Attachment 2 - Technical Evaluation Criteria.pdf

Attachment 2

RFQ 75N94024R00028

TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTORS

FIC STRATEGIC PLANNING, EVALUATION, PROGRAMMATIC AND PROJECT SUPPORT SERVICES

Technical Evaluation:

The evaluation will be based on the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective Offerors in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the solicitation. The merits of each offer will be evaluated carefully. Each offer must document the feasibility of successful implementation of the requirements of the solicitation.

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers listed in order of relative importance:

1. Organizational Expertise and Corporate Capability

2. Technical Approach

3. Personnel

Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

Technical Factors:

The evaluation factors are used by the Government when reviewing the technical responses. The factors below are listed in the order of relative importance for evaluation purposes.

Technical Factor 1: Organizational Expertise and Corporate Capability

The Offeror shall demonstrate the organizational expertise and the capability of staffing candidates to successfully perform the requirements outlined in the statement of work.

Offerors are required to demonstrate their Organizational Expertise and Corporate Capability with specific examples of the completion of tasks similar in size and scope.

Offerors shall demonstrate the following Organizational Expertise:

• Provide 24/7 individualized support for travelers both US and international.

• Capabilities to support non-financial post-award administrative activities for Grants.

• Experience navigating risks inherent in international financial transactions, financial systems and infrastructures.

• Transparent budget and financial policies and procedures designed to minimize risk, fraud and waste.

• Step by step merit-based research grants peer-review process.

• Have or have access to staff located in various geographical countries/regions (i.e., Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle

East and North Africa, Eurasia, South and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and the Caribbean etc.)

• Expertise with procedures to ensure the Offeror can provide sufficient, adequately trained staff to meet anticipated needs, and respond quickly to unanticipated needs and issues.

• Capability to budget at the task level to ensure budget and cost control.

• Provide examples or documented experience working with Global health NGOs: (i.e., World Health Organization, World Bank, Pan-American Health Organization, U.S. National Academies, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.).

• Conduct and host virtual, hybrid and in person meetings, including but not limited to pre-meeting planning, site selection, onsite support, registration, online registration, make logistical arrangements for attendee travel, speaker support, shuttle rental/planning, facilitation, post-meeting follow-up, translation services. These events should demonstrate both US and International experience.

• Arrange and pay for conference facilities within the U.S. and abroad (usually low- and middle-income countries) in the region of sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe etc.).

• Identify requirements, meeting platforms, and produce necessary planning documents and timelines for both domestic and international activities (especially activities in remote areas within low- and mid-income countries LMICs).

• Provide on-site logistical support abroad, usually in low- and middle-income countries taking place in remote areas.

• Travel support for one or more participants, including lodging and ground transportation as required, from diverse geographic locations with some that may require special accommodations.

• Knowledge of both domestic and international federal and HHS-specific regulations on travel, per diem, honoraria, meeting approval procedures, site selection.

• Providing and coordinating with NIH IT personnel for electronic meeting support including videocasting, webinars, teleconferences and technical issues.

• Ability to obtain and maintain meeting platform licensing (i.e., Zoom) if not provided by the government.

• Experience creating and hosting conference registration websites, preparing web content, agendas, minutes, and registration sites needed to facilitate workshops or meetings.

• Ability to provide support services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the FIC. The primary objective is to provide strategic, technical, and programmatic consultation and advisement services.

• Knowledge of the development, analysis and evaluation of Fogarty’s programs and on international science policy issues.

• Distribute funds by check, ACH payment, or wire transfer for domestic and international projects and to individuals. Disbursement of funds onsite in foreign countries.

• Contingency planning, appropriate distribution of workload among junior and senior staff and experience working with other federal agencies.

Technical Factor 2: Technical Approach

The Offeror shall provide a technical approach that demonstrates an understanding of the technical tasks and subtasks identified in the SOW.

The Offeror shall provide a management and administrative approach to address the technical requirements listed in the

SOW.

Technical Factor 3: Personnel

The Offeror shall demonstrate that all personnel assigned to this requirement can work independently and possess the required knowledge, skills, and expertise in their respective areas to that demonstrates the ability to successfully achieve the goals related to the performance of the requirement.

The sufficiency of the staffing plan proposed, including the proper labor categories for each corresponding task area. The contractor must be able to provide qualified personnel to meet the personnel requirements and address the functional responsibilities outlined below:

1. Project Manager (PM), having 10 or more years of relevant experience leading projects of similar scope and complexity with at least five (5) years of experience in managing Government contracts is preferred. The Project Manager shall oversee the needs of the Call Orders issued under the BPA and shall be the primary technical and managerial interface between the Contractor and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The individual must have experience in individual Project Management as well as management of several related projects simultaneously.

• The Project Manager or alternate PM must be available during normal duty hours, and to meet with government personnel to discuss problems.

• The contractor shall provide program management, project control, and contract administration necessary to manage the contract process so that cost, schedule and quality requirements are tracked, communicated to the COR. The COR is located in the Office of Administrative Management and International Services, FIC.

• The Contractor shall provide a qualified multidisciplinary staff, augmented with qualified consultants, as necessary and appropriate. Staff must have demonstrated skills in all areas described in this Statement of Work.

The PM shall ensure staff continuity when making task assignments. If key personal changes are necessary, the PM shall provide the PO, for his/her approval, the credentials of new staff assigned and an updated staffing plan.

• The contractor shall possess the following knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of financial accounting policies and financial tracking systems.

• Experience with succession program management.

• Experience with workforce planning and development.

• Experience with instructional design, training management, and facilitation.

• Experience with business process improvement methodologies.

• Experience with organizational diagnosis and intervention techniques.

Functional Responsibilities:

• Coordinates and monitors the scheduling, pricing, and technical performance of company programs.

Responsibilities also include aiding in the negotiation of contracts and contractual changes and coordinating preparations of proposals, plans, specifications, and financial conditions of contracts. Applying education, training and experience through critical thinking and expert analysis that supports decision-making to solve problems and challenges in implementing and executing programs and objectives. Develops new concepts and the methodology to execute them. Ensures adherence to master plans and schedules, develops solutions to program problems, and directs work of incumbents assigned to program from various departments. Ensures projects are completed on time and within established budget. Acts as advisor to program team regarding projects, tasks, and operations.

• Assign qualified Project Managers to requests based on experience and expertise.

Minimum Education Requirements:

- A relevant Master‘s Degree (business or technology related field), ten (10) years general experience with at least five (5) years of specialized experience managing government contracts is preferred. Degree requirements may be substituted based on having sufficient specialized experience and relevant certifications (Project Management Professional).

Additional Knowledge/Experience/Competency Areas Required:

- Ten (10) years of experience in the role of a Program Manager. Eight (8) years of experience serving in the role of a Program Manager within the previous ten (10) years in the following areas:

o Portfolio/Project Management Services o Business Needs Analysis Services o Enterprise Governance o Risk Management Services o Change Management Services o Critical Thinking

- Preferred to possess Active/Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.

- Experience leading teams of twenty (20) or more staff.

- Prior experience working with Senior Leadership on complex projects that have short- and long-term milestone dates. Additionally, be able to prioritize projects and implement effective change management in a dynamic work environment.

- Very strong communication skills both oral and written.

- Preferred having strong skills in the following key areas including strategic thinking, negotiating, multi-tasking, time management, teamwork, planning, ‘out of the box thinking, being able to assess a situation in a timely manner especially unplanned events or priority changes for decision making purposes and executing to a defined schedule.

- Experience leading activities and opportunities of foreign governments and foreign financial institutions.

The Project Manager, Financial Manager, Travel Director, and Events Planner/Manager are considered as key personnel. A resume for the Project Manager, Financial Manager, Travel Director, and Events Planner/Manager as well as Alternate Project Manager shall be submitted along with the proposals. Resumes shall not exceed five (5) pages.

2. Five (5) Subject Matter Experts (SME)

i. SME for Travel and Logistics/Travel Director

ii. SME for Events Planner/Manager

iii. SME for Financial Management/Financial Manager

iv. SME for Grants and Contracts

v. SME for Procurement (or a candidate with relevant experience)

Minimum Experience: - Eight (8) years of hands-on relevant experience.

Minimum Education: Requires a bachelor’s degree in related disciplines.

Functional Responsibility:

- Travel Director: Serve as the expert analyst/lead specialist on large or technically complex projects. Provides comprehensive services supporting individual and group travel worldwide. Develops event-related documentation and approaches for solving complex business improvement issues or problems. Negotiates contracts with hotels and service providers, secures the best rates and amenities including transportation, logistics, on-site operations, handling and problem -solving. Assigns travel projects appropriately to event planner.

- Events Planner/Manager: Leads, plans and coordinates activities ensuring events go smoothly including venue selection, negotiating for vendor services like audio visual equipment, room selections and liaising with clients.

EM will coordinate and handle attendee registration and event logistics and pay attention to financial and time requirements and consider any budget constraints and timelines. Brings to the attention of the Travel Director any concerns or discrepancies regarding breaches/changes in negotiated requirements. Provides cost estimates, detailed travel itineraries, purchase air and local ground transportation. Monitors and create travel expense reports. Creates business needs and business cases as needed for associated adjustments. Responsibilities are like that of the travel director but with limited delegated authority.

- Financial Manager: Serve as expert analyst on complex financial projects. Mastery of the concepts, principles, practices, laws, and regulations of budgeting and/or financing. Conducts financial analyses for programs. Develops narrative materials for program officials. Ability to prepare and report in-depth analysis of data in a very short amount of time. Analyzes specific budgetary and financial areas of concern and recommends procedures and methods for change. Develops, recommends, and implements budgetary/financial policies based on analyses.

Conducts regular and special budget analysis to identify trends and patterns. Assesses systems and procedures used to generate financial reports for the quality, and utility of the data and data displays.

- Grants, Contracts and Procurement SME’s: Serve as the expert analyst on large or technically complex projects.

Develops multi-stage competition process using a mixture of internal controls approaches for solving complex business improvement issues or problems. Performs program audits, cost benefit, and risk analysis studies.

Provides estimates of the effect of project and program changes and major additions. Prepares statistical and quantitative risk assessment models as needed. Creates business needs and business cases for proposed solutions.

Other Personnel

General Experience and Additional Knowledge Areas Preferred:

• Analysts with at least 8 years of experience in related business areas leading similar scope and complexity

• Hands-on intermediate to expert level experience using Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Microsoft Visio or similar tools for creating workflow diagrams.

• Knowledge of spreadsheet, database and word processing applications for personal computers

• Experience working in a collaborative environment.

• Experience managing aspects of grant and cooperative agreement applications

• Experience evaluating budget justifications and financial arrangements

• Experience monitoring post-award activities or grants, contracts and procurements

• Strong oral and writing skills.

• Experience working with scientific researchers.

• Experience working in a Project Management Office.

• Strong skills in the following key areas: strategic thinking, multi-tasking, negotiation, conflict management, time management, planning and executing to a defined schedule/budget

ADJECTIVAL RATINGS

The Government will evaluate the Technical Response using the following adjectival ratings.

Adjectival Description

Outstanding (O) Significantly exceeds most or all solicitation requirements for this factor or subfactor or overall. Response exceeds a “Good” rating. The risk of unsuccessful contract performance is extremely low. Response contains no weaknesses or deficiencies.

Good (G)

Fully meets all solicitation minimum requirements and exceeds many of the solicitation requirements for this factor or subfactor or overall; OR exceeds a small number of the minimum requirements but to a significant degree or in a valuable way for this factor or subfactor or overall. Response exceeds an “Acceptable” rating. The risk of unsuccessful contract performance is very low; contains no significant weaknesses and only minor, correctable weaknesses exist.

Acceptable (A)

Fully meets all solicitation minimum requirements for this factor or subfactor or overall. Areas where the response exceeds the minimum solicitation requirements, if any, are of little or no value to the Government. The risk of unsuccessful contract performance is low. No significant weaknesses and any deficiencies can be readily corrected.

Marginal (M)

Less than “Acceptable.” Does not meet all solicitation minimum requirements for this factor or subfactor or overall. The response indicates a superficial or vague understanding of the program goals and the methods, resources, schedules and/or other aspects essential to contract performance. The risk of unsuccessful contract performance is moderate; major weaknesses and/or significant number of deficiencies exist.

Unacceptable (U) Technical response has many or significant deficiencies and/or substantial omissions for a factor or subfactor or overall AND/OR the response demonstrates a lack of understanding of the program goals, methods, resources, schedules and/or other aspects essential to contract performance. Offer needs major revisions.

COST/PRICE FACTORS

Per FAR 13.106-2 price-cost will be evaluated separately from past performance and other non-price-cost factors and will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. An evaluation of the respondent’s price quote will be performed to determine if it reflects a clear understanding of the requirements and is consistent with Offeror’s technical response. The price-cost will also be evaluated for reasonableness in terms of consistency with labor categories and associated labor rates.

Price/cost quotes must include Labor Categories and corresponding Labor Rate for each period (if annual increases are projected).

PAST PERFORMANCE

The Government will evaluate the quality of the Offeror’s past performance deemed relevant to the requirements of the solicitation. The Government may use information provided by the Offeror, as well as other relevant past performance information obtained from other sources known to the Government.

The Offeror shall provide relevant information to facilitate the Government’s consideration of Organizational Expertise.

Offerors shall submit information for three (3) projects performed within the past three (3) years that are similar and comparable to those of this RFQ in size, scope and complexity. The Offeror shall provide a Contractor Performance Assessment Report System (CPARS) for the referenced project, if one is available.

The Government will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror’s previous experience with projects of a similar size, scope and complexity demonstrate its capability to successfully perform the requirement described in the statement of work (SOW) for this acquisition.

The Government will evaluate the summary of prior work experience similar in nature, scope, complexity, and difficulty to that which will be performed under the BPA awarded from the solicitation for this acquisition. The Government will assess whether the likelihood that the Offeror’s relevant experience will minimize risk to the Government of unsuccessful performance.

Evaluation of past performance will be a subjective assessment based on consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. It will not be based on absolute standards of acceptable performance. The Government is seeking to determine whether the Offeror has consistently demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of services at fair and reasonable prices.

The assessment of the Offeror’s past performance will be used as a means of evaluating the capability of the Offeror. Thus, an Offeror with an exceptional record of past performance may receive a more favorable evaluation than if it has an acceptable record. Past performance will not be rated, but the Government's conclusions about overall quality of the Offeror's past performance will be influential in determining the merits of the Offeror's response and in selecting the Offeror whose offer is considered most advantageous to the Government.

By past performance, the Government means the Offeror's record of conforming to specifications and to standards of good workmanship; the Offeror's record of forecasting and controlling costs; the Offeror's adherence to contract schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance; the Offeror's reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and generally, the Offeror's business-like concern for the interest of the customer.

The Government will consider the number or severity of an Offeror’s problems, the effectiveness of corrective actions taken, the Offeror’s overall work record, and the age and relevance of past performance information. The lack of a performance record may result in an unknown performance risk assessment, which will neither be used to the advantage or disadvantage of the Offeror.

The Government reserves the right to include its own past experiences with the Offeror, in addition to provided references, as well as other sources of past performance information available to the Government.

SELECTION FOR AWARD

Offeror should be aware that the selection for award shall be made to the Offeror whose offer is most advantageous to the Government, taking into consideration the technical factors listed above and the proposed labor rates across all contract periods.