693JJ324Q000032.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ)

Issuing Office: United States Department of Transportation (US DOT)

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Acquisition & Grants Management (HCFA)

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590-0001

Agency Contact: Carolyn Lethert, Contracting Officer Email: Carolyn.Lethert@dot.gov Telephone: (202) 366-4250

Myla Wyatt, Contract Specialist

Email: Myla.Wyatt@dot.gov Telephone: (202) 366-4247

Solicitation Number: 693JJ24Q000032

Title: Build America Bureau (BAB) Market Demand Advisory Services

Solicitation Release Date: Friday May 24, 2024

Questions Due Date: 10:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) Friday, May 31, 2024

Phase 1 Quotation Due Date: 10:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) Monday, June 17, 2024

Phase 2 Quotation Due Date: Anticipated – Monday, July 8, 2024 mailto:Carolyn.Lethert@dot.gov mailto:Myla.Wyatt@dot.gov

PART 1

INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF QUOTATIONS

RFQ INFORMATION

This is an Open Market RFQ. The Government intends to award multiple award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts as a result of this solicitation. Resulting task orders (TO’s) may be firm-fixed price, time and materials (T&M) or Labor Hour (LH) or a combination of two (2) or more listed contract types. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and/or commercial services. This solicitation is prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12- Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services in conjunction with the policies and procedures for solicitation, evaluation, and award as prescribed in FAR Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP).

This solicitation is unrestricted and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services– with an industry size standard of $19 million. A responsible Quoter is one whose submission conforms to the solicitation and will be most advantageous to the Government. It is the contractor’s responsibility to be familiar with applicable clauses and provisions. FAR Provisions and Clauses may be viewed and/or downloaded from http://www.acquisition.gov/far.

All contractors must have a current active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.SAM.gov at the time of quote submission in order to be eligible to receive an award under this RFQ. This requirement includes that the contractor must complete all required representations and certifications in SAM.gov.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

IAW FAR Part 13.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services, this procurement will be competitive based on full and open competition, and Quoters are required to submit both written quotes/submissions and oral presentations. The Government will utilize the tradeoff process, which will include a phased-down select process to evaluate the totality of each Quoter’s responsive quote/submission. The first Phase of the evaluation (Phase 1) requires a written submission for Factor 1. After review of this Factor, Quoters will be advised if they are encouraged to proceed to the second Phase. This will be a non binding advisory notification and will not prohibit submitting in the second Phase. The second Phase (Phase 2) will consist of oral presentations for Factors 2 and 3 and written submissions for Factors 5 and 6. The evaluation factors are:

Factor 1-Team Expertise (written quote/submission) (must submit one (1) quote/submission per Sector) Factor 2-Staffing Approach (oral presentation) Factor 3-Technical Approach (oral presentation) Factor 4-Past Performance (no submission required but will be evaluated- see RFQ part 1, section 2.2) Factor 5-Small Business Subcontracting (written quote/proposal, only applicable to other than small businesses) Factor 6-Price (written quote/submission) http://www.acquisition.gov/far http://www.sam.gov/

Phase 1 will consist of Factor 1. Phase 2 will consist of Factors 2 through 6.

To establish which quotes/submissions represent the best value to the Government, a trade-off process of the evaluation results of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 non price factors and price will be conducted.

Clarity and completeness are of the utmost importance in quotes/submission. With the exception of responsibility determination and past performance evaluations, only material contained within the quote/submission will be considered in the source selection evaluation and selection process.

NOTE TO QUOTERS: The Government anticipates, but does not guarantee, to make an award by August 24, 2024. Quoters should note that there are different due dates for the different Phases of quotes/submissions for this requirement. Additional information on quote/submission evaluation, down-select, and evaluation factors can be found below.

NOTE TO QUOTERS: In 2018 to meet this requirement, the Government awarded IDIQ contracts to the six (6) companies/ firms below:

1. 693JJ319D300011, Cambridge Systematics

2. 693JJ319D300012, CDM Smith,

3. 693JJ319D300013, HDR Engineering

4. 693JJ319D300014, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL),

5. 693JJ319D300015, Louis Berger Group (WSP)

6. 693JJ319D300016, Resource Systems Group (RSG)

1.2 IDIQ SECTORS

The scope of this IDIQ spans the following Sectors (total of six (6)) :

Sector 1: Toll revenue forecasting;

Sector 2: Transit or passenger rail revenue forecasting;

Sector 3: Freight revenue forecasting;

Sector 4: Port revenue forecasting (bulk, container as well as special purpose terminals);

Sector 5: Real estate revenue forecasting (through sales, rentals or real estate taxes);

Sector 6: Airport revenue forecasting.

1.3 IDIQ MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNTS

This is a Multiple Award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract utilizing Firm- Fixed-Price (FFP), Time and Materials (TM), Labor Hour (LH), or a hybrid in accordance with FAR 16.500. This IDIQ is designed to address the Government’s need for a full range of nonpersonal service requirements which integrate multiple transportation finance sectors and provide economic consulting support services as broadly described in the Part 3, Statement of Work (SOW).

Task Orders (TOs) awarded under this contract will fall into one of the following two (2) categories:

(1) At Cost to the Government: “At Cost” TOs will be issued by the Federal Government and funded with Federal funds. The Federal Government will make payment to the Contractor for services rendered in accordance with the terms of the issued TO, the base contract award, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

(2) No Cost to the Government: “No Cost” TOs will be issued by the Federal Government with $0 funding (i.e., no Federal funds). The applicant for credit assistance (or its affiliate) will directly make payment to the Contractor for services rendered in accordance with the terms of the sponsor payment letter/agreement executed by the applicant (or its affiliate) and the Contractor.

The term of this IDIQ contract is five (5) years. TOs may be issued at any time during the base period. The performance periods will be specified in the TOs and may include option periods which extend the TO up to thirty-six (36) months beyond the expiration date of this contract.

During the term of the contract, the Government guarantees award of At Cost TOs totaling a minimum of $10,000 under this contract. The maximum amount of all At Cost TOs issued by the Government shall not exceed a ceiling of $3,750,000 in total cumulative value across all contracts awarded by the Government for the subject services. No minimum or maximum values are established for No Cost TOs.

1.4 EVALUATION PHASES

This RFQ provides for the evaluation of quote/submissions in phases. Omission of any information from the quote/submission requirements at any phase may result in a Quoter’s submission being deemed non-responsive and may result in the quote/submission being rejected. Following submission of quotes in Phase 1, Quoters will be notified if they are or are not encouraged to proceed to Phase 2.

This is an advisory notification and will not prohibit any Quoter that has submitted a responsive quote/submission during Phase 1 from proceeding to Phase 2. After the completion of Phase 2, the Government will select Quoters based on the evaluation criteria and basis of award specified below.

Below is a summary of Phases 1 and 2:

Phase 1: Factor 1 – Team Expertise. Evaluation of written submission. An advisory down select notification will be provided after this phase. As discussed below, the advisory down select will be conducted by Sector.

Phase 2: Factor 2 – Staffing Approach. Evaluation of oral presentation. Slides for oral presentation will be due with the Quoter’s Phase 2 submission.

Phase 2: Factor 3 - Technical Approach. Evaluation of oral presentation. Slides for oral presentation will be due with the Quoter’s Phase 2 submission.

Phase 2: Factor 4 – Past Performance. No submission required. This factor will consist of a review of Quoter’s Contractors Performance Assessment Records System (CPARS) records.

Phase 2: Factor 5 – Small Business Subcontracting. Evaluation of written submission. Small business subcontracting information is required from all Quoters that are other than small businesses.

Phase 2: Factor 6 – Price. Evaluation of written submission.

1.5 QUOTE/SUBMISSION FORMAT AND DUE DATES

Quotes/Submissions must be submitted in accordance with the page limits and due dates listed below.

1.5.1 Phase 1: Quote/Submission:

The Phase 1 quote/submission page limit is five (5) pages per Sector, not including the exceptions on page limits noted below. The Phase 1 quote/submission shall be submitted as an Adobe PDF file.

(a) Quotes/Submissions shall be formatted on an electronic 8½ x 11-inch page.

(b) A page is defined as one side of an 8 ½ by 11 inches.

(c) All text, including in tables and graphs, shall use a Times New Roman or Arial font, size no less than 11-point font. Footnotes, legends, or labels associated with tables or diagrams, and other information that is ancillary to the main text, may be presented in a font size no less than 10-point font, provided that any such smaller font is fully legible.

(d) Page margins (exclusive of headers and footers) shall be a minimum of 1-inch top, bottom and each side. Columns shall not be used.

(f) No specific requirements are provided for line spacing. Quoters shall use their best judgement to ensure quote/submission legibility.

(g) PAGE LIMITS: Quote/Submission volumes shall adhere to the page count limitations listed below. The page limit includes all narrative, figures, tables, appendices, and all other ancillary materials with the exception of following. EXCEPTIONS TO PAGE LIMITS: The following items do NOT count against the quote/submission page limitations. the

• Quote/Submission covers;

• Title pages;

• Blank Divider pages;

• Tables of contents;

• Lists of acronyms;

• Resumes (limited to one page each); and

• Letters of intent to participate from proposed subcontractors, consultants, partners, and proposed new hires. Letters of intent are limited to one page each.

1.5.2 Phase 2: Quote/Submission:

The Phase 2 quote/submission consists of slides for Factors 2 and 3, and a written submission for Factors 5 and 6.

The quote/submission for Factor 2 shall be submitted as Microsoft Power Point slides. Factor 2 is limited to three (3) slides. The quote/submission for Factor 3 shall be submitted as Microsoft Power Point slides. Factor 3 is limited to two (2) to twelve (12) slides, as described in part 1, section 1.5.4 below.

A cover slide may be included with the slides for each factor and does not count towards the page limits. Similarly, a table of contents slide, divider slides, and a thank you slide at the end of the presentation would not be subject to the page limit as long as they do not contain additional substantive presentation content.

Quoters may choose to include a slide introducing team members, but this is not required. If included, such a slide will count towards the page limit. Text on slides must be legible to the audience on Microsoft Teams. Slides must not include outside links or references.

No information is required to be submitted for Factor 4.

The quote/submission for Factors 5 and 6 shall be submitted in as an Adobe PDF File. There is no page limit for Factors 5 and 6. Quoters should follow the formatting requirements for Factor 1 for these sections. Additionally, the completed Labor Rate Chart, as described below, must also be submitted in Microsoft Excel.

1.5.3 Oral Presentation

Based on the result of the Government’s evaluation of Factor 1, Team Expertise, the Government will advise Quoters if their submission(s) are among the most highly rated quotes/submissions and are encouraged to submit submissions during Phase 2. Phase 2 includes oral presentations.

Oral presentations will be held via Microsoft Teams. Government anticipates holding oral presentations between July 9, 2024, and July 19, 2024. Dates are subject to change. The exact date and time will be coordinated with each respective Quoter.

Each oral presentation shall be made in accordance with the RFQ instructions. Oral presentations shall be no longer than thirty (30) minutes, plus an additional thirty (30) minutes for questions and answers (Q&A). If a Quoter is proposing for five (5) or six (6) sectors, an additional five (5) minutes will be allotted for its presentation, for a total of thirty-five (35) minutes for the initial presentation. There will up to a thirty (30) minute break between the oral presentation and the Q&A session to allow the Government to prepare questions. The Q&A session is intended for clarification of information presented during the quoters oral presentation only and/or included in the written quote/submission. In the event that the Government does not have questions it may elect not host a Q&A session.

Accordingly, oral presentations will be scheduled for ninety (90) minutes. It is anticipated that Quoters only applying for one (1) or two (2) Sectors will not need the entire presentation time.

Proposed Key Personnel and Bureau Team Members (as defined below) shall attend the Teams meeting and provide the presentation. The proposed Program Manager must attend the oral presentation. Up to six (6) Quoter representatives (including the Program Manager(s) and all or some of the Bureau Team Members) may attend the oral presentation. Representatives may be from the prime Quoter, proposed subcontractor/consultants, or a combination of both. No more than six (6) total team members may attend the oral presentation.

Quoters must prepare slides for their oral presentations. Slides must be submitted in advance in accordance with the due dates noted in this RFQ. Quoters must prepare all presentation materials in electronic format using 2016 Microsoft Power Point (or compatible later version). Quoters shall use between five (5) and fifteen (15) slides total as described in Section 1.5.2 above. (The maximum number of slides depends on the number of Sectors a Quoter is submitting for.) All presentation materials, including tables and graphs, shall be presented in Power Point slides in a professional format readily legible to the audience.

The Quoter may not use any other presentation media. The Quoter may not present or distribute any additional documentation (such as manuals, handbooks, guides, etc.), which may or may not have been referenced during the presentation.

The Government intends to record the oral presentation. A copy of the recording will not be provided to Quoters. Quoters may not video, audio, or otherwise record the oral presentation.

1.5.4 Written Quote/Submission Content and Configuration

Each written quote/submission shall be broken out as described below. Quoter(s) shall indicate the name(s) and title(s) of the individual(s) that prepared/authored the quote/submission and relationship to the organization.

Phase 1: Factor 1-Team Expertise –Not to exceed five (5) pages per Sector.

(a) Part I: Team Expertise. Counts toward the five (5) page limit.

(b) Part II: Resumes - No page limit to Part II, but individual resumes are limited to one (1) page each.

(c) Part III: Letters of intent to participate from proposed subcontractors, consultants, partners, and proposed new hires – No page limit but letters of intent are limited to one (1) page each.

Phase 2 – Factors 2 and 3 Slides – Not to exceed five to fifteen (5-15) slides.

(a) Factor 2: Staffing Approach – three (3) slide limit

(b) Factor 3: Technical Approach two to twelve (2-12) slide limit - slide limit depends on the number of sectors that quotes are submitted. Please see slide limits below:

• 1 Sector – two (2) slides

• 2 Sectors –four (4) slides

• 3 Sectors –six (6) slides

• 4 Sectors – eight (8) slides

• 5 Sectors –ten (10) slides

• 6 Sectors- twelve (12) slides

Phase 2 - Business and Price Quote/Submission – No page limit

(a) Part I: Price Information – No page limit.

(b) Part II: Subcontracts/Consultants – No page limit.

(c) Part III: Other Financial/Organizational Information – No page limit.

(d) Part IV: Subcontracting Plan (if applicable) – No page limit.

NOTE TO QUOTERS: No information required in the Business and Price quote/submission shall be included in any part of the Phase 1 Quote/Submission or the Phase 2 slides.

1.5.5 – Quote/Submission Content Details

Submission requirements for each Factor and Phase are included below. Quotes/Submissions will be reviewed for compliance with page limitations. Pages exceeding the page limitations will be eliminated from evaluation.

Phase 1: Factor 1-Team Expertise

As described in Part 1, Section 1.2 above, there are six (6) sectors included in this requirement. Quoters must submit a separate Phase 1, Factor 1 quote/submission for each sector that they wish to be considered. The sectors for this requirement are:

Sector 1: Toll revenue forecasting;

Sector 2: Transit or passenger rail revenue forecasting;

Sector 3: Freight revenue forecasting;

Sector 4: Port revenue forecasting (bulk, container as well as special purpose terminals);

Sector 5: Real estate revenue forecasting (through sales, rentals or real estate taxes);

Sector 6: Airport revenue forecasting.

“Key Personnel” refers to those individuals who will manage the IDIQ contract and act as the points of contact for US DOT with respect to the master contract. This includes at minimum, one (1) Program Manager. See TAR 1252.237-73 below for the requirements for the Program Manager.

“Bureau Team Members” refers to staff that will provide a significant portion of services under the IDIQ master contract and issued task orders (TOs). In the quote/submission, team members may be included in either group or both groups, as the quoter determines.

When describing its experience, Quoter shall separately describe (a) the transactions on which Key Personnel have worked and (b) the transactions on which Bureau Team Members have worked.

Transactions staffed by team members (i.e., advisors) that will not be providing advisory services under the IDIQ contract or issued TOs should not be included.

For both Key Personnel and Bureau Team Members (proposed staff) experience, only list relevant transactions staff proposed to perform under this IDIQ contract.

Part I – Factor 1-Team Expertise

Quoter’s Phase 1 quote/submission shall include the following information on Team Experience:

(a) Personnel: Provide a description for each proposed Key Personnel who will manage the IDIQ contract and act as the points of contact for US DOT. Specify the approximate percentage of time each Personnel will be available for this contract and explain why the Key Personnel possesses the qualifications to perform the proposed position.

(b) Bureau Team Members (defined above): List proposed staff that will provide a significant portion of services under the IDIQ contract and TOs issued.

Describe the proposed staffs’ experience representing key transaction parties (e.g., sponsors, borrowers, lenders) in the function areas listed below. Also identify relevant transactions within the past five (5) years (i.e. five (5) years from the RFQ Phase 1 closing date).

The narrative for each functional area shall identify example transactions that relate directly or are otherwise relevant to the named requirement. For each transaction include the type of project, project dates, project costs, the type of financing, the size of the financing vehicles, the

Quoter’s client and role in the transaction, the Bureau Team Members (proposed on this IDIQ) involved in the transaction and their role in the representation.

• Forecasting: Experience in developing market/revenue forecasts in the respective sector(s).

Highlight experience working with lenders, equity investors or similar financial institutions and, in particular, experience developing ‘investment grade’ forecasts which were used by such investors for making investment decisions.

• Due Diligence: Experience in performing detailed reviews/audit of market/revenue forecasts developed by other experts in the respective sector(s). Highlight experience working with lenders, equity investors or similar financial institutions.

• Sensitivity Analysis: Experience in effectively sensitizing third party forecasts; developing appropriate cases, including lenders or equity base case and downside cases. Experience in developing probabilistic scenarios using Monte Carlo or other suitable simulation models.

NOTE TO QUOTERS:

- Experience need not be limited the United States (US) however, experience in the US will be evaluated higher than experience in other countries.

- The recency of experiencee (past five (5) years) is more important than other previous experience

- The Government highly desires Team members based in the US and/or with US Citizenship.

Part II - Resumes

Provide resumes of each proposed Key Personnel and Bureau Team Member. Resumes shall include academic background; technical qualifications; project management, subject matter expertise; relevant project level experience (within the past five year); and professional affiliations, licenses, designations, or national committee appointments. Resumes shall be no more than one (1) page per individual, succinct and specific.

Part III- Letters of Intent

Provide letters of intent, limited to one page each, to participate from proposed subcontractors, consultants, and new hires.

Phase 2: Factors 2 and 3: Oral Presentation Slides

The Quoter must provide slides for Factor 2-Staffing Approach and Factor 3-Technical Approach. The slides will be used as a visual aid for the Quoter’s oral presentations. Oral presentations must address the following for each factor:

Factor 2-Staffing Approach

(a) Describe the Quoter’s approach to managing any conflict of interests.

(b) Describe the Quoter’s approach for selecting team members that will be assigned to specific Bureau task orders, and how the Quoter ensures that such team members will have sufficient capacity to manage their workload.

(c) Describe the Quoter’s contingency plan to replace Team Members without any adverse impact on performance.

Factor 3-Technical Approach

Describe the Quoter’s typical approach for evaluating/auditing and developing forecasts for each Sector that the Quoter submits a responsive quote/submission. for. Describe the Quoter’s typical approach for running the appropriate sensitivity analysis. If used in the Sector, include how your firm develops a Monte Carlo model (or other forecasting models) for a project. Include a description of what elements/factors would be evaluated and what benchmarks your firm would compare them to.

Factor 6- Price

The Quoter’s Price quote/submission (Parts I-IV) shall be provided in the form one electronic (Adobe PDF and Microsoft Excel, as applicable) document, and shall consist of the following:

Part I – Price Information

(a) Signature Authority – The Quoter shall provide the name and contact information of an individual with signatory authority for this award. The individual must have the authority to commit the Quoter to all of the provisions of the quote/submission fully recognizing that the Government has the right, by terms of the Solicitation, to make an award without exchanges if it so elects.

(b) Labor Rate Chart. Provide a Labor Rate Chart which lists all proposed labor categories to be used on the IDIQ and the maximum hourly fully burdened rates for all categories listed for eight

(8) years. (This includes the five years of the IDIQ plus the three additional years that task orders are able to extend through under FAR 52.218-22.) The yearly escalation shall not exceed five (5%) percent for each contract year. Values in price quote/submission shall be expressed as the closest whole dollar amount, with cents omitted. The labor rate tables shall be submitted in Adobe PDF and in an unlocked version of Microsoft Excel (2016) or later.

NOTE TO QUOTERS: Quoters are required to include a labor rate in their Labor Rate Chart for the personnel identified in this RFQ/solicitation. Separate tables for subcontractors are not permitted. Resulting awards will include the Quoter’s Labor Rate Chart as an attachment to the award.

(c) Labor Rate Descriptions. Quoters shall include a labor rate description for each labor rate added to the Labor Rate Chart provided as a part of its quote/submission. The description shall include the minimum qualifications for each labor rate. At minimum, this shall include minimum education and/or experience requirements.

(d) Validity Period – The submission must state that the submission is valid for at least 120 days from the Phase 2 submission due date.

(e) List any assumptions or conditions upon which the Price Quote is based. Note that assumptions or conditions that are non-conforming to the Government terms and conditions may result in a determination of non-responsiveness.

Part II – Subcontracts / Consultants

If subcontractors and/or individual consultants will be used in carrying out the requirements of this project, the following minimum information concerning the subcontractor shall be furnished:

(a) Name, address, and Unique Entity ID number of each proposed subcontractor or consultant.

(b) Names and positions of personnel who will work on the project, specifically linked to the positions in the Labor Rate Chart.

Part III – Other Financial / Organizational Information

Provide the following information:

(a) Point of Contact Information (name, telephone number, email, and mailing addresses)

(b) Federal Tax ID Number (TIN) (Nine Digits)

(c) Unique Entity ID Number

(d) Standard Form LLL - Submit a completed Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, included as Attachment 1.

(e) Terminated Contracts - List any contract that was terminated for convenience of the Government within the past three years, and any contract that was terminated for default within the past three years. Briefly explain the circumstances in each instance. Indicate any cure notices within the last three years and explain the circumstances in each instance.

(f) A completed copy of provisions in Part 4 in this RFQ, if the Quoter is not registered and completed their representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM)

(g) Conflicts of Interest - The Quoter shall provide a brief statement in its quote/submission that describes in a concise manner all past, present or planned organizational, contractual or other interest(s), which may affect the Quoter’s ability to perform the proposed contract in an impartial and objective manner. The CO will review the statement and may require additional relevant information from the Quoter. In accordance with FAR Subpart 9.5, all such information, and any other relevant information known to the Government, will be used to determine whether an award to the Quoter may create an actual or potential conflict of interest.

If any such conflict of interest is found to exist, the CO may (a) disqualify the Quoter, or (b) determine that it is otherwise in the best interest of the Government to contract with the Quoter and include appropriate provisions to mitigate or avoid such conflict in the contract awarded.

(h) The Quoter shall state that they agree to all terms and conditions of the solicitation, including all documents, exhibits, and all other attachments that are incorporated therein by reference and made a part thereof, or provide an explanation for any exceptions.

Part IV - Subcontracting Plan (if applicable)

Each prime Quoter who is other than a small business shall include within its quote/submission a complete copy of their Master Subcontracting Plan, satisfactorily addressing all of the administrative requirements set forth in FAR 52.219-9.

The Quoter shall also submit a subcontracting plan in accordance with the instructions/format in Attachment 2. In the event that the Quoter has no such plan, the form shall be submitted with “no plan identified” indicated on the form as applicable and the Quoter shall submit a statement of circumstances supporting that determination.

NOTE: A Small Business Subcontracting Plan is required by all Quoters not qualifying as a “Small Business” entity for the NAICS industry subsector identified in Section 541690, FAR clause 52.204-8(a).

1.6 PROCUREMENT INTEGRITY ACT REQUIREMENTS

Your attention is directed to the provision 52.215-1(e) and FAR 3.104-5 for a discussion on marking and protecting quote/submission information. Quoters should put the following notice on the top of each copy of its proposal:

This quote/submission shall be used and disclosed for evaluation purposes only, and a copy of this Government notice shall be applied to any reproduction or abstract, thereof. Any authorized restrictive notices that the submitter places on this quote/submission shall also be strictly followed. Disclosure of this quote/submission outside the Government for evaluation purposes shall be made only to the extent authorized by, and in accordance with law.

1.7 QUESTIONS

All questions concerning this RFQ shall be submitted electronically to BOTH Myla.Wyatt@dot.gov and Carolyn.Lethert@dot.gov via e-mail no later than 10:00AM ET, Friday May 31, 2024 in order for responses to be conveyed in a timely manner. An additional deadline for questions for Phase 2 may be established.

Quoters shall direct all communications to the attention of the Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist.

Communications with other Government officials may compromise the competitiveness of this acquisition, and result in the disqualification of the Quoter and/or cancellation of the solicitation.

Format for Questions: Each prospective Quoter e-mailing questions to the Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist should attempt to state each question in such a way that the Quoter would have no objection to the Government publishing that precise question (and its answer) in a formal Amendment to the RFQ, on SAM.gov. Each prospective Quoter shall not word or formulate questions in such a way that the publication of the question (and its answer) would divulge any information that the prospective Quoter considers to be proprietary or confidential.

http://www.fbo.gov/

This RFQ is being transmitted electronically. Quoters are reminded that if copies of this or any other solicitation are downloaded, amendments to the RFQ/ solicitation(s) will not automatically be received.

It is the Quoter’s responsibility to check back frequently to the download source to confirm if any amendments have been issued to the RFQ/solicitation. All RFQ amendments will be posted to and downloadable from www.SAM.gov.

1.8 RFQ CLOSING DATES AND IMPORTANT DELIVERY INFORMATION

Phase 1 quotes/submissions are due no later than 10:00AM ET Monday, June 17, 2024. Failure to furnish all information required in this RFQ may result in quote/submission being considered non-responsive and being removed from further consideration.

The Phase 2 submission due date is anticipated to be Monday, July 8, 2024 (approximate date).

However, this date will be finalized in an advisory notification email that will be sent to each Quoter that submits a Phase 1 quote/submission.

Quotes/Submissions shall be transmitted via email to BOTH of the following email addresses:

Myla.Wyatt@dot.gov and Carolyn.Lethert@dot.gov.

The timeliness of a quote/submission is determined by the time of receipt and not just the time submitted. It is the Quoter’s responsibility to ensure that the quote/submission email is received, not just submitted to, at the email address listed above by the designated cut-off date and time.

This is an electronic procurement. Paper solicitations will not be sent. Hard copies of quotes/submissions will not be accepted. Please reference the RFQ number and title-“Market Demand Services” on all correspondence including the subject line of any e-mails related to this procurement.

For Phase 2 quotes/submissions, Quoters shall include the slides and the Business and Price information as separate attachments within one e-mail message. Written quotes/submissions shall be submitted electronically in the format described in Part 1, Section 1.5 above. The email size shall not exceed eight Megabytes (8MB). Do not zip files. Electronic documents shall not contain any security restrictions (e.g., password protection) that prevent the Government from distributing and printing the document.

NOTE TO QUOTERS- REVISED QUOTES/SUBMISSIONS: All revised quotes/submissions must be received by the respective due date and time as stated herein. All quote/submission revisions must be clearly marked on each title page to include revision number (i.e., rev 1, 2, 3, etc.) and revision date.

Additionally, revision notification email must include RFQ name/title and revision number in the subject line.

NOTE TO QUOTERS: The Government intends to, but does not guarantee, confirm receipt of quotes/submissions.

1.9 NOTIFICATION OF DOWN SELECT

After the Government completes evaluation of Phase 1: Factor 1- Team Expertise Quoters will receive an advisory notification via email. Quoters that are most highly rated during Phase 1 will be http://www.fbo.gov/ advised/encouraged to proceed to Phase 2.

This notification will be provided by Sector, i.e., a Quoter may be encouraged for some, all, or none of the Sectors that they submit a Phase 1 quote/submission for. Quoters are advised that its Factor 1 evaluation results will carry forward to Phase 2 and will be considered in the best value award decision.

The intent of this advice is to minimize quote/submission development costs for Quoters with little chance of receiving an award. This will be a recommendation only and discontinuing pursuit of in Phase 2 following the notification is voluntary.

The Government does not intend to provide feedback after the completion of the Phase 1 notifications.

Failure to participate in Phase 2 precludes the Quoter from further consideration.

Phase 2 submissions will not be accepted from Quoters who have not submitted a responsive Phase 1 quote/submission.

The advisory notification will provide the Phase 2 due dates. For Quoters that are the most highly rated and invited to proceed, the notification will also include information on scheduling the Quoter’s oral presentation. If a Quoter is not advised to proceed but would like to continue to Phase 2, the Quoter should email the Contracting Officer to obtain information on scheduling an oral presentation.

1.10 AWARD

Until a formal notice of award is issued, no communication by the Government, either written or oral, shall be interpreted as a promise that an award will be made.

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual that can legally commit or obligate the Government to expend public funds. No cost chargeable to the proposed contract can be incurred before receipt of a fully executed contract or specific written authorization from the CO.

PART 2 - EVALUATION AND AWARD

2.1 BEST VALUE EVALUATION

(a) Award will be made to the Quoters(s) whose quotes/submissions conform with the solicitation requirements; is determined responsible in accordance with FAR Subpart 9.1 by possessing the financial and other capabilities to fulfill the requirements of the contract, and whose quote/submission is determined, by an integrated assessment of price and non-price evaluation factors that provide the best value to the Government. The Government may make awards using the tradeoff method to other than the lowest priced responsive Quoter(s) or the Quoter(s) with the highest technical rating if the Source Selection Official determines that to do so would result in the best value to the Government.

(b) The Government anticipates the award of multiple IDIQ contracts. The Government estimates making seven (7) to ten (10) IDIQ awards as a result of this RFQ/solicitation. The Government reserves the right to deviate from this estimate (i.e., make less or more awards) if deemed in the best interest of the Government.

(c) There are six (6) award tracks. The award track correspond/align with the six (6) Sectors described in the Statement of Work (SOW) and in Part 1, Section 1.2 above. The procurement schedule and award decision on one track will not affect the other track. Awards will be made by Sector. Quoters may submit quote(s)to be considered for award for one or a combination of the following sectors/award tracks:

Sector 1: Toll revenue forecasting;

Sector 2: Transit or passenger rail revenue forecasting;

Sector 3: Freight revenue forecasting;

Sector 4: Port revenue forecasting (bulk, container as well as special purpose terminals);

Sector 5: Real estate revenue forecasting (through sales, rentals or real estate taxes);

Sector 6: Airport revenue forecasting.

The Government estimates two to three (2-3) contract awards resulting under each sector/award track. The Government reserves the right to deviate from this estimate (i.e., make more or less awards by sector/award track) if deemed in the best interest of the Government.

(d) In determining which quotes/submissions provide the best value to the Government, an integrated evaluation and assessment of Quoters will be conducted. The evaluation will consist of six (6) Factors: 1-Team Expertise, 2-Staffing Approach, 3-Technical Approach, 4-Past Performance, 5- Small Business Subcontracting (if applicable) and 6-Price. Factors 1-4 are listed in descending order of importance. Small Business Subcontracting (if applicable) is not weighted. Non-price Factors 1-4 when combined are significantly more important than price.

2.2 EVALUATION FACTORS

A description of each evaluation factor is provided below.

(a) Factor 1-Team Expertise

Submission/quote demonstrates that proposed Key Personnel has relevant experience and that Bureau Team Members (i.e., proposed staff) possess relevant experience performing the work on relevant transactions within the past five (5) years under the following three (3) functional areas for the Sector quoted/submitted under:

• Forecasting: Experience in developing market/revenue forecasts in the respective sector(s).

Highlight experience working with lenders, equity investors or similar financial institutions and, in particular, experience developing ‘investment grade’ forecasts which were used by such investors for making investment decisions.

• Due Diligence: Experience in performing detailed reviews/audit of market/revenue forecasts developed by other experts in the respective sector(s). Highlight experience working with lenders, equity investors or similar financial institutions.

• Sensitivity Analysis: Experience in effectively sensitizing third party forecasts; developing appropriate cases, including lenders or equity base case and downside cases. Experience in developing probabilistic scenarios using Monte Carlo or other suitable simulation models.

- Experience need not be limited the United States (US) however, experience in the US will be evaluated higher than experience in other countries.

- The recency ofexperience (past five (5) years) is more important than other previous experience.

- The Government highly desires Team members based in the US and/or with US Citizenship.

(b) Factor 2-Staffing Approach

The oral presentation addresses and demonstrates an adequate ability and realistic approach to the following items:

• Managing any conflict of interests

• Selecting team members that will be assigned to specific task orders, and how the Quoter ensures that such team members will have sufficient capacity to manage their workload.

• Demonstrating an adequate contingency plan to replace Team Members without any adverse impact on performance.

The Government will evaluate each Quoter’s Oral Presentation, not the slide submission(s) – presentation slides are an aid/visual tool used during oral presentation(s). However, inconsistencies between the quoter’s oral presentation and the presentation slides may be a basis for a lowered rating.

(c) Factor 3-Technical Approach

The oral presentation satisfactorily addressed the technical approach items listed below:

• Sufficiently described an approach that is likely to be effective for evaluating/auditing and developing forecasts in each quoted Sector.

• Described the Quoter’s approach for running the appropriate sensitivity analysis including a discussion of how the Quoter develops a Monte Carlo model (or other forecasting models) for a project, if appropriate. The described approach includes elements and factors to be evaluated and is realistic and likely to lead to successful contract performance.

• Included a realistic description of the elements and factors that would be evaluated and what benchmarks the Quoter would compare them to. This description demonstrates an understanding of the Government’s requirement.

The Government will evaluate each Quoter’s Oral Presentation, not the slide submission(s) – presentation slides are aid/visual tool utilized during oral presentation(s). However, inconsistencies between the quoter’s oral presentation and the presentation slides may be a basis for a lowered rating.

(d) Factor 4-Past Performance Evaluation

The Quoter’s past performance on previous contracts will be evaluated to assess successful relevant prior experience. The Quoter’s past performance as found in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) will be evaluated to determine, as appropriate, the performance risk associated with its quote as it relates to the requirement for this RFQ/solicitation. The evaluation may take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement. The Government reserves the right to assess the past performance of proposed subcontractors.

The Government will use its discretion to determine if the past performance information is relevant.

Past Performance information will generally be determined to be relevant if the performance involves work performed within the past three (3) years that is the same or similar to the services being procured under this solicitation.

The Government will use its discretion to determine the sources of past performance information used in the evaluation. The Government intends to search CPARS for each quoter for recent and relevant information. However, the Government reserves the right to use additional sources of past performance information.

Past Performance will be determined to be Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. If quoter does not have a history of relevant contract experience, or if past performance information is not available, the quoter will receive a Neutral past performance rating.

(e) Factor 5-Small Business Subcontracting

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan (if applicable) will be evaluated on an “Pass/Fail” basis. The Subcontracting Plan will be evaluated to determine if the plan satisfactorily addresses all of the administrative requirements included in FAR 52.219-9. The Government may request Quoter(s) to revise its Small Business Subcontracting Plan (if applicable), for the purpose of improving that plan in the interest of meeting the Government’s socio-economic goals, without developing a competitive range or engaging with all or other quoters. Quoters subject to this provision shall not be allowed to revise any other portion of its quote/submission.

(f) Factor 6-Price

Quoted prices will be evaluated but not given an adjectival rating or/scored. The price evaluation will determine whether the quoted prices are fair and reasonable in relation to the RFQ requirements and market rates. Quoted prices must be entirely compatible with the technical quote/submission and consistent with the pricing requirements listed in the RFQ/solicitation.

To evaluate prices for award purposes , the Government will create a “blended rate” for each year of the contract being evaluated. The blended rate will be an average of the quoter’s fully burdened fixed prices/rates for the year being evaluated. The blended rate will be applied to the Government’s estimated quantities of use over the life of the contract as estimated in the Independent Government Estimate (IGE). The IGE will not be disclosed to the public.

Price will be evaluated by multiplying the blended rate by the hours in the IGE for years one (1) through five (5). The option under FAR 52.217-8 will be included in the price evaluation by multiplying each Quoter’s Year 5 average labor rate by the IGE hours for that period.

2.3 AWARD ON INITIAL SUBMISSIONS AND EXCHANGES

(a) The Government intends to make an award without exchanges with Quoters and reserves the right to award on initial quotes/submission. Quoters should be aware that the Government does not intend, subject to its discretion, to hold exchanges Therefore, each Quoter shall include the most favorable and most advantageous technical and price quote/submission that the quoter can provide. If initial quotes/submissions do not provide the Government with a satisfactory total solution, the Government reserves the right to conduct exchanges if the Contracting Officer (CO) deems it to be necessary. The determination whether to conduct exchanges will be made at the unilateral discretion of the Contracting Officer.

(b) Except as described in (d) below, if exchanges are held, the CO will establish a competitive range comprised of the most highly rated quotes/submissions. If the CO determines that the number of quotes that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of quotes in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated quotes/submissions. Only Quoters in the competitive range will be offered an opportunity to participate further in the procurement.

(c) The CO will engage in exchanges with all Quoters in the competitive range. After exchanges, a final common cut-off date for submission of final quote revisions will be established. Quoters remaining in the competitive range will be invited to submit Final Quote Revisions. A final quote/submission evaluation will be performed after receipt of Quote Revisions.

(d) The Government may enter into exchanges with any Quoter solely regarding its Small Business

Subcontracting Plan (if applicable) for the purpose of improving the plan in the interest of meeting the Government’s socio-economic goals, without developing a competitive range or engaging with all or other responsive Quoters. Quoters subject to this paragraph shall not be allowed to revise any other portion of its quote/submission.

2.4 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Factors 1-3 will be evaluated using the adjectival ratings listed in the table below.

RATING DEFINITION

Outstanding Quote/Submission meets requirements and indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

Good Quote/Submission meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Quote contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Satisfactory

Quote/Submission meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal

Quote/Submission does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The quote/submission has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable Quote/Submission does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies.

Quote/Submission is unawardable.

Factor 4 will be evaluated using the ratings listed in the table below.

Satisfactory Quoter’s performance met contractual requirements. Performance was accomplished with some minor problems for which any required corrective actions taken were satisfactory. Past performance indicates a moderate to low risk of unsuccessful performance to the Government.

Neutral No relevant past performance record is identifiable upon which to base a meaningful performance risk prediction. A search was unable to identify any relevant past performance information for the contractor or their key personnel. This is neither a negative or positive assessment.

Unsatisfactory Quoter’s performance did not meet one or more critical contract requirements.

Performance was not successfully accomplished or a contract was terminated for default.

Past performance indicates a very high or unacceptable risk of unsuccessful performance to the Government.

Factor 5 will be evaluated pass/fail in accordance with the table below.

Pass Subcontracting plan satisfactorily addresses all of the administrative requirements set forth in FAR 52.219-9

Fail Subcontracting plan does not satisfactorily addresses all of the administrative requirements set forth in FAR 52.219-9

N/A Quoter is…