Instructions to Offerors Updated 11 July 2022.doc

Version Date: July 11 2022

Instructions to Offerors

PROVIDING EQUITABLE TITLE I SERVICES TO ELIGIBLE CHILDREN ATTENDING PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE 53 BYPASSED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES IN MISSOURI AND THE 14 BYPASSED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES IN VIRGINIA I All proposals received in response to this Request for Proposals (RFP) will become a part of the official contract file. The RFP does not commit the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a proposal. In addition, the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition.

The Government intends to award a Cost-Plus Fixed-Fee contract for non-commercial services as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101.

Offerors must use the proposal format described below. The proposal shall be written in enough detail so that a review panel can adequately judge its full merits. Although the intent of each task is spelled out in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), it is up to the offeror to propose the most effective method for carrying out these tasks and the most feasible timeline and dates for all key activities. Offerors are encouraged to exercise independent judgment with respect to the best methods of attaining the objectives of this contract. The proposal should be written in enough detail so that a review panel can adequately judge its full merits.

Offerors shall prepare separate technical and business/cost proposals for each State (i.e. Missouri and Virginia) in response to this RFP. The technical proposal will not contain any reference to specific costs or prices, but resource information (e.g., staff hours) may be included so that the Offeror’s understanding of the scope of work may be evaluated. All information necessary to judge the technical soundness and management capabilities of the Offeror will be contained in the technical proposal. The technical proposal will not contain any reference to specific costs or prices, but resource information (e.g., staff hours) may be included so that the Offeror’s understanding of the PWS may be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP). Authors of each section must be clearly identified in the proposal’s Table of Contents.

The business proposal will include all information related to the determination of the costs/prices associated with each of the project’s tasks. Each proposal shall be separate and complete so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of the other. The proposed costs shall also be commensurate with the proposed technical solution set forth in the technical proposal. Authors of each section will be clearly identified in the proposal’s Table of Contents.

Vendor Questions

The Department will accept solicitation questions. Offerors must submit all questions electronically to the Points of Contact listed below no later than 4:00 pm EST on June 13, 2022.

· Alexander Lelansky, Contract Specialist, (Email: Alexander.Lelansky@ed.gov

· Colin Alleyne, Contracting Officer, (Email: Colin.Alleyne@ed.gov The Department will not accept or respond to questions submitted via mail, facsimile, or telephone. The Department cannot guarantee responses to questions submitted after the stated deadline.

Proposal Submission

Offerors shall submit one technical volume and one business volume for each State, i.e. Missouri and Virginia. The offeror shall submit their proposals as three separate digital files:

1. Technical Proposal, including appendices and résumés

2. Business Proposal, including narrative volume and cost information

3. Excel workbook of cost information contained in the narrative volume

Offerors must submit files electronically as PDFs and unlocked Excel spreadsheets. Offerors must submit PDF versions of the Technical and Business Proposals, and Past Performance Reports (if applicable). In addition, offerors are to provide a copy of their price buildup, payment schedule, etc. in Excel format.

The Department will only accept electronic proposals submitted in accordance with these instructions. The Department will not accept, or review proposals submitted by mail (public or private) or facsimile.

Proposals shall be submitted electronically no later than 2:00 pm EST on July 19, 2022 to the Points of Contact listed below:

· Alexander Lelansky, Contract Specialist, (Email: alexander.lelansky@ed.gov

· Colin Alleyne, Contracting Officer, (Email: Colin.Alleyne@ed.gov The Department’s email servers cannot handle emails larger than 15MB. This size restriction accounts for possible expansion of file size due to certain Microsoft Cloud properties.

If attachments are too large for one individual email, then offerors may submit more than one email as long as the email subject line clearly indicates that multiple emails will follow (e.g. Missouri Proposal: One of Four).

Note: Subcontractors may submit a sealed cost proposal directly to the contacts above if they do not wish to reveal certain confidential business information to the prime (e.g. indirect rate agreements and certain salary information) Volume 1: Technical Proposal

General Instructions The technical proposal should be limited to a maximum of 75 double-spaced pages using “Times New Roman” font size no smaller than 12 points with an exception for charts, graphs or tables, which shall not be less than 10 points and may be single spaced. The technical proposal shall be submitted in MS Word or searchable PDF format. Contents of files must print on Letter “8 ½ by 11” and offerors must use standard margins. The cover page, table of contents and introduction will all count towards the 75 page count. The first page of the offerors technical proposal shall start with page 1. The only pages that should be excluded from the 75 page count are Appendix A for Resumes and Appendix B for Letters of Commitment. No other appendices shall be considered. All pages falling outside these parameters will be immediately discarded and not considered as part of the evaluation process.

The business proposal shall follow the same font and margin specifications as the technical proposal. There is no page limit for the business proposal. All mathematical/computational sections of the business proposal that are provided in the PDF volume must be included and submitted in a MS Excel file as well.

Organization and Content of Technical Proposal

1. Cover Page. The cover page shall contain the procurement name, volume name, (i.e., Volume 1, Technical Proposal) Solicitation number, date of submission, and the Offeror’s name and DUNS number. (The cover page will be considered Page 1 of the 75 page count. Again, ALL information/pages will count toward the page count with the exception of Appendices 1 and 2.)

2. Table of Contents. The proposal should include a Table of Contents as a means of quickly accessing important points of discussion in the proposal. The Table of Contents shall lists sections, subsections and page numbers, and identifies the author of each section.

3. Introduction. The Introduction should briefly describe the Offeror’s overall plan for achieving the objectives of this contract, the scope of work, intended products, and the applicability of these products to the objectives. Additionally, the introduction shall include a summary of the offeror’s qualifications and unique strengths relevant to this activity.

4. Technical Approach. This section should fully describe the technical and theoretical approach the offeror shall employ in complying with the PWS. Offerors are to describe procedures/approach that are specific to each task and sub-task, and reflect efficient utilization of the Contractor's resources. Each task shall be presented under its separate heading, with exactly the same numerical designations and in the same order as used in the PWS. In addition to describing the procedures that will be used to accomplish each task, the offeror shall identify potential and/or anticipated problems and identifies solutions or mitigation strategies for those potential problems that increase the likelihood of successful contract performance.

5. Personnel. This section should fully provide the offerors proposed team with appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities to support Department’s goals and objectives for this initiative. The proposal shall identify key personnel and describe in detail the qualifications of key personnel, detailing their competencies and experience in performing work of similar size and scope to that outlined in the PWS, and describing their role in the project and what tasks they will support.

Offerors shall devote special attention to the resume of the proposed project director. The resume for the project director shall include clearly identified qualifications, competencies and experience in Title I, including developing and providing instructional programs, professional developing activities, and parent and family engagement activities. Included in this section shall be the project director's experience in monitoring contract budgets, adhering to project schedules, and ensuring the quality and timeliness of contract deliverables. The project director shall be responsible for keeping the Department informed of all major decisions or events likely to affect project performance or products. The Department recommends that the project director spend a minimum of 60 percent of his or her time on this contract. Resumes shall be included for all proposed key personnel for this contract, including staff from subcontractors. Resumes shall document only directly related experience, educational background, publications, and professional activities. All resumes shall share a common format and organization and be included in Appendix A.

If key personnel are unknown at the time of submission, a position description (including job duties, qualifications required, and selection criteria) shall be substituted for resumes, however the offerors need to have a project director identified at the time of their proposal submission.

6. Experience/Past Performance and Institutional Capacity. This section shall describe the offeror's relevant past performance and experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature and the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the PWS. The offeror shall provide past performance to demonstrate their ability to effectively manage federal contracts, including quality assurance, problem resolution, cost control, timeliness, business relations, and customer service.

This section should demonstrate the offeror’s institutional capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs. Brief summaries of such work should be submitted, including the names, current affiliations, and current telephone numbers of appropriate references. Include also: (1) vehicle number and type; (2) funding agency (DOL, HHS, etc.); (3) original dollar value and final dollar value (including options if a contract); (4) original completion date and final (or current) completion date; (5) the scope of the effort; (6) relevance of the work to this contract; (7) performance experience summary; (8) methodology and tools used; (9) challenges in the effort and how they were overcome; and (10) explanation as to why the effort was considered “successful.”

It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that telephone numbers and points of contact for references are current and accurate. Inability to contact references may figure negatively in any evaluation of past performance. The Government also reserves the right to obtain past performance information from other sources.

7. Management Plan. The Offeror shall provide a summary description of the management control system that is used internally for planning, scheduling, budgeting, managing, and reporting the accomplishments of this requirement. The application of the proposed management system should include procedures for effective management of project resources, procedures for controlling the quality of products/services, and procedures for early identification of potential problems in carrying out task activities. The Offeror must describe how the internal management control system will be applied to the work of this proposal as specified in the PWS and the evaluation criteria.

Proposals may include plans to subcontract part of the work, provided that evidence is presented that any proposed subcontractor is fully capable of performing the assigned tasks and that the Offeror has effective control of the participation of the subcontractor(s) in the project. The proposal should identify the roles in which consultants would serve on this contract. Letters from proposed subcontractors/consultants indicating their willingness to serve, if selected, must be included in the Offeror’s proposal. All proposed contractors and subcontractors shall sign a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate, and this shall be included in the technical proposal submission. The proposal shall provide details on how the Offeror will coordinate and communicate with the Government, and any identified or potential subcontractors.

In addition to describing the management system, the Offeror should present the following information in the proposal:

· Sub-contractual arrangements including the work to be done, responsibilities for tasks, reporting arrangements, and any other terms of the agreement. A letter from the proposed subcontractor delineating the nature of the agreement must be included.

· Proposed lines of communication, responsibility, and authority for planning, execution, management, and improvement of the tasks in the PWS.

· Proposed policies and procedures for managing and directing the effort for quality, cost control, and cost management.

· Time commitments, to be expressed in person-hours and shown in tabular form as follows:

The Offeror should outline all existing obligations over the period of the contract for staff proposed for the contract, including the percentage of time allotted for existing projects. The chart must include a total for each task, as well as for the entire contract.

· A schedule of task activities and the delivery of products in calendar days from the effective date of the contract.

· Time for any contractor internal review and clearance procedures as well as Department review.

· Listings of materials or services the Offeror expects the Department to make available (e.g., data, reports, etc.).

· Establish baselines and set targets for performance metrics and performance measures utilizing the sample chart of performance metrics provided below:

Desired

Outcomes

Required

Services

Performance Standard

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)

(Monitoring Method)

In summary, the management approach should provide a clear indication that all tasks can be completed on time, and with a high level of quality. For planning purposes, the anticipated contract award is no later than July 2022.

8. Small business Participation Small Business evaluation is a two-part process. First, the Department will review and consider the extent to which the Offeror proposes substantive work for small business participation in a meaningful capacity to fulfill the requirements of the PWS. Second, the Department will utilize the following small business calculation tool. This tool will provide a number that the evaluation team will use to evaluate the small business subcontracting plan, and the Small Business Subcontracting Score is tied to thresholds described in the rating scale. It is possible to earn a score higher than 100 and exceeding this score does not represent a competitive advantage. A copy of this tool in Microsoft Excel is included as an attachment on the competition’s BetaSam page.

Small Business Calculation Tool

Achievement

Weight

Weighted Performance

Volume 2: Business Proposal Organization and Content of Business Proposal The Department anticipates awarding a Cost-Plus Fixed Fee contract. Business proposals shall cover all tasks and subtasks. The Offeror shall submit proposed costs for each task and subtask and sum those costs for the project overall. There is no page limit to the business proposal. The proposed budget for each task shall and subtask must include the number of hours each staff person is expected to commit.

It is required that your business proposal contains enough information for a cost analysis determination to be made and a fair and reasonable determination. The Offeror is expected to use their best business judgment in submitting the necessary information. The Contracting Officer can reject an Offeror’s proposal if a negative cost realism determination is made, or if proposed prices are found to NOT be reasonable. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.801 states “cost realism means the costs in an Offeror’s proposal are a) realistic for the work to be performed; b) reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and c) are consistent with the various elements of the Offeror’s technical proposal.”

1. As part of its business proposal, the Offeror must submit the following information: Budget spreadsheets showing costs by task and subtask that can be readily identified and the estimated cost for the contract period at the task and subtask level; and a narrative describing the basis for direct costs, including the use of any assumptions.

2. Cost estimates should be provided for individual tasks as well as for the full project and each should contain breakdowns of direct charges for personnel, materials, supplies, and all other major budget items as well as indirect cost rates used in preparing the cost proposal.

3. Include a copy of your current indirect rate agreement if applicable. In addition, the Offeror shall include information on the status of your accounting system, estimating system, purchasing system. If these systems have been reviewed and approved by a Government Agency, include a copy of the approval letter.

4. Similar cost information shall also be submitted for all subcontractors. Please provide the same level of detail for subcontractor costs including level of effort at the task and subtask level.

5. Spreadsheet describing salaries of key personnel and number of hours proposed for key personnel should also be included. Personnel proposed for tasks shall also list titles and full loaded rates.

The Offeror’s business proposal must also contain the following information:

· Authorized Negotiators. The Business Proposal shall list the names and telephones numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations and a statement to the effect that the proposal submitted is firm for a period of at least 90 business days from the due date for proposals specified by the Government.

· Contract Administrator. The Business Proposal shall list the name, email, and the telephone number of the offerors proposed Contract Administrator if the award is made to the contractor.

· Conflict of Interest Plan and Certificate. The Offeror shall submit a Conflict of Interest Plan, providing details on its policies and procedures to identify and avoid potential actual or apparent organizational or personnel 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 Offeror’s overall proposal. The Plan will be incorporated into the contract awarded to the successful Offeror.

· Small Business Subcontracting Plan. The Department's goal for small business subcontracting is that 31% of all subcontracting be subcontracted to small businesses.

Below are the Department’s individual subcontracting goals for the following categories:

· Women-owned small business concerns (5%);

· Small disadvantaged business concerns (5%);

· HUB Zone small business concerns (3%); and

· Service Disabled, Veteran-Owned small business concerns (3%) Note: the categories listed above imply no order of preference.

Other than small businesses shall submit a plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 (Alternate II). Consultants’ agreements should be included in the subcontracting plan. Small business prime contractors are not required to submit a subcontracting plan.