Attachment 03 Draft Sect L Instructions to Offerors 09 Dec 22.pdf

PRE-DECISIONAL

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS FA8806-23-R-0001

Attachment 3

Section L - Instructions to Offerors (ITO)

Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity

Contract

For

(U)Data Software Services (DSS)

(U) United States Space Force (USSF)

(U) Space Systems Command (SSC)

(U) Space Domain Awareness & Combat Power (SDACP)/Battle Management Command, Control, &

Communications (BMC3) Program Offices

Contract:

FA8806-23-R-0001

Ordering Period:

1 April 2023 – 31 March 2028

Date:

09 December 2022

L-900: INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

1. PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of this procurement is to acquire Data Services Support in support of United States Space Force data management requirements. Through leveraging the availability of commercial platforms for Data-as-a-Service solutions, the primary objective is to allow scalability through the utilization of enterprise data storage and data management solutions capable of operating in secure environments and providing data products and advanced analytics to the space community. Unless all proposals are non-responsive or rejected, the Government anticipates the use of a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) multiple award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle. The basic contract will be awarded to responsible Contractor(s) whose submission(s) conform to all elements and factors of this solicitation and is/are determined to be a Qualifying Offer. The Government reserves the right to make a single award in the event that only one solution is determined to qualify.

2. PROPOSAL FORMAT

2.1 GENERAL

The following instructions cover the preparation and submittal of the offeror’s proposal for this solicitation. Offerors must follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are cautioned that any noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the RFP may cause their proposal to be determined not eligible for award. If a joint venture arrangement exists for this acquisition, the offeror shall provide a copy of the joint venture agreement that is signed and dated by all joint venture members as part of the proposal submission.

Offerors shall submit only one proposal for the Data Software Services acquisition as the Government will review only one proposal per offeror. Proposals received are subject to the requirements specified in FAR 52.212-1, unless otherwise tailored in the Addendum to the solicitation.

2.2 COMMUNICATIONS

Exchanges of source selection information between Government and offerors will be controlled by the Contracting Officer. Exchanges of source selection information after submission of the initial proposal packages between the Government and offerors will be controlled by the Contracting Officer. Email may be used to transmit such information only if the email can be sent encrypted and must include “Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104” in the subject line of the email. Otherwise, source selection information will be transmitted via direct mailing or facsimile. In order to facilitate the sending and receiving of encrypted emails, offerors must use MS Outlook email configured to support encryption or a different email product that is S/MIME compatible and configured to support encryption. If you intend to submit your source selection information via encrypted email, you will need to contact the Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer indicated on the face page of the solicitation prior to that first submittal in order to exchange certificates used for encryption. To ensure the process is working correctly, send a test encrypted message first (without including any source selection information). Consider the use of DODSAFE for transmission of proposal information. Insert the next sentence if decision to use is made and tailor/delete previous sentences: Otherwise, source selection information will be transmitted via direct mailing or DODSAFE at https://safe.apps.mil/. When submitting source selection information via email, file suppression utilities, to include but not limited to zip files, will not be accepted.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Solicitation FA8806-23-R-0001 proposal submittal includes an “acceptable/unacceptable” Gated Approach offerors are required to pass in order for the Government to evaluate an offeror's full proposal. The Government will not validate each assertion submitted by the offeror but will enforce compliance with the submitted assertions by incorporating the offeror’s assertions into the Statement of Work (SOW), Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL), and/or Model Contract as appropriate.

3.1 POINT OF CONTACT

The Procuring Contracting Officer is the sole point of contact for this acquisition.

Offerors shall address any questions or concerns they may have to the PCO. Written requests for clarification may be emailed to the PCO and Contract Specialist at the address listed:

Procurement Contracting Officer (PCO) Contract Specialist Attn: Maj Brad M. Rajchel Attn: Carina Lam Telephone (310) 653-2072 Telephone: (310) 653-1395 brad.rajchel.1@spaceforce.mil carina.lam@sapaceforce.mil

Questions regarding the solicitation must be in writing and emailed to the PCO (with a courtesy copy to the Contract Specialist) no later than 10 calendar days prior to the close of the solicitation due date. The Government may choose not to accept any questions after the solicitation due date.

3.2 DEBRIEFINGS

The PCO will promptly notify Offerors of any decision to exclude them from the competitive range if a competitive range is established, whereupon they may request and receive a pre-award debriefing in accordance with FAR 15.505 or a post-award debriefing in accordance with FAR 15.506, but not both. Offerors excluded from the competitive range are entitled to no more than one debriefing. The PCO will notify unsuccessful Offerors in the competitive range, if established, of the source selection decision in accordance with FAR 15.503. Upon such notification, unsuccessful Offerors may request and receive a post-award debriefing. Offerors desiring a debriefing must make their request in accordance with the requirements of FAR 15.505 or 15.506, as applicable.

3.3 DISCREPANCIES

If an Offeror believes that the requirements in this RFP contain an error or omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall immediately notify the PCO in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the Offeror is asking the PCO to consider as related to the omission or error.

https://safe.apps.mil/ mailto:brad.rajchel.1@spaceforce.mil mailto:carina.lam@sapaceforce.mil

3.4 ELECTRONIC REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Referenced documents for this solicitation are available at https://sam.gov/content/home and the Bidders’ Library. Offerors should contact the PCO to obtain access to the Bidders’ Library. Potential Offerors are encouraged to subscribe for real-time e-mail notifications when information has been posted to the website for this solicitation.

3.5 DISCUSSIONS

The Government reserves the right to award without discussions. However, if it is in the Government’s best interest to hold discussions, then the Government may conduct discussions with Offerors after establishing a competitive range of the proposals with “Acceptable” ratings for Factor 1, Commercial Software Solution (Gate). The Government reserves the right to record audio telecommunications with the Offerors during the source selection.

3.6 USE OF NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS

In accordance with DoD Source Selection Procedures, paragraph 1.4.6.2.1, the PCO must ensure that before a Non-Government Advisor is given access to propriety information, that the Government has received the consent of the submitting contractor(s) to provide access to the contractor(s) who are assisting the Government in the source selection.

Therefore, the Offeror shall expressly provide its consent in Volume 1: Executive Summary to the release of its proposal information to the companies listed in Table 2.7-1.

Contact the PCO prior to the receipt of proposals with any questions regarding participation or if there is an issue with providing consent. Please understand that failing to provide consent may affect Offeror’s ability to propose for this effort.

Table 3.6-1: Source Selection Support Contractor Company Name Address

Aerospace Corporation 2310 E. El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245-4609 SAIC 185 South Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245 Tecolote Research 2120 E Grand Ave #200, El Segundo, CA 90245 MCR Federal 550 Continental Blvd #185, El Segundo, CA 90245 Galaxia Technologies 1010 4th Street Unit 5, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Individuals from the above support contractors have signed individual non-disclosure agreements with the Government, which strictly prohibits any release or disclosure of information outside the source selection team.

3.7 ALTERNATIVE OR MULTIPLE PROPOSALS

Alternative proposals will not be considered. Each Offeror may only submit one proposal.

3.8 CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

The Offeror shall provide unclassified proposal responses. No classified information will be accepted or considered in evaluating the proposal response.

4. PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION AND FORMAT

4.1 ORGANIZATION

The Offeror shall prepare the proposal as set forth in this solicitation. The titles and contents of the volumes shall be as defined, all of which shall be within the required page limits and with the number of pages specified. The Offeror shall provide two electronic copies unless otherwise specified. All proposals shall be unclassified. Proposals shall be submitted to the Government in three (3) separate volumes as set forth below:

Volume and Name Content Descriptions Limits

Vol. I: Executive Summary

• Narrative Summary

• Offeror Team

• Master Table of Contents

• Small Business Participation Submission

• Factor 1: Commercial Software Solution Questionnaire

6 Pages

Vol. II: Technical Approach • Factor 2: Technical Approach 10 Pages

Vol. III: Model Contract

• Completed SF1449 Solicitation/Contract Form

• Completed DD Form 254

• Completed Small Business Participation Commitment Document

• Organizational Conflict of Interest (If Applicable)

Unlimited

4.2 PAGE LIMITATIONS

Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal, and excess paper copies will be shredded. If the Government issues Evaluation Notices (ENs) for discussions, page limitations may be placed on responses to ENs. The specified page limits for EN responses will be identified in the letters sent along with the ENs to the Offerors. Unless otherwise specified, each page shall be counted except the following: cover/title pages, compliance matrix, cross-reference matrix, table of contents, lists of figures and tables, tabs, glossaries, and list of acronyms. For the Executive Summary, the page limit applies only to the Narrative Summary. The Technical Appendix may only be used to provide pertinent reference documentation related to information that has been summarized in the page-limited Technical section, such as complete Service Level Agreement (SLA) forms, product and service data sheets, architecture and performance white papers, or policy and process manuals. The government will not evaluate the information provided in the appendices but may refer to it, at the government's option, to substantiate claims made in the page-limited portions of the proposal.

4.3 PAGE SIZE AND FORMAT

A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. When both sides of a sheet display printed material, it shall be counted as two pages. Page size shall be 8.5 by 11 inches, not including foldouts. Pages shall be single spaced. Except for the reproduced sections of the solicitation document, the text size shall be no less than 12 point using Times New Roman font. Tracking, kerning, and leading values shall not be changed from the default values of the word processing or page layout software. Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and ¾ inch side margins. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. These page size and format restrictions shall also apply to EN responses.

Legible tables, charts, graphs, and figures shall be used wherever practical to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc. These displays shall be uncomplicated, legible, and shall not exceed 11 by 17 in. in size. Foldout pages shall fold entirely within the volume, and each face of the foldout containing information will be counted as a separate page. Foldout pages may only be used for large tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and figures, not for pages of text. For tables, charts, graphs, and figures, the text shall be no smaller than 10 point.

Lastly, each page should contain the following legend at the bottom of each sheet:

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION--SEE FAR 2.101 and 3.104

CUI

4.4 CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

The Offeror shall provide unclassified proposal responses. No classified information will be accepted or considered in evaluating the proposal response.

4.5 CROSS-REFERENCING

Each volume shall be written on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated without cross-referencing to other volumes of the proposal. Information required for proposal evaluation not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal. However, cross-referencing within a proposal volume is permitted where its use would conserve space without impairing clarity.

4.6 INDEXING

Include a master Table of Contents of the entire proposal. Each volume shall contain a table of contents with more detail to delineate the contents within that volume. A Table of Contents does not count against page limitations. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections.

4.7 GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used with a definition for each item. Glossaries do not count against page limitations for their respective volumes.

4.8 BINDING AND LABELING

Each volume of the proposal shall be separately bound in a three-ring, loose-leaf binder, permitting the volume to lie flat when open. Staples shall not be used. A cover sheet shall be placed in the front sleeve of each volume, clearly marked as to volume number, title, copy number, solicitation identification, and the Offeror’s name. The same identifying data shall be placed on the spine of each binder. Be sure to apply all appropriate markings including those prescribed IAW FAR 52.215-1(e) (Restriction on disclosure and use of data) and FAR 3.104-4 (Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information).

4.9 ELECTRONIC OFFERS

Page size and format restrictions shall apply to both electronic and hard copy proposals.

For electronic copies, indicate on each CD or DVD the volume number and title. Use separate files to permit rapid location of all portions, including factors, exhibits, annexes, and attachments, if any. If files are compressed, the necessary decompression program must be included. The electronic copies of the proposal shall be submitted in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Office Word 2010/2016, MS Office Excel 2010/2016, MS Office Project 2010/2016, and MS Office Power Point 2010/2016, as applicable. In the event there are discrepancies between the hard copy and the electronic copies of the proposal, the electronic copies will be used for evaluation. The “original” electronic copy of the proposal shall be identified.

4.10 DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

Hard and electronic copies of the proposal shall be addressed to the PCO and mailed or hand carried to building 270. Delivery of proposals shall be coordinated with the PCO at least one (1) business day in advance of the due date and time. Early deliveries of proposals shall also be coordinated with the PCO. Except as described in 4.10.1, electronic and hard copies of proposals are due 30 days after posting by 4:00 pm Pacific Time. Proposals received after the date and time specified will be treated IAW FAR 52.212-1(f).

Proposals shall be addressed to the PCO and mailed or hand carried to:

SSC/BCK

Attn: Major Brad Rajchel 483 N. Aviation Road El Segundo, CA 90245

5. VOLUME I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The purpose of the Executive Summary Volume is to provide a complete overview of the Offeror’s proposal. The Executive Summary Volume will not be evaluated, scored, or used to clarify discrepant information in other volumes. Any summary material presented in the Executive Summary Volume will not be considered as meeting the requirements for any portions of other volumes of the proposal. Do not include cost or pricing information as this is not being requested. The Offeror shall provide the following information in the Executive Summary:

5.1.1 NARRATIVE SUMMARY

The executive summary should be concise, address significant risk, and highlighting key or unique features. The Executive Summary shall describe the proposed Data Support Services, the system(s) and/or software platform supporting them, and its prominent and distinguishing features. The narrative summary of the entire proposal shall be concise, to include addressing any risk areas and mitigation plans, and highlighting any key or unique features. The Executive Summary shall stand alone and not directly reference the other sections of the proposal. At a minimum:

• The Offeror shall provide an overview of its service rollout plans, including coverage roadmap.

• The Offeror shall provide a summary of its approach to addressing all Factors in the Evaluation Criteria.

5.1.2 OFFEROR’S TEAM

The Offeror shall briefly identify the Offeror’s team to include major subcontractors if subcontractors are proposed.

5.1.3 MASTER TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Offeror shall include a master table of contents of the entire proposal.

5.1.4 SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION SUBMISSION

5.1.4.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Small Business Participation Submission is required from all offerors, including small businesses and companies with Master, Individual, commercial subcontracting plans and/or comprehensive subcontracting plans.

The offeror/joint venture member and each proposed critical subcontractor shall include only the first tier of subcontractors for this effort. Offerors are advised that the Small Business Participation Submission is not the same as the Small Business Subcontracting Plan required by FAR 52.219-9. Large business offerors shall not utilize the Small Business Subcontracting Plan in the place of the Small Business Participation Submission.

5.1.4.2 FORMAT AND CONTENT

The offeror shall submit a Small Business Participation Submission Plan for itself and any joint venture member, as well as each proposed critical subcontractor. The format of this requirement shall conform with section 4 and shall not exceed 2 pages. The Small Business Participation Submission shall address each of the following elements in the proposed performance of this resultant contract:

The extent of participation of proposed Small Businesses (SB) when subcontracting possibilities exist, including the company names with CAGE codes the offeror plans to use in the performance of this resultant contract; and, The description of the subcontracted work these proposed firms are to perform; and, The associated goals expressed in terms of percentages of the total planned subcontracted dollars. If limited or no subcontracting possibilities exist for these socio-economic entities, provide rationale for such. Offerors are cautioned against only acknowledging a goal is not met, if applicable. Rather, adequate rationale includes specific reasons why a goal is unmet and any actions being taken to increase any unmet goals. Additionally, if the offeror/joint venture member/critical subcontractor tailor as necessary is a small business concern, it should include the work it will be performing when calculating the goals for your Small Business Participation Submission information.

5.1.5 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACTOR 1 – COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

SOLUTION (GATED CRITERIA)

This section will assist the offeror in completing the requirements to be evaluated for Volume I, Factor 1. The Government seeks to leverage commercial software solutions for this effort and requires the offeror to submit Attachment 5, Commercial Software Questionnaire, as certification of availability of a commercial software that can sufficiently support requirements outlined in the Statement of Work. Instructions for fulfilling this requirement is provided within in Attachment 5 provided with this RFP. This requirement will be evaluated as a “Acceptable, Unacceptable Basis.” If the offeror does not have a Commercial Software Solution or it does not comply with the definitions provided in FAR Part 2.101, the offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated further.

6. VOLUME II: TECHNICAL APPROACH

6.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The purpose of this section is to provide information that allows the Government to evaluate the Offeror’s compliance with SOW requirements. The written technical proposal shall be clear, concise, and include all the information required by this provision in sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The proposal should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements, but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of their capabilities, work processes, facilities, and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s technical proposal.

6.2 FORMAT AND SPECIFIC CONTENT

The following information shall be provided in the written technical proposal and will be evaluated to assess the proposed technical approach and associated technical risk in accordance with Section M-900, Evaluation Criteria. The written technical proposal shall address each of the following subfactors to describe the offeror’s proposed approach to performing the requirements set forth in the SOW Sections 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. For each subfactor, the offeror shall identify risks, if any, associated with the proposed offeror’s proposal, it indicates the offeror does not consider there to be any risk associated with their proposed approach.

6.2.1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACTOR 2 – TECHNICAL APPROACH

The Offeror shall document Data Connection and Ingestion capabilities of the proposed commercial software solution with respect to requirements stated in SOW Paragraph 3.1.1. The Offeror shall provide a detailed technical explanation of how the solution will ensure these five capabilities are satisfied: ingest, store, and share.

Examples of relevant experience may include familiarity with DoD Risk Management Framework processes, near real time warfighter combat support and ability to rapidly meet adjusting battlespace requirements.

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the capability to support at the Unclassified, Secret, Top Secret and/or SAP levels in accordance with SOW Section 2.1.

7. VOLUME III: MODEL CONTRACT

7.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The purpose of this volume is to provide information to the Government for preparing the contract document and supporting file. The Offeror’s proposal shall include one (1) signed and dated copy of the Standard Form (SF) 1449, delivered with the fillable sections detailed below. The original shall be clearly marked and shall be provided without any punched holes. The SF 1449 shall not have any proprietary markings. Fill in all blanks in the Solicitation. Specifically, complete the following:

7.1.1 SF 1449 SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The Offeror shall complete blocks 12, 17, 23, 24, and 30 on the SF 1449 – Solicitation/Contract/ Order for Commercial Products and Commercial Services. The signature by the Offeror on the SF 1449 constitutes an offer, which the Government may or may not accept.

7.1.2 ATTACHMENT XX: DD FORM 254

The Offeror shall complete the DD Form 254.

7.1.3 ATTACHMENT XX: SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN

The Offeror shall provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan IAW FAR 52.219-9 and Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 5319.704. The subcontracting plan will be incorporated into the contract and assessed IAW FAR 19.704.

7.1.4 ATTACHMENT XX: SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT

DOCUMENT (SBPCD)

The Offeror shall provide an SBPCD IAW this solicitation. The SBPCD will be incorporated into the contract.

7.1.5 ATTACHMENT XX POTENTIAL ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF

INTEREST (OCI)

The Offeror shall perform its own OCI analysis and submit the results of that analysis as part of its proposal and provide an OCI plan to be incorporated as Attachment XX to any resulting contract/order, only if there is an actual or potential OCI.

If the Offeror deems there is an actual or potential OCI, the Offeror shall analyze the planned acquisition for actual or potential OCI situations associated with its or any of its teammates or subcontractor’s performance under any contract it or any of its teammates or subcontractors has been or may be awarded by any federal agency or other entity. The Offeror shall describe in detail the methodology used to identify actual or potential OCI issues. At a minimum, the OCI plan shall address all of the items identified in the most current version of SSC’s OCI Mitigation Plan Checklist provided in the Bidder’s Library. Any proposed avoidance or mitigation techniques shall be consistent with FAR subpart 9.5 and the most recent decisions of the Government Accountability Office and the United States Court of Federal Claims.

If award is made to the Offeror, the resulting contract may include an organizational conflict of interest limitation applicable to subsequent Government work, at either a prime contract level, at any subcontract tier, or both. During evaluation of proposals, the Government may, after interactions with the Offeror and consideration of ways to mitigate or avoid identified actual or potential conflicts of interest, insert a clause or term and condition in the resulting contract which disqualifies the Offeror from further consideration for award of future contracts.

7.2 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

All representations and certifications must be completed IAW FAR 52.212-3 in the model contract, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items. Offerors may complete the representations and certifications in the Online Representations and Certifications (ORCA) system via sam.gov. All representations and certifications not completed in the online database shall be provided within the Offeror’s proposal.

7.3 SIGNATURE

The Offeror’s signature on the SF 1449 constitutes an offer, which the Government may or may not accept. Proposals without signatures may warrant a rejection of the proposal submittal. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements. Therefore, any tailoring to the solicitation is not allowed and may warrant a rejection of the proposal.

5.1.5 INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACTOR 1 – COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE SOLUTION (GATED CRITERIA)