B01 - RFQ (12SAD122Q0013) updated.pdf

DATE: July 27, 2022

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.

This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

The solicitation number is 12SAD122Q0013 This solicitation is issued as a request for quotes

(RFQ).

This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-05.

This effort will utilize a cascading/tier evaluation approach. Please read the QUOTE PREPARATION AND EVALUATION INFORMATION section in the RFQ.

The associated NAICS code is 322121 and the small business size standard is up to 1,250 employees.

This requirement is for services for “Roll Feed Paper.”

Please review the Statement of Work for a detailed description of requirements for the services to be acquired.

The period of performance for the BPA is a one-year base period with four one-year option periods.

Anticipated Period of performance is as follows:

Base Period (12-month): September 19, 2022 – September 18, 2023 (estimated) Option Period 1 (12-month): September 19, 2023 – September 18, 2024 (estimated) Option Period 2 (12-month): September 19, 2024 – September 18, 2025 (estimated) Option Period 3 (12-month): September 19, 2025 – September 18, 2026 (estimated) Option Period 4 (12-month): September 19, 2026 – September 18, 2027 (estimated)

52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, applies to this acquisition

The evaluation procedures to be used are described in QUOTE PREPARATION AND EVALUATION INFORMATION section within the Attachments.

Offerors are to include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer.

52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and a statement regarding any addenda to the clause.

52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition.

https://www.acquisition.gov/content/part-52-solicitation-provisions-and-contract-clauses#i52_212-1 https://www.acquisition.gov/content/part-52-solicitation-provisions-and-contract-clauses#i1060550 https://www.acquisition.gov/content/part-52-solicitation-provisions-and-contract-clauses#i1060971 https://www.acquisition.gov/content/part-52-solicitation-provisions-and-contract-clauses#i52_212_5

Offers are due. 3:00PM EST, September 01, 2022

Include the Solicitation number in your email submission Subject line.

Submit your quote package to: Brad.Miller@USDA.gov Contracting Officer, Rural Development.

For information/questions regarding the solicitation, contact Brad.Miller@USDA.gov

All questions shall be submitted to the above e-mail address no later than 10:00am EST on August 15, 2022. There is no guarantee that questions received after this time will be answered. The earlier the questions are submitted, the earlier a response should be able to be posted.

Anticipated Award date is September 19, 2022.

Contracting Office:

USDA – Rural Development Business Center 1400 Independence Ave, SW

DC 20250

This is a Tiered/Cascading solicitation.

The evaluation of offers received in response to this solicitation will use a tiered or cascading order of precedence. Tiered evaluation of offers, also known as cascading evaluation of offers, is a procedure used in negotiated acquisitions when market research is inconclusive for justifying limiting competition to small business concerns or sub-categories of small business concerns.

The contracting officer Solicits offers from both small and other than small business concerns that any offers will be evaluated in the following tier order:

(a) Service-Disabled Veteran Owned small business concerns;

(b) all small business concerns;

(c) other than small business (large business concerns);

If an award cannot be made on a competitive basis to a qualified, responsible, eligible business concern at a fair and reasonable price at the first tier, the evaluation of offers will proceed at the next lower tier until an award can be made.

NOTE: If an award cannot be made after evaluation of all quotes, the solicitation will be cancelled, and the requirement resolicited.

mailto:Brad.Miller@USDA.gov mailto:Christy.Glass@USDA.gov

Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Rural Development (RD) Roll Feed Paper Requirement 7/19/2022

I. DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS:

• ACIO: RD Assistant Chief Information Officer

• BC: Business Center

• BPA: Blanket Purchase Agreement

• CO: Contracting Officer, a person with authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. A CO is the only individual who can legally bind the Government.

• COR: Contracting Officer's Representative, a representative from the requiring activity appointed in writing by the CO to perform surveillance and to act as liaison to the contractor.

This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor if that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications.

This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

• COTS: Commercial-off-the-shelf, for the purpose of the performance work statement, COTS refer to commercially developed software.

• CLIN: Contract Line-Item Number

• DISC: Digital Infrastructure Services Center (formerly National Information Technology Center (NITC))

• DJDE: Dynamic Job Descriptor Entry

• DOL: Department of Labor

• FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulation

• IPP: Invoice Processing Platform

• O&M: Operations and Maintenance

• PMO: Procurement Management Office

• PWS: Performance Work Statement

• QA: Quality Assurance

• QASP: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan - An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance to assure services meets the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

• QCP: Quality Control Plan

• RBCS: Rural Business and Cooperative Service

• RD: Rural Development

• RDTO: Rural Development Technology Office

• RHS: Rural Housing Service

• SED: Systems Engineering Division

• RUS: Rural Utilities Service

• SO: Servicing Office

• Shall: denotes a mandatory duty or obligation

• USDA: United States Department of Agriculture

II. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Introduction and Background:

As a critical component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Rural Development (RD) Mission Area is driven by a mission to stimulate, grow, and protect the

American rural economy by providing loans, grants, and loan guarantees to individuals and commercial entities engaged in the betterment of rural life.

The USDA RD Assistant Chief Information Officer (ACIO) is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating enterprise-level solutions in support of all RD business users. These include:include Business Center (BC), Innovation Center (IC), Office of External Affairs (OEA), Civil Rights Office, Chief Risk Office, Rural Business and Cooperative Service (RBCS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS). These business areas function to support the delivery of RD loan, grant, and technical assistance programs to rural communities.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development agency has a need to acquire roll feed paper to support the Automated Mail Processing (AMP) System and agency Servicing Office printing needs.

The RD Automated Mail Processing (AMP) is an enterprise print and mail-handling service that produces and distributes financial and management reports, as well as loan servicing and customer notification correspondence. As a result, RD prints a large number of documents. The volume of printed material exceeds 16 million pages per year.

2.1 Statutory authority, regulations, or policy affecting the overall requirement as applicable include but are not limited to:

The following reference materials or appropriate portions thereof can be found online and are publicly available or will be made available after award upon written request by the contractor.

The Contractor must be familiar with and use the versions/revisions in effect as of the effective date of each Call Order issued under the BPA, and the Contractor is required to comply with the policies and procedures set forth in all such references.

• Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR)

• Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)

• General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM)

• Clinger-Cohen Act (also known as the “Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996”) (40 U.S.C. § 11101-11704);

• E-Government Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. Chapters 35 and 36);

• Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, Subchapter II);

• Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) (Pub. L. 113-291);

• Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1980, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35);

• Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. § 552a);

• Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-101);

• Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign) (15 U.S.C. Chapter

96);

• Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998 (44 U.S.C. § 3504);

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, as amended by the

Government Performance and Results Modernization Act (GPRA Modernization Act) of 2010 (5 U.S.C. § 306 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 1115 et seq.);

• Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. Chapter 7);

• Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950, as amended (31 U.S.C. Chapter 11);

• Chief Financial Officers Act (31 U.S.C. § 3512 et seq.)

• USDA RD Resources, Directives, and Regulations: https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources

• USDA Departmental Regulations, Notices, Manuals, and Secretary Memoranda:

https://www.ocio.usda.gov/policy-directives-records-forms/directives-categories

• USDA Digital Strategy: https://www.usda.gov/digital-strategy

• CIO.gov Policies and Priorities: https://www.cio.gov/policies-and-priorities/

2. Type of Award:

In accordance with FAR 13.303 Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), RD intends to establish a BPA to issue Call Orders against, for roll feed paper, as defined in this PWS and identified by Contract Line-Item Numbers (CLINs).

• This BPA will not obligate any funds.

• The Government is obligated only to the extent of an authorized BPA Call Order placed against the BPA by a warranted Contracting Officer.

• The BPA estimated value if all options are exercised shall not exceed $750,000.00.

• The Government does not guarantee to acquire a minimum or a maximum quantity/dollar amount under this BPA.

• The BPA may be terminated upon 30 days written notice by the Government.

• Any RD Contracting Officer, acting within the scope of their delegated procurement authority, may place Call Orders against this BPA. RD Contracting Officer will place Call orders via email.

Call Order Information

• Call Order types allowed under this BPA will be Firm-Fixed Price.

• All Call Orders are subject to the terms and conditions of the BPA.

• Call Order(s) will be issued when requirements are required by a USDA RD ordering activity.

• Only a USDA RD CO is authorized to place a Call Order under this agreement.

• A payment schedule will be specified in each Call Order.

• Each Call Order shall specify its period of performance.

• Contractor shall complete a BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEEMENT STATUS

REPORT for each Call Order based on frequency defined in the Call Order.

• Contractor shall be provided up to 5 business days to begin work on a Call Order after its issuance or as agreed between the vendor and the CO.

3. Non-personal and Not Inherently Governmental Services (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) All services requested under this acquisition, PWS and subsequent Call Orders are, or will be non-personal and not inherently governmental in nature.

4. Place(s) of Performance (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) The Contactor shall perform the requirements of this contract at the authorized Government work locations unless otherwise specifically stated in this PWS.

Changes in Authorized Work Locations (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources https://www.ocio.usda.gov/policy-directives-records-forms/directives-categories https://www.usda.gov/digital-strategy https://www.cio.gov/policies-and-priorities/

Work locations are subject to change when it is advantageous to the Government to eliminate or add a work location or change work locations to remote. Should a change occur, the contractor will be notified in writing by the Call Order CO. Should the Contractor decide to relocate existing employees due to a change, employee relocation will be done at no cost to the government.

The Contractor may propose contractor work locations in addition to those identified in Places of Performance when it is advantageous to the government. This includes contractor employee telework locations during specified periods when the government facilities are closed due to weather and other emergency situations and/or when government facilities are unavailable due to other events making a government facility uninhabitable. The alternate work locations will be coordinated with the Call Order COR in advance and shall be at no additional cost to the government.

The Contractor shall ensure all Government furnished equipment (GFE) assigned to individual employees are safely and securely operated and maintained regardless of the location where the work is performed.

Note: Currently all requirement tasks are being supported remote/virtually in support of efforts to combat COVID 19. USDA expects to have a mixed (virtual/in person) workforce, but largely does not expect any contractors to perform work onsite at government locations unless requested to attend in-person meeting, which would be infrequent. The government has limited space available to house Vendor’s workforce, for this acquisition efforts, in its new DC or MO locations.

5. Performance Period

This BPA will be effective from the date of establishment for a base period of 12 months with four 12-month option periods. Work on issued Call Orders may extend beyond 364 days of the effective period of this BPA. However, no new Call Orders may be issued once the BPA performance period has expired.

The Government may cancel the BPA at any time by notifying the Contractor at least thirty (30) days in advance. BPA cancellation does not release the contractor from the duty to continue Call Order performance. Ongoing orders continue in accordance with their own period of performance, even if the BPA is cancelled.

6. Days and Hours of Performance

For Call Orders under this BPA, the Contractor is required to be available on non-government holidays from 9:00 am EST until 5:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday to correspond with USDA RD’s point of contacts, such as the Call Order CO, Call Order COR, and the Call Order Project Manager. The Contractor is required to provide emergency phone numbers, along with regular contact phone numbers and email addresses.

The following chart depicts the recognized federal holidays. Note that the observed holiday day may be different from the actual holiday day depending on the calendar year. It is up to the contractor to be aware of such dates and discuss any concerns at least 30 days in advance of the holiday date with the Call Order COR/Call Order CO.

Federal Holiday Schedule New Year’s Day

Federal Holiday Schedule Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Washington’s Birthday Memorial Day Juneteenth National Independence Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

7. Performance Period or Delivery Date

This BPA will be effective from the date of establishment for a Base Period of 12 months and will include four 12-month Option Periods.

Base Period (12-month): September 19, 2022 – September 18, 2023 (estimated) Option Period 1 (12-month): September 19, 2023 – September 18, 2024 (estimated) Option Period 2 (12-month): September 19, 2024 – September 18, 2025 (estimated) Option Period 3 (12-month): September 19, 2025 – September 18, 2026 (estimated) Option Period 4 (12-month): September 19, 2026 – September 18, 2027 (estimated)

8. Kickoff Meeting At the Government’s request, the Contractor shall participate in the kickoff meeting when the BPA is established, and for each subsequent Call Order. This may require physical or virtual presence by the contractor at each kickoff meeting at no additional cost to the Government.

9. Travel:

There will be no travel reimbursement provided under the BPA or subsequent Call Orders.

10. Government-furnished Property, Equipment, and/or services (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide transition support as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) except for those items specified below as government furnished property and services:

• Laptops – receipt of government issued laptops are contingent upon Contractor employees receiving an USDA’s personal identity verification (PIV) card, which contains the necessary data for the cardholder to be granted to Federal facilities and information systems and assure appropriate levels of security for all applicable Federal applications.

• PIV Card – The COR will work with Contractor to obtain PIV cards for Contractor’s employees.

• Workspace and utilities shall be provided at USDA’s if applicable.

a) USDA Rural Development 1400 Independence Ave Washington, D.C. 20250

b) USDA Rural Development 4300 Good Fellow Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63120

c) Other government offices as required under acquisition work performance

11. Identification of Contractor Employees (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) All contractor personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. When performing work outlined in this PWS while in USDA facilities or RDs sites, contractor is required to wear Federal government-issued personal card.

12. Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality

The work to be performed under this acquisition and the data released to the Contractor’s personnel shall be treated as sensitive and confidential in nature and is not to be discussed with or released to anyone except USDA employees assigned to work with the contractor and other contractor personnel working on this acquisition. The Contractor is responsible for requiring all its employees working under this acquisition, who have access to privileged information, to sign the USDA Non-Disclosure Agreement, provided as an attachment to the solicitation and contract.

USDA, as it deems appropriate, may require additional certifications be completed by the contractor at any time during acquisition performance.

The Contractor is required to develop and utilize procedures for custody, use/handling, reproduction, preservation, storage, safeguarding, and disposition of all documents and information of this nature so that there is no unauthorized disclosure of such documents and information throughout the course of BPA/Call Order performance. The Contractor shall be responsible for the security of all project documents provided to them for work under this acquisition. It is essential that this information be properly handled, stored, and protected from the risk and magnitude of loss or harm that could result from inadvertent or deliberate disclosure, alteration or destruction. The Contractor shall protect and not disclose any PII.

Contractor-generated preliminary and final deliverables, all associated working papers, and other material RD deems relevant in the performance of Call Orders are the property of the U.S.

Government and must be submitted to the Call Order CO by the conclusion of this acquisition and shall not be reproduced or retained by the Contractor. The Contractor shall not release any information without the written consent of the Call Order CO.

When no longer required, this information, data, or equipment shall be returned to Government control; destroyed; or held until otherwise directed by the Call Order CO. Items returned to the Government shall be hand carried or emailed to the Call Order CO or other designee. The Contractor shall destroy unneeded items by burning, shredding or any other method that precludes the reconstruction of the material.

The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate CO upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment.

Training. If applicable, all Contractor employees assigned to a BPA Call Order who create, work with or otherwise handle records are required to take USDA-provided records management training. The Contractor is responsible for confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any annual or refresher training. To the extent an agency requires contractors to complete records management training, the agency must provide the training to the contractor.

Proprietary Information In the event that performance of any work under the BPAs/Call Orders causes the Contractor to gain access to proprietary or confidential information of other firms/contractors, the Contractor is required to immediately execute Non-Disclosure Agreements with those firms/contractors, in order to protect the information from unauthorized use. The Contractor is required to refrain from using any such information for any purposes other than for which it was furnished. The Contractor must immediately provide the Call Order CO with a copy of any such agreements with original signatures affixed.

13. HSPD-12 Credentials (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order) Contractor personnel must complete necessary requirements to obtain HSPD‐12 credentials immediately upon beginning work on the contract. Failure to obtain HSPD‐12 credentials is grounds for removal/suspension of contractor personnel from the contract.

https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12

14. Contractor Personnel Security Requirements (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

• Information Technology Systems Requirements:

The Contractor shall establish and implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of sensitive Government information, data, and/or equipment.

The Contractor shall comply with IT systems security and/or privacy specifications set forth in Rural Development and USDA directives, policy, and procedures; the Computer Security Act of 1987; OMB Circular A-130; and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002

(FISMA).

Pursuant to FSIS policy, the Contractor shall be responsible for assuring that each Contractor employee who requires routine unaccompanied physical access to a Federally controlled facility and/or unaccompanied access to a Federally controlled information system, including a Rural Development- issued computer, completes Computer Security Awareness training prior to performing any work under this contract.

The Contractor is required to maintain a listing of all individuals who have completed Computer Security Awareness training and submit this listing to the Call Order COR with a copy to the Contracting Officer within ten calendar days of an individual starting work on this contract.

• Access Requirements (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

Contractor Access to USDA’s Network/Systems. The Contractor shall require access to the USDA’s Network/Systems to perform work under the contract. The Call Order COR will oversee such access.

https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12

• Information Assurance The Contractor shall protect and not disclose any PII. The term “PII,” as defined in OMB Memorandum M-07-1616 refers to information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. The definition of PII is not anchored to any single category of information or technology. Rather, it requires a case-by-case assessment of the specific risk that an individual can be identified. In performing this assessment, it is important for an agency to recognize that non-PII can become PII whenever additional information is made publicly available - in any medium and from any source that, when combined with other available information, could be used to identify an individual.

15. Onboarding Process (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

At the Call Order level, the Contractor shall manage the onboarding of its staff for all Contractor personnel who have not yet been onboarded at USDA. Onboarding includes steps to obtain a USDA network and email account, complete training, initiate background investigations, and gain physical and logical access, which may include elevated privileges to the necessary development and test environments for the various systems to be enhanced.

A single Contractor Onboarding point of contact (POC) shall be designated by the Contractor that tracks the onboarding status of all Contractor personnel. The Contractor Onboarding POC shall be responsible for accurate and timely submission of all required USDA onboarding paperwork to the Call Order COR. The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the status of all its staff’s onboarding activities and report the status at the staff level during onboarding status meetings. The Contractor shall provide, to the Call Order COR, an Onboarding Status Report for any staff with outstanding onboarding requests.

Additional information regarding the Onboarding process is addressed in the attachment “PWS

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION REQUIREMENTS”.

16. Contractor Personnel Staffing and Assignments (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

(a) In the event that any of the key personnel named in the Contractor’s quotation, as accepted by the Government at Call Order award, are unable to perform because of death, illness, resignation from the Contractor’s employ, dissolution of agreement, or other reasons, the Contractor shall submit within 24 hours to the Call Order CO/Call Order COR, detailed written explanations of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any other information that the Call Order CO/Call Order COR deems pertinent to approve the substitution. No substitution is to be made without the prior written approval of the Call Order CO/Call Order COR. No increases in Call Order pricing will be allowed when substitutions are authorized by the Government.

(b) Personnel possessing unique technical specialties may be required for certain services related to the Call Orders. Such personnel shall have qualifications as required by the applicable Call Orders and approved by the Call Order CO/Call COR, which are appropriate to the nature of the services that will be provided.

(c) The Call Order CO will have the right to effect removals of any Contractor employees working under any Call Order at any time during the life of the BPA, if those employees are deemed not to possess the proper level of competence or abilities, or otherwise found to be unsuitable for work required. In such cases, the Contractor must promptly submit the names and any other information pertinent to approvals of substitutions if requested.

(d) Failure or delays by the Contractor in providing qualified personnel who meet the stated requirements of Call Orders, may be deemed sufficient reason by the Call Order COR to recommend termination for cause to the Call Order CO.

The Contractor shall provide the BPA CO with a primary and alternate administrative point of contact (POC) prior to the BPA establishment. One of these points of contact must be a Contract Executive. The Contractor shall notify USDA RD of any changes in contact information as expeditiously as possible.

17. Compliance with IT Security Policies:

• Information systems and system services provided to USDA by the Contractor must comply with the current USDA/ IT security and privacy policies, specifically the 3500 – 3599 Cyber Security Department regulations - https://www.ocio.usda.gov/policy-directives-records-forms/directives-categories.

• Contractors are also required to comply with current Federal regulations and guidance found in the:

o Federal Information Security Modernization act of 2014 (FISMA);

o Privacy Act of 1974; E-Government Act of 2002, Section 208;

o National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information

Processing Standards (FIPS) o 800-Series Special Publications (SP), specifically 800-40, Guide to Enterprise

Patch Management Technologies;

o Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memoranda;

o USDA Information Security Program policies, o and other relevant Federal laws and regulations with which USDA must comply.

• USDA departmental regulation DR 3575-002, System and Information Integrity (08/16/18), mandates that information technology development projects follow the Agency’s accepted System Development Lifecycle (SDLC). All projects with congressional visibility can expect to be audited for compliance. Other projects may be audited at Agency discretion. Audits may occur at any time.

• Contractors are required to protect information regarding security issues and associated documentation to limit the likelihood that vulnerabilities in operational software are exposed. If new vulnerabilities are identified after the acceptance of COTS software, the Contractor must review and remediate the vulnerabilities and then present the results for Government approval within the timeframes documented in USDA IT security policies.

18. Special Considerations (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

Contractor Collaboration: At the CO’s direction, the Contractor may be required to work in conjunction with other vendors. In addition, the Contractor may be required to meet and work with said other vendors regularly. However, it is expected that vendor collaboration working meetings would not be more frequent than twice a week at a duration of not more than 3 hours per meeting. These meetings may be obligatory to address project issues/concerns/improvements, etc.

Collaboration working meetings are in addition to the meetings listed in the deliverables table.

At the Call Order CO’s direction, the Contractor may be required to provide PMO ad hoc status https://www.ocio.usda.gov/policy-directives-records-forms/directives-categories https://www.ocio.usda.gov/policy-directives-records-forms/directives-categories reports in addition to any status reports in the deliverable table.

This authority shall not be delegated to any COR.

Meetings: Please be advised that most acquisition meetings are held in Microsoft TEAMS.

Meetings may be recorded for the contract file. The Call Order COR or Call Order CO is to set up meetings in TEAMS to facilitate meeting transcripts.

19. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under BPA Call Order(s) may receive, have access to proprietary or information (e.g., cost/pricing, specifications, work statements, etc.)

or perform services which may create a current or subsequent OCI as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5.

The Contractor shall notify the Call Order CO immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Call Order CO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Call Order CO and in the event the Call Order CO unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Call Order CO may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

The offeror shall provide a signed statement which describes concisely all relevant facts concerning any past, present, or planned interest (financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise) relating to the work to be performed under the proposed BPA Call Orders and bearing on whether the Offeror has a possible organizational or personnel conflict of interest with respect to:

• Being able to render impartial, technically sound, and objective assistance or advice, or

• Being given an unfair competitive advantage.

20. DATA RIGHTS

The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this BPA and subsequent BPA Call Orders. All documents and materials produced under this BPA and subsequent Call Orders shall be Government-owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the Contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

21. USDA Visual Identity Guidelines All visual materials intended for release to the public, both electronic and printed, delivered in the performance of this contract, must wholly conform to the current USDA Rural Development Visual Identity Guidelines. See attachment, “USDA Visual Identity Guidelines”.

22. Constraints or Assumptions Contractor shall adhere to USDA Digital Strategy, US Web Design Standards, and Chief Information Officers Council (CIO.gov) policies and priorities.

23. Order of Precedence

In the event of inconsistencies, between the Contractor’s proposal/quote and PWS, the required work specified in this PWS will take precedence over the Contractor’s proposal/quote.

24. Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) (formerly known as the Service Contract Act of

1965) applicability Contractors are to quote based on any wage determination that may be applicable per SCLS. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to review its employee roles that may be employed during administration of the ensuing contract and/or its tasks orders in context of the SCLS for potential labor categories covered under the SCLS.

This is not a labor hour contract. The contractor is to propose its own labor category mix based on the tasks included in this PWS.

Contractor awardee may want to contact its legal advisor to provide itself more information.

FAR 52.222-41 and FAR 52.222-43 are included as clauses in this acquisition that will carry over to the contract.

Wage determinations will be provided to the awardee based on the Contractor awardee’s proposed locations, as well as any updated ones as required per any exercised option.

The Contractor awardee will be responsible for ensuring that its personnel subject to the SCLS meet or exceed the corresponding minimum wages established by the Department of Labor (DoL) for the corresponding region (State/county) in which the task order is performed.

USDA will not be liable for any increased costs due to the Contractor awardee’s failure to identify SCLS categories or failure to pay minimum wages established by DoL.

25. Attachments that are incorporated into this PWS

• Acceptance and Defect Rubric

• Background Investigation Requirements

• Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure-Form Contractor

• Network Access Security Policy

• Non-disclosure agreement

• RD Application Security Baseline Requirements

• RD IT Contract Requirements - 508 Compliance, Internet Protocol, EVM Reporting

Requirements, Records Management, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

• System Privacy Baseline Process Requirements

• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Policy

• USDA Visual Identity Guidelines

III. SCOPE of Work

RDTO provides financial enterprise print services to the entire RD mission area, the St. Louis Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) and other on-demand Federal agencies that are crucial to effective and efficient program delivery. RD and FPAC depend on these enterprise print services to produce and distribute financial and management reports, as well as loan servicing and customer notification correspondence for all program areas.

The RD Automated Mail Processing (AMP) is an enterprise print and mail-handling service that produces and distributes financial and management reports, as well as loan servicing and customer notification correspondence. As a result, RD prints a large number of documents, and the volume of printed material exceeds 16 million pages per year.

The contractor shall provide roll feed paper to support the Automated Mail Processing (AMP) System and agency Servicing Office printing needs. The roll feed paper products must meet the salient characteristics and requirement specifications listed below.

It is estimated that RD will require up to 200 rolls annually (this number may be reduced without penalty to the Government) which may be purchased on an annual (one time basis) or on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) as needed by USDA and/or in incremental bulk purchases as supply is available during the period of performance.

Salient Characteristics/Requirement Specifications:

Item: Roll Feed Paper

• White Xerographic

• Non-rerolled or recycled paper

• These products are expected to be consumables, must be roll feed (no pre-cut/sheet paper) and cannot be after-market quality paper

• Paper is brand agnostic/non-restrictive (based on the paper supply availability)

• All paper rolls are expected to be pallet banded and shrink wrapped for delivery to the USDA Rural Development Warehouse (address listed below). No “after-market” or “recycled” paper may be proposed or supplied.

Paper Essential/significant physical, functional, or performance characteristics:

a) Compatibility – This does not apply to this requirement

b) Dimensions – 8.5”x 50” diameter

c) Weight – 20 lb.

d) Industry Standard – 3” or ”6 core roll

e) Purpose – Roll feed paper is needed to support the Automated Mail Processing (AMP)

System and agency Servicing Office printing needs.

f) Governing Body or Organization – USDA

g) Applicable model/make/catalog number – None

h) Manufacturer name – None

i) Complete generic identification – Please see above information

Shipping Location for Roll Feed Paper:

USDA Rural Development Warehouse Rivers Edge Business Park 1300 West 3rd Street, Suite A Granite City, IL 62040

1. Deliverables Deliverables include:

(1) Successful and timely delivery of up to 200 rolls of roll feed paper (this number may be reduced without penalty to the Government) in accordance with the Scope of Work identified above, including all Salient Characteristics/Requirement Specifications. The roll feed paper may be purchased on an annual (one time basis) or on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) as needed by USDA and/or incremental bulk purchases as supply is available during the period of performance. The Vendor shall collaborate with the designated USDA RDTO warehouse staff to deliver the roll feed paper.

USDA Rural Development Warehouse POC to be provided by the Call Order COR.

(2) Successful visual inspection of the roll feed paper by the Government warehouse staff and verified by RDTO Staff to ensure that the roll feed paper is not damaged. It is the responsibility of the vendor to pick up all damaged roll feed paper and replace it at no additional cost to the Government. The vendor shall collaborate with the designated USDA warehouse staff to ensure that each paper shipment/delivery has been successfully visually inspected to ensure that the paper is not damaged upon delivery.

It is the responsibility of the vendor to pick up and replace all roll feed paper within 10- 20 days at no additional cost to the Government.

2. Deliverables/Schedule Chart (Call Orders may include additional deliverables)

Deliverable/ Item Title

Description

Frequency

Reference

Delivery Format / Submit To

Due By

Kick of Meeting (if applicable, shall be identified in the individual Call Order)

Vendor Team and Government staff shall meet to discuss objectives, expectations, and address any questions the Contractor may have

Once when the BPA is established, and once for each subsequent Call Order (at the Government’s request)

PWS General Requirements

Microsoft Word/Power Point via email to the Call Order COR

Within 5 business days of BPA and /or subsequent Call Order award

Successful and timely delivery of up to 200 rolls of roll feed paper annually (this number may be reduced without penalty to the Government) in accordance with the Scope of Work identified above, including all Salient Characteristics/Requirement

Successful and Timely Roll Feed Paper Delivery

Per Awarded Call Order

PWS and Scope of Work

All roll feed paper to be shipped and delivered to the USDA Rural Development Warehouse.

Once delivered, the vendor shall

Within 10- 20 Days of Call Order Award, or agreed to schedule

Specifications. notify the Call Order COR via email.

Successful visual inspection of the paper by the Government warehouse staff and verified by RDTO staff to ensure that the roll feed paper is not damaged upon delivery. It is the responsibility of the vendor to pick up all damaged roll feed paper and replace it within 10-20 days at no additional cost to the Government.

Successful Visual Inspection of Roll Feed Paper Upon Delivery to the USDA Rural Development Warehouse

Per Awarded Call Order

PWS and Scope of Work

All roll feed paper to be successfully visually inspected by the Government warehouse staff and verified by RDTO staff to ensure that it is not damaged.

Once inspected, the vendor shall notify the Call Order COR via email.

Within 2 business days of receipt of roll feed paper at the

USDA

RDTO

Warehouse

2. Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) Structure:

BASE PERIOD: 12 months

CLIN 0001, FFP (Firm Fixed price) – Roll Feed Paper (Quantity to be identified on the individual Call Order)

Total Price $

OPTION PERIOD 1: 12 months

CLIN 1001, FFP (Firm Fixed price) – Roll Feed Paper (Quantity to be identified on the individual Call Order)

Total Price $

OPTION PERIOD 2: 12 months

CLIN 2001, FFP (Firm Fixed price) – Roll Feed Paper (Quantity to be identified on the individual Call Order)

Total Price $

OPTION PERIOD 3: 12 months

CLIN 3001, FFP (Firm Fixed price) – Roll Feed Paper (Quantity to be identified on the individual Call Order)

Total Price $

OPTION PERIOD 4: 12 months

CLIN 4001, FFP (Firm Fixed price) – Roll Feed Paper (Quantity to be identified on the individual Call Order)

Total Price $

IV. PAYMENT AND INVOICING:

1. Evaluation Method for Periodic Payment The USDA Program office and Call Order COR will evaluate the Contractor’s performance at the Call Order level on the basis of:

Evaluation of deliverable listed o The Contractor shall ensure proper control and coordination of all deliverables to ensure they are on time. Unless otherwise stated, the Government will review deliverables and notify the Contractor of acceptance or non-acceptance within ten

(10) business days. Representatives of the Contractor shall meet with the Call Order COR and other members of the Government as necessary to review status of deliverables.

2. Invoicing and Payment

The Contractor shall submit the original of the invoice to the Call Order COR as well as submit via the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) at www.ipp.gov. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or attached documentation:

• Name and Remittance address of Contractor

• Vendor Identification Number

• Invoice Date

• Contract or Call Order Number

• Amount to be paid by CLIN

• Travel/ODC’s billed, extension thereto, if relevant

• Total amount to be paid

• Cumulative amount billed to date

• The Contractor shall submit any other information or documentation required by other provisions of the Contract such as reports, copies of travel vouchers, hotel, and meal receipts, supporting paid invoices, receiving/acceptance reports, etc., or required to support the invoice request. The original receipts shall be maintained by the Contractor and made available to Government auditors upon request.

Payment by the Government will be made via electronic funds transfer typically before 30 days.

USDA shall be provided 10 days to review the invoice and respond to the Contractor that the invoice is either rejected or approved. A rejected invoice must address the reasons the invoice was rejected and be sent directly to the Call Order COR and Call Order CO before being submitted to IPP again.

The Call Order COR or Call Order CO will provide feedback within 5 days on the invoice corrections and notify the Contractor whether the Contractor shall submit the invoice back to IPP for payment. The Contractor shall submit the original of the invoice to the Call Order COR as well as submit via the Invoice Processing Platform. Payment dependent on satisfactory performance and receipt for deliverables due.

Roll Feed Paper Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)

USDA Rural Development intends to establish a multiple award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for firm-fixed price call orders for the requirement identified by the PWS.

This requirement shall be procured using FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures under NAICS 322121 Paper (Except Newsprint) Mills One solicitation will be issued for this acquisition. For the purposes of this solicitation, amendments may be posted as necessary. The evaluations are subjective based on the information provided in response to the evaluation factors.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for award, the business must have a valid and active System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Quotes - Offeror’s are to submit one electronic copy of the Technical Quote (Saliant Characteristics/Requirement Specifications) have and one electronic copy of the Price Quote to the email address below. FAXED QUOTES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Please include in your email submission Subject line, the Solicitation number

12SAD122Q0013

Submit your Quote package to: Brad Miller Email address: brad.miller@usda.gov

Contracting Officer, Rural Development

Offerors shall prepare the Technical Quote (using the Attached SAMPLE CALL ORDER at the very end of this RFQ) with the (Saliant Characteristics/Requirement Specifications) in mind, in terms of both content and organization, to facilitate evaluation.

A complete Quote submittal shall consist of 2 electronic files in total.

• One MS Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF file containing a Technical Quote (Saliant Characteristics/Requirement Specifications).

• One completed MS Word or Excel or Adobe Acrobat file containing a Price Quote.

mailto:Christy.Glass@USDA.gov

For the purposes of this solicitation, one page is defined as one electronic page which is no larger than 8.5” x 11” with 1” margins on all sides. Font shall be either Times New Roman or Arial and the font size shall be no smaller than 11.

However, for tables and graphics, font size no smaller than 6 may be used. For headers and footers, please do not use font size smaller than 8. Offerors may present an 8.5x11” page in landscape format if used solely for a wide table or graphic.

Electronic quotation files shall be free of any restrictions which prevent or limit the Government’s ability to copy, print, comment, etc. within the electronic documents.

Any proprietary information must be marked as such either in the page footer or header.

Mark each page in your quote as “"Source Selection Information-See FAR 2.101 and

3.104. For Government Use Only” either in the header or footer section.

A. Questions regarding the Request for Quotes:

All questions shall be submitted to brad.miller@usda.gov no later than August 29, 2022, by 3pm EST. There is no guarantee that questions received after this time will be answered. The earlier the questions are submitted, the earlier a response should be able to be posted.

Evaluation Factors

FACTOR 1 – TECHNICALLY ACCEPTABLE (Saliant Characteristics/Requirement Specifications):

FACTOR 2- PRICE

When using the lowest price technically acceptable process, the following apply:

(1) The evaluation factors and significant subfactors that establish the requirements of acceptability shall be set forth in the solicitation. Solicitations shall specify that award will be made on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of proposals meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors. If the contracting officer documents the file pursuant to 15.304(c)(3)(iii), past performance need not be an evaluation factor in lowest price technically acceptable source selections.

This LPTA solicitation, which is best value resulting from selection of the technically acceptable quote with the lowest fair and reasonable price. Price will only be considered after Factor 1 (Saliant Characteristics/Requirement Specifications) has been found to be considered “Technically Acceptable.”

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.304#FAR_15_304

Factor 1 must be acceptable to be considered for an award. The offeror that is rated with the lowest “fair and reasonable price” shall be selected if Factor 1 is rated “Technically Acceptable.”

FACTOR…