Amendment 0002 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

04/02/20210002

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 updates to Solicitation Sections B.5, L.6.2, and Attachment J.6. All updates are provided in red font within the full text of the updated Sections to aid the reader in identifying changes. Changes from previous amendments remain as red font in this amendment.

A new Attachment J.6 is attached separately.

2) 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.

Period of Performance: 08/01/2022 to 09/30/2025

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 .

Mission Information Technology Support Services Solicitation 6913G621R200004

Amendment 0002

B.5 LEVEL OF EFFORT – IDIQ

The total level of effort (LOE), not including transition, estimated to be ordered during the term of this contract is shown in the table below:

Note: The LOE hours identified below shall be used by the Offeror for the purpose of preparing the MITS Request for Proposal (RFP) response. Refer to Section L for proposal preparation instructions.

Labor Category Contract Ordering Period 1

(10/1/2021 – 9/30/2022)

Contract Ordering Period 2

(10/1/2022 – 9/30/2023)

Contract Ordering Period 3

(10/1/2023 – 9/30/2024)

Contract Ordering Period 4

(10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025)

Total

Contract Program Manager

1,880 1,880 1,880 1,880 7,520

Contract Manager 1,880 1,880 1,880 1,880 7,520 Financial Manager 1,880 1,880 1,880 1,880 7,520 Human Resource Manager

1,880 1,880 1,880 1,880 7,520

Project Manager 18,000 14,000 15,000 15,500 62,500 Subject Matter Expert

18,000 14,000 15,500 15,500 63,000

Senior General Engineer

30,000 25,000 27,000 27,500 109,500

Mid-Level General Engineer

25,000 20,000 22,500 22,500 90,000

Junior General Engineer

15,000 12,500 15,000 15,500 58,000

Senior IT Engineer 26,000 22,500 23,500 24,500 96,500 Mid-Level IT Engineer

21,000 18,500 21,000 21,000 81,500

Junior IT Engineer 10,000 8,500 10,000 10,550 39,050 Senior Application Developer

24,000 20,500 22,000 22,500 89,000

Mid-Level Application Developer

17,500 16,500 17,000 18,000 69,000

Junior Application Developer

10,500 8,000 8,500 8,500 35,500

Senior Analyst 28,000 24,000 25,500 26,550 104,050 Mid-Level Analyst 25,000 20,000 22,500 22,500 90,000 Junior Analyst 15,000 11,000 12,500 12,500 51,000 Senior Technician 3,088 3,088 3,088 3,088 12,352 Mid-Level Technician

2,020 2,020 2,020 2,020 8,080

Junior Technician 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 6,000 Total Level of Effort

297,128 249,128 271,628 277,228 1,095,112

Amendment 0002

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

Amendment 0002 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

Contract 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

267,415 224,215 244,465 249,505

Amendment 0002

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

Contract 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

29,713 24,913 27,163 27,723

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

Amendment 0002 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.

k. Fixed Fee

The Offeror’s proposal must contain the necessary fixed-fee factors for inclusion in the resultant

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

Amendment 0002

MITS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

RECEIVED AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

SOLICITATION 6913G621R200004

RFP Section Question Government Response

20. Attachment J.2 –

LABOR CATEGORY

DEFINITIONS AND

PERSONNEL

QUALIFICATIONS -

MITS Labor Category Qualifications Summary Table (pages 155 and 156)

B.5 LEVEL OF

EFFORT – IDIQ

(pages 8 - 9)

The RFP labor category definitions include a labor category for a “Contract(s) Manager” with duties that are critical to management of the master IDIQ and all Task Orders. However, the LOE table in Sec. B.5 and the pricing schedules in Attachment J.6 do not provide any hours for offerors to price for this important management position. Many offerors’ disclosure statements will require them to bid this function as a direct charge to the contract, creating a significant financial disadvantage for those offerors who cannot charge this contract-specific function to overhead.

Would the Government add hours to the LOE tables in B.6 and Attachment J.6 for the Contract(s) Manager labor category?

Yes, solicitation section B.5 and Attachment J.6 are updated to include LOE for the Contract Manager.

Offerors shall use the updated Attachment J.6, titled “Attachment J.6 MITS Schedules Amendment 2”, for their proposal submission.

21. E.2 –

GOVERNMENT

REVIEW AND

ACCEPTANCE (page 25)

(1) Would the Government please clarify the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) instructions.

Specifically, are offerors required to submit a QASP at time of proposal submission

(1) Yes, offerors are required to submit a QASP at the time of proposal submission. The QASP shall be submitted as part of the offeror’s Technical Proposal, Factor 2 Staffing and Management Approach.

L.7.2 TECHNICAL

PROPOSAL

CONTENT,

SECTION 2,

FACTOR 2

STAFFING AND

MANAGEMENT

APPROACH (page 131)

M.2.2 FACTORS

FOR EVALUATION,

FACTOR 2

STAFFING AND

MANAGEMENT

APPROACH (page 137) and if so, in which section of the response?

(2) If a QASP is required to be submitted at time of proposal submission, what is the Government’s preferred format? Should the QASP include a narrative (i.e., Introduction, Roles/Responsibilities, Methodologies, Analysis, Performance Objective Summary Matrix, etc.) or is it acceptable for offerors to provide a Performance Summary Matrix that details the task/deliverable, performance standard, method of surveillance, and acceptable quality level

(AQL)?

(3) If a QASP is required to be submitted at time of proposal submission, would the Government provide instruction on which section the QASP should be included, the format desired, and whether additional page count will be allowed.

(2) The solicitation does not provide specific details for how the QASP should be structured other than Section E.2 which states, “The proposed QASP will identify quality acceptable levels that will form the basis of the inspection and acceptance criteria.”

Offerors shall present the QASP in a format they feel best represents their approach.

(3) The QASP shall be submitted as part of each offeror’s Technical Proposal, Factor 2 Staffing and Management Approach. Additional pages are not granted for the QASP.

22. L.5.3 The proposal instructions language reads "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)."

Yes, Times New Roman or Arial 11 point font, single spaced, meets the requirement.

Are we correct that 11 point Times New Roman or Arial Font, single spaced would meet this requirement? Or is it necessary to adjust our settings to a more exact spacing?

23. H.15 The government states that In accordance with FAR Subpart

16.306 (c), a Prime Contractor is not eligible unless its accounting system is Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) approved.

a. Does this requirement flow down to all team members as well?

b. Will the government sponsor an audit by DCAA for approval to be issued?

c. Will DoT accept a “Compliant” accounting system as determined by an independent 3rd party, but has not been audited by DCAA / DCMA yet?

a. The Government assumes “team members” means subcontractors. As stated in H.15, “consent will not be given for a CPFF subcontract unless that particular subcontractor’s accounting system has been reviewed by a Government audit agency and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract.” A subcontractor without an accounting system reviewed by a Government audit agency is still eligible for other contract types, such as firm fixed price or time and materials.

b. The government has the option to request an audit if the awardee does not have an accounting system that has been reviewed by a Government audit agency.

c. No, the solicitation requires the accounting system review to be conducted by a Federal Government Audit Agency.

24. H.27 and L.5.1 The government references a SB Subcontracting Plan, and under L.5.1 indicates a “Subcontracting Plan (for other than small business concern) is also required.

a. If the Prime is a SB, will the subcontracting plan only

Small business prime offerors are exempt from submitting a small business subcontracting plan. Only large business prime offerors are required to submit a small business subcontracting plan.

have to include “other than small business”?

b. Will a Subcontracting Plan be required regardless of the Primes Size Standard (large or SB)?

25. Section 2 b.

Subcontracting on

The government references the SB Subcontracting Plan Goals, and states that these are not mandatory, but the Offeror is encouraged to keep these goals.

a. Does this apply to Primes regardless of their Size Standard (Large or SB)?

b. Will this be scored in the written or oral response in any way for award?

a. Small business prime offerors are exempt from submitting a small business subcontracting plan. Only large business prime offerors are required to submit a small business subcontracting plan.

b. The small business subcontracting plan will be evaluated as part of the Cost and Business Proposal.

26. General Will the government share how many awards the government intends to issue through the MITS contract?

Is the government estimating awarding any specific number of contracts to SB (HUBZone or 8(a))?

MITS will result in a single award.

This means one award to one contractor.

27. General When does the government estimate to issue awards?

MITS will result in a single award.

This means one award to one contractor. The government hopes to issue an award around the beginning of August 2021 to allow for the up to 60 calendar day transition.

28. General Throughout the RFP it requests to provide a level of effort including organization structure and key personnel.

This does not seem appropriate at a master IDIQ

The MITS solicitation is not identical to SOFITS.

The solicitation includes labor categories and labor hours that offerors are required to use in developing level and more appropriate for a response to a, yet to be seen, TORFP. Since work will be issued by Task Orders AFTER the master contract is awarded it would be very hard to provide the information required. L.6.2, Paragraph c. is asking for administrative staff, resumes, signed letters of intent etc.

without seeing the task orders. Traditionally, IDIQ contracts require labor categories with rates including how you arrived at those rates, then at the task order level a more detailed proposal specific to that task is developed with a technical understanding, staffing with mapping of positions and proposed rates to the rates contained in the master contract and if there is any difference it is explained at the task level. Volpe had a number of contracts like that and GSA has OASIS, HCaTS and VETS 2 that follow that process. For SOFITS a detailed proposal was requested for the first task order which was awarded concurrently with the contract. When comparing the instructions to the SOFITS RFP it appears that the sections requesting price proposal for the first task were deleted, but the instructions remained. This is confusing and should be addressed throughout the

RFP.

proposals. Cost and pricing information will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation. The level of effort requested as part of Technical Proposal Factor 2 Staffing and Management Approach instructs offerors to provide the level of effort breakout between the prime offeror and its teaming partners/subcontractors.

29. K.2 It is respectfully requested that the Government add an additional NAICS Code to the subject MITS Solicitation. It is requested that one of the following NAICS codes be added to this Solicitation because these NAICS Codes were, and continue to be utilized by the Volpe Center in solicitations and contracts for similar services which preceded MITS. For example, "Similar services are currently being provided under SOFITS" (from Slide 7 of the MITS Pre-Proposal Webinar).

These NAICS Codes are 541519, "Other Computer Related Services'', which was utilized for V-TRIPS as well as for both of the SOFITS Solicitations, or 541512, "Computer Systems Design Services", which was utilized for the TRIPS Solicitation.

Aside from the fact that these NAICS Codes were successfully utilized in solicitations and contracts for similar services as the MITS Solicitation, we believe that these NAICS Codes directly map to the scope of work of the MITS Solicitation, which is predominantly for Information Technology Services. Furthermore, adding an additional Information Technology related NAICS Code such as 541519 may attract additional bidders on the MITS requirement, hence, The MITS Solicitation is not identical to the SOFITS (FY 2015) and VTRIPS (FY 2010) procurements. The work has changed. The MITS Solicitation work is predominately engineering services.

Slide 7 of the MITS Pre-Proposal Webinar statement regarding similarities between MITS and SOFITS recognized some SOFITS work will be in MITS. However, the SOFITS work is less. For example, SOFITS had a labor category for “IT Senior Engineer” estimating 528,215 hours for the term of the 5-year contract (i.e., 105,643 hours per year) vs MITS with the same labor category estimating 96,500 hours for the term of the 4-year (i.e., averaging 24,125 hours per year). The SOFITS IT work is reduced in MITS.

Every solicitation must contain only one North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and only one corresponding size standard. This single NAICS code is the code that best describes the principal purpose of the product or service being acquired.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that is most appropriate for this acquisition is 541330 Engineering Services. The MITS NAICS code is a change from SOFITS NAICS code and is a better description of better describes the principal purpose of the services being acquired under MITS, specifically technical and engineering services involving applied information technology (IT) in support of transportation mission system projects.

increase the probability of a best value award.

The Government does not anticipate much computer system design services (NAICS code 541512) that was used in

TRIPS (FY2006).

The Government considered other NAICS codes (541519 – Other Computer Related Services and 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services).

While these two NAICS codes cover portions of the MITS Statement of Work (SOW), neither of these NAICS codes cover the principal purpose of the services to be acquired under MITS. Though 541519 was selected for the SOFITS contracts, and the SOWs for SOFITS and MITS are similar, some IT requirements that were in the SOFITS SOW are not included in the MITS SOW. The MITS SOW has an increased need for systems engineering, integration support across modes, and Transportation systems expertise.

The NAICS code for MITS, 541330 Engineering Services, remains unchanged.