Attachment A - Notice Conerning Request For Proposal (RFP).docx

NOTICE CONCERNING REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP No. 693JK325R0002 “PHMSA’s Risk Assessment for HAZMAT Packages in an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Environment”

You are invited to submit a proposal in response to PHMSA’s Request for Proposal (RFP) #693JK325R0002. Please see the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the description of the services/supplies to be purchased under this RFP. Also, please read this document in its entirety as it contains pertinent information (proposal contents, evaluation factors, due dates, etc.) regarding this RFP.

1. CONTRACT TYPE AND AWARD

PHMSA intends to award one Task Order in accordance with FAR 15 – Contracting by Negotiation, to a qualified and eligible offeror under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 336413 – OTHER AIRCRAFT PARTS & AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING. The award will be issued on a fixed-price basis.

· (Anticipated) Period of Performance: Two Years from the Date of Execution

2. QUOTES CONTENT

Proposals must reference PHMSA RFP# 693JK325R0002 and must include the following 4 (four) sections. Each of the sections should be submitted as separate attachments.

Any reasonably legible font, but nothing smaller than size 12, with at least 1 inch margin will be acceptable. Unreadable text will be considered non‐responsive and will not be evaluated. Pages containing graphics only will also count towards total page count. Cover pages, tables of contents, lists of figures, and glossaries are excluded from page counts.

· Section I: Administrative and Pricing Information [You may submit Section I in 2 attachments; one for the descriptive portion and another for the pricing tables (in MS Excel).

· Summary Page including the following information:

(a) UEI

(b) Quote Validity Period

(c) Exceptions Taken

(d) Points of Contact (Name, Email Address, Phone Number)

(e) Subcontractor Names & UEI (if applicable)

(f) Complete Pricing Template (as required by Attachment C: Pricing Template, of this RFQ). [Note: PHMSA requests this submission in Microsoft Excel.] (Offerors must only propose off-site rates. The proposed hourly rates must not be higher than those in accordance with the Department of Labor Statistics rates.

· Signed SF 18 Form

· Signed Amendments, if any are issued. [Note: If you are not sure if PHMSA issued any amendments, send an e-mail to stephen.jones@dot.gov and ask]

NOTE: PHMSA is seeking price reductions where possible. Quotes should include the Offeror’s best pricing, inclusive of all discounts, as there may not be another opportunity to offer further discounts.

NOTE TO OFFERORS/QUOTERS: FOR ALL PROPOSED PERSONNEL, YOU MUST INCLUDE THE PROPOSED INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. IF YOU THINK “TBD” IS APPROPRIATE, YOU MUST PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION IN YOUR PRICING PROPOSAL TO JUSTIFY WHY YOU DO NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIED IN YOUR QUOTE/PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.

· Section II: Technical and Management Capabilities

· High-Level Project Management Approach.

· Narrative of Technical Approach including Risk Mitigation strategies, time management, resource management, distribution strategies and plan.

· Narrative of how the proposed resources/labor categories will achieve the objectives of this Task Order

(The above items must be limited to 25 pages total. Pages beyond 25 will not be evaluated)

· Section III: Staffing Qualifications & Expertise, and Résumés

· Include staffing approach/plan & Identify Primary Technical Personnel Note: To support the services needed under this procurement, PHMSA anticipates the requirement of a project manager (PM) for overall leadership, communication, and support. The PM will be responsible for scheduling, risk, cost monitoring, communication, quality control and assurance. The PM will also be responsible for personnel management to include ensuring Contractor personnel are aware of and abide by all DOT established rules, regulations, safety, and work practices.

· In this Section you must include an explanation of how the proposed personnel will perform satisfactorily on the award and how their qualifications and experience will enable them to achieve the requirements in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). PHMSA estimates that about five (5) full-time and a few part-time contractor personnel may be needed to fulfill the requirements of this PWS.

· Include Summarized Resumes (Summary of Qualifications) for all proposed Key Personnel. The Summarized Résumés must be limited to 3 pages each and should directly reflect relevance to the work description in the PWS. PHMSA is requesting a resume for all proposed staff deemed as Key Personnel.

· Pages beyond 3 for each Summarized Resume will not be evaluated.

(All information required under this section must be limited to 7 pages not including résumés. For this section, pages beyond 7 will not be evaluated)

· Section IV: Past Performance Include 3 References of past work of the same/similar nature. Past performance references must be recent (within the past 5 years) and include the following:

· Contract Number(s) and Type of Contract;

· Procuring Agency and Name of Reference Point(s) of Contact and Telephone Numbers;

· Dollar Value of the Contract;

· Period of Performance;

· Description of the Work Performed;

· Relevancy of the Contract to this Proposed Requirement;

· Clear Statements Describing Whether the Contract Was Completed on Time, with a Quality Product Conforming to the Contract, Without Any Degradation in Performance or Customer Satisfaction;

· The Number, Type, Frequency, Duration, and Impact of any Quality, Delivery or Cost Problems in Performing the Contract, the Corrective Action Taken, if any, and the Effectiveness of the Corrective Action.

(All information required under this section must be limited to 3 pages. For this section, pages beyond 3 will not be evaluated.)

***Sections II, III, and IV, should not include any references to price. Pricing information should only be included in Section I.***

3. Place of Performance:

PHMSA anticipates that most work under this procurement will be performed off-site. Onsite work, if/when required, may be performed at PHMSA HQ at the address below:

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

4. Evaluation Criteria:

All offers received will be reviewed by the Acquisition Services Division to determine whether the proposals received comply with the instructions in the RFP and contain all the necessary elements required for review prior to being forwarded to the Program Office for technical review.

** INCOMPLETE OFFERS WILL BE DETERMINED “NON-RESPONSIVE” AND WILL NOT BE EVALUATED. ** In evaluating proposals, PHMSA will consider the offerors entire approach as a whole. PHMSA will look at the proposed management approach, technical approach, staffing approach, as well as past performance on work of similar scope.

Using the evaluation criteria, award will be made to the responsible contractor who presents the best value proposal. PHMSA will use a tradeoff analysis when making the best value determination and award.

Proposals will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria:

Evaluation Factor 1. Proposed Approach (Technical, Management and Staffing Capabilities)

Under this factor, PHMSA will evaluate how the Offeror plans to perform the required work outlined in the performance work statement (PWS) and whether the proposed approach effectively meets the objectives, tasks, and deliverables PHMSA has outlined in this solicitation.

PHMSA will evaluate Offerors on how they demonstrate their understanding of the project's scope, background, objectives, and requirement outcomes. Offerors will also be evaluated on the details of their technical approach for each task identified in the PWS.

PHMSA will evaluate Offerors on their understanding or knowledge of how to apply FAA Orders 8040.4C, a Safety Risk Management Policy; FAA Order 8040.6A, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Safety Risk Management (SRM) Policy; and a clear understanding of the Hazardous Materials Regulations in title 49 as it pertains to the possible transportation of hazardous materials via UAS. Offerors will be evaluated on their project management approach, such as feasibility of project timeline, sufficient milestones, and deliverables for each task.

Under this factor, PHMSA will evaluate the Offeror's relevant capabilities and experience of key project personnel and staffing. PHMSA will evaluate staff or personnel’s relevant technical, scientific, or other industrial capabilities; experience; and resources demonstrating the ability to conduct the proposed project successfully. PHMSA will also evaluate the Offeror's team members' capabilities that will be required to complete the requirements outlined in the PWS successfully. PHMSA will also evaluate the team's capabilities to identify and mitigate any potential project risk during the project's duration.

Evaluation Factor 2. Past Performance

Under this factor, PHMSA will evaluate the Offeror’s References regarding past work of similar nature. PHMSA will evaluate whether Offeror’s past performance references show demonstrated experience working on projects of the same or similar nature, with similar technologies and infrastructure. PHMSA will also evaluate whether Offeror’s past performance project/(s) relates to the requirements of this procurement. PHMSA reserves the right to utilize any of all of the following resources:

· Information provided by the offeror/quoter;

· Information gathered through correspondence and phone calls with the offeror’s references;

· Information available on SAM, CPARS, and FAPIIS.

Evaluation Factor 3. Price PHMSA will evaluate Offeror’s proposed prices to determine whether the costs are realistic, complete, and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. The proposed costs must be compatible with the technical proposal.

*** PHMSA reserves the right to request additional discounts.***

Evaluation Factor 1 (Technical, Management, and Staffing Capabilities) is more important than Evaluation Factor 2 (Past Performance). Evaluation Factors 1 and 2, when combined, are significantly more important than Evaluation Factor 3 (Price).

Contractor Responsibility Determination

To be eligible for award, the Contracting Officer must determine that the Quoter/Offeror is responsible according to the standards of FAR 9.1, “Responsible Prospective Contractors.” Prior to issuing any award, PHMSA may review SAM, CPARS, and FAPIIS information to ensure that the prospective awardee is not excluded from federal procurement and is current on all federal taxes. PHMSA will also consider an Offeror’s/Quoter’s termination history when determining contractor responsibility.

5. Evaluation Factors for Award In accordance with FAR sub-part 52.215-1 (f), the DOT intends to award one Task Order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose proposal represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the technical factors in the solicitation. Best value is defined in the FAR at subpart 2, Definitions, as the expected outcome of an acquisition that provides the greatest over benefit in response to the requirement.

6. Changes, Modifications, and Interpretations:

Any changes in the resulting award will be mutually agreed upon in writing between the awardee and the Government Contracting Officer (CO). Any change(s) in the work scope under the resulting award will be outlined in detail, including the exact nature of the change(s) and /or modification(s). No oral statement by any person will be interpreted as modifying or otherwise affecting the terms of the resulting award.

7. Any deliverables and/or report copies associated with the resulting award are to be sent electronically to:

8. Questions All questions regarding this RFP must be emailed to Stephen Jones (Stephen.jones@dot.gov) with a cc to Tremayne Terry (Tremayne.Terry@dot.gov).

· Do not contact any other PHMSA personnel during the solicitation phase/ All questions must reference the RFP Number related to this solicitation and must be received on or before May 02, 2025 (30 calendar days after posting the RFP at 5:00PM EST.

· Responses to questions regarding this RFP will be answered in one document with a response provided no later than May 19, 2025 (15 business days after questions are due) at 5:00PM EST as an amendment to the RFP.

9. Submission of Offers Please send offers/proposals via email to Stephen Jones (stephen.jones@dot.gov) with a cc to Tremayne Terry (Tremayne.Terry@dot.gov).

Proposals must be received on or before July 02, 2025, at 5:00PM EST and must reference the RFP number and title related to this solicitation.

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