Attachment 3 - Standard Form 18 - RFQ Terms and Conditions.docx

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

REQUEST FOR QUOTE

Ralph J. Bunche Library (A/SKS/PPKM/KLM) – Serials Management

June 25, 2025

Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for the Library Serials Subscription Management

1. This Request For Quotation (RFQ) is to support Ralph J. Bunche Library for the serials subscription management to obtain recurring publications, subscriptions, serials, and annuals.

The specifics are as follows:

Option Year 1: 07/31/2026 – 07/30/2027 Option Year 2: 07/31/2027 – 07/30/2028 Option Year 3: 07/31/2028 – 07/30/2029 Option Year 4: 07/31/2029 – 07/30/2030

2. The Government contemplates award of one (1) Delivery Order (DO). The Request for Quote (RFQ) seeks quotations from contractors that hold the following BPA: 424920 Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers

3. Offerors are requested to submit a technical and price quotation in response to the Statement of Work (SOW) (Attachment 1 – Statement of Work) and in accordance with this package.

4. Basis of Award Determination and Evaluation Factors:

a. The Government contemplates the award of a single delivery order to the responsive and responsible Paragraph 2 and 3 in the SOW whose quotation, conforming to the RFQ package, will be the best value (as defined by FAR Part 2.101) to the Government cost/price and other factors considered. The Government also intends to evaluate the quotes and award a delivery order without discussions. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions or seek clarifications in accordance with the applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

b. Non-Price evaluation factors, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

5. Quotation Submission Format

a. General: DoS will validate and evaluate the offeror’s quotation submitted in response to this RFQ. Generally, quotations will be reviewed to ensure: (1) preparation in accordance with instructions of this RFQ; (2) compliance with the requirements specified in the RFQ; and (3) accuracy of the price quotation.

b. Format for Technical and Cost/Price Quotation:

i. Organization

1. Volume I: Technical Submission

a. Part A: Past Performance

b. Part B: Management Approach

c. Part C: Technical Capability

2. Volume II: Cost/Price Submission

c. General Content Requirements:

i. The quotes (Volumes I through II) shall include a signed and dated cover letter. The RFQ reference number; date the RFQ was issued; the DoS issuing office, location, and contact person, the closing date and time of the RFQ (for submission of quotes); and the name, address (street, city, state, zip). However, the cover letter(s) shall contain no pricing or technical information. Any such information provided in the cover letter will not be evaluated. The cover letter shall also acknowledge amendments, as applicable to the RFQ. Please note: The Department of State Seal is intended for use on official government documents only.

ii. Each page within each volume and section shall be numbered using a consistent numbering scheme. This scheme shall also be used for all supporting documentation, such as charts, figures, diagrams, etc. that are included in each volume. Page numbering schemes that are difficult to track are not acceptable. The page limitation by volume are described below:

1. Volume I – Technical Submission (Past Performance, Management Approach, and Technical Capability) – 30 pages

2. Volume II – Cost/Price Submission – There is no page limit.

iii. Other exclusions from page limitations

1. Volume I – Technical Submission

a. Cover Letters;

b. Table of Contents;

c. Acronym Lists; and

d. Dividers, Tabs, and Cover Sheets

2. Volume II – Cost/Price Submission

a. Not Applicable – there is no page limitation.

b. Note: Offerors shall ensure that the cost/price submission, including the cover letter, does not include any information that should be contained in Volume I, Technical Submission. Any technical information placed in Volume II will not be passed on to the Technical Evaluation Team and such technical information will not be evaluated at all.

iv. General Format

1. Following is the specified format for Volume I, Technical Submission:

a. Pages are to be standard 8 1/2 “ by 11” size;

b. 12-point size type shall be used. The font shall be Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. The font size for tables and figures, and any other type of inserts can be no smaller than 8 point; The font size for any graphics as it appears on the printed page can be no smaller than 8 point;

c. Margins shall be one-inch at top/bottom and left/right of the page and pages may not be reduced form. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins and their font size can be no smaller than 10 point;

d. Pages shall be printed single-sided; and

e. Foldouts are limited to 11” to 17” size paper and shall count as two pages towards the page limit.

2. Following is the specified format for Volume II, Cost/Price Submission

a. Pages are to be standard 8 ½” by 11” size;

b. 12-point size type shall be used. The font shall be Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. The font size for tables and figures, and any other type of inserts can be no smaller than 8 point; The font size for any graphics as it appears on the printed page can be no smaller than 8 point; and

c. Margins shall be one-inch at top/bottom and left/right of the page and pages may not be reduced form. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins and their font size can be no smaller than 10 point.

d. Cost/Price Tables are to be in Microsoft Excel format.

Caution: Pages submitted in excess of the page limits enumerated above will not be evaluated. Text and graphics with font size smaller than the minimum specified will not be evaluated. The page limitations apply to the initial quote, revisions and final quote submission (if applicable).

6. Evaluation Factors and Methodology

a. The following non-cost and cost evaluation factors apply to this acquisition:

i. Technical Sub-factor 1 – Past Performance;

Sub-factor 2 – Management Approach;

Sub-factor 3 – Technical Capability; and

ii. Cost/Price

b. Evaluation Factor 1: Technical

a. Sub-factor 1, Past Performance:

Offeror shall demonstrate expertise and experience with the ordering and delivery of serials in a comparable library as described in the Statement of Work. References will be contacted to ensure satisfaction with performance. The Bunche Library reserves the right to seek references beyond those provided by the offeror.

Offeror’s response must address the quality, soundness, completeness, and feasibility of the offeror's project approach, including quality of staff, utilization of staff, and plan for continuity. The offeror shall provide evidence of substantial and successful recent experience in managing subscription services for a federal library, addressing both clients and publishers and the successful transition of services from one serials management provider to another.

c. Sub-factor 2: Management Approach

The offeror’s response must indicate evidence that their firm employs substantial personnel capable of handling all phases of serials management as required by the Statement of Work. The offeror must demonstrate what methods and procedures will be utilized to accomplish all required services.

d. Sub-factor 3 – Technical Capability

The offeror’s responses must be based on an adequate description and justification for the overall methodology for services as described in the Statement of Work. The offeror must understand and demonstrate an understanding of the requirements and problems associated with the operation of a subscription service for federal libraries and information centers nationwide, the differing needs of various agencies, as well as other requirements needed to support federal libraries

ii. Evaluation Factor 2: Cost/Price

i. Quote Requirements Instructions:

1. The vendor must propose pricing for a sample title list which includes any service fees. Prices must reflect the total cost difference between print, digital, or both.

ii. Evaluation Criteria: The Government will review and evaluate the proposed list price, discounted price and total price for reasonableness. The Government will also review and evaluate the terms of the discount including the terms and conditions. The Government reserves the right to reject a quote if it is determined that the pricing information is non-compliant with the instructions. The Government will use various price reasonableness techniques in its evaluation of the price volume; however the principle basis for determining reasonableness will be competition. The estimated total evaluated price will be evaluated for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic Government-Site requirements.

In accordance with FAR 52.204-7(b)(1), An Offeror is required to be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation, and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation. Offerors, including any offeror organized as a joint venture, must have an active SAM registration at the time of proposal submission and throughout the procurement process. Any offeror whose registration is not active in SAM at the time of proposal submission will be excluded from the process and their proposals will not be evaluated”. The Government will vet all companies that will perform work under this delivery order by using the System for Award Management (SAM) database (www.sam.gov). Finally, the Government will also evaluate all deviations/exceptions and/or conditional assumptions.

8. Evaluation Factors Rating Scheme and Relative Order of Importance

Factor 1 – Technical Submission (Sub-Factor 1: Past Performance and Sub-Factor 2: Management Approach)

The following confidence rating scheme will be used in performing the Past Performance and Management Approach Confidence Assessment.

Factor 1 – Technical Submission (Sub-Factor 3: Technical Capability)

The following GO – NO GO rating scheme will be used in performing the Technical Capability Assessment.

9. Questions in response to the RFQ shall be emailed to Contract Specialist, Jamell Johnson at JohnsonJT@state.gov and Contracting Officer, Jeannie Mays at MaysJR@state.gov. Adobe PDF format is acceptable for Volume I (Technical Submission). Volume II (Cost/Price Submission) shall be in Microsoft Word/Adobe PDF and Excel, as applicable and appropriate. The cost-price spreadsheets shall be in Microsoft Excel format. Questions will not be addressed via telephone or in-person. Please provide any questions, in MS Word format, no later than July 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST. The Government reserves the right to not answer questions submitted after this time.

8. Quotations are due on July 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST and should be submitted to the Contract Specialist at Department of State via the following email address: JohnsonJT@state.gov and to the Contracting Officer via the following email address: MaysJR@state.gov.

Attachments:

Attachment 1, Statement of Work (SOW)

Attachment 2, Pricing Table for Serials Management Base and Option Years

Attachment 3, Standard Form 18 – Request for Quotation (RFQ) Terms and Conditions