Section III - Instructions to Offerors Amendment 00004.pdf

RFP 80NSSC23R0001 Amendment 00004

NTSS

Section III

SECTION III – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

Table of Contents

1.0 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(FEB 1998)

2.0 LISTING OF PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

3.0 52.215-20 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND

DATA OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA (NOV 2021) --

ALTERNATE IV (OCT 2010)

4.0 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

5.0 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

6.0 1852.233-70 PROTESTS TO NASA (DEC 2015)

7.0 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS – PROPOSAL MARKING AND

DELIVERY THROUGH NASA’S EFSS BOX (MAY 2021)

8.0 COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS SOLICITATION

9.0 OFFEROR ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

10.0 PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS (GENERAL)

10.1 VOLUME I: MISSION SUITABILITY PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

10.1.1 Mission Suitability Subfactor 1 – Management Approach

10.1.2 Mission Suitability Subfactor 2 - Technical Approach

10.1.3 Mission Suitability Subfactor 3 – Subcontracting Management and Goals

10.2 VOLUME II: PAST PERFORMANCE PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

10.3 VOLUME III: PRICE PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

10.4 VOLUME IV: MODEL CONTRACT INSTRUCTIONS

11.0 BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION

12.0 SUMMARY OF EXCEPTIONS

13.0 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

1.0 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):

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses:

https://www.acquisition.gov/browsefar

NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) clauses:

https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/NFS.pdf

(End of provision)

2.0 LISTING OF PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR CHAPTER 1)

Number Title Date 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services

(NOV 2021)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1:

Paragraph (b) is replaced by Proposal Preparation Instructions (Provision 11.0) Paragraph (c) is replaced by Offer Acceptance Period (Provision 10.0) Paragraph (e) is replaced by FAR 52.216-1 Type of Contract (Provision 5.0) Paragraph (h) is replaced by FAR 52.216-1 Type of Contract (Provision 5.0)

52.204-7 System for Award Management OCT 2018 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting AUG 2020 52.204-17 Ownership or Control of Offeror AUG 2020 52.204-22 Alternative Line Item Proposal JAN 2017 52.214-34 Submission of Offers in The English Language APR 1991 52.214-35 Submission of Offers in U.S. Currency APR 1991 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options JUL 1990 52.222-24 Pre-award On-Site Equal Opportunity Compliance FEB 1999 Evaluation 52.223-22 Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and DEC 2016 https://www.acquisition.gov/browsefar https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/NFS.pdf

Reduction Goals-Representation 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in JUN 2020 Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran— Representation and Certification 52.237-1 Site Visit APR 1984 52.237-10 Identification of Uncompensated Overtime MAR 2015

NASA FAR Supplement (48 CFR CHAPTER 18)

Number Title Date 1852.219-77 NASA Mentor-Protégé Program APR 2015

3.0 52.215-20 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND

DATA OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA (NOV 2021) --

ALTERNATE IV (OCT 2010)

Replace the text of the basic provision with the following:

Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required. Provide pricing information describe in Provision 10.3, Volume III: Price Proposal Instructions.

4.0 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

a) The Government contemplates award of the following type of contract from this solicitation:

A single, firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract with pricing and ordering provisions that permit:

1) ordering services that are clearly defined, predictable, measurable, and transactional in nature, are identified on the “Transactional Services” worksheets contained in Attachment I-14, Contract Line Items/Order Template, and will be ordered on a per transaction basis in accordance with the procedures stipulated in Clause 3.1, Ordering Procedures for Transactional and Level-of-Effort Services, utilizing the firm fixed price rates contained in Attachment I-13, Labor and Transaction (LOE) Rates.

2) those services that may have some transactional characteristics but overall are less defined and predictable due to the variety of tasks associated with the service, are identified on the “LOE Services” worksheets in Attachment I-14, Contract Line Items/Order Template, and will be ordered on a level of effort basis in accordance with the procedures stipulated in Section I, Model Contract, Clause 3.1, Ordering Procedures for Transactional and Level-of-Effort Services, utilizing the fully burdened, firm fixed price labor rates and labor categories contained in Attachment I-13, Labor and Transaction Rates.

5.0 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

a) Protests, as defined in section 31.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from:

NASA Shared Service Center (NSSC) Procurement Operations Division Attn: Desiree Vogt, Contracting Officer Building 1111 Jerry Hlass Road Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000

Desiree.L.Vogt@nasa.gov CC: nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov

b) The copy of any protest shall be received via email in the office designated above within 1 day of filing a protest with the GAO.

6.0 1852.233-70 PROTESTS TO NASA (DEC 2015)

a) In lieu of a protest to the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), bidders or Offerors may submit a protest under 48 CFR Part 33 (FAR Part 33) directly to the Contracting Officer for consideration by the Agency. Alternatively, bidders or Offerors may request an independent review by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement, who will serve as or designate the official responsible for conducting an independent review. Such reviews are separate and distinct from the Ombudsman Program described at 1815.7001.

b) Bidders or Offerors shall specify whether they are submitting a protest to the Contracting Officer or requesting an independent review by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement.

a) Protests to the Contracting Officer shall be submitted to the address or email specified in the solicitation (email is an acceptable means for submitting a protest to the Contracting Officer). Alternatively, requests for independent review by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement shall be addressed to the Assistant Administrator for Procurement, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 20546-0001.

mailto:Desiree.L.Vogt@nasa.gov

7.0 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS – PROPOSAL MARKING AND

DELIVERY THROUGH NASA’s EFSS BOX (MAY 2021)

a) The offeror shall submit its proposal via NASA’s Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box

(EFSS Box), a FedRAMP Moderate certified platform. Electronic submissions shall not contain hidden formulas, hidden tables, be locked, be protected, or contain links to data not included in the electronic copy. All electronic submissions should be searchable and should not contain scanned documents, except those documents that must be provided in their native format (e.g., signature pages, prior award fee letters for past performance, DCAA/DCMA approval letters, as applicable). The offeror shall ensure documents are free from viruses and malware, as documents determined by NASA to contain a virus or malware will not be opened or evaluated.

b) Prior to the submission of proposal files, offerors interested in submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation should notify Desiree Vogt and Caitlin Poulton of their intent to submit a proposal at least 48 hours prior to the intended submission date, at the following email address: nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov

c) The offeror shall submit all proposal files to:

https://nasagov.app.box.com/f/f1d848cf53134080af221e3692570d66. The Offeror shall follow instructions regarding proposal submission found at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/other/EFSS-Box-Offeror-Proposal- Submission-Instructions.pdf.

d) Electronic file names shall be limited to letters, numbers, and single spaces, with the exception of the period that is required before the file extension (e.g., .doc), in order to successfully upload and download files from the EFSS Box system. The offeror shall not use special characters “/” or “\” in file names. The offeror shall clearly label the contents of the file and include the name of the offeror in the file name. Examples of acceptable file names are as follows (not specific to this solicitation):

For Prime Offeror Submissions:

Offeror name - solicitation number - MS Volume.doc Offeror name - solicitation number - PP Volume.doc Offeror name - solicitation number - Price Volume.xlsx

Individual files cannot exceed 150GB per file. Unless specifically authorized by the solicitation instructions, alternate proposal submissions shall not be submitted.

e) Immediately after all files have been uploaded and the proposal has been submitted in its entirety, the offeror shall notify Contracting Officer, Desiree Vogt, and Contract Specialist, Caitlin Poulton, at the following email address: nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov with a listing of all documents that were submitted via EFSS Box. If any problems are experienced with the EFSS Box system (e.g., login, file transfer), please contact nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov as soon as possible.

mailto:nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov https://nasagov.app.box.com/f/f1d848cf53134080af221e3692570d66 https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/other/EFSS-Box-Offeror-Proposal-Submission-Instructions.pdf https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/other/EFSS-Box-Offeror-Proposal-Submission-Instructions.pdf mailto:nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov

f) The offeror is responsible for ensuring its proposal reaches the Government office designated in the solicitation by the date and time specified in the solicitation (see FAR 52.215-1(c)(3)). The Government is not responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of documents submitted using electronic means, including the missing of any submission requirements and established deadlines. Please note that uploading documents via EFSS Box and the transmission of the files from the offeror to the Government may not be instantaneous. To ensure timely delivery, the offeror is encouraged to submit its proposal at least 24 hours prior to the due date specified in the solicitation. The electronic submission of the proposal shall contain all information required by the solicitation to be determined responsive.

8.0 COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS SOLICITATION

a) Questions or comments regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer, Desiree Vogt, and Contract Specialist, Caitlin Poulton, at nssc-ntss@mail.nasa.gov.

b) Questions or comments shall be submitted no later than 4:00 pm Central Time, on November 7, 2022, to allow for analysis and response before the due date for receipt of proposals. Questions shall be submitted using Section III – Attachment 1 RFP Question Template.

c) Questions or comments shall not be directed to the technical activity personnel.

d) Oral questions will not be accepted.

9.0 OFFEROR ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

FAR clause 52.212-1 (c), Period for Acceptance of Offers - Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall remain firm for at least 240 calendar days after the date specified for receipt by the Government and shall contain a statement to this effect.

10.0 PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS (GENERAL)

a) Proposal Arrangement: In providing these instructions, the Government will solicit only the information necessary to permit a comprehensive evaluation of the Offeror’s ability to perform the requirements of this procurement and to provide the Source Selection Authority with a thorough assessment from which to make a source selection decision.

The Offeror’s proposal must:

1) Demonstrate an understanding of the overall and specific requirements of the proposed contract;

2) Convey the Offeror’s capabilities for executing that understanding into accomplishment;

3) Provide, in detail, the plans, methods and risks for doing so; and

4) Provide, as requested herein, the price associated with doing so.

The Offeror’s proposal shall be specific, detailed, and comprehensive enough to clearly and fully demonstrate an understanding of the requirements and the inherent risks associated with the objectives of this procurement. It is inadequate to simply state that the Offeror understands and will comply with the specifications, or to paraphrase the specifications such as: “standard procedures will be employed to…” or “well-known techniques will be used for…”. It is also inadequate to state, e.g., “we will continue to perform in the same manner that we are currently performing …”. The proposal shall explain comprehensively how the Offeror proposes to perform the requirements in this PWS, as well as, the techniques and procedures the Offeror proposes to implement.

In the event the Offeror proposes to involve other organizations in conducting this work, their relationships shall be explained, and their proposed contributions to the work shall be identified and integrated into each part of the proposal, as appropriate.

TABLE III- 1 PROPOSAL ARRANGEMENT

Volume Section Title Evaluation

Factor Evaluation Subfactor Page Limit

I

MA-1 Management Structure

Mission Suitability

Management Approach

(Excluding the signed letters of intent from all proposed Key

Personnel, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, and Att.

I-18 Staffing

Profile)

MA-2 Staffing MA-3 Phase-in Plan

TA-1 Shared Services Administration

Technical Approach

TA-2 Financial Management Services

TA-3 Human Resources Services TA-4 Procurement Services TA-5 Agency Business Services TA-6 Enterprise Services

SB-1 Subcontractor Management/Structure Subcontracting

Management and Goals

SB-2 Small Business Subcontracting

SB-3 Commitment to Small Businesses

Att. I-18 Staffing Profile

Management, Technical, and Small Business

Appendix -

Small Business Subcontracting Plan 20

Appendix -

Requirements Traceability Matrix Template (Section III

Attachment-2)

N/A

II N/A Past Performance N/A 20

Attachment

– 3

Past Performance Questionnaires

Past Performance

N/A N/A

III

P-1 Narrative - Introduction

Price

N/A

(Excluding Offeror’s cognizant

Government audit report or forward pricing rate agreement)

P-1A Narrative - Pricing Assumptions & Estimating Techniques

N/A

P-1B Financial Capability N/A N/A P-2 Excel Pricing Template N/A N/A

IV

N/A Model Contract N/A N/A N/A

Appendix -

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Plan N/A N/A 15

b) Page Limitations and Formatting: Page limitations for each volume of the proposal are specified in Table III-1 above. All pages in each volume shall be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals for contents subject to page limitations and lower-case Roman numerals for title pages, tables of contents, and acronym lists. Offerors shall title each section within each volume for ease of reference.

The Offeror shall complete and submit the cross-reference matrix (Section III Attachment-2, Requirements Traceability Matrix Template) as an Appendix - 2 to Volume 1 of this RFP. The title pages, table of contents, acronym lists, and cross-reference matrix are excluded from this page count limitation. Information other than what is requested in this solicitation will be subject to the overall page count limitation.

Should Offerors choose to include an Executive Summary, it will be included in the page count in the volume(s) for which page limitations apply.

A page is defined as 8 ½” x 11”, with 1-inch margins on all sides, using Times New Roman font, not smaller than 12 point size, single line spacing, and in single column format. Twelve (12)-point Times New Roman font shall be utilized for all standard text with normal kerning (spacing between individual characters). All graphics, tables, charts, diagrams, figures, images, inserts, headers, footers, etc. shall be twelve (12)-point Times New Roman font. Offeror’s company logos are excluded from the font requirements.

Pages submitted in landscape format count as an equivalent number of 8 ½” x 11” pages.

The metric standard paper size most closely approximating the described standard 8 ½” x 11” size may also be used.

If final revisions are requested, separate page limitations will be specified in the Government’s request for that submission.

Pages submitted in excess of the limitations specified in this provision will not be evaluated by the Government and will be returned to the Offeror.

c) Proposal Due Date and Copies: Proposal due dates are specified in Table III-2 below.

Please note that the due date for Volume II, Past Performance is earlier than the other volumes of the proposal. The due date for revisions to Volume II, Past Performance is specified in Table III-2 below.

All files shall be submitted in Microsoft Office Open XML file format, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. Further, Attachments I-13 Rates, I-18 Staffing Profile, and I-28 Pricing Template shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel, and not in a scanned Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file. For Volume IV, Signed Model Contract the SF 1449 and all SF 30s shall be submitted in Adobe PDF.

d) Period Covered by Procurement: Offerors shall submit price proposals for each year of the procurement in accordance with Section I, Model Contract, 4.2 Period of Performance. Detailed information on preparation of the price volume is contained in Provision 10.3, Volume III: Price Proposal Instructions.

TABLE III-2

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME

Due Date Vol. Title Time Due Delivery Location

Electronic Copies

November 17, 2022 II Past Performance

2:00 PM

Central Time

See Section III, Provision 7

December 8, 2022 II Past Performance

Revisions

Provision 7

December 8, 2022 II Past Performance

Questionnaires

Provision 10.2 f) 1

December 8, 2022 I Mission

Suitability

Provision 7 1

December 8, 2022 III Price

December 8, 2022 IV Signed Model

Contract

10.1 VOLUME I: MISSION SUITABILITY PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Mission Suitability Volume shall be organized in twelve sections as outlined in Table III-3.

The information to be addressed in each section is identified in Paragraphs (a) – (n)(2) below.

TABLE III-3

MISSION SUITABILITY VOLUME ORGANIZATION

Section Title MA-1 Management Structure MA-2 Staffing MA-3 Phase-in Plan TA-1 Shared Services Administration TA-2 Financial Management Services TA-3 Human Resources Services TA-4 Procurement Services TA-5 Agency Business Services TA-6 Enterprise Services SB-1 Subcontract Management/Structure SB-2 Small Business Subcontracting SB-3 Commitment to the Small Businesses

10.1.1 Mission Suitability Subfactor 1 – Management Approach

a) MA-1 Management Structure: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall explain how its organizational structure (corporate and local/NTSS) and lines of communication within this structure will promote effective and efficient contract performance. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How the Offeror’s corporate personnel and corporate reach-back capability will assist the NTSS personnel and contribute to the overall success of the Contract

• How the planned lines of communication between the Offeror’s corporate office and its NTSS management team will be structured and how this will contribute to the overall success of the contract

2) The Offeror shall describe the extent of autonomy granted to the local NTSS program manager to make key business decisions affecting the contract. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How the level of autonomy granted to the NTSS Program Manager will promote effective and efficient contract performance

• To what extent the NTSS Program Manager will have the autonomous authority to:

o Reassign staff in response to varying workloads o Negotiate contract modifications o Execute contract modifications o Hire, promote, demote, and dismiss personnel o Enter into cooperative initiatives with the Government for things such as:

training, morale and welfare activities and employee awards and recognition programs

3) The Offeror shall explain its approach to customer relations and how it promotes open communication between the Offeror and the Government and a methodology to address feedback and any corrective action to improve contract performance.

4) The Offeror shall explain what forum(s) it plans to use to ensure an ongoing and open dialogue with the Government as it relates to all aspects of contract performance.

b) MA-2 Staffing: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall explain the proposed approach for retaining incumbent personnel (personnel working under the NSSC NexGen contract) including target capture rate as a percentage of the total workforce; the basis of this rate; the strategy proposed to recruit and hire incumbents, and how this approach will contribute to successful contract performance. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How will the Offeror ensure that adequate incumbent personnel are hired to maintain institutional and process knowledge to ensure continuity of NTSS services.

• What is the Offeror’s approach to ensuring that the number of incumbent personnel retained represents the most effective and efficient approach to providing NTSS services?

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate how the proposed skill sets, qualifications, and labor mixes meet contract requirements. At a minimum, the Offeror shall complete solicitation Attachment I-18, Staffing Profile, and respond to the following:

• How does the staffing profile that the Offeror identified in Attachment I-18, Staffing Profile, represent the most effective and efficient approach to providing those individual services?

• What is the Offeror’s approach to ensuring that the number of proposed supervisor and management personnel meets contract requirements?

3) The Offeror shall fully describe proposed Key Management and Technical Positions and Personnel. The description shall include:

• Offeror shall identify and provide rational for designating Key Management and Technical Positions (including Key Positions of teaming partners and subcontractors). The Offeror shall identify and provide rational for the functional area(s) of responsibility of each Key Management and Technical Position. The Offeror shall discuss the rationale for identifying a Key Management and Technical Position as important.

• Offeror shall identify Key Personnel to fill each Key Position; describe the basis for selection of Key Personnel for each key Position; and provide a summary of the attributes and qualifications (including education and experience) of Key Personnel to fill each Key Position. (NOTE: Do not submit resumes as they will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process.)

• For each Key Personnel, the Offeror shall discuss the level of commitment and availability (i.e., part time or full-time status) of personnel selected. The Offeror shall describe the approach it will use to ensure continuity of service as it replaces (temporarily or permanently) the Key Personnel identified in Key Positions with qualified Personnel, if required, during the term of the contract.

4) The Offeror shall submit provide a signed letter of intent from all proposed Key

Personnel as evidence of each individual’s availability and commitment to work at the start and for the duration of the contract. The Offeror may propose the following:

• The Offeror may propose the rationale for additional Key Personnel in addition to the Key Personnel positions in Section I, Model Contract Clause 6.7.

If they do propose this rationale, the Offeror shall describe how the additional Key Personnel will contribute to contract success.

5) The Offeror shall explain the degree to which the approach for initial and continuous employee training ensures a qualified, multi-skilled workforce capable of cross-utilization and the ability to respond to fluctuating work requirements. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• What is the Offeror’s approach to employee training throughout the life of the contract?

• How will the Offeror implement a training approach that lends itself to cross-utilization of personnel across one or more services during fluctuating workload requirements?

6) The Offeror shall describe its approach for the fair and improved inclusion of

Underserved Communities to the maximum extent possible and consistent with applicable law, in its contractor and subcontractors’ workforce performing the essential functions of the NTSS contract.

Specifically the Offeror shall:

• Describe their approach to attract, hire, subcontract, retain, and promote to ensure equity in professional compensation.

• Describe the senior leadership/corporate commitment recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion of its workforce performing under the NTSS contract to achieve NASA’s present and future mission objectives.

• Describe their approach for tracking and reporting progress on this commitment during the life of the contract. In accordance with EO 13985, Underserved communities include Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

c) MA-3 Phase-in: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall submit a Contract Phase-in Plan that identifies the planned Phase-in team, the team’s responsibilities during Phase-in and the methods utilized to assume contract responsibilities. The Offeror shall explain the extent to which the proposed Phase-in Plan ensures a seamless continuation of the services being provided by the NSSC. The Offeror shall identify any potential problems with recommended resolutions and shall clearly identify any action required by the Government or existing Contractor to complete Phase-in. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• What are the key milestones and critical tasks of the Offeror’s Phase-in Plan and how/when will these milestones be attained?

• How will the Offeror ensure that any work stoppage or service interruption of the NSSC’s services is minimal, particularly related to end of fiscal year activities occurring during the contract award period?

2) The Offeror shall describe its approach for hiring personnel prior to the start of contract performance. The Offeror shall address how it will ensure all hiring, pre-employment screening, background checks, badging procedures, and any other on-boarding activities will be completed prior to the start of contract performance.

10.1.2 Mission Suitability Subfactor 2 - Technical Approach

The Offeror shall identify the most significant technical risks for TA-1 through TA-6. Risk factors may be those inherent in the work and/or unique to the Offeror's chosen approach.

General areas of possible risk that are of concern to NASA are technical, schedule, cost, security

(including personnel, information technology), export control and environmental risks. The identification of risks is the responsibility of the Offeror. The Offeror's discussion of a risk factor shall provide the Offeror's approach to managing the risk, the probability of the risk, impact and severity, time frame and risk acceptance or mitigation.

The Offeror shall describe any new innovative or transformational methods, techniques, or technologies for TA-1 through TA-6. The Offeror shall fully describe each method, technique or technology and explain how they impact the performance of the PWS under the proposed contract. Efficiencies and risks shall be quantified where possible including how it will result in improved service delivery over time.

The Offeror may propose additional performance measures or increases to the service level indicators and/or performance measures for implementing and sustaining competent, efficient, and effective support for all performance objectives of the PWS.

a) TA-1 Shared Services Administration: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall describe its approach to providing the various shared services administration functions necessary for the effective support of NTSS services (PWS Section 2.0 - risk management, safety and occupational health management, records management, emergency preparedness, etc.). At a minimum, the offeror shall address:

• How these Shared Services Administration functions will be used to support and enhance the workplace environment and the services provided by the NSSC.

2) The Offeror shall explain its approach to performance management as it relates to defined service level indicators (SLI) and performance measures contained in Attachment I-3, Performance Requirements Summary. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How performance management analysis will be used to identify potential problem areas and improve overall performance.

• What methodologies the Offeror will use to ensure that performance is tracked and reported in an accurate and timely manner.

3) The Offeror shall explain its approach to implementing a Quality Management

System (PWS 2.10 – Quality Control) that demonstrate a thorough understanding of quality management as it applies to the delivery of services. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How quality management practices will be incorporated into the delivery of

NTSS services.

• How the documentation required for a successful quality management system will be developed, maintained and updated for currency.

• What approach the Offeror will take to measure and analyze the quality of NTSS services.

4) The Offeror shall describe its understanding of the importance of customer satisfaction; knowledge and incorporation of industry best practices; and analysis and statistical modeling of customer satisfaction data. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• What methods the Offeror will use to instill a customer-focused approach to the provision of NTSS services

• How industry best practices will be used to improve NSSC customer satisfaction

• What methods of statistical analysis and modeling will be used to identify trends and how these analyses will be used to improve NSSC customer satisfaction.

5) The Offeror shall demonstrate its approach to integrate NTSS with the other supporting contracts (Model Contract 6.9, Associate Contractor Agreements).

b) TA-2: Financial Management Services: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall demonstrate its knowledge and capability to use various major Financial Management systems/applications (e.g., Attachment I-25, IT Systems and Applications) to provide Financial Management Services.

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of Financial Management

Service requirements, and a technical capability to meet these requirements.

3) The Offeror shall describe their approach to implementing changes in processes and procedures that occur to ensure they are documented and updated.

4) The Offeror shall show a depth of knowledge and understanding of applicable

Government Financial Management regulations and policies. At a minimum, the offeror shall address:

• What procedures the Offeror will implement to ensure that all Financial

Management Services are provided in accordance with applicable regulations and policies.

• How the Offeror will address changes in regulations or policies that impact processes or procedures used to provide Financial Management Services.

c) TA-3: Human Resource Services: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall demonstrate its knowledge and capability to use various Human Resource systems/applications (e.g., Attachment I-25, IT Systems and Applications) to provide Human Resource Services.

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of Human Resource Service requirements, and a technical capability to meet these requirements.

Government Human Resource regulations and policies. At a minimum, the offeror

• What procedures the Offeror will implement to ensure that all Human Resource

Services are provided in accordance with applicable regulations and policies.

processes or procedures used to provide Human Resource Services.

d) TA-4: Procurement Services: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall demonstrate its knowledge and capability to use various major Procurement systems/applications (e.g., Attachment I-25, IT Systems and Applications) to provide Procurement Services.

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of Procurement Services

Government Procurement regulations and policies. At a minimum, the offeror shall

• What procedures the Offeror will implement to ensure that all Procurement processes or procedures used to provide Procurement Services.

e) TA-5: Agency Business Services: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall demonstrate its knowledge and capability to use various Agency Business systems/applications (e.g., Attachment I-25, IT Systems and Applications) to provide Agency Business Services.

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of Agency Business Services

Government Agency Business regulations and policies. At a minimum, the offeror

• What procedures the Offeror will implement to ensure that all Agency Business processes or procedures used to provide Agency Business Services.

f) TA-6: Enterprise Services: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall demonstrate its knowledge and capability to use various Enterprise systems/applications (e.g., Attachment I-25, IT Systems and Applications) to provide Enterprise Services.

2) The Offeror shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of Enterprise Services

4) The Offeror shall demonstrate knowledge and understanding of applicable

Government Enterprise regulations and policies. At a minimum, the offeror shall

• What procedures the Offeror will implement to ensure that all Enterprise Services are provided in accordance with applicable regulations and policies.

processes or procedures used to provide Enterprise Services.

5) The Offeror shall provide and explain a comprehensive, innovative, and transformational approach to continuous improvement. At a minimum, the Offeror

• What continuous improvement methodologies will be used to identify potential areas of improvement and how they will be implemented.

• How the Offeror will establish a culture of continuous improvement.

• Briefly describe realistic, actionable, creative and innovative ideas, including the use of major system functionality the Offeror will provide to improve the way the NSSC’s services will be delivered. Ideas shall be clearly identified by service, shall include a description of any initial investment cost required, the expected return on investment and the impact on service price.

10.1.3 Mission Suitability Subfactor 3 – Subcontracting Management and Goals

a) SB-1 Subcontractor Management/Structure: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) The Offeror shall explain how the proposed subcontracting or teaming arrangement provides for an organizational structure that ensures a seamless, effective, integrated, and efficient approach to the provision of NSSC services. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• How does the expertise of proposed subcontracting or teaming partners integrate with the Offeror’s expertise to result in optimal delivery of services?

• In what specific areas of the PWS will the subcontractor or teaming partner be providing services?

• How does the offeror ensure compliance with FAR 52.219-9, for example, timely and accurate submission of Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISR) and Summary Subcontract Reports (SSR) in the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS)?

• How will the Offeror manage subcontractors or teaming partners that fail to submit timely invoices for services performed?

2) The Offeror shall explain how the proposed subcontracting or teaming arrangement mitigates the potential loss of productivity or employee morale that could result from multiple subcontractors or teaming partners delivering services within a single line of business or service area. At a minimum, the Offeror shall address:

• What is the approach to minimize the variance in total compensation and personnel policies between similar positions among subcontractors or teaming partners providing services in the same line of business?

• How will the Offeror address Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), reasonable accommodation, competition for vacant positions, supervision and accountability and other administrative matters in as uniform a manner as possible?

b) SB-2 Small Business Subcontracting: All Offerors, except small businesses, shall complete the portion of the instructions under Small Business Subcontracting specific to Small Business Subcontracting Plans. Small businesses are not required to submit Small Business Subcontracting Plans; however, small businesses shall indicate the amount of effort proposed to be done by a small business either at the prime level or at the first-tier subcontract level.

All Offerors (small businesses and other than small businesses) shall respond to the Commitment to Small Business Program.

1) Small Business Subcontracting Plan (the Plan) required by the FAR:

(i) This solicitation contains Section I, Model Contract FAR clause 1.4 52.212- 5(a)(17) (i) 52.219-9, “Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Nov 2021) (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2016)”. The Plan described and required by the clause, including the associated subcontracting percentage goals and subcontracting dollars, shall be submitted with your proposal.

(ii) The Contracting Officer’s assessment of appropriate subcontracting goals for this acquisition, expressed as a percent of TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE (basic and all options combined), is as follows:

Small Businesses (SB) 34% Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (SDB) 5% Women Owned Small Business Concerns (WOSB) 10% Veteran Owned Small Business Concerns (VOSB) 10% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns

(SDVOSB)

9%

HUBZone Small Business Concerns (HBZ) 6% Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI)

1%

(iii) The numbers above reflect the Contracting Officer’s assessment of the appropriate subcontracting goals to be achieved at the completion of contract performance. Offerors are strongly encouraged to phase their goals in accordance with NASA Policy Directive 5000.2D, Small Business Subcontracting Goals (annual goals, along with overall goals covering the entire contract period.)

(iv) Offerors are encouraged to propose goals that are equivalent to or greater than those recommended by the Contracting Officer. However, Offerors shall perform their own independent assessments of the small business subcontracting opportunities and are encouraged to propose goals exceeding the recommended goals where practical.

(v) The Plan submitted with the proposal shall be incorporated in Attachment I-6, Subcontracting Plan, in the resulting contract.

(vi) In addition to submitting a Plan in accordance with FAR clause 52.212- 5(a)(17) (i) 52.219-9, “Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Nov 2021) (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2016)”, Offerors shall provide a breakdown of the Offeror’s proposed goals, by small business category, expressed in terms of both a percent of TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE and a percent of TOTAL SUBCONTRACTED DOLLARS. Offerors shall show the proposed subcontracting goals for the basic contract requirement and each option separately.

Example of Subcontracting Goals, expressed in both contract value and subcontract value, for a contract proposed at $100M with estimated subcontracts of $50M:

Column A Column B Column C Business Category Goal as

Percent of Total Contract

Value

Dollar Value to be subcontracted per Category

Goal as Percent of Total

Subcontracted Dollars

Small Business Concerns 25 percent $25,000,000 50 percent Large Business Concerns n/a $25,000,000 50 percent Total Dollars to be Subcontracted n/a $50,000,000 100 percent

The following small business subcategories do not necessarily add up to the percentage and dollar amount in the “Small Business Concerns” category above, since some small businesses do not fall into any of the subcategories below, while others will fall into more than one subcategory below.

Subcategories of Small Business Concerns Women Owned Small Business Concerns

9 percent $9,000,000 18 percent

Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns

5.5 percent $5,500,000 11 percent

Veteran Owned Small Business Concerns

2.5 percent $2,500,000 5 percent

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns

1.5 percent $1,500,000 3 percent

HUBZone Small Business Concerns 1.5 percent $1,500,000 3 percent Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions

1.5 percent $1,500,000 3 percent

It is recommended that Offerors first complete Column B by entering the dollar amount the Offeror proposes to subcontract to each business category and subcategory.

To complete Column A, divide the dollar amount in Column B by the total offered price of the proposal (that is, total contract value). In the example above, Column A for Women- Owned Small Business = $9,000,000 divided by $100,000,000, or 9 percent.

To complete column C, divide the corresponding amount in Column B by the amount in the “Total Dollars to be Subcontracted” cell in Column B. In the example above, Column C for Women-Owned Small Businesses = $9,000,000 divided by $50,000,000, or 18 percent.

Note: the “Total Dollars to be Subcontracted” amount in Column C will always be that category divided by itself (100 percent if any dollars are subcontracted).

c) SB-3 Commitment to the Small Businesses: The Offeror shall respond to the following:

1) If the subcontractor(s) is known, Offerors shall describe the work each subcontractor shall perform and specify the extent of commitment to use the subcontractor(s).

(Small Business Offerors shall provide this information to the extent subcontracting opportunities exist in their approach to performing the requirement.)

2) All Offerors shall provide information demonstrating the extent of commitment to utilize small business concerns and to support their development. Information provided should include a brief description of established or planned procedures and organizational structure for Small Business outreach, assistance, participation in the Mentor Protégé program, counseling, market research, Small Business identification, and relevant purchasing procedures. For Other than Small Business Offerors, this information should conform to applicable portions of the submitted Plan. Small Business Offerors shall provide this information to the extent subcontracting opportunities exist in their approach to performing the requirement.

3) The NASA Mentor-Protégé Program is designed to incentivize NASA large prime contractors to assist a Small Disadvantaged Business, a Women-Owned Small Business, a HUBZone Small Business, a Veteran-Owned or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, or Historically Black College and University/Minority Serving Institution in enhancing their capabilities to perform NASA contracts and subcontracts, foster the establishment of long-term business relationships between these entities and NASA large prime contractors, and increase the overall number of these entities that receive NASA contract and subcontract awards.

4) The offeror shall provide a description of the prime contractor’s planned participation in the NASA Mentor Protégé Program.

5) NASA strongly encourages all offerors to propose participation with other small businesses. A proposal offering other small business subcontracting or teaming participation will be evaluated more favorably under this subfactor than a proposal not offering such small business participation. Also, a proposal offering higher levels of other small business participation subcontracting will be evaluated more favorably under this subfactor than a proposal offering lower levels of such other small business participation subcontracting. The level of other small business participation is defined as a percentage of the overall effort (expressed in total contract value) set forth in the contract’s scope of work.

Offerors shall ensure the information submitted in this volume is consistent with information submitted in other volumes, as applicable.

10.2 VOLUME II: PAST PERFORMANCE PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

a) The Offeror shall provide a narrative summary of past experience on relevant Government or commercial contracts. The contracts cited must either be active or physically completed no more than three years from the date of issuance of this RFP. The prime Offeror shall reference up to and no more than five (5) relevant Government or commercial contracts. A small business prime offeror may submit past performance for its teaming partners or joint venture that is relevant for at least one aspect of the PWS requirements. All offerors may submit past performance for subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition, provided that experience was as a prime contractor.

b) For relevancy, the Offeror shall consider the size or magnitude, content, services provided and complexity of the contracts or subcontracts as they relate specifically to the RFP requirements and address the following items:

• Contract number, task order number (if placed against a parent contract (e.g., OASIS, HCaTS, or a GSA Multiple Award Schedule)), contract title, type of contract, DUNS or Unique Entity ID, CAGE, and total original and present final contract value.

• Customer’s name, address, email, and telephone number of both the lead contract and technical personnel (verify telephone numbers provided are current and correct).

• Date of contract, place(s) of performance and delivery dates or periods of performance.

• Magnitude of the work directly accomplished by the Offeror on the relevant contract in relation to the total effort.

• Relevance of work to the work that will be performed under this contract and how it is specifically comparable. There shall be discernible links to Attachment I-1, Performance Work Statement.

• Any major management or technical problems encountered and how they were overcome. The Offeror shall list any major deviations or waivers to technical requirements that the customer granted.

• Whether delivery was on time, and if not, the reasons for the delay; adherence to program schedule; incentive performance (if applicable).

• Average number of personnel on the contract per year and percent of estimated turnover of personnel per year.

c) List any Government contracts terminated (partial or complete) within the past three (3) years and the basis for termination (convenience or default). Include the contract number, name, address, email, and telephone number of the terminating Contracting Officer.

Include contracts that were de-scoped by the customer because of performance or cost problems.

d) The Government may contact organizations for which the Offeror has previously performed work in order to obtain information on the Offeror’s performance. In order to facilitate these checks, when completing the forms identified below in paragraph (f), the Offeror shall provide the name, address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the customer’s technical managers and contracting officials most familiar with the contract for which the data is being provided. Offerors shall ensure that phone numbers and e-mail addresses provided for references are current and correct.

e) List any U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) or Agency Inspector General

(IG) audit reports and those decisions and/or findings, within the last three (3) years.

f) The Offeror may provide Section III, Attachment 3 Past Performance Questionnaire for each contract reference identified in Paragraph (a) above. If a Past Performance Questionnaire is provided it will be used to solicit assessments of the Offeror’s performance from previous or current customers. The Offeror shall instruct each of its references to return the questionnaire directly to the Contracting Officer via e-mail to the email address as stated on the questionnaire. The Offeror shall include in its proposal a list of individuals to whom the questionnaires were sent, including name, current and verified phone number, organization, e-mail address, and contract number. The questionnaires shall be returned to the Contracting Officer no later than the time and date specified in Table III-2, Proposal Due Date and Time for the Volume II Past Performance Questionnaires.

(End of Provision)

10.3 VOLUME III: PRICE PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

a) Introduction (P-1): To ensure that the Government is able to perform a fair assessment of proposed pricing, each Offeror is required to submit a price volume that is suitable for evaluation. Pricing data, other than certified cost or pricing data, will be required to provide the build-up of the fully burdened labor rates for exempt and non-exempt labor categories. A price volume that is suitable for evaluation shall:

• Account for all resources necessary to complete requirements of this RFP and include all…