673rd ABW CSO.pdf

673d AIR BASE WING (ABW) INNOVATION PITCH DAY Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

FA5000-22-S-C001

9 February 2022

SECTION A: Introduction

The 673d Air Base Wing located in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska is conducting a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) authorized by section 879 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 (Pub. L. 114-328). Under a CSO, the government may competitively award proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), to acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, and services, based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject-matter expert peers within the Air Force.

The government intends to obtain “innovative” solutions or potential new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technological advancements. Solutions may include existing technologies or procedures that are not currently in use by the 673 ABW that would enhance or streamline mission capabilities. In addition, the government is seeking “innovative” solutions to area of interest identified in this advertisement, see “673 ABW Areas of Interest” below. The government reserves the right to negotiate and select, all, part of, or none of the solutions presented during this Pitch Day event.

“Innovative” is defined as any technology, process or method that is new as of the date of submission. It also includes any new application of an existing technology, process, or method.

This CSO contains broadly defined areas of interest and interest in more specific requirements. While these areas of interest are geared toward meeting 673 ABW requirements, the Government reserves the right to award contracts from this CSO to meet Air Force requirements outside of the JBER area with similar areas of interest and mission requirements.

The government will utilize a closed, two-step CSO evaluation process.

• In step 1, offerors must submit a pitch deck. Complete submission requirements are outlined below in “Instructions for Submissions.” The evaluation will use three factors: technical, importance to agency programs, and funds availability. Once the initial evaluations are complete, all offerors will be notified as to whether they will or will not be invited to pitch their submission at the 673 ABW Innovation Pitch Day event.

• In step 2, offerors that are invited will receive and invitation to make a live pitch to the panel members during Pitch Day, tentatively scheduled for 27-28 April 2022 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Offerors will pitch their innovation/solution in accordance with “Pitch Day Presentation” guidance, provided below, to government evaluation teams and will be notified if they were selected for an award upon completion of all presentations.

The government intends to pay eligible contract awards on Pitch Day with a Government Purchase Card (GPC); which is a Government credit card. Offerors are required to accept a credit card as a payment method to be eligible for same day award. The government must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award. The government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the submissions; and may elect to fund only part of a submission under this CSO.

Submissions shall be valid through 30 September 2022, to allow for the possibility of awards after Pitch Day.

NOTE: During any step of CSO, the government may send questions or comments for the offerors to address via email.

Any questions or concerns can be addressed via e-mail to 673CONS.CCQ.PitchDay@us.af.mil.

SECTION B: Instructions for Submissions

The following section outlines the submission requirements. It also includes timelines for submissions and information about the Pitch Day.

The government is conducting this CSO as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. The government intends to evaluate the small business status of each offeror based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) of the proposed solution.

All contract awards from this solicitation will be firm-fixed price IAW FAR Part 12, but reserves the right to award agreements, if deemed in its best interest. All supplies or services procured via this CSO are treated as commercial. Based on available funding, the government is targeting solutions priced less than $150,000 for the purpose of same day award with the GPC IAW FAR 13.301(c)(3). However, the Air Force will still evaluate proposed solutions priced up to $150,000. The government must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award.

Proposal Contents Proposal Volume/Section Requirements/Limitations

COVER LETTER

Must Include:

i. Area of Interest for which proposed solution is submitted

ii. Proposed Team Member Names

iii. Proposed Solution “Validity” Date

iv. Authorized Offeror Representative or

Point of contact(s)

v. An overview of the company, as it relates to the Area of Interest under which the proposed solution is submitted

vi. CAGE Code, UEI

vii. Screen shot from SAM.gov

Maximum 2 pages (does not include screenshot)

Offerors shall include a screenshot from SAM.gov as validation of your correct CAGE code, Unique Entity Id (UEI) and current business address along with the verification that you are registered to compete for All Contracts.

VOLUME 1 – TECHNICAL

See “Technical Volume” requirements below.

White paper shall not exceed 5 pages

Pitch/Slide deck shall not exceed 15 slides

VOLUME II – PRICE No page Limit.

mailto:673CONS.CCQ.PitchDay@us.af.mil

Must Include:

i. Proposed price(s)

ii. Delivery or Period of Performance

Flexible quantities or pricing options should be provided to maximize the Air Force’s ability to award with available funding.

Any awards for supplies will be delivered F.O.B.

Destination.

**NOTE: Submitted documents shall not contain classified data or sensitive information. Each page containing any proprietary information shall be clearly marked in red bold letters in the following manner: “Proprietary Information” **

All proposed solution documents must include the titled of the area of interest on which the offeror is proposing a solution, and use the following naming convention:

• Proposed Solution – AOI 001 – Slide Deck <Company Name>

• Proposed Solution – AOI 001 – Price <Company Name>

All documents shall be converted to file extensions that enable them to be opened using the most recent versions of Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Office.

Technical Volume The technical volume shall include a white paper and a pitch/slide deck. The technical volume will be reviewed holistically and there is no set format requirements for the two documents. It is recommended (but not required) that more detailed information is included in the technical volume and higher level information is included in the pitch deck.

The technical volume shall address how the proposed solution is innovative and the feasibility of the solution solving the unit’s challenge(s), including examples demonstrating possible application of the proposed innovation. It shall include the location and mechanisms of accomplishing the planned approach. The methods to achieve each objective or task should be discussed in detail.

Technology Concept and Company Capability Offerors shall provide the following information in sufficient detail to allow the Government to make an assessment of their capability to support the proposed solution.

● Offerors shall describe the unique aspects of their proposed solution as it “relates” to the Area of Interest.

● The pitch shall not repeat the Areas of Interest/Topics or contain the contents of the white paper pasted into slides, but rather provide convincing evidence that the proposed solution will meet the Government’s need.

The following examples of convincing evidence are strongly encouraged –

(a) Authentic company URL or web address.

Note: The Government may elect to use the information provided as part of its continuous market research. However, the government is not obligated to use the URL or web address as part of its evaluation process to determine the Selectee or Awardee.

(b) Summary of product commercialization currently used in the open market.

(c) Pictures, diagrams, models or figures to depict the essence of the proposed solution.

Price Volume Submissions shall include a priced quotation sheet, with all unique line items individually priced. This sheet may be sent as a separate attachment.

Offerors shall define the scope of the deliverables and sustainment support per CLIN in their price quotation sheet based on their proposed solution for a topic. The number of CLINs, the total price per CLIN and the exact delivery sates/period of performances per CLIN shall be provide. The CLIN structure below serves as a guide for providing the aforementioned information.

CLIN Description Qty (Lot)

Total Price Contract Type

Delivery Date/Period of Performance

0001 Deliverables 1 TBP FFP To Be Proposed (TBP) by Offeror

Pitch Day Presentations Offerors that are selected for step 2 will receive an invitation to make a live pitch to the 673 ABW evaluation panel during a Pitch Day held in person, or via Zoom (as agreed to by the government) tentatively scheduled for 27-28 April 2022, location to be announced at time of invitation.

Presentations will be conducted utilizing the schedule provided at time of invitation with only 30 minutes for each presenter. Following the final presentation, a caucus will occur, which will allow the government to collaborate and establish questions, followed by a 20 minute Q&A session between each offeror and the government. Upon completion of all Pitch Day presentations, offerors will be notified of the government’s award decision.

SAM Registration & Business Support

It is critical that offerors are registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov/, prior to the submission due date. Offerors will not be eligible for an award if not registered in SAM. Additionally, offerors shall verify they are registered to receive contracts (not just grants) and the address matched the proposed solution and SAM.

• The government is moving quickly, Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) codes and UEI’s in SAM must match data submitted in proposals. Submissions with incorrect data will be deemed ineligible for award.

The Alaska Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) office will be hosting a free SAM Registration Webinar on Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 2:00 PM AST. Interested parties must be registered by 3:00 PM AST one day prior to the scheduled webinar at the following link:

https://akptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/6247. A recording of this training will be made available on 18 February 2022 on the PTAC website listed below.

Additionally, Alaska PTAC is available to support businesses with SAM registration as well as understanding the solicitation requirements once released. There are five full time counselors available to provide one on one assistance Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Alaska businesses may reach them at 907-786-7258 or by e-mailing info@ptacalaska.org. Their website is https://ptacalaska.org/. Companies https://www.sam.gov/ https://akptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/6247 mailto:info@ptacalaska.org not headquartered in Alaska may refer to their local state PTAC, however they are more than welcome to attend any of the trainings.

In order to be considered for award, offerors will need to be considered responsible in accordance with FAR Part 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors, have a satisfactory performance record, and otherwise be eligible for award based on federal law and regulation.

Ask Me Anything (AMA)

Due to the amount of expected interest in this CSO, and in order to maintain a written record of questions, the government will not be answering individual questions through e-mail, except in rare cases. Instead, vendors shall submit all questions, solicitation clarifications, or possible amendments to 673CONS.CCQ.PitchDay@us.af.mil no later than 9:00 AM AST on 22 February 2022.

To avoid confusion, the subject line of the email shall include the following (depending on the section of the solicitation or Area of Interest)

• AMA – Area of Interest

• AMA – Solicitation Section (A, B, C, and D)

The live “Ask Me Anything” teleconference will be held via Zoom on 25 February 2022 at 10:00 AM AST. To receive an invitation link, please register at https://akptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/6256.

Registration must be completed by 24 February 2022 at 1:00 PM AST to participate.

A video of the “Ask Me Anything” Session with all of the questions and answers addressed during the event will be available, for all interested parties, after the session.

Proposal Submission Completed submissions are to be submitted via email to 673CONS.CCQ.PitchDay@us.af.mil on or before 12:00 PM AST on 11 March 2022 in order to be evaluated for the pitch day. A hardcopy will not be accepted. Submissions received after the date and time listed above, will be considered late and will not be evaluated. Please ensure that your Point of Contact information listed in your submission is current and accurate.

Submissions shall include a slide presentation, accessible on a government computer, which should not exceed 15 slides and 5 pages for the White Papers. The government will evaluate a maximum of 15 slides, all additional slides will not be evaluated. There are no set format requirements for the presentation. Submissions will only be shared with the federal government personnel who are a part of the evaluation team.

All submissions received will be evaluated based on three factors: technical, importance to agency programs, and funds availability.

Upon completion of submission evaluations, all offerors will be notified in writing whether or not they will be invited to pitch their submissions to the government. The government will contact each invited offeror to set up the date and time for their Pitch Day presentation.

mailto:673CONS.CCQ.PitchDay@us.af.mil https://akptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/6256

SECTION C: Procedures and Criteria for Selecting Solutions

673 ABW will utilize a two-step evaluation process. In step 1, offerors submit a cover letter, white paper and a pitch deck. In step 2, offerors will make a live pitch to the evaluation panel members.

After receipt of step 1, the government will conduct an evaluation based on three factors: technical, importance to agency programs, and funds availability.

• The technical factor will assess how innovative the solution is (as defined in this announcement) and the feasibility of the solution solving the unit’s challenges.

• The importance to agency programs factor will assess the solution’s potential to enhance the mission effectiveness of the unit.

• The funds availability factor will assess the availability of funding to purchase the solution at Pitch Day.

Price shall be considered to the extent appropriate, but at a minimum, to determine that the price is fair and reasonable. The Air Force must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award using the procedures at DFARS subpart 212.209. The contracting officer will use market research as the primary method to determine the price fair and reasonable. In rare circumstances, the contracting officer may request information from the offeror regarding recent purchase prices paid by the Government and/or commercial customers for the same or similar commercial items.

At the conclusion of step 1 and based on the results of the evaluations, the government will select offerors to participate in step 2, a Pitch Day. All offerors will be notified as to whether they will be invited to pitch their proposal at a Pitch Day event.

Offerors that are selected for step 2 will receive an invitation to make a live pitch to the 673 ABW team.

Offerors will pitch their solution to evaluators and notified if they were selected for an award upon completion of all presentations. The evaluation criteria for step 2 is the same as step 1: technical, importance to agency programs, and funds availability.

During any step of the CSO, the government may send questions or comments for the offerors to address via email or during Pitch Day. The government reserves the right to award to an offeror if it is unable to pitch due to unexpected circumstances or circumstances beyond its control.

The Government may elect to use external market research in the evaluation of the technical and price of the proposal.

SECTION D: 673 ABW Areas of Interest

The government has established four Areas of Interest that we are looking for industry to provide solutions to. If you provide a submission in response to one or more of the listed Areas of Interest, please make sure to include the Area of Interest numbers your submissions are associated with. Note that the Areas of Interest are listed in no particular order of importance.

AOI 001: Resiliency Assessment Matrix

OBJECTIVE: The 673rd Medical Group (MDG) needs further development of an application or an IT solution to compile and generate data reports from their current beta-tested application. This communication tool will 1) allow front-line supervisors to communicate the resiliency of their Airmen and families, 2) provide data to helping agencies to better target support services for individuals/units and

3) give command teams a snapshot of their unit’s stress level and coping skills.

673 MDG is seeking innovative solutions that the submittal firm substantiates a present ability to:

1. Provide an easy to use application

2. Collect data for reports

3. Exclude the use Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

4. Provide easy to manage report tools

5. Tailor reports to different levels of leadership

6. Generate aesthetically pleasing data reports

7. Must be easily used across a spectrum of digital devices

Current efforts involve collecting and capturing data through the use of a beta tested user application, established with Google forms. Captured data is then manually recorded into Excel for trends and presented through PowerPoint slides. The shortfall is the beta tested user application aggregated report requires intensive workload to yield a useful product. For further details, see Attachment 1 – Resiliency Assessment Matrix.

AOI 002: Automated Scheduler

OBJECTIVE: The 673rd Security Forces Squadron (SFS) needs an interactive automated appointment scheduling system with notification capabilities for job related appointments, personal appointments, vacation periods, and work schedule/shift changes in any given quarter for up to or greater than 450 individuals.

673 SFS is seeking innovative solutions that the submittal firm substantiates a present ability to:

1. Provide a system that is accessible across a spectrum of digital devices and public networks.

2. Support scheduling and notification capabilities to personal devices

3. Support individual’s access to input their leave, shift changes, personal appointments, etc.

4. Provide reminder notifications to members for upcoming appointments

5. Communicate with Air Force Network (AFNET)/ Non-secure Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) networks

Current efforts involve physical printed schedules and emailed notifications to secured networks.

AOI 003: Heating

OBJECTIVE: The 673rd Security Forces Squadron (SFS) needs a sustainable Arctic-stable heating solution for individuals required to operate for prolonged periods in sub-zero environments.

673 SFS is seeking innovative solutions that the submittal firm substantiates a present ability to:

1. Provide prolonged heat for individuals operating in sub-zero environments

2. Solutions shall not contain infrastructure radiant heat

Current efforts involve the continuous use of Val-6 heaters that require multiple refueling each day, extensive monthly maintenance, and damaged or destroyed personal protective equipment, boots, and uniform garments due to excessive heat production.

AOI 004: Comprehensive Marketing

OBJECTIVE: The 673rd Force Support Squadron (FSS) needs a centralized tool to efficiently connect diverse audiences and relay relevant information simultaneously through various social media platforms.

673 FSS is seeking innovative solutions that the submittal firm substantiates a present ability to:

1. Communicate and distribute information, at a minimum, through the following platforms:

a. Facebook

b. Instagram

c. Flickr

d. SnapChat

e. YouTube

f. JBERLife Website

g. JBER Connect App

2. Adopt evolving marketing and social trends

3. Communicate with Air Force Network (AFNET)/ Non-secure Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) networks

Current efforts requires time and resources to create/update information for multiple platforms, which includes 37 individual social media accounts on one platform alone. Additionally, as social media trends change, Marketing is required to create new platforms and further duplicate info or risk missing key audiences. Due to this, many audiences can fall through the cracks and not be informed of the programs and events that can help them stay resilient.

NOTE: The Area of Interest/Topic listed above is subject to change at any time during this procurement process. This Area of Interest/Topic may be added/revised on a weekly basis. An Amendment will be issued when such a change occurs. Offerors are encouraged to review all the Amendments to this solicitation prior to submitting a proposed solution

SECTION D: Attachments

Attachment 1 – Resiliency Assessment Matrix

Attachment 2 – Supply Clauses

Attachment 3 – Service Clauses