Attachment 2 Section L001.pdf

ATTACHMENT 2

Section L-001

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND

NOTICES TO OFFERORS

International Police Peacekeeping Operations Support

19AQMM24R0052

L.1 DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS

The Contracting Officer is the only person who is authorized to conduct clarifications, communications, or discussions with the offerors from release of this RFP through contract award. Any such discussions shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations stipulated in

FAR Part 15. Any questions or comments concerning this RFP, in particular or in general, shall be addressed only to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is Andrea Pitt and can be reached at PittA@state.gov.

L.2 PROPOSAL AND REQUIREMENTS QUESTIONS

All Phase I proposal questions shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer via email at

PittA@state.gov within five (5) calendar days after the solicitation issuance date in Block 6, by

0900 EST. All questions must be submitted using Appendix A1 – Question and Answer (Q&A)

Template. Appendix A1 contains further instructions under the spreadsheet tab

“Instructions.” No answers will be provided to price questions during Phase I. All Offerors shall clearly identify each question with a reference to the solicitation. If submitting questions, offerors must include the solicitation number in the subject line of the email.

Another Q&A suspense will be provided for Phase II. Additional details will be provided at the conclusion of Phase I. All questions must be submitted using Appendix A2 – Question and

Answer (Q&A) Template. Appendix A2 contains further instructions under the spreadsheet tab

“Instructions.” All Offerors shall clearly identify each question with a reference to the solicitation. If submitting questions, offerors must include the solicitation number in the subject line of the email.

L.3 PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND SUBMISSION

a) All written proposals shall be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer

(CO) in the format and instructions outlined in this section. Offerors shall be responsible for ensuring the electronic submission is successful and received by the CO via email by the proposal due date and time. When submitting written proposals to the CO, the offeror shall request read receipts to ensure the CO receives the offeror’s proposal. Send offers with sufficient time for processing by servers, considering the size of the message. Do not exceed 40MB per email. If an offeror submits multiple emails to complete a proposal submission, the offeror must clearly identify the set in the subject (i.e. message 1 of 3). No other methods of submission will be accepted.

b) Submission instructions for Phase II proposals will be provided after the Government completes its evaluation of Phase I proposals.

c) Proposals shall be valid for no less than one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from the proposal due date.

d) The Government is not liable for any expenses incurred by the Offerors in developing and submitting proposals for this solicitation.

L.4 PHASED PROCUREMENT

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal submission and phased evaluation. A notional schedule is provided:

– Phase I proposals due May 28, 2024, 2 pm EST

– Advisory Down-Select (ADS) notifications issued approximately ten (10) calendar days after Phase I proposals are due

– Phase II proposals due (date will be provided with ADS notification--Government anticipates a minimum of ten (10) calendar days)

– Selection and contract award

L.5 PROPOSAL FORMAT

a) All files, except for the price schedule, shall be in MS Word or PDF. Printing should be single spaced. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Arial, Calibri, or New Times Roman fonts are required. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no less than 8-point.

b) Microsoft Word and PDF files shall use the following standard format:

Margins – Top, Bottom, Left, Right – 1”

Gutter – 0”

From Edge – Header, Footer 0.5”

Page Size, Width – 8.5”

Page Size, Height – 11”

c) The price schedule shall be submitted utilizing the template. Any pricing narrative/supporting information shall be submitted in MS Word or PDF as specified above. All calculations and formulas shall be unprotected and accessible in electronic submission documents.

L.6 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

a) The Offeror’s complete proposal shall consist of the following four (4) volume submissions, which will be provided in two (2) phases as outlined below. Each electronic file shall be clearly labeled with its title and volume number.

Phase I: Volume I: Non-Cost Factor 1 – Programmatic Approach

Phase II: Volume II: Non-Cost Factor 2 – Technical Approach

Volume II: Non-Cost Factor 3 – Management Approach

Volume III: Non-Cost Factor 4 – Past Performance

Volume IV: Factor 5 – Price Proposal

b) Volume I is limited to five (5) pages. Volume II is limited to fifteen (15) pages. Volume III is limited to ten (10) pages. Volume IV does not have page limitations. Where included, the cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, glossary of abbreviations

& acronyms, resumes, and commitment letters are not included in the page limitation. All pages must be numbered. Pages that exceed the required page limitations will be removed and not be read or evaluated by the Government.

c) Each volume shall be file named with only the following information: Company name, Solicitation Number, and Volume Number.

L.7 PROPOSAL CONTENT REQUIREMENTS (PHASE I AND II)

a) All information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The Offeror shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal.

b) Assumptions: The Government does not encourage offerors to make assumptions or take exceptions from the requirements of the solicitation. Rather, offerors are encouraged to submit questions using the required process outlined in this section. However, if necessary, the offeror’s

Volume submission must clearly and unambiguously identify all such assumptions, exceptions, or dependencies on which the offer is based. Each assumption, exception or dependency shall be specifically related to a paragraph and/or specific section of the solicitation. The offeror shall provide rationale in support of any noted assumption, exception, or dependency, explaining its effect in comparison to the solicitation in detail. Assumptions, exceptions, or dependencies do not make a proposal automatically unacceptable. However, many assumptions, exceptions or dependencies, or a significant assumption, exception, or dependency, which provide(s) little or no benefit to the Government or which do(es) not support the Government’s requirement as documented in the solicitation may receive unfavorable evaluation.

c) Cost or price information related to this proposal is prohibited in Volumes I-III.

d) Offerors are responsible for including sufficient details to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Offerors are cautioned against “parroting” of the technical requirements. “Parroting” is defined as imitating the words of the technical requirements without articulating a clear understanding of the requirements or capability to perform.

e) Files shall not contain classified data/information. Proprietary information shall be marked or noted clearly. The use of hyperlinks in proposals is prohibited and the linked or embedded information will not be evaluated.

f) Proposals not received in accordance with these instructions may be rejected. Failure to furnish current and complete information may cause a proposal to be rejected.

g) The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in 18 USC 1001.

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS – PHASE I

Volume I, Non-Cost Factor 1 – Programmatic Approach. The Offeror shall describe its proposed technical approach to address the following scenarios:

1) Building the capacity of police contributing countries’ (PCC) trainers to train their individual police officers and formed police units (FPU) before they deploy is an integral part of building a

PCC’s capacity to efficiently deploy effective peacekeeper. By itself, however, this is not enough. What other capabilities does a PCC need to have to deploy IPOs and FPUs? How would you approach developing the institutional capacities necessary to deploy IPOs and

FPUs? Please provide evidence explaining why the proposed approach to developing these capacities is the most likely to succeed, to include any prior experience that has been successful. Any prior experience referenced should have occurred within the past five (5) years of the date of issuance of this solicitation and be similar in scope and complexity to the requirements found in this solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW).

2) Describe what actions you would take to improve the effectiveness of a new training as described in the following scenario:

Your company has been training individual police officers (IPOs) at the lieutenant-captain level before they deploy to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions. Your trainer, Lieutenant Hill (retired), gets rave reviews from trainees.

Evaluations of the IPOs’ performance once they arrive in a peacekeeping mission confirm they are better prepared than peers who did not participate in the training.

In response to requests from the UN, your company begins training colonel/executive-level IPOs. The end-of-training evaluations of Hill’s executive level courses are mediocre. Hills reports, though most participants show up for the first day, attendance is a challenge the rest of the week. The first in-mission evaluation looking at graduates of this training shows no difference in their performance compared to peers who did not take the training.

Offerors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the solicitation’s requirements. As a reminder, this factor has a five (5) page limit.

L.9 ADVISORY DOWN-SELECT NOTIFICATION

After the Government completes technical evaluation of Phase I - Programmatic Approach as prescribed in Section M of this solicitation, Offerors will receive an advisory notification via e-mail from the Contracting Officer. This notification will inform the Offeror of the Government’s advisory recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with Phase II submission. Offerors who are rated most highly for Phase I will be advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process. Offerors who were not among the most highly rated will be advised that they are unlikely to be viable competitors, along with the general basis for the Government’s advisory recommendation. The intent of this advice is to minimize proposal development costs for those Offerors with little to no chance of receiving an award.

The Government intends to provide no more than four (4) Offerors with an advisory notification to proceed. However, the Government’s advice contained in the notification is a recommendation only, and those Offerors who are advised not to proceed may elect to continue their participation in the source selection process.

Phase II submissions will not be considered from Offerors who have not submitted Phase I proposals by the due date and time stated in this solicitation. For those Offerors that are rated most highly and advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process, the

Contracting Officer will include the Phase II submission instructions on the advisory notification, including the due date for the Phase II submission. The Government recommends

Offerors to begin preparation of Phase II proposals only after receipt of the Phase I advisory down-select notice.

The down-select notifications will include further information. The Government intends to allow offerors at least two (2) business days to decide whether it wishes to proceed with a Phase

II submission. The exact response timeframe will be provided in the notice.

Offeror’s that received advisory notification not to proceed to Phase II, but choose to proceed to

Phase II, shall send an email to the Contracting Officer not later than 24 hours after receipt of the advisory recommendation not to proceed, indicating its intent to participate in Phase II. After the

Contracting Officer receives notice from the Offeror stating its intent to participate in Phase II despite the Government’s advisory notification not to proceed, the Contracting Officer will send a separate e-mail with Phase II submission instructions within two (2) business days.

L.10 INSTRUCTIONS – PHASE II

The Government’s notification to offerors after evaluation of Phase I submissions will include the due date for Phase II written submissions.

Volume II, Non-Cost Factor 2 – Technical Approach. The Offeror shall describe its proposed technical approach to address the following questions:

1) How would you identify proficient mentors, trainers, advisors, and technical experts? What would you do to recruit effectively? How would you screen applicants? One common challenge is that timelines shift. The best mentors/experts will have other work opportunities. How will you approach this challenge such that the program will have access to proficient mentors/experts despite unpredictable scheduling needs?

2) Provide two (2) resumes of individuals you deem proficient excellent mentors for partner-country police training academy staff. Provide two (2) resumes of individuals you deem proficient subject matter experts on the issue of formed police unit policy. Provide one (1) resume of an individual you deem a proficient Program Manager.

3) The way in which content is delivered can have a significant impact on how much students learn. Adults learn in ways that differ from other student populations. What makes adult trainings effective? How do you know that to be true?

confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the solicitation’s requirements As a reminder, this Volume has a fifteen (15) page limit.

Volume II, Non-Cost Factor 3 – Management Approach. The Offeror shall describe its proposed management approach to address the following hypothetical scenario:

Develop a Gantt Chart/Project Management Timeline to show the required tasks and timelines for the hypothetical deployment of two mobile training teams for six weeks of training in new IPPOS countries. You receive the task order January 15, 2025. The training start date for the first team is April

15, 2025. The training start date for the second is May 10, 2025. (Limit required tasks to the most important tasks, not to exceed 20) confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the solicitation’s requirements As a reminder, this Volume has a ten (10) page limit.

Volume III, Non-Cost Factor 4 – Past Performance. The offeror shall provide recent and relevant past performance information that demonstrates capabilities same as or similar in complexity and scope as those required by this solicitation’s Statement of Work (SOW). Past performance submitted by the Offeror shall include substantial performance occurring within the past five (5) years of the date of issuance of this solicitation. Past Performance not occurring as described are considered not recent and not relevant and should not be submitted.

Using Appendix B, Offerors shall submit a minimum of three (3) but no more than five (5) Past

Performance Questionnaires (PPQs). If a completed Contractor Performance Assessment

Reporting System (CPARS) evaluation is available, it shall be submitted with the PPQ. Offerors shall not incorporate by reference into their proposal PPQs previously submitted for other solicitations. If the Offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client for a project(s) before proposal closing date, the Offeror shall complete and submit with the proposal the first page of the PPQ, which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s).

The Government may make reasonable attempts to contact the client noted for that project(s) to obtain the PPQ information. However, Offerors should follow-up with clients/references to help ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. The Government reserves the right to contact references for verification or additional information. The Government’s inability to contact any of the Offeror’s references or the references unwillingness to provide the information requested may affect the Government’s evaluation of this factor.

If the client requests, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Government’s point of contact, Andrea Pitt, Contracting Officer, PittA@state.gov.

Offerors with no past performance or relevant experience shall type “NO PAST PEFORMANCE

OR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE” in Bold Letters in Volume III, Past Performance on a blank page in this volume.

As a reminder, this factor has a ten (10) page limit.

Volume IV, Factor 5 – Price Proposal. The Offeror shall provide a comprehensive price proposal by completing Appendix C, Price Schedule. This volume shall consist of all information required to support a price analysis. All labor rates proposed will be incorporated into the resultant contract award and shall be valid for the duration the contract. All prices shall be in United States Dollars. There are no page limitations for this volume. Certified cost and pricing data is not currently required; however, the Government reserves the right to request such data prior to award. Technical responses shall be separate from pricing information provided.

The resulting contract will contain a hybrid line-item structure. Services will be procured under labor-hour contract type CLINs. Cost reimbursement (CR) CLINs will be utilized for Other

Direct Costs (ODCs), to include travel, equipment, and other approved items as identified in

Statement of Work. There are no firm-fixed price CLINs contemplated for this contract action. The contract Ceiling is $16,000,000.

Pricing Information and Instructions for Appendix C – Price Schedule:

1) Offerors shall propose all rates in United States currency.

2) Offerors shall not hide or lock any rows, columns, or cells that contain proposed data.

3) Any formula issues identified in Appendix C should be brought to the Contracting

Officer’s attention as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) days prior to the due date of the Price Proposal.

4) Utilizing Appendix C – Price Schedule and in accordance with FAR 52.216-20, Time-and-

Materials/Labor-Hour Proposal Requirements – Other than Commercial Acquisition with

Adequate Price Competition, the Offeror shall insert proposed fully burdened hourly labor rates (inclusive of the base labor rate (wage), indirect costs, G&A, and profit) as appropriate for each Period of Performance (PoP). All rates shall be in accordance with the labor category qualifications required by the Statement of Work (SOW).

5) All proposed fully burdened hourly labor rates shall not exceed two decimal places.

6) The Government provided amounts for Travel and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) shall not be changed and will be included in the total evaluated price. Travel and ODC CLINs are not subject to profit, but may include allowable indirect costs (i.e. G&A) as allocated in accordance with the Contractor’s written or established accounting practices. If the Offeror will be applying indirect costs to travel costs and/or ODCs, it must specify the proposed indirect rate(s) and supporting rationale in the price narrative.

Price Narrative Instructions and Supporting Business Information:

1) The Offeror shall submit a detailed price narrative supporting each price/cost proposed.

The price proposal narrative must provide a thorough explanation and rationale for all proposed prices and support (match) the price schedule. Offerors shall provide sufficient information to support all proposed rates and to allow for a detailed price analysis.

2) The Offeror shall complete Blocks 12 through 18, as appropriate, of the SF 33. The

Offeror shall acknowledge all amendments either by signing and returning the SF30 (i.e., cover page only) or by acknowledging the amendments in Block 14 of the SF33.

3) IAW FAR 16.104(i), the Offeror shall provide a summary description of its accounting system and submit a copy of applicable Government approvals / determinations, to include the CAGE codes(s) associated with these systems.

4) The Offeror shall ensure the proposed values listed in Appendix C – Price Schedule match the values entered in the CLINs in Section B of the SF33 (as applicable).

5) The Offerors shall submit all information required under Section K of this solicitation, to include their active registration from System for Award Management (SAM.gov).