AMENDMENT_95332421Q00710001.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a)By completing items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE

DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment your desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

95332421Q00710001

Summary of Changes

The purpose of this amendment is to provide the Government response to questions received and make changes to the solicitation based on the response. The Offer submission due date has been extended. The Offer must be submitted no later than August 25, 2021 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time. All other terms and conditions remain the same.

Header Information

Close Date is changed from 19-AUG-21 10:00:00 to 25-AUG-21 10:00:00.

Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

The following clauses are modified:

Clauses incorporated by full text

Section B

B.1 TITLE

International Procurement Consultant Services

B.2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

MCC is seeking to contract with one firm who could provide multiple procurement experts with different sector expertise on an as-needed basis with extensive international procurement experience under donor funded projects, such as funded by the World Bank, MCC, Asian Development Bank etc. These experts will support MCC Program Acquisition and Assistance (PAA) in its role of guiding, advising, and overseeing MCA Entities and their procurement agents through providing training, advice, hands-on support on MCC's procurement policies, procedures, guidance and standard bidding documents, procurement-related technologies, market outreach efforts, MCC-funded Grants administration, and helping them in overseeing the compliance thereto to meet MCC requirements. Extensive interaction with MCC will be required for the experts to fully understand MCC's procurement documents and/or to advise MCC in modifying these documents as and when needed.

B.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

The contract type awarded is a Time and Materials (T&M) contract.

B.4 CONSIDERATION AND PAYMENT

In consideration of satisfactory performance of the work as described throughout this contract, the Contractor shall be paid in accordance with the fixed loaded hourly rates as shown herein for the specified categories of labor based on the number of actual hours incurred in the performance of the work. Fully loaded rates shall be all inclusive of direct labor, fringe benefits, applicable indirect costs, and any profit for each labor category. Additionally, the contractor shall be paid for materials and travel directly chargeable to this contract. If the options are exercised funding will be obligated by modification to the contract.

The base period and option periods are priced as follows:

B.4.1 BASE PERIOD – CLIN 0001

Labor Categories QTY UOI UNIT PRICE TOTAL

General Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

IT Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

International Procurement Expert 200 HRS $ $

Grants Administration Expert 200 HRS $ $

Data Analyst 100 HRS $ $

French/English and Spanish/English translators

500 HRS $ $

Copy Editor 200 HRS $ $

TOTALS 4200 EA

Labor Subtotal $

ODC Subtotal $126,000.00

CLIN Ceiling (Not to Exceed) $

B.4.2 OPTION PERIOD 1 – CLIN 1001

Labor Categories QTY UOI UNIT PRICE TOTAL

General Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

IT Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

International Procurement Expert 200 HRS $ $

Grants Administration Expert 200 HRS $ $

Data Analyst 100 HRS $ $

French/English and Spanish/English translators

B.4.3 OPTION PERIOD 2 – CLIN 2001

Labor Categories QTY UOI UNIT PRICE TOTAL

General Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

IT Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

International Procurement Expert 200 HRS $ $

Grants Administration Expert 200 HRS $ $

Data Analyst 100 HRS $ $

French/English and Spanish/English translators

B.4.4 OPTION PERIOD 3 – CLIN 3001

Labor Categories QTY UOI UNIT PRICE TOTAL

General Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

IT Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

International Procurement Expert 200 HRS $ $

Grants Administration Expert 200 HRS $ $

Data Analyst 100 HRS $ $

French/English and Spanish/English translators

B.4.5 OPTION PERIOD 4 – CLIN 4001

Labor Categories QTY UOI UNIT PRICE TOTAL

General Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

IT Senior Procurement Expert 1000 HRS $ $

International Procurement Expert 200 HRS $ $

Grants Administration Expert 200 HRS $ $

Data Analyst 100 HRS $ $

French/English and Spanish/English translators

B.4.6 TOTAL

TOTAL Potential Value inclusive of all CLINS: $

B.5 MATERIAL (NON-LABOR) INDIRECT COST RATES

Pursuant to the general provisions of this contract and FAR 52.212-4; Alt. I, the following fixed indirect rate to be applied against Materials is established:

Type Fixed Rate

Indirect Costs (Material Handling, Subcontract Administration, etc.). 0.00%

B.6 CEILING PRICE

The hours and total price per labor category are for budgeting purposes only. The number of hours actually used for each category may exceed or be less than the estimate by category as long as the ceiling price for the CLIN is not exceeded. The ceiling for each CLIN is identified in Section B. The Government shall not be obligated to pay any amount in excess of this ceiling price nor is the Contractor obligated to continue performance if to do so would exceed this ceiling price. The ceiling price may be modified solely by the Government if it is deemed necessary.

B.7 ADDITIONS AND CHANGES TO LABOR CATEGORIES

It may be necessary to add or change labor categories during performance of this contract in order to carry out the services described in Section C. If new labor categories are added, or existing labor categories revised, the parties will negotiate the labor category(ies) prior to the incorporation into the contract. Any new labor rate proposed will be evaluated for reasonableness in accordance with FAR 15.4.

Section C - Description/Specifications/Work Statement

Section C

1. Introduction

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government corporation whose mission is to provide assistance that will support economic growth and poverty reduction in carefully selected countries that demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizenry. For more information on the MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov.

The United States of America acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation ("MCC") has formed partnerships with some of the world's poorest countries through large five-year Grant Programs, referred to as Compacts, and smaller grants of shorter execution duration, referred to as Threshold Programs. MCC administers these Compacts and Threshold Programs through Accountable Entities (MCA Entities), each of which is an entity established by the government of the particular partner country to manage and oversee all aspects of the Compact or Threshold Program implementation.

MCC has approved over $12 Billion in Poverty Reduction Compacts worldwide that support country-determined projects in such sectors as:

•Agriculture

•Land and Property rights

•Roads and Transportation Infrastructure

•Water supply, sanitation, and irrigation

•Energy

•Health

•Education

•Information Technology.

A large part of MCC's portfolio is focused on the infrastructure sector, particularly in transportation (including roads, bridges, and ports) and various building constructions, (commonly referred to as "civil works"), using contracts based on the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (commonly known as FIDIC, an acronym for its French name Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils) form of contract, and MCC standard bidding documents for large and small works and design-build (see www.mcc.gov). Other significant portfolio elements include investments in energy and water sector infrastructure, which typically include civil works and large-scale information system procurements, as well as complex design and supervision contracts and related sector reform and technical assistance contracts. The new Compacts being prepared focus largely on the energy and water/sanitation sectors and are also expected to require substantial construction works and also substantial Information Technology design, development, installation, and training.

MCC's Compacts also often include Grant Programs and Grant Facilities. A Grant Program is a program of assistance that the MCA Entity is implementing to achieve certain objectives, results, indicators and targets set out in the Compact and its implementing documents. It may take the form of a Grant Facility, an individual Grant or multiple Grants that each serve a public purpose. A Grant Facility means a specific organizational and procedural structure for disbursing MCC Compact funds and awarding multiple Grants through an open and competitive process. Grant Facilities are governed by a Grant Facility Operations Manual and are usually administered from planning to closeout by a professional Grant Facility Manager procured by the MCA Entity. Proposed projects and potential Grantees are evaluated using a standardized set of screening and due diligence tools that assess financial sustainability, management and implementation capacity, technical feasibility, market impact, and contribution to economic growth and poverty reduction.

The Program Acquisition and Assistance Group (PAA), a unit within the Sector Operations Division of MCC's Department of Compact Operations (DCO), supports MCC's mission by following the highest standards of professional public procurement of goods, services, and works necessary for the effective development and implementation of our Compacts and Threshold Programs. PAA also supports the transparent award and administration of assistance activities or grants.

Procurement efforts under the Compacts are conducted by the host country Accountable Entity (MCA Entity) using the MCC Program Procurement Guidelines (PPG) and standard bidding documents (SBDs) developed by the PAA. The PPG and SBDs are based on the World Bank procurement guidelines and standard bidding documents but with significant modifications. It is worth noting that MCC Compact-funded and Threshold Program-funded procurements are not conducted using the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Grant award and administration efforts are conducted by the MCA Entity under the Program Grant Guidelines and are often managed by a Grants Manager contracted by the MCA.

Procurements funded under the Compacts are managed by one or more Procurement Agents (PA) serving the MCA Entity.

The PA – which may be a government entity or a competitively contracted private firm – works closely with the MCA Entity to ensure that procurements are conducted in compliance with the PPG. MCC provides oversight on MCA Entity and PA activities.

For more information on the MCC PPG, please visit www.mcc.gov/pages/business/guidelines.

MCC maintains a monitoring role for ensuring that its funds are used effectively and efficiently, which requires MCC's commitment for taking all reasonable steps to promote best procurement, contract administration, and grant award and administration practices.

MCC Compacts are carried out in English unless MCC agrees to an exception for French or Spanish. Currently, there are no compacts being carried out in Spanish; all current compacts are conducted in English or French.

2. Scope

MCC is seeking to contract with a firm to provide, on an as-needed basis, multiple procurement and grants experts with different sector expertise with extensive international procurement and grant administration experience under donor funded projects, such as funded by the World Bank, MCC, Asian Development Bank etc. These experts will support MCC PAA in its role of guiding, advising, and overseeing MCA Entities and their procurement agents and grant managers. This will involve – but not be limited to – assisting and advising MCC PAA in their role overseeing MCA Entity compliance with MCC's program procurement and grant policies and requirements, and assisting PAA in giving guidance to MCA Entities. Support will also include providing training and advice, MCC's procurement and grant policies, procedures, guidance and standard bidding documents, procurement-related technologies, and market outreach efforts, and hands-on support to PAA and MCA Entities utilizing these. Extensive interaction with MCC will be required for the experts to fully understand MCC's procurement and grant documents and/or to advise MCC in modifying these documents as and when needed.

3. Tasks

The Consultant shall report to the Contract Officer's Representative (COR) and provide the following services on as-needed basis.

1. Advise MCC with approaches and strategies for the modification of MCC's program procurement and grant policies, procedures and operations that take into consideration latest trends such as life-cycle costing analysis, value-for-money concepts, and best practices used in other multilateral and bilateral donor agencies, as well as feedback from MCA Entities and the Consultant's own experience in using such policies and procedures.

2. Assist MCA Entities with interpretation of MCC draft contracts (including MCC-licensed FIDIC contract forms) and terminology as used in MCC SBDs.

3. Following MCC procurement handbook, procurement toolkit and other relevant guidance notes, advise and support MCA Entities on market analysis and outreach and communication strategies and seminars to attract capable bidders to MCC-funded procurements.

4. Review and comment on MCA Entities' bid documents from procurements' perspective in areas such as technical specifications, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, qualification requirements, contract conditions, warranties, and all other relevant aspects of the solicitations, to comply with MCC requirements.

5. Periodically update MCC on current trends in international public procurement and best practices in grant selection and administration related to the sectors in which MCC invests.

6. Recommend to MCC improvements to procedures for implementing lessons learned in MCA Entity procurements and grants.

7. Participate, observe, and/or assist MCA Entities in supervising bid and proposal evaluations.

8. Support MCA Entities in preparing and delivering procurement and grant seminars.

9. Review and edit MCC procurement templates such as Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs), Guidance Notes, Procurement Operation Manual (POM), Contract Administration and Management Manual (CAMM), and others to meet country-specific requirements and challenges facing different MCA Entities, and where applicable, translate such documents between English and French and/or Spanish.

10. Travel to partner countries, sometimes on a short notice, to support MCA Entities with or without MCC personnel, as requested by the COR.

11. Support MCA Entities and contracted Grant Managers to follow the Program Grant Guidelines and assist with the development of tools, templates and guidance for grants.

12. Provide training on the MCC PPG, PGG, and associated policies.

13. Conduct a systematic review of all PAA templates and update all templates formats within the base year to make them consistent across the board.

4. Personnel

The Consultant shall provide experts for the following labor categories:

i. Key Personnel:

1. General Senior Procurement Expert

2. Information Technology Senior Procurement Expert

3. FIDIC Senior Procurement expert

ii. Essential Non-Key Personnel:

1. International procurement expert

2. Grant administration expert

3. Data analyst

iii. Non-Key Personnel

1. Copy Editor

2. Translators (English/French, English/Spanish).

All Personnel should be employees of the firm contracted as the prime contractor. (No subcontracts with other firms are anticipated unless explicitly approved by MCC.) Personnel in the Essential Non-Key Personnel and Non-Key Personnel categories will assist/augment the Key Personnel as required, based on the task/services to be provided.

Personnel in the Key Personnel and Essential Non-Key Personnel categories are subject to COR/PM approval.

5.

Personnel Qualification Requirements

Key Personnel. All three Key Personnel must meet the following requirements.

1. At least a Bachelor level degree, preferably in Procurement, Purchasing, Engineering, Economics, Law, or Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Industrial Management, or a similarly relevant field of study.

2. Procurement experience working on donor-funded projects, specifically the World Bank and/or MCC. Over ten (10) years of such experience desired.

3. Demonstrated hands-on experience in developing procurement documents such as procurement policies, procedures, guidance, bidding documents, training.

4. Experience working in or assisting a donor agency in supervising foreign government counterparts in managing consulting and works procurement processes and contracts.

5. Experience with procurement guidelines and regulations of bilateral and/or multilateral development agencies, specifically the World Bank and/or MCC.

6. Experience working with and in multiple developing countries.

7. Experience with FAR is not directly relevant but could be considered as supplementing experience.

8. Fluent in reading, speaking, and writing English. Familiarity with French is preferred.

9. Willing to travel to developing countries.

Additionally, the key personnel must meet the following requirements for the corresponding labor category.

General Senior Procurement Expert. In addition to extensive procurement expertise in international context, this person must demonstrate extensive experience in (1) developing and conducting training government counterparts in specific procurement processes of a donor, (2) providing hands-on support to a donor agency and/or to government counterparts in developing bid documents and in responding to questions from bidders, (3) reviewing technical specifications in draft bidding documents to ensure that the procurements remain open, fair, and transparent, (4) assisting the donor agency and government counterparts in guiding and managing evaluation panels, (5) assisting the donor agencies in drafting bidding document templates, especially for incorporating industry trends and latest practices of other donor agencies, and (6) assisting government counterparts with advice during contract negotiations, contract administration, anti-fraud and corruption issues. This expertise should be demonstrated through listing projects in multiple sectors (such as energy, transport, land, etc.). MCC reserves the right to check references and/or interview the proposed expert.

Information Technology Senior Procurement Expert. In addition to extensive procurement expertise in international context as above, this person should have extensive knowledge and experience with the donor-funded projects that have financed large, national-level Information Technology projects such as customs reforms, revenue reforms, education reforms at a national level. Expertise in procurement analytics and software products such as e-procurement systems or large international procurement systems, in data analysis of past procurement performance, and in developing KPIs for procurement processes is required. This person should demonstrate multiple projects where it has developed bid documents and/or supervised Information Technology-based contracts funded by international donors such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and/or MCC. The experience should demonstrate a good familiarity with the Information-Technology standard bidding documents used by international donors such as the World Bank and/or MCC. This expertise should be demonstrated through listing projects in multiple sectors (such as energy, transport, land, etc.). MCC reserves the right to check references and/or interview the proposed expert.

FIDIC Senior Procurement Expert: In addition to extensive procurement expertise in international context as above, this person should have extensive knowledge and ten (10) or more years of experience in the preparation of bidding documents for large works using FIDIC Red and Yellow Books; management of FIDIC works contracts (including experience in handling variation orders, claims, and disputes); and experience in the procurement of consulting services to fulfill the "Employer's Engineer" role in the FIDIC construct. This experience should have been gained working in an international context, preferably on donor-funded projects. Development and delivery of training on the use of FIDIC Conditions of Contract desired. This expertise should be demonstrated through listing projects in multiple sectors (such as energy, transport, land, etc.). MCC reserves the right to check references and/or interview the proposed expert.

One of the above experts should be designated as the Team Lead. This person will be the main point of contact with MCC for administrative and logistical purposes.

Essential Non-Key Personnel. The Consultant will provide additional experts as required to carry out the tasks assigned under this contract. Such additional experts may be requested by MCC or deemed necessary or beneficial by the Team Lead, with the concurrence of the MCC COR, to carry out portions of the assigned work under the supervision of the Key Personnel.

All Essential Non-Key Personnel must meet the following requirements. As and when MCC or the Team Lead requires this expertise, the Consultant will be requested to submit a resume that demonstrates the following expertise to MCC's satisfaction.

International Procurement Expert: Five (5) years experience in developing procurement documents such as procurement policies, procedures, guidance, bidding documents, training. Experience working in or assisting a donor agency in managing consulting and works procurement processes and contracts. Experience with procurement guidelines and regulations of bilateral and/or multilateral development agencies, such as the World Bank and/or MCC. Experience working with and in multiple developing countries. A Bachelor's degree is desired, preferably in Procurement, Purchasing, Engineering, Economics, Law, or Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Industrial Management, or a similarly relevant field of study.

Grant Administration Experts: Ten (10) years experience working with US Government and International Organizations on grants and cooperative agreements for programs funded by international donor agencies/organizations such as Gates Foundation, USAID, Peace Corps, etc. Experience providing capacity-building training. Experience in formulating, interpreting, and applying grants management policy and compliance. Experience global and country-level work programming, budgeting, monitoring and reporting. Development and delivery of training on grant administration desired, preferably on international donor-funded projects. A Bachelor's degree is desired, preferably in Economics, Law, or Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Industrial Management, or a similarly relevant field of study.

Data Analyst: Five (5) years experience in collecting, analyzing, and reporting procurement-related information. Perform analysis of quality of data, meaning of data. Presentation of data for Senior management. Making recommendations on process improvements based on data analysis. Experience with data collection/analysis software and Power Bi. A bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics, quantitative economics, business analytics, or similarly relevant field of study desired.

Non-Key Personnel. The Consultant will provide additional experts as required to carry out the tasks assigned under this contract. Such additional experts may be requested by MCC or deemed necessary or beneficial by the Team Lead, with the concurrence of the MCC COR, to carry out portions of the assigned work under the supervision of the Key Personnel. All Non- Key Personnel must meet the following requirements.

Copy Editor: The proposed copy editor should have extensive knowledge and expertise with copy editing functions as demonstrated through its work on similar assignments on managing about 200-page documents of complex technical nature.

Translators (English/French/Spanish): The proposed translator(s) should have extensive knowledge and expertise with translating about 200-page documents of complex technical nature, preferably with the procurement subject matter. Separate translators can be proposed for different languages — English-French/French-English and English-Spanish/Spanish-English.

6. Deliverables

Deliverable: The deliverables will be the output for the tasks assigned. For example, review of a bid document from a MCA

Entity, or a training program developed for and delivered to a MCA Entity, or assistance to a MCA Entity in conducting price reasonableness assessment of a specific bid submission.

7. Country

Multiple countries, including, but not limited to Cote d'Ivoire, East Timor, Indonesia, Lesotho, Morocco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia.

8. Other requirements:

International travel will be required for key personnel and other experts. Any or all of the Key Personnel and Essential Non-Key Personnel may be required to travel internationally. For planning purposes, anticipate 2-3 times per year, with each trip lasting 1-3 weeks.

Section L - Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors

Section L

L.3. OFFER SUBMISSION DUE DATE

Offeror's proposal MUST cite the primary Solicitation Number in the submission. The Offer must be submitted no later than August 25, 2021 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time. Late Offers will not be accepted. Offerors shall only submit one proposal in response to this solicitation. Alternate proposals and/or solutions will be rejected. Offers must include the technical, past performance and business volumes, and must be submitted via email to the Contract Specialist at glimpmd@mcc.gov.

L.4. ANTICIPATED AWARD DATE

The anticipated award date for this requirement is September 20, 2021. This information is provided for use as a basis for schedules and burden (labor, overheads, G&A, etc.) mid-point calculations.

L.5. OFFER EXPIRATION

The Offeror shall agree to hold all elements of the proposal in its offer firm for no less than 90 days.

L.8. OFFER FORMATTING

mailto:glimpmd@mcc.gov

L.8.1. Page size 8.5 by 11 inches with one (1) inch margins. Paragraphs will be single spaced. Minimum font size/style 12 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.

L.8.2. If the Offeror uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the Government reserves the right to adjust the Offer to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFP, and if this results in the quotation exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the Government will not consider those excess pages. See Table B for page limitations.

TABLE B – Page Limitations:

Volume Section Page limit

1 - Technical A Transmittal/Cover Letter 2

Executive Summary

B Subfactor 1: Personnel Qualifications 5

C Subfactor 2: Technical and Management Approach 5

D Organizational Chart 1

E Resumes and Letters of Commitment N/A

F Personnel Qualifications Matrix N/A

2 - Past Performance N/A

3 – Business Proposal A Transmittal/Cover Letter N/A

B Completed Solicitation Section B

C Business Proposal Supporting Documentation

D Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

E Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement

L.8.3. All electronic submissions should comply with the FAR in regard to timeliness. The electronic submissions of Offers shall state the solicitation number in the subject line and shall be in the following format:

L.8.3.1. The electronic text shall be in Microsoft Word 2010 or later (.doc or .docx), uncompressed files. A directory identifying the file names and contents of each file shall accompany the submission. The price information shall be submitted as a separate file. A readable/searchable PDF will also be accepted. Photocopy PDF will not be accepted.

L.8.3.2. The electronic versions of spreadsheets shall be in Excel 2010 or later (.xls or .xlsx) format. The electronic spreadsheets shall not be compiled or password protected. All cells and formulas shall be visible, and unprotected. Offerors shall not establish links within these files.

L.8.3.3. All Offer data (e.g., graphs, figures, tables) shall be in a format capable of being highlighted, copied, and pasted into another application using any standard Windows software.

L.8.3.4. Each document must be less than 20MB in size and the file name should not exceed more than 50 characters in length (recommend using less than 50 characters file name and path combined). Document names cannot contain special characters such as ~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | }

L.9. TECHNICAL VOLUME INSTRUCTIONS

L.9.1. Offerors are encouraged to be succinct and economical in their presentation. Excessive volume and elaborate presentation are unnecessary. Tables of contents, and works cited and the Technical Appendices are not included in the page count.

L.9.2. The technical volume must not contain references to price/cost; however, resource information, such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts, etc., must be contained in the technical volume so that your understanding of the scope of work may be evaluated. It must disclose your technical approach in sufficient detail to provide a clear and concise presentation that includes, but is not limited to, the requirements of the technical volume instructions. The volume shall contain a response to each of the factors and criteria identified in Section L and will be evaluated in accordance with Section M. Proposals which merely offer to conduct a project in accordance with the requirements of the Government's scope of work will not be eligible for award. The technical proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken.

L.10. TECHNICAL VOLUME SECTIONS

L.10.1. ADMINISTRATIVE

L.10.1.1. TRANSMITTAL AND COVER LETTER

The Transmittal and Cover Letter must be signed by an officer authorized to make a binding commitment for the firm(s) making the Offer.

The letter shall include the following:

1. The RFP Number;

2. DUNS number, CAGE code, and TIN;

3. Company Name mailing address, and website address;

4. Date submitted;

5. A statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 120 days from the date of receipt thereof by the Government.

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

7. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM). All Offerors must register in SAM located at:

http://www.sam.gov/;

8. 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;

9. Names, titles, and phone and facsimile numbers and e-mail addresses of persons authorized to negotiate on the Offeror's behalf with the Government in connection with this solicitation and;

10. 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;

http://www.sam.gov/

11. In addition, the Offeror shall identify the company's anticipated Contractor Performance and Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Contractor Representative, to include the individual's full name, telephone number and email address;

12. This letter shall include acknowledgement of all amendments issued by the Government; and

13. Offeror Summary Table: The Offeror shall complete the table below. The Offeror should include all subcontractors and team members who will be involved with the performance or management of the program work and should list all sites where the work will be performed. If a teaming or subcontracting arrangement is proposed, identify the work share, distribution elements, and ratios that each contractor will perform using the table below. Also provide a definition of the legal relationship between the entities if it is other than a Prime/subcontractor relationship.

Contractor Name (Indicate Prime, Team Member or

Sub)

Place of Performance/DUNS # if applicable

Brief Work Description and/or Program Responsibility

% of Total Proposed Price

L.10.1.2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Offeror shall provide an executive summary for the proposal. In the executive summary, the Offeror should highlight the significant factors of its proposal. The executive summary shall include a table of contents that delineates all sections of the proposal, a matrix that maps each of the factors/sub-factors to a specific section/page/paragraph within the Offeror's proposal, and assumptions, conditions, or exceptions. The table of contents and matrix shall contain hyperlinks to the referenced sections of the proposal.

See Table C for a sample matrix.

TABLE C – Sample Matrix:

Evaluation Factor Reference

Section in Offer Page in Offer Paragraph in Offer

Past Performance 22 Past Performance (22.1;

22.2; 22.3)

Tab H – pg. 1-6 Para. 1

Sub-factor 1 3.2 Management Approach

13.2 Quality Assurance

Tab B – pg. 2-5 Tab J – pg.

4-9

Para. 5

Offerors must submit all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of this solicitation including the Statement of Work. If not noted in this section of your Offer, it will be assumed that the Offeror proposes no assumptions for award, and agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein and in the Statement of Work.

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 type of work that they will be expected to perform.

L.10.2. TECHNICAL FACTOR

The information supplied shall be closely aligned with the procurement under consideration and shall be free from ambiguities.

Ambiguous statements or statements with dual meanings will be interpreted in the manner representing the best interest to the Government. The prime Offeror shall be held responsible for the validity of information supplied by potential subcontractors.

While any and all pertinent information is essential to a successful technical Offer, it should be noted that voluminous Offers containing nonessential information are undesirable. This factor assesses the Offeror's capability to perform all areas required by this solicitation.

L.10.2.1. CRITERION 1: PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

The Offeror shall provide information on proposed staff experience to be assigned to the Contract, including information about background and experience, and the positions they will fill. Specific examples are necessary. Identify key personnel and other key managerial and technical staff. Provide brief resumes for Offeror identified key personnel only. Letters of Commitment are required for all proposed subcontractor staff. (Resumes are limited to a total of three (3) pages)

Offerors shall demonstrate the proposed personnel in terms of their 1) demonstrated experience and qualifications and 2) availability.

The Offeror shall also provide a matrix for the entire team in the following format:

NAME LABOR CATEGORY POSITION REQUIREMENT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

John Doe Team Leader / Transport Expert

A minimum of fifteen (15) years' experience in relevant port infrastructure investments. A BS in relevant engineering field is required; a Master's degree in relevant engineering field is highly desirable. The candidate shall demonstrate working in both

22 years experience in relevant port infrastructure investments; Master's degree in Structural Engineering; ……..

Jane Doe Deputy Team Leader / Environmental Specialist

The Deputy Team leader should have an educational background in relevant field (i.e., civil or environmental engineering, environmental sciences (or equivalent).

Master's degree is preferred. He or she must have over fifteen (15) years' experience in conducting or managing ESIA studies for large scale infrastructure development projects

23 years experience in relevant port infrastructure investments; Master's degree in Structural Engineering; ……..

Submission of the matrix will be in accordance with Section L.8 Table B and submitted separately in MS Excel Format.

L.10.2.2. CRITERION 2: TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The Offeror shall provide their approach to conformance to contract requirements, specifications, and standards of good workmanship, e.g. commonly accepted technical, professional, environmental, or safety and health standards, including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the vendor's experience with regard to "best practices". This proposal shall, at a minimum, detail the following:

1. General description, key features, and benefits of the Offeror's proposed solution;

2. The SOW as analyzed by the Offeror. This section shall be formatted as presented in the SOW for ease of correlation. Each response to a paragraph will use similar paragraph numbering systems as the specification, and shall be self-sustaining without reference to any other response or literature for support;

3. Any anticipated major difficulties and problem areas, along with potential recommended approaches for their resolution; and

4. Description of management and status reporting approaches.

The technical approach shall provide demonstrated capability in the tasks identified in Section C.

Offerors shall describe how the proposed team is staffed and organized to deliver the requirement, notably how each proposed expert's background and experience provides the needed services stated under the requirement.

Offerors shall not repeat the tasks outlined under the scope of work; this section shall demonstrate an understanding of how the team was established to complete the assignment with a focus on the challenges of working the proposed assignment.

The Offeror shall describe the current management structure and supply an organization chart for executing this Contract.

Offerors shall describe the management and team structure, availability of resources, ability to timely deploy resources, and ability to perform the relevant highly specialized and technical activities to ensure successful execution of the identified tasks.

L.11. PAST PERFORMANCE VOLUME INSTRUCTIONS

L.11.1. Offerors will be evaluated on performance under existing contracts and performance on prior contracts. Proposals should note the difference between past performance and past experience. Past performance relates to quality and how well a contractor performed, while past experience is about the type and amount of work previously performed by a contractor.

L.11.2. Past performance information is available to Federal agencies through the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). The government will be considering past performance information contained in CPARS to the greatest extent possible.

L.11.3. A maximum of five (5) performance references shall be submitted for contracts performed or completed within the past ten (10) years. Past performance references can be for the contractor, predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience and/or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the acquisition.

L.11.4. Each performance reference is limited to two (2) pages and shall include the following information:

1. Several points of contact (Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer's Representative and any other pertinent officials who can verify performance) - name, agency/company, address, phone number and email address

2. For contracts with the Federal Government, indicate whether the government has evaluated the contractor and past performance information is available through CPARS or whether the reference will be providing information via the past performance questionnaire (see Attachment J.1)

3. Contract title

4. Contract number (and task order number when applicable)

5. Contract type

6. Total contract value (including base & all options)

7. Project description and size information

8. If the past performance reference is for a subcontractor, identify the major or critical aspects of the requirement that they will perform

9. Relevancy to the statement of work for the subject solicitation

10. Did the contract include small business subcontract goals for small disadvantaged business concerns? If so, were the goals met?

11. Provide an explanation of problems, delays, cost overruns and corrective actions taken.

L.11.5. For contracts that do not have performance information available through CPARS, Offerors are requested to provide the Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment J.1) directly to their reference. The reference should complete the questionnaire and submit information directly back to the Government via email to Michael Glimp, Contract Specialist, at glimpmd@mcc.gov by the closing date of this solicitation.

L.11.6. Past performance information is proprietary source selection information. The Government will only discuss past performance information directly with the entity or person that is being reviewed. If there is a problem with the proposed subcontractor's past performance, the prime can be notified of a problem, but no details may be discussed without the subcontractor's permission.

L.12. BUSINESS VOLUME INSTRUCTIONS

L.12.1 Transmittal (May be the same as submitted in Volume I)

L.12.2 Offerors shall include a completed copy of Section B of the solicitation in its proposal. Business proposals shall include pricing for each contract line item (CLIN) specified in Section B as well as the cumulative price estimate for the entire contract.

L.12.3 Cost or Pricing Data

(a) Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required.

L.12.4 DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

In accordance with FAR 3.808 Policy, Offerors shall submit Standard Form LLL, "Disclosure of Lobbying Activities". The form can be accessed in the GSA Forms Library at:

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116430.

L.12.5 REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

mailto:glimpmd@mcc.gov http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116430

A completed and executed copy of Section K - Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors or Respondents, must be included as part of your business proposal.

L.12.6 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE/MITIGATION

Offerors are required to identify actual and potential organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) related to the services described in the statement of work for itself, as well as employees, consultants and subcontractors proposed. This includes, but is not limited to:

•The existence of conflicting roles that might bias judgment; and •Access to nonpublic information that will give the Offeror an unfair competitive advantage.

Offerors shall include an explanation of the process used to identify OCIs. If an actual or potential OCI is identified, the Offeror shall submit a mitigation plan as part of its proposal.

Offerors shall submit with their proposal an OCI affirmation, using the following language:

"I, (Name and Title), warrant that: 1) I am an official authorized to bind the entity; and 2) to the best of my knowledge and belief , actual and potential organizational conflicts of interest have been identified, and disclosed to the Contracting Officer (identify section of proposal) as of (Date)."

L.13 BIDDING ASSUMPTIONS

To assist Offerors in the preparation of their proposals, the Government presents the following bidding assumptions. Offeror's are expected to make an independent assessment of the resources required to perform the tasks described in Section C.

Offerors should use their own judgment based on their experience and approach to completion of this project to propose the price appropriate for the requirement.

For the planning purposes, the level of effort will include travel to foreign countries for key personnel and other experts (except translators and copy editors), possibly two to three times in a year which could be to different countries for a minimum of 6 working days per trip. The Government will pay for traveling on a reimbursable basis by lowest fare economy class.

Travel will require prior approval by the MCC COR.

Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award

Section M

M.4 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

The criteria identified below will serve as the standard against which the technical quote will be evaluated and identifies the significant factors which the Offeror should address in their quote. The criteria will be used to technically evaluate quotes and shall be of descending importance in determining the overall technical rating.

M.4.1 CRITERION 1: PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

The Government will evaluate the Offeror's proposed staff experience and qualifications to be assigned to the Contract, including information about background and experience, and the positions they will fill.

The Government will evaluate the proposed key personnel in terms of their 1) qualifications 2) availability and 3) demonstrated experience producing relevant analyses and recommendations in similar developing country contexts. Proposed personnel must be available for travel once conditions permit, as necessary to complete work described in this SOW.

Note: The Covid-19 Pandemic is impacting MCC's Compact process. As of this solicitation posting, the extent of the impact is unknown. Due to this uncertainty, various aspects of the requirement terms may change, e.g. the scope, period of performance, etc. The Government will determine the materiality of these changes to decide whether to engage the offerors for discussion.

M.4.2 CRITERION 2: TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The Government will evaluate the Offeror's approach to conformance to contract requirements, specifications, and standards of good workmanship, e.g. commonly accepted technical, professional, environmental, or safety and health standards, including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the vendor's experience with regard to "best practices".

The Government will evaluate how the proposed team is staffed and organized to deliver the requirement.

The Government will evaluate the current management and team structure, availability of resources, ability to timely deploy resources, and ability to perform the relevant highly specialized and technical activities to ensure successful execution of the identified tasks.

The Government will evaluate the text of the written offer for firm evidence and clear demonstration that the offeror understands the requirements for quality work and deliverables, including appropriateness of style, grammatical correctness, and data integrity relative to the writing necessary for the project.

Government Response to Questions Received

No Solicitatio n…