Attachment_2,_Instructions_and_Selection_Method.docx

ATTACHMENT 2 - SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS AND SELECTION METHOD - (COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION NO. 7596019Q00009)

SECTION L: INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO QUOTERS

L.1 RESPONSIBILITY

This contract shall be awarded only to a responsible prospective Contractor in accordance with FAR 9.104, Responsible Prospective Contractors.

L.2 CONTRACTOR TEAM ARRANGEMENTS

In accordance with FAR 9.6, the Government will recognize the integrity and validity of Contractor team arrangements, provided the arrangements are identified and company relationships are fully disclosed in the Quoter’s submission.

L.3 GENERAL INFORMATION

Points of Contact: The Contract Specialists are the sole points of contact for this procurement. Address any questions or concerns you may have to the Contract Specialist. Written requests for clarification shall be sent to the following email address: Mr. Christopher Fisher at christopher.fisher@nih.gov.

Referenced Documents. All referenced documents for this solicitation are available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) web site at https://www.fedbizopps.gov. Potential Quoters are encouraged to subscribe for real-time email notifications when information has been posted to the website for this solicitation.

The Government-wide Point-of-Entry, Federal Business Opportunities, is the official repository for all information related to this acquisition. Potential Quoters are encouraged to subscribe for real-time email notifications when information has been posted to the website for this solicitation. The Government is not responsible for the accuracy of information or data posted on other websites or forums.

L.4 GUIDANCE FOR QUOTE SUBMISSION

This section of the Instruction to Quoters provides general guidance for preparing Quotes as well as specific instructions on the format and content of the Quote. The Quoter’s submission shall include all data and information requested by the solicitation and shall be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The Quoter shall be compliant with the requirements of the solicitation. Non-conformance with the instructions provided in this Information to Quoters may result in removal of the Quote from further evaluation.

The following instructions establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and content of quote submissions. By submitting a Quote in response to this solicitation, it is understood that a Quoter’s submission shall become part of the official contract file.

The Quoters’ attention is directed to the requirements for the submission of technical quotes, business quotes, and past performance information contained in Section L of this document. The Quote shall be submitted in accordance with these instructions:

The Quote shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The Quote should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Quoter intends to meet these requirements. Submissions that represent a mere restatement of the Government’s requirements will be deemed non-responsive and may be removed from further consideration. Quoters shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities and/or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Quoter’s submission.

Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed art work, or other embellishments are unnecessary and are not desired. Internet hyperlinks to information are not permitted.

L.4.1 Solicitation Technical Inquiries and Questions (See “Combined Synopsis/Solicitation”) L.4.2 Quote Submission Deadline and Instructions In accordance with the “Additional Instruction” section of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, all volumes of the Quote shall be submitted together to NIEHS no later than July 29, 2019, 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time emailing Mr. Christopher Fisher at Christopher.fisher@nih.gov using the following instructions:

Email Subject Line: GADS3 Quote Submission Body of Email: Include Company name and Company size Attachments, which must be provided as separate files:

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f). Only e-mails will be accepted.

All questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by July 10, 2019 PM Eastern Standard, via e-mail. Please be advised that the Government reserves the right to transmit any questions and answers of a common interest to all prospective quoters.

Your firm’s Past Performance submissions are due with the quoter’s overall quote submission by July 29, 2019, 3:00 PM Eastern Standard, via e-mail. However, your current and past clients must submit the Past Performance Survey Questionnaires (Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Attachment 3) directly to the contracting office no later than July 22, 2019, 5:30 PM Eastern Standard, via e-mail.

L.4.3 Late Submissions Complete electronic versions must be received before the time and date specified for receipt. If the Quote is received at the destination after the time and date specified for receipt, the Quote will be considered late and will be handled in accordance with the late Quote provision of FAR 52.212-1.

L.4.4 Quote Submission Structure The Quote shall use the specific format below. These directions assist in providing a fair and equitable evaluation of all Quotes. The Government may determine those Quotes not following directions as unacceptable and may reject such submissions from further consideration. The Quotes shall use:

· 8.5 by 11-inch size paper

· No less than 0.5-inch left hand margin and right hand margin

· No less than 0.5-inch margins at both the top and bottom of each page

· Minimum 11 point Arial or Times New Roman font

· Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures shall be used where practical to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc. These displays shall be uncomplicated and legible. For tables, charts, graphs, figures, and page numbers, the text shall be no smaller than 10 point Arial or Times New Roman.

· All documents shall be in a Microsoft Office compatible format

· All pages single spaced

· Every page sequentially numbered; and

· Page numbers shall be centered in the bottom margin

The Quoter shall submit a Quote addressing the evaluation factors listed in Section M. All Quotes shall be evaluated preliminarily to ensure compliance with the requirements set forth in this solicitation, which include the following:

· Timely receipt.

· Determination of contractor and subcontractor responsibility in accordance with FAR 9.104.

The Quoter shall describe:

1. Discussion of the PWS background, objectives, requirements, and tasks;

2. Methods and approaches that are conducive to meeting the services as outlined in subsection C.5.2 of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Attachment 1, PWS;

3. Methods and approaches to balance Adaptive and Preventive Maintenance with Corrective Maintenance in an operational environment;

4. Technical knowledge in each of the technology domains as outlined in PWS Attachment J-5, table column “Language”, and table column “Operating System App” of this solicitation;

5. Methods and approaches that are conducive to maintaining and sustaining current GADS system architecture and capacity planning to ensure high system availability, stability, scalability, operational availability, and agility;

6. Optimizing Oracle Database performance, enhancing data queries, improving data storage techniques, and developing, optimizing and maintaining Oracle Stored Procedures, ideally in operational domains associated with managing federal grant programs; and

7. Approach for the development of GADS3 enhancements in Task Orders 1 and 2 (PWS Attachments J-2 and J-3), including tools and techniques used and that address all aspects of the software lifecycle process.

L.4.6.2 Volume 2 – Management Capability The Quoter shall describe:

1. Management approach that is conducive to effectiveness in supervising, coordinating and allocating contractor personnel and resources toward the successful execution of PWS requirements and tasks;

2. Approach for capturing production system metrics to support key management decisions;

3. Approach to ensure the GADS system and servers adhere to strict NIH/NIEHS security and audit mandatory requirements;

4. Quality management and control approaches conducive to achieving the quality control processes as described in the submitted Quality Control Plan (QCP) specifying the activities and approaches it will use to manage quality and conduct continuous evaluation and improvement across all areas of performance, including performance in any subsequent task orders. The Contractor’s quality control program shall include management and technical reviews and audits to validate the quality of the work performed by the Contractor’s personnel and of the work performed by its subcontractors (as applicable). The QCP shall include a description of how the Contractor shall scale its quality control program to ensure quality performance in additional task orders; and

5. Staffing approach that is conducive to hiring and maintaining personnel with the capabilities and experience conducive to satisfying the PWS requirements, including recruitment and retention of qualified and key personnel.

L.4.6.3 Volume 3 – Past Performance Quoters shall forward the applicable Past Performance Questionnaire (Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Attachment 3) for their selected references. References shall submit the completed questionnaire to the Contracting Officer by July 22, 2019. These submissions will not count against the Quote page limitation.

In addition, a Past Performance submission is required. The submission shall identify three (3) contracts/Task Orders with 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 Quoter’s past performance references. The Quoter shall provide a maximum of three (3) references. The Quoter should include the 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 three (3) years from the date of this solicitation and may include active contracts.

Past performance references shall be as a Prime Contractor on previous or current projects/tasks that are similar in size, scope, and complexity of the work identified in the PWS. Past performance does not necessarily have to be Government-related; however, it is important to demonstrate and provide evidence of past performance for work similar in size, scope and complexity to that described in the solicitation. The Quoter is required to clearly demonstrate management actions implemented to overcome problems and the effects of those actions, in terms of improvements achieved or problems solved.

The Government reserves the right to use publicly available reports and resources available to the Government. The Government may also use present and/or past performance data obtained from a variety of sources, not just those contacts identified by Quoters. For each reference, provide:

a. Reference Name (Company or Entity)

b. Program Title

c. Contracting Agency/Private Company

d. Contract Number/Task Order Number (if applicable)

e. Brief description of the contract effort, including results and successes

f. Type of Contract

g. Period of Performance

h. Original contract dollar value and current or actual dollar value

i. Actual completion date

j. Contact names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of current, or last (if contract completed) Program Director/Manager and/or Contract Manager.

L.4.6.4 Volume 4 – Price and Business Quoters shall submit a Price and Business Quote addressing the following:

1. The Price and Business submission must include a completed Master Contract Rate Table located on page 2 of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. The quoted rates shall be fully loaded, inclusive of all overhead, G&A, profit, etc. These rates will convey to the awarded IDIQ Contract and apply to all task orders under the basic contract agreement.

2. The Price and Business submission must also include a completed “Base Work –Pricing” table located on page 2 of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. Quoters must supplement this table with a breakdown of their proposed labor mix, inclusive of the IDIQ rates quoted for the Master Contract Rate Table.

SECTION M: EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 FAR PROVISION 52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN 1999)

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Quoter whose submission, conforming to the solicitation, is determined to be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate Quotes:

FACTOR 1 - Technical Capability FACTOR 2 - Management Capability FACTOR 3 - Past Performance FACTOR 4 – Price

M.2 ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

For the non-price factors:

· Technical Capability is more important than Management Capability; and

· Management Capability is more important than Past Performance;

These non-price factors, when combined (Technical, Management, and Past Performance), are significantly more important than Price. In the event that two (2) or more Quotes are determined not to have any substantial technical differences, because they are technically equivalent, contract award may be made to the lowest priced submission.

M.3 BEST VALUE METHODOLOGY

An award may be made to other than the lowest priced Quoter if the Government determines that a Quoter’s submission offers technical benefits that merit the price premium. The Government may also issue an award to other than the highest technically rated offer if the Government determines that a price premium is not warranted based on technical merit. If warranted, the Government may conduct a value analysis to address the above-described conditions. Any such analysis will be commensurate with the scope and complexity of the evaluated material and resulting Quote submissions.

M.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.4.1 TECHNICAL CAPABILITY - FACTOR 1

The Government will refer to the Quoter’s Volume I submission, Technical Quote, to evaluate this factor. Technical Capability will be evaluated based on the extent to which the Quoter’s submission demonstrates the following technology capabilities.

1. Strong understanding of the PWS background, objectives, requirements, and tasks;

2. Proficiency in implementing methods and approaches that are conducive to meeting the services as outlined in subsection C.5.2 of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (Attachment 1 of the PWS;

3. Expertly balancing Adaptive and Preventive Maintenance with Corrective Maintenance in an operational environment;

4. Displaying deep technical knowledge in each of the technology domains as outlined in PWS Attachment J-5, table column “Language”, and table column “Operating System App” of this solicitation;

5. Proficiency in implementing methods and approaches that are conducive to maintaining and sustaining current GADS system architecture and capacity planning to ensure high system availability, stability, scalability, operational availability, and agility;

6. Strong technical acumen for optimizing Oracle Database performance, enhancing data queries, improving data storage techniques, and developing, optimizing and maintaining Oracle Stored Procedures, ideally in operational domains associated with managing federal grant programs; and

7. Comprehensive and viable approach for the development of GADS3 enhancements in Task Orders 1 and 2 (PWS Attachments J-2 and J-3), including tools and techniques used and that address all aspects of the software lifecycle process.

M.4.2 MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY - FACTOR 2

The Government will refer to the Quoter’s Volume II submission, Management Quote, to evaluate this factor. Management Capability will be evaluated based on the extent to which the Quoter’s submission demonstrates the following:

1. Sound management approach that is conducive to effectiveness in supervising, coordinating and allocating contractor personnel and resources toward the successful execution of PWS requirements and tasks;

2. Thorough and consistent approach for capturing production system metrics to support key management decisions;

3. Thorough and consistent approach to ensure the GADS system and servers adhere to strict NIH/NIEHS security and audit mandatory requirements;

4. Proficiency in quality management and control approaches conducive to achieving the quality control processes as described in the submitted Quality Control Plan (QCP); and

5. Strong staffing approach that is conducive to hiring and maintaining personnel with the capabilities and experience conducive to satisfying the PWS requirements, including recruitment and retention of qualified and key personnel.

M.4.3 PAST PERFORMANCE - FACTOR 3

The Government will refer to the Quoter’s Volume III submission, Past Performance Submission (w/Past Performance Surveys and other available performance data), to evaluate this factor.

The Past Performance Factor evaluation will assess the relevance and breadth of the Quoter’s experience and the quality of the Quoter’s past performance. The Government is seeking to determine whether the Quoter has experience that will enhance its technical capability to perform and whether the Quoter consistently delivers quality services in a timely and cost-effective manner. In evaluating past performance, the Government will only take into consideration the relevant experience and past performance assessments from the Quoter’s customers. However, the Government reserves the right to use other relevant past performance information it obtains through other sources including other agency databases and information contained in trade literature.

Relevance of Experience: The Quoter’s experience will be evaluated on the degree of relevance to the requirement based on similarity in size, scope, complexity, technical difficulty, contract type, and period of performance. Only recent experience will be evaluated. Evaluations may include interviews with previous clients of the prime contractor and subcontractors and may include interviews with previous clients of proposed personnel. The Quoter’s experience with and knowledge of issues and problems of large organizations will be evaluated.

Past Performance Assessments: The Quoter’s past performance will be evaluated based on information contained in the Quoter’s Quote and the information that the Government obtains through other means. The past performance evaluation will assess the Quoter’s record of providing high quality services of a similar nature in a manner that ensures maximum accuracy, throughput, cost effectiveness and overall client satisfaction.

If some of the Quoter’s experience is relevant and the rest is not, only the relevant experience will be evaluated for purposes of past performance. If no experience is relevant or the experience that is relevant cannot be evaluated due to a reference’s failure to respond, a rating of neutral will be assigned for past performance as defined below.

The Government will review all past performance data submitted with the Quoter’s submission and may contact all the referenced companies/organizations and others to verify past performance information. If it is determined that the Quoter has no directly related or relevant past performance experience, the Quoter’s submission will receive no merit or demerit for this factor.

M.4.4 PRICE & BUSINESS QUOTE - FACTOR 4

The Government will refer to the Quoter’s Volume IV submission, Price & Business Quote, to evaluate this factor. For price evaluation purposes, the Quoter’s total proposed price (including any options) for the “base work” task order (i.e., the first task order) as well as the Quoter’s labor rates will be evaluated to determine price reasonableness. The Government may employ the use of various price analysis techniques and procedures to determine whether the Quoter’s price is fair and reasonable.

M.4.4.1 Labor Rates Labor rates will be evaluated to determine consistency with market-based rates for contractor resources based in the greater Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. The Government may also consider the proposed level of effort in determining whether the total price submitted is reasonable. Any price Quote that is determined unreasonable or materially unbalanced, as to the price for the CLINs, may be rejected. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more CLINs is significantly over or understated as indicated by the application of price analysis techniques.

M.4.4.2 Contract Options The Government will consider the options FAR Clause 52.217- 8, Option to Extend Services, to have been evaluated through the evaluation of the rates proposed for the contract performance period. If the Government exercises this option to extend services, the option will be priced based upon the rates in effect at the time of the extension.

M.4.4.3 Completeness and Accuracy The Government will review the Volume IV for completeness and accuracy. A determination will be made as to whether the Quoter has properly understood the price Quote instructions and properly completed the price schedules and other required information. Changes to the evaluation quantities, blanks or zeros in the pricing columns, and/or mathematical mistakes are subject to clarification for confirmation of the Quoter’s intent. The Quoter’s submission will be checked for mathematical correctness to include the following:

1. Checking arithmetic in all computations.

2. Making sure that all prices are summarized correctly.

3. Comparing electronic submittals with hard copies; if applicable.

A determination will be made regarding whether the price appears unbalanced, either for the total price of the Quote or separately priced line items. An unbalanced Quote is one that incorporates prices that are less than cost for some items and/or prices that are overstated for other items. The Government will also consider the contractor’s proposed Work Breakdown/Labor Mix with respect to the PWS requirements.

(a) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(b) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful Quoter 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.

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