity – Central (PCAC) is issuing this Request for Quotation (RFQ) to solicit vendors for the purpose of entering into a contract. This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with the procedures in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 12, 13 and 37. The RFQ is a 100% Service- Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside. The contract will be awarded as firm fixed price.

(B) Submission of offers.

(1) Offers/Quotes shall be received on or before the date and time specified in Block 8 of the SF- 1449. Offers/Quotations received after the due date and time will not be considered.

(2) The offeror’s quote shall be submitted electronically to the address specified in Block 8 of the SF-1449 no later than Monday, June 27, 2022 at 8:00 AM Eastern Time. Quotes sent electronically must be sent via email to the Contract Specialist, Ann Barron at Ann.Barron1@va.gov and the Contracting Officer, Heidi Gallaher, at Heidi.Gallaher@va.gov.

Failure to send the quote to BOTH the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer may result in the quote not being accepted.

(3) WARNING: Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your quote. Late quotes will not be accepted for evaluation. To avoid submission of late quotes, we recommend the transmission of your quote files 24 hours prior to the required due date and time. Please be advised that timeliness is determined by the date and time an offeror’s quote is received by the Government;

not when an offeror attempted transmission. Offerors are encouraged to review and ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available on their end of the transmission to successfully send electronic submissions.

(4) Each section of the quote has a specific page limit as identified below in Section F, Information to be Submitted. Section F, paragraphs (1)-(3) shall not exceed 22 single sided pages total, and each section shall not exceed the listed page limit. Any pages in excess of the allotted amount will be removed and not included as part of the evaluation. Font type shall be no smaller than size 12 font on standard 8.5” x 11” pages. This includes all pictures, charts and graphs.

The page limit and font size restrictions do not apply to the following in Section F:

Paragraph 1 – Sr. Designer certificates Paragraph 2(b) – Basis of Estimate Paragraph 4 – Pricing Worksheet Paragraph 5 - Other Requested Submittals.

(5) Submitted quotes should contain the offeror’s best terms. After the evaluation of quotes, the Contracting Officer may negotiate final terms with one or more offerors of the Government’s choosing before issuing a contract award. The Contracting Officer will not use the formal source selection procedures described in FAR Part 15. The Contracting Officer may award to the offeror with other than the lowest price.

(C) Period of Acceptance of Offers/Quotations

The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer/quotation firm for no less than 120 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers/quotations.

(D) Technical Questions

Questions of a technical nature shall be submitted electronically, via email, to Contract Specialist, Ann Barron, at Ann.Barron1@va.gov and the Contracting Officer, Heidi Gallaher, at Heidi.Gallaher@va.gov, no later than Monday, June 13, 2022 at 8:00 AM Eastern Time. When submitting questions, clearly state the page number, section title and paragraph number of the Performance Work Statement, solicitation or attachment in reference to the question. Oral questions of a technical nature are not acceptable due to the possibility of misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Failure to send questions to BOTH the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer may result in the questions not being answered.

(E) Amendments

Amendments to this solicitation will be posted to https://beta.SAM.Gov, referencing the solicitation number. Paper copies of the amendments will NOT be individually distributed. Failure to acknowledge an amendment may result in your Offer/Quotation being considered unacceptable.

(F) Information to be Submitted

(1) Key Personnel (maximum of 7 pages, including resumes):

The offeror shall provide a narrative on how each individual proposed as key personnel meets the requirements identified in paragraph 12.0 of the PWS (Attachment A). The offeror shall describe the qualifications and experience of all key personnel to support this effort. In addition, a full resume shall be provided for each individual proposed as key personnel identified in paragraph

12.0 of the PWS. NCIDQ or AAHID certificates must be submitted along with the Senior Designer resume (certificates not counted towards page count).

The resume should specifically detail how the individual meets the minimum requirements as stated below, to include education, training, licenses, certifications, and years of experience applicable to assigned position and project. For example, if the minimum requirement for a position is 7 years of Activation Program Management experience, the resume should not just simply list the work experience of the individual in the resume and expect the Government will interpret what is being presented as an example of Program Management experience and what is not. The following resume format is required:

Position Title; Project Title, Project City, Project State; Position Start Date (Month, Year) – Position End Date (Month, Year); Total Number of Years and Months on Project for Position Title;

Description of Responsibilities

If it’s not clearly identified, it will not count towards the minimum requirements. This is true of all minimum requirements for all key personnel positions.

If the offeror is awarded the contract, it is the expectation that the individual identified on the resume will fill that position. Any deviations will be subject to the substituting, removing, replacing or diverting of key personnel requirements in PWS paragraph 12.0.

For the Activation Project Manager position, the resume should detail the ways the minimum requirements are exceeded. If the offeror is awarded the contract, any exceeded requirements proposed for the Activation Project Manager position will replace the minimum requirements for the length of the contract.

(2) Technical Submission (maximum 12 pages):

Each offeror is required to submit the following:

a. A technical response to the PWS (Attachment A) to include a detailed technical/management approach for accomplishing each task identified and which addresses all management aspects associated with each task.

b. A Basis of Estimate (BOE) to show the details of the proposed labor mix for each task identified in the contract, to include the option tasks. The BOE worksheet does not count toward the maximum page limit. The BOE must show the labor category (using standard industry titles) and number of hours proposed to accomplish each task. DO NOT INCLUDE LABOR RATES AND PRICING IN THE BOE. If the hours and categories are copied from Attachment T – Pricing Worksheet, rates and pricing MUST be deleted. If labor rates and pricing are included in the BOE, the BOE will NOT be evaluated.

(3) Past Performance Submission (maximum 3 pages):

Each offeror shall identify up to three references for similar services on Government or private industry contracts within the past three years. The submission must include a brief description of the project, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), Point of Contact information for references, contract number, period of performance, and dollar value (base and all options value). Please double check for accuracy ALL POC email, address, and phone numbers. Verify POC is still available for providing information on projects submitted (i.e., not retired, no longer in position, etc.). Any past performance information submitted for work completed as a sub-contractor, must indicate that the firm performed as the sub-contractor and not the prime. In addition, a brief description of the work/tasks performed as the sub-contractor must be included. Please confirm reference contact information (email/phone) is still accurate before submitting.

(4) Price Submission (no page limit):

a. Each offeror must complete section B.2 “Price/Cost Schedule” to show the firm fixed price CLINS for both the base tasks and the optional tasks. Travel will be included in the award on a not-to-exceed - cost reimbursable basis, based on the Government’s travel estimate. Travel will not count towards the total evaluated price, therefore quoters should not submit travel pricing as part of their price submission.

b. Attachment T - Pricing Worksheet to show the labor category (using industry standard titles), sub/prime, labor rate, number of hours and total price of each base and optional task. ODCs must be described. Cost Reimbursable travel is estimated by the Government and is not included in the total evaluated price. Travel will be added at time of award.

(5) Other Requested Submittals (no page limit):

Each offeror must submit the following:

a. Signed 1449 and signed Amendments to the solicitation (if any)

b. A statement certifying that the offeror’s representations and certifications are completed and current on SAM.GOV (see FAR 52.212-3(b))

c. A complete list of all proposed sub-contractors in performance of this contract, to include description of tasks for each.

d. NCIDQ or AAHID certificates for the Senior Designer

e. Certificated of Compliance for Services and Constructions (VAAR 852.219-

77). The formal certification must be completed, signed, and returned with offeror's quotation. The Government will not consider offers that do not provide the certifications, and all such responses will be determined ineligible for evaluation and award.

(4) VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for Services/fill-in required:

The formal certification must be completed, signed, and returned with the offeror’s bid, quotation, or proposal. The Government will not consider offers for award from offerors that do not provide the certification, and all such responses will be deemed ineligible for evaluation and award.

Certification:

I hereby certify that if awarded the contract, ________________ will comply with the limitations on subcontracting specified in this clause and in the resultant contract. I further certify that I am authorized to execute this certification on behalf of ______________________.

Printed Name of Signee: _________________________________

Printed Title of Signee: ________________________________

Signature: ______________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________________________

Company Name and Address: _______________________________

(End of Provision)