Attachment 1 - Instructions to Quoters and Evaluation Procedures.pdf

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Office Of Juvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP Act)

Core Requirements Audit Support

1. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its amendments have resulted in an increasing number of requests from outside the Government for copies of contract qualifications and proposals submitted to federal agencies. If a vendor’s quote contains information the vendor believes should be withheld from such requestors under FOIA on the grounds that they contain “trade secrets and commercial or financial information” [5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4)], the quoter should mark its submissions in the following manner:

• The following notice should be placed on the title page: “Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the submitter to be privileged or confidential trade secrets or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure per the Freedom of Information Act.”

• Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked with the following notice: “The data or information is considered confidential or privileged and is not subject to mandatory disclosure per the Freedom of Information Act.”

2. REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

2.1. GENERAL

Offerors shall submit documentation in accordance with the requirements of this request for quotation (RFQ). Quotes must be clear, coherent, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation of the quoter’s submission against the stated evaluation criteria. Also, this documentation shall cover all aspects of this request for quotation (RFQ) and include the quoter’s approach for providing superior support to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Quotes must clearly demonstrate how the quoter intends to accomplish the requirement and must include convincing rationale and substantiation of all claims. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to the RFQ are not desired.

Offerors shall describe their approach with a narrative, charts, and diagrams in sufficient detail for the Government to understand and evaluate the nature of their approach and understanding of the requirements.

Interested vendors shall e-mail written questions to the Government via the Contract Specialist, Jamila A. Garrett at Jamila.Garrett@usdoj.gov . Telephone calls will not be accepted. The Government will answer questions received up to 12:00pm Eastern Time, Thursday, March 13, 2025. Questions received after this date will not be answered.

Quotes shall be submitted via GSA eBuy by the due date. It is the offeror’s responsibility to confirm receipt of their submission. The quote shall be valid for 120 calendar days.

The following GSA Special Item Number (SIN) are applicable to this RFQ: 541611 - Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services.

The Government will only accept quotes from vendors who offer services under SIN 541611.

2.2. QUOTE REQUIREMENTS

The quote may be accompanied by a cover letter. If the quoter chooses to submit a cover letter, the cover letter should identify all enclosures being transmitted and should be used only to transmit the quote and include no other information. The cover letter should include the following:

a) The RFQ/solicitation number;

b) The name, email address telephone number, and mailing address of the quoter;

c) A statement from the quoter specifying agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the RFQ and agreement to furnish any or all items for which prices are quoted;

d) Names, titles, email addresses, and telephone numbers of persons authorized to communicate on the quoter’s behalf with the Government in connection with this RFQ and quote; and

e) Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the quote.

The following are further descriptions of the information that shall be provided with the quote:

Volume Number and Name Reference Page Limit Cover Letter 2.2. 1

1. Technical Approach 2.3.1. 15

2. Key Personnel Résumés 2.3.2. 6

3. Past Performance 2.3.3. Up to 3 Questionnaires

4. Price 2.3.4. No Limit

2.3. EVALUATION FACTORS

2.3.1. Evaluation Factor 1: Technical Approach

The quoter shall submit its technical approach to performing the stated requirement, focusing on the quoter’s ability to provide superior services and subject matter expertise to support OJJDP in carrying out its compliance determination and auditing requirements under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP Act).

At a minimum, the quoter shall demonstrate their understanding of the requirement and mailto:Jamila.Garrett@usdoj.gov provide their approach to problem solve successfully and mitigate challenging circumstances that may arise. Additionally, the quoter shall describe their capabilities to recruit, train, and retain the qualified resources necessary to support the tasks specified in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

2.3.2. Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés

The quoter shall submit résumés for the KEY PERSONNEL identified in the SOW.

Each résumé shall provide sufficient information about the individual’s experience, education, and qualifications to convince the Government that the quoted individual meets or exceeds the minimum qualifications specified in the PWS, Section 4. Staffing Plan. Résumés are limited to three (3) pages for each key personnel. [2 total key personnel – 1 Project Director and 1 Program Manager II – 3 pages each for a total of 6 pages].

The Government requires the following information, at a minimum, be provided in the résumé(s):

1. Full name;

2. Current job title and employer;

3. Education (including degrees achieved).

4. Employment status – Specify whether the quoted individual is currently employed by the prime or subcontractor. A letter of commitment, signed by the quoted key personnel who are not employees of the contractor or subcontractor, must be submitted to show that the quoted key personnel and required staff have agreed to come to work pending award of the contract. Letters of Commitment are not included in the Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés page limit.

5. Clear dates (i.e. mm/yyyy) and company name for experience performing the requirements listed in the SOW(Note: If the Government cannot reasonably determine whether the quoted individual meets the minimum education or years of work experience qualifications, the entire quote shall be considered unacceptable and therefore not awardable. The Government reserves the right to approve or disapprove quoted key personnel throughout the life of the contract.)

2.3.3. Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance

Quoters shall coordinate with their customers about past performance references required for evaluation. The quoter’s customers may submit up to three (3) past performance references on the enclosed past performance questionnaire (see Attachment 4 – Past Performance Questionnaire). The quoter’s customers must send the past performance questionnaire directly to the Government via the Contract Specialist, Jamila A. Garrett at Jamila.Garrett@usdoj.gov by the RFQ close date and time, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 12:00pm ET.

The narrative portion of the Past Performance Questionnaire must not exceed two (2) pages and the attribute rating portion of the form must not exceed one (1) page (excluding any customer-provided performance comments). Quoters who reference work completed as a subcontractor must reveal the dollar value of the subcontract vice that of mailto:Jamila.Garrett@usdoj.gov the overall requirements. Past Performance Questionnaires that cite multiple award contracts (MACs) must reveal the dollar value of the work managed under the contract vehicle to date.

2.3.4. Evaluation Factor 4: Price

The Government has provided a pricing worksheet that represents the anticipated labor mix and level of effort that will be utilized to complete the agency’s requirements. (See Attachment 3 – Pricing Worksheet).

Quoters are instructed to complete the worksheet by only inputting entries in the cells highlighted in orange (i.e. GSA Schedule Labor Category, Fully Burdened Rate); all other entries are automatically calculated in the pricing worksheet. Quoted hourly rates shall be fully burdened.

Quoters shall not add or delete any rows in the pricing worksheet and shall not change any information or formulas in the pricing worksheet, except that they may adjust the width and height of any cell and add a narrative tab (if desired). All percentages and rates are rounded to two decimal places.

Discounts from Quoter’s GSA schedule rates are highly encouraged. Quoted hourly rates shall be fully burdened rates. Quoters shall submit their pricing in accordance with Attachment 3 – Pricing Worksheet. If the quote goes beyond the current period of performance of a quoter’s GSA contract, which has unexercised options, the quoted rate for the years exceeding the current period of performance shall not exceed current GSA-approved labor category rates.

3. RFQ RESPONSE – ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1. The title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, and glossary of abbreviations and acronyms do not count against page count limitations. Quote contents that exceed the stated page limitations will be removed from the quote by the Government Contracting Officer prior to turning the quote over to the Government evaluation teams and will not be considered in the evaluation.

3.2. The table of contents, if included, shall list sections, subsections, and page numbers. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used. Each acronym used shall be spelled out in the text the first time it appears in each quote volume.

3.3. Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format easily readable by

Microsoft Office or Adobe applications. Quoters shall ensure that quotes are virus free and free of password protection. If any portions of the electronic files are unreadable, the Government Contracting Officer may notify the quoter and permit the quoter to resubmit the “unreadable portion” of the quote. The method and time for resubmission will be prescribed by the Government Contracting Officer.

The resubmission may be considered as if it were received at the date and time of the original unreadable submission provided the quoter complies with the time and format requirements for the resubmission.

3.4. Each volume, other than Volume 4. Price shall be written, to the greatest extent possible, on a standalone basis so its content may be evaluated with a minimum of cross-references to other volumes of the quote. Cross-references within a volume are permitted where use would conserve space without impairing clarity. Information required for quote evaluation, which is not found in its designated volume or cross-referenced, is assumed omitted from the quote.

4. BASIS OF AWARD

4.1. The Government intends to award a single Time-and-Materials (T&M) Contract Order for the services specified in the PWS. The Government anticipates awarding a Contract Order with a base period of 12 months and four (4) 12-month option periods for an anticipated performance period of June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2030, if all option periods are exercised. The contract will be awarded to the responsible quoter whose submission, in conforming to this RFQ, provides the overall best value to the Government through a trade-off analysis of the following evaluation factors:

Evaluation Factor 1: Technical Approach Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance Evaluation Factor 4: Price

4.2. Quotes containing exceptions, qualifications, conditions, assumptions, or any other deviations from the RFQ will be considered non-responsive, rejected, and not considered for award.

4.3. The Government reserves the right not to make an award as a result of this competition if it is the Government’s opinion that none of the submissions will provide acceptable performance and at a price that is considered fair, reasonable, and/or economically feasible.

4.4. Quoters are cautioned to submit sufficient information. The Government may ask quoters to clarify certain aspects of their quote. The Government Contracting Officer reserves the right to make an award without the opportunity for quote revision.

5. EVALUATION

METHODOLOGY

EVALUATION FACTORS

Evaluation Factor 1: Technical Approach Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance Evaluation Factor 4: Price

Order of Precedence: Non-price evaluation factors 1, 2, and 3 are listed in descending importance from most important to least important. Factor 4: Price is less important than each of the non-price factors, separately or when combined. As the non-price factors become more equal, price will become more important. While the Government anticipates award to the responsible quoter whose submission provides the overall best value to the Government, no award will be made based on superior technical capability when the quoted price is considered unreasonably high, or when the selection of a higher-priced quote is not justified by its technical advantages.

5.1. Evaluation Factor 1: Technical Approach

Technical Approach will be evaluated consistent with Section 2.3.1. and based on the quoter’s understanding of the requirement, ability to problem solve successfully and mitigate challenging circumstances that may arise, ability to demonstrate an approach that provides superior support to OJJDP, and ability to recruit, train, and retain the qualified resources (personnel) necessary to support the tasks specified in the PWS.

5.2. Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés

Key Personnel Résumés will be evaluated to determine whether the résumés meet the minimum requirements specified in Section 2.3.2. and the extent to which they contain other attributes that increase the likelihood of successful contract performance.

5.3. Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance

Overall past performance will be evaluated based on the level of confidence the Government has in the quoter’s ability to successfully perform the required effort.

Confidence is based on “recent” and “relevant” contract efforts along with how well the quoter performed. “Recent” means contracts that are ongoing or have been completed within five (5) years of the closing date of this RFQ. “Relevant” means performance of work similar in size (i.e. anticipated dollar amount) and scope (i.e. tasks similar to those detailed in the PWS).

The Government reserves the right to contact references to verify past performance experience and to use any other past performance information available to the Government.

A determination of “No Confidence” renders the entire quote unacceptable and therefore will not be considered for award. Quoters without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom information for past performance is not available, will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance and will be rated “Neutral” on Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance.

5.4. Evaluation Factor 4: Price

Quoters shall provide all information requested in Attachment 3 – Pricing Worksheet to include their narrative, which describes the basis of the quoter’s fully burdened rates for the estimated contract periods. Price will be evaluated for completeness and reasonableness.

“Completeness” means that the quotation supplied all information requested in Section 2.3.4.

and the pricing worksheet. “Reasonableness” will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 8.405-2(d). For evaluation purposes only, the total evaluated price is calculated on the “Summary” tab of Attachment 3 – Pricing Worksheet.

6. RATING METHODOLOGY

6.1. Evaluation Factor 1: Technical Approach and Evaluation Factor 2: Key Personnel Résumés

The following adjectival ratings will be used to rate Evaluation Factor 1 and Evaluation Factor 2:

• Outstanding: Quote demonstrates an excellent understanding of the requirements and an approach that significantly exceeds performance or capability standards. Quote contains no weaknesses and has multiple strengths that will significantly benefit the government.

Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

• Good: Quote demonstrates a good understanding of the requirements and an approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. Quote has one or more strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

• Acceptable: Quote demonstrates an understanding of the requirements and an approach that meets performance or capability standards. Quote presents an acceptable solution. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is moderate.

• Marginal: Quote demonstrates a shallow understanding of the requirements and an approach that only marginally meets performance or capability standards necessary for minimal but acceptable contract performance. Quote has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. The risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

• Unacceptable: Quote does not provide an adequate level of confidence of successful contract performance. The demonstrated capability and examples clearly do not meet Government requirements. One or more résumés does not meet requirements.

Quotes must be rated “Acceptable” or higher in Evaluation Factor 1 and Evaluation Factor 2 to be considered for award.

6.2. Evaluation Factor 3: Past Performance

Confidence for Past Performance is an assessment of the quoter’s demonstrated ability to successfully perform the requirements of the anticipated Contract Order based on how they have performed on recent, relevant contracts. The following definitions will be used for the confidence ratings for overall Past Performance:

• Substantial Confidence: A combination of past performance references that provide the Government with a high level of confidence in successful contract performance.

• Satisfactory Confidence: A combination of past performance references that provides the Government with a moderate level of confidence in successful contract performance.

• Limited Confidence: A combination of past performance references that provides the Government with a low level of confidence in successful contract performance.

• No Confidence: A combination of past performance references that provides the Government with no confidence in successful contract performance.

• Unknown Confidence (Neutral): The quoter has no record of past performance or information on past performance is not available for the quoter. The quoter is evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably on past performance.

6.3. Evaluation Factor 4: Price

Price will not be scored or receive an adjectival rating.

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