Attachment B - FCC Auction Bidding System and Support Services - Instructions to Offerors.pdf

Attachment B

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

FCC Auction Bidding System and Support Services

NOTICE TO OFFERORS

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intends to award a contract for support of the FCC’s Auctions Program and the development of a bidding system. The FCC will verify the status of all offerors, by way of their SAM.gov registration and the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPSIS).

The Government notes that preference will be given to proposals submitted by U.S. based companies.

This preference is aimed at supporting domestic industry and fostering economic growth. However, it is important to note that this preference will not result in the discrimination against international companies. All proposals, regardless of the company’s location will be evaluated based on their alignment with the project requirements and is not intended to unfairly disadvantage any offeror.

Offerors shall support the FCC’s Auctions Program by carrying out the FCC’s statutory mandates as well as other FCC priorities utilizing auctions. The awardee shall support the FCC Auctions Program in the following areas:

• Provide an Auctions Bidding System that is able to perform multiple auction bidding formats;

upon contract award the bidding system shall have available auction formats that include ascending Simultaneous Multiple-Round (SMR) auctions without package bidding, ascending clock auctions with and without assignment phases, and descending clock auctions without assignment phase.

• Provide services for configuration and/or modification of the FCC’s Auctions Bidding System software.

• Provide software licensing, hosting, operations and maintenance support for the FCC’s Auctions Bidding System.

• Provide professional services that include, but are not limited to, expert consulting and advisory services in support of the FCC’s Auctions program.

The contract is composed of a twelve (12) month base ordering period and four (4), twelve (12) month option periods.

A.1 Funding and Total Maximum Value

The Government intends to issue a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract type, that may be incrementally funded up to each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN’s) maximum ceiling value throughout the period of performance. The contract will also include a Special Projects CLIN that may be exercised multiple times as needed by the FCC throughout the period of performance. Tasks awarded under the Special Projects CLIN may be issued as FFP or Labor Hour (LH). Under LH tasks, payment will only be made for labor hours actually worked. Incremental funding and amounts obligated and available for obligation may further limit the pace or availability of hours to be worked. See Limitation of Government’s Obligation, FCC Local Clause, LOCAL-2 Limitation of Government's Obligation (MAY 2023), which is located in the Terms and Conditions of the solicitation, 273FCC23R0018.

A.2 Level of Effort

Offerors are required to provide a comprehensive Labor Category Mix detailing the distribution of labor categories that will be utilized to execute the tasks and responsibilities outline in this firm fixed price contract using Attachment E – Pricing Sheet. Additionally, offerors must submit the estimated labor hours corresponding to each Labor Category, reflecting the time allocation necessary for each category to fulfill the contract requirements. The Labor Category Mix and hours should align with the contract scope, complexity and requirements.

Offerors shall furnish a list of all Labor Categories that may be assigned to this requirement. For each Labor Category, Labor Category name, a clear and concise description of the roles, responsibilities, and qualifications should be provided. Alongside these descriptions, offerors are required to present the hourly rates associated with each Labor Category for the base period and all option periods.. These rates should encompass all labor-related costs such as wages, benefits and overhead. For key personal, please use FCC provided roles, responsibilities and qualifications.

The Special Project CLIN is subject to a predetermined Not to Exceed (NTE) ceiling amount that is set by the Government. This ceiling amount serves as the maximum financial allocation for the specified CLIN.

The Government retains the authority to modify the predetermined ceiling amount of the Special Projects CLIN. This adjustment may occur based on evolving project needs, scope changes, funding availability or other relevant factors.

A.3 Order Types and Procedures

The Government will award five FFP contract CLINS for 1) Contract Management, 2) Software, Maintenance and Other Support, 3) Software Delivery Method - Hosting Services, 4) Technical Support, and 5) Implementation and Integration. The Government will also award a hybrid Special Projects CLIN that may be exercised any number of times at the Government's sole discretion. If and when the Special Project CLIN is exercised, this CLIN will be modified to reflect a not-to-exceed amount (a ceiling price for the work directed) at labor rates established in this order, which the contractor exceeds at its own risk, unless a firm-fixed-price for the work is agreed upon.

Special Project Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will contain Performance Work Statements (PWS) or Statements of Work (SOW) and defined deliverables and seek FFP or LH pricing or completion of the work. The Government will consider and negotiate FFP and LH order proposals through, among other things, examining the Offeror’s projected labor mix, level of effort, and other cost breakdowns for accomplishing the work at the proposed price. The same approach will be taken for hybrid task RFPs. LH task RFPs may contain PWS or SOW with a request for the contractor’s proposed, estimated labor mix and number of labor hours necessary to fulfill the contract. The Government may seek, and the Contractor may provide, discounts from the contractor’s labor rates on negotiated orders. Alternatively, the Government may simply order a number of labor hours from specific labor categories to be applied against an identified project, goal, or objective.

A.4 Questions

If you have questions regarding this solicitation, please submit your inquiries via e-email to the Contracting Officer (CO) as soon as possible, but in no event later than Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The subject of the email shall be “RFP #273FCC23R0018 - Questions - Your Company Name.” Questions received after this date and time may not be considered.

Offerors shall utilize the Offeror Question Template when developing their questions. The Government will transmit verbatim substantive questions, as well the answers, to all prospective Offerors via e-mail.

Therefore, please express questions in a fashion that can be reproduced verbatim (i.e., without proprietary or other confidential information) for the benefit of all offerors.

Offerors are requested to group and submit their questions by the Request for Proposal (RFP) section heading, followed by the RFP subsection. Questions related to attachments shall be grouped by attachment number followed by attachment section, then attachment subsection. Questions shall be organized by the order presented in the RFP and to make references as pinpointed as feasible.

Questions shall be delivered to the CO, James Batten at James.Batten@fcc.gov and EAC- Proposals@fcc.gov.

A.5 Communications with the Government

The CO is the point of contact for this solicitation. Offerors intending to submit proposals are cautioned against contacting other Government personnel regarding this solicitation prior to award of the contract. Offerors are also requested and urged to advise potential subcontractors of this instruction.

Information received from sources other than the CO may not be authentic or reliable. Government confidential information received or used by an Offeror in the preparation of its quote is likely to be prejudicial to other competing offers, and, irrespective of provable prejudice, may require exclusion from the competition of the Contractor receiving, using, or relying on such information (or may be grounds for other criminal, civil, administrative action permitted or required by law).

All communications with the Government regarding this solicitation shall be directed both to the CO, James Batten, at James.Batten@fcc.gov and EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

B.1 Proposal Due Date and Delivery

Proposals shall be submitted electronically via email to the CO on or before the RFP closing date and time of Thursday, September 28, 2023 12:00 p.m. EDT. The subject of the email shall be “RFP #273FCC23R0018 - Proposal - Your Company Name.” Proposals shall be delivered to the CO, James Batten at James.Batten@fcc.gov and EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov.

B.2 General Instructions

The FCC will conduct this acquisition in accordance with the solicitation, evaluation, and award procedures prescribed in FAR Part 15. The award decision for this acquisition shall be made on a best value basis (see FAR 15.101-1), employing the evaluation criteria described in the Evaluation Criteria.

This RFP seeks clear and concise proposals from all qualified contractors.

mailto:James.Batten@fcc.gov mailto:EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov mailto:EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov mailto:James.Batten@fcc.gov mailto:EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov mailto:James.Batten@fcc.gov mailto:EAC-Proposals@fcc.gov

Offerors must include in their proposal all information requested by this RFP and must submit their proposals in accordance with the instructions set forth in this solicitation. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure the completeness of its proposal. Proposals shall be specific and comply with the format, composition, and content instructions set forth below. Proposals shall include details sufficient for FCC to be able to evaluate and confirm the validity of the Offeror’s stated claims.

Proposals shall not simply rephrase or restate FCC's requirements, but, rather, provide a convincing rationale to address how the offeror intends to meet the FCC’s requirements. The Government will not assume that an offeror possesses qualifications or capabilities not specified in its quote, except as ascertained from information received outside of its quotation under processes disclosed in this document.

Offeror’s quote shall clearly address the requirements addressed for Volume 1 (Technical Proposal) and Volume 2 (Price Quote).

The Government may evaluate proposals and award the contract on the basis of proposals as submitted and without exchanges of any kind. Therefore, the Offeror’s quote should contain the best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government may engage in exchanges with one or more offerors or allow quotation revisions, or both.

The Government retains the right to exercise its sole discretion in selecting offerors with whom to conduct exchanges or permit proposal revisions, always acting in its best interest. It should be noted that the Government is not obligated to engage in exchanges or accept proposal revisions from all offerors.

In the interest of evaluation efficiency, the CO may limit the number of offers requested to submit proposal revisions to the two most competitive offerors, or, should circumstances justify it, a single offeror with a particularly strong quote. If no offerors who are requested to provide a proposal revision provides an acceptable proposal as revised, or if a proposal as revised no longer remains competitive, the contract may be awarded to the offeror that has provided an acceptable proposal and is determined to offer the best value.

• The Offeror shall use the SOW including the appendices, the pricing sheet, the evaluation criteria, this instruction to offerors, and other applicable portions of the RFP, as the basis to prepare the proposal.

• The proposal shall be specific and comprehensive. Clarity and coherence are very important.

• The Offeror shall avoid using vague or ambiguous words or phrases (e.g., as necessary, periodically, and as required).

• The Offeror shall not include any price/price information in Volume One.

• The Offeror’s responses to solicitation technical requirements shall correspond to the sections identified in the SOW, including the appendices, only.

B.3 Proposal Organization

A complete proposal shall consist of two (2) separate volumes as organized under Table 1 Proposal Organization. Each volume shall be limited to the maximum number of pages shown in Table 1 Proposal Organization. Page counts do not apply for cover pages, table of contents, tab separators, glossaries (incl. terms, abbreviations, acronyms), resumes, and the Pricing Proposal, and other sections as indicated in Table 1. All sections of Volume 1 shall be submitted in PDF format except for the Requirements template which shall be submitted in both Microsoft Excel and PDF format.

Government evaluators will not be required to search other proposal volumes or tabs for information that is not appropriately located under these instructions. If required information is not placed in the appropriate volume and tab, that information may be deemed missing, and depending on the importance of the information and the severity of the misfiling, the proposal may be found “Unacceptable” and the offeror removed from the competition. Therefore, offerors shall ensure that each quotation volume is complete and submitted in accordance with the instructions herein.

Table 1 – Proposal Organization

Proposal Tab Proposal Organization Page Limit Eval Factor

Volume I: Technical Proposal

Tab A Cover Page No Limit

Not Applicable Tab B Table of Contents No Limit

Tab C Executive Summary 4

Tab D

Implementation Capability

Include:

• Draft Implementation Strategy and Plan

(included in the 10 page limit)

• Completed Requirements Template in both

Microsoft Excel and PDF (page limit for the completed template is 40 pages in PDF).

• Optional additional requirements evidence (50 pages in PDF)

10 + 40 + 50 Factor 1

Tab E Relevant Experience 20 Factor 2

Tab F

Technical Approach

Include:

• Contract Management

• Software, Maintenance, and Other Support

• Software Delivery Method – Hosting Services

• Technical Support (including Operations and

Management and Security Capability)

• System Implementation and Integration

• Special Projects

30 Factor 3

Tab G Management Approach

Include:

• Draft Program Management Plan (PMP), 15+15+10 Factor 4

Proposal Tab Proposal Organization Page Limit Eval Factor including Staffing Plan (Page limit for the PMP is 15 pages)

• Draft Quality Control Plan (QCP) (Page limit for the QCP is 15 Pages)_

• Key Personnel Resumes (Page limit for Key Personnel Resumes is 10 pages)

Volume II: Price Quote

Tab A Cover Page

No Limit Factor 5 Tab B Pricing Sheet

Tab C Pricing Narrative

Tab D Price Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions

B.4 Format

Each volume shall be submitted in electronic format. Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents to delineate the information by tab, section, and subsection (to the lowest level of enumeration) within that volume, with page numbers provided. Tab indexes shall be used to identify sections and subsections (to the lowest level of enumeration), with page numbers provided. Pages shall be individually, sequentially, and uniquely numbered.

Page size shall be 8.5 by 11 inches with 1-inch margins all around. Paragraphs shall be single spaced.

The minimum font size/style is 12-point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font for narrative text, and 10 points for numbers and text in tables, charts, graphs, figures, footnotes, and page headers/ footers.

Tables, graphics, and the Requirements Matrix may be in landscape orientation; all other elements of the proposal shall be in portrait orientation.

All proposals shall be submitted as softcopies in searchable PDF format, except for forms or attachments that require a signature or are fillable forms, such as an Excel spreadsheet, and the completed template for Volume 1, Factor 1 which should be submitted in both Microsoft Excel and PDF format. For the Excel files provided by the FCC, the offeror shall respond with a completed Excel file.

VOLUME INSTRUCTIONS

C.1 VOLUME I: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

The Offeror shall provide its technical and management proposal as a separate file from the pricing proposal and shall label it: “Volume I Technical–YourCompanyName.pdf.”

The offeror shall separate this volume by Tab as set forth in the chart under section B.3 above, including the detailed information as described in these instructions.

C.1.1 Tab A – Cover Page

The cover page must contain the following:

(a) Name of Firm

(b) Complete Address

(c) SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

(d) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

(e) Point of Contact

(f) Telephone Number

(g) E-mail Address

(h) Any Subcontractor(s) name(s)

(i) RFP Number

(j) Date of Quotation

(k) Volume Number and Title

(l) Socio Economic Designation (if applicable)

(m) Revision number if appropriate

(n) Name(s), titles(s), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of persons authorized to negotiate on the firm’s behalf

(o) Name(s), titles(s), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of persons authorized to sign quotation or quotation revisions

C.2 Tab B – Table of Contents

Volume I shall include a Table of Contents specifying the contents by page number, including tables and figures, in the format prescribed in section B.3.1. above.

C.2.1 Tab C – Executive Summary

Under this tab, the Offeror shall provide a concise overview of the proposal submitted in response to the Auction Bidding System RFP. The executive summary shall summarize the Offeror’s understanding of the Government’s requirement, objectives, and scope as outlined in the RFP. The Offeror shall provide a brief introduction to the company, highlight the qualifications and expertise of key team members, and highlight the main features and benefits of the proposed solution.

C.2.2 Tab D – Implementation Strategy

Under this tab, the Offeror shall address its implementation strategy and plan. The Offeror’s implementation strategy shall clearly convey what can and cannot be accomplished during the identified timeframe, and provide additional details for items than cannot be accomplished. The information in this Tab shall be clear, logical, practical, efficient, cost effective, and complete. The Offeror shall identify potential risks or concerns for each item with a proposed approach to alleviate or mitigate them, as appropriate.

The Offeror shall include a draft implementation strategy and plan with their proposal that will become final after contract award. If the Offeror elects to include a project schedule, the schedule is not part of the 10 page limit. The plan should include a description of the transition process to begin using the bidding system in production.

The Offeror shall use the Microsoft Excel template provided, and all worksheets/tabs within the template, to complete the details about the minimum requirements. Instructions on how to complete the template are provided on the first worksheet in the Excel file. When complete, and with all columns in print view on a single page, 1-inch margins, and font not smaller than 10-point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, the completed template in PDF should not exceed 40 pages (not including the instructions worksheet). The implementation strategy, as detailed in the template, shall include the approach for meeting and accomplishing the minimum requirements as identified in the SOW in Appendix 1, Sections A., B., and D. within the timeframe set forth in the SOW for Activity 5. The template shall separately address each of the minimum requirements and shall indicate for each requirement identified in Appendix 1, Section A. whether the Offeror will or will not be able to meet that requirement at time of proposal due date, in Appendix 1, Section B. whether the Offeror will or will not be able to meet that requirement within six-months of the contract effective date, and shall indicate for each requirement identified in Appendix 1, Section D. whether the offeror will or will not be able to meet that requirement within one (1) year after the contract effective date for Activity 5. The Offeror shall enter information for every requirement in the template. The implementation strategy must be submitted both in the provided Microsoft Excel format and in PDF format.

An additional attachment to the requirements template may be created to provide evidence of the ability to meet a requirement. This requirement evidence document shall not exceed 50 pages in PDF format.

Requirements identified in the template across all worksheets as being able to be met in the timeframes indicated shall be reflected and included as work delivered under Activity 5, or another Activity if the requirement falls under Activity 1, 2, 3, or 4, of this contract, and should be accounted for and in alignment with the Offeror’s price proposal.

C.2.3 Tab E – Relevant Experience

The Offeror shall demonstrate its organization’s capability and suitability for this requirement though the presentation of their relevant experience. The presentation of relevant experience will demonstrate the Offeror’s expertise and ability to successfully execute the project as described in the RFP.

Offerors are cautioned to select projects that carefully align with the scope, objectives and challenges presented in this RFP in order to effectively showcase its relative experience.

Each Offeror shall identify no more than three (3) recent and relevant projects with the United States Federal Government (preferred), or with State, local, commercial, or non-profit customers. “Recent” is defined as active (ongoing for at least 1 year) or completed efforts performed (with at least 1 year of performance) within the past five (5) years from the issuance date of this solicitation (this can include work that began prior to this five-year period but was completed within the five-year period). “Relevant” is defined as similar in terms of size, scope, and complexity in comparison to the requirements in the SOW. The recent and relevant demonstrated experience of subcontractors for this contract will be considered; however, at least two (2) projects must be of the Offeror serving as the Prime Contractor.

The Offeror shall describe the size, scope, and complexity of each project. The Offeror shall describe why the project is pertinent to the work covered under this SOW.

The Offeror shall provide the following information regarding each Project (at most two projects can be from the same contract):

• Project title

• Brief description of the project

• Company-specific role, responsibility, and deliverables

• Contract the project is under and, if applicable, call order number

• Contract/task value

• Type of contract/task (FFP, LH, etc.)

• Period of Performance for the contract/task

• Government Agency/Organization

• COR’s name, address, and phone number

• Contracting Officer’s name, address, and phone number

• Current status of the project (e.g., completed and/or, if in progress, start and estimated completion date)

• Relevance to the FCC’s requirement (where performance similarities make the project relevant, specifically identify by section those aspects of the SOW).

• Problems encountered and the Offeror’s corrective actions (if applicable)

• Outcome and delivery of the tasks/work/project

C.2.4 Tab F - Technical Approach

The Offeror’s technical approach shall be clear, logical, practical, efficient, cost effective, and complete.

The Offeror shall identify potential risks with the proposed approach as well as the means to mitigate them.

The Offeror shall demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and ability to perform all technical aspects of the Auctions Bidding System Support as described in the SOW, to include identification of key aspects of the tasks (risks, special requirements, assumptions) that may impact the proposed solution to, or success of, the delivery of services..

In response to all tasks and information in the SOW, the Offeror shall address their ability to provide support in the following Activities:

• Contract Management

• Software, Maintenance, and Other Support

• Software Delivery Method (Hosting Services)

• Technical Support (Includes Operations and Management and Security Capability)

• System Implementation and Integration

• Special Projects

C.2.5 Tab G – Management Approach

The Offeror shall demonstrate their organization’s ability to successfully and efficiently manage and execute the contract. The Offeror must demonstrate their strategy for achieving project objectives, coordinating resources, and ensuring the successful completion of the project within budget and on schedule.

The management approach should be clear, concise and explain how it is specifically tailored to align with the requirement and objectives outlined in the RFP.

The Offeror shall also include information on staffing and resources. Qualifications of the proposed Key Personnel for the contract shall be identified. Resumes are required to be submitted as attachments to this section and are not included in the 10 page limit.

• Resumes shall be limited to two (2) pages per person and follow FCC’s type font and page instructions for the quote.

• All resumes shall follow a consistent format and shall include, at a minimum: employment history; positions and responsibilities; and a summary of qualifications, education, specialized training, and professional certifications.

• The resumes and other information presented in the Offeror’s proposal, together with information from any other sources available to the Government, will provide the input for evaluation. The Government reserves the right to verify the performance on other contracts of Key Personnel, whether or not the contract was identified by the Offeror in its proposal. The Government may query contract references and other end user representatives regarding the experience of proposed Key Personnel and the quality of their performance.

The Offeror must include a (1) draft Program Management Plan (PMP), to include staffing details (staffing plan), (2) draft Quality Control Plan (QCP), and (3) resumes for key personnel.

C.2.6 Technical Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions

Offerors are strongly encouraged to submit questions to the Contracting Officer regarding ambiguities in the solicitation during the period afforded for questions, rather than to make or take assumptions, conditions, or exceptions.

Otherwise, the Government and Offeror shall apply the same rules as those expressed in C.2.4 for technical assumptions, conditions, and exceptions. Any assumption, condition, or exception shall be evaluated as part of the individual factor to which it most relates.

C.3 VOLUME II: PRICE PROPOSAL

The Offeror shall provide its price proposal as a separate file and labeled as: “Volume II Price– YourCompanyName.pdf”

As noted above, the Offeror’s price proposal shall be a separate volume from its technical proposal. The price proposal is to be submitted as an FFP and/or LH based on the CLIN structures. The Offeror shall include all information relating to the proposed prices, including all required supporting documentation, in Volume II: Price Proposal.

Under no circumstances shall price information and documentation be included in any other volume.

C.3.1 Tab A – Cover Page

“Each” Volume shall include a Cover Page. The cover page must contain the following:

(a) Name of Firm

(b) Complete Address

(c) SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

(d) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

(e) Point of Contact

(f) Telephone Number

(g) E-mail Address

(h) Any Subcontractor(s) name or Subcontractor’s Offeror

(i) RFP Number

(j) Date of Quotation

(k) Volume Number and Title

(l) Socio Economic Designation (if applicable)

(m) Revision number if appropriate

(n) Name(s), titles(s), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of persons authorized to negotiate on the firm’s behalf

(o) Name(s), titles(s), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of persons authorized to sign quotation or quotation revisions

C.3.2 Tab B – Pricing Sheet

Under this tab, the Offeror shall complete the Pricing Sheet for the contract (Price Summary, Price Detail

– All CLINs, Sample Labor Mix LOE Activity 6, and LCAT Descriptions & Rates worksheets/tabs).) .

Offerors shall propose their own LCAT mix and associated hours for the execution of work under the FFP CLINs specified in the RFP. Offerors are expected to propose a LCAT mix that aligns with the scope of work described in the RFP. This LCAT mix should demonstrate the offeror’s understanding of the requirements and their ability to effectively complete the tasks outlined in the SOW.

For Activity 2 and Activity 3, Offeror may also propose additional costs (e.g., cloud hosting services costs which is already listed for Activity 3) needed to provide the services. Offeror shall explain any additional costs proposed for Activity 2 and Activity 3 in the Price Narrative Tab.

Offerors shall provide three distinct LCAT mixes and the corresponding LOE for each of the non-routine support services outlined in section V.A.6 of the SOW. These services include:

• Functional Auction Support Services

• Auction Operational and Configuration Support Services

• Auction Specific or System Modifications.

For Auction Specific or System Modifications, use Requirement 1.14 as defined in the SOW, Appendix 1, Section C as a reference requirement. Offerors should develop their LOE with the assumption that this is a brand new feature in the bidding system that needs to be implemented. There will be three (3) months of development work followed by a subsequent two (2) months of the development team supporting FCC user acceptance testing and remediating items of issues found, and deploying the approved functionality into the production environment. The Offeror should use this example whether or not its current system has this feature available.

If the feature outlined in Requirement 1.14 is already integrated into the proposed solution and currently available, the Offeror should still propose Labor Mix and LOE as if the feature is built as a new requirement. Offeror should make a note in the Pricing Narrative informing the FCC that 1.14 has been implemented.

Offerors are required to provide a comprehensive labor category (LCAT) description of the roles and responsibilities for each proposed position. The offeror must also provide the minimum qualifications for each LCAT description. The minimum qualifications must include the following information:

• Highest degree obtained: Clearly state the highest academic degree obtained by those who will be assigned to the specified LCAT.

• Number of years of experience post highest degree: Indicate the total number of years of professional experience those assigned to this LCAT should have gained since obtaining their highest degree. This experience should be directly relevant to the LCAT being proposed.

C.3.3 Tab C – Pricing Narrative

The Offeror may include a narrative explanation of any aspect of its price quote. Under this Tab, the Offeror shall include an express commitment to hold the prices and rates in its quote firm for 180 calendar days from the due date for receipt of quotes. The Offeror shall also include an express commitment to be contractually bound by their proposed rates and prices throughout the performance of the contract. Offeror shall explain any additional costs proposed for Activity 2 and Activity 3.

C.3.4 Tab D – Price Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions

Offerors are strongly encouraged to submit questions to the Contracting Officer regarding ambiguities in the solicitation during the period afforded for questions, rather than to make or take assumptions, conditions, or exceptions.

Under this tab, the Offeror submitting a proposal must expressly state whether it makes or takes assumptions, conditions, or exceptions respecting the terms, conditions, and requirements of this RFP.

No assumptions, conditions, or exceptions respecting the terms, conditions, or requirements of this RFP shall be stated anywhere in the Offeror’s price proposal outside of this tab. If taken or made, offerors shall clearly state each assumption, condition, or exception; identify the requirement; and cite the applicable solicitation paragraph and page number.

It is not the responsibility of the Government to seek out and identify assumptions, conditions, or exceptions buried within the Offeror’s proposal. No assumptions, conditions, or exceptions respecting the terms, conditions, or requirements of this RFP shall be stated anywhere in the Offeror’s price proposal, except under this tab. The Offeror shall explain any assumption, condition, or exception made or taken. If no assumption, condition, or exception is made or taken, the order placed with the Offeror will incorporate the terms, conditions, and requirements as set forth in this RFP, and any element of the Offeror’s price proposal deemed material by the Contracting Officer, and the contractor agrees to be bound thereby. Offeror’s should note that deviations from the requirements of the RFP, expressed by the Offeror will render its quote unacceptable, unless:

(1) the Government requests revised proposal under revised requirements or instructions that relax the involved term, condition, and requirement for all Offerors; or

(2) the Government allows the Offeror to revise its quote to comply with the RFP as currently written.

Such deviations may exist as proposal qualifications, restrictions, assumptions, or any other declaration, assertion, or tender that contravenes or conflicts with the mandatory requirements of the RFP.

If the Offeror does not document any assumptions, conditions, or exceptions respecting the terms, conditions, and requirements of this RFP, FCC will assume that the Offeror does not have any, and the Offeror agrees to comply with the requirements, terms, and conditions of this solicitation and resulting order without reservation.