Attachment 2 - Instructions to Offerors.pdf

Attachment 2 – Instructions to Offerors

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

What Works ClearinghouseTM Preschool-to-Postsecondary Evidence Synthesis Task Orders

(WWC-PESTO)

Task Order 01: Assisting Students Struggling with Behavior in Grades K-12

I. Proposal Submission Instructions Offerors should prepare separate technical and business/cost proposals for the WWC-PESTO Task Order 01 including all option periods, with separate pricing for the Base Period (Months 1-24), Option Period 1 (Months 13-36), and Option Period 2 (Months 25-48). Offerors should assume an award date of 9/1/2021. Proposals will be used both to award WWC-PESTO Task Order 01 and to award Blanket Purchase Agreements to prime contractors on subsequent WWC-PESTO task orders. While no prime contractor may submit more than one bid for this requirement, the same firm may appear as a prime contractor on one bid and as a subcontractor on other bids.

Each proposal should be separate and complete in itself, to enable the Department’s evaluation of one to be accomplished independently of the other. Cost information must be restricted to the business proposal, and the technical proposal should not contain reference to specific costs, although resource information may be included so that the offeror’s understanding of the scope of the work may be evaluated. Past performance information should be included in the technical proposal.

An official authorized to bind your organization must sign the proposal. Proposals are due by 11:00 AM Eastern Time on June 28, 2021. If an email’s attachment size exceeds 20MB, it is recommended that the offeror break up the proposal into smaller attachments in separate emails. E-mail attachments must not exceed 20 MB in total size, or they will be rejected by the Department’s servers. The email subject line shall be RFP: WWC-PESTO_[Name of Company]

• Electronic Submission: Proposals are to be submitted by email as three separate volumes with the following file names:

(i) [Name of Company] Technical Proposal (Version Date) (PDF)

(ii) [Name of Company] Business Proposal (Version Date) (PFD)

(iii) [Name of Company] Business Proposal Spreadsheets (Version Date) (EXCEL)

Appendices to the technical proposal should be contained in the technical proposal. Likewise, the offeror’s conflict of interest policy (a requirement of the business proposal) must be contained in the business proposal and not submitted as a separate attached document.

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) will accept clarification questions from potential offerors. Clarification questions must be submitted by the due date, which is 11:00 AM Eastern Time on June 2, 2021. All questions must be submitted electronically to Carlina.Smith@ed.gov with a carbon copy to Joseph.Gibbs@ed.gov. The email subject line shall be Questions: WWC- PESTO_[Name of Company]. The Department does not guarantee that a response will be given to clarification questions submitted after the due date. Offerors will not receive a response until all questions have been received by the due date.

II. General Proposal Instructions Contents of files must print on Letter 8 ½” by 11”. The technical quote shall be submitted searchable PDF format. The quote should be written in no smaller than 12-point font for text, 12-point font or larger for tables, and 10-point font or larger for graphics. Tables and graphics may be single-spaced. Margins should be no smaller than 1 inch on all sides.

mailto:Carlina.Smith@ed.gov mailto:Gabriella.McDonald@ed.gov

The technical quote must be limited to a total of 50 double-spaced pages. Any pages over 50 will not be forwarded to the TEP for evaluation. The page limit excludes the cover page; the table of contents;

resumes (Appendix 1); and letters of commitment from subcontractors (or other suitable business arrangements e.g. joint ventures or teaming arrangements), partners, and key personnel (Appendix 2), if any.

Appendix 1:

In Appendix 1, the vendor shall include resumes for all key personnel, including key personnel from subcontractors. Each resume is limited to two (2) pages, using the same formatting restrictions as the rest of the technical quote. Vendor may include resumes for all proposed staff (optional).

Appendix 2:

Appendix 2 should include letters of commitment from all proposed subcontractors, consultants, and key personnel not employed currently by the vendor. Letters of commitment must be signed by the submitted personnel. Letters from personnel not yet employed by the contractor must state that the personnel shall accept the position should the vendor be granted an award, and that all matters of salary and benefits have been negotiated and agreed upon prior to this submittal. Resumes may be single spaced.

No additional appendices are allowable. With the exception of experience and skills detailed in resumes, vendors shall not put substantive materials in the appendix in order to subvert the page limit.

The business quote, which also includes the Conflict of Interest Plan, has no page limit. Price information must be submitted in MS Excel and searchable PDF format. All mathematical/computational sections (proposed price/CLIN structure) of the business quote shall be submitted in MS Excel. Other pertinent information, including assumptions/contingencies utilized in developing pricing, basis of estimate narrative, terms and conditions, small business size status information, and conflict of interest plan, may be submitted in MS Word or a searchable PDF format, using the same formatting restrictions as the technical quote.

III. Technical Proposal Format and Content Technical Proposal Volume The technical proposal shall contain the following elements:

Cover Page: At a minimum, the cover page shall contain: the words “Technical Proposal”; a reference to “WWC-PESTO Task Order 01”; the title of the procurement (“What Works Clearinghouse Preschool-to- Postsecondary Evidence Synthesis Task Orders (WWC-PESTO) Task Order 01”); the version date of the technical proposal (e.g., MONTH DAY, YEAR); the name, website address (if applicable), and DUNS number of the offeror; and a list of primary subcontractors and consultants (name of company, website address (if applicable), and DUNS number) with one of the following labels for each subcontractor/consultant: “Not Small,” “Small Business,” “Small Disadvantaged Business,” “Woman- Owned Small Business,” “HUBZone Small Business,” or “Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business.”

Table of Contents: The Table of Contents must provide a means of quickly accessing important points of discussion in the proposal and should contain either 2 or 3 levels of headings. For each section of the technical proposal listed in the Table of Contents, the offeror must name the author(s) of that section.

Introduction: The offeror must briefly summarize and justify their overall approach to achieving the purpose of the procurement, its scope of work, and required deliverables. This section also should describe ways in which the offeror’s proposed approach is unique, insightful, or particularly comprehensive. The offeror must demonstrate an understanding of the project and familiarity with the issues relevant to designing and conducting random assignment impact evaluations in a school setting.

Technical Approach (Task Descriptions): This section shall provide information addressing each task and subtask area, including the offeror’s understanding of the nature and scope of each of the project tasks/subtasks, in the order presented in the PWS, along with a discussion of any potential issues and the means to address them.

Management Plan and Timelines: The offeror shall present a proposed timeline addressing the subtasks, deliverables, and Department approval of deliverables together with the responsible staff. A summary table should be included presenting critical milestones with dates. This table shall include starting and ending dates of each major project task and activity, assuming a start date of 9/1/2021. The offeror shall also delineate any materials or services expected from the Department in the timetable (e.g., data, applications, reports, etc.). As it is of the utmost importance that the anticipated contract meet its timelines, the technical proposal shall describe in detail the offeror’s process for ongoing evaluation of progress on the anticipated contract and methods proposed to manage potential delays or performance problems.

Proposed Personnel: The names of the proposed project director and other key personnel and consultants, a narrative description of staff qualifications and how they will meet the requirements of the contract, and resumes for proposed project staff including dates of work and role in such work for all experience. Include detailed vitae for all proposed professional staff (in the resume appendix) and letters of commitment (in the letters of commitment appendix) from all key personnel, proposed subcontractors, consultants, and professional staff not currently employed by the offeror, or collaborators delineating the nature of their agreement. Offerors are encouraged to suggest specific experts who might be appropriate for the Task Order 01 Practice Guide panel members or as related content experts.

In the main body of the technical proposal (not an appendix) describe any sub-contractual arrangements including work to be done, responsibilities for tasks, reporting arrangements, and any other terms of the contract pertinent to the technical proposal. Justifications must be provided for the use of subcontractors or consultants on this project, and the offeror shall state that such entities or individuals are free of conflicts of interest that might bias their approach to this study.

Offerors shall demonstrate that the proposed key personnel are not overextended during the two years of the task order Base Period by including a chart showing how the labor hours proposed for this requirement compare to other commitments (including other contracts and projects). At a minimum, offerors shall include a chart with the following data:

Staff Member Total labor hours proposed for this task order (9/1/2021 – 8/31/2022)

Total labor hours proposed for other projects (9/1/2021 – 8/31/2022)

Total labor hours proposed for this task order (9/1/2022 – 8/31/2023)

Total labor hours proposed for other projects (9/1/2022 – 8/31/2023)

The technical proposal must contain, per period and per task/subtask, the labor categories and labor hours proposed (but not the labor rate or total labor price/cost). This information should be formatted so that the Department can easily discern which personnel are offeror employees and which personnel are subcontractor/consultant employees (and which subcontractor/consultant). Where an individual can be identified by name, the name should be provided along with that person’s labor category. This information will allow for a determination to be reached as to whether the offeror is proposing labor categories that are appropriate and reasonable to the work set forth in the PWS.

As a general matter, proposals that include plans to subcontract parts of the work (whether to small or large business subcontractors) shall provide evidence that any proposed subcontractor or consultant has agreed to perform the work specified in the proposal, is fully capable of performing the assigned tasks, and that the offeror has effective control of the subcontractor’s/ consultant’s work on the project.

IV. Business Proposal Volume The Business Quotation shall be submitted as a separate document from the Technical Quotation. It shall contain complete information in sufficient detail for the Department to make a fair and reasonable price determination. The Contracting Officer may reject a quotation if a negative determination is made, or if proposed prices are found not to be reasonable. The Department encourages discounts from the vendor’s GSA Schedule Rates to improve the competitiveness of the quote

There is no page limit to the business quotation. The business quotation shall be formatted in a readable way (e.g., no tiny fonts). The business quotation shall start with a cover page that provides:

• The name of the company.

• The point of contact (name, phone number, email address) of a company representative who can answer any questions that the Department may have.

• Date.

The vendor shall propose labor categories and loaded labor rates for all personnel who might be used on any task orders issued against this Order. The vendor should use the following format:

Labor Category Year 1 (9/1/2021 – 8/31/2022)

Year 2 (9/1/2022 – 8/31/2023)

Sample: Project Director

$123.45 / hour $134.56 / hour

Other Details:

• The business quotation shall list the names and telephones numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations;

• The business quotation shall include a statement to the effect that the offer is firm for a period of at least 60 calendar days from the date of receipt of offers specified by the Government;

• The business quotation shall include a Conflict of Interest Certificate (as provided in the solicitation under EDAR 3452.209-70 Conflict of Interest Certification).

• For any subcontractors which are proposed, a separate price buildup (by task/subtask) should be submitted for each proposed subcontractor, and these prices should also be included in the prime's total quote for each task order. In the master buildup for each task order, it should be clear which costs are associated with the prime contractor and which costs are associated with subcontractors.

• FAR 52.219-14(c)(1) requires that “At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.” Any small business primary contractor must perform at least 50% of the labor for each task order, as measured by dollars (not hours). For each task order, the vendor shall include a chart comparing labor prices between the prime and subcontractors to aid in the Government’s analysis of this issue.

• The offeror shall include a completed, signed copy of the entire solicitation with all appropriate “fill-in” sections completed.

o A completed SF 1449. The schedule shall be filled out, signed, and dated in block 30.

o Any amendments

Quote Price Buildup The business quotation shall provide a complete price build-up for this task order that includes identification of proposed labor categories by named individuals, their functional category, level of effort, loaded hourly rate, extended labor price (i.e., labor hours x hourly labor rate), and other direct costs The price shall be presented by task and subtask. The quotation shall describe any applicable assumptions used to formulate the price build-up. Where a percentage rate is applied (e.g., “Technology Fee” at x%), it should be clearly disclosed what the rate is being applied against (e.g., against total labor costs).

Vendors are encouraged to justify any indirect rate by explaining what its purpose is and providing evidence of its reasonableness.

Payment Schedule The vendor shall submit a proposed payment schedule for this task order for all firm fixed price tasks.

Note that there are tasks may span across the Base Period, Option Period 1, and Option Period 2. Offerors should submit the proposed schedule as a separate Microsoft Excel files. The individual amounts should add up to the total order amount for firm fixed price tasks. Note that reimbursement for Task 4 and Task 9 activities is assumed to occur on a cost reimbursement basis. The payment schedule need not reference due dates and can generally follow a simple format such as:

WWC-PESTO Task Order 01 Period and Task Number

Description of Payment Trigger (Deliverable or Milestone Achievement)

Firm Fixed Price Payment Amount

Total:

The payment triggers should be based on accomplishments (e.g., submitting a deliverable, meeting a milestone), as opposed the passage of time (e.g., monthly).

Conflict of Interest Plan

Each vendor shall submit a Conflict of Interest Plan, providing details on its policies and procedures to identify and avoid potential organizational or personnel conflicts of interest (or apparent conflicts of interest). The Plan should also address procedures taken to neutralize or mitigate such conflicts, if they have not been or cannot be avoided. The Plan should indicate that such policies and procedures are operative throughout the period of outside activities financial interests, or other significant connections or identifications that would establish, or give the appearance of establishing, a conflict of interest. A method for periodically reviewing financial interests of employees, subcontractors and consultants, and their immediate families, in order to assess actual or apparent conflicts of interest, should be included in the plan. The term, “potential conflict” means a reasonably foreseeable conflict of interest.

The thoroughness, completeness and effectiveness of the Plan shall be evaluated as part of the vendors overall quotation. The Plan will be incorporated into the contract awarded to the successful vendor(s).

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS