Attachment 2 Instructions to Offerors.docx

PROGRAM AREA: USAGM/ Office of Policy and Research TYPE OF CONTRACT: Purchase Order COMPETITION: Full and Open PROJECT NAME: International Audience Research Program (IARP): USAGM China Audience Estimation Project CONTRACT SPECIALIST (POC): Demetrice Parker, dparker@usagm.gov

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL INFORMATION:

QUESTIONS DUE DATE: August 7, 2023 at 12:00 pm – Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) PROPOSAL DUE DATE: August 15, 2023 at 12:00 pm – EDT

PROPOSAL FORMAT:

Failure to submit ALL required documents described herein or to follow the required proposal format (with the exception of page limits, where USAGM will not review any information on the pages exceeding the page limit) may result in a determination that the Offeror’s proposal is “Unacceptable” and may be removed from the competition. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall include a transmittal letter and the Proposal Sections listed below. The transmittal letter shall identify the name of the company submitting the proposal and any other documents that are attached.

The Offeror’s transmittal and cover letter for the proposal must contain the following information:

1. UEI number

2. Company name mailing address, and website address.

3. Date submitted and Proposal expiration date.

4. Type of company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.). As validated is the System for Award Management (SAM)

5. Company point of contact, name and title, phone and e-mail address.

Written sections of the proposal shall be formatted as follows:

identified on page 2. unless otherwisespecified.

Offerors are cautioned that they must not exceed the page limitations cited below. Any pages that exceed the page limitations cited above will not be read or considered.

Volume II, III, IV and V Technical & Past Performance

Proposals shall be delivered via email to the following email address: USAGMRFQCON@usagm.gov. The email’s subject line shall be structured as follows: [Solicitation Title] – [Company Name]. For example, RFP for Qualitative and Quantitative Research Surveys – ABC Company.

Unnecessarily elaborate proposals, or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to this solicitation are not desired and may be construed as an indication of the Offeror’s lack of cost consciousness. Elaborate artwork is neither necessary nor desired.

Electronic Submission of Proposal: When submitting a proposal via electronic mail, the Offeror must ensure that its submission is readable, in the format specified in the solicitation, and has been verified as free of computer viruses. Prior to any evaluation, USAGM will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event any files are defective

(unreadable), the USAGM shall only evaluate the readable electronic files. Further, if defective (unreadable) media renders a deficiency in the Offeror's proposal, the USAGM shall consider the proposal incomplete and non-responsive and remove the proposal from further consideration.

Each Proposal Section (such as Past Performance or Management Approach) must be submitted as a separate Volume. Each Proposal Section that may contain computations must be submitted separately as an Excel files and clearly labelled.

USAGM will not require evaluators to search other Proposal Sections for information. If information is not placed in the appropriate Proposal Section, that Proposal Section may be deemed “Unacceptable”, and an Offeror’s proposal may be removed from the competition. Therefore, the Offeror shall ensure that each Proposal Section is submitted in accordance with the instructions discussed herein. Each Proposal Section must be written on a stand-alone basis. In other words, USAGM evaluators must be able to evaluate each Section Proposal independently from the other Section Proposals.

VOLUME I – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Identify at minimum the contractor’s name, Unique Entity Identification (UEI), Cage Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and any other necessary information. Please acknowledge that the USAGM requires that offers remain effective for a period of 120 calendar days from receipt of proposals.

VOLUME II - FACTOR 1–Technical Approach - No pricing information is to be provided in the Technical Proposal Volume II. The Offeror shall provide a technical narrative addressing its technical approach. (Please refer to the solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW) and evaluation factors for additional information).

VOLUME III FACTOR 2 – Management Approach – The Offeror’s response to this requirement shall demonstrate their capacity to perform research activities in accordance with the SOW. Please refer to the solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW) and evaluation factors for additional information).

VOLUME IV FACTOR 3 – Organizational Capability – Offerors shall submit evidence of relevant supporting subcontractors, consultants and business partners and evidence that the organization has an appropriate mix and balance of team members qualified to carry out the research activities via call orders under the BPA and in accordance with this SOW. Please refer to the solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW) and evaluation factors for additional information).

VOLUME V FACTOR 4 – Past Performance – Offerors shall submit the required information regarding their past performance record. The Offeror shall provide past performance information for three (3) of the most relevant contracts performed for Federal agencies, state/local governments and/or commercial customers within the last three (3) years from the issue date of this solicitation. Relevant contracts include contracts similar or greater in scope, magnitude, and complexity than the effort described in this solicitation. The Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) shall be submitted by the customer reference (see Attachment 5 PPQs) directly to the CS @ USAGMRFQCON@usagm.gov. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure PPQs are submitted. All PPQs references must be for non-USAGM contracts. Please refer to the solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW) and evaluation factors for additional information).

VOLUME VI FACTOR 5 – Price – Pricing information shall be mentioned only in the Price Proposal section and Price Sheet, and no other sections of your proposal.

Included in the price proposal, Offeror should provide a Firm-Fixed-Price to perform the services as required in the sample Call Order Statement of Work using the Price Sheet (Attachment 7).

The FFP shall include all costs, indirect and direct as applicable, and travel.

LATE SUBMISSIONS, MODIFICATIONS AND WITHDRAWLS OF OFFERS

Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications or withdrawals, so as to reach the office of contracting designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. Any offer, modification, or withdrawal received at contracting office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is “late” and will not be considered.

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