Attachment 2- Draft Quotation Submission Instructions.pdf

Attachment 2- Quotation Submission Instructions

RFQ # 70RWMD19Q000000013 – SSD A&AS

Office of Procurement Operations U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

QUOTATION SUBMISSION

INSTRUCTIONS RFQ #

70RWMD19Q00000013

Systems Support Directorate (SSD) Advisory and Assistant Services (A&AS)

September 17, 2019

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), is issuing a draft Request for Quote (RFQ) # 70RWMD19Q00000013 for Systems Support Directorate (SSD) Advisory and Assistant Services in accordance with the attached Statement of Work (SOW).

The government anticipates awarding a single Time and Materials Task Order under the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) 00CORP Professional Services Schedule (PSS) Special Item Numbers (SIN) 871-1 through 871-6 under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541330 – Engineering Services as a total small business set-aside.

The Task Order will have one (1) 12-month base period with four (4) 12-month option periods and will include the option to extend services up to six (6) months pursuant to the FAR 52.217-8 clause.

Vendor selection for this acquisition will be made on a best value basis. Vendors are strongly encouraged to submit their best quotes and offer discounts from their established GSA labor rates.

The SOW for the required services is included herein (Attachment 1) and will be procured in accordance with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) FSS procedures.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Vendors shall submit quotations in response to this RFQ in two separate volumes, detailed below. Each volume shall be within the page limitations set forth below. The pages of each volume shall have one-inch margins on all sides. The font of the body content of each volume shall be equivalent to 12-point Times New Roman. Smaller font, not less than 8-point, may be used for tables, graphics, headers, footers, and captions; however, the vendor shall ensure the print is easy to read. Each volume shall be submitted as a password-protected zipped PDF file. The quotation submitted shall fully comply with all requirements in the RFQ. Failure of the Vendor to address all requirements of the RFQ in their Quotation may result in the Quotation not being considered for evaluation by the Government. If a quotation is deemed to be material incomplete, that quotation may be eliminated from further consideration for award without further review. To aid in the evaluation process, quotations shall be clearly and concisely written as well as neat, indexed and cross indexed, and logically assembled. All pages of each volume shall be appropriately numbered (i.e., “Page 1 of 10” etc.), and identified with the name of the Vendor, the date, and the solicitation number. Vendor Technical and Price Quotations shall be separate documents and consist of the information specified for each volume below. NOTE: The technical Quotation must not contain any price information.

Vendors shall submit an electronic copy of their quotations to the Contract Specialist, Marcus Datcher at Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov and the Contracting Officer, Jennifer D’Addio at Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov using WinZip software. The zipped file shall be password protected. Quotations shall be received no later than 2:00 PM Eastern on [Date: TBD].

Quotations received after the deadline will be late and will not be considered for award. All submissions shall include “70RWMD19Q00000013” in the subject line of the email. The WinZip password shall be submitted under a separate email by the aforementioned date and time. Please Note: There is not a character length or mixed case requirement imposed on your password.

Future correspondence with the Government regarding this solicitation must include “70RWMD19Q00000013” in the subject line, and emailed responses must be submitted to the Contract Specialist, Marcus Datcher at Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov and the Contracting Officer, Jennifer D’Addio at Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov. If vendor-provided information is source selection sensitive or vendor proprietary, e.g., includes price information, the email must be password protected.

Vendors shall use RFQ Attachment 5 – Comment Template to submit any feedback in response to this RFQ. Comments in response to this solicitation must be received by 2:00 PM Eastern on October 1, 2019. Comments shall be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist, Marcus Datcher at Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov and the Contracting Officer, Jennifer D’Addio at Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov. Responses to comments on the “DRAFT” RFQ will not be provided.

All quotation submissions must include the following information (preferably to be provided on the quote submission cover letter):

a) GSA Schedule Contract Number(s)

b) Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS)

c) North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code:

d) Certification of current System for Award Management (SAM) registration

e) Business Size

f) CAGE Code

g) Contact Name

h) Contact Email address

i) Contact telephone number

j) Complete business mailing address mailto:Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov

Contractor Teaming Arrangements (CTAs) or GSA Prime Contractor/Subcontractors I. Vendors may structure their quotation packages as either a GSA MAS Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) or as a GSA Prime Contractor/Subcontractor arrangement, whichever approach it believes provides the best value solution to the DHS. Further guidance on GSA CTAs may be found at the GSA MAS Desk Reference Section 10: Contractor Team Arrangements (CTAs).

II. If a GSA CTA is proposed, the Vendor is to specifically identify it as such and submit the CTA supporting documentation to DHS as part of its quotation package. The CTA must identify and designate the Team Leader, all Team Members, their corresponding GSA Schedule Contract Number(s), and describe the services to be performed by the Team Leader and each Team Member, along with the associated proposed fixed labor rates. Each quotation submitted as a CTA shall describe the Team Leader and Team Member responsibilities in terms of receiving Orders under the BPAs, invoicing, and payment. If choosing this approach, the vendor must include the following information:

• The GSA Contractor Team Leader is:

• The GSA Contractor Team Leader GSA Contract No. is:

• The GSA Team Member is:

• The GSA Team Member 1 GSA Contract No. is:

• The GSA Team Member 2 is:

• The GSA Team Member 2 GSA Contract No. is:

More Team Members may be added as necessary.

III. If a GSA Prime Contractor / Subcontractor Arrangement(s) is proposed, only the Prime Contractor must have a GSA Schedule 70 contract. GSA authorized subcontractors may fulfill requirements under the Prime Contractor’s GSA Contract number and pricing table quoted in Attachment 4. The Prime may not delegate responsibility for performance to subcontractors. The Prime cannot contract to offer services for which it does not hold a Schedule contract.

VOLUME 1 – TECHNICAL QUOTATION:

This volume shall address the vendor’s capability to perform the requirements of the SOW.

Volume 1 shall be limited to 25 pages, excluding the labor category descriptions, labor category cross reference matrix, the cover letter, title page, executive summary, and table of contents.

Information furnished by vendors beyond the stated page limitations will not be considered. The Technical Volume shall not contain any price information.

Technical Volume Content: The Technical Volume shall contain the following information:

Factor 1: Technical Capability

Technical capability shall demonstrate an understanding of the scope, complexity, and level of effort required to successfully accomplish the tasks in the SOW. Vendors shall effectively demonstrate how they will apply their knowledge, capability and competency to successfully perform the requirements of the SOW. The vendor shall demonstrate a clear comprehensive, understanding of the SOW requirements, to include vendor’s capability/approach to the following:

• method for building program schedules

• develop integrated logistics support plans

• method for identifying, assessing and developing cost, schedule and program risks

• method for developing life cycle cost estimates

• method for developing a mission needs statement

• method for effectively managing and tracing the decomposition of requirements from a capability gap to the development and procurement of an acquired product

• management of research portfolios, programs and projects

• development of research strategies and implementation plans

• modeling, analysis and interpretation of complex data sets as collected by individual and networked sensor systems

• develop analysis plans and test plans to economically ensure needed system capability

• use of modeling, simulation and analysis to reduce future test costs

• QA/QC of test data and data management

Factor 2: Management Approach/Staffing Plan

The Management Approach shall demonstrate the vendor’s comprehensive, sound, and reasonable approach to managing the task order, to managing projects, and conducting day-to-day operations, including coordinating and collaborating with Government personnel.

The Management Approach shall demonstrate the feasibility and accountability of the organizational approach of the vendor’s team, including the roles and management of teaming partners and subcontractors, rationale for the organizational structure and the portion of work to be performed by each entity.

The Management Approach shall demonstrate a comprehensive, sound, and reasonable approach to risk management, including identifying and assessing risks and proposed strategies for proactively managing and mitigating risks, including the process for escalating program issues.

The Management Approach shall include a Transition Plan that demonstrates the vendors ability to minimize the transition impact, such that continuity of services will be maintained without disruption.

The Staffing Plan shall demonstrate ability to provide well trained and qualified staff to meet the requirements for the RFQ, including hours listed for each labor category and the tasks set forth in the SOW, as well as plan for recruiting, training, retention of staff, and addressing changes in work priorities and work surges.

The Staffing Plan shall include proposed labor categories, including labor category descriptions, that the vendor proposes necessary to accomplish the SOW tasks. Vendors shall provide a cross reference matrix that lists all the labor categories suggested by the Government under this task order and the correlating labor categories proposed by the vendor.

Factor 3: Past Performance

Past performance will be evaluated to determine how well a vendor has performed relevant projects.

Past performance may cite federal, state, local government, commercial sources, or not for profit sources, and should highlight the company’s key role in the past performance being documented. This information shall consist of a one (1) page introductory matrix listing the vendor’s and its teaming members’ or critical subcontractors’ past performance references. A critical subcontractor is a subcontractor who is expected to perform aspects of this effort that the vendor considers critical to overall successful performance. The vendor shall provide three (3) references for the prime contractor (or CTA members). In addition, the vendor may submit up to a total of three (3) references for the critical subcontractors. The vendor should include rationale supporting the assertion of relevance for each reference. These references should also be from different contracts. To be considered, past performance data may not be older than (3) years from the date of the quotation and may include active contracts. Further, vendors should include a list of all relevant DHS on-going contracts or contracts completed in the last (5) years.

Past performance references shall be as a prime contractor or first-tier subcontractor on previous or current projects/tasks that are similar in size, scope, and complexity to the work identified in the Statement of Work. Past performance does not necessarily have to be Government-related;

but it is important to demonstrate and provide evidence of past performance for work similar in size, scope and complexity to that described in the SOW. The vendor is required to identify any performance problems/issues/challenges arising out of the contract and clearly describe management actions implemented to overcome problems and the effects of those actions, in terms of improvements achieved or problems solved. Evidence of performance-based methodologies in past performance shall be provided where available.

For each past performance reference submitted, provide the following information, in the format provided:

PAST PERFORMANCE

Contract Number (or Identifier) Name and Address of Company/Agency Program Title Contact Person Telephone Number of Contact Person E-mail Address of Contact Person Identify if you were the Prime or Subcontractor Period of Performance (e.g. start date and completion date)

Contract Type (FP, T&M, LH, etc.)

Contract Value

PAST PERFORMANCE

Description of Work (Types of work performed, problems encountered and their resolutions, any subcontractors or partnerships…)

The vendor shall forward the Past Performance Questionnaire (see Attachment 3) to each reference. The reference shall forward the completed questionnaires directly to the contracting officer and contract specialist at Jennifer.Daddio@hq.dhs.gov and Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov by the quote deadline. It is the responsibility of the vendor to ensure its customer references return the surveys directly to the contracting officer and contract specialist on time. Surveys received late may be accepted and reviewed at the discretion of the contracting officer, if the contracting officer determines that it will not cause undue delay to the procurement process.

The Government reserves the right to use publicly available reports and data from the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) found on the web at http://www.ppirs.gov.

The Government may also use present and/or past performance information obtained from a variety of sources, not just those contracts identified by the vendor.

VOLUME II – PRICE QUOTATION:

Pricing shall be submitted in a separate volume from the Technical volume.

Price quotes shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Excel format using the attached pricing table (see Attachment 3 – RWAQ-19-0013 Pricing Table and shall contain the formulas for price calculations. The pricing table shall be completed and will be used for evaluation purposes. Vendors shall input their proposed rates for each labor category (rates shall contain two decimal places only) listed in the pricing table. The evaluation hours and travel/ODC amounts provided in the pricing table shall not be changed. Failure to include the pricing data in Excel spreadsheet will result in the quote not being considered. All remaining information requested as part of the price quote shall be submitted in accordance with the format detailed in the submission instructions. There is no page limit for the price volume.

The price volume shall include the following:

a) A copy of the vendor’s GSA Pricelist.

b) Proposed fixed hourly labor rates for all labor categories inclusive of all contract periods as indicated in Attachment 3 – Pricing Table (for both Government site and Contractor site). The vendor must complete Attachment 3 and return it with their price quote submission.

c) Fixed hourly rates shall be fully burdened and include all costs (direct and indirect), overhead, and profit.

d) Vendors are strongly encouraged to offer discounts off their GSA FSS PSS contract published rates. Identify by percentage any discounts or price reductions offered.

e) If a rate that is not on the prime contractor’s GSA FSS Schedule is used, an explanation must be provided explaining how that rate was calculated (i.e., if it is on a teaming partner’s FSS).

f) If a vendor intends to include General & Administrative (G&A) costs on travel and other direct costs (ODCs), Volume 2 – Price Quote shall include a narrative statement which identifies the rate to be utilized and the supporting documentation included with the quotation to substantiate the rate. Vendors may only include G&A costs on travel/ODCs if allowable under their GSA Schedule contracts; profit or fee is NOT allowable. To evaluate the impact of the Vendor’s proposed G&A on their total evaluated price, the rate will be applied to the not-to-exceed travel amount for each task order period for price evaluation purposes only.

g) Vendors shall identify whether or not the period of performance of their current GSA FSS PSS contract(s) will cover all task order option periods. This shall include all team members PSS contracts if responding as a CTA. If the vendor’s PSS contract is set to expire before the last task order option period begins, they shall identify whether or not the PSS contract will be renewed.

h) Vendors shall include an exceptions, deviations and assumptions section in Volume 2 that identifies and explains in detail any exceptions, deviations, or conditional assumptions taken with the requirements of the RFQ. Any exceptions, deviations and assumptions taken must contain sufficient amplification and justification to permit evaluation. All benefits to the Government shall be fully explained for each exception taken.

EVALUATION FACTORS:

A single task order will be awarded to the vendor whose technical and price quotation represents the best value to the Government. The Government intends to award based on initial quotations but reserves the right to obtain clarifications, if it finds necessary. Vendors are therefore cautioned that each initial quote should contain the vendor’s best terms. The determination of best value will be based on an evaluation of the following criteria:

1. Technical Capability

2. Management Approach/Staffing Plan

3. Past Performance

4. Price (not rated)

Factor 1, Factor 2, and Factor 3 are non-price evaluation factors.

Non-price factors are listed in descending order of importance with Technical Capability being the most important and Past Performance being the least important. When combined, the non-price factors are significantly more important than price.

BASIS FOR AWARD

One (1) award will be made to the Vendor whose quote is determined to best meet the needs of the Government after consideration of all factors, that is, the quote that provides the best value to the Government. For this procurement, best value is defined as the quote that results in the most advantageous acquisition decision for the Government as determined by trade off analysis among the non-price and price factors.

As quotations near equality in their technical merit, greater will be the importance of price in making the award determination. If two (2) or more quotations are determined not to have any substantial technical differences (i.e. are technically equal), award may be made to the lower priced quotation. It should be noted that award may be made to other than the lowest priced quotation if the Government determines that a price premium is warranted due to technical merit.

The Government may also award to other than the highest technically rated quotation, if the Government determines that a price premium is not warranted.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Quotations submitted in response to this RFQ will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Factor 1: Technical Capability

Technical capability will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates the vendor’s understanding of the scope, complexity, and level of effort required to successfully accomplish the tasks in the SOW.

Technical capability will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation effectively demonstrates how the vendor will apply their knowledge, capability and competency to successfully perform the requirements of the SOW.

Technical capability will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates a clear comprehensive, understanding of the SOW requirements, to include vendor’s capability/approach to the following:

• method for building program schedules

• develop integrated logistics support plans

• method for identifying, assessing and developing cost, schedule and program risks

• method for developing life cycle cost estimates

• method for developing a mission needs statement

• method for effectively managing and tracing the decomposition of requirements from a capability gap to the development and procurement of an acquired product

• management of research portfolios, programs and projects

• development of research strategies and implementation plans

• modeling, analysis and interpretation of complex data sets as collected by individual and networked sensor systems

• develop analysis plans and test plans to economically ensure needed system capability

• use of modeling, simulation and analysis to reduce future test costs

• QA/QC of test data and data management

Factor 2: Management Approach/Staffing Plan

The Management Approach will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates the vendor’s comprehensive, sound, and reasonable approach to managing the task order, to managing projects, and conducting day-to-day operations, including coordinating and collaborating with Government personnel.

The Management Approach will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates the feasibility and accountability of the organizational approach of the vendor’s team, including the roles and management of teaming partners and subcontractors, rationale for the organizational structure and the portion of work to be performed by each entity.

The Management Approach will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates a comprehensive, sound, and reasonable approach to risk management, including identifying and assessing risks and proposed strategies for proactively managing and mitigating risks, including the process for escalating program issues.

The Manage Approach will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the Transition Plan demonstrates the vendors ability to minimize the transition impact, such that continuity of services will be maintained without disruption.

The Staffing Plan will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the quotation demonstrates the vendor’s ability to provide well trained and qualified staff to meet the requirements for the RFQ, including hours listed for each labor category and the tasks set forth in the SOW, as well as plan for recruiting, training, retention of staff, and addressing changes in work priorities and work surges.

The Staffing Plan will be evaluated to assess the extent to which the proposed labor categories, including labor category descriptions, provide the skill levels, training, education, and experience needed to accomplish the SOW tasks.

Factor 3: Past Performance

The vendor’s quotation will be evaluated to assess the extent to which their past performance demonstrates the likelihood of successful performance in providing requirements similar in size, scope and complexity of this solicitation. The evaluation will consider the relevance, recentness, and quality of past projects. The Government may choose to evaluate publicly available reports, and/or data from the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS). The Government may use present and/or past performance data obtained from a variety of sources, not just those contracts identified by the vendor. Vendors without relevant past performance will not be rated either favorably or unfavorably under this factor. If a vendor has only one or two relevant past performance projects, the Government will evaluate past performance on the basis of these projects if, in the Government’s judgment, they indicate the extent to which past performance demonstrates the likelihood of successful performance.

The Government will review all past performance data submitted with the quotation, including the questionnaires that are submitted on a timely basis and those received late if the contracting officer determines that it will not cause undue delay to the procurement process. The Government may contact the referenced companies/organizations and others to verify the past performance information.

Factor 4: Price

Price will not be rated but will be evaluated with respect to completeness and reasonableness based on information submitted in the vendor’s price quotation. The Government will determine whether the price, inclusive of all option periods (including the option period available under FAR 52.217- 8), is fair and reasonable. Evaluation of option periods does not obligate the Government to exercise the option periods. The price evaluation will consist of:

1) The price evaluation will assess the completeness and accuracy of the quotation. This process will involve verification that prices and/or discounts are included, information presented is complete and accurate, and prices are presented in the prescribed format.

2) The Government will evaluate quotations for award purposes by adding the total price for all option periods and line items (including option periods and the maximum six-month option period beyond the last option period under FAR 52.217-8) to the price for the base period, to determine whether the vendor’s price quotation is fair and reasonable.

3) If needed, the Government may exercise the option periods or option period under FAR 52.217-8 without further competition. For purposes of evaluation, the potential need to exercise the option period under FAR 52.217-8, to extend the period of performance for the maximum period of six (6) months beyond the last option period will be evaluated for all vendors. The labor rates for this 6-month option period shall remain the same as those proposed for Option Period 4.