Revised 2.8 and 2.9 Tampa.pdf

2.8 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

A. General:

Proposal Submission: Offerors shall submit their proposals via email to:

jason.phillip@va.gov copy (cc) bridget.may@va.gov. Proposals shall be based on solicitation documents issued for RFP number 36C77625R0092. Proposals will be in the format set forth in this document. Proposals shall be received on or before the date and time specified in Block 13 of the SF1442. There will be no public opening of the proposals. Only proposals submitted by email will be accepted. Hard-copy proposals will not be accepted.

B. Proposal Format:

1. Past Performance, Price and Administrative sections of the Offerors’ proposals will be evaluated independently; therefore, the Offeror must submit the proposal in three (3) Volumes: Volume I Past Performance, Volume II Price and Volume III Administrative.

Offerors must send Volumes I, II and III as attachments in separate e-mails. Each volume must be labeled with the Offeror's organization, business address, and VA Solicitation Number. Each volume must be submitted as searchable PDF documents attached to an e-mail. Portions of proposals submitted via drop-box, hyperlink, or format rather than a searchable PDF attached to an email will not be considered, which may render the proposal incomplete. The proposal, in its entirety, shall not exceed three (3) e-mails (one e-mail for each volume). Each e-mail, including its attachments, must be less than 5MB in size. Offerors must Include page numbers and its company name in the header or footer of each page of all attachments.

2. Volume I Past Performance: Offerors shall format the Volume I Past Performance proposal as listed below. The specific evaluation criteria and methodology is below.

a. Volume I Past Performance must include a title page and detailed table of contents. Volume I Past Performance shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Past Performance and shall not exceed a total of Thirty

(30) pages. The title page and table of contents are excluded from the page limit.

Offerors must not include any price or price related material in the Volume I Past Performance proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

b. A page is defined as each face of an 8.5 X 11-inch sheet of paper with 1-inch margins. The background color of each page of the submission shall be white or ivory stock only and each page shall count as one (1) page. Excess pages will not be evaluated. Text lines will be single-spaced, and proposals shall be submitted using Times New Roman, with font no smaller than 12 point with normal proportional spacing. A smaller font size for any graphics presented in a proposal is permitted as long as the information is legible to the human eye.

Fonts other than Times New Roman are permissible in the presentation of graphic material only. CPARS and PPQs must be submitted in their existing format, which may differ from what is listed above.

c. The Offeror’s proposal must address each evaluation factor listed in this solicitation. Failure to submit a proposal in the format required that addresses each factor may result in the proposal being deemed ineligible for award.

mailto:jason.phillip@va.gov mailto:bridget.may@va.gov

d. Volume I Past Performance, Proposal Requirements: The proposal must address the following submission requirements for Factor 1 Past Performance.

Offerors shall demonstrate successful experience in large-scale communication infrastructure construction projects. Past performance will be evaluated based on the size, scope, and complexity of completed projects, within active healthcare environments, particularly within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

1. Number of Projects: Offerors shall provide at least two (2) and no more than three (3) projects that demonstrate their ability to perform the proposed effort.

Projects must be at least 75% completed or have been completed within the past five (5) years from the date proposals are due.

2. Size: Each submitted project must have a total value exceeding $20 million.

3. Scope: Projects must involve phased construction in an active healthcare setting, including but not limited to demolition, earthwork, carpentry, HVAC, electrical, telecommunications, plumbing, fire suppression, and phased telecommunications infrastructure upgrades. Preferably projects completed within VHA facilities.

4. Complexity: It is preferred that projects demonstrate successful coordination of telecommunications infrastructure upgrades in an active healthcare setting, with minimal system downtime. This includes effective phasing, coordination of critical path activities, and a detailed understanding of General Construction Specifications Division 27 – Telecommunications as outlined in the specifications.

5. Other Elements: Additionally, projects should reflect experience with:

• Infection control protocols

• Facility utility systems

• Construction phasing in operational hospital environments

6. Narrative: Each project submitted for past performance evaluation shall use Attachment 18 - Project Information Sheet for Contractors and include all the required/requested information. Offerors shall also provide a narrative describing past performance on projects requiring complex coordination and the risk mitigation actions taken. This shall include:

• Management of site outages, system cutovers, and the communication standards used to inform multiple stakeholders of key coordination dates

• Handling of long-lead item procurement and adherence to critical path schedules

• Resolution of past performance issues, including corrective actions taken for substandard performance

• Description of the mitigation plan for any current performance challenges such as cost overruns, schedule delays, subcontractor issues, or changes in key personnel or subcontractors.

At least one of the projects submitted must have been completed by the

Prime. Offerors lacking relevant past performance history may submit information regarding predecessor companies or key personnel who have performed on other contracts. Such information shall, as a minimum, include:

• Name(s) of Predecessor Company/Sub-contractor and/or Key Personnel and include: Complete Address and Point of Contact; Telephone Number;

and email address.

PPQ/CPARS: If an Offeror has recent and relevant past performance to submit, a corresponding completed and signed Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) or a Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS) must be submitted for each project in accordance with the direction below. If a completed past performance evaluation is available in CPARS, it shall be submitted with the proposal for each project identified. If there is not a completed past performance evaluation available in CPARS, then the Offeror shall submit PPQ (See Attachment 17 - PPQ) for that project. The Offeror shall notify their client that the PPQ shall be submitted back to the Offeror and incorporated into the proposal submission. If the Offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client for a project before the proposal closing date, the Offeror shall complete and submit with the proposal the first page of the PPQ, which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s), and documentation of the attempts to have the PPQ signed. The Government may make reasonable attempts to contact the client noted for that project(s) to obtain the PPQ information;

however, the Government is not responsible for the failure to obtain information from a POC on a PPQ. Offerors should follow-up with clients/references to help ensure timely submittal of questionnaires.

For offerors that are joint ventures, the evaluation will take into account past performance of the joint venture as well as the past performance of each party to the joint venture.

3. Volume II Price & Proposal Requirements: Offerors shall format the Volume II Price proposal as listed below. The proposal must include the following for Factor 2 Price.

a. Offerors shall complete the Price Schedule in part A of this solicitation, providing their price for Line Item 0001. In addition to the Price Schedule, Offerors shall submit a complete Breakdown of the Division Pricing for Line Item 0001 (See Attachment 19 - Division Cost Breakdown). The Division Pricing will be used to determine price reasonableness. The Government also reserves the right to use this Division Pricing breakdown as part of negotiations during the competitive range, if they are required.

b. The price must be Firm Fixed Price. The Offeror must take care not to include remarks that take exception to the Government’s Specifications/Drawings or pricing requirements or otherwise preclude the Government from evaluating the offer, which will result in the offeror’s proposal being rejected.

c. Offerors shall ensure the Signed Standard Form (SF) 1442 is provided. Offerors shall acknowledge receiving amendments by filling out section 19 of the SF 1442.

d. Bid Guarantee: The Offeror shall furnish a bid guarantee as stipulated in the solicitation (see FAR 52.228-1). The bid guarantee shall be provided on Standard Form 24. The bid bond shall be submitted as part of the electronic submission. In accordance with Class Deviation from the Federal Acquisition Regulation to Eliminate Hard Copy Original Documents, Signatures, Notarization, Seals on Bonds, and Other Seals for Certain Contract Requirements issued by the VA Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics and the Senior Procurement Executive on May 11, 2020, the requirement for an original bond, with the original signatures, notarization and seals has been eliminated. Failure to furnish the required bid guarantee on the proper form and for the proper amount by the time specified in Block 13 of SF 1442, may result in rejection of the proposal.

4. Volume III Administrative Information: If an offeror fails to include all of the below information in its proposal, then the proposal may be deemed incomplete and ineligible for award.

a. Representations & Certifications:

By submitting its offer, the Offeror verifies that, as of the date of its offer, its representations and certifications posted electronically in SAM for the applicable provisions are current, accurate, and complete. The Offeror’s representations and certifications in SAM are hereby incorporated by reference into its offer.

b. Information Regarding Responsibility Matters:

Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.209-7 (b) Information Regarding Responsibility Matters.

c. Certification Regarding Tax Matters:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.209-12 (b) Certification Regarding Tax Matters

d. Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements:

Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.209-13 (b)(1) or (2) Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements.

e. Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements – Notice and Representation:

Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.229-11 (d).

f. Certification of Independent Price Determination Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.203-2 Certificate of Independent Price Determination.

g. Limitations on Subcontracting:

The offeror must complete and sign the certification in VAAR 852.219-75, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting—Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, and return it with their bid submission. The completed and signed certification will become part of the official award documentation. A copy of the clause to be completed and included with the bid is attached as a separate document (See Attachment 15 - Limitations on Subcontracting). Failure to return the entire clause, with the appropriate box marked, the offeror’s name entered, and the certification completed and signed, with the offeror’s proposal will result in the offer being deemed nonresponsive and therefore ineligible for award.

h. Notice to SDVOSB Joint Venture/Mentor-Protégé:

Any offeror submitting a proposal as a joint venture must provide a copy of the joint venture agreement, as well as a certification from the certified SDVOSB joint partner, signed by an authorized official of each partner to the joint venture, stating that the parties to the joint venture (1) have entered into a joint venture agreement that fully complies with paragraph (c) of 13 CFR § 128.402, and (2) will perform the contract in compliance with the joint venture agreement. Provide the UEI for each partner in the agreement. Failure to submit the agreement and certification with the offeror’s proposal may result in the rejection of the proposal.

2.9 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

A. The Government reserves the right to award without negotiations based upon the initial evaluation of the proposals but reserves the right to open negotiations if determined to be necessary. All proposals shall be subject to evaluation by a team of Government personnel.

The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria provided in the solicitation.

Using the tradeoff process under best value, it may be in the Government's best interest to consider award to other than the lowest price Offeror or other than highest rated Offeror.

The intent is to award to the Offeror that offers the best value to the Government. “Best Value” means the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the Government’s estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirements. The Past Performance factor is significantly more important than Price.

B. Factor 1 Past Performance: Past Performance will be evaluated on the basis of recency, relevancy and quality to arrive at an overall Confidence Rating.

Recency and Relevancy Evaluation: The Government will evaluate each project submitted to ensure the project is recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last five years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than five years, or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.

Projects under $20 million will not be evaluated.

Performance Quality Assessment: The Government will consider the performance quality of any submitted project determined to be recent and rated somewhat relevant, relevant, or very relevant. In addition to evaluating the extent to which the Offeror’s performance meets contract specification requirements, the assessment will also consider aspects such as: the Offeror’s adhering to schedules (including the administrative aspects of performance);

reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; controlling project cost; the timeliness of contract completion and submission of deliverables; the contractor’s compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract; the overall quality of the work performed on the contract; the Offeror’s managerial performance (to include use and control of subcontractors); and whether or not the reference would enter into a contract with the contractor again.

The Government reserves the right to conduct a past performance assessment using information obtained from CPARS and any other sources deemed appropriate by the CO.

Other sources may include, but are not limited to, inquiries of owner representative(s), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and any other known sources not provided by the Offeror. While the Government may elect to consider data obtained from other sources, the burden of providing current, accurate and complete past performance information rests with the Offeror.

Overall Performance Confidence Rating: The purpose of the past performance evaluation is to assess the degree of confidence the Government has in the Offeror’s ability to meet the solicitation requirements based on the Offeror’s demonstrated record of performance. The Government will combine the recency, relevancy, and performance quality assessment considered for the Offeror to assign a single Past Performance Confidence Rating of Substantial Confidence, Satisfactory Confidence, Neutral Confidence, Limited Confidence or No Confidence.

Per FAR 15.202 (c)(1), offerors without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Offerors with no recent and relevant performance history or whose performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned shall receive the “Neutral Confidence” rating, meaning the rating is treated neither favorably nor unfavorably.

C. Factor 2 Price: The total evaluated price will be determined by the Offeror's price provided on the Price Schedule.

Note: If none of the offerors are within the available funding limitation or is otherwise determined to be other than fair and reasonable, the VA reserves the right to enter into negotiations with those offerors who are determined to be within the competitive range.

If the Offeror communicates in its proposal any qualifications, exceptions, exclusions, or conditions to the proposed prices in the Offerors proposal documents, the Contracting Officer may reject the proposal and exclude the Offeror from further negotiations.