6QTC-11-SH-001 SOW.DOC

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE

HEARTLAND REGION

PROJECT ID #: DKNZ10LJ001S

SOLICITATION #: 6QTC-11-SH-001

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

Local Service Agreement (LSA)

Region 6; MO, KS, IA, NE

1.0 General: This acquisition is for local telephone exchange service in GSA Region 6, within the boundaries of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Awards will be made to local service vendors who are certified to offer local telephone services in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa or Nebraska. These contracts will be utilized by Federal Government agencies within the four state regions for the non-mandatory acquisition of local switched and dedicated telephone services. All services, features, maintenance, and installation shall be comparable to that provided to the vendor’s commercial customers. The vendor(s) shall be responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of service, quality, interconnectivity, and on-going maintenance of their local telephone exchange services. The Government intends to provide service to any areas where locality based pricing is in the best economic interests of the Government.

This solicitation is for commercial item services and is prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Part 12. The Government reserves the right to limit the number of contract awards made as a result of this solicitation and to award without discussions.

1.1 Contract Type: This acquisition will result Multiple Award (MA) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), Firm-Fixed-Price non-mandatory contracts.

1.2 Period of Performance: GSA intends to award contracts with a base period of two (2) years from date of award, with three (3) one-year options. Exercise of the option period(s) will be based on Government need, areas covered by the contract, pricing, and record of performance under the base contract period.

1.3 Areas covered by solicitation: GSA Region 6 area; Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska.

To be eligible for award vendors are not required to propose pricing in the entire four state region, partial awards can be made. Vendors are only required to propose pricing for the portions of the four state regions they currently cover, and are certified by the respective state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to serve.

1.4 Requested services: Vendors shall include pricing for services and installation they are proposing under this solicitation and any resulting contract. To be compliant with this solicitation, vendors are not required to offer pricing for all of these services, only those services they currently offer. In addition vendors are not required to offer services in the entire four state regions. However vendors are encouraged to offer the Government the same complement of services they offer their commercial customers.

· DID Analog trunk

· DOD Analog trunk

· Two-way Analog trunk

· Flat business line, (analog ground and loop start)

· Managed Service Voice Solution

· Analog Centrex service

· DSL line

· Tie line

· Off Premise Extension (OPX) circuit

· Cable modem service

· Internet service

· SONET services

· DID numbers per 100 (or other configuration)

· DS-0 (56k circuit)

· DS-0 (64k circuit)

· DS1/T1 circuit

· DS2/T2 circuit

· DS3/T3 circuit

· OC3 circuit

· SIP Trunking

· MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching)

· ISDN BRI service

· ISDN PRI – Complete cost with all components bundled for 23 channel service

· ISDN PRI – Unbundled cost per circuit

· Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) both one-time and monthly recurring cost

· Installation costs associated with network services

· Costs (if not included in installation costs) for network termination equipment

· Costs if any for operator service

· Costs if any for billing service

· Costs if any for service order processing

· Costs for optional features e.g. caller identification

· Premise visit charge

· Any other emerging technology service the vendor offers that is not listed above

1.5 Routine trunk restoration: The vendor shall provide a single point of contact for trouble handling. For routine trunk trouble reports, the vendor shall afford the Government the same standards, service levels and response times that the vendor gives its commercial customers in the calling area served but in no case, less than those reflected in paragraph 2.0 below. During the routine restoration process the vendor shall coordinate as required with the GSA ATM, switch maintenance provider, and Local Exchange Carrier.

1.6 Emergency trunk restoration: The vendor shall provide a single point of contact for trouble handling. For emergency trunk trouble reports, the vendor shall afford the Government at least the same standards, service levels and response times that the vendor gives its commercial customers in the calling area served but in no case, less than those reflected in paragraph 2.0 below. During the emergency restoration process the vendor shall coordinate as required with the GSA ATM, switch maintenance provider, and the Local Exchange Carrier.

1.7 Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP): In 1988, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a TSP Report and Order establishing the TSP program. TSP is a program to identify and prioritize telecommunication services that support national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) missions. Vendors awarded contracts under this solicitation shall support the TSP program for emergency restoral or provisioning of local service, and shall take reasonably necessary actions to ensure the proper priority level for its customers under this contract. Vendors can find out more about the TSP program by visiting the National Communications System web-site at http://tsp.ncs.gov.

1.8 Pre-Cutover testing: The vendor shall conduct pre-cutover testing on all vendor provided local telephone exchange circuits. As part of the testing the vendor shall test transmission performance on all vendor provided local telephone exchange circuits. Additionally, the vendor shall have processes and procedures in place for restoration of existing service in the event that the performance of the vendor’s installed service fails the cutover tests. The vendor shall provide all necessary test equipment, and test cables necessary for testing. During testing the vendor shall coordinate and work closely with the GSA ATM. Testing results shall be provided to the ATM prior to Cutover.

1.9 Cut-over/Implementation Coordination Plan: At the discretion of the ordering agency, the agency may request a Cut-over/Implementation Coordination Plan. In addition the GSA ATM may request a Cut-over/Implementation Plan for transition of services on a GSA consolidated system. If the ordering agency or GSA ATM requests a plan within 30 calendar days or less after receipt of the order, the vendor shall provide the agency or GSA ATM a Cut-over/Implementation Coordination Plan. The Cut-over/Implementation Coordination Plan shall, at a minimum, describe the activities that will be required for cut-over testing, implementation, and follow-on service of the vendor’s local trunking services as well as the procedure for porting of numbers, testing procedures, transition schedules, contact names and phone numbers, and escalation procedures.

1.10 Access to federal long distance contracts: The Government currently has two broad long distance contracts. Service under FTS 2001 is provided by Sprint, AT&T, and MCI / Verizon. These contracts are being replaced by the Networx contracts. Contract holders are Verizon, AT&T, Qwest, Sprint Nextel, and Level 3 Communications. Vendors who are awarded contracts under this solicitation shall allow access to all Government Long Distance contract holders.

1.11 Delivery schedule: The vendor shall provide to ordering agencies a delivery schedule for local telephone exchange services that shall be, at a minimum, equivalent to its commercial delivery schedule for local telephone exchange services in the calling areas they serve but in no case, less than those reflected in paragraph 2.0 below. Compliance with the latest versions of applicable network standards, both national and international, is required throughout the period of the contract.

1.12 Marketing of services: Marketing of contracts resulting from this solicitation will be handled in a two-pronged approach. The contract holders will be responsible for carrying out the primary marketing effort. In addition, as deemed appropriate, Network Services may actively market the contract services along with their other products and services.

It is suggested that vendors will maintain a presence on the Internet for access by Government users.

1.13 Minimum and maximum contract values: The minimum guarantee per contract is $100; the maximum value of all orders issued against all contracts awarded under this solicitation is $10 million over the 5 year term.

1.14 Best pricing: The vendor receiving an award under this contract certifies that the pricing provided is their best pricing available; including commercial customers and Government agencies. In order to retain the best pricing, the vendor agrees to notify the Contracting Officer if their commercial and/or Government pricing is reduced so that the contract pricing can also be reduced accordingly. This requirement shall remain in effect for the duration of the contract inclusive of any exercised options. Any contracts already in existence at the time of contract award shall be excluded from this requirement.

1.15 CCR/ORCA registrations: The vendor receiving a contract award as a result of this solicitation agrees to maintain their CCR (Central Contractor Registration) and ORCA (On-Line Registrations and Certifications Application) registrations for the life of the contract including any required annual/periodic updates or validations. They also agree to cooperate fully with any administrative requirements including closeout issues at the end of the contract.

· Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary Government repository for contractor information required for the conduct of business with the Government. The CCR database is located at http://www.ccr.gov/ and the CCR data will populate other Government applications with the contractor’s information. In CCR, contractors shall assign themselves a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN), which they will use to gain access to the BPN network applications.

· The Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) is part of the Business Partner Network (BPN). ORCA is the primary Government repository for contractor submitted representations and certifications required for the conduct of business with the Government. Contractors are required to use ORCA as a part of the proposal submission process for this solicitation and thus must complete and/or update their ORCA registration. ORCA is located at http://orca.bpn.gov/. Prior to accessing ORCA, contractors shall first register through the CCR database. Contractors shall maintain and update CCR and ORCA in accordance with FAR clauses 52.204-7 and 52.204-8.

1.16 Organizations that can order from the contracts: This contract is for use by federal agencies in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Authorized personnel within the following organizations can order from contract(s) resulting from this solicitation.

· All Federal agencies and activities in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

· Government Vendors authorized in writing by a Federal agency pursuant to 48 CFR 51.1.

· Mixed ownership Government corporations (as defined in the Government Corporation Control Act).

· Other activities and organizations authorized by statute or regulation to use GSA as a source of supply.

Questions regarding organizations authorized to use this contract should be directed to the Contracting Officer.

1.17 Point of Contact: The contractor shall immediately bring problems or potential problems affecting performance to the attention of the COR or Contracting Officer. Verbal reports will be followed up with written reports when directed by the COR or Contracting Officer.

Contracting Officer’s Representative/

Area Telecommunications Manager

Larry C. Jackson

GSA/FAS/6QTC

1500 E. Bannister Rd.

Room BOE 4.5 Kansas City, Mo. 64131 Phone: 816-823-2963

Fax: 816-926-332 larryc.jackson@gsa.gov Contracting Officer

Shellie Heislen

GSA/FAS/6QTC

1500 E. Bannister Rd.

Room BOE 4.5 Kansas City, Mo. 64131 Phone: 816-826-2683

Fax: 816-926-6332 shellie.heislen@gsa.gov

1.18 Area Telecommunications Manager (ATM) coordination: Vendor(s) awarded contract(s) are required to coordinate closely with GSA ATMs. Coordination will take place in all of the following areas:

· Adding new NPA/NXX codes to the vendor’s switch.

· Any planned out of service conditions for the vendor’s equipment used to supply local exchange services.

· Adding follow-on services that are ordered by the Government.

· Vendor customer contacts at any GSA consolidated switch location.

· Routine and emergency restoration on vendor supplied trunks on GSA consolidated switches.

· Service order interval delays.

· Service order intervals.

1.19 Request for information/questions on solicitation: Written requests for information or explanation regarding the solicitation should be directed to Shellie Heislen, Contracting Officer, at shellie.heislen@gsa.gov. Please make sure to include your name, phone number and solicitation number along with your question. All questions will need to be submitted no later than April 8, 2011. Questions submitted after this date may not be answered.

ADMINISTRATIVE SECTION

2.0 Performance standards: The following are performance measures that the Government may use for any contracts resulting from this solicitation:

1. The savings the Government accrues by using contract pricing.

· If during the term of this contract, the vendor has a commercial price reduction on any of the services offered under this contract the vendor shall make those price reductions available to GSA, and GSA’s customers. To keep the contract current, the vendor shall contact the GSA/FAS Contracting Officer with a request for modification to reduce the contract prices comparable to the commercial changes. The vendor shall also provide any discounts for which the Government qualifies, based on quantities of local telephone exchange services or any other commercial practices.

2.

Customer satisfaction to include but not limited to:

· Were the products/services delivery time.

· Was the work performed in accordance with the term & conditions of the contract/order.

· Were problems dealt with in a timely manner and resolved in a satisfactory manner.

3.

The processing time for completion of tasks/deliverables.

· EQUIPMENT DELIVERY INTERVALS

The Government requires the following performance standards for installations, moves and changes and maintenance under this contract.

· Type of Equipment

Maximum Delivery Interval after receipt of order (ARO) PBX Hardware

7 calendar days (ARO)

Telephone (quantity of

5 calendar days (ARO) 25 or less)

Delivery intervals may not exceed the number of days listed above, except by mutual agreement between the Government and the Contractor. Prices quoted in the price schedules include delivery of equipment and materials to the destination listed on delivery order.

· FOLLOW-ON SERVICES INTERVALS

For performing telephone moves, installations, re-arrangements and disconnects (known as follow-on services):

· TYPE OF EQUIPMENT

MAXIMUM DELIVERY INTERVAL AFTER

RECEIPT OF ORDER (ARO) BY

CONTRACTOR

PBX Hardware

10 work days (ARO) Telephone Instruments (quantity of 25 or less)

5 work days (ARO)

Telephone Instruments (more than 25)

10 work days (ARO)

Equipment

10 work days (ARO Voice Mail

All other Equipment

10 work days (ARO)

· SERVICE ORDERS

ROUTINE

Remedial Maintenance 24 hours

Add/change/delete station 5 work days (ARO) features or feature assignments

Trunk and station circuit 5 work days (ARO) terminations

Cross-connects

5 work days (ARO)

Feasibility Study

45 calendar days (ARO)

Distribution cabling jobs

30 calendar days (ARO) House (riser) cabling jobs

· MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SEVICE INTERVALS

Type of Request

Deadline for Contractor Arrival at Agency Location Emergency call out

2 hours

Routine Service Call

8 business hours

Out-of-order equipment and service must be restored to working order within 24 continuous hours after receipt of a routine maintenance request and 4 hours after receipt of an emergency maintenance request. These response times apply to equipment under warranty or equipment covered by maintenance agreement.

· NOTICE REGARDING LATE DELIVERY

In the event the Contractor anticipates difficulty in complying with any delivery dates, the Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or the appropriate COR orally and in writing giving pertinent details, including the date by which the Contractor expects to make delivery. This data shall be informational in nature and receipt thereof shall not be construed as a waiver by the Government of any schedule, rights, or remedy.

4.

Required submission of Sales Reports

· Each quarter the vendor shall submit to GSA, in GSA’s standard format, a quarterly sales report. Negative reports are required. The referenced quarters end March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31. Reports are due by the 10th of the month following the end of the quarters listed above, or April 10, July 10, October 10 and January 10 respectively.

The quarterly sales report shall include the following:

· The total dollar activity of all agencies for that quarter.

· The breakdown of revenues by service.

· The remaining dollar obligation under the contract award.

· The value of the GSA Administrative Charge.

The Sales Report can be submitted via regular mail or email. The report shall be sent to Larry C. Jackson at:

Larry C. Jackson

GSA/FAS/6QTC

1500 E. Bannister Rd.

Room BOE 4.5

Kansas City, MO 64131 larryc.jackson@gsa.gov

5.

GSA 10% contract administration fees.

· The GSA Contract Administration Fee is 10% and shall be applied to the total value of each order processed under this contract. The GSA Contract Administration charge is to be added to each individual line item and the aggregate rates published to the users.

· The GSA Contract Administration Fee may be revised by the Government. During subsequent option periods, GSA shall notify the vendor upon exercise of the option if the administrative fee is to be changed. The change, if any, will be effective with the start of the option period. This GSA administration fee is a pass through from the ordering activity to GSA and is not part of the vendor’s pricing.

· The GSA Contract Administration Fee is to be remitted to GSA on a quarterly basis to the Contracting Officer at:

Shellie Heislen

GSA/FAS/6QTC

1500 E. Bannister Rd.

Room BOE 4.5

Kansas City, MO 64131 shellie.heislen@gsa.gov

2.1 Changes in calling areas covered or service offered: If changes occur in the calling areas covered by a vendor, it will be their responsibility to coordinate the changes with GSA/FAS Contracting Officer. As the vendor’s commercial infrastructure evolves, and new vendor services become commercially available, the vendor may request the Contracting Officer add the new services and/or new coverage areas to the contract.

2.2 Task order procedures: This contract is subject to FAR 16.505, regulations for orders placed under Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Delivery contracts. For all orders, the ordering official must document in the order file the rationale for placement and price of each order.

All eligible awardees will be provided a fair opportunity to be considered for each order in excess of $3,000, except as noted as an exception in FAR 16.505(b)(2) as listed below. The ordering official may issue a Request for Quotes (RFQ) to all awardees that have contracts in a specific state. All eligible awardees will be allowed to propose on the RFQ for that state as well as specific sites within that state. Task order award will be made to the contractor based on the evaluation criteria established in the RFQ (if other than price).

On an exception basis, as authorized in FAR 16.505(b)(2), multiple awardees need not be given an opportunity to be considered for a particular order in excess of $3,000 when the Contracting Officer (CO) determines that:

· The agency need for services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays,

· Only one awardee is capable of providing the services at the level of quality required because the services ordered are unique or highly specialized (i.e. no other awardee offers that service in the given geographical area),

· The order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency as a logical follow-on to a task already issued under the contract, provided that all applicable awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order, or

· It is necessary to place an order to satisfy a minimum guarantee.

Individual federal agencies, authorized to utilize these contracts (see paragraph 1.16 above), and/or GSA Area Telecommunications Managers (ATMs) with specific requirements will contact vendors for local telephone exchange services offered under these contracts. When the agency and/or GSA ATM determines the necessity for local telephone exchange services to be ordered, the agency or GSA ATM may use a valid obligating document to order the local services. The purchasing document can be submitted to the vendor via any of the following means, depending on the specific procedures of the requiring activity.

· electronic data interchange

· facsimile

· electronic mail

· Regular mail

The vendor shall provide vendor contact names, telephone and fax numbers and email address for individuals within their organizations that are responsible for ordering of services. The vendor shall also provide details for escalation procedures for problems with orders. Orders shall be placed to vendors only in the calling areas they serve. The vendor shall provide GSA and other federal agencies the same service order intervals that the vendor provides to the vendor’s commercial customers in the calling area the vendor serves but in no case, less than those reflected in paragraph 2.0 above.

2.3 Contract modifications: The Government reserves the right to make contract modifications during the life of this contract. Any contract modification requests from the vendor must be addressed with the GSA/FAS Contracting Officer.

Modifications that the Government is likely to make include (but are not limited to) the following circumstances:

· An existing vendor providing new services at additional calling areas within the region.

· An existing vendor providing expanded services at calling area locations already covered under their existing contract.

· Changes to or additions to the vendor’s pricing.

2.4 Billing/Invoicing and Call Detail Report: Billing shall be in arrears. Billing/invoicing shall be direct to the individual ordering Government entity as specified when the service is ordered, and shall be in U.S. Dollars. The vendor shall furnish the Government the same level of billing and call detail reporting that they furnish their commercial customers.

Monthly invoices and usages data must be electronically transmitted utilizing the Secure Standard File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) or in one of the specified formats below, no later than 10 working days following the bill date. Both direct billing of the Agency and Central Billing to GSA shall be supported. For direct billing, the Contractor shall send the bill directly to the Agency Contracting Officer or to address as specified in the order. For central billing, the Contractor shall send the bill directly to the specified location communicated by the GSA, Billing Management Office.

If services are provided via a Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure, all invoices or billing statements are to indicate usage/costs by CLIN.

In regard to media, transport and format, the Government requires that data and report deliverables be provided in ways that are compatible with ways that the Government recipient receive and process them. The following paragraphs cite requirements for contractor reports and data that will be provided.

Media/Transport/Format Requirements for Reports from the Contractor:

The contractor shall be capable of providing reports to the GSA as specified in the following table:

Media Transport File Format

• Postal Service

• ASCII Text

• Other formats as mutually agreed upon

• Postal

• Postal Service

• Other secured transport methods as mutually agreed upon.

• ASCII Text

• Other formats as mutually agreed upon

RECORD LAYOUT FOR INVOICE FILES SUBMIITED TO TOPS

(FIXED LENGTH 87 CHARACTER ASCII FILE)

Field Name

Positions Size Data Type Format or Value

Record ID

Character “X”

Telephone System ID

2-4

Character Must be 3 characters

Contract Agreement ID

5-6

Character Must be 2 characters

Customer ID

7-9

Character Must be 3 characters

Work Site ID

10-13

Character Must be 4 characters

Completion Date

14-21

Character

“MMDDYYYY”

Product Code (CLIN)

22-34

Character Left Justified

Area Code

35-37

Character Must be 3 characters

Telephone Number

38-44

Character Must be 7 characters

Circuit Number

45-69

Character

“NO-CKT-#” if none

Quantity

70-73

Number

NNNNN

Right Justified, Zero Filled

Monthly Rate

74-87

Number NNNNNNNNNNNNN

Right Justified, Zero Filled, 2 implied decimals

RECORD LAYOUT FOR USAGE FILES SUBMIITED TO TOPS

Field Name

Positions Size Data Type Format or Value

Record ID

1-6

Character “310101”

Call Date

7-12

Character

YYMMDD

Filler

13-14

Character Spaces

From Number

15-24

Character

25-27

Character Spaces

To Number Length 28-29

Character “10”

To Number

30-39

Character Left Justified

Call Charge

40-45

Number 9999v99

2 Decimals implied

46-54

Character Spaces

Connect Time

55-60

Character

HHMMSS

Call Length

61-66

SSSSSS

67-79

Character Spaces

Call Type

0 = Directory Assistance

1 = Direct Dialed

2 = Third Number

3 = Calling Card

4 = Collect

6 = Message Units

7 = Telegram

8 = Call Forward

81-112

Character Spaces

Billed Number

113-122 Character

From City

123-132 Character

From State

133-134

Character

To City

135-144 Character

To State

145-146

Character

147-175 Character Spaces

Account Number

176-185 Character Left Justified

2.5 Payment: Payment shall be by credit card or electronic funds transfer. Credit Cards must be accepted for orders under these contracts. The 10% GSA Contract Administration Fee, which will be embedded in the contract pricing, shall not be itemized as a separate line item on customer billing. As an example, if a customer's total bill is $110, $10 will cover the GSA Contract Administration Fee and $100 will cover the product/service. This GSA Administration Fee is passed through from the ordering activity to GSA and is not part of the vendor’s product/service price.

PROPOSAL SECTION

3.0 Proposal Submission: Certifications, past performance, technical and price proposals shall be submitted by the contractor to the GSA Contracting Officer via email at shellie.heislen@gsa.gov. Proposals are due April 29, 2011 at 3:00 pm CDT.

Please mark the subject line of the proposal submission email:

PROPOSAL FOR DKNZ10LJ001S, DUE APRIL 29, 2011

Submission should include:

· A signed SF1449

· Completed and signed, Representations and Certifications- FAR 52.212-3,

· Certifications

· Technical Proposal

· Past performance references

· Pricing using a format similar to the Appendix A

· Subcontracting Plan (Large Businesses) (See Appendix B)

· A primary and alternate contact including mailing address, phone numbers, fax number, and e-mail address.

3.1 Certifications: Offerors must provide proof that they are certified to offer local telephone exchange services by the State Public Utilities Commission (PUC) where they offer service. Only those offerors who provide proof of certification shall be deemed qualified to receive an award.

3.2 Technical Proposal: Each offeror’s technical approach will be evaluated in terms of the knowledge/understanding that is demonstrated with regards to the requirements and/or performance objectives, as well as the reasonableness and soundness of the offeror’s approach.

The Technical Proposal should consist of:

A brief summary describing the vendor’s company, A brief description of commercial services the company provides (if different from the Government services offered), A description of the equipment offered (to include equipment type, manufacturer, model numbers), A brief description of the local switched and dedicated services offered by the vendor, A primary and alternate vendor contact including mailing address, phone number, fax number and email address, A brief overview of the vendor’s network, A brief description of the vendor’s switch (if applicable), A description of the maintenance, monitoring and diagnostics provided by the vendor, A description of the call-out and escalation procedures used by the vendor to resolve troubles, A description of the vendor’s National Directory Assistance, if any, billing and service order capabilities, A description of how the vendor resolves billing errors, A description of the vendor’s order processing procedures, and

Proof of vendor certification for the products offered.

The proposal is limited to twenty-five pages, 10 or 13 point font, 1” to 1 ½ “ margins. If double-sided pages are submitted, each side counts as one page.

Offerors are encouraged to submit information and material normally submitted to commercial customers.

3.2.1 Technical Approach: The offeror’s technical approach should unmistakably explain how the offeror will successfully fulfill the performance requirements. It should clearly describe the operational activities and/or processes it will undertake – in accordance with the applicable performance standards and in a manner that will produce the applicable performance results.

3.3 Past Performance: The vendor shall submit a minimum of three (3) representations of work performed in the calling area for which they are proposing local telephone exchange services. If possible, vendors shall provide current federal customers for whom the vendor is providing similar services to those proposed under this solicitation. The representations shall be of similar size and/or scope and performed within the past three (3) years. Also provide a description of the work that was performed, discussion of past performance problems, if any, and corrective actions taken to resolve these problems. The information provided should be sufficient to demonstrate the relevance of the previous work scope. If three representations cannot be provided, the offeror must provide justification as to why the three representations cannot be provided to meet the acceptable criteria. Representations must include the following information, verified for accuracy:

Name of contracting activity/client Contract number and task/delivery order number, if applicable

Contract type

Total contract value

Description of work preformed

Name of contracting officer, telephone and fax numbers, and email address

Name of government program manager, telephone and fax numbers, and email address

Name of subcontractors

Performance dates

Evaluators may consider performance on contracts which are not submitted by the offeror if they have knowledge of contracts not listed or if contracts are discovered that were not listed. In addition, the Government will use available information in the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS).

3.4 Price Proposal: Using the format shown in the Appendix A the vendor shall provide all inclusive month to month, 1 year, and 2 year (if available) service delivery pricing for the requested services outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW).

Pricing:

· Month to month rates

· 1 (one year) rates – if different than month to month rates

· 2 (two year) rates – if different than month to month rates

· One-time non-recurring charges; e.g. installation charges, trip charges, TSP enrollment charges, etc.

· Any recurring charges for features, or services; e.g. TSP enrollment, etc.

· Costs for any optional features, which the vendor offers.

Offerors shall provide pricing for 5 years (2 year base and 3 1-year options) as outlined above.

If used by the Government, these services will provide telecommunications service between specific Federal Government sites, between Federal Government sites and commercial sites, and/or between a Federal Government site and an inter-exchange (IXC) point of presence (POP).

3.4.1 Discounts in pricing proposal: In an effort to receive the highest quality solution at the lowest possible price the Government requests all available discounts on all products and services offered for this requirement. Offerors are encouraged to offer discounts below commercial contract and/or open market rates. The Pricing Matrix, Attachment A, should identify the lowest commercial contract and/or open market price and the discount percentage offered the Government for each item offered.

3.5 Clause

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items (June 2008)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code and small business size standard for this acquisition appear in Block 10 of the solicitation cover sheet (SF 1449). However, the small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.

(b) Submission of offers. Submit signed and dated offers to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Offers may be submitted on the SF 1449, letterhead stationery, or as otherwise specified in the solicitation. As a minimum, offers must show—

(1) The solicitation number;

(2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror;

(4) A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;

(5) Terms of any express warranty;

(6) Price and any discount terms;

(7) “Remit to” address, if different than mailing address;

(8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);

(9) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments;

(10) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information); and

(11) If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) Product samples. When required by the solicitation, product samples shall be submitted at or prior to the time specified for receipt of offers. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, these samples shall be submitted at no expense to the Government, and returned at the sender’s request and expense, unless they are destroyed during preaward testing.

(e) Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions or commercial items for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately.

(f) Late submissions, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers.

(1) Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that offers or revisions are due.

(2)(i) Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is “late” and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and—

(A) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or

(B) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government’s control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or

(C) If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received.

(ii) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

(3) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the offer wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

(4) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that offers cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

(5) Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers. Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile offers, offers may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers, subject to the conditions specified in the solicitation concerning facsimile offers. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the offer.

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror’s initial offer should contain the offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) Multiple awards. The Government may accept any item or group of items of an offer, unless the offeror qualifies the offer by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Schedule, offers may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the offer.

(i) Availability of requirements documents cited in the solicitation.

(1)(i) The GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, FPMR Part 101-29, and copies of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained for a fee by submitting a request to—

(ii) If the General Services Administration, Department of Agriculture, or Department of Veterans Affairs issued this solicitation, a single copy of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained free of charge by submitting a request to the addressee in paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this provision. Additional copies will be issued for a fee.

(2) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the following ASSIST websites:

(i) ASSIST (http://assist.daps.dla.mil).

(ii) Quick Search (http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch).

(iii) ASSISTdocs.com (http://assistdocs.com).

(3) Documents not available from ASSIST may be ordered from the Department of Defense Single Stock Point (DoDSSP) by—

(i) Using the ASSIST Shopping Wizard (http://assist.daps.dla.mil/wizard);

(ii) Phoning the DoDSSP Customer Service Desk (215) 697-2179, Mon-Fri, 0730 to 1600 EST; or

(iii) Ordering from DoDSSP, Building 4, Section D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, Telephone (215) 697-2667/2179, Facsimile (215) 697-1462.

(4) Nongovernment (voluntary) standards must be obtained from the organization responsible for their preparation, publication, or maintenance.

(j) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. (Applies to all offers exceeding $3,000, and offers of $3,000 or less if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database.) The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation “DUNS” or “DUNS+4” followed by the DUNS or DUNS+4 number that identifies the offeror’s name and address. The DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional CCR records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see FAR Subpart 32.11) for the same concern. If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun and Bradstreet directly to obtain one. An offeror within the United States may contact Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or via the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. An offeror located outside the United States must contact the local Dun and Bradstreet office for a DUNS number. The offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office.

(k) Central Contractor Registration. Unless exempted by an addendum to this solicitation, by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the CCR database prior to award, during performance and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. If the Offeror does not become registered in the CCR database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered Offeror. Offerors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the internet at http://www.ccr.gov or by calling 1-888-227-2423 or 269-961-5757.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

(1) The agency’s evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the debriefed offeror’s offer.

(2) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on the debriefed offeror.

(3) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection.

(4) A summary of the rationale for award;

(5) For acquisitions of commercial items, the make and model of the item to be delivered by the successful offeror.

(6) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities were followed by the agency

EVALUATION SECTION

4.0 Proposal Evaluation

4.1 Contract awards: The Government will award a contract(s), resulting from this solicitation, to the responsible offeror(s) whose offer, conforming to the requirements of the solicitation, will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other related factors considered.

4.2 Award without discussions: Award(s) can be made without discussions at the Government’s prerogative. However, the Government reserves the right to open discussions. If discussions are held a final proposal revision will subsequently be requested.

4.3 Evaluation: The offeror’s proposal will be evaluated with regard to its ability to meet the requirements set forth in the Statement of Work.

4.3.1 Non-price related factors: The Government will evaluate proposals based on the following non-price related factors:

Certifications Technical Approach Past Performance

Relative importance of evaluation criteria: Of the non-price factors, Certifications is of substantially more importance than any other factor. Technical Approach is slightly more important than Past Performance. All non-price factors, when combined, are more important than Price.

4.3.2 Certifications: Offerors must provide proof that they are certified by the State Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to offer local telephone exchange services in the service area included in their offer. Certifications will be evaluated for compliance, and deemed acceptable if they demonstrate that the offeror is authorized to provide the services as offered.

4.3.3 Technical Approach: Technical approach will be evaluated for an understanding of all performance requirements, to include a description of the vendor’s proposed technical approach in order to provide the required products and services and is complete in accordance with the submission requirements below.

The Technical Proposal should consist of:

A brief summary describing the vendor’s company, A brief description of commercial services the company provides (if different from the Government services offered), A description of the equipment offered (to include equipment type, manufacturer, model numbers), A brief description of the local switched and dedicated services offered by the vendor, A primary and alternate vendor contact including mailing address, phone number, fax number and email address, A brief overview of the vendor’s network, A brief description of the vendor’s switch (if applicable), A description of the maintenance, monitoring and diagnostics provided by the vendor, A description of the call-out and escalation procedures used by the vendor to resolve troubles, A description of the vendor’s National Directory Assistance, if any, billing and service order capabilities, A description of how the vendor resolves billing errors, A description of the vendor’s order processing procedures, and

Proof of vendor certification for the products offered.

4.3.4 Past Performance: Past performance will be evaluated on all offerors. The offeror is requested to provide three (3) references with their proposal. The offerors’ past performance will be evaluated on the following factors: 1) Quality (to include excellence of performance and other examples that demonstrate the offeror’s ability to implement solutions that have rectified existing problems or concerns); 2) Currency (to include the project month/year –begin/end dates); 3) Applicability (such as similarity of work, project scope, size, project value and complexity) of past performance as it related to the requirements. The Government will consider in its evaluation the relevance and similarity of the offeror’s past performance information, the offeror’s written discussion of past performance problems, and the corrective actions taken to resolve those problems. The Government may use knowledge gained by other sources not provided by the offeror.

4.3.5 Price: Price proposals will be evaluated to determination that the prices are fair and reasonable.

PART V - CLAUSES

52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items (Jan 2011) An offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at http://orca.bpn.gov. If an offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at the ORCA website, the offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (o) of this provision.

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

“Forced or indentured child labor” means all work or service—

(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or

(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.

“Inverted domestic corporation” means a foreign incorporated entity which is treated as an inverted domestic corporation under 6 U.S.C. 395(b), i.e., a corporation that used to be incorporated in the United States, or used to be a partnership in the United States, but now is incorporated in a foreign country, or is a subsidiary whose parent corporation is incorporated in a foreign country, that meets the criteria specified in 6 U.S.C. 395(b), applied in accordance with the rules and definitions of 6 U.S.C. 395(c).

“Manufactured end product” means any end product in Federal Supply Classes (FSC) 1000-9999, except—

(1) FSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials;

(2) Federal…