36C78622R0044.pdf

PAGE 1 OF 1. REQUISITION NO.

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE 4. ORDER NO. 5. SOLICITATION NUMBER 6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

a. NAME b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls) 8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

TIME

9. ISSUED BY CODE 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE: % FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR CODE FACILITY CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

TELEPHONE NO. DUNS: DUNS+4:

PHONE: FAX:

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

ITEM NO. SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________ 29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY (BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION (REV. NOV 2021)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

STANDARD FORM 1449

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

36C78622R0044 08-24-2022

Katherine Iacovelli 240-626-3488 09-9-2022

1:30 PM

43C1 Department of Veterans Affairs NCA Contracting Service

18434 Joplin Rd Triangle VA 22172

X 100

X

Y

541690

$12 Million

N/A

NCA VACO

43C1

Department of Veterans Affairs NCA Contracting Service

Triangle, VA 22172

43C1 http://www.tungsten-network.com/customer -campaigns/veterans-affairs/

1-877-752-0900

See CONTINUATION Page

This tiered solicitation SDVOSB/VOSB/SB is to award a Require-ments IDIQ to bring NCA into compliance with Section 508 of h of the Rehabilitation Act of 1986, as amended in 1998.

Funding will be obligated on Task Orders.

Submit questions only by email by 8am Est September 2, 2022 to: katherine.iacovelli@va.gov

SUBMIT PROPOSAL VIA EMAIL to: katherine.iacovelli@va.gov

COR: TBD

For invoicing, the Purchase Order number is the Task Order #.

Please fill this out:

UEI:

EMAIL ADDRESS:

PHONE #:

See CONTINUATION Page

X X

X 1

Katherine Iacovelli Contract Officer

X VOSB

Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

B.2 PRICE SCHEDULE

B.3 STATEMENT OF WORK

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

SBA ACT 8(d)(13)(B)

C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

C.2 VAAR 852.212-70 PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES APPLICABLE TO VA

ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2020)

SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS

SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

E.1 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1

E.2 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES (NOV 2021)

E.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Submission Information Evaluation Method Tiered Evaluation Information:

Rating Standards

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

1. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. CONTRACTOR:

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer

Department of Veterans Affairs NCA Contracting Service

Triangle VA 22172

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

[X] 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System For Award Management, or

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

[X] monthly after acceptance by Government

4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

http://www.tungsten-network.com/customer-campaigns/veterans-affairs/

5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows:

AMENDMENT NO DATE

6. CONTENTS OF INVOICE:

• Contractor Information (Name, Complete Address, Telephone Number, Taxpayer Identification Number)

• Date of Invoice

• Date of Period of Invoice Performance

• Invoice Number

• Obligation/Invoice Number (Only one purchase order may be included on each invoice submitted)

• Item(s) being invoices

• VA POC

• Unit Cost

• Total Invoice Amount

• Amount billed to date

• Monthly report from Paragraph 2.4

7. SOLICITATIONS:

Failure to submit all required documentation as required may result in your submission being determined non-responsive and removed from further consideration.

8. MISSING PAGES:

It is the responsibility of the offeror to examine this solicitation to verify that he or she has received all pages. In addition, in compiling this package, some pages may have been duplicated. If the offeror feels that pages are missing or duplicated, the offeror is encouraged to contact the Contracting Officer at the telephone number shown in Block 7B, Standard Form 1442, Solicitation / Contract / Order for Commercial Items.

9. TIME OF DELIVERY:

Work is to be performed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., except Federal Holidays.

10. POST AWARD CONFERENCE:

Prior to commencement of work, contract awardee and a representative of all subcontractors are required to attend a post award conference with Contracting Officer’s Representative and Contracting Officer/Specialist to assure that all parties understand all contractual obligations and the role that each party serves.

11. GOVERNMENT HOLIDAYS:

Holidays observed by the Federal Government:

New Year's Day 1 January Martin Luther King's Birthday Third Monday in January President's Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Juneteeth June 19th Independence Day 4 July Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veterans Day 11 November Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day 25 December

If a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as the legal holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies.

Also included would be any day specifically declared by the President of the United States of America as a National Holiday.

B.2 PRICE SCHEDULE

Base Year: September 30, 2022 – September 29, 2023

Option Year 1: September 30, 2023 – September 29, 2024

Option Year 2: September 30, 2024 – September 29, 2025

Option Year 3: September 30, 2025 – September 29, 2026

Option Year 4: September 30, 2026 – September 29, 2027

CLIN SERVICE UNIT PRICE EST # OF

DOC

TOTAL

Document Remediation

EA 1,650

Base Year Total:

CLIN SERVICE UNIT PRICE EST # OF

DOC

EST TOTAL

EA 1,650

Option Year 1 Total:

CLIN SERVICE UNIT PRICE EST # OF

DOC

EA 1,650

Option Year 2 Total:

CLIN SERVICE UNIT PRICE EST # OF

DOC

EA 1,650

Option Year 3 Total:

CLIN SERVICE UNIT PRICE EST # OF

DOC

EA 1,650

Option Year 4 Total:

Base Year Total Option Year 1 Total Option Year 2 Total Option Year 3 Total Option Year 4 Total

AGGREGATE TOTAL

B.3 STATEMENT OF WORK

SECTION 508 DOCUMENT REMEDIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) develops electronic media for electronic transmission via the Internet and Intranet. This media is required to be fully accessible to employees and the public of all abilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation act of 1986, as amended in 1998.

2.0 OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

2.1. Objective: NCA requires services that render information communication technology which includes electronic documents that are fully compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1986, as amended in 1998. These documents include but are not limited to:

• Microsoft Office products (Word, Microsoft Excel, Power Point, Publisher, etc.)

• Adobe Acrobat PDF files

• Adobe Creative Suite products and InDesign products

2.2. Scope: All contract deliverables are considered VA products and shall conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA or higher as directed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), VA Handbook 6221, and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) standards.

2.3. REQUIREMENTS:

2.3.1 Kickoff

The Contractor shall host a kickoff meeting within 5 business days of award to review the below requirements, receive the Notice to Proceed dated for that day and be ready to receive and remediate documents. The kickoff meeting shall be held virtually and will include the Contract Officer, COR, the Contractor lead, and other Contractor(s) and government staff as needed.

2.3.2 Receipt and Return of Documents.

Within 5 business days of award, the Contractor shall provide a single email address for VA staff to send PDF documents for remediation and for communication during the process. Remediated documents will be returned to the Customer using the originator’s email address(es) and will include the name and contact information of the person who completed the remediation.

The remediation requirements for each document will vary according to the type of document submitted by NCA staff. Upon receipt of a document for remediation, the Contractor shall reply the same business day confirming receipt and assigning a complexity level based on the description below.

Simple PDF Text formatting, headers, sub-headers, bullets, list items, images, reading order, and text-to-background color contrast

Complex PDF Everything included in Simple PDF plus tables, graphs/graphics, maps, other figures, forms, and fillable/scanned PDF’s

The Contractor shall remediate Simple PDFs within two (2) business days and shall remediate Complex PDFs within seven (7) business days.

Document numbers are estimated as follows:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=VA+Hanbook+6221&cvid=51f50404bdf6492c8468c5efa3bac2c6&aqs=edge..69i57.3423j0j1&pglt=2083&FORM=ANNAB1&PC=W069 https://www.access-board.gov/ict/

Simple: 100 documents each year would be 1 page and 20 documents each year would be 60-80 pages.

Complex: 620 documents each year would be 1 page and 620 documents each year each year would be 60-80 pages.

Maximum estimated total number of pages: 51, 920.

2.3.3 Documents that do not Meet Standards

The VA Section 508 Office conducts monthly compliance scans of NCA web sites and uses the CommonLook Plug-In with manual checks (e.g., screen readers, magnifiers, color contrast analyzers) as the approved standard for 508 compliance. Documents provided by the Contractor that fail the scan or are otherwise identified as still non-compliant will be returned to the Contractor for expedited re-remediation (within 24 hours) at Contractor’s expense, and that time will not be expensed to the government.

2.3.4 Availability

Contractor staff shall be available all weekdays from 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding Federal holidays.

2.4 DELIVERABLES:

2.4.1 The Contractor shall provide, within 15 days of contract award, a set of one pagers to set guidelines for NCA staff when submitting the following types of documents: images, tables, maps, graphs/graphics, forms, fillable/scanned PDF’s.

2.4.2 The Contractor shall provide a monthly report on the first business day of the month for the preceding month to the COR and Contract Officer that includes the following: date received, document name, submitter’s name, submitter’s email address, complexity type, page numbers, cost per page according to complexity type, date returned, and total amount billed. Re-remediated documents as described in Paragraph 2.3.3 will also be listed, with no amount billed.

2.4.3 The Contractor shall provide an annual report listing the following totals: Simple PDF’s remediated, Complex PDF’s remediated broken out into the following categories as listed in Paragraph

2.3.2 (tables, graphs/graphics, maps, figures, forms, and fillable/scanned PDF’s), Simple PDF’s re-remediated, Complex PDF’s re-remediated.

3.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT

Government Furnished Equipment will not be provided to the Contractor. All Contractor work shall be accomplished using Contractor-owned equipment at the Contractor’s facility.

4.0 DAILY ADMINISTRATION

All documents produced for this project are the property of the U.S. Government and cannot be reproduced or retained by the Contractor. All appropriate project documentation will be given to NCA during or at the conclusion of each TO or project per the CO. The Contractor shall not release any information without the written consent of the Task Order Contracting Officer.

Attachment A, Contractor Discrepancy Report (CDR), may be issued by a CO or COR to document less than acceptable performance by the Contractor at any point during the period of performance. It should be noted that issuance of a CDR should not be the first form of communication or plan of resolution unless the seriousness of the situation warrants such formal documentation from onset. The CO, COR, and Contractor shall maintain open and effective communications to avoid the issuance of CDRs to the maximum extent practicable.

All parties acknowledge that a finalized CDR will become part of the official file and will be used to report on annual performance under the BPA/TO. If use of a CDR is warranted, the CO/COR shall complete the CDR. The CO/COR shall provide a detailed and descriptive narrative of the background and issue. Upon receipt of the CDR, the contractor shall provide a detailed response to the CO/COR within 10 calendar days of the CDR being emailed to the Contractor. The Contractor’s response shall include any important or relevant information or justification for the performance issue and a proposed resolution.

The CO/COR will review the response from the Contractor and the CO will issue a final recommendation or plan of action. The CO, COR, and Contractor will maintain communication to ensure that the recommendation or plan of action is carried out.

The Contractor’s performance will be reported to the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) on an annual basis. The CO and COR will make use of information from CDRs and the TO Performance Evaluations, as well as any additional knowledge and information available to them with respect to the Contractor’s performance, to complete the CPARS.

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

SBA ACT 8(d)(13)(B)

(B) NOTICE.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—A prime contractor for a covered contract shall notify in writing the contracting officer for the covered contract if the prime contractor pays a reduced price to a subcontractor for goods and services upon completion of the responsibilities of the subcontractor or the payment to a subcontractor is more than 90 days past due for goods or services provided for the covered contract for which the Federal agency has paid the prime contractor.

(ii) CONTENTS.—A prime contractor shall include the reason for the reduction in a payment to or failure to pay a subcontractor in any notice made under clause (i).

ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-4

C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

(End of Clause)

FAR

Number

Title Date

52.216-18 ORDERING, award, end of POP AUG 2020

52.216-19 ORDER LIMITATIONS, $5, $25,000,000, $25,000000, 3, 7 OCT 1995

52.216-21 REQUIREMENTS final expiration of the Contractor's GSA

Schedule contract unless a TO estimated to expire after that date is accepted by the Contractor

OCT 1995

52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES, 5 days NOV 1999 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT, 1 day, 3 days .5 years

MAR 2000

52.219-6 NOTICE OF TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE NOV 2020

52.219-14 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING (MAR 2020) (JUN

2020) (DEVIATION)

MAR 2020

52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER AUG 1989

852.219-74 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—MONITORING

AND COMPLIANCE (DEV)

JUL 2018

852.219-77 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING –

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SERVICES AND

CONSTRUCTION (DEV)

SEP 2021

852.242-71 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER OCT 2020

C.2 VAAR 852.212-70 PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES APPLICABLE TO VA

ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2020)

(a) The Contractor agrees to comply with any provision or clause that is incorporated herein by reference to implement agency policy applicable to acquisition of commercial items or components. The following provisions and clauses that have been checked by the Contracting Officer are incorporated by reference.

[X] 852.203–70, Commercial Advertising.

[X] 852.219–10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside.

(NOV 2020) (DEV), By the end of the base term and each option year [X] 852.219–11, VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside. (NOV 2020) (DEV), By the end of the base term and each option year https://www.va.gov/oal/docs/business/pps/deviationVaar20201223.pdf

[X] 852.232–72, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

[X] 852.233–70, Protest Content/Alternative Dispute Resolution.

[X] 852.233–71, Alternate Protest Procedure.: By mail: Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics, Risk Management and Compliance Service (003A2C), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420 or Email: EDProtests@va.gov.

[X] 852.270–1, Representatives of Contracting Officers.

(End of Clause) (End of Addendum to 52.212-4)

SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 through Attachment 2

Attachment 1 Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR)

Attachment 2 Past Performance Questionnaire

Attachment 1: CONTRACT DISCREPANCY REPORT

CONTRACT DISCREPANCY REPORT

Contract Number:

Report No. for this Discrepancy:

To: (Contractor/Manager’s Name)

From: (Name of COR)

5. Dates

5a. Prepared:

5b. Returned by Contractor:

5c. Action Complete:

Discrepancy or Problem: (Describe in detail. Include reference to PWS Directive; attach additional sheet if necessary.)

Signature of Contracting Officer or COR:

8a. To: (Contracting Officer and/or COR)

8b. From: (Contractor)

9. Contractor Response as to Cause, Corrective Action and Actions to Prevent Recurrence: (attach additional sheet if necessary.)

10a. Signature of Contractor Representative:

10b. Date:

11. Government Evaluation: (Acceptance, partial acceptance, reflection; attach additional sheet if necessary.)

12. Government Actions: (Reduced payment, cure notice, show cause, other)

13. Close Out

Name Title Signature Date

Contractor Notified

b. COR

c. CO

Attachment 2: PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE

INSTRUCTIONS: Offerors must identify previous federal, state, and local government and private contracts that they have completed and that are similar to the contract being evaluated. List at least three (3), for evaluation limited to the last three years. (One contract reference per form, Form may be duplicated) Any subcontractors to be used shall also include three forms each.

Contractor (you) Information:

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number: ___________________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________________

Contract Information:

Name of company/agency you provided service for: ___________________________________ Contract Number: _____________________________________________________________ Type of Contract: _______________________________________________________________ Contract Dollar Value: ___________________________________________________________ Date of Award: _________________________________________________________________ Status: Completed, Yes____ No____ If not completed, projected completion date____________ If not completed, why?___________________________________________________________ Were you the Prime? ________ were you the Sub? _______

Point of Contact Information for the company/agency you serviced:

Name of the Contract Person & their position: ________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number: _____________________________________________________________ E-mail: ________________________________________________________________________

Description of Supply/Service(s) provided, location & relevancy of work:

Complexity of Product/Service, if any:

Percentage of Work completed by your company/by subcontractor:

(End of Section)

SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

E.1 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1

FAR

Number

Title Date

52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT firm fixed unit price APR 1984 (End of Addendum to 52.212-1)

E.2 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Past Performance, Technical and Price.

Technical has subfactors of Methodology and Personnel

Technical and past performance, when combined, are more important than price. Past performance is more important than either.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of Provision)

E.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Submission Information

1. All quotes shall be submitted by email to Katherine.iacovelli@va.gov

The quote package shall contain the following and shall be submitted in the format in the table below:

o Completed and signed SF 1449 with all required blocks completed including UEI, best phone number and email address o Contractor information on B2.

o Completed Schedule of Prices, the table shall not be manipulated o Technical Qualifications as specified in the evaluation factors for the Government’s evaluation.

o Quality Assurance Plan o 3 (each) electronic samples of both simple and complex documents that are fully 508 compliant to the WCAG 2.0aa or higher standard.

o Department of Homeland Security Trusted Tester Certification o Organization Chart o 2 sets of resumes for everyone non-administrative in positions performing work on the contract.

One copy shall have all the names of all companies, personnel, contract locations, phone numbers and street addresses shall be redacted.

o Three (3) past performance references within the last 3 years that are similar in size and scope to this solicitation. Use only the Past Performance Questionnaire form. Prepare one form for each reference. Additional references will not be acknowledged.

o Proof of required Business and Technical Licenses and Certifications o Amendments o DO NOT SEND A COPY OF THE RFQ.

o Extraneous info such as VIP letter, marketing materials, lists of past contracts or DD214s will not be considered.

Failure to submit all required documentation may result in your submission being determined technically unacceptable and removed from further consideration.

TABLE:

Volume Factor File Name Page Limitations Volume IA Technical anonymous-contains the same exact documents as Vol IB but names/ phone numbers, addresses, locations names, letterhead, anything that identifies someone or the business must be redacted

Vol 2A Your firm’s name-Tech anon.doc

Volume IB Technical- personnel, subs, technical write up, Org chart, resumes, Quality Control Plan

Vol 2B Your firm’s name- Tech.doc/PDF

Volume II Past Performance, 1449, Licenses, Amendments, Reps and Certs E.9, IT and DHS certifications.

Vol 3 Your firm’s name-Past Perf.pdf

1 page per reference, 3 references per prime and sub each

Volume III Price Vol 4 Your firm’s name-Price.pdf

No Limits

A cover page, table of contents or other which are not required, will be included in the page count.

The Government will award a Firm Fix Unit Price Requirements contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer is the best value to the Government.

Evaluation Method The solicitation will use FAR Part 15 Contract by Negotiation. Interested offerors are invited to submit proposals in the format above in the table to be evaluated in three phases. In Phase One technical proposals containing Volumes IA, IB and II will be rated for non-price factors of methodology, corporate experience and personnel as high confidence, some confidence, or low confidence. All offerors rated high confidence will proceed to the next phase, the remainder will be issued notification that the proposal has been eliminated from the competition. The offerors eligible for Phase Two will be invited to demonstrate their capability and accuracy by remediating one simple and one complex document presented at that time to be completed within a given time frame. Only those participating offerors with the top five scores for accuracy will proceed to the third phase and have their Volume III Price evaluated.

Technical Requirements: Contractor personnel shall have the level of experience necessary to accomplish the requirements of this SOW In addition, contractor personnel shall be acceptable to the Government in terms of personal and professional conduct, and in technical knowledge. Please make sure resumes and certificates verify all requested information. Anything not verified will be taken to mean the person listed as performing the duty does not have the training or education to do so.

Proposals that fail to provide the information requested and address the above questions may lead to your proposal being considered non-responsive and not considered further.

Information will be scored on it demonstrating an understanding of the work requirements, (Methodology).

Information will be scored on it demonstrating whether offerors will obtain and keep the quality of professional services needed for adequate contract performance, (Personnel).

Please be sure your proposal addresses these questions in addition to explaining your work process:

− How long have you been in business? It should be at least 5 years.

− Have you done this type of work for the Federal, State, Local Government previously including schools, colleges and universities?

− After award how long will it take to be fully staffed − What are the plans for coverage during:

o absences longer than a ½ day, o COVID quarantining, o low staffing, o work stoppages/shortages of more than 4 days?

− How long will it take you to replace staff?

− What is the name of the person(s) who will be doing the following:

o performing the QA o doing the hiring

− What proactive steps have you taken to remediate concerns that were brought to your attention in other contracts?

− What IT certifications do your employees have?

− Subcontractor information (if being used):

o What are the names of the Subcontractor firms you plan to use?

o What is the name of each Subcontractor Supervisor/Foreman o What CLINs/duties/tasks will they perform?

o How many employees will they be using to perform the tasks in the CLINs?

Only restating the SOW and/or not detailing the number of subcontractor’s laborers and exactly the work they will be doing may lead to your proposal being considered non-responsive and not considered further.

Past Performance: Past Performance will be evaluated for Quality of Service, Schedule, Business relations with Customers, Management of Key Personnel, Problem Resolution, Invoice Accuracy, and Overall Performance of the company in this area. Utilizing the Past Performance Questionnaire in Section D, offerors shall provide three (3) relevant references within the last three (3) years that are similar in size and scope and that are deemed relevant to the requirement of this solicitation. The Government will use information submitted by the offeror and other additional sources such Federal Agencies as well as commercial sources in order to access past performances. In addition, the Government will also validate past performance information by utilizing the Federal Government’s Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

The questionnaire in conjunction with the CPARS and other allowable information will be utilized in validating an offeror’s past performance acceptability rating. Offerors are to demonstrate successful performance under contracts (ongoing or completed) which are similar in scope, magnitude, price, and complexity to the subject requirement. In cases where an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorable or unfavorable, but will be given a neutral rating. Referrals where contact information provided cannot be reached telephonically or by email will not be considered.

Price: Price will be evaluated for reasonableness and realism:

Fair and Reasonable Determination A fair and reasonable price determination will be made through any combination of the following methods per FAR 15.404.

1. Comparison of proposed prices received in response to the solicitation.

2. Comparison of proposed prices with independent Government cost estimates.

3. Analysis of pricing information provided by the offeror.

The cost realism evaluation will assess whether the offeror’s proposed costs are: (1) realistic for the work to be performed; (2) reflective of the offeror’s understanding of the requirements; and (3) consistent with the unique methods of performance and materials described in the offeror’s technical proposal.

Because below-cost prices are not inherently improper, when vendors are competing for award of a fixed-price contract, vendors are given notice that a business decision to submit a low-priced quotation may be considered as reflecting on their understanding of the contract requirements or the risk associated with their approach.

Risk will be considered over all factors as a part in the final decision.

Tiered Evaluation Information:

This procurement is set-aside based on an order of priority as established in 38 U.S.C. 8127.

This solicitation is being issued as tiered evaluation that includes the following tiers: (1) SDVOSB concerns, (2) VOSB concerns, and (3) small business concerns, with HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants having priority. If award cannot be made in any of these tiers, the solicitation will be cancelled and the requirement resolicited.

Adequate competition exists if; (1) proposals are received from at least one responsible offeror if SDVOSB or VOSB or two if SB; (2) each of whom can satisfy the contract's requirements independently;

(3) both contend for a contract which will be won by the offeror whose proposal meets or exceeds technical requirement and; (4) price is reasonable.

If adequate competition is met as described in above and a proposal also meets the standards for the factors, the award procedure will be initiated. If adequate competition is not met, or prices are not reasonable, competition will proceed at the next tier.

The process through the tiers will be executed as needed in the manner below:

a. Offers submitted by eligible SDVOSB concerns will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation and the CO will determine if an award can be made within the SDVOSB tier. If an award can be made within this tier, offers from the remaining tiers will not be considered for award. If no offers are submitted by eligible SDVOSB concerns, or if none of the offers will result in award at a fair and reasonable price, the evaluation will proceed to the next tier for VOSB concerns. SDVOSB offerors may be considered a second time for award in the tier for VOSB concerns.

b. Offers submitted by eligible VOSB concerns will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation and the CO will determine if an award can be made within the VOSB tier. If an award can be made within this tier, offers from the remaining tiers will not be considered for award. If no offers are submitted by eligible VOSB concerns, or if none of the offers will result in award at a fair and reasonable price, the evaluation will proceed to the next tier for small business concerns.

SD/VOSB offerors may be considered for award in the tier for small business concerns.

c. Offers submitted by eligible small business concerns will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation and the CO will determine if an award can be made within the small business tier.

Within this tier, HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants will have priority over all other small business concerns. Among the HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants, there is no order of precedence. If no offers are submitted by small business concerns, or if none of the offers will result in award at a fair and reasonable price, the solicitation will be cancelled.

d. If only one proposal is received and evaluated in a tier, award can be made to the sole offeror if the proposal meets or exceeds the requirements of the solicitation, the proposed price is determined fair and reasonable and the offeror is otherwise eligible for award.

e. When evaluating proposals in any tier to determine price reasonableness, the VA Contract Officer reserves the right to consider competitive proposals submitted from all offerors.

Rating Standards An evaluation of the technical proposal will be made to ensure satisfactory responsiveness to the requirements as set forth in this solicitation. The technical capabilities/specifications will be reviewed using the following criteria and results used in the analysis:

PHASE ONE:

(1) Technical: Personnel Choose One Description Proposal does not meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation with enough staff, their experience/training and adequate timeline.

Proposal does not clearly meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation. There would be some risk with the number of personnel, their lack of training/experience, the plan for restaffing when needed, or other personnel issues.

Proposal meets the minimum requirements of the solicitation with enough experienced personnel and a plan for coverage and hiring when required.

Proposal exceeds the minimum requirements of the solicitation with enough experienced personnel and a realistic plan for coverage and hiring when required. All tasks are covered and have estimated times listed. Key personnel are named, and their duties listed including the supervisor and QA person.

(2) Technical: Methodology Choose One Description Proposal methodology does not meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Examples are it may be confusing, missing tasks or only repeat the SOW.

Proposal does not clearly meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation. There would be some risk with the method as stated.

Proposal meets the minimum requirements of the solicitation showing the understanding of the requirements, specifications, time to complete a full cycle and Issues that may arise. Performance Plan is adequate.

Proposal exceeds the minimum requirements of the solicitation showing the understanding of the requirements, specifications and time to complete a full cycle.

Strategies are clear and feasible to solve potential issues in a timely fashion. Clear and responsive communication is explained. QA plan is clear, designating who is performing what QA and when in the process.

(3) Past Performance Evaluation (PPE)

Unacceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government has no reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

Neutral In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.

Acceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will satisfactorily perform the required effort.

Above Average

Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government has received information that the Contractor’s past performance has been more than satisfactory.

Summary Rating for PHASE ONE:

High Confidence

All Technical and Past Performance Scores Above Average and meeting/exceeding the minimum requirements, risk to the Government appears low.

Some Confidence

One Technical Score of not clearly meeting the minimum requirements and PPE scores Acceptable/Neutral, there is some risk to the Government.

Low Confidence

One Technical score of not meeting or not clearly meeting the minimum requirements and Past Performance is Unacceptable/Neutral, OR Technical scores of meeting the minimum requirements and PPE is Unacceptable/Neutral, risk to the Government appears high.

End of Document