NIH_Data_Center_Infrastructure_Support_Services_RFP_6.3.19.docx

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)

1. REQUEST NO.

75N97019R00009

2. DATE ISSUED

6/3/2019

5a. ISSUED BY National Library of Medicine, 6707 Dem. Blvd., Rm. 105, Bethesda, MD 20892

6. DELIVER BY (Date)

OTHER

FOB DESTINATION (See Schedule)

NAME

Russell Reeves

TELEPHONE NUMBER

AREA CODE

NUMBER

827-6404

9. DESTINATION

a. NAME OF CONSIGNEE

8. TO:

10. PLEASE FURNISH QUOTATIONS TO THE ISSUING OFFICE IN BLOCK 5a ON OR BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS (Date)

6/24/2019 12:00pm est IMPORTANT: This is a request for information and quotations furnished are not offers. If you are unable to quote, please so indicate on this form and return it to the address in Block 5a. This request does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the submission of this quotation or to contract for supplies or service. Supplies are of domestic origin unless otherwise indicated by quoter. Any representations and/or certifications attached to this Request for Quotation must be completed by the quoter.

11. SCHEDULE (Include applicable Federal, State and local taxes)

ITEM NO.

(a)

SUPPLIES/ SERVICES

(b)

QUANTITY

(c)

UNIT

(d)

UNIT PRICE

(e)

AMOUNT

(f)

It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine on behalf of the Center for Information Technology (CIT), Facilities Infrastructure Service area (FIS) , to solicit quotes to acquire Data Center Infrastructure Professional Support Services and electrical infrastructure design, maintenance and installation services.

Period of Performance: 12 Month Base Period, with two (2) successive Option Years.

Task shall be issued in accordance with:

Base Year- Fixed Price (FAR Part 16.202) Time and Materials (FAR Part 16.601)

Option year 1 Fixed Price (FAR Part 16.202) Time and Materials (FAR Part 16.601)

Option year 2 Fixed Price (FAR Part 16.202) Time and Materials (FAR Part 16.601)

FEE

12. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

a. NAME OF QUOTER

c. COUNTY

AREA CODE

RFQ: Upgrade and Support of the NIH Emergency Response System

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

RFQ: NIH Data Center Infrastructure Support Services

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE

REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS (RFQ)

PROJECT TITLE

NIH DATA CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT SERVICES

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Request for Quotations (RFQ) is to solicit quotations from qualified to solicit quotations from qualified contractors to acquire Data Center Infrastructure Professional Support Services and electrical infrastructure design, maintenance and installation services for the Facilities/Infrastructure Services (FIS) group Center for Information Technology (CIT), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other NIH Institutes and Centers.

This requirement is being processed by the Office of Acquisitions, National Library of Medicine (NLM), for FIS.

The required professional infrastructure support services are described in the Statement of Work (SOW) and Addendum to Terms and Conditions of Purchase Order, both of which are attached by reference to the solicitation.

2. BACKGROUND

Reference Provision 4.0, PROJECT SCOPE, of the attached SOW.

3. METHOD OF ACQUISITION

The Government intends to acquire the necessary infrastructure support services by awarding a Purchase in accordance with FAR Part 13.

This requirement is being processed under combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR 12.6.

4. NUMBER OF AWARDS

It is anticipated that one award will be made from this solicitation.

5. DATE OF AWARD

It is anticipated that award will be made on or about July 1, 2019.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of this Purchase Order shall a 12 Month Base Period with two (2) successive 12-month Option Periods.

Option Periods are subject to the availability of funds and may be unilaterally exercised by the Government.

[Reference: 9.0, PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE, of the attached SOW.]

7. COMMITMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS

The Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with the proposed acquisition. Any other commitment, either explicit or implied, is invalid.

8. COMMUNICATIONS PRIOR TO AWARD

The Offeror shall direct all communications to the attention of:

Russell Reeves Contract Specialist National Library of Medicine

Bethesda, MD 20892-5488 301-827-6404 Fax: 301-402-0642 Email address: reevesru@mail.nih.gov

Communications with other officials may compromise the competitiveness of this acquisition and result in cancellation of the requirement.

9. PREPARATION COSTS

This RFQ does not commit the Government to pay for the preparation and submission of a quotation.

B. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

INTRODUCTION

The following instructions will establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and contents of the quotation/proposal. Special attention is directed to the requirements for the technical and business quotations to be submitted in accordance with these instructions.

1. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION [FAR Provision 52.215-1 (January 2004)]

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision--

"Discussions" are negotiations that occur after establishment of the competitive range that may, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, result in the offeror being allowed to revise its proposal.

"In writing", "writing", or "written" means any worded or numbered expression that can be read, reproduced, and later communicated, and includes electronically transmitted and stored information.

"Proposal modification" is a change made to a proposal before the solicitation's closing date and time, or made in response to an amendment, or made to correct a mistake at any time before award.

"Proposal revision" is a change to a proposal made after the solicitation closing date, at the request of or as allowed by a Contracting Officer as the result of negotiations.

"Time," if stated as a number of days, is calculated using calendar days, unless otherwise specified, and will include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. However, if the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, then the period shall include the next working day.

(b) Amendments to solicitations. If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged. Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by the date and time specified in the amendment(s).

(c) Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.

(1) Unless other methods (e.g., electronic commerce or facsimile) are permitted in the solicitation, proposals and modifications to proposals shall be submitted in paper media in sealed envelopes or packages (i) addressed to the office specified in the solicitation, and (ii) showing the time and date specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and the name and address of the offeror. Offerors using commercial carriers should ensure that the proposal is marked on the outermost wrapper with the information in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (c)(1)(ii) of this provision.

(2) The first page of the proposal must show--

(i) The solicitation number;

(ii) The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the offeror (and electronic address if available);

(iii) A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item;

(iv) Names, titles, and telephone and facsimile numbers (and electronic addresses if available) of persons authorized to negotiate on the offeror's behalf with the Government in connection with this solicitation; and

(v) Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the proposal. Proposals signed by an agent shall be accompanied by evidence of that agent's authority, unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing office.

(3) Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals.

(i) Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any modifications or revisions, 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 proposal or revision is due.

(ii) (A) Any proposal, modification, or revision 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--

(1) 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 12:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals; or

(2) 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

(3) It is the only proposal received.

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

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

(iv) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that proposals cannot be received at the office designated for receipt of proposals by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation, the time specified for receipt of proposals 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.

(v) Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before award. Oral proposals in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile proposals, proposals may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before award, subject to the conditions specified in the provision at 52.215-5, Facsimile Proposals. Proposals may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or an authorized representative, if the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

(4) Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, the offeror may propose to provide any item or combination of items.

(5) Offerors shall submit proposals in response to this solicitation in English, unless otherwise permitted by the solicitation, and in U.S. dollars, unless the provision at FAR 52.225-17, Evaluation of Foreign Currency Offers, is included in the solicitation.

(6) Offerors may submit modifications to their proposals at any time before the solicitation closing date and time, and may submit modifications in response to an amendment, or to correct a mistake at any time before award.

(7) Offerors may submit revised proposals only if requested or allowed by the Contracting Officer.

(8) Proposals may be withdrawn at any time before award. Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the Contracting Officer.

(d) Offer expiration date. Proposals in response to this solicitation will be valid for the number of days specified on the solicitation cover sheet (unless a different period is proposed by the offeror).

(e) Restriction on disclosure and use of data.

(1) The proposal submitted in response to this request may contain data (trade secrets; business data, e.g., commercial information, financial information, and cost and pricing data; and technical data) which the offeror, including its prospective subcontractor(s), does not want used or disclosed for any purpose other than for evaluation of the proposal. The use and disclosure of any data may be so restricted; provided, that the Government determines that the data is not required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, and the offeror marks the cover sheet of the proposal with the following legend, specifying the particular portions of the proposal which are to be restricted in accordance with the conditions of the legend. The Government's determination to withhold or disclose a record will be based upon the particular circumstances involving the record in question and whether the record may be exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The legend reads:

“Unless disclosure is required by the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, (the Act) as determined by Freedom of Information (FOI) officials of the Department of Health and Human Services, data contained in the portions of this proposal which have been specifically identified by page number, paragraph, etc. by the offeror as containing restricted information shall not be used or disclosed except for evaluation purposes.

The offeror acknowledges that the Department may not be able to withhold a record (data, document, etc.) nor deny access to a record requested pursuant to the Act and that the Department's FOI officials must make that determination. The offeror hereby agrees that the Government is not liable for disclosure if the Department has determined that disclosure is required by the Act.

If a contract is awarded to the offeror as a result of, or in connection with, the submission of this proposal, the Government shall have right to use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. Proposals not resulting in a contract remain subject to the Act.

The offeror also agrees that the Government is not liable for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose the data for any purpose, including the release of the information pursuant to requests under the Act. The data subject to this restriction are contained in pages (insert page numbers, paragraph designations, etc. or other identification).”

(2) In addition, the offeror should mark each page of data it wishes to restrict with the following statement:

“Use or disclosure of data contained on this page is subject to the restriction on the cover sheet of this proposal or quotation.”

(3) Offerors are cautioned that proposals submitted with restrictive legends or statements differing in substance from the above legend may not be considered for award. The Government reserves the right to reject any proposal submitted with a nonconforming legend.

(f) Contract award.

(1) The Government intends to award a Purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror(s) whose proposal(s) represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the factors and subfactors in the solicitation.

(2) The Government may reject any or all proposals if such action is in the Government's interest.

(3) The Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received.

(4) The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without discussions with offerors (except clarifications as described in FAR 15.306(a)). Therefore, the offeror's initial proposal should contain the offeror's best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary. If the Contracting Officer determines that the number of proposals that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals.

(5) The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit cost or prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the proposal.

(6) The Government reserves the right to make multiple awards if, after considering the additional administrative costs, it is in the Government's best interest to do so.

(7) Exchanges with offerors after receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by the Government.

(8) The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or sub-line items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

(9) If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be considered by the source selection authority in evaluating performance or schedule risk.

(10) A written award or acceptance of proposal mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time specified in the proposal shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party.

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

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

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

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

(iv) A summary of the rationale for award.

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

(vi) 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.

(End of Provision)

Alternate II (October 1997). As prescribed in 15.209(a)(2), add a paragraph (c)(9) substantially the same as the following to the basic clause:

(c) (9) Offerors may submit proposals that depart from stated requirements. Such proposals shall clearly identify why the acceptance of the proposal would be advantageous to the Government. Any deviations from the terms and conditions of the solicitation, as well as the comparative advantage to the Government, shall be clearly identified and explicitly defined. The Government reserves the right to amend the solicitation to allow all offerors an opportunity to submit revised proposals based on the revised requirements.

2. ORDERING TERMS AND CONDITIONS

· The Offeror must specify the unit price for each item offered in response to this solicitation.

· Prices offered shall be fixed loaded hourly rates per labor category for the proposed professional enterprise architecture support services.

· Proposed hourly rates shall be "fully loaded" inclusive of all related costs, including direct labor, fringe benefits, training, overhead, profit, vacation and holiday pay, future pay/benefit increases, overtime and shift differential. The offeror shall invoice only for hours that personnel are on duty and performing productive work.

· The Offeror must indicate the Quantity, Item, and Trade Discounts being offered for each line item.

· The Offeror must indicate an acceptance of the period of performance specified in Provision 4.0, SCOPE, of the attached SOW.

3. PURCHASE ORDER TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any Purchase order awarded as a result of this solicitation shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the attached Addendum to Terms and Conditions of Purchase Order, both of which shall be made a part of the awarded Purchase Order.

4. AUTHORIZED OFFICIAL AND SUBMISSION OF QUOTATION

The quotation must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization and must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ. Your quotation shall be submitted by electronic mail to the following:

Your quotation shall be organized as specified in Section B., GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS; Section C., INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE QUOTATION; and Section D., INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE QUOTATION; and submitted by electronic mail no later than time on the date specified in Block 10 of the Standard Form 18 of this RFQ.

5. PRIVACY ACT – TREATMENT OF QUOTATION INFORMATION

The Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579) requires that a Federal agency advise each individual whom it asks to supply information, the authority which authorizes the solicitation, whether disclosure is voluntary or mandatory, the principal purpose for which the information is intended to be used, the uses outside the agency which may be made of the information, and the effects on the individual, if any, of not providing all or any part of the requested information.

The NIH is requesting the information called for in this RFQ pursuant to the authority provided by Sec. 301(a)(7) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, and P.L. 92-218, as amended.

Providing the information requested is entirely voluntary. The collection of this information is for the purpose of conducting an accurate, fair, and adequate review prior to a discussion as to whether to award a Purchase order.

Failure to provide any or all of the requested information may result in a less than adequate review.

In addition, the Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579, Section 7) requires that the following information be provided when individuals are requested to disclose their social security number.

Provision of the social security number is voluntary. Social security numbers are requested for the purpose of accurate and efficient identification, referral, review and management of NIH acquisition programs. Authority for requesting this information is provided by Section 301 and Title IV of the PHS Act, as amended.

The information provided by you may be routinely disclosed for the following purposes:

· To the cognizant audit agency and the General Accounting Office for auditing.

· To the Department of Justice as required for litigation.

· To respond to congressional inquiries.

· To qualified experts, not within the definition of Department employees, for opinions as a part of the review process.

6. ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY, HHSAR 352.239-73(a) (JANUARY 2010)

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, Section 508 Compliance is applicable to this solicitation and the following information is provided to assist in quotation preparation.

Important Note to Offerors: The following information shall be addressed in a separate section of the Technical Quotation entitled "Section 508 Compliance".

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, HHSAR 352.239-74 (December 2015)

a. Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973(29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all electronic and information technology (EIT) supplies and services developed, acquired, or maintained under this Purchase Order must comply with the "Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards'' set forth by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the "Access Board'') in 36 CFR part 1194. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508 . The complete text of Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards .

b. The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this Purchase Order are identified below. The Contractor must provide any necessary updates to the submitted HHS Product Assessment Template(s) at the end of each contract or order exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (see FAR 2.101) when the contract or order duration is one year or less. If it is determined by the Government that EIT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

c. The Section 508 accessibility standard applicable to this contract is:

1194.41 Information, Documentation, and Support

d. In the event of a modification(s) to this contract or order, which adds new EIT supplies or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, supplies or services, the Contracting Officer may require that the Contractor submit a completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the EIT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. Instructions for documenting accessibility via the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template may be found under Section 508 policy on the HHS Web site: ( http://www.hhs.gov/web/508 ). If it is determined by the Government that EIT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

e. If this is an Indefinite Purchase contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement or a Basic Ordering Agreement, the task/Purchase order requests that include EIT supplies or services will define the specifications and accessibility standards for the order. In those cases, the Contractor may be required to provide a completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the EIT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. Instructions for documenting accessibility via the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template may be found at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508. If it is determined by the Government that EIT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the provided documentation, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(End of provision)

7. SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE, FAR 52.252-1 (March 30998)

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 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 address: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR, CHAPTER 1):

· FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (October 2016)

· FAR Clause 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990)

8. PURCHASE ORDER TYPE

The Government contemplates award of a single Hybrid order. Firm Fixed Price [FAR 16.202]; and Time and Materials[FAR 16.601]

The Government intends to evaluate the proposal and award a Purchase order without discussions with the Offeror. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. [Reference: FAR 52.215-1(f)(4) above]

9. ORAL PRESENTATIONS: You are advised that the Offeror may be invited to provide oral presentations to the Government after the Government completes its initial evaluation of the quotation.

10. FORMATTING

The Offeror shall comply with the following formatting instructions:

The Offeror’s proposal shall be conformant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Government Product Accessibility Template for Electronic Documents (GPAT) which is attached and made a part of this RFQ. Additional information about testing documents for Section 508 compliance, including specific checklists, by application, can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/index.html under "Making Files Accessible." Document formatting instructions and checklists can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/index.html. The Government reserves the right to reject a proposal that is not conformant with Section 508.

Page size shall be 8.5 by 11 inches with 1 inch margins. Paragraphs shall be single spaced. Minimum font size/style shall be 10-point Times New Roman font; for Text, 9-point font in the Arial family for Tables; and 8-point font in the Arial family for Graphics. Tables and graphics may be landscape; all other text must be portrait.

If the Offeror uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the Government reserves the right to adjust the proposal to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFP, and if this results in the proposal exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the Government will not consider those excess pages.

The table below specifies the page limits to which offerors’ submissions must adhere.

Volume

Corporate Understanding

Management Approach

NOTES:

The page limits above include the Offeror’s response to the following:

“Section 508 Compliance” section of its Technical Proposal. [Reference: ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY requirements in Section B.6 above]

The page limits above exclude employee resumes, letters of commitment, and price sheets.

TRANSMITTAL/COVER LETTER (Volume 1)

The Offeror’s transmittal/cover letter for the quotation must contain the name, phone number, and e-mail address of the person to be contacted concerning any matter related to the solicitation. The Contracting Officer may, for example, contact that individual to schedule and make arrangements for the Offeror’s discussion meetings, if necessary.

The Offeror shall include the following information in its transmittal/cover letter:

a. DUNS number and TIN;

b. Company Name mailing address, and website address;

c. Date submitted and proposal expiration date;

d. All of the above-cited information for each entity on the proposed team, if a team is proposed;

e. Current Number appropriate to this Solicitation;

f. Does the Offeror have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system;

g. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM). The Offeror must be registered in SAM located at http://www.sam.gov/;

h. Company Point of Contact, Phone and Email address.

The Transmittal/Cover Letter should be no more than two (2) pages long.

11. SF-18, REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (Volume 1)

The Offeror shall complete Blocks 5 through 16 of the attached SF-18, REQUEST FOR QUOTATION, and submit the form as part of its offer.

12. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Volume 1, Section 1)

The Offeror should provide an Executive Summary for the technical proposal. In the Executive Summary, the Offeror should highlight the significant factors of its technical proposal. The Executive Summary for the technical approach should be no more than one (1) page long.

In the event that the Offeror is planning to propose a teaming, mentor/protégée, or a subcontracting relationship, narrative statements must also be included for the additional organizations, as well as a clear delineation of the work that they will be expected to support.

C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE QUOTATION (Volume 1, Section 2)

1. PREPARING THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE QUOTATION

The Offeror shall provide a Technical Proposal that separately addresses each of the following three general areas:

a. Technical Understanding and Approach

b. Experience and Qualifications of Staff

c. Corporate Experience

d. Quality of Relevant Past Performance

Note to Offerors: The four general areas above will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria specified in the Evaluation Criteria section below.

The Offeror shall include in its quotation a discussion of the Offeror's proposed technical approach to respond to the requirements in the Statement of Work. The Offeror must propose to provide all the requirements specified in the attached SOW. The discussion is expected not to exceed twenty-five (25) typewritten pages.

Resumes: In addition to the above submission, but not included in the above maximum page count, the Offeror shall include in its response to the attached SOW a resume for the key person proposed for the project. A representative sample of resumes of the management, technical, and support staff necessary to provide the services and support requested shall also be included. Individual resumes shall be no more than two pages in length.

Resumes shall include the following:

Letters of Commitment: In addition to the above submission, but not included in the above maximum page count, the Offeror shall include in its response to the attached SOW a “Letter of Commitment” from each person proposed as “Key Personnel” if the proposed individual(s) is not currently employed by the Offeror.

2. INFORMATION AND PHYSICAL ACCESS SECURITY – SOLICITATION PROVISION

The following information is provided to assist in quotation preparation.

The Information and Physical Access Security requirements that pertain to this requirement and which will be included in the award are specified in Provision 12.0 of the attached SOW.

This acquisition will require the contractor to have physical and/or logical access to Federal information [Reference: Provision 12.1 of the attached SOW]:

Access (Physical or Logical) to Federal Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will have or will be given the ability to have, physical (entry and documentation) or logical (electronic) access to federal information.

This acquisition will not require the contractor to:

· Have regular or prolonged physical access to a “Federally-controlled facility,” as defined in FAR Subpart 2.1; and

· Have access to Personally Identifiable Information (PII) when performing the work requirements specified in the attached SOW.

3. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE QUOTATION

The Offeror shall include in its quotation a discussion of the Offeror's proposed technical approach to respond to the requirements in the attached SOW. The Offeror must propose to provide all the requirements specified in the attached SOW. A quotation that merely offers to conduct the work in accordance with the requirements of the Government’s attached SOW will be considered nonresponsive. The Offeror must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with the tasks to be performed in achieving the project objectives.

D. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE QUOTATION (Volume 2)

1. PREPARING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE QUOTATION

The Offeror’s Business Proposal shall be a separate volume from the Technical Proposal. Pricing shall include all anticipated costs to fully perform all objectives as stated in this RFQ including option year pricing.

The Offeror’s Business Proposal, including pricing spreadsheets, is not expected to exceed ten (10) pages.

2. PRICE INFORMATION

Prices offered shall be fixed unit prices per labor hour for each labor category. Proposed hourly rates shall be "fully loaded" inclusive of all related costs, including direct labor, fringe benefits, training, overhead, profit, vacation and holiday pay, future pay/benefit increases, overtime and shift differential. The Offeror shall invoice only for hours that personnel are on duty and performing productive work.

The Offeror shall clarify for each line item if the proposed unit price represents the Offeror’s negotiated price.

The estimated number of labor hours specified in Provisions 12.0, PRICES; and 13.0, OPTION PRICES, of the attached Addendum to Terms and Conditions of Purchase Order is the Government’s best estimate required to accomplish the work specified in the attached SOW. The Offeror is advised to carefully review the requirements in deriving the estimated effort it determines necessary to perform the work requirements. The Offeror is expected to provide its best solution relative to quantity required to accomplish the work requirements. However, the Offeror shall include an explanation for any deviation from the Government’s best estimate pursuant to FAR Clause 52.215-1 (January 2004), Alternate II (October 1997):

“(c)(9) Offerors may submit proposals that depart from stated requirements. Such proposals shall clearly identify why the acceptance of the proposal would be advantageous to the Government. Any deviations from the terms and conditions of the solicitation, as well as the comparative advantage to the Government, shall be clearly identified and explicitly defined. The Government reserves the right to amend the solicitation to allow all offerors an opportunity to submit revised proposals based on the revised requirements.”

The Business Proposal shall include the following:

a. The total fixed price of this contract is $ .

b. Upon Purchase and acceptance of the services described in SECTION C of this contract and identified in the schedule of charges below, the Government shall pay to the Contractor the unit price(s) set forth below:

SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR BASE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE AND OPTION YEARS

Option I, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract - Prices for Period of Performance (OPTION 1 - First Option Year)

(1) Upon the Purchase and acceptance of the Option I period of any of the item(s) specified below and described in the Performance Work Statement, the Government shall pay the Contractor the unit price(s)set forth below:

SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR OPTION YEAR 1 - FIRST OPTION YEAR

Total

Option 2, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract - Prices for Period of Performance (OPTION 2 - Second Option Year)

(1) Upon the Purchase and acceptance of the Option I period of any of the item(s) specified below and described in the Performance Work Statement, the Government shall pay the Contractor the unit price(s)set forth below:

SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR OPTION YEAR 2 - SECOND OPTION YEAR

Total

c. The total Time and Materials price of this contract is $ _ .

d. Upon Purchase and acceptance of the services described in SECTION C of this contract and identified in the schedule of charges below, the Government shall pay to the Contractor the unit price(s) set forth below:

SOW Labor Category Base Period Option Year 1

Option Year 2 Total Base Effort - Labor* Program Manager Data Center Facilities Technician (during business hours) 2,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 Data Center Facilities Technician (overtime) Lead Data Center Facilities Technician (during business hours) 2,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 Lead Data Center Facilities Technician (overtime) Data Center Support Technician (during business hours) 2,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 Data Center Support Technician (overtime) Total 7,250 7,250 7,250 21,750 Optional Effort-Labor* Data Center Facilities Technician (during business hours) 2,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 Data Center Facilities Technician (overtime) Lead Data Center Facilities Technician (during business hours) 2,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 Lead Data Center Facilities Technician (overtime) Total 4,500 4,500 4,500 13,500 Materials (Estimated, Not to Exceed)** Base Effort

Optional Effort

1) All discounts offered.

The Business Proposal must contain sufficient information to allow the Government to perform a basic analysis of the Offeror’s proposed prices to perform the work requirements specified in the attached SOW.

3. INFORMATION OTHER THAN PRICING DATA

The Offeror shall submit sufficiently detailed information to permit the Contracting Officer and authorized representatives to evaluate the offer.

Unless otherwise stated in Section B.10, FORMATTING, above, the information may be submitted in the Offeror’s own format.

4. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE QUOTATION

None

E. EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

Technical Evaluation Criteria The technical portion of the proposals were evaluated in accordance with the factors, and order of relative importance as described in solicitation Section E. EVALUATION.

1. GENERAL

The major evaluation factors for this solicitation include technical (which encompasses experience and past performance factors), and cost/price factors. Although technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award of the Purchase Order, cost/price is also important to the overall Purchase Order award decision. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. The Government intends to make an award to that offeror whose quotation provides the best overall value to the Government.

The evaluation will be based on the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective offerors in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in this RFQ. The merits of each quotation will be carefully evaluated. Each offer must document the feasibility of successful performance of the requirements of the RFQ. Offerors must submit information sufficient to evaluate their offers based on the detailed factors listed below.

2. EVALUATION OF OPTIONS

It is anticipated that any Purchase order awarded from this RFQ will contain option provision(s) and period(s).

In accordance with FAR Clause 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990), the Government will evaluate quotes for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement, except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

3. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (Volume 1, Section 2)

The Technical Proposal will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria specified below by a Technical Evaluation Group (TEG). The factors below are listed in the order of relative importance with weights assigned for evaluation purposes.

Mandatory Evaluation Criteria:

1. Extensive experience using StruxureWare DCE and DCO to manage, monitor and optimize a large enterprise data center infrastructure with a minimum of 400 distributed endpoints.

1. Staffing proposal must include a Certified Data Center Energy Practitioner (DCEP)

Criterion 1 – Technical Understanding and Approach

The proposal will be evaluated on the extent to which it:

· Demonstrates an understanding of the work, including thoroughness shown in understanding the objectives of the Statement of Work (SOW) and specific areas of work, and planned execution of the project.

· Details the Offeror’s specific approaches and techniques for completing each task or service required.

· Displays an understanding of necessary logistics and schedule to successfully perform the contract.

Criterion 2 – Experience and Qualifications of Staff Key Personnel will be evaluated in relation to the currency, quality, relevancy, and depth of experience and qualifications as represented in their resumes. Individual certifications should be noted where available and when they apply to the work envisioned for assignment to those individuals in this engagement. As stated in subsection C.1., above, Offerors must provide commitment letters for all proposed Key Personnel not currently employed by the Offeror (prime). Quotes will be evaluated more favorably where Key Personnel already have the clearance required (i.e., government security clearance) to meet the Government requirement. Key Personnel are limited to the following positions: Program Manager, Technical Project Manager, Functional Subject Matter Expert – Security, and Functional Subject Matter Expert – Oracle.

Proposed Staff will be evaluated in relation to the extent to which they have the experience and qualifications likely to meet the requirements for resources in the Statement of Work (SOW).

Proposed staff with experience and training that are especially relevant to the requirements of this engagement or with projects described as part of their experience that are similar in services provided under this effort, dollar value, workload, duration, and complexity will convey more value to this engagement and will be evaluated favorably.

Criterion 3 – Corporate Experience Extent of relevant corporate experience will be evaluated in relation to its relevance to the work that will be required under the prospective task order. The corporate experience of the proposed subcontractors will also be evaluated, but the prime contractor’s corporate experience will be afforded greater weight as will more recent corporate experience.

Criterion 4 – Quality of Relevant Past Performance

Quality of past performance will be assessed by evaluating the Offeror's past performance as prime or subcontractor in providing Federal Business Intelligence development and maintenance services on projects of similar size, scope, and complexity. Note: proposed subcontractors’ past performance will not be considered. Issued in Amendment 2 (question and answers) “more than 1 past performance from a subcontractor will be considered”.

Evaluation will be based on information provided in the proposal, other relevant past performance information obtained from other sources known to the Government, such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) and the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), and any information supplied by the Offeror concerning problems encountered on identified contracts and corrective action taken.

Evaluation will focus on the areas of quality of services, timeliness of performance, price/cost control, and customer satisfaction and will take into account the currency, quality, and relevance of the information; the source of the information; context of the data; and general trends in the Offeror’s performance as…