Request for Proposal 47QTCB20R0007 Telecom Services.pdf

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Request for Proposal Telecom Services in the State of Connecticut Solicitation # 47QTCB20R0007

PROPOSAL FORMAT and PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Proposal Preparation Costs

The Government will not pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation. In accordance with FAR Part 32.702 Policy, the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds.

Format and Preparation Instructions

(a) General Instructions -- The proposal shall be in three (3) volumes. Each volume shall be separate and complete so that evaluation of each may be accomplished independently, or concurrently with, evaluation of the other volumes, stated below.

Request for Clarification. All requests for clarification and questions are due by December 9, 2019 at 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). Questions will be answered if determined by the CO to be in the best interests of the Government. All questions and answers will be publically posted on FedBizOps. Requests shall reference the solicitation number, 47QTCB20R0007. Requests shall be submitted via e-mail to LaKeisha Hawkins, Contracting Officer, at lakeisha.hawkins@gsa.gov, and Program Manager, Christian Willaims, at christian.williams@gsa.gov. No verbal inquiries will be accepted. Any additions, deletions, or changes to this solicitation will be made by amendment to this Request for Proposal. Each amendment will be identified by number and receipt thereof shall be acknowledged by each offeror.

Proposals are due by January 3, 2020 at 4:00 PM EST. Offerors shall submit copies of each volume to the Contracting Officer Lakeisha Hawkins at lakeisha.hawkins@gsa.gov, as follows:

Volume I (Technical Proposal) - Submit one (1) electronic copy Volume II (Business Proposal) - Submit one (1) electronic copy Volume III (Price Proposal) - Submit one (1) electronic copy

Volume I shall be termed the “Technical Proposal”. The technical proposal must be presented in a concise and straightforward manner and shall not contain reference to price. Volume I shall be structured with tabs identifying the response for each paragraph of Section C. This will assist the evaluators in locating information in a timely manner.

Offeror must DEMONSTRATE the ability to meet all requirements described in Section C (and references contained therein) of this solicitation. Offeror shall clearly DESCRIBE IN TECHNICAL DETAILS the ability to comply with each paragraph and subparagraph of Section C of this solicitation. A statement of compliance without the detailed description of how compliance will be met will not be considered sufficient

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evidence that the services offered can technically meet the requirements. The information included in this volume will be used as the basis for the evaluation of technical factors per Section M of this solicitation.

Volume I may also include detailed technical literature or documents to support the offeror’s technical proposal.

This requirement involves the transitioning of services currently maintained by other vendors. The offeror shall provide a sample transition plan with their technical proposal limited to 5 (five) single-sided pages.

Also included in Volume I the offeror shall provide past performance narratives that are relevant to services offered in response to this solicitation for three (3) projects of similar size, scope, function, duration and complexity completed in the past five (5) years.

1. Identify the customer (agency or client), including name, address and telephone and facsimile numbers. Identify a specific point of contact, including telephone number;

2. Identify the applicable contract or task order number. Describe briefly the scope of the effort and relevance to this task. Include the total contract price and dates of performance;

3. Identify any performance or other problems encountered and corrective actions taken; and

4. Identify and discuss the involvement of the key personnel being proposed for this task order.

Volume II shall be termed the “Business Proposal” and contain a completed and signed Optional Form 308, Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offers (Section K of this solicitation). NOTE: Large businesses are required to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 (ALT II) for proposals that exceed $500,000. The Subcontracting Plan shall be part of Volume II. Subcontracting Plan submittals do not apply to small businesses.

Volume II shall also include reference and explanation of any exceptions or deviations taken or conditional assumptions made with respect to the Offeror’s proposal versus the requirements of Section C, clauses, provisions, or terms and conditions of this solicitation. All exceptions taken must contain sufficient amplification and justification to permit evaluation. All benefits to the Government shall be explained for each exception taken. Such exceptions will not automatically cause a proposal to be termed unacceptable unless the exception(s) fails to provide sufficient benefits to the Government or result in deviations from the requirements of this solicitation.

Offeror shall identify all Government-owned property in the offeror’s possession and all property acquired from federal funds, to which the offeror has title that is proposed for use in the performance of a contract resulting from this solicitation.

Volume II business proposal shall also include the contractors Quality Assurance Plan.

Volume III shall be termed “Price Proposal” and shall contain complete information as prescribed in Section B of this solicitation. The price proposal(s) shall consist of all price-related information required under this solicitation. Price information reflects the actual prices to be paid by the Government for performance of the work required under

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the contract. Since award of the contract(s) shall be based on technical competency and price reasonableness, the information required in the price proposal(s) should be specific and complete in every detail. The price proposal(s) shall be organized as follows:

PART A: Introduction to the Price Proposal

The introduction shall contain a brief overview of the proposed services. If any alternate offers are proposed, a summary of the service differences shall be given, along with the differences in pricing and the benefits to the Government (i.e. cost/savings).

PART B: Price Schedule Summary

This part shall consist of the completed price schedule depicted in Section B of this solicitation. Offerors shall complete the price schedule in accordance with the instructions given in Section B of this solicitation. Offerors shall submit the price schedule in electronic (Microsoft Excel) form The intent of this price schedule is for the Government to compare price proposals on an equal level (“apples to apples”) for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) or feature.

Offerors that meet the minimum capabilities in Section C are required to provide the services that the offeror normally provides to commercial customers and that are identified in this solicitation. Offerors shall indicate “N/A” on the price schedule for option services and features that are not provided to any commercial customer. While services and features should be priced for the entire state, the offeror will not be required to provide any service or feature that is not offered in a particular area.

PART C: Pricing Information

Offerors are required to submit pricing information to support the offeror’s total unit contract prices for the base period (years one, two and three) and four (4) one (1) year options including services and option features offered in ATTACHMENT J.1 – PRICE SCHEDULE, Additional pricing information shall include the following:

1. Description of products and services offered

2. Unit prices of installing each product (if applicable)

3. Monthly prices of individual services offered

4. Other Supporting Services (options) applicable to the state/city offered (e.g. ISDN, Voice Mail, BRI & PRI, or cabling services)

5. Other pertinent information to support pricing, (e.g. fees, taxes, etc.)

6. Any special promotional pricing or discounts

7. Resold Services Pricing (if applicable)

Offerors are advised that any item and/or service required in the contract for which a price is not specifically identified by the offeror will be considered to be included in the price of another item or provided at no cost to the Government.

All required services in this solicitation that incur costs must be included in the prices offered. Each proposal shall contain sufficient details to support the prices offered. Unit prices for services having the same item description shall be identical. The unit/total

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prices in the contract(s) for each option feature offered will be used to order services against the contract(s).

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS FAR 52.212-2 (Jan 1999)

BASIS FOR AWARD

This Section identifies the technical and price factors to be used for evaluation of offers in response to this solicitation.

If offers result in an advantage to the Government, multiple awards may be made. The offeror must provide services for all locations within a proposed state where they currently deliver/provide services today. If this solicitation results in multiple awards for the state, the telecommunications service provider will be selected based on the fair consideration process in accordance with Section G.2.2.

The Government will select the offer that represents the best value to the Government.

This process permits trade-offs between price and technical factors and allows the Government to accept other than the lowest price offer. The award decision will be based on a comparative assessment of proposals against all evaluation criteria in the solicitation.

The Government will use the data provided by the offeror in its proposal and may use data obtained from other sources during the Best Value analysis. The offeror is required to provide complete information notwithstanding that the Government may obtain data from sources other than the offeror.

UNACCEPTABLE PROPOSALS

All Offerors must clearly demonstrate their ability to meet all requirements specified in this solicitation. Failure to furnish full and complete information that demonstrates the Offeror’s ability to satisfy the requirements may cause an offer to be considered unacceptable and be grounds for rejection of the proposal.

TOTAL OFFERED PRICE

The total offered price for an offer will be based upon the value of the aggregated prices for all years in the base period and all option periods. Service, feature, and Service Initiation Charge (SIC) prices will be computed using the prices provided by the Offeror in accordance with ATTACHMENT J.1 – PRICE SCHEDULE.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To be considered for evaluation, the offeror must certify the following basic qualifications will be met at contract award. The offer will provide the required certification of these items in the cover letter to the offer.

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1. The offeror must be certified by the state where offer is made to provide local exchange services.

2. The offeror must meet the minimum qualifications described in Section C.2.

3. The offeror must be capable of providing a centralized electronic media invoice for each city served to GSA and receive payment.

4. The offeror must offer services where currently providing services in the state.

EVALUATION OF REQUIREMENTS

Proposals shall be prepared in accordance with the instructions in Section L. All Offerors must clearly demonstrate their ability to meet all requirements specified in this solicitation. Failure to furnish full and complete information that demonstrates the Offeror’s ability to satisfy the requirements may cause an offer to be considered technically unacceptable.

Awards may be made to multiple contractors whose proposals are deemed technically acceptable and most advantageous to the government. The government will evaluate the proposals for the following factors. Non cost factors are approximately equal to each other in their importance. All non-cost evaluation factors are when combined, approximately equal to price. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the proposals.

Factor 1 Technical Proposal Volume I Factor 2 Business Proposal Volume II Factor 3 Price Proposal Volume III

M.7 TECHNICAL FACTORS

The evaluation process includes an assessment of the Offeror’s strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies and risks in addressing the Government’s requirements as specified in this solicitation. Technical proposals that do not provide the specified information in the required location in accordance with the proposal submission instructions may be downgraded. Furthermore, proposals that are generic, vague, or lacking in detail, may be downgraded. Material omissions may cause the technical proposal to be rejected as unacceptable.

BUSINESS FACTORS

The evaluation process includes an assessment of the offeror’s exceptions or deviations taken or conditional assumptions made with respect to the offeror’s proposal versus the offeror’s representations, certifications and other statements of offers (Section K of this solicitation), and the requirements of Section C, clauses, provisions, or terms or conditions of this solicitation.

EVALUATION OF PRICE

Price proposals for services and option features offered will be evaluated for price reasonableness for the Government requirements as stated in Section B, inclusive of option years. GSA will determine whether the Offeror’s pricing information reflects a clear understanding of the requirements, and if the offered prices are consistent with the technical solution being proposed in the technical proposal. The Contracting Officer will determine the fair and reasonableness of price proposals.

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The full text of the incorporated FAR and GSAR clauses are provided below:

52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Aug 2019)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Covered foreign country means The People’s Republic of China.

Covered telecommunications equipment or services means-

(1) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(2) For the purpose of public safety, security of Government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(3) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment; or

(4) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.

Critical technology means-

(1) Defense articles or defense services included on the United States Munitions List set forth in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations under subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations;

(2) Items included on the Commerce Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations under subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, and controlled— (i) Pursuant to multilateral regimes, including for reasons relating to national security, chemical and biological weapons proliferation, nuclear nonproliferation, or missile technology; or (ii) For reasons relating to regional stability or surreptitious listening;

(3) Specially designed and prepared nuclear equipment, parts and components, materials, software, and technology covered by part 810 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to assistance to foreign atomic energy activities);

(4) Nuclear facilities, equipment, and material covered by part 110 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to export and import of nuclear equipment and material);

(5) Select agents and toxins covered by part 331 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, part 121 of title 9 of such Code, or part 73 of title 42 of such Code; or

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(6) Emerging and foundational technologies controlled pursuant to section 1758 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4817).

Substantial or essential component means any component necessary for the proper function or performance of a piece of equipment, system, or service.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. The Contractor is prohibited from providing to the Government any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, unless an exception at paragraph (c) of this clause applies or the covered telecommunication equipment or services are covered by a waiver described in Federal Acquisition Regulation 4.2104.

(c) Exceptions. This clause does not prohibit contractors from providing—

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(d) Reporting requirement.

(1) In the event the Contractor identifies covered telecommunications equipment or services used as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, during contract performance, or the Contractor is notified of such by a subcontractor at any tier or by any other source, the Contractor shall report the information in paragraph (d)(2) of this clause to the Contracting Officer, unless elsewhere in this contract are established procedures for reporting the information; in the case of the Department of Defense, the Contractor shall report to the website at https://dibnet.dod.mil. For indefinite delivery contracts, the Contractor shall report to the Contracting Officer for the indefinite delivery contract and the Contracting Officer(s) for any affected order or, in the case of the Department of Defense, identify both the indefinite delivery contract and any affected orders in the report provided at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

(2) The Contractor shall report the following information pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this clause:

(i) Within one business day from the date of such identification or notification: the contract number; the order number(s), if applicable;

supplier name; supplier unique entity identifier (if known); supplier Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code (if known);

brand; model number (original equipment manufacturer number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number); item description;

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and any readily available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended.

(ii) Within 10 business days of submitting the information in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this clause: any further available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended. In addition, the Contractor shall describe the efforts it undertook to prevent use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services, and any additional efforts that will be incorporated to prevent future use or submission of covered telecommunications equipment or services.

(e) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (e), in all subcontracts and other contractual instruments, including subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial items.

(End of clause)

552.204-70 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Aug 2019)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause- “Covered telecommunications equipment or services”, “Critical technology”, and “Substantial or essential component” have the meanings provided in FAR 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Contractors are not prohibited from providing-

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Representation. The Offeror or Contractor represents that it [ ] will or [ ] will not [Contractor to complete and submit to the Contracting Officer] provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract, order, or other contractual instrument resulting from this contract. This representation shall be provided as part of the proposal and resubmitted on an annual basis from the date of award.

(d) Disclosures. If the Offeror or Contractor has responded affirmatively to the representation in paragraph (c) of this clause, the Offeror or Contractor shall provide the following additional information to the Contracting Officer—

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(1) All covered telecommunications equipment and services offered or provided (include brand; model number, such as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable);

(2) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph

(b) of this provision;

(3) For services, the entity providing the covered telecommunications services (include entity name, unique entity identifier, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, if known); and

(4) For equipment, the entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known).

(End of clause)

552-219 PREPARATION, SUBMISSION, AND NEGOTIATION OF SUBCONTRACTING

PLANS (SEP 1999)

(a) An offeror, other than a small business concern, submitting an offer that exceeds

$500,000 ($1,000,000 for construction) shall submit a subcontracting plan with its initial offer. The subcontracting plan will be negotiated concurrently with price and any required technical and management proposals, unless the offeror submits a previously approved commercial product plan.

(b) Maximum practicable utilization of small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors is a matter of national interest with both social and economic benefits. The General Services Administration (GSA) expects that an offeror's subcontracting plan will reflect a commitment to assuring that small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns are provided the maximum practicable opportunity, consistent with efficient contract performance, to participate as subcontractors in the performance of the resulting contract. An offeror submitting a commercial products plan can reflect this commitment through subcontracting opportunities it provides that relate to the offeror's production generally; i.e., for both its commercial and Government business.

(c) GSA believes that this potential contract provides significant opportunities for the use of small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors. Consequently, in addressing the eleven elements described at FAR 52.219-9(d) of the clause in this contract entitled Small Business Subcontracting Plan, the offeror shall:

(1) Demonstrate that its subcontracting plan represents a creative and innovative program for involving small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns in performing the contract.

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(2) Include a description of the offeror's subcontracting strategies used in any previous contracts, significant achievements, and how this plan will build upon those earlier achievements.

(3) Demonstrate through its plan that it understands the small business subcontracting program's objectives and GSA's expectations, and it is committed to taking those actions necessary to meet these goals or objectives.

(d) In determining the acceptability of any subcontracting plan, the Contracting Officer will take each of the following actions:

(1) Review the plan to verify that the offeror demonstrates an understanding of the small business subcontracting program's objectives and GSA's expectations with respect to the program and has included all the information, goals, and assurances required by FAR 52.219-9.

(2) Consider previous goals and achievements of contractors in the same industry.

(3) Consider information and potential sources obtained from agencies administering national and local preference programs and other advocacy groups in evaluating whether the goals stated in the plan adequately reflect the anticipated potential for subcontracting to small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns.

(4) Review the offeror's description of its strategies, historical performance and significant achievements in placing subcontracts for the same or similar products or services with small, HUB Zone small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns. The offeror’s description can apply to commercial as well as previous Government contracts.

(e) Failure to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan and/or correct deficiencies in a plan within the time specified by the Contracting Officer shall make the offeror ineligible for award.

(End of provision)

52.204-6 DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBER. (OCT

2003)

(a) The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation “DUNS” or “DUNS+4” followed by the DUNS number or “DUNS+4” that identifies the offeror’s name and address exactly as stated in the offer. The DUNS number is a nine-digit number assigned by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc.

The DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional CCR records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see Subpart 32.11) for the same parent concern.

(b) If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun and Bradstreet directly to obtain one.

(1) An offeror may obtain a DUNS number-

(i) If located within the United States, by calling Dun and Bradstreet at 1-

866-705-5711 or via the Internet at http://www.dnb.com; or

(ii) If located outside the United States, by contacting the local Dun and

Bradstreet office.

(2) The offeror should be prepared to provide the following information:

(i) Company legal business name.

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(ii) Tradestyle, doing business, or other name by which your entity is commonly recognized.

(iii) Company physical street address, city, state and Zip Code.

(iv) Company mailing address, city, state and Zip Code (if separate from physical).

(v) Company telephone number.

(vi) Date the company was started.

(vii) Number of employees at your location.

(viii) Chief executive officer/key manager.

(ix) Line of business (industry).

(x) Company Headquarters name and address (reporting relationship within your entity).

(End of provision)

END OF Request for Proposal