RFQ for 70Z02322Q79100003 final dated 2022 07 18.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTE NO. 70Z02322Q79100003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Request for Quote (RFQ) Pages 03-10

Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment 1 (PDF)

Pricing Worksheet / CLINS Attachment 2 (Excel)

Terms and Conditions Attachment 3 (PDF)

Representations and Certifications Attachment 4 (PDF)

NOTICE FOR FILING AGENCY PROTESTS

United States Coast Guard Ombudsman Program

It is the policy of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to issue solicitations and make contract awards in a fair and timely manner. The Ombudsman Program for Agency Protests (OPAP) was established to investigate agency protest issues and resolve them without expensive and time- consuming litigation.

OPAP is an independent reviewing authority that is empowered to grant a prevailing protester essentially the same relief as the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Interested parties are encouraged to seek resolution of their concerns within the USCG as an Alternative

Dispute Resolution (ADR) forum rather than filing a protest with the GAO or some external forum.

Interested parties may seek resolution of their concerns informally or opt to file a formal agency protest with the Contracting Officer or Ombudsman.

Informal Forum with the Ombudsman. Interested parties who believe a specific USCG procurement is unfair or otherwise defective should first direct their concerns to the applicable Contracting Officer. If the

Contracting Officer is unable to satisfy their concerns, interested parties are encouraged to contact the U.S.

Coast Guard Ombudsman for Agency Protests. Under this informal process the agency is not required to suspend contract award performance. Use of an informal forum does not suspend any time requirement for filing a protest with the agency or other forum. In order to ensure a timely response, interested parties should provide the following information to the Ombudsman: solicitation/contract number, contracting office, Contracting Officer, and solicitation closing date (if applicable).

Formal Agency Protest with the Ombudsman. Prior to submitting a formal agency protest, protesters must first use their best efforts to resolve their concerns with the Contracting Officer through open and frank discussions. If the protester’s concerns are unresolved, an Independent Review is available by the

Ombudsman. The protester may file a formal agency protest to either the Contracting Officer or as an alternative to that, the Ombudsman under the OPAP program.

Contract award or performance will be suspended during the protest period unless contract award or performance is justified, in writing, for urgent and compelling reasons or is determined in writing to be in the best interest of the Government. The agency’s goal is to resolve protests in less than 35 calendar days from the date of filing. Protests shall include the information set forth in FAR 33.103(d) (2). If the protester fails to submit the required information, resolution of the protest may be delayed or the protest may be dismissed. To be timely protests must be filed within the period specified in FAR 33.103(e).

Formal protests filed under the OPAP program should be submitted electronically to OPAP@uscg.mil and the Contracting Officer or by hand delivery to the Contracting Officer.

Election of Forum. After an interested party protests a Coast Guard procurement to the Contracting

Officer or the Ombudsman, and while the protest is pending, the protester agrees not to file a protest with the GAO or other external forum. If the protest is filed with an external forum, the agency protest will be dismissed.

The Ombudsman Hotline telephone number is 202.372.3695.

mailto:OPAP@uscg.mil

REQUEST FOR QUOTE No. 70Z02322Q79100003

Issued Under:

The United States Coast Guard is issuing this Request for Quote (RFQ) via the SAM website to interested offerors. This requirement is being procured in accordance with FAR parts 12 and

13.5.

Solicitation Title: Cybersecurity Learning Platform Program

Issuing Office:

Office of Contract Operations

Office of Contracts Support, CG-9123

2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE

Washington, DC 20593-7828

Agency Contact:

Robert Budlong

Contracting Officer

Email: Robert.Budlong@uscg.mil

RFQ Issue Date: July 18, 2022

Questions Due Date:

Offerors are encouraged to submit questions or concerns regarding any aspect of this RFQ by the requested date below to allow adequate time to research and prepare responses.

Questions and concerns must be forwarded to both the Contracting Officer and Contract

Specialist via email by July 20, 2022 at 2:00 PM ET, so that they can be addressed prior to the submission of your quote. The government cannot guarantee the questions and concerns received after the cut-off date will be answered or addressed before quotes are due. Pertinent information will be provided as a solicitation amendment to all Offerors as appropriate.

Quote Due Date:

Please submit your quote via email to the Agency Contacts listed above on or before July 27, 2022, 2:00 PM ET. There will be no exceptions to the time and date responses are due, unless issued by amendment from the Government. The subject line shall state, "Quote for RFQ

70Z02322Q79100003 from [name of offeror]". The data in your quote should be compatible with Microsoft Office and/or PDF. The email file size capability (including attachments) for the

USCG is 10 megabytes (MBs). If your quote is larger than 10MB, please submit it in separate emails vice one, using the same instructions as above except the subject line shall be:

Quote for RFQ 70Z02322Q79100003 from [name of offeror], email 1 of 2

Quote for RFQ 70Z02322Q79100003 from [name of offeror], email 2 of 2 mailto:Robert.Budlong@uscg.mil

This task order RFQ shall not be considered direction to proceed with the subject effort, nor a promise of future direction to proceed. Submission of a quote in response to this RFQ denotes that the offeror understands and accepts the terms and conditions contained herein. Offerors are solely responsible for any perceived or incurred submission costs.

1.2. NAICS Code and Small Business Size Standard: The principal nature of the requirements described in this solicitation is consistent with services performed by industries in NAICS

611420, Computer Training with a small business size standard of $13 million average annual receipts.

1.3. Product Service Code (PSC): The services in this solicitation are best represented by PSC

Code: U012, Education/Training- Information Technology/Telecommunications Training.

1.4. Type of Contract: The primary type of contract resulting from this solicitation is: Firm-

Fixed Price. No travel costs required.

1.5. Type of Services: The type of services under this solicitation is:

Commercial Items Non-Commercial Items Mix of Both

1.6. Extent of Competition: This solicitation will be based on:

This solicitation is being solicited open market as a Total Small Business Set Aside. This is a

Total Small Business competitive set-aside. Only Small Business that meet the Small Business

Size Standard for NAICS 611420 can submit quotes under this solicitation. See paragraph 1.2 above.

Security Clearances:

The clearance level for this SOW is: Unclassified Classified Mix of Both

The Facility Clearance Level is: Unclassified Secret Top Secret

Performance Location(s):

1.9. Place(s) of Performance:

The places of performance(s) for this SOW are:

The contractor’s site. This is web-based training.

1.10. Period of Performance:

The anticipated start date of the period of performance will be September 17, 2022. The tentative periods of performance is as follows:

Base Period: 9/17/2022 through 9/16/2023

1.10 Current Contract:

Contract Number: 70Z02321PMWC00600.

Contractor: Infosec Institute, Inc.

Contractor Address: 311 W Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703-2764

Contract Amount: $242,621.00

1. FAR PROVISIONS

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

www.acquisition.gov

Provision

Number Title Date

52.204-7 System for Award Management OCT 2018

52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting AUG 2020

52.209-11 Representation by Corporation Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law

FEB 2016

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial

Services - Addenda to 52.212-1 is included in the section below

NOV 2021

52.222-22 Previous Contract and Compliance Reports FEB 1999

52.225-25 Prohibition on Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran – Certification

JUN 2020

(End of provision) http://www.acquisition.gov/

52.216-1 Type of Contract (APR 1984) (Tailored)

The Government contemplates award of a single award, firm-fixed-price (FFP) indefinite delivery contract resulting from this solicitation.

52.204-22 Alternative Line-Item Proposal (JAN 2017)

(a) The Government recognizes that the line items established in this solicitation may not conform to the Offeror’s practices. Failure to correct these issues can result in difficulties in acceptance of deliverables and processing payments. Therefore, the Offeror is invited to propose alternative line items for which bids, proposals, or quotes are requested in this solicitation to ensure that the resulting contract is economically and administratively advantageous to the Government and the Offeror.

(b) The Offeror may submit one or more additional proposals with alternative line items, provided that alternative line items are consistent with subpart 4.10 of the Federal Acquisition

Regulation. However, acceptance of an alternative proposal is a unilateral decision made solely at the discretion of the Government. Offers that do not comply with the line items specified in this solicitation may be determined to be nonresponsive or unacceptable.

2. DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

2.1. ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1(b) Submission of Offers. (NOV 2021)

FAR provision 52.212-1, dated Nov 2021, is incorporated into this solicitation by reference. This addendum adds a new item to 52.212-1(b) Submission of Offers, as allowed by FAR 12.303.

As a minimum, offers must show –

(12) Submission Instructions

Quotes shall be divided into two separate, independent volumes, and organized into the following manner:

Volume I: Technical Capability

Volume I shall be PDF or Microsoft Word compatible, 12-point font size and 8 inch by

11.5 inch pages with one-inch margins. The page length of Volume I shall be limited to

15 pages, inclusive of assumptions. The page count does not include the cover page, https://www.acquisition.gov/content/subpart-410-uniform-use-line-items#iSubpart_4_10 executive summary, table of contents, index, or list of acronyms and abbreviations.

Cover Page

The vendor shall submit a Cover Page with its quotation in Volume 1. The Cover Page shall include, but is not limited to:

Quote Number, Name of Quote, Date of Quote, Company Name, Address, Phone Number, and System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEID) Number;

Company Contracts Manager Name, Phone Number, and Email Address; and/or

The Offeror may include an Executive Summary in this section, but it is not required.

Factor 1: Technical Capability (Volume I) - Quote shall provide sufficiently detailed information that demonstrates the Offeror's understanding and ability to perform the requirements in SOW Sections 2.1 through 2.3.1. The page limitation for Factor 1 shall be no more than 10 pages.

Factor 2: Past Performance (include in Volume I) - The offeror will provide Past Performance reports from the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) or questionnaires provided in this solicitation. The past performance submission shall include at minimum three (3) past performance reports from projects of similar size, scope, and complexity performed. No page limit on past performance narratives and past performance narratives are not included on Volume I (Technical Capability) page count. Past performance reports submitted must have been completed within the last three (3) years.

For each reference, vendor shall provide the following:

Name and Address of company or agency;

Points of Contact including name, telephone numbers, and email addresses;

Contract type and Contract number;

Contract Line Item Descriptions and/or Scope;

Quantities Delivered;

Contract value; and

Period of Performance.

Volume I shall contain all required information for Factor 1 - Technical Capability and Factor 2 -

Past Performance.

Volume II: Price

Factor 3: Price (Volume II) - Price shall be submitted separately from Volume I. The offeror shall provide its price quote using Attachment 2 – Pricing Spreadsheet. The offeror shall provide pricing build up to demonstrate how they arrived at their prices.

Volume II shall include a completed Attachment 2 – Pricing Worksheet and any alternate training categories; pricing buildup; and Attachment 4 – Representations and

Certifications.

The Offeror may choose to propose an alternative solution that better reflects the Offeror’s technical requirements. If an alternate solution is proposed, the rational for the alternate training categories shall be included in Volume II Price.

Offeror shall complete all provisions and clauses in Attachment 4 and submit them within

Volume II. Completed provisions and clauses are not counted against the page count.

52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (1)

Technical Capability, (2) Past Performance, and (3) Total Evaluated Price.

All non-price factors are equal in importance to each other and, when combined, are approximately equal to price. As the technical quotes become closer in rating, price increases in relative importance.

The Government will evaluate written quotes to consider the following:

(1) Technical Capability

(2) Past Performance

(3) Total Evaluated Price

(1) Technical Capability: Quotes will be evaluated on how well the proposed Technical

Capability meet or exceed the requirements in SOW Sections 1.0 and 2.0. Evaluations will specifically consider how well an offeror's Technical Capabilities and Past Performance align with the SOW and Department of Defense’s Information Assurance Workforce

Qualifications, commonly referred to ‘8570 Certifications’ (DoD’s 8570, 8140), DoD

Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF), and National Initiative for Cybersecurity

Education (NICE) frameworks.

Offerors shall directly address the sections in the SOW citing the SOW's numbering conventions. Address sections 1 and 2 of the SOW. When addressing “Access”, use the citation “2.1. ACCESS”. When addressing “On-Demand-Learning Platform”, use the citation “2.2 ON-DEMAND LEARNING PLATFORM”. Do the same up to subsection

2.3.1. The offeror may provide additional information that it deems meaningful as long as it is under the page limitation.

Failure to explain Contractor’s ability to meet all requirements may result in the

Contractor’s quote receiving a lower rating. There shall be no pricing information within

Volume I. The vendor shall include any assumptions with regard to its Technical

Capability in this Volume I. If alternate training categories are proposed, from the

Government’s Attachment 2 - Pricing Worksheet, provide sufficient rationale for the alternate in a narrative in Volume II.

(2) Past Performance: Only past performance determined to be relevant and recent will be evaluated. To be considered relevant and recent, the past performance being referenced must have been performed within the past three (3) years on efforts of similar scope and complexity to the work outlined in the SOW. The past performance evaluation will examine the extent to which the Offeror’s past performance demonstrates their ability to successfully conform to requirements and standards in terms of quality of support services and defined deliverables;

adherence to contract schedules; management, and customer satisfaction.

A lack of any relevant Past Performance information will be treated by the Government as a

“Neutral” rating under this evaluation factor. The USCG reserves the right to consider other Past

Performance queries and databases to gather additional information other than what is submitted in response to the solicitation.

The Past Performance evaluation assesses the degree of confidence the Government has in an

Offeror’s ability to provide services that meet the Government’s needs based on a demonstrated record of performance.

(3) Total Evaluated Price (TEP): Offeror shall provide a complete and accurate price quote for the contract on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) basis. The price quote must be filled out in

Attachment 1 - Pricing Worksheet. Pricing will be evaluated to determine:

The Contractor’s totals from CLIN 0001 through CLIN 0040 equals the TEP; and

Evaluation of the TEP will include various techniques and procedures in FAR 12.602 and 13.106.

Failure to complete and provide the Attachment 2 - Pricing Worksheet will result in a determination of non-responsiveness and your quote will not be evaluated for award.

Based on an integrated assessment of the evaluations, and in accordance with the relative importance of the evaluation factors, the Government will make a single award based on the quotes which represents the best value to the Government. This assessment will follow the guidance at FAR 15.101-1, Best Value Continuum Tradeoff Process, and the guidance for evaluation of Commercial Items at FAR 12.602(c). This determination will compare the relative merits of technical capability, past performance information, and the proposed prices associated with them. In making this comparison the Government is concerned with striking the most advantageous balance between technical, past performance, and price.

Per FAR Provision 52.212-1(g), “Contract award”, the USCG intends to award the contract resulting from this RFQ without discussions, though the USCG reserves the right to hold discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The determination to hold discussions is a unilateral right of the Government.

(b) This single award Indefinite Delivery Contract will have a one-year period and there will be no options on this award.

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful Offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the

Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.