Att 1-Requirements and Instructions to Offerors.pdf

Attachment 1

SOLICITATION 70Z03826QE0000053

REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

52.212.2 Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services Aug 2025 (DEVIATION 25-21) (effective November 28, 2025)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this Request for Quote (RFQ) to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforming to the RFQ is the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors will be used to evaluate offers and are listed in relative order of importance:

Factor 1 – Technical Acceptability/Performance Factor 2 – Price

(b) Options (if applicable). The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. The evaluation of options does not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) Notice of award. A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer furnished to the successful Offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of provision)

Requirements The United States Coast Guard (USCG) requires multi-user online subscription access to a variety of English-language technical specifications and standards, such as engineering drawings, safety requirements, and performance specifications, from multiple publishers.

Factor 1 – Technical Acceptability/Performance will be evaluated in two stages. The initial stage will consist of reviewing the offeror’s quotation for their ability to provide the following:

1. One year of online, web-based access to the standards listed in Attachment 2 – List of Required Standards by Publisher.

2. For up to seventy-five (75) personnel located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

3. Standards should be viewable for U.S. Government computer in PDF format with the ability to print a copy for the user.

4. Email notifications when a subscribed document is revised, superseded, withdrawn, canceled, or otherwise changes.

5. Instructions on how to access subscribed documents.

6. Over the year, the USCG may need access to additional standards not listed in Attachment 2. The successful offeror shall have the ability to add additional standards to the USCG’s subscription access on a pro-rated basis.

In addition, the successful offeror shall have the ability to provide additional standards on a single-user basis and be billed separately from the annual subscription access.

Factor 1 – Technical Acceptability/Performance (Initial Evaluation) During the initial evaluation, the Government will assess the information submitted with the offeror’s quotation to determine how well the subscription meets the requirements of this solicitation. Technical acceptability will be evaluated to determine an overall pass/fail rating according to the ability of the offeror to provide online, multi-user subscription access that meets all the requirements of this solicitation.

Factor 2 – Price Only the lowest priced offer will be evaluated for Technical Acceptability/Performance, during both the initial and final evaluation stages. Should the lowest price offer not receive an acceptable or past performance rating, the process will continue in order of lowest priced offer until the lowest priced, technically acceptable offer is identified.

Attachment 1

SOLICITATION 70Z03826QE0000053

REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

Factor 1 – Technical Acceptability/Performance (Final Evaluation) During the final evaluation, the apparent successful offeror will provide the USCG with a live, virtual demonstration to ascertain whether the vendor’s subscription access is compatible with USCG computer systems which are subject to strict security and compatibility requirements to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of sensitive information.

This step may be skipped at the Government’s discretion if the successful offeror has been previously awarded a contract to provide this subscription access to the USCG in the past two years. Final technical acceptability/performance will be evaluated to determine an overall pass/fail rating according to the ability of the offeror to provide subscription access that is compatible with the USCG’s computer security protocols. While it is not possible to determine the compatibility of government systems with common plugins (e.g., browser extensions, software add-ons) without real-world testing;

however, several factors must be considered:

1. Security Standards Plugins must meet federal security standards, including compliance with the Federal Information Security

Modernization Act (FISMA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.

Plugins are often vetted for vulnerabilities, malware, or potential data leakage before being approved for use.

2. Least Privilege Principle

Plugins must adhere to the principle of least privilege, meaning they should only request the minimum permissions necessary to function.

3. Centralized Management Government systems use centralized management tools to deploy and control plugins. This ensures that only authorized plugins are installed and that updates are applied promptly.

4. Regular Audits

Approved plugins are subject to regular security audits and updates to ensure they remain compliant with evolving security standards.

5. Compatibility Testing Plugins must be tested for compatibility with government systems, including operating systems, browsers, and other software.

Testing ensures that plugins do not interfere with system performance or security.

Submission of Quotes and Additional Instructions:

Quotes and any supporting documentation shall be emailed directly to Mrs. Geneva James, Purchasing Agent, at Geneva.K.James@uscg.mil no later than the closing date of this solicitation. Offerors shall quote on an “all or none” basis.

Quotes shall include the following information:

A. Pricing for one-year multi-user subscription access as described under “Requirements”.

B. Any exceptions to the “Requirements”.

C. Two points of contacts to schedule the demonstration described under Factor 1 – Technical

Acceptability/Performance (Final Evaluation). Information shall include names, phone numbers, and email addresses

Delivery Terms Multi-user subscription access shall be provided to the USCG via electronics means within five (5) business days after receipt of order (ARO). F.O.B. destination is the F.O.B. point for all deliverables. The period of performance for this order is one year after date of initial subscription access.