4. AFCGI Section L-Proposal Instructions.docx

(U) Advanced Fire Control Ground Infrastructure (AFCGI)

Attachment 4 – Section L - Proposal Instructions, Conditions and Notice to Offerors

20 June 2024

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.

FA240124R0001

Attachment 04

Table of Contents

CUI

Introduction This acquisition will be conducted in accordance with FAR 52.215-1, ‘Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition” wherein the Government intends to award without discussions. In addition, the Government will not accept alternate proposals. The Offeror shall submit a proposal for the Advanced Fire Control Ground Infrastructure (AFCGI) in seven (7) volumes. Specific volumes with associated page limits are detailed below.

All Volumes due at 12PM (noon) Eastern on date specified below

05 August 2024

(one résumé for each proposed key personnel)

Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) 10 pages for Schedule Mgmt.

Unlimited for IMS 05 August 2024

Includes Section L Attach 1: Past Performance Reference Template Includes Section L Attach 2: Past Performance Questionnaire Template 12 pages

NTE 3 pages per contract (using Past Performance Reference Template) 05 August 2024

Note: Page numbering should re-start at the beginning of each section or volume.

Note: Classified Addendums are included in the page count identified above.

Note: Cover pages, tables of contents, appendices and acronym tables are not part of the page count.

Proposals must be clear, concise, and include sufficient detail to support a thorough and efficient evaluation. Offerors are urged to not to simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements. Proposals must provide convincing rationale supported by factual, verifiable information that fully demonstrates that the Offeror understands the requirements outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW) for this acquisition. Proposals must clearly describe how the Offeror intends to fully satisfy these requirements. The Offeror should assume the Government has no prior knowledge of its capabilities and experience and will base its evaluation solely upon the information presented in the Offeror’s proposal except for Past Performance and SBPCD. The Offeror shall provide tailored AFCGI processes and procedures including stakeholders, teammates, subcontractors, and associate contractors for all inputs.

Submission Instructions The Space Development Agency (SDA) requests that Offerors submit only electronic proposals. All Volumes along with any appendices and/or attachments shall be submitted only in .pdf format, except in cases where another format is explicitly required, and must be submitted independently by file as SDA will not accept .zip files. Offerors shall submit their responses via Department of Defense (DoD) Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE): https://safe.apps.mil. Offerors shall submit one (1) original copy of each Volume and appendices and/or attachments to be used for any and all printing (i.e. official copy retention requirements) no later than 12 PM (noon) Eastern, 05 August 2024 for all Volumes. Each Volume shall be submitted as a separate .pdf file. Offerors shall submit their proposal via a separate DoD SAFE submission and all files should be included in a single DoD SAFE submission. Each file submitted must be clearly labeled with the SDA Request for Proposal (RFP) number, prime contractor organization name, prime contractor proposal title (short title recommended), and Volume number and appendix or attachment number (as appropriate). The size limit for each SAFE file transmission is 8192 MB. Proposals submitted shall be appropriately marked in accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.48 – Controlled Unclassified Information, dated March 6, 2020, if CUI is present, or appropriate security classification guide if classified information is present. Within the DoD SAFE submission form, the Offeror shall check both the “Encrypt every file” check box and the “Send me an email when each recipient picks up the files” check box. The password shall be sent under separate email to the email address above with the subject line: AFCGI RFP Submission SAFE Request (m of n) Password and the Offeror’s organization name. The “Short note to the Recipients” field shall clearly identify the Offeror’s organization name, the proposal name, and the number of the submission.

Submission via DoD SAFE Instructions SAFE Drop-Off Request: Offeror shall request a SAFE Drop-off Request, via an email to ussf.pentagon.sda.mbx.fa240124r0001@mail.mil no later than 26 Jul 2024. The Offeror shall request a SAFE Drop-off Request regardless of whether or not they have access to DoD SAFE already. The subject line shall be: AFCGI RFP Submission SAFE Request (m of n) and the Offeror’s organization name, where m is the request number and n the total number of requests that will be made by the Offeror. If the Offeror’s submission will exceed the DoD size limit, then they shall make the required number of requests to complete their submission. Within the body email, the Offeror shall clearly state the email address to which the Drop-off Request will be sent. The Offeror is free to request read receipts for each Drop-off Request email sent.

30 July 2024 SAFE Drop-Off Email Response: The Offeror will receive an email with their SAFE Drop-Off Request. Note that this email will not come from the email address listed above.

05 August 2024 SAFE Proposal Submission: The Offeror shall upload the proposal to DoD SAFE NLT 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern.

Within the DoD SAFE submission form, the Offeror shall check both the “Encrypt every file” check box and the “Send me an email when each recipient picks up the files” check box. The password shall be sent under separate email to the email address above with the subject line: AFCGI RFP Submission SAFE Request (m of n) Password and the Offeror’s organization name. The “Short note to the Recipients” field shall clearly identify the Offeror’s organization name, the proposal name, and the number of the submission.

SDA expects Volumes I - VII to be unclassified or CUI. Should a classified Volume III, Past Performance, be required, the Offeror must contact SDA via email to ussf.pentagon.sda.mbx.fa240124r0001@mail.mil for submission instructions. Request for instructions should be received NLT 29 July 2024 to allow for timely submission. Offerors desiring to submit classified Past Performance attachments must ensure the information is appropriately classified and marked in accordance with the appropriate security classification guidance.

Proposals received after the proposal submission date and time will be considered late and not evaluated. If any part of the submission is late, all parts of the proposal will be removed from consideration. Offerors whose proposals which are considered late will be so informed by the Contracting Officer (CO) and their proposals will be deleted without any files being opened or read.

Proposal Format Instructions The font in normal text for all volumes shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 12 pt., while text in tables and figures shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 10 pt. A table shall consist of at least two (2) columns in every row. Tables that are deemed as attempts to circumvent these text formatting restrictions will be removed from the proposal and not evaluated. All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) shall be no smaller than one (1) inch. No less than single line spacing shall be used for all text in paragraphs, bulleted lists, and tables. All .pdf pages, in all volumes, formatted larger than 8.5 inches X 11 inches shall be counted as two (2) pages. Line numbers shall be applied to all text sections in all volumes and shall be set within the left margin of the page so as not to reduce the usable size of the page. Title pages and tables of contents, tables of figures and/or tables will not count against the page counts of the respective volumes and will not be evaluated for content. Page numbering should re-start at the beginning of each section or volume. Note: Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without review.

General Information

3.1 Use of Non-Government Advisors

The Offeror is advised that schedule, technical and price data submitted to the Government in response to this solicitation may be released to non-Government advisors that have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for review and analysis. These non-Government advisors are employed by the following entities:

· AirIn Technologies

· Alpha 2

· Altus

· Bryce Tech

· CENTRA (a PAE Company)

· Custom Analysis

· Flexitech Aerospace

· GoLion Company

· Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

· KSH Engineering

· LinQuest

· MMAX

· MTSI

· PLC

· QinetiQ

· Qualis

· Strategic Analysis

· System Engineering Solutions

· Space Dynamics Laboratory

· Stacia Group

· The Aerospace Corporation

· The MITRE Corporation All non-Government advisors performing this role are expressly prohibited from performing SDA-sponsored technical research and are bound by appropriate nondisclosure agreements. No Past Performance information will be reviewed by other than Government employees. Any objection to release shall be provided in writing to the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) within ten (10) days of RFP issuance and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection. The detailed statement shall identify the specific portions of the proposal which the Offeror objects to disclosure to non-Government advisors.

3.2 Alternative or Multiple Proposals

Alternative proposals will not be considered. Each Offeror may submit only one (1) proposal.

Definitions Within this Attachment, the following definitions are used:

· Prime: The AFCGI Offeror.

· Major Teammate/Subcontractor: A member of the Prime's development team (at any tier) with a different Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code from the prime Offeror, that either accounts for at least ten (10) percent of the proposed cost and/or that develops one of the following subsystems or functional area:

· Systems Engineering

· Demonstration Operations Center (DOC) Networking Data Routing, and/or Encryption

· Ground Entry Points (GEPs)

· Cloud Implementation

· Ground Resource Management

· Integration and Test

· Operations, Maintenance, and Sustainment Additional definitions are provided in Attachment 1 – SOW.

Volume I: Technical Solution and Management Approach Volume I (Tabs 1 & 2) shall not exceed 33 pages total (when combined) as identified above. Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated.

Tab 1 Executive Summary Tab 1 shall not exceed three (3) pages. The Executive Summary shall contain an overview of the program management and systems engineering approaches to include team composition and construct as well as contributions of each major teammate, and the technical solution (to include but not limited to the DOC, cloud implementation and GEPs).

Tab 2 Technical Solution and Program Management Tab 2 shall not exceed 30 pages (including CONOPs). Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated.

System Architecture The Offeror shall include an overview of their system architecture including an Operational Viewpoint (OV)-1 level diagram of the architecture. The Offeror shall present the system architecture including system, and subsystem functional flow block diagrams for operating the DOC, Cloud environment, terrestrial network connections, and GEPs in compliance with the requirements as presented in the Attachment 1 – SOW, and Attachment 2 - Technical Requirements Document (TRD).

System Concept of Operations (CONOPS) The Offeror shall include a CONOPS consisting of a two (2) page detailed architecture diagram for the entire AFCGI ground system and a three (3) page day-in-the-life (DITL) narrative of Advanced Fire Control (AFC) ground segment operations assuming at least one operational engagement requiring fire control support. The diagram shall clearly delineate the major system components and their functions, both GFI and non-GFI.

DOC Development The Offeror shall describe the design and configuration of the DOC facility to support daily and surge operations in support of F2 and three (3) additional space vehicle (SV) programs similar in scope to F2. The Offeror shall include architecture diagrams, the notional physical layout of the operations center, equipment (hardware and software), and the network connections required.

Cloud Implementation The Government intends to acquire a Government-Procured, Contractor-Operated (GPCO) Cloud environment with a cross-domain solution that will be managed and administered by the AFCGI provider. The Offeror shall describe their technical approach for satisfying AFCGI cloud requirements in Attachment 1 - SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD. The Offeror shall describe how their solution can leverage services and capabilities available to the program, including free and open-source software/Government off-the-shelf (GOTS)/Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), those provided by the Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and environment brokers, and uniquely available to the particular solution. The Offeror shall describe how their cloud implementation is modular and able to incorporate capabilities in the future as they become available. The Offeror’s solution is requested to be cloud agnostic. It is the Offeror’s prerogative on whether or not to identify a preferred Cloud Service Provider (CSP) in their proposed solution; however, it is the Government’s desire to acquire a GPCO Cloud solution that provides the highest degree of flexibility and ease of migration between CSPs. The Offeror shall describe how their Cloud implementation is designed to enable migration from one CSP to another as needs change.

Ground Resource Management The Offeror shall describe their technical approach for developing and delivering their Ground Resources Management (GRM) system that meets all applicable requirements in the Attachment 1 - SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD. Ground resources include but are not limited to: DOC facility infrastructure (hardware and software); GEPs; and ground terrestrial network infrastructure. The Offeror shall describe how they plan to enable automated GRM operations, and how they will be able to provide the Government with critical insight and participation into their internal agile software development process.

Ground Entry Points (GEPs) The Offeror shall describe their technical approach for GEP acquisition and delivering solutions that meet all GEP requirements in the Attachment 1 - SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD. The Offeror shall provide their technical approach for delivering a GEP architecture that supports space-to-ground communications for F2 and three (3) follow-on “F2-like” SV programs as defined in Attachment 1 - SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD. The Offeror shall use the SDA AFCGI GEP Design Assumptions document, Attachment 4e, for further guidance on their proposed technical approach.

Integration and Test The Offeror shall describe their complete hardware and software integration and test approaches, methodologies, platform performance requirements, verification coverage, documentation, and staffing in support of their verification program. The Offeror shall present their approach and method for development, integration, testing, and deployment of capabilities for integrating and interfacing with SV mission operation centers, DOC, Cloud environment, and the GEPs. Additionally, the Offeror should demonstrate their approach to conducting tests and demonstrations in concert with the SV vendors prior to launch and during early orbit operations and checkout, on-orbit operations and mission demonstrations.

Development, Operations, Maintenance and Sustainment The Offeror shall provide a description of their Development, Operations, Maintenance and Sustainment tools including the following:

· Tool maturity in similar environments

· Native interface capabilities

· Native user interfaces and automation capabilities

· Native scalability

· Native interoperability within an enterprise system

· Licensing requirements The Offeror should clearly identify any mission constraints or limitations of the proposed Operations and Maintenance tools. The Offeror shall describe their use of COTS software, tools, and licensing.

Program Management The Offeror shall provide a Program Management Plan, detailing the Offeror’s proposed program management processes, procedures, methods, and tools for executing the program on schedule and within the price proposed.

Ground Engineering, Development, and Integration The Offeror shall detail the Ground Systems Engineering and Integration processes and methods that will be used to execute the AFCGI program (to include but not limited to the DOC, cloud implementation, GEPs and terrestrial networks systems engineering, development, and integration) and how stakeholders, teammates and subcontractors are integrated into these processes and methods.

Ground Operations, Maintenance and Sustainment The Offeror shall detail their program, cost and risk management approaches, process and tools, specifically focused on operations, maintenance, and sustainment of the DOC and GEPs in accordance with the requirements in Attachment 1 – SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD.

Technical Data and Computer Software Rights Assertions The Offeror (and teammate) shall provide a brief narrative and shall clearly delineate all limitations on data, hardware, and computer software rights using the format shown in Table 1. It is the Government’s assumption that no hardware, technical data or computer software will be provided with less than Government Purpose Rights (GPR) (see DFARS 252.227-7013,7014,7015) and that the vast majority of information generated will be provided with Unlimited Rights to the Government. The Government’s intent of this effort includes ground infrastructure and software development that can be expanded or competed in the future. Data rights must enable this intent, therefore requiring GPR at a minimum. The Offeror shall clearly identify those elements to be provided with less than Unlimited Rights and identify the rationale for their assertion(s) using the format shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Technical and Data Rights Assertion Template

Table 1 shall be included as an attachment to Volume I and will not be counted in the page count. Any associated narrative will be counted in the page limit.

Tab 3: Key Personnel Résumés Key Personnel résumés shall not exceed two (2) pages each. The résumés shall be included as attachments to this volume and will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

The Offeror shall identify the available key personnel to be assigned to this program from the Offeror and major teammates and subcontractors as appropriate. Résumés should use the resume template (provided in Attachment 4c).

For proposed staff members not currently employed by the Offeror, the Offeror shall include signed contingent offer letters. These letters should be signed by both the Offeror and the proposed staff member and should state the willingness of the proposed staff member to join the Offeror in support of the SDA AFCGI program if awarded. Personnel not employed by the Offeror or team without a signed contingent offer letter will be assumed unavailable for the program and the proposal evaluated negatively accordingly.

Résumés shall be included for key personnel fulfilling the following functions:

· Program Manager (must be currently on staff with the prime offeror)

· Chief Engineer

· Lead Network Engineer

· Lead Software Engineer

· Lead Cloud Architect

· Lead Cybersecurity Engineer/Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM)

Volume II: Schedule Management and Integrated Master Schedule Volume II shall not exceed ten (10) pages (excludes IMS/Gantt). Any pages in excess of this limit other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated.

Schedule Management The Offeror shall describe their approach to managing dynamic Advanced Fire Control program schedules with varying levels of task order definition for DOC, GEPs, terrestrial network design, and GRM development. The Offeror shall describe their plan for managing a ground segment schedule that delivers integrated AFC ground infrastructure. The ability of the Offeror to rapidly deliver at least the first mil-Ka band GEP in time to support the F2 SV launch and early operations checkout phase is a critical path schedule driver for the AFC program and will be evaluated by the Government accordingly. For bidding purposes, the Offeror shall describe how their GEP deployment plan will deliver at least one (1) mil-Ka band GEP ready to support F2 on-orbit operations on 1 October 2026. The Offeror shall describe how they plan to prioritize minimum viable launch product ground capabilities that must be verified first to meet schedule and launch safely on schedule. The Offeror’s proposed schedule must be able to support serial AFCGI on-boarding and concurrent support for three (3) follow-on “F2-like” programs (each with up to two (2) SV Vendors) with the following notional AFCGI onboarding timeline: Program “B” ATP+6 months; Program “C” ATP+ 12 months; and Program “D” ATP+ 18 months; with each SV Vendor program launching within approximately 2-years from the respective SV Vendor’s Authority to Proceed).

Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) The Offeror shall present a milestone-driven IMS designed to meet the Government’s notional milestones provided in Attachment 1 – SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD. The IMS shall include significant reviews, and integration and test activities. The Offeror shall deliver their complete IMS in Microsoft Project native format as well as .pdf format in conjunction with this volume. The complete IMS shall include schedule details down to Level 3 of the contract work breakdown structure (CWBS). The delivered IMS files (Microsoft Project and .pdf format) and Gantt chart will not count against the Volume II page limit. If the Offeror (Prime or Major Teammate) is currently providing SVs, ground systems or other materiel to SDA, they shall submit a Portfolio IMS as an Appendix to Volume II. This Portfolio IMS shall demonstrate how multiple programs will be completed without interfering with one another. This Portfolio IMS shall not exceed five (5) total pages and will not count against the volume page limit. At least two (2) pages shall be a separable, standalone detailed Gantt chart (or similar illustration) clearly presenting the Offeror’s milestone-driven portfolio-level integrated master schedule, including key program milestones and critical paths. This chart should include dependencies, assumed Government or Major Teammate hardware, software, or information deliveries and/or approvals, tests, demonstrations, reviews, and/or any other key activities in the Offeror’s proposed SDA portfolio. The Offeror shall identify portfolio-level schedule risks, their mitigations, and succinctly discuss dependencies of one program upon another and/or how each program will be completed successfully even if another program in the portfolio encounters schedule, technical or programmatic difficulties.

Volume III: Past Performance The Offeror may provide up to four (4) past performance citations (total to include teammates). This volume shall not exceed twelve (12) pages inclusive of all unclassified or classified pages. Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated. Partial pages will count as a single page.

The Offeror should introduce the current and relevant past performance citations, clearly stating why they have chosen the efforts and how they best demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to perform the proposed work scope. The Government expects direct correlations between the past performance citations and the proposed AFCGI technical approach.

The Offeror shall include information on recent/current programs that are similar in magnitude, scope, and complexity to this program. These submissions should clearly demonstrate the ability of the Offeror and its teammates to satisfy the totality of the AFCGI requirements. Past performance from recently acquired companies or subsidiaries is acceptable. All submissions shall have a period of performance within three (3) years from the AFCGI proposal due date.

For each submitted citation, the Offeror shall identify:

· Customer (Name, phone, email, affiliation)

· Scope and relevance to the AFCGI requirements

· Place of performance, period of performance, contract/agreement type

· Bid cost/price, currently invoiced cost/price, Final price/Estimate at Completion

· If Award or Incentive Fee, scores and fee percentages earned for each completed fee period

· If CPARS have been completed by the Customer, ratings earned for each completed rating period In each citation, the Offeror shall address the relevance of the effort and how well it fulfilled the contractual requirements to include schedule management, technical requirements, subcontract management (if applicable) and suppliers.

Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs): For each past performance citation, the Offeror shall provide the Attached Past Performance Questionnaire to the Government or industry contracting officer or program manager to complete and submit directly to the SDA in accordance with the questionnaire instructions (see Attachment 4a). The Offeror shall provide a list of names and point of contact for the PPQs. Note PPQs completed by the Government and the PPQ POC list are not included in the page count.

Current and Past Performance citations shall only include work that has been completed or is ongoing. If a citation indicates expected capability, such as a program that has yet to be awarded, only the work completed to date will be evaluated. For those instances where the Offeror or any teammates, subcontractors and/or vendors have an existing relationship in support of other SDA programs or projects, only a single citation may be submitted and will be evaluated. If the Offeror is providing support to SDA this must be cited by the Offeror. If one (1) or more teammates, subcontractors and/or vendors are providing support to the Offeror for SDA or other customers, such efforts may not be cited unless a customer other than the Offeror can be identified and would serve as a reference for the teammate, subcontractor and/or vendor. Any citations submitted in violation of these directions will be removed and not evaluated which may result in decreased confidence regarding the Offeror’s ability to perform this effort.

Offerors are hereby notified that SDA intends to survey Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs) and to conduct interviews with customers identified in Volume III. SDA reserves the right to survey other past performance information beyond the submitted citations. Information obtained via either of these methods will be included in Offeror evaluations per the criteria in Attachment 5 – AFCGI Section M Evaluation Criteria.

Volume IV: Security The Offeror shall describe the Offeror's security approach and ability to comply with the security requirements of this solicitation. It should contain the Offeror's security approach, the approach to meeting the clearance requirements for proposed personnel, facility locations, and classified information safeguarding.

The Offeror must identify its proposed location for performing classified efforts for this program (outside of the Government-provided DOC facility). The Offeror is required to hold a current Top Secret facility clearance issued by DCSA in accordance with 32 CFR Part 117 and must provide the complete address and CAGE Code of the facility.

The following Key Personnel MUST have current, Top Secret (TS) clearances with SCI eligibility and be available to work at contract start:

· Program Manager

· Chief Engineer

· Lead Cloud Architect

· Lead Network Engineer

· Lead Software Engineer

· Lead Cybersecurity Engineer/ Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) The Offeror shall describe its approach for satisfying all requirements of this solicitation related to Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI). The Offeror's security approach should identify, at a minimum, the following:

· Compliance with Disclosure of Ownership or Control by a Foreign Government (DFAR 252.209-7002) and shall include submission of a current SF 328, "Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests (FOCI)" SF 328 if applicable. Offerors must provide the same information for each proposed subcontractor or subsidiary if applicable. If Offeror’s are foreign owned, they must have an approved FOCI mitigation plan and/or a Cognizant Security Agency (CSA) Security Control Agreement (SCA), or Special Security Agreement (SSA). For Companies that will require access to Collateral, SCI, or COMSEC information, a National Interest Determination (NID) is required.

Volume V: Small Business Participation The page limit for Volume V is 5 pages. Content in Volume V will only be evaluated in support of the Small Business Utilization Factor and will not be evaluated for other technical content.

For Large Businesses Only: The Offeror shall submit a Small Business Utilization Plan (SBUP) and/or Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) (see Attachment 4b) detailing their anticipated small business inclusion for this procurement to include selection, integration and evaluation processes. While SDA will not mandate specific percentage goals by individual small business type, the Offeror must meet the Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) of small business participation which is five (5) percent of the total proposed contract value (to include options). This requirement may be filled by subcontractors or small business suppliers. The Offeror shall detail planned small business contribution by type (Woman- Owned, Disadvantaged, Veteran-Owned, Service Disabled, etc.) and by type of work expected to be performed (administrative, engineering, assembly, test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, etc.). The Government expects that some engineering and technical elements of this procurement will be contributed by other than traditional large aerospace and defense contractors, including but not limited to new and emerging small businesses. The SBPCD shall address the following:

a. The quantitative degree (based on the percentage of total price) to which the Offeror will utilize small business (including small, disadvantaged business, women-owned small business, historically underutilized business zone [HUB Zone] small business, veteran-owned small business, and service-disabled and veteran-owned small business). Small business participation constitutes small business utilization contributions to contract performance at the first-tier subcontract level only.

b. Identification of participating small businesses by type of business, product/service, dollar value, timeframe, as available.

c. The complexity and variety of the work small firms are to perform.

d. Enforceable commitments to use such firms. Enforceable commitments (e.g., fully executed teaming agreement, planned purchase order, signed letters of commitment) are more convincing than non-enforceable ones. The SBPCD for each successful Offeror will be incorporated into their respective contract as Attachment TBD.

For Small Businesses: If an Offeror is a small business (NAICS 541715; 1,000 employees) the Offeror shall affirm they are a small business in this Volume. No other information is required in this section for small businesses.

Volume VI: Model Contract/Offer There is no page limit for Volume VI: This Volume shall include the following:

· Cover Letter

a. The cover letter shall include the following information and be signed by an official authorized to legally bind the Offeror:

b. Information required by FAR 52.215-1, "Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisitions." For the purpose of providing this information, the cover letter is not considered the first page of the proposal as stated in FAR 52.215-1.

c. The names, titles, and telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of persons to be contacted for clarification or questions regarding this proposal. List no more than two people.

d. The names, titles, and telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of the company point of contact and an alternate to be contacted regarding source selection decisions.

e. A statement that the proposal is firm for a period of not less than 180 days from the proposal due date.

f. A statement that the Offeror’s accounting system meets the requirements of DFAR 252.242-7006, “Accounting System Administration”.

g. Any exceptions taken to the terms and conditions, or RFP shall be identified and justified. The Offeror should add, at the end of each exception, as appropriate, a statement substantially as follows: "This offer (is/is not) contingent upon acceptance of the exception or deviation to the cited above." An exception is defined as any instance where the Offeror proposes to provide something less than 100% of the capability or service required by the Model Contract or the documents referenced therein. Each exception must be specifically related to each paragraph and/or specific part of the solicitation to which the exception is taken. Provide rationale in support of the exception and fully explain its impact, if any, on the performance, schedule, cost, and specific requirements of the solicitation. This information must be provided in the format shown. These exceptions must mirror the assumptions, terms, conditions, and exceptions requested in the Cost Volume, but without any cost information. If there are no exceptions, so state. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the solicitation may result in the Offeror being removed from consideration for award.

h. The Offeror must provide a list, with supporting rationale, of all proposal assumptions, terms, and conditions, including any related GFX.

i. The Offeror must identify any subcontractor ground rules, assumptions, or conditions that may cause risk to overall program cost, schedule, and performance, and discuss how the Offeror has addressed them, or plans to address them in its proposed offer, including incorporation into prime contract assumptions, terms, and conditions as appropriate.

j. A statement that administrative changes by the Government to the awarded Contract are acceptable and will not invalidate the offer.

k. The corporate name to be used on any resultant contract and the remittance address.

l. A list of all subcontractors (include company name and address).

· Offer/SF 33

a. The Offeror shall complete all clause variables for Model Contract Sections B through K.

b. At a minimum, this section shall include the following:

c. Standard Form 33, "Solicitation, Offeror, and Award," with blocks 12 through 16 completed by the Offeror;

d. Section B, "The summary from Attachment 4d will be used for Section B for award; and,

e. Section K, "Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors," completed by the Offeror, to include appropriate signatures.

The completion and submission to the Government of the above items will constitute an offer. Upon notification of award and request by the Contracting Officer, the successful Offeror shall provide a signed contract with Sections A through K, fully completed, as applicable, to the Contracting Officer.

Volume VII: Cost/Price There is no page limit for Volume VII. This volume consists of relevant information describing the Offeror's proposed cost/price for meeting solicitation requirements. Below is the anticipated phasing of Government funding. Offerors proposals should be consistent with the funding phasing below:

The Offeror's proposal shall contain sufficient factual information to establish the realism, reasonableness, and completeness of the proposed cost, see the RFP Attachment 5 – AFCGI Section M Evaluation Criteria. The Offeror shall detail their assumptions, basis of estimates, and rationale supporting their proposed cost and pricing. This information will be used to evaluate the risks associated with the proposed technical solution, schedule, and price.

The Cost/Price Volume should be organized as outlined below and Offerors should use the Cost & Price Template 4d:

MS Excel/active cells

MS Excel/active cells

MS Excel/active cells

Note: The Section L Attachment 4d for Volume VII will be submitted in the provided Excel format but are not included within the separate tabs. The Tabs are intended to provide the textual narrative to explain the proposed approach, including any rationale or justification for the price/cost position. The Tab submission may include snapshots or data from the template but should NOT include wholescale copying of the template data (excluding summary tables). The Excel spreadsheets shall include active formulas and any textual narrative required to explain the submission.

For each volume listed above, Offerors shall submit one (1) electronic (soft) copy with appropriate classification markings. The electronic copy will be considered the official copy.

The format of proposal volumes must align directly and sequentially with the instructions contained herein. Offeror responses should be complete and concise. The Government's intent is to obtain brief, specific information in which to evaluate the proposal.

Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) Structure The Government anticipates awarding the Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) as shown in Section B of the Model Contract. To be considered a compliant proposal, all CLINs must be priced using Attachment 4d. CLIN 0011, Directed Trade Studies will not be priced or evaluated pre-award.

Cost/Price Tab 1: Narrative/Executive Summary The cost/price narrative shall include an Executive Summary that presents an overview of the Offeror’s proposal. An effective Executive Summary will function as a proposal roadmap and will help the Government evaluator understand the Offeror’s overall approach to pricing the requirements of the RFP. The Executive Summary should highlight the proposal’s pricing development and any significant cost elements impacting the proposed price. Describe all key ground rules and assumptions used in the development of the proposed costs. For example, resources required of the Government (e.g., Government-furnished equipment and property, including estimated costs if required for Offeror’s technical approach).

Tab 2: Cost Price Summary (Narrative Portion) In this section, the Offeror shall describe the underlying methodology used for each CLIN with adherence to its respective Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Items that shall be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Provide a listing of company labor categories, position codes, or designators, and definitions of those proposed categories for the Prime and each subcontractor.

2. The Offeror shall identify the basis of direct labor rates (e.g., forward pricing rate agreement or forward pricing rate proposal or forward pricing rate recommendation). The use of composite rates by Contractor Fiscal Year is required.

3. Identify, in full detail, all internal bid codes and burden centers corresponding to each labor category if applicable.

4. Price and percentage of price by the prime and major teammates, where the minimum set of major teammates is defined in the introduction to this attachment. Major Teammates are defined in the Definitions section of this document.

Proposal Pricing Detail The Offeror shall provide the total price and elements of price broken down by the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and by Government Fiscal Year. For the purposes of this RFP, the Offeror shall assume that the DOC is located at Redstone Arsenal (RSA), Huntsville, Alabama.

The cost shall be broken down by WBS task and Government Fiscal Year (GFY) using the template in Attachment 4d. The price shall be provided for items down to Level 3 of the WBS for each GFY. The Offeror shall provide the product in Microsoft Office Excel.

Tab 3: Cost Build Up This section shall contain a summary of labor hours, direct and indirect rates, and other information supporting the proposed costs. Items addressed shall include, but are not limited to the following:

Offerors shall provide un-sanitized cost breakdown(s) in accordance with FAR 15.408 Table 15-2.

1. Offeror shall provide an itemized Bill of Materials (BOM) to include item description, quantity, unit pricing, and the basis of estimates. Basis of estimates may include but are not limited to, catalog pricing, purchase estimates, quotes and detailed engineering estimates. The Offerors BOM shall be proposed by SOW task. The BOM shall describe the material in terms defined by FAR 45.101, such as equipment, material, special test equipment, special tooling and other listing as needed. Travel costs shall be supported by detailed itineraries to include origin, destination, number of travelers, trip duration, airfare, car rental and lodging (IAW Joint Travel Regulations).

2. The Government will use Microsoft Office Excel for evaluation and analysis of the cost section of the Cost Volume. The Excel spreadsheets submitted with the proposal shall contain active formulas that enable the Government to trace priced development from hours, rates, dollars, burdens, and escalations to the bottom-line price. The Offeror shall not remove the functionality of the Excel spreadsheet.

3. The Offeror shall submit cost summaries by both Contract Fiscal Year (CFY) and GFY.

4. Within the Cost Reimbursement data, proposed hours, rates, and resulting costs, shall be broken out by quarter over the entire Contract PoP.

5. The Offeror shall provide teammate/subcontractor pricing data to the fidelity requested in items 1-6 above in this Section. For concerns related to financial proprietary information of a teammate/subcontractor, see Section 12.6.

6. Award Fee is 12% for CLINs 0001 through 0008, with no base fee.

Tab 4: Priced BOM, Other Direct Costs (ODCs) Subscriptions and Travel Hardware and ODCs (CLIN 0009) The Offeror shall provide a priced Bill of Materials (BOM) for evaluation in Attachment 4d. The Offeror’s BOM shall be proposed by WBS/BOEs. These categories shall be separately listed and summarized. As an overarching statement the term “material” is used in this paragraph to addresses the categories in the BOM in general. For the BOM, Offerors shall describe the specific equipment proposed and provide the proposed price and month/year of purchase. The Government will reimburse all authorized hardware and ODC procurements on a cost-plus reimbursable basis. Fee is 3% on this CLIN.

Travel (CLIN 0010):

Contractor travel and allowable expenses shall comply with the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). The Government will not reimburse travel expenses or travel time for travel to and from the contractor’s assigned locations (to and from work on a daily basis). The Government will reimburse all reasonable travel- related expenses and Government-directed travel on a cost- reimbursable, no fee-bearing basis. The travel should include all trips necessary for the Offeror’s proposal. The Offeror shall provide cost and non-cost data in Attachment 4d. The summary in Offeror’s format shall also be submitted in Word addressing the nature of the trips. They can be grouped into categories such as Program Management, Technical Exchange, Site Visits, etc. The objective is to provide the Government with a clear understanding of the timing and purpose of travel. No fee shall be applied to this CLIN.

Government Furnished Property:

If the Offeror requires Government Furnished Property (GFP) other than the GFP included in this RFP, the Offeror shall indicate in this section what additional GFP will be required. The Offeror shall clearly identify any GFP the Offeror proposes to use on a Rent-Free Non-Interference Use (RFNIU) basis from another program or government organization to support this effort. Offerors shall include the contract holder’s RFNIU agreement signed by the CO having cognizance over the property/equipment or a letter stating the CO’s willingness to provide RFNIU in the event of award. All property/equipment provided by the Government will be furnished “as is”. Offerors proposing use of GFP on a RFNIU basis shall provide an equivalent cost for insertion into the Probable Cost (PC) in accordance with FAR 45.201. Equivalent cost numbers shall be identified in the Cost Volume by month and CLIN.

Tab 5: Major Teammate Proposals The Offeror is responsible for compiling and providing all major teammate proposals to the PCO. Teammate proposals shall include all Inter-Transfer Work Agreement (ITWAs) or similar arrangements. All proprietary major teammate (as defined in Definitions section) proposal documentation shall be prepared at the same level of detail as that required of the prime. Any such documentation that cannot be provided with the proposed prime contractor’s proposal, shall be provided to the Government either by the prime contractor or by the teammate organization by email to ussf.pentagon.sda.mbx.fa240124r0001@mail.mil when the proposal is submitted. The subject line of the email shall contain the lead organization’s proposal for AFCGI, lead organization name, lead organization proposal submission date, and teammate name. Each file submitted must be clearly labeled with the SDA RFP number, proposer organization, Volume number and appendix or attachment number (as appropriate)https://safe.apps.mil/. Offerors submitting via DoD SAFE should refer to instructions for submission of Volume VII provided in Submission Instructions above.

Major teammate proposals will be used to determine the cost realism / price reasonableness of the Offeror's proposal. No information included in any teammate proposal will be evaluated for the purpose of satisfying the requirements as stated in the RFP Attachment 1 – SOW and Attachment 2 - TRD – or meeting the instructions associated with Volumes of this attachment.

Tab 6: Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plan (if applicable)

(a) There is potential organizational conflict of interest (see FAR Subpart 9.5, Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest) due to the nature of separate solicitations and contracts for an integrated F2 and any additional AFC SV programs and this AFC Ground Infrastructure (AFCGI) Solicitation. At this time, the Government is chiefly concerned about future potential OCI issues between the Contractor (prime and subs) for the AFCGI contract and the Contractor (prime and subs) for any AFC SV development contracts, such as those for F2 and any additional AFC SVs programs. As a part of the proposal, the Offeror shall provide the Contracting Officer with complete information of previous, potentially impending, or ongoing work that is in any way associated with the contemplated acquisition.

(b) If award is made to the Offeror, the resulting contract may include an organizational conflict of interest…