Amendment 0001 6913G621R200004.pdf

(x)

6913G621R200004 x x copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

6913G6

Cambridge MA 02142-1001 55 Broadway

VOLPE NAT'L TRANSPORTATION SYS CNTR

03/19/20210001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

02/25/2021

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1) Provide the MITS Pre-Proposal Webinar Slides (attached separately).

2) Provide the MITS Pre-Proposal Webinar Attendance List (attached separately).

3) Provide updates to Solicitation Sections L.4.4, L.5.1, L.5.2, L.5.3, L.6.2, L.7.2, M.2.2, and M.4. All updates are provided in red font within the full text of the updated

Sections to aid the reader in identifying changes.

4) Provide responses to questions received.

Please acknowledge receipt of this amendment with the submission of your proposal. All other terms and conditions of the Solicitation remain unchanged.

Continued ...

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

JEFFREY WELCH

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

2 30

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

6913G621R200004/0001

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

NSN 7540-01-152-8067 OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

Mission Information Technology Support Services Solicitation 6913G621R200004

Amendment 0001

L.4.4 INQUIRIES

Any questions, clarification requests, or other inquiries pertaining to the solicitation must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET on Thursday, April 8, 2021. Any questions received after this date will be answered only if determined by the CO to be in the best interest of the Government.

All written inquiries must be submitted by email to Jeffrey.P.Welch@dot.gov and must include the solicitation number (6913G621R200004) in the subject line. Inquiries that pertain to a specific area of the solicitation must identify the section and paragraph to which the inquiry pertains. Inquiries should include no attachments of promotional materials, advisories, commentaries, Federal Register announcements, and the like, NO ORAL INQUIRIES WILL BE ANSWERED. No questions, clarification requests or other inquiries of any nature or form may be directed to technical personnel.

Any additions, deletions, or changes to this solicitation will be made in the form of a written amendment to the solicitation. Each amendment will be identified by number and receipt thereof must be acknowledged by the Offeror. Consistent with the issuance of the solicitation, amendments will be posted on the BETA SAM website (https://beta.sam.gov/). Prospective Offerors are advised that, unless this solicitation is amended in writing, it will remain unchanged.

L.5.1 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

VOLUME I – COST AND BUSINESS PROPOSAL

This volume shall be submitted with the following three clearly labeled sections:

Section 1: Solicitation Documents This section shall include the Offeror’s completed and signed Standard Form (SF) 33 (page 1 of the solicitation); acknowledgement of any amendments to the solicitation; and Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors (see Section K of the solicitation) in accordance with the instructions provided in Section L.

Section 2: Information Other than Certified Cost and Pricing Data This section shall include the Offeror’s signed Proposal Cover Sheet, the completed Master Cost and Business Proposal Checklist and Schedules, and information other than certified cost and pricing data in accordance with the instructions provided in Section L.

Section 3: Business Proposal This section shall include the Offeror’s Cost Control Plan, Subcontract Consent Information and Documentation, Subcontracting Plan (for other than small business concern), Conflict of Interest Statement, Identification of Subcontracted Effort, and Master Contract Cost/Business Proposal Checklist.

VOLUME II – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

This volume shall be submitted with the following four clearly labeled sections:

Section 1 – Technical Understanding and Approach mailto:Jeffrey.P.Welch@dot.gov https://beta.sam.gov/

Section 2 – Staffing and Management Approach

Section 3 - Transition

Section 4 – Contractor Past Performance

VOLUME III – ORAL PRESENTATION SLIDES

This volume shall be submitted with the following three clearly labeled sections:

Section 2 – Staffing and Management Approach

Section 3 – Transition

L.5.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1) Proposals are due no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday April 21, 2021.

2) Proposals shall be submitted electronically to the following email address:

Jeffrey.P.Welch@dot.gov

Receipt of your electronic submittal will be acknowledged via return email. If you do not receive an acknowledgement you are advised, before the due date and time for proposals, to call the CO at 617-494-3552 as firewall protections may block emails and/or strip attachments.

3) Each volume of the proposal shall be submitted as a separate document (Microsoft Office 2016 compatible format). Offerors shall ensure that their subcontractors also follow the proposal submission instructions.

4) Prices and dollar values shall be stated only in the Cost and Business Proposal (Volume I) and shall be omitted from the Technical Proposal (Volume II) and Oral Presentation Slides (Volume

III).

L.5.3 PROPOSAL FORMAT

This section specifies the format in which proposals shall be prepared. The intent is to ensure a certain degree of uniformity in the format of proposals to facilitate proposal evaluation.

1. Page Size, Margins, and Text

The Offeror’s Cost and Business Proposal (Volume I) shall be submitted using the Attachment J.6 Master Contract Cost And Business Proposal Schedules (Microsoft Excel 2016 format) and narratives shall be submitted in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The Offeror’s Technical Proposal (Volume II) shall be submitted in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The proposal pages shall be standard 8.5 x 11-inch and in portrait orientation. The proposal pages shall be consecutively numbered. Each page must have a one-inch margin at the top, bottom, and on each side. Page numbers, notations of proprietary information, and any other identifying information printed on each page are excluded from the margin requirement. Text font must be no smaller than 11 point and average no more than 14 characters per inch and 6 lines per inch (reduction is not permitted). Exceptions to these restrictions are text included on figures, charts, and/or matrices, which may be reduced to 8 point.

Failure to furnish complete information in the format requested may cause an Offeror to receive a low rating or to be determined unacceptable.

2. Page Limits

The maximum number of pages that may be submitted for each volume is as follows:

Volume I: Cost and Business Proposal: No page limit.

Volume II: Written Technical Proposal:

The Offerors response to this section is limited to 20 total pages, numbered 1-20. (double-sided).

Section 2 – Staffing and Management Approach The Offerors response to this section exclusive of resumes is limited to 20 total pages, numbered 1-20(double-sided). Resumes are limited to 2 total pages, numbered 1-2, (double-sided) per resume. Letters of Intent and staffing matrix are also excluded from the page count.

Section 3 – Transition (First Task Order) The proposed transition approach and plan is limited to 8 total pages, numbered 1-8. (double-sided) for the Transition plan and 2 total pages, numbered 1-2, (double-sided) for the Transition Manager resume.

Section 4 – Contractor Past Performance The total page limit for the list of five most relevant contracts, covering prime contractor and subcontractors is 10 total pages, numbered 1-10 (double-sided). This page limit includes information on the problems encountered on the contracts and corrective action(s) taken (if any).

There is no page limit for past performance reports or for any information submitted by the Offeror to demonstrate that it has made its best efforts to ensure that references provide past performance reports to the Volpe Center.

3. Volumes

Each volume must include a cover page. The cover page shall not count against the proposal page limitations and must include the following information:

a) Solicitation number: 6913G621R200004

b) Proposal title and volume number (i.e., Cost and Business (Volume I) or Technical Proposal

(Volume II))

c) Offeror’s name and mailing address

Each volume must also contain a title page, which shall not count against the proposal page limitations.

The title page must include the following information:

a) Solicitation number: 6913G621R200004

b) Proposal title and volume number

c) Offeror’s name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address

d) Authorized signatures (the title page for each volume shall be signed by an official authorized to bind the Offeror)

L.6.2 COST AND BUSINESS PROPOSAL CONTENT

The Offeror’s Cost and Business Proposal (Volume I) shall consist of the following three sections:

SECTION 1 – SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

In this section, the Offeror shall submit the following information:

• Completed and signed Standard Form (SF) 33 (page 1 of the solicitation);

• Acknowledgement of any amendments to the solicitation; and

• Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors (see Section K of the solicitation).

The Offeror shall complete and sign the SF 33 (page 1 of the solicitation) including acknowledgment of any amendments. Information provided in the SF 33 (DUNS, address, TIN, etc.) must be that of the Offeror’s business segment submitting the proposal. The Offeror must also complete the Representation, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors in accordance with Section K of the solicitation.

SECTION 2 – INFORMATION OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST AND PRICING DATA

In this section, the Offeror shall submit the following information:

• Signed Proposal Cover Sheet o Section J Attachment J.4, Master Contract Cost Proposal Cover Sheet

• Completed Cost and Business Proposal o Completed Master Contract Cost and Business Proposal Checklist in Section J Attachment J.5 o Completed Master Contract Cost and Business Proposal Schedules in Section J Attachment J.6

• Information other than certified cost and pricing data (as set forth below).

The Offeror shall submit the signed proposal cover sheet, checklist, schedules, and information other than certified cost and pricing data as described below. Summary data shall be placed on the proposal cover sheet and the information provided in Section J Attachment J.6 Schedules will support the data submitted.

Refer to subparagraph b. below regarding subcontractor completion of the schedules. The checklist and schedules may be modified to accommodate the Offeror’s indirect rate structure. Offerors may modify the schedules (font size, portrait orientation, etc.) provided the requested information is furnished in a similar format. The Offeror is responsible for all calculations in the schedules. The Offeror should ensure consistency between the Technical Proposal and the Cost and Business Proposal.

All costs, rates, factors, assumptions, and calculations must be shown and supporting rationale and documentation must be included. The Offeror must provide a narrative that addresses each cost element and methodology.

a. Performance Period

Contract

The following performance periods shall be used for the purpose of preparing the Cost and Business Proposal, Contract Period 1 begins after the 60 calendar-day transition:

Contract Period 1 Contract Period 2 Contract Period 3 Contract Period 4

(10/1/2021 – 9/30/2022) (10/1/2022 – 9/30/2023) (10/1/2023 – 9/30/2024) (10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025)

b. Subcontracts

It is the Government’s expectation that the successful Offeror, with its subcontractors, will begin transition under the first Task Order immediately after award and move to full task order performance in accordance with the above performance periods. If subcontract consent is not possible at time of award, an Offeror may face performance risk and, therefore, may jeopardize its award. The Offeror should be mindful of this as it selects its subcontracting team, assembles its Cost and Business Proposal, and reviews the subcontract packages. It is the responsibility of the Prime Offeror to review and evaluate subcontract proposals and accompanying data and furnish the results of such review to the Government as part of the cost submission, regardless of whether the details are provided to the Prime Offeror or separately to the Government. The Prime Offeror’s review should be as detailed as the information provided by the subcontractor directly to the Prime Offeror.

It is expected that subcontracts will be either Firm Fixed Price, Time-and-Material (T&M) or cost-type subcontracts. Small dollar value “consultant type” subcontracts may be T&M. Larger dollar value subcontracts should be cost type unless the subcontractor’s accounting system has not been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as DCAA or DCMA) and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract. Prime Offerors should follow the guidance in FAR Part 16. For example, those Prime Offerors contemplating T&M subcontracts shall follow the procedures specified in FAR Subpart 16.6.

A subcontractor’s accounting system must have been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract before consent may be given for a cost-type subcontract. The Government will obtain accounting system reviews for cost-type subcontractors after task order award, but those reviews may take a minimum of 120 days. In the interim, the CO may consent to a T&M subcontract until the acceptability of the accounting system can be established. The Offeror must address all aspects of anticipated subcontract consent. Offerors should consider what type of consent each subcontractor is eligible for when establishing subcontracting teams. If a subcontractor’s accounting system has been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract, the subcontractor’s proposal must include a CPFF-type subcontract.

Cost-type subcontractors, regardless of the subcontract value, must follow the same proposal preparation instructions, complete the Cost and Business Proposal cover sheet, checklist, and cost schedules, and meet the same requirements for the Cost and Business Proposal as the Prime

Contractor except for those sections that clearly have no applicability to a subcontractor. Cost-type subcontractors are NOT required to complete Section J, Attachment J.6 Schedules 4, 5, 8, and 9.

Cost-type subcontracts shall be adequately documented to facilitate the Government’s complete and meaningful review. If the subcontractor’s accounting system has not been reviewed by a Government audit agency and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement-type contract, the cost-type subcontractor should describe its accounting system characteristics and state what actions it has taken to ensure the system will be recommended for approval by the CO when audited by a Government audit agency.

T&M subcontractors, regardless of the subcontract value, must follow the same proposal preparation instructions, complete the Cost and Business Proposal cover sheet, checklist, and cost schedules, and meet the same requirements for the Cost and Business Proposal as the Prime Contractor except for those sections that clearly have no applicability to a subcontractor. T&M subcontractors are NOT required to complete Section J, Attachment J.6 Schedules 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and

10. Section J, Attachment J.6 Schedule 5 only applies to and shall be completed by T&M subcontractors. Labor categories in Schedule 5 should be added, removed, and/or replaced as necessary. Offers shall identify how many hours will be allocated to T&M subcontracts using Schedule 5. Schedule 5 labor rates shall be fully burdened to include all indirect rates and profit/fee.

Indirect rates and profit/fee shall not be duplicated on Schedule 2. Any subcontract exceeding $2 million requires certified cost or pricing data in accordance with FAR 14.403.4. Proposals shall include the appropriate cost or price analysis to establish the reasonableness of the subcontract prices in accordance with FAR 15.404-3.

Consent for subcontracts of this type may be given based on either cost build-up or the commerciality of the billing rates. For consent based on cost build-up, details of each cost element must be provided (i.e., direct labor, overhead, General and Administrative (G&A, profit)). Each cost element should be supported and explained. The application of a reasonable profit rate is expected. Include a signed statement that the offered rate is the “most favored customer rate” or explain why the most favored customer rate was not provided.

For consent based on commerciality of the billing rates, the Offeror must provide information and statistical data demonstrating the use of the billing rates in substantial quantities under like circumstances to the non-Government public. It is the Offeror’s and/or the subcontractor’s responsibility to convince the Government that the subcontractor’s billing rates are commercial rates.

Include a signed statement that the offered rate is the “most favored customer rate” or explain why the most favored customer rate was not provided. The Offeror must include rates for all performance years and justify any escalation to out years.

Subcontracting Plan

In accordance with FAR 52.219-9, Offerors that are not small business concerns shall submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. The plan must be submitted in accordance with FAR Part 19 and must comply with FAR 19.704. The Offeror shall show the subcontractor’s business size and the percentage and type of workload estimated to be subcontracted out. All cost and technical information must be included in the appropriate sections of the Offeror’s proposal in addition to the submission of the Subcontracting Plan. The Government has established the following goals for this procurement:

Subcontract Awards Percent of Dollars Awarded Awards to Small Businesses 30.07% Awards to Small Disadvantaged Businesses 5%

Awards to Women-Owned Businesses 5% Awards to HUBZone Businesses 3% Awards to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses 3%

The Contractor must agree in the contract that small businesses concerns will have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance.

These goals are not intended to be mandatory, but an Offeror is encouraged to keep these goals in mind when developing its Subcontracting Plan. Please note that these goals must be proposed as a percentage of total dollars being subcontracted. A business may count toward more than one of the goals shown above. For example, a small disadvantaged business owned by women may count toward three of the five goals.

Offerors shall describe their plan or efforts undertaken to utilize Small Disadvantaged Businesses.

Offerors shall also explain their rationale as to why the percentage being utilized is appropriate for their company.

c. Staffing

Administrative labor must be estimated by each Offeror and subcontractor because different accounting practices will impact the hours required. The types of labor activities and the rationale for the estimate must be included. The Offeror shall ensure that estimates for administrative functions such as contract administration, subcontract administration, clerical activity, work status reporting, financial reporting, and project reporting are included in its proposal if direct recovery is anticipated.

Administrative labor that is not described and priced in the Cost and Business Proposal will not be billable during task order performance without prior CO approval.

The Offeror must provide documentation if it proposes personnel who are not its employees;

otherwise, its proposal may be assigned higher risk. This information must be consistent with the staffing approach described in the Technical Proposal. If a significant percentage of the incumbent’s staff is expected to be retained, the Offeror should describe how those employees will be integrated.

For individuals for whom resumes are provided as part of the Offeror’s staff, signed Letters of Intent are required for each individual currently not employed by the company under which such individual is proposed. The signed Letters of Intent must include the salary at which the individual has agreed to be hired should the Offeror be selected for award. The signed Letters of Intent should be included in the Cost and Business Proposal. Similar Letters of Intent, excluding salary information, are required as part of the Technical Proposal.

The Government’s current best estimate of direct labor hours, by labor category, required to perform the work is provided in the tables below. For proposal purposes, the Offeror shall use the Government estimates for labor hours by labor category (See Section J Attachment J.6 Schedules 3 and 4). The Government anticipates most task orders to be CPFF, however FFP and T&M/LH task orders may also be issued. For proposal purposes, the Government has set aside an estimated 10% of the total LOE for T&M/LH type task orders. Prime offerors shall propose fixed hourly rates (See FAR Provision 52.216-29) using Schedule 4 that will be used for the issuance of T&M/LH task orders during the ordering period of the contract. The 10% LOE estimate for T&M/LH is only an estimate and the Government may order more or less than 10% of the total LOE as T&M/LH. Schedule 3 is for CPFF cost information and Schedule 5 is for subcontractor T&M/LH cost information. Hours within each labor category may be reallocated between Schedules 3 and 5 if T&M/LH subcontractors are proposed, however, the total amount of labor hours in each labor category shall NOT change. The hours in Schedule 4 shall NOT be reallocated to a different schedule and shall NOT change.

CPFF and T&M/LH Subcontractor Labor Hours (Section J Attachment J.6 Schedules 3 and 5)

Labor Category Contract Period 1

(10/1/2021 – 9/30/2022)

Contract Period 2 (10/1/2022 – 9/30/2023)

Contract Period 3 (10/1/2023 – 9/30/2024)

Contract Period 4 (10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025)

Contract Program Manager

1,692 1,692 1,692 1,692

Financial Manager 1,692 1,692 1,692 1,692 Human Resource Manager

1,692 1,692 1,692 1,692

Project Manager 16,200 12,600 13,500 13,950 Subject Matter Expert

16,200 12,600 13,950 13,950

Senior General Engineer

27,000 22,500 24,300 24,750

Mid-Level General Engineer

22,500 18,000 20,250 20,250

Junior General Engineer

13,500 11,250 13,500 13,950

Senior IT Engineer

23,400 20,250 21,150 22,050

Mid-Level IT Engineer

18,900 16,650 18,900 18,900

Junior IT Engineer 9,000 7,650 9,000 9,495 Senior Application Developer

21,600 18,450 19,800 20,250

Mid-Level Application Developer

15,750 14,850 15,300 16,200

Junior Application Developer

9,450 7,200 7,650 7,650

Senior Analyst 25,200 21,600 22,950 23,895 Mid-Level Analyst

22,500 18,000 20,250 20,250

Junior Analyst 13,500 9,900 11,250 11,250 Senior Technician 2,779 2,779 2,779 2,779 Mid-Level Technician

1,818 1,818 1,818 1,818

Junior Technician 1,350 1,350 1,350 1,350 Total Level of Effort

265,723 222,523 242,773 247,813

Prime Offeror T&M/LH Labor Hours (Section J Attachment J.6 Schedule 4)

Labor Category Contract Period 1

(10/1/2021 – 9/30/2022)

Contract Period 2 (10/1/2022 – 9/30/2023)

Contract Period 3 (10/1/2023 – 9/30/2024)

Contract Period 4 (10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025)

Contract Program Manager

188 188 188 188

Financial Manager 188 188 188 188 Human Resource Manager

188 188 188 188

Project Manager 1,800 1,400 1,500 1,550 Subject Matter Expert

1,800 1,400 1,550 1,550

Senior General Engineer

3,000 2,500 2,700 2,750

Mid-Level General Engineer

2,500 2,000 2,250 2,250

Junior General Engineer

1,500 1,250 1,500 1,550

Senior IT Engineer

2,600 2,250 2,350 2,450

Mid-Level IT Engineer

2,100 1,850 2,100 2,100

Junior IT Engineer 1,000 850 1,000 1,055 Senior Application Developer

2,400 2,050 2,200 2,250

Mid-Level Application Developer

1,750 1,650 1,700 1,800

Junior Application Developer

1,050 800 850 850

Senior Analyst 2,800 2,400 2,550 2,655 Mid-Level Analyst

2,500 2,000 2,250 2,250

Junior Analyst 1,500 1,100 1,250 1,250 Senior Technician 309 309 309 309 Mid-Level Technician

202 202 202 202

Junior Technician 150 150 150 150 Total Level of Effort

29,525 24,725 26,975 27,535

d. Direct Labor

The Offeror must clearly show all calculations used to compute the proposed direct labor rates and provide the basis and rationale for the labor rates proposed (e.g., company-wide bidding rates, current salary data for named individuals, survey data, or anticipated new hires, etc.). Labor rates that are not fully and convincingly presented and explained may be considered a risk and the Government’s determination in probable cost could be adjusted through cost realism. In addition, the Offeror must show how company labor categories are mapped to the solicitation labor categories, explain the approach, and show how the labor category definitions and personnel qualifications provided in Section J Attachment J.2, relate to the company labor categories. Development of the labor cost should be clearly presented and must be consistent with the staffing approach described in the Technical Proposal. Labor rates shall be proposed using Section J Attachment J.6.

e. Labor Escalation

The Offeror must escalate current payroll data to the performance periods identified in Section L, L.6.2, Section 2 paragraph (a), and show all calculations. The recommended escalation factor for all years is 2.25 percent. An Offeror that elects to use any other factor must provide the rationale for the factor.

f. Indirect Rates

The Offeror shall include all indirect rates that it maintains in its accounting records that may be used during performance of the contract. The Offeror shall state the basis of the proposed rates (e.g., current fiscal year projection, last fiscal year actuals adjusted for known business changes, etc.) and shall indicate the allocation base for each rate. The Offeror shall use continuation sheets for additional rates if necessary. Offerors should ensure that the rates are thoroughly explained and supported. Offerors shall also complete the indirect rates and allocation bases schedule located in Section J Attachment J.6 Schedule 6.

The Offeror shall identify indirect rates that a Government audit agency has recommended for forward pricing and shall state the basis of the proposed rate (e.g., previous year’s actuals, current fiscal year-to-date, business plan, etc.). The Offeror shall provide at least two years of historical rate information, rationale and other factors used to develop the proposed indirect rates. In addition, the Offeror shall provide actual expense pool amounts, allocation bases, and rates (projected or historical) that have been submitted to the Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) in its overhead rate proposal for establishing final indirect rates, even if not yet audited. The Offeror shall provide actual expense pool amounts and allocation bases for all performance periods and the two years of history for these amounts.

The Offeror shall identify any indirect rates that are either being created to satisfy this requirement or are being used exclusively for this requirement.

The Offeror shall provide a copy of its most recent correspondence with the applicable Government audit agency. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure that the aggregate of information provided in its proposal, along with available Government audit agency input, demonstrates to the Government that the indirect rates are reliable and present no undue cost risk.

g. Cost of Money

If Cost of Money is proposed in accordance with FAR 31.205-10, the Offeror shall provide supporting documentation and calculations.

h. Other Direct Costs (ODC)

For purposes of proposal preparation, the Government distinguishes between two types of ODCs:

• Request for Proposal (RFP)-stipulated ODCs: costs that are consistent among Offerors and/or would be difficult for Offerors to estimate; and

• Offeror-estimated ODCs: costs that are a function of each Offeror’s (and subcontractor’s) accounting practices and vary from Offeror to Offeror.

RFP-stipulated ODCs: Offerors should include the amounts shown below for travel, and other incidental expenses when approved by the Government. ODCs should be burdened in accordance with established practice as shown on the completed Section J Attachment J.6 Schedules.

Offerors shall include the following amounts in their Cost and Business Proposal (See Section J Attachment J.6 Schedule 2):

RFP-stipulated ODCs

Offeror-estimated ODCs: Each Offeror must provide an estimate of its Offeror-estimated ODCs that it anticipates invoicing directly during contract performance. The Offeror must clearly identify the different types of costs that may be direct costs in accordance with its established accounting practice, the amount for each cost, and the basis of the cost estimate. The Offeror is discouraged from using “miscellaneous” to categorize ODCs but may do so provided the nature of the cost is identified and the amount is relatively insignificant.

During task order performance, only those costs identified by the Offeror in its proposal shall be billable (note that billable ODCs will be identified in the Master Contract). The amounts billable will be limited to the amounts proposed by task order performance period. ODCs that are not identified in the Offeror’s proposal must be approved by the CO before they are incurred and billed to the Government.

i. Uncompensated Overtime

All Offerors must state clearly whether or not uncompensated overtime is included in the proposal. If uncompensated overtime is used in this proposal, the Offeror must have an accounting system to record all hours worked. The Offeror must show how it is incorporated into the proposal and its cost impact. The Offeror must provide an explanation of its cost accounting treatment of uncompensated overtime and a copy of the policy. Uncompensated overtime will be evaluated in accordance with

FAR 52.237-10.

j. Compensation for Professional Employees

FAR 52.222-46, “Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees” (FEB 1993) is incorporated by reference. Offerors must provide the information on compensation and fringe benefits required by the provision for evaluation by the Government.

Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Total $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $400,000

k. Fixed Fee

The Offeror’s proposal must contain the necessary fixed-fee factors for inclusion in the resultant contract and CPFF task orders. The Offeror shall propose an appropriate rate of fixed fee depending on the risk associated with a CPFF contractual arrangement, the amount of work being subcontracted, and the nature of the work in the task order (See Section J Attachment J.6 Schedule 7).

The proposed fixed fee for subsequent task orders cannot exceed the amount/percentage that will be identified in Section H.14.

l. Bid and Proposal Costs

Bid and proposal costs for task order proposal preparation will not be reimbursed as direct costs.

Funding for bid and proposal costs will not be provided to unsuccessful Offerors.

m. Accounting System

In accordance with FAR Subpart 16.306 (c), the Government cannot award a cost-type contract unless the limitations in FAR Subpart 16.301-3 are met. One of the limitations cited is that the Contractor’s accounting system must be adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract or order. Therefore, no cost type contract or task order award will be made under this solicitation to a Prime Offeror whose accounting system has not been reviewed and determined adequate for determining costs under a cost-reimbursement contract. Additionally, the Volpe Center cannot approve a cost reimbursement type subcontract to a proposed subcontractor whose accounting system has not been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) and determined adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement-type contract (see subparagraph b, above). If no cost-reimbursement type subcontracts are to be awarded, the Offeror shall state so. If cost-reimbursement type subcontracts are to be awarded, the Offeror shall provide the necessary information from subcontractors.

As the Government intends to make award without discussions, an Offeror must know the status of its subcontractors’ accounting systems. The Offeror must describe how it will accommodate the inclusion of a subcontractor that does not have an accounting system that has been reviewed by a Government audit agency and determined to be acceptable without the involvement of the Volpe Center.

On the Cost Proposal Cover Sheet (Section J, Attachment J.4), the Offeror must indicate whether the Offeror’s (i.e., the Prime and the subcontractor) accounting system has been (1) audited and determined acceptable; (2) audited and determined not acceptable; (3) is currently under review; or (4) never audited. The Offeror shall identify the Government audit agency that audited the accounting system and provide the corresponding audit report that describes the scope of the audit as well as all conclusions, findings, and recommendations of the Government audit agency or the Offeror’s cognizant ACO as they relate to the adequacy of the accounting system for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract. The Offeror shall provide a statement that the accounting system has or has not changed since being reviewed. If the accounting system has changed, certification from the Government audit agency shall be provided indicating that the changes have not impacted the adequacy of the accounting system.

If the Offeror’s accounting system has not yet been reviewed by a Government audit agency but the Offeror anticipates its accounting system will be reviewed by a Government audit agency and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract prior to the concurrent award of the corresponding master contract, the Offeror must select “currently under review” in the Accounting System block on the Cost Proposal Cover Sheet (Section J, Attachment J.4) and must explain these circumstances in its proposal.

SECTION 3 – BUSINESS PROPOSAL

The Business Proposal shall include the following information:

Contract Cost Control Plan

Describe the system and method used to track and control costs at the task order level, including cost incurred by subcontractors. Explain how potential cost overruns would be identified. Discuss accountability within your organization for tracking and controlling costs.

Subcontract Consent

All Offerors must comply with the consent requirements of FAR clause number 52.244-2 and 52.244-4.

The Government will review proposals to ensure that applicable parts of FAR 44.202-2 have been addressed by the Offeror. Since the Government intends to award without discussions, the initial submission must be fully documented.

Offerors are reminded that the successful Offeror, not the Government, will have a contract with any proposed subcontractor(s). The Offeror has the duty to document the reasonableness of the cost/price and to justify the placement of the subcontract even when information from a subcontractor is proprietary and must be submitted directly to the Government. It is the Prime’s duty to ensure that submissions to be made directly to the Government by any proposed subcontractor are, in fact, made and include required information. It is primarily the Offeror’s duty and not the Government’s to ensure that the proposed fee under each subcontract is reasonable and does not exceed statutory limits. Other issues, such as unapproved accounting systems and indirect rates that are significantly lower or higher than rates approved for past years, must be resolved by the Offeror prior to the submission date for proposals. If ceilings on the indirect rates of a subcontractor are required, the Offeror must address this issue prior to the proposal submission date.

Offerors will have to use their best judgment in allocating labor hours between the Prime and its various subcontractors for evaluation purposes. The percentage of involvement of each firm should be based on the Offeror’s judgment as to how much each firm will be needed in order to cover the requirements of the SOW and in order to meet the Subcontracting Plan goals if applicable. This allocation of hours will be evaluated under both the Technical and Cost and Business Proposals.

If a subcontractor’s accounting system has been determined adequate by a cognizant audit agency, usually the DCAA, the subcontractor’s proposal must be submitted as a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee type subcontract.

Information required for subcontract consent must be submitted as part of the Cost and Business Proposal. However, the Offeror may refer to information in its Cost and Business Proposal, if necessary, and will not need to repeat any review or analysis. Subcontractor(s) that fail to adequately document their proposal may not be approved at the time of contract award.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

Offerors shall submit a conflict of interest disclosure statement as described in Section H.3.

Identification of Subcontracted Effort (Limitations on Pass-Through Charges)

In accordance with FAR Provision 52.215-22:

Identify in your proposal the total cost of the work to be performed by the Offeror, and the total cost of the work to be performed by each subcontractor, under the Contract.

L.7.2. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL CONTENT

The Offeror’s Technical Proposal (Volume II) shall consist of the following four sections:

SECTION 1 – FACTOR 1 – TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING AND APPROACH

The Offeror shall provide its technical understanding and approach for the requirements outlined in the SOW; in particular, advanced technical skills and expertise in transportation system analysis, systems engineering, information technology, integration, research, and analysis applicable to transportation systems projects as it relates to the five task areas identified in Section C, as demonstrated by the effectiveness of the Offeror’s written response. The five task areas are:

• Technology Assessments and Modernization

• System Analysis, Development, Deployment, Field Support, and Analytical Research

Analysis

• System Architectures and Framework

• Lab Facility and Operations Support

• MITS Management and Administrative Support Services

SECTION 2 – FACTOR 2 – STAFFING AND MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The Offeror shall provide the approach for its management and administration team, structure, and their roles and responsibilities to perform the requirements identified in Section C of the solicitation.

Specifically the Offeror’s staffing and management approach for the contract, task orders, and financial and administrative management to achieve technical excellence on Volpe Center projects through high quality, on time, and within budget deliverables; capability to recruit, employ, and maintain appropriately skilled resources, the Offeror’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan to ensure corrective actions are taken when necessary; its approach to managing and forming project teams to satisfy technical requirements as task orders arise; and its approach to project management.

The Offeror’s staffing plan will include LOE of the Prime Contractor, proposed subcontractors, and individuals for accomplishing the contract requirements, including the Offeror;s organizational matrix chart mapping functions identified in the SOW tospecific management staff and lines of commuincation.

The Offeror shall provide resumes for Key Personnel. The Offerors will be evaluated based on the depth and breadth of the proposed Key Personnel in terms of management and technical expertise, experience, and education relevant to performing the requirements of the contract.

NOTE FOR FACTOR 2, THE FOLLOWING SHALL APPLY:

The Offeror’s resume submission must be accompanied by a commitment/resume validity letter for all proposed resumes. At a minimum, the resume must include a statement regarding the veracity of the information provided in the resume by the individual, with signature and date. The letter must include commitment from the individual to perform the work (as required) for the duration of the base period of performance, as established in the SOW. Each letter must be individually signed and dated by the proposed person.

SECTION 3 – FACTOR 3 – TRANSITION (First Task Order)

In this section the Offeror shall provide a Transition Plan that includes the following:

• Resume of the Proposed Transition Manager;

• Approach to meet the requirements described in Section C.4 of the SOW;

• Understanding of current workload, status of ongoing projects, and milestones;

• Management organization, authorities, and lines of reporting during the transition from the incumbent contractor to the successor;

• Approach for coordination with the Volpe Center;

• Description of the transition tasks to be performed;

• Communication strategy with key stakeholders (e.g., incumbent contractor management and staff, and key Government personnel);

• Transition Schedule that identifies the estimated 50 tasks orders to be performed efficiently, accurately, and in a timely manner; and

• Risk mitigation during the execution of sub tasks including minimizing disruption to ongoing tasks, plan for mitigating any potential project disruptions, and staffing plan, if necessary, including retention of percentage of incumbent staff for continuity.

SECTION 4 – FACTOR 4 – CONTRACTOR PAST PERFORMANCE

The Offeror shall submit its past performance information for both the Offeror and each of its major proposed subcontractors that individually represent over 20 percent of the estimated LOE.

Each Offeror will be evaluated on its performance under existing and prior contracts for similar products or services. Performance information will be used both for responsibility determinations and as an evaluation factor. References other than those provided by the Offeror may be contacted by the Government and the information received may be used in the evaluation of the Offeror’s past performance.

The Offeror must provide a list of the five most relevant contracts that it and/or its major proposed subcontractors that represent over 20 percent of the hours in the Cost and Business Proposal are currently performing or have completed for the Federal Government within the past 3 years with a value over $1,000,000. The list should include the involvement of the proposed Key Personnel. Although past performance information from Federal Government sources is desirable, the agency encourages past performance information from any source, including those from State and Local Governments. The Offeror must select the five contracts that it considers the most relevant in demonstrating its ability to perform the proposed effort. The Government will accept past performance for contracts with a value less than $1,000,000 if the Offeror considers the contracts relevant in demonstrating its ability to perform the proposed effort. If the list includes Federal Government contracts in which the Offeror served as a subcontractor, it is the Offeror’s responsibility to obtain all information regarding the Offeror’s performance.

If the Offeror can demonstrate that including information on its five most relevant contracts with the Federal Government over $1,000,000 would create an undue burden on the Offeror, then the list may be reduced to reflect contracts for which data is readily available. The Offeror must describe in its proposal what types of contracts were excluded and what process was utilized to ensure that the most relevant contracts with the Federal Government over $1,000,000 relevant to the SOW were included.

The Offeror’s list of five most relevant contracts must include the following information for each contract:

1. Name and address of customer

2. Contract number

3. Contract type

4. Total contract value

5. Description of contract work

6. CO’s address, telephone number and email address

7. ACO’s address, telephone number and email address (if different from item 6)

8. COR’s address, telephone number and email address

9. List of major subcontractors

10. Assessment of relevance to requirements identified in this solicitation.

11. Whether any final or interim contract past performance report was or has been issued by the contracting agency. Copies of the final or most current past performance report must be submitted for the most relevant contracts as cited by the Offeror. Copies of reports on other than these contracts considered most relevant by the Offeror should not be submitted as part of the proposal but may be obtained by the Government if the Government considers the contracts relevant.

In submitting relevant past performance information, Offerors may include information on problems encountered on the five identified contracts and the Offeror’s corrective actions. The Offeror may include information regarding predecessor companies, proposed personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements such that information is relevant to this acquisition. In the case of a relatively new firm (i.e., established within the last 18 months), the Offeror may submit past performance information for contracts on which its corporate management has performed to supplement any past performance information for the firm itself; this shall be specifically noted in the proposal submission.

The Offeror is responsible for making all reasonable efforts to ensure that a completed evaluation report is provided for each of the five cited contracts by no later than the due date for receipt of proposals. If the contracting activity has completed a contractor evaluation report and provided a copy to the Offeror, particularly those completed in accordance with Subpart 42.15 of the FAR, a copy of this report is sufficient. The Volpe Center uses the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) as its primary method for entering past performance information. The Volpe Center can obtain completed past performance evaluations via CPARS. However, the Offeror is responsible for making all reasonable efforts to ensure that copies of the performance evaluation reports (including those found in CPARS) are provided directly to the Volpe Center CO by the appropriate contracting activity's responding official by no later than the due date for receipt of proposals. If the contracting activity has not developed its own past performance evaluation report form, please refer that contracting activity to the Contractor Performance Report format found at the CPARS website. This format, including the associated numeric ratings and criteria, should be used to submit the required past performance http://www.cpars.gov/ information for the proposal.