Attachment 3 - Section L.pdf

SSP Attachment 3 Section L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

L.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Government will conduct this acquisition using FAR Part 15 source selection procedures and will solicit proposals under Full and Open Competition. The evaluation will follow the tradeoff process in accordance with FAR 15.101-1, where Technical Capability is more important than Past Performance, and when combined, Technical Capability and Past Performance are significantly more important than Cost/Price.

The Government anticipates awarding a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with five (5) one-year ordering periods, This contract action will be a continuation of services from on-going efforts of the Cyber Training Academy (CT) training mission. The following is a period of performance for this effort:

1. Base Year: 12 months (21 Jul 2025 - 20 Jul 2026)

2. Ordering Period 1: 12 months (21 Jul 2026 - 20 Jul 2027)

3. Ordering Period 2: 12 months (21 Jul 2027 - 20 Jul 2028)

4. Ordering Period 3: 12 months (21 Jul 2028 - 20 Jul 2029)

5. Ordering Period 4: 12 months (21 Jul 2029 - 20 Jul 2030)

1.1 POINT OF CONTACT (POC)

The Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contract Specialists (CS) are the sole points of contact for this acquisition. All questions, comments and requests for information regarding this acquisition shall be in writing via email, citing and be directed to the following:

Contracting Officer Jesica Hunt: jesica.hunt@us.af.mil

Contract Specialists:

Parris Kennedy: parris.kennedy@us.af.mil

Phone calls will not be accepted

1.2 PRELIMINARY GUIDANCE

Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or subfactors. Failure to meet a requirement may result in an Offeror being ineligible for award. If an Offeror believes the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall immediately notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale. Deviations from the instructions will be reviewed by the CO to ensure that no Offeror receives a competitive advantage.

mailto:jesica.hunt@us.af.mil mailto:parris.kennedy@us.af.mil

1.3 EXCEPTIONS

Exceptions to this solicitation are not permitted.

1.4 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DUE DATE AND TIME

The entire and complete proposal, composed of Volumes I, II and III, shall be submitted in IAW date and time stated in Block 8 of solicitation. Submissions must be received prior to or no later the closing date.

1.5 COMMUNICATIONS

The Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contract Specialists (CS) are the sole points of contact for this acquisition. All correspondence in conjunction with this Solicitation should be directed to the CO and CS identified above in para 1.1.

Questions/Comments for the Solicitation must be submitted via email to the CO and CS not later than the due date identified on the RFP to ensure Government consideration. Request all questions/comments be identified with the Solicitation number in the subject line of the email. Responses to questions will be posted on SAM.GOV.

Questions/Comments received after that date may not be considered.

Please consolidate questions into as few requests as possible. The Government is not obligated to provide responses to all questions submitted by Offerors; however, will consider the questions received by the Solicitation questions submission due date and time, consolidate them, and provide responses to all parties through SAM.GOV.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.

1.6.1 MARKINGS

Offerors shall apply all appropriate markings including those prescribed in accordance with 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. Classified information will not be permitted.

1.7 SOLICITATION RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must be clear, coherent, aligned to requirements, and contain sufficient detail for an effective evaluation of the proposal against the evaluation criteria. Proposals shall cover all aspects of this solicitation and include the Offeror’s approach for providing all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide support services to the DC3 Cyber Training Academy’s requirements as those are set forth in the request for proposals. Offeror proposals must clearly demonstrate how all requirements will be met and must provide convincing rationale and substantiation of all claims. The proposal shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements.

Elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete effective response to the solicitation are not necessary and not desired.

L.2 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

2.1 VOLUMES

The proposal shall be accompanied by a cover letter prepared on company letterhead. The cover letter shall identify all enclosures being transmitted and shall be used only to transmit the proposal and shall include no other information. The cover letter shall be a separate document and will not be counted in the page limitations. Only proposals submitted in accordance with these instructions will be accepted.

Proposal Volume Organization

Volume Volume Title Para Ref

Page Limit

I. Administrative Submission

Narrative of Offeror 5 Contract Documentation Signed SF -1449 and/or any SF 30s N/A

Security Requirement (DD254) N/A Representations and Certifications, Identification and Assertions N/A

Organizational Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan (if applicable)

N/A

II. Technical NTE 48 pages

Gate 1 Training Facility 1

Gate 2 Small Business (SB) Commitment 2

Subfactor 1 Technical Approach/Plan 15

Subfactor 2 Management Approach/Plan 15

Subfactor 3 Key Personnel & Project Staffing 15

Subfactor 4 Past Performance 30 pages

III. Cost/Price N/A

Cost/Price Narrative and Disclosure Documents

2.2 PROPOSAL FORMAT

2.2.1 Page and Font

Text shall be single-spaced with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Pages shall be numbered consecutively with numbering on the bottom right corner of each page. Print shall be of a minimum 12-point Times New Roman font size. Headers and Footers may use a font size smaller than 12-point as long they are easily readable. Bolding, underlining, and italics may be used to identify topic demarcations or points of emphasis. Graphic presentations, including tables, while not subject to the same font size and spacing requirements, shall have spacing and text that is easily readable. Each volume in the proposal shall include a title page and table of contents. The table of contents shall list sections, subsections, and page numbers. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used and listing of tables, drawings, diagrams and/or figures. Each acronym used shall be spelled out in the text the first time it appears in each proposal volume.

2.2.2 Page Limitations

Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. The cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables and glossary of abbreviations and acronyms for each volume, and resumes do not count against page count limitations. Proposal contents that exceed the stated page limitations will be removed from the proposal by the CO prior to turning the proposal over to the Government evaluation teams and will not be considered in the evaluation.

2.2.3 Electronic Copies

Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word 2013, Microsoft Excel, and/or Adobe Acrobat. The Offeror must ensure that the submission is readable in the format specified in the solicitation and has been verified free of computer viruses.

L.3 VOLUME I, ADMINISTRATIVE SUBMISSION

Contractor/offeror shall ensure volume I has:

3.1 Completed SF 1449 (Solicitation, Offer, and Award) and signed SF 30 (Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract acknowledging all amendments.

3.2 Completed DD Form 254 (Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification).

Contractor is required to minimally hold an active facility clearance level of TOP SECRET with safeguarding at SECRET. Offeror shall complete the DD 254 (Block 6 and 8). See attached DD Form 254 (Attachment 2) for details. To be eligible for award, an Offeror must have the required clearance at the receipt of proposal submission. Sponsorship will not be granted.

3.3 Identification and Assertions: All contractors are required to submit Identification and Assertions

IAW DFARS 252.227-7014 if applicable.

3.4 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plan (if applicable) Offerors are required to identify any actual or potential Conflict of Interest. The successful Offeror shall prepare an OCI Mitigation Plan, if applicable. If no actual or potential conflict of interest exists, the Offeror shall state as such in this volume.

L.4 VOLUME II, TECHNICAL

Volume II – Technical proposal shall be provided electronically:

Gate 1: Training Facility: Provide the proposed physical address of the training facility for site survey.

Gate 2: Small Business (SB) Commitment Plan

4.1 Technical shall consist of:

Subfactor 1: Technical Approach/Plan Subfactor 2: Management Approach/Plan Subfactor 3: Key Personnel and Project Staffing Plan Subfactor 4: Past Performance

NOTE: All four subfactors are equal in importance and are not in descending order. Technical (subfactors 1, 2 and 3) are more important than subfactor 4 - Past Performance, when combined, are significantly important than price.

4.2 Technical Approach: The technical approach shall demonstrate the offeror’s comprehension of the CTA Training Mission and discuss the following:

4.2.1 The Offeror’s physical schoolhouse capability. The schoolhouse capability should meet, at a minimum, requirements set forth in section 1.0.5.1 of the PWS.

4.2.2 Department of the Air Force (DAF) Distinct Core Missions with particular emphasis and distinction of the roles of (cyber / cyberspace) in meeting those core mission areas as well as the operations of the United States Cyber Command (USCC), Air Combat Command (ACC), 16th Air Force, Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and their analogs in the Navy, Army, Marines and Coast Guard.

4.2.3 DC3 / CTA’s distinct core mission as a best in class cyber, cyber forensic and cyber counter-intelligence training activity, its customer bases (DCIOs, MDCOs, Service Cyber Components, DoD CIO) and how the training is applicable across a wide variety of cyber work roles within the DoD.

4.2.4 The Offeror’ complementary and cooperative approach to program administration, program management and program support services as set forth in the task order (TASK 6 and all associated SUBTASKs). Of critical importance is the understanding of and thoughtful approach to establishing and maintaining a comprehensive, mutually supportive program leadership environment between the contractor and the Government staff. Additionally, the Offeror’s proposal shall demonstrate a clear understanding of and proactive approach to website security and ensuring the highest quality and professional website with emphasis on customer engagement, ease of customer use and clarity of purpose (i.e. a button or link says clearly what it does and does what it says and course registration is clear, easy and intuitive).

4.2.5 The cyber training, cyber forensic, digital media forensics, cyber counterintelligence, and cyber security requirements of CTA’s customers within the Air Force and Department of Defense. The Offeror’s proposal shall set forth the technical approach to course development (consistent with the requirements set out in the PWS TASK 2) with emphasis on efficiency, rapid development and complementary integration and use of course materials across the curriculum. The Offeror’s proposal shall demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) and how it will be utilized to realize modular and reconfigurable courses and curriculum.

4.3 Management Approach/Plan: The contractor shall provide a plan that demonstrates the capability to staff, recruit, retain and replace personnel with the experience required to perform the full rate of tasks defined in the PWS. The offeror’s management approach shall demonstrate the following:

4.3.1 The relevancy and comprehensiveness of the Offeror’s proposed management team approach including an assessment of the degree to which it reflects a cooperative, effective, efficient, feasible, and practical approach to accomplishing the tasks and deliverables of this contract from a management perspective, with emphasis on a mutually supportive approach that is risk conscious, innovative, cooperative, and cost conscious.

4.3.2 The degree of effectiveness, relevancy, and practicality of the Offeror’s methodology to ensure a complementary and cooperative relationship between the contractor and Government with emphasis on mission success, timely problem identification, mitigation, and resolution.

4.3.3 A comprehensive, effective, and feasible approach to risk management during the contract (to include transition) from a management perspective, and the planned actions to mitigate or eliminate risks.

4.3.4 A comprehensive, effective, and relevant approach/ability to rapidly provide SME and reach-back support for course development efforts, emergent cyber training requirements and for reacting to the Government’s requirements within the dynamics of a rapidly changing world and mission environment through dedicated resources, quick responses, and flexibility when determining solutions.

4.3.5 A comprehensive, effective, and relevant approach to meet the workload requirements that is adaptive to short notice, short duration and/or ad-hoc requirements.

4.3.6 The Offeror’s Transition-In Plan demonstrates the ability to provide integrated and seamless support with minimum to no risk to mission during transition.

4.3.7 A feasible methodology for hiring, retaining, and replacing appropriately qualified personnel throughout the life of this contract. Ability to provide expertise, experience and required security clearances needed to support the unique requirements of cyberspace, digital forensics, cyber investigations, cyber counterintelligence, cyberspace support and other functional areas as set forth in the PWS.

4.4 Key Personnel and Project Staffing: The Offeror shall clearly describe its Key Personnel and Project Staffing Approach to fulfilling the technical and management requirements. The Offeror shall discuss its proposed staffing approach, describing the staffing strategy, rationale for the proposed labor mix, and the experience, skill, and qualifications of the proposed personnel. The Offeror shall specifically address its approach/methodology and rationale for the following:

4.4.1 Proposal shall describe how each Key Person would be involved in each task/subtask and how their qualifications and experience qualify them for the Key Personnel positions for which they are offered as described in the PWS.

4.4.2 Projected staffing and approach to how each task and subtask is staffed to include estimated hours and labor mix of the Key and non-key personnel, their expected work location, clearance level, and functional knowledge.

4.4.3 The value that the non-key personnel add to the project team, including their specific skills, experience, and qualifications.

4.4.4 Maximizing experience and knowledge to include Subject Matter Experts (SME) reach-back support.

4.4.5 The Offeror’s approach to providing qualified personnel across all functional areas of this PWS.

4.5 Past Performance: Offerors shall provide up to three (3) total contractor's past/present performance submitted by the Offeror in two categories: up to two (2) contracts for the prime contractor and a maximum of one (1) contract for major subcontractors that will be performing key or critical portions of the effort and/or performing greater than or equal to 30% of the proposed effort based on the total proposed price. Any submission over the maximum stated above will be disregarded and will not be evaluated. Offerors are authorized to provide information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the offeror’s corrective actions. The Government shall consider this information, as well as information obtained from any other sources, when evaluating the offeror’s past performance. The past performance team shall determine the relevance of similar past performance.

4.5.1 Offerors must complete Attachment 6 – Past Performance Questionnaire to detail and summarize the past performance information requested in this subsection. Offerors may provide three (3) total relevant past performance examples of contract efforts performed with similar size, scope, and complexity (i.e.

complete Attachment 6 – Past Performance Questionnaire three (3) times). Offeror’s proposal shall provide examples of past performance that indicates a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort. Past Performance examples must have been performed within the past five (5) years.

4.5.2 Relevant past performance is defined as efforts performed in the past five (5) years that directly relate to the functional areas and key tasks(s) of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for this effort.

4.5.3 Recent past performance is defined as efforts must have at least twelve (12) months of continuous active contract performance within the last five (5) years from the date of issuance of this solicitation.

Offerors shall submit information on contracts deemed relevant in demonstrating the ability to perform the full range of capabilities for primary tasks within the PWS.

4.5.4 For each contract example identified, the Offeror shall provide at least two of the following Points of Contacts (POC): Program Manager, Contracting Officer, or Contracting Officer Representative. The Offeror shall provide phone number and e-mail address for each POC identified.

4.5.5 For each of the contract efforts identified, provide the following narrative information:

a. Description of the contract/task order work statement and effort performed

b. Discussion of how the scope for the contract/task order relates to the solicited effort in scope and complexity

c. Show the relation of the work experience described in the three (3) contract efforts to the corresponding Performance Work Statement’s task(s)

d. Description of the significant achievements, challenges, or obstacles that were encountered during contract performance and the measures taken to overcome them

4.5.6 A questionnaire is not required if the identified contracts have an annual rating in CPARS.

Offerors must clearly annotate in Attachment 6 – Past Performance Questionnaire that a CPARS exists, and the Government will coordinate with the POC to obtain a copy of the report.

4.5.7 If the Offeror does not have three (3) recent and relevant contract efforts, from which it can provide past performance information, the Offeror shall make such a statement in this section of the proposal.

4.5.8 In addition to the above, the Government may review any other sources of information for evaluating past performance. Other sources may include, but are not limited to, past performance information retrieved through the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPAR), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS) using CAGE/DUNS numbers of team members, and any other known sources not provided by the Offeror.

4.5.9 While the Government may elect to consider data from other sources, the burden of providing detailed, current, accurate, and complete past performance information rests with the Offeror.

4.5.10 Offerors shall receive a rating of The Performance Confidence Assessment. The rating is based on the Offeror’s overall record of recency, relevancy, and quality of services assessments. Offerors will receive one integrated overall Performance Confidence Assessment rating – Past Performance Acceptable or Unacceptable. Note: In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably lined, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance IAW FAR 15.305. Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have unknown (or "neutral") past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, a neutral rating shall be considered acceptable.

L.5 VOLUME III - Factor 2: COST/PRICE Offerors shall also refer to Section 5.12.4 for requirements related to the submission of Professional Employee Compensation Plans in accordance with FAR 52.222-46.

5.1 General Instructions:

Offerors shall submit data other than certified cost or pricing data in accordance with FAR 15.403-3. This data must support the evaluation of the proposal in accordance with the evaluation criteria in Section M.

Proposals must be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate completeness, reasonableness, realism, and balance.

Failure to adequately support the Cost/Price Volume may render the proposal ineligible for award.

Provide a cross-reference mapping proposed labor categories to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system codes. The reference shall clearly identify each proposed labor category, the corresponding BLS SOC code and title, and a brief explanation of the basis for the mapping.

All cost/price-related content must be confined exclusively to the Cost/Price Volume. Inclusion of pricing data in other volumes is prohibited.

5.2 Format and Content Requirements

The Cost/Price Volume shall include a Table of Contents referencing page numbers for each section, narrative, and pricing exhibit. This volume shall include the following sections:

• Section 1: Introduction

• Section 2: Subcontractor Summary

• Section 3: Pricing Support and Narrative Information

• Section 4: Uniform Pricing Template (UPT) Submission

• Section 5: Accounting Systems

Offerors shall submit pricing for all Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs), covering all labor categories and associated costs. Each proposal shall include:

• Attachment 5 - Price Proposal Format, showing pricing summary, labor categories, burdened rates, labor hours, and total extended prices.

• Clear traceability between rates, pricing summaries, and narrative justifications.

• A consolidated rate schedule listing one fully burdened rate per labor category and skill level.

• Segregation of pricing by performance period and location.

Pricing must cover five (5) one-year ordering periods.

5.3 Ground Rules and Assumptions

Offerors shall outline all ground rules and assumptions used in pricing the proposal (e.g., contract type, period of performance, delivery schedule, Government Furnished Equipment/Information). All assumptions, qualifications, or scope limitations shall be addressed. The Offeror shall list and explain any exceptions to the solicitation instructions.

5.4 Estimating Techniques and Methods Ground

The Offeror may use accepted estimating techniques (e.g., cost estimating relationships, parametric models, or analogous historical data). These techniques must be clearly explained in the pricing narrative.

5.5 Rounding

All dollar amounts shall be rounded to the nearest whole cent (e.g. $12.34). Percentages shall be rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent (e.g. 12.34%). Offerors are encouraged to utilize the “Round( )” function in Microsoft Excel to eliminate rounding errors from their proposal, as evidenced in the cost formulas.

5.6 Internal Cost Controls and Accounting System Disclosure (Informational Only) An approved accounting system is not required. However, Offerors shall briefly describe internal processes used to estimate and support proposed pricing. If available, Offerors may include a DCAA/DCMA adequacy letter for informational purposes.

5.7 Subcontractor Analysis

The Prime Offeror shall evaluate subcontractor pricing for consistency, reasonableness, and relationship to the overall proposal. A pricing summary and narrative shall be submitted for each subcontractor.

Subcontractor pricing narratives may be submitted under separate cover.

5.8 Pricing Support and Narrative

Offerors shall explain the basis for their proposed prices. This includes labor rate build-up (to include direct labor, fringe, indirects, and profit), rationale for escalation, compensation justification for professional labor categories, and relevant benchmarks or methodologies. Narrative content shall be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF.

5.9 Proposal Accuracy

Ensure consistency across pricing files and narrative content. All values should be mathematically correct and traceable.

5.10 Narrative Support

Each proposed price element must be accompanied by narrative rationale that clearly supports the value proposed. This includes methodology, assumptions, and relevant benchmarking.

5.11 Compliance

Failure to comply with submission requirements may render the proposal incomplete or noncompliant.

Pricing data must be complete, logical, and traceable. All required pricing and supporting documentation shall be submitted only in Volume III.

The Government will evaluate the Cost/Price Volume for completeness, reasonableness, price realism, balance, and Total Evaluated Price (TEP). The PECP will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.222-46 as part of the price realism review. The burden of proof rests with the Offeror to provide adequate justification for proposed pricing.

5.12 Direct Rates and Indirect Rates

Offerors shall submit one fully burdened labor rate per labor category and skill level. Each rate should be supported by an explanation of how the rate was developed, including relevant components (e.g., fringe, overhead, G&A, and profit). Offerors shall clearly indicate any profit included in their fully burdened rates.

This is not a cost audit—support is for price realism assessment only.

5.12.1 Direct Labor Rates

Direct labor rates shall reflect current or projected rates for the performance period. For composite or blended rates, Offerors shall describe the method used, rationale, and source of the rate data.

5.12.2 Indirect Rates

The Government will not evaluate indirect cost pools but may review indirect components to understand the build-up of proposed fully burdened labor rates. If available, Offerors may submit:

• FPRA documentation

• PBRs

• Narrative with historical billing data (e.g., 6 months of actuals)

This information may assist in assessing the realism of fully burdened rates but will not be evaluated separately. For fringe benefits, the Government will assess total compensation using federal government standards, BLS, or similar industry data to evaluate whether the proposed compensation for professional employees is sufficient and competitive.

5.12.3 Escalation Rates

Offerors shall clearly identify labor escalation rates by year. The rationale shall be included in the pricing narrative. Government may use public indices (e.g., CPI, ECI) to assess reasonableness.

5.12.4 Professional Employee Compensation Plan (PECP) [FAR 52.222-46 Requirement] Offerors shall submit a PECP in accordance with FAR 52.222-46 for labor categories requiring an associate’s degree or higher. The plan must include unburdened salary and fringe for each professional labor category, supported by market data. Variations by geographic market or labor level should be clearly identified.

PECPs from subcontractors or partners must be submitted separately to the Contracting Officer.

PECPs will be evaluated for total compensation realism only—not for assigning separate ratings or negotiation.

Required Format (Base Year Only):

Offerors shall present compensation data in the following format (or similar):

Salary/Fringe Benefits Table (Example)

5.13 Uniform Pricing Template (UPT) Instructions – Submission Requirements Offerors shall complete the Government-provided UPT. It must contain live formulas and align with narrative explanations. Offerors may add fields to enhance clarity but must retain structure and traceability.

UPTs must remain editable—locked or protected files are unacceptable. The UPT shall represent the Offeror’s official proposed pricing. The Government will rely on the UPT for evaluation of TEP.

END OF SECTION L

Task Area/Labor Category

Unburdened Salary/Rate

Fringe Rate%

Junior Task Manager (example) $120,000.00/year, $xx.xx/hour 33% (example)